Proposals and Poison

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Date Idea Jar

Set a jar with popsicle sticks next to a sign that says:

DATE JAR

Share your BEST date idea for the new Mr. & Mrs.

Instruct guests to share their ideas and put each popsicle stick in a decorative jar to give to the bride and groom.

Courtesy of www.mashedpotatoesandcrafts.com

The afternoon sun had the asphalt steaming when I closed the door of my wedding shop on my way to run errands. Summer was notoriously busy for weddings, and July promised no respite from the work ahead. I couldn’t complain about my workload, though, because it made me happy to finally be in a place where my life was falling into a somewhat predictable routine. It also kept me from obsessing over my relationship status with Luke Stetson.

At the moment, Luke was in court, working a messy divorce case that was ballooning into so much drama he’d had to cancel on me three times in the past two weeks. The case involved the sister of Lily Rowan, one of my new clients. Lily was the happy part of the story, because she just got engaged to Tim Esplin—the vet I would take my cat to this afternoon. Lily wanted a November wedding, and since it was already July ninth, I was pushing to get the most important decisions made so we could progress with the rest of her plans.

My phone beeped, and I looked at the reminder on my calendar. In one hour I would be meeting with Lily to talk about the theme she and Tim wanted for their celebrations.

Sliding my finger across the screen, I dismissed the reminder, only to once again see the text from Luke. He’d canceled our lunch date by text this morning and still hadn’t called. I wondered when the case would be over, and if he’d have more free time or get bogged down in another case.

Well, my work almost kept me from obsessing about Luke for, like, two minutes, I thought, frowning. As I slid into my car, I considered the question that had entered my mind right after Luke canceled our lunch date. Would Luke Stetson, divorce attorney, ever be able to love again? And should I, Adri Pyper, wedding planner, be spending time (a.k.a. pursuing a relationship) with him?

The elusive answer shimmered like the heat from the pavement, just out of reach. I shook off thoughts of Luke and cranked the air conditioner up on my way to the consignment store located just a mile from my shop. Everybody’s Closet had a summer fling sale going on with new merchandise, and Necia kept me in the loop since I was always on the lookout for vintage and unique decor to use in my weddings and parties. It was the height of yard-sale season, and Necia usually got in all the leftovers from people’s garage sales. I loved going to yard sales and finding great bargains, but too many weekend weddings had me missing the early morning sales. Everybody’s Closet was the next best thing.

The parking lot only had one other vehicle, a single-cab white pickup that didn’t belong to Necia. She usually walked to work in the summer months. I pulled in next to the pickup, right in front of the store, and put my car in park. When I looked up, my eyes locked with those of a man standing in front of the doors, holding a rifle.

The silver metal of the stock gleamed in the hot afternoon sun, and I blinked, waiting for my brain to catch up to the strange sight before me. The man was short and stocky with dark brown hair, and as I studied him, he smiled and moved his rifle, pointing it toward the sky. I sucked in a breath when the man stepped forward. My windows were down, and the sound of robins trilling cheerfully carried across the parking lot. He said something in a different language. It wasn’t Spanish—I spoke a little, and his words had a Slavic sound to them. Regardless of the language, I was pretty sure he was swearing.

I fumbled for the window and door lock controls. My throat went dry as the man looked at me again and fired a shot into the air. I covered my ears and screamed, reaching for the gearshift to back out of the parking lot. My hand slipped and my car went into neutral. When I moved to put it in gear, the car died.

By then I was in a full-on panic. I turned the key, and thankfully my car started back up. I pumped the gas and put the car in reverse, but the gunman was faster than my frightened wits: by the time I backed out of my parking space, he was already peeling out of the parking lot, heading for the main road.

What had just happened? I wasn’t sure whether I should call the police department or dial my friend Tony Ford, the local detective. Then, with a start, I thought of Necia. What if something had happened to her? I jumped out of my car and ran through the front doors of Everybody’s Closet, the bronze bell clanking as I charged in. “Necia!” I called out.

