Mango Madness Murder: A Frosted Love Cozy Mystery - Book 15 (Frosted Love Cozy Mysteries) (6 page)

Missy’s
eyes were large as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror while Cheryl and
Echo fussed with her veil. This was really happening, she was really getting
married.

“I’m
freaking out right now,” she announced, too nervous to be anything but
blatantly honest. The flurry of fluffing stopped and Echo knelt down on one
side of her, Cheryl on the other.

“Stop
it,” Echo directed firmly, but with love. “This is the best day of your life,
you’re about to marry by far the most eligible bachelor in the entire state of
Louisiana, and you’re going to live happily ever after,” she met her best
friend’s eyes in the mirror. “You’re nervous, you’re shaky, and in about an
hour, when it’s all over and you’re partying with the rest of us, you’re going
to be on cloud nine. Then you’re going to be on the most fabulous honeymoon
ever, and you’ll forget all about whatever it is right now that’s making you
lose your mind,” she assured the quivering bride.

“I
know how to make you forget all about your nerves, even if it’s only for a
moment,” Cheryl smiled at her shyly in the mirror.

“Oh
thank goodness,” Missy sighed. “Give it to me…what’s your secret?” she
demanded, desperate for something to take her mind off of her unfounded
worries.

The
young woman blushed and smiled an angelic smile.

“A
baby??” Missy clapped her hands together in hopeful delight, and when Cheryl
nodded, turned to embrace her.

“It’s
a boy this time,” she beamed.

“Oh
honey, I’m so excited for you two!” the bride’s eyes welled with tears, her
jitters completely forgotten for the moment.

“Hey,
hey! None of that!” Echo scolded, a bit misty herself. “You’ll smear your
makeup,” she dabbed at her friend’s eyes delicately with a tissue.

“Oh
goodness, you’re right,” Missy fanned her face, trying to stave off her happy
tears.

“Told
you I’d make you forget to be scared,” Cheryl winked at her boss and received a
grateful hug.

Missy
looked from Cheryl to Echo and back again. “I don’t know what I’d do without
you two,” she whispered, welling up again.

“You’ll
never have to know,” Echo replied, pulling in the other two for a group hug.

Ben
rapped softly on the door. “Ladies, it’s time…” he called, waiting for them to
let him in.

The
man who had been like a son to Missy was admitted, looking slightly awkward but
adorable in his tuxedo. His vest was a soft peach color, to match the
bridesmaid’s dresses, and his silk cravat looked like it might be choking him a
bit, but the way his wife looked at him when he entered the room was a sight to
behold. She kissed him on the cheek as she and Echo went downstairs to take
their places.

“Hey
Papa Bear,” she grinned. “Congratulations!”

“Thanks,”
Ben blushed, as his wife had, and gratefully accepted Missy’s hug. “But she
wasn’t supposed to tell you until the reception, when we were all together,” he
protested.

“Desperate
situations called for desperate measures, darlin,” his boss chuckled.

“You
ready for this?” he asked, the love and concern for her evident in his eyes.

The
bride-to-be nodded with serene confidence. Her girls had gotten her through the
panic stage, and now she couldn’t wait to walk down the petal strewn aisle
through her decked out back yard and into the gazebo to marry the most
wonderful man on the planet.

“Yes,
I really am,” she confessed with a starry-eyed smile. “Ben, come here for a
second,” she beckoned, holding out a hand to him that he took and knelt beside
her where his darling wife had been moments before.

“You’re
like the son I never had,” she told him, lightly touching his cheek. “I could
not have made it this far without you, and I just want you to know how much I
love you, and Cheryl and baby Cammie. Wherever you go, whatever you do, you can
always count on the fact that you’ll always be in my heart, and I’m only a
phone call away if you ever need me,” she stopped for a moment, fanning her
face again, trying not to cry.

“I’m
not gonna lie, darlin,’ it makes my heart hurt to think that I won’t be seeing
y’all every day,” she admitted, her southern accent profound, in the emotion of
the moment. “But I’m so happy that you’re going to be spreading your wings and
doing what you were meant to do,” she nodded, her face radiating the love that
she had for this very special young man.

Ben
squeezed her hand, clearing his throat and looking down for a few seconds
before returning his gaze to hers.

