Murdering the Roses (A Heavenly Highland Inn Cozy Mystery) (10 page)

The s
heriff looked a little flustered to have her attention lavished on him in such a way. “Ah well, no, you don't Ida, not at all. Just as beautiful as you've always been, I have to say,” his ruddy cheeks grew redder with blush as he glanced away. Despite the fact that Vicky had just been through one of the most terrifying experiences of her life, she couldn't help but smile at her Aunt’s antics. She was the ultimate flirt, and could charm any man that set eyes on her.

“
Vicky!” Mitchell came running up to her and without thought to the fact that Sheriff McDonnell was watching him, he threw his arms around her waist and drew her close to him. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” he stared so deeply into her eyes that Vicky was more than a little taken back.

“I'm fine,” she assured him as her heart fluttered slightly and she began to feel comforted by his
muscular arms around her. “Thanks to you, of course.”

“I'm sorry,” he said, suddenly recalling his role as a deputy sheriff. He reluctantly released her and stepped away with an apologetic frown. “I should have answered when you called, I wish I would have,
and then maybe none of this would have happened.”

“That was my fault,” Sheriff McDonnell said sternly. “I ordered him not to answer the phone because I thought you would distract him.”

Vicky narrowed her eyes at the sheriff. Although he was finally there when they needed him, she still wasn't a fan.

“Well maybe instead of being so worried about how distracting I might be, you should have paid closer
attention to what a fantastic deputy sheriff you have,” she said sternly. “If it wasn't for him finally answering the phone, Aunt Ida and I would probably still be in big trouble.”

Sheriff McDonnell nodded remorsefully. He stopped short of apologizing, but the look in his eyes showed he knew that he had made a mistake.

“He is a very fine deputy,” he admitted with a hint of pride in his voice. “Do you two have any idea what these two men were after?” he asked darkly.

“No!” Aunt Ida whistled as she tucked her hands into the pockets of her jacket to hide the money she still had stashed there.

“Yes,” Vicky countered, offering her aunt a scathing glare. “Aunt Ida, we have to tell them the truth.”

Ida scowled, but nodded in agreement.

“There's a box in the truck,” Vicky explained with a sigh. “We dug it up from the garden. Inside I believe you will find the missing money from whatever crime Bob committed.”

“It turns out Bob was a cell
mate of one of the twins,” the sheriff replied as some of the officers went to the truck to begin inspecting the box and its contents. “That is why he had the same tattoo as Bob. It's a prison tattoo. Only one twin has it.”

“Ma'am, could you please empty your pockets,” one of the officers asked
Aunt Ida in the most respectful tone he could muster.

Aunt
Ida sighed and nodded reluctantly. “I was just keeping it safe,” she smiled sweetly as she handed over the stacks of money to the officers.

Vicky
smiled affectionately as she shook her head at her Aunt. She also watched to make sure all of the stacks of money were returned.

“You two were amazing,” Mitchell said with genuine astonishment. “You cracked the case. If it were not for you, we might never have caught these two, and they could be off living on the stolen money.”

“No, they were not amazing,” the sheriff corrected with a fierce scowl. “There's nothing amazing about putting their lives on the line and interfering with police work.”

Aunt Id
a rolled her eyes and gave the sheriff a light pat on his bicep. “Now Sheriff, it's okay that you didn't figure it out, it was a very complicated case after all. Who would have guessed twins?”

The sheriff was not appeased by her words in any way, and patted the handcuffs on his belt lightly.

“Next time you two pull a stunt like this, I'll make sure you're in handcuffs,” he warned with such a damning glare, that Vicky did not doubt that he meant every word.

“Next time?”
Vicky gasped and shook her head firmly. “Hopefully there won't be a next time!”

Sheriff McDonnell cracked a smile at
Vicky's words. “Now that this case is solved, I hope that things will go back to normal around here. I'm a little too old for all this action!”

“Not me!” Aunt Ida declared as she laughed and hugged
Vicky around her neck. “I had the time of my life!”

Sarah
pulled into the driveway just in time to see the police cruiser with the two criminals in it drive away.

“What in the world happened here?” she asked as she rushed up to her sister and aunt. “Is everyone okay?”

“It's a very long story,” Vicky sighed as she smiled at Mitchell. “But the important thing is that we're all safe, and the inn should be free from police soon, right?”

Mitchell glanced at the sheriff for an answer.

He frowned. “We'll need to do a final collection of evidence, but that should be done by this afternoon. So I suppose we can be out of your hair by tomorrow.”

Vicky
sighed with relief.  Even though she had just gone through a terrifying experience, the bride who was waiting to have the most wonderful day of her life, was still on her mind. She couldn't wait to make the call that would let her know that her wedding was in the clear. As she dialed the number Aunt Ida was busy filling in all the details for Sarah.