“I’m right here, and I’m okay.” She came around the corner, wearing a red-white-and-blue-striped apron. “Did you see that man with the gun?”

“Yes, and my brain froze. I didn’t know what to do. It all happened so fast. Was he in here?” I pummeled her with questions, breathing hard.

“No, I just came from the back and saw him standing there holding a gun,” she said, her breaths coming in short gasps. “Then he walked off and I heard a gunshot. I already called the police and they’re sending someone over.” Her light-brown hair was pulled back into a messy bun, and a few strands framed her heart-shaped face. She was in her late thirties and practically lived at her store.

“That was so weird. What do you think he was shooting at?” I turned to look at the parking lot. My hands shook, and my heart thumped hard in my chest. I took a deep breath, proud of myself for not freaking out after witnessing the man discharge his gun.

Necia raised her eyebrows. “I have no idea, but I don’t suppose it would hurt to go outside and look around.”

We stepped outside and I shielded my eyes against the sun, tucking one of my blonde curls behind my ear. The parking lot was empty, and a few trees lined the edge of the property. The birds were quiet, and besides the occasional passing car, there was hardly any noise. Necia and I looked at each other, and my fear was mirrored in her eyes.

“I can’t imagine what he was doing with a rifle in town like this,” I said. The Sawtooth Mountain Range that loomed around Sun Valley attracted its fair share of hunters, but that guy was completely out of season. I didn’t know of many hunts held in the sweltering heat of July.

“Let’s go back inside while we wait for the police.” Necia held the door open for me and followed me inside.

“I came here to look at your new items, but now I don’t feel like I can concentrate.” I glanced at my watch—already past two—and grumbled. “I’m going to have to reschedule an appointment, because I’m sure Tony or whoever comes from the police will make us fill out a statement.”

“That’s true.” Necia took out a ballpoint pen and clicked it a few times. “Wasn’t it last year around this time that a policeman came to my store to see you?”

“Uh, yeah, and now Tony is dating Lorea, so I’ve been seeing even more of him lately.”

Necia chuckled. “That’s good to hear. She’s a great match for him.”

“I think so too.” Lorea Zubiondo was my assistant and partner in crime when it came to planning weddings and creating stunning wedding gowns. Over the past year and a half, we’d helped plan over twenty weddings, solved a few mysteries, and created fantastic crafts and recipes for my website, Mashed Potatoes and Crafts. Her first date with Detective Tony Ford had been sort of a pity date to her sister’s wedding, but they’d hit it off, and I’d never seen Lorea quite so twitterpated before.

The clanging of the bell interrupted my thoughts, and I looked up to see Tony standing in the doorway. He was well over six feet tall, with a full head of light-brown hair. In his dark suit and tie, he was an imposing figure, but his boyish smile was what made Detective Ford so good at what he did. He disarmed people with that smile and the smattering of freckles across his nose, but I knew better than to underestimate him. Tony was smart, and an excellent detective. “Good afternoon,” he said. “I’d say it’s a pleasant surprise to see you here, Adri, but it’s not a surprise at all. You are always in some kind of trouble.”

“I am not.” I held up my hands. “I didn’t do anything. Didn’t even get out of my car and some crazy guy started shooting.”

“Hmm. Why don’t we start with a few questions?” Tony gave us his signature smile. “Necia, were you inside the store when the incident occurred?”

“Yes.” Necia told him what she had seen.

“What about a description?” He looked at both of us. “The most important detail I need right now is his vehicle. Did either of you see what he was driving?”

“Yes, I pulled right up next to his pickup.” I pointed out to the parking lot. “It was white.”

“I thought it was gray,” Necia said.

“No, I’m sure it was white.” I looked at Tony and then at Necia. She furrowed her brow and looked at the ground, as if trying to conjure up an image of the vehicle.

“Extended cab?” Tony asked.

“No,” both of us answered in unison. I smiled at Necia as I added, “I’m pretty sure it was just a two-door, regular bed.” I paused, trying to recall any other detail about the pickup. By that time, my blood pressure had skyrocketed and my memory was saturated with fear, not leaving much room for other details.