“I
can’t even begin to tell you how much you’ve meant to me, ever since we first
met,” he began, clearing his throat again. “My mother has been out of the
picture for so long that I barely remember her, but you’ve been a mom to me the
entire time I’ve known you, and…” he paused, swiping a hand briefly across his
eyes and taking a deep breath before continuing. “…there are no words that
could possibly express how thankful I am to have you in my life. You’re always
there for me. No matter what I do, I know that ultimately, everything will be
okay because you’ve got my back. I have the courage to do whatever I need to do
in life, because I know that you believe in me. I love you Ms. G., you’re the
best mom that a guy could ask for,” he finished, his voice trembling with
emotion as Missy pulled him into a hug, no longer caring that her mascara might
smear.

After
their moment, both of them pulled back and smiled, relieved that what they’d
both felt for so long had finally been articulated. Ben pulled a tissue from
the box on the vanity, muttering something about Echo hunting him down if Missy
came downstairs with mascara on her face, and handed it to his boss, his
mentor, his mom.

He
stood, brushing any possibly wrinkles from his tux, and offered his arm to the
lovely woman in front of him. “Ready?” he asked. Standing slowly, she nodded
and took his arm.

**

Missy’s
backyard and gazebo had been transformed into fairyland for the event, with
white and silver streamers and bunting bedecking every surface, and so many
floral arrangements that the yard smelled positively heavenly. The guests were
seated in skirted white chairs on both sides of a white runner that had been
strewn with white rose petals, and the entire effect was breathtaking and
magical, but what made Missy inhale sharply as she entered the yard on Ben’s arm,
moving in time with the music, was the sight of her beloved Chas, looking
positively stunning in his tuxedo. Every doubt she’d ever had washed away, and
she couldn’t wait to be Mrs. Gladstone-Beckett.

The
wedding had been specifically tailored to the couple, so when Ben walked Missy
down the aisle, he took his place beside Chas, as the best man. The other
groomsman, Grayson, led Toffee and Bitsy on leashes down the aisle, with a ring
box attached to each of the canine’s collars, and stood beside Ben, with their
furry friends sitting, waiting patiently, until the rings were needed. The
ceremony was short, heartfelt and beautiful, with Chas and Missy speaking the
vows that they had written for each other, which left the attendees in tears,
and when he kissed her after being pronounced man and wife, she even didn’t
hear the cheers of friends and loved ones, she was so lost in the moment.

**

Missy
and Chas’s reception was held at the country club, and it seemed that all of
LaChance and Dellville were in attendance. Chas had arranged for Becca Rogers,
who was, hands down, the best clambake caterer on the east coast, to come all
the way to Louisiana to handle the food for the reception. He and Missy flew to
Cape Cranston to meet with the spunky and creative culinary genius, and the
trio hit it off immediately. Missy had balked a bit initially at the expense of
bringing in someone who wasn’t local, but Chas was from New York originally and
had heard nothing but rave reviews about Becca, so she had agreed to meet her.
Once the two gals met, all doubts in Missy’s mind were promptly erased. She
rationalized that more of Chas’s wealthy family and friends from New York might
attend if they at least knew that the reception fare would meet their standards.

The
couple had a rare moment alone, after the formalities of dinner, cake-cutting,
bouquet and garter tossing and dancing, where the stood, gazing out at the
excitement and laughter of family and friends.

Chas
turned to his bride and took her hands, looked into her eyes and opened his
mouth to speak, when suddenly the boisterous drawl of none other than Mayor
Felton Chadwick shattered their moment of solitude.

“Well,
well, well, it’s a fine day. A fine day indeed,” Felton clapped Chas on the
shoulder and gave a rather startled Missy a kiss on the cheek. The rotund man
had outdone himself in dressing for the occasion, resplendent in a white
walking suit with a light blue shirt and red and white tie, his bald pate
gleaming. The mayor always seemed to prefer wearing some sort of red, white and
blue whenever attending a function where many of his constituents might be
about. He had been re-elected by a landslide, so one would think that his
posture would be a bit more relaxed, but he worked the reception crowd like a
pro, shaking hands and kissing babies with gleeful abandon.