“In a hail of bullets, I'm telling you, this one was driving like a fiend!” Aunt Ida exaggerated as she slipped her arm through
Sarah's. Sarah glanced with concern in Vicky's direction but Vicky only shook her head.

“They never actually fired at us
Sarah, we're okay. It's all going to be fine now.” Just then the bride answered the phone. “Yes Jennifer, I just wanted to let you know that everything is still on for this weekend. Don't worry, there won't be any sign of police presence, everything will be perfect,” she assured her. When she hung up the phone her smile had faded.

“What's wrong, did she cancel?” Mitchell asked her as he stood beside her.

“No, but I do have a bit of a problem,” she said as she glanced at him.

“What is it?” he asked as if he would bend over backwards to do anything to help her.

“She's invited me to be a guest at the wedding, I just don't have a date,” she cleared her throat slightly.

“I like weddings,” Mitchell volunteered and arched an eyebrow.
“Unless you'd rather take Henry.”

Vicky
laughed at that idea. It felt good to laugh after so much tension.

“Then Mitchell, will you be my date this Saturday?” she asked.

“Yes I will,” he replied and slid an arm around her waist. “I would be honored.”

The garden looked beautiful. In addition to all of the colorf
ul blossoms that lined the long, cobblestone pathway, there were carefully tied ribbons in the pale rose shade that the bride had chosen to match her bridesmaids’ dresses. The sky was a pure and clear blue, as if it was ready to celebrate the day right along with the multitude of guests that were attending. The lush, green property around the inn was once more pristine and magical. There was no sign of the police tape that had roped off the garden just a few days before.

Vicky had been very careful to make sure that there was no evidence left behind, no memory of the terrible event that had taken place. She had even hired a new gardener to come in and make sure that the weeds were cleared and the numerous plants had been nourished as best as they could be. Even though a part of her still regretted hiring Bob in the first place, she felt a special sense of gratitude that she had been able to help solve his murder. She still believed that no matter what crimes Bob had committed he shouldn't have had to die in such a traumatic way.

Vicky
was adorned in a simple burgundy dress that draped from a roman neck to a loose sweep against the cobblestone. Aunt Ida had helped her to select the garment. Sarah had stood by, offering her votes of approval on both the dress and the up do that Vicky's brown locks had been pinned into. Her deep green eyes seemed to match perfectly with the rich hues of the garden that surrounded her. As stunning as she looked, Vicky still felt a little nervous about seeing Mitchell again. They had called and texted a few times since he had come to her rescue, but she still had to wonder if it had all been just a day on the job for him. She couldn't deny that something new was stirring within her, a desire for Mitchell to want to spend more time with her. It was something she hadn't expected, and had just come out of the blue.

"You look amazing," a voice said from just behind her.
Vicky turned around with a slow smile as she recognized the voice.

"Thank you Mitchell," she replied as she drank in the sight of him in a dark blue suit. She rarely had the chance to see him out of uniform, and he was even more handsome in her opinion.

"Thanks for inviting me," he said with a murmur as he stepped up beside her. "Everything looks beautiful."

He wasn't looking at the garden. His striking
, blue eyes were gazing directly into hers.

"Shall we?" he asked and offered her his arm.
Vicky wrapped her arm around his and they walked towards the wedding staging area. All of the white chairs were set up in even rows with an aisle covered in rose petals between them. Vicky was sure the bride would be pleased as the petals were almost the exact shade as the ribbons she had chosen. Vicky loved attending to the little details of a wedding. It was delightful to know that she could bring someone's dream to life and provide them with the beautiful experience that they hoped for.

"I can't believe you did all this yourself," Mitchell said with admiration as he sat down beside her in the back row of chairs.

"Well, I had some help," Vicky admitted as she winked at Aunt Ida who was flirting heavily with one of the violinists. Though the violinist was at least twenty years her junior he seemed enamored by the woman's charm. Then she glanced at the watch on her wrist and waved him off to do his job.

Aunt Ida joined
Vicky and Mitchell in the back row, eager to see the bride make her entrance. As the violin music swelled through the air, Vicky saw Jennifer in her snow white gown. She looked just as she had hoped, joyful and full of anticipation. It might have taken a lot to make sure her special day remained special, but Vicky was glad that she had made the effort. It was a moment of pure happiness that Jennifer and her new husband would never forget.

“No matter what may have happened here,”
Vicky murmured to Mitchell as the bride glided past them, “all of the bad memories will disappear, and all of the wonderful memories will remain forever.”

The End

Other Cozy Mysteries by Cindy Bell:

Hairspray and Homicide (A
Bekki the Beautician Cozy Mystery)

A Dyed Blonde and a Dead Body (A Bekki the Beautician Cozy Mystery)