“Ford, Chevy?” Tony prompted.

I shook my head. “I don’t know. Maybe a Ford?”

Necia rubbed her forehead. “I didn’t get that good of a look, and I’m not really great with truck models, anyway.”

“Anything else in particular you remember about the vehicle?” Tony pushed the button on the radio attached to his shoulder and gave a quick description of the pickup, citing that it was possibly white or gray. That sort of bugged me since I knew it was white, but maybe he had to report what both witnesses thought they had seen.

Thinking about the pickup cleared away some of the fuzziness in my head. I willed the memory to come into sharper focus. “I think there was something in the back of his pickup. Maybe something red?”

“Something?” Tony repeated, and he gave me a half smile.

I resisted the urge to smack him in the arm like I did so often to my older brother Wesley, who happened to be Tony’s best friend. “I know it’s odd, but I don’t know what it was. Just that something was in the back of his pickup, hanging over the edge.”

Tony nodded. “That could actually be an easy thing to spot if it was there. Necia, did you notice anything?”

“I can’t be sure.” She clasped her hands together and rocked back on her heels. “My view from inside the store was limited.”

“Hang on.” Tony spoke into his radio again, reporting the possibility that I’d just brought up. How many policemen were roaming the semi-quiet streets of Hailey right now, looking for this mystery vehicle?

“Now, how about a description of this guy?” Tony asked.

I closed my eyes and focused on the memory of the man standing in front of the store. “He was short. I think shorter than me.” I held out my hand to indicate about how tall I thought the man was.

“So probably about five-six or five-seven?” Tony looked at Necia, and she nodded.

“And he had bushy, dark brown hair,” Necia said.

“Receding hairline?” Tony asked.

“No, a full head of hair, but no facial hair,” I answered. “And he had on a white T-shirt with some kind of green picture or logo on the front. I didn’t recognize it. Oh, and he spoke a foreign language. Not Spanish. Maybe German?”

“Do you speak German?”

“No, but I’ve heard it plenty of times and it reminded me of those sounds.”

He was about to ask another question, but stopped when a second police car pulled into the parking lot. “That’ll be Hamilton. He’ll have you fill out a statement.”

I held in my groan when I saw the police officer get out of his cruiser with a clipboard. I’d gone my whole life without so much as a speeding ticket, but in the last few years I’d had so many dealings with law enforcement, I knew just what to expect. Officer Hamilton would repeat most of the same questions and get us talking in the hopes that we’d remember something significant, some clue that maybe we didn’t already mention. And then we’d have to fill out the witness statement and possibly answer a few more questions.

“Let me make a phone call and reschedule an appointment,” I said. “Then I’ll get that filled out.”

I dialed Lily’s number and rescheduled our meeting for Thursday—another two days to wait. “I’m really sorry about this, Lily, but I have an appointment for my cat next. I’ve already had to reschedule the appointment twice. Do you mind?” I would be taking my cat, Tux, to the vet, who happened to be Lily’s fiancé. I’d probably be fifteen minutes late after running home to get Tux, but I was banking on typical waiting room delays to make up for the detour in my plans.

“No problem. I understand,” she replied. “It’ll give me some time to talk to my stepdad about our plans.”

“Thank you,” I said. “Maybe I can ask Tim what he thinks about the wedding colors.” I laughed at my own little joke.

“Tim is actually pretty good with details,” Lily replied. Her voice wasn’t as chipper as usual, and she didn’t even chuckle when I mentioned Tim and the wedding colors.

“I could possibly go over some things with you in the morning before work since you’re right next door,” I offered. Lily Rowan had been my neighbor since I’d moved back to Idaho from San Francisco, and we often chatted in between our comings and goings from work and life.

“Okay. That might work,” Lily said.

“I’m looking forward to showing you some of the designs we have in this season. And Lorea has three new gowns that just came in.” I infused extra brightness into my voice, hoping it would lift her spirits and have her more eager to meet with me.