“Yes
it is. Thank you for coming, Felton,” Chas replied, shaking his hand and
ignoring the raised eyebrows of his new wife.

“And
my dear, you are just a picture of radiant loveliness,” the mayor drawled,
taking Missy’s hand and kissing it.

“Thank
you Mayor Chadwick,” she managed a polite smile.

“Well,
I do believe I’m going to help myself to another piece of that delightful
wedding cake, and leave you two lovebirds to get better acquainted,” he winked
slyly. “Congratulations y’all,” he waved, heading for the dessert table.

“You
invited the mayor?” Missy blinked at him.

“Sweetie,
it was the right thing to do. We know what he’s like, but we also know that
he’s not an enemy that a business owner wants to have in this small community,”
her husband reminded her gently.

She
sighed, nodding. “You’re right. I’m still just peeved.”

“Let
it go sweetie, we have more important things to think about,” he grinned,
waggling his eyebrows, and kissed her.

“Did
I show you where the dog treats are kept?” Missy asked Echo, going over her
list of instructions with a fine toothed comb. Echo’s ice cream shop had sold
just before the wedding, but she wasn’t moving until after Missy and Chas came
back from their honeymoon because she had agreed to watch the dogs while they
were gone.

“Three
times,” Echo sighed, rolling her eyes melodramatically. “Seriously, dear, get
yourself in the car and get out of here before your long-suffering husband
loses his mind,” she ordered, pushing her friend toward the door.

“But
did you…” she began, as she was being herded out.

“Yes,
I did! Whatever it is, yes. Get moving sister,” Echo laughed at Missy’s
inordinate attention to detail when it came to taking care of her furry babies.
“Yes, I have your phone number, and the number of the B&B, as well as the
veterinarian’s number. I love your girls as much as you do and I’ll take good
care of them,” she reassured her, propelling her out the door, meeting the eyes
of an amused and grateful Chas.

He’d
had the car loaded and had been standing by it, waiting patiently, for nearly
half an hour, while Missy went around making certain that all supplies were
stocked, all of her instructions were understood and that Echo had all of the
resources that she could possibly need.

They
were seated in the car and he started backing out of the driveway, with Echo
waving from the porch, when Missy called out, “Wait!”

Stopping
the car, Chas looked at her inquisitively. She pushed down the button to lower
the window and called out to Echo. “When you take them to the park…”

“…be
sure to take their water bowls, a Frisbee, and a ball in the special backpack,”
her friend finished her sentence for her. “I know, I know, it’s bullet point
number fourteen,” she called from the porch, opening the screen door to go
inside before Missy could think of anything else.

“Thank
you, love,” Missy called out as the door closed behind her chuckling friend.

“Ready?”
Chas asked.

“Ready,”
she nodded with a grin, finally able to stop worrying about the girls long
enough to get excited about embarking upon her honeymoon.

**

The
bed and breakfast that the happy couple had booked for their honeymoon was a
gracious, antiqued-filled mini-mansion, nestled among palms and evergreens on a
private stretch of pristine beach along the Florida coast.

“Oh
Chas, it’s beautiful!” Missy exclaimed when they got out of their rental car,
drinking in the ocean breeze. She couldn’t wait to kick off her shoes and feel
the sand between her toes.

“Not
as beautiful as my lovely wife,” he grinned, taking her hand and heading for
the foyer.

A
tall, thin woman with iron-grey hair was watering plants on the spacious front
porch when they approached, and she put her watering can down, extending her
hand.

“You
must be Missy and Chas,” her tone was warm. “I’m Maggie, your host,
housekeeper, and concierge for the next week. Come on inside and I’ll show you
around,” she invited, turning the ornate, egg-shaped doorknob to admit them.

The
Beach House B & B managed to be exquisitely decorated and comfortable all
at once, with plush Persian carpets underfoot, gleaming mahogany antiques
throughout, and hand-tatted lace at the leaded-glass windows. The stately home
had stood amongst the picturesque beauty since before the Civil War, and had
been meticulously updated and maintained in period style. Stepping into the
grand foyer, with crystal chandeliers above, was like stepping back in time,
and Missy was spellbound.

Maggie
showed them the elegant dining room where they’d be served breakfast with the
other guests of the inn every morning, as well as the library, two parlors, the
rec room, the courtyard, formal gardens, and pool area, before showing them
upstairs to their suite. The burgundy floral interior of the Honeymoon Suite
featured a king-sized, four-poster mahogany bed with sumptuous linens, an
opulent living area, a sun porch, and a huge, white marble clad bathroom with a
whirlpool tub that looked large enough to swim in. Leaving the newlyweds to
explore their temporary home, Maggie let them know that there would be an
afternoon tea service in the Wedgewood Parlor at 3:00 and invited them to come
and enjoy refreshments and meet the other guests. 

While
Chas retrieved their luggage, Missy practically dove into the beach bag that
she’d brought in with her, and changed into the sassy cerulean swimsuit that
she’d purchased specifically for the honeymoon. Feeling slightly
self-conscious, she was nonetheless determined to indulge in her share of fun
in the sun. As soon as her husband, (getting accustomed to using that term in
reference to the handsome detective was a slow process), returned with their
things, he quickly donned his suit and, throwing a couple of towels into the
top of their beach bag, they headed down the weathered grey boardwalk that led
to the beach.

The
Beach House had thoughtfully provided lounge chairs, sunbrellas, and foam
floating rafts for the enjoyment of their guests. Setting up two loungers under
a turquoise and green striped sunbrella that was several feet away from the
nearest other beachgoers, Missy and Chas strolled hand in hand down the sugar
sand beach toward the azure waters of the Gulf. The water was cool and
refreshing, and they swam and splashed and played like teenagers for nearly an
hour, before heading back to their loungers to relax and dry in the warm
Florida breeze. Toweling off, Missy noticed that a small cooler, with a note on
top that said, “Compliments of the Beach House,” had been left between their
chairs. Spreading out her towel on the lounger and easing onto it, she slipped
the lid off of the cooler and found that it had been stocked with ice-cold
bottled water, coconut water, and mango juice.

Chas
selected coconut water and Missy grabbed a mango juice to enjoy while they
recovered from their swim.

“Mmmm…this
feels so good,” she smiled, reclining, eyes closed beneath her sunglasses.

“I
could get used to this,” Chas agreed, setting his coconut water in the cup
holder that was molded into the side of his lounger.

Their
tranquil afternoon was interrupted just then, by the sound of voices raised in
anger. Missy and Chas glanced over to see what was causing the commotion, and
witnessed what looked like a marital spat happening between a couple who had
settled under a sunbrella that was nearly a football field away. There was a
man and a woman, who looked to be in their 50’s, clad in swimsuits, sitting in
beach chairs, yelling at each other and making aggressive gestures. The
newlyweds shared an uncomfortable look, then Chas shrugged and they both laid
back and closed their eyes, trying their best to ignore the couple. They were
far enough away that, despite their voices being heard, their words were
unintelligible. Several minutes later, the wife stood up, hastily wrapped a
large towel around her middle and tried to stalk away. Her husband grabbed her
arm, and Chas was halfway out of his chair to intervene if necessary, when the
man released his wife with a forceful shove and she ran, barefoot toward the
inn.

“What
should we do?” Missy asked, wide-eyed, her heart beating fast after having
witnessed the awful event.

“Nothing…yet,”
Chas said, his jaw flexing.

The
angry man flopped back down in his lounger, crossed is arms over his chest and
seemed to go to sleep. The mood ruined, Missy and Chas waited long enough to
make sure that the woman would have had adequate time to walk to the inn in
privacy, then gathered their things and left quietly, choosing to lay by the
pool to dry off. They took the cooler with them to the pool, which was
mercifully deserted.

“Do
you think she’s okay?” Missy worried as they floated lazily in the shallow end.

The
detective shrugged. “We can only hope so. People make strange choices
sometimes.” He glanced at his waterproof watch. “If we want to go to afternoon
tea, we should probably head back to the room in half an hour.”

“I
think I’d like to give it a try. We don’t have to attend every day, but it’d be
nice to meet some of the other guests, don’t you think?”

“Whatever
you’d like, sweetie. I’m happy wherever I am, as long as I’m with you,” Chas
charmed her with a smile and a kiss, tasting the salt of the ocean on her lips.