“Thanks, Adri. That’ll be fun. I’ll talk to you later.” She still didn’t sound super excited, but at least we had an appointment.

With a frown, I ended the call and submitted myself to another round of questions. While Necia and I related most of the same information, the Blaine County sheriff pulled up in a black Ford pickup. He talked to Tony and then headed our way. He asked us a few questions about the description of the rifle, and we did our best to answer.

I took the clipboard from Officer Hamilton and hurriedly wrote down every detail that I could remember. I included all of my contact information, even though I wanted to write You know where to find me! on the dotted line.

I filled up the page and handed it back to Hamilton before Necia finished writing details in her neat and tiny script. Hamilton took the form over to the sheriff and Tony walked back toward us.

Hopefully I could leave now. I glanced at my watch. It was nearly three thirty; if I didn’t hurry, I’d be late to the vet. I was disappointed that Lily hadn’t been able to reschedule for later today, because she hadn’t seemed herself over the phone. I wanted to talk to her to see if I could reassure her about planning her upcoming wedding. Maybe Lorea could help me think of a way to cheer Lily up.

“Is that frown work-related?” Tony asked.

I rubbed my hand over my frown. “Yes, your paperwork made me miss an appointment and I had to reschedule.”

“Sorry about that. I know summer is a busy time for you wedding gals.”

I laughed. “Yes, and you seem to be taking up quite a bit of time lately for one talented seamstress I know.”

Tony grinned, and it was the kind that had the edges of my mouth pulling up in a smile to join the happiness in his face. Man, he had it bad for Lorea, and that was a good thing. “We’ve been dating for five months now. I surprised Lorea when I remembered that.”

“She told me. I can’t believe how fast the time has gone. It doesn’t seem that long ago that I was in Kauai.” Beautiful beaches graced by rugged mountains and the smell of plumeria had my toes itching for the Hawaiian sand, where I had planned a destination wedding earlier in the year. Those thoughts led to Luke, and my heart did that silly little stutter again.

“Hello?” Tony waved his hand in front of my face, jolting me back to the present. “I can see those wheels turning in your mind. Don’t be planning my wedding already.”

This time I did smack him. “Not thinking about you.”

“Oh? Who’s on your mind?”

“Never mind. Are we done here?” I interrupted him before he could follow that line of questioning.

“We’re taking this seriously.” Tony took the clipboard that Necia handed him. “I don’t know what that guy thought he was doing, but discharging a gun within city limits is a misdemeanor at best. Since he fled the scene, he’s looking at a few more charges. We’ll be in touch, but let us know if you think of anything else.” He handed Necia his card. “There’ll be some officers coming and going today, keeping an eye on your store.”

“I appreciate that,” Necia said. “Maybe you can come by tomorrow, Adri?”

“I’d like to. I’ll have to see what my schedule looks like. See you two later.”

I gripped my keys and waved with two fingers. My car had been baking in the sun for over an hour, and heat emanated from the interior when I opened the door. I started it and cranked the air conditioner to full blast. My phone chimed with an incoming text just before I put the car in drive, so I slid my finger across the screen and saw Luke Stetson’s smiling face.

Luke: Want to meet me for dinner?

Me: What? The mighty attorney has time for dinner?

Luke: :) Yes, and I want to see you.

Me: Would love to.

Luke: Rocky Mountain Pizza?

Me: Sounds delicious!

Luke: Pick you up at 6:30?

Me: I’ll be hungry.

Luke: :)

I suppressed the girlish squeal I wanted to let out. Okay, maybe I did squeal a little and immediately forgave Luke for being so busy the past few weeks. When he’d canceled our lunch date earlier, I’d been annoyed and sort of depressed, but now even the sun seemed to shine brighter. I reminded myself not to get my hopes up—after all, it was still a date with a divorce attorney. Hunger and a rapidly increasing pulse did funny things to my brain.

With the upcoming date on my mind, I forgot all about the gunman in front of Everybody’s Closet and drove to my house to pick up Tux.