“I
hope the woman from the beach is okay,” she went back to worrying, biting her
lower lip.

“I
hope so too, sweetie, but there’s nothing we can do at this point, so you need
to stop worrying about it and focus on enjoying your honeymoon,” he directed.

“Sorry.
I’ll pay attention to us from now on,” she promised, pulling herself up over
the concrete edge of the pool and walking quickly to her sun chair.

“Good,”
her husband replied, following her lead.

**

Chas
was fully dressed in white linen trousers and a camel-colored button-down, but
Missy still had to dry her hair before tea, so she sent him down first, to
scout out the situation and let her know what it was like. She dried her hair,
picking up her phone when she saw the screen light up with a text from her
husband.

“You’re
going to love this! Finger sandwiches, Petit Four cakes, English teas, all
served on fine china…come on down when you’re ready!”

Missy
smiled, reaching for her can of hairspray, excited to experience tea time at
the Beach House. The guest rooms in the mansion opened up to a common hall that
went to the left and the right at the top of the grand staircase. She pulled
the door shut behind her, twisting the knob to make certain that it was locked,
and started for the stairs, almost crashing into someone coming out of the room
next door.

“Oh,
excuse me!” she smiled apologetically, finding herself face to face with the
woman from the beach. Before she could think to stop herself, she glanced quickly
down at the woman’s arm, seeing the beginnings of a nasty bruise where she’d
been manhandled.

“No
problem,” the woman smiled tightly, clearly annoyed.

Impulsively,
Missy decided to reach out to the battered woman. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to
pry, but…”

Before
she could even attempt to finish her sentence, the faked smile disappeared from
the woman’s face. “Then don’t!” she snapped. “I don’t know who you think you
are, little miss busybody, but you should just keep your nose in your own
business if you know what’s good for you,” she snarled, turning her back on
Missy and moving toward the stairs.

“I’m
sorry, I…”

“Drop
dead,” the woman said, without bothering to turn around.

Missy
felt the color rising in her cheeks as she waited a moment before taking the
stairs down. She was just trying to be kind, there was really no reason for
that woman to have been so rude. Remembering what Chas had said, she tried as
best she could to shake it off, and made her way to the parlor, shocked when
she saw the woman from the hall cuddled up to the man who had roughed her up on
the beach. She caught Chas’s eye from across the room and glanced subtly at the
couple. He inclined his head, indicating with a look, that she should just
leave it alone, and she made her way over to him, snagging a delicate china cup
of Earl Grey on her way.

“Try
this,” Chas popped a bite of finger sandwich into her mouth when she finally
reached him.

“Oh
my goodness, that’s delicious,” she raved, holding her hand in front of her
mouth to be polite. She swallowed, then took a sip of tea to wash down the
bite. The newlyweds sampled more of the delicious tidbits that were staged on
crystal dishes, fine china and silver platters, each bite more wonderful than
the last, and circulated among the other twenty or so guests who were milling
about, meeting warm and lively folks from all over the country who were
vacationing at the inn. They made a point of avoiding the couple from the
beach, but Missy accidentally bumped into woman yet again when she went to the
table to pluck another sweet shrimp from the silver shrimp tree.

“Do
you ever watch where you’re going?” she demanded shrilly.

“I’m
sorry, I didn’t mean to,” Missy started to apologize, despite the woman’s
rudeness.

“Yeah,
well, you see what happened the last time you “didn’t mean to” run into me,”
she snipped, indicating the bruise on her arm.

“That’s
a lie!” Missy exclaimed, a little too loudly, drawing puzzled looks from the
other guests. “That happened to you on the beach, I saw him, (she pointed to
the husband/boyfriend/whatever who was standing behind the woman), grab you and
push you. You know darn well that I didn’t do that!” her kitten grey eyes
flashed fire.

The
woman’s eyes narrowed and just as she opened her mouth to respond, Chas
intervened smoothly.

“Excuse
me ma’am,” he spoke to the woman in a low, cordial voice. “I’m going to have to
steal this lovely lady away from you for a moment, won’t you excuse us?” he
smiled politely, spiriting Missy away before her temper burst forth again.

“Good
riddance,” Missy heard as they glided to the far side of the parlor where they
could have a bit of privacy.