Valleys, Vehicles & Victims: A Camper & Criminals Cozy Mystery Series Page 3

  “Well, I’ll be.” Coke took the hat off her head and smacked it against her hip on her way over to us. She tried to run her hands down her blond hair to make sure she was presentable. It was as if she had a hot curl iron in her fingers. Magically, the edges of her hair curled up just like Mary Tyler Moore’s hair did on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

  Coke was always well put together, even when working in the garden. She had on a black headband that kept the shoulder-length hairdo off her face. She had petite birdlike features and a tiny frame to match. Bermuda shorts swallowed her legs. She wore a long-sleeved teal cotton shirt, and a matching silk scarf was knotted around her neck, which was exactly how I’d expected to find her.

  “If I’d known you were bringing the bride and the bridal party, I’d have gotten a little more presentable. I’m getting my hair done up for the big event.” Coke gave me the stank eye.

  “Helen?” I asked her, referring to Helen Pyle at Cute-icles, who did all our hair. Coke nodded. “I’m getting my hair done this afternoon too.”

  “We can come back later.” Shay shrugged.

  “Ridiculous. Now that you’re here, I guess I can’t do anything but offer you some delicious sweet tea from the Caboose Diner. We have the best sweet tea in the park. I make it myself.”

  “That, I can say, is the absolute truth.” I agreed about the sweet tea.

  “Thank you, but we have dresses to fit into.” Misty was quick to remind them that they needed to keep their lips shut and not have any fun.

  “We will have a couple pitchers.” Shay wiggled her shoulders and grinned, ignoring her mother.

  “Whatever the bride wants.” Coke winked and also ignored Misty. “Let’s go.”

  Misty dragged the end of the line, huffing and puffing all the way through the courtyard of the motel, and continued into the diner. Amy was definitely enjoying the mother and daughter duo. Even though she kept her mouth shut, she had a slight grin on her lips, and she did well disguising it when one of them looked her way.

  “I’ll make a note in here about the Chicken Fest.” Amy already had her pencil ready to write down whatever she was making a note about.

  “I’ll get those teas, and I’ve got to make a quick phone call.” Coke disappeared into the kitchen of the diner.

  Shay and her friends gushed how cute the diner was, but in reality, it was a typical diner you’d find in the South. The booths hugged the outside walls. The middle of the diner had metal tables and chairs. All seating was covered in red speckled vinyl, even the bar stools that lined the entire counter in the back.

  “There couldn’t be this many people staying in those ten rooms.” Misty started to count all the people.

  “Oh no. Most of these are citizens that just came to get a cup of coffee and chat.” I left out how the Caboose Diner had become one of the places the locals came to exchange gossip and get the latest news on their friends that their friends didn’t want anyone to know. Small-town life at its finest.

  “It’s just like the show grandmother and grandfather used to watch.” Shay bounced on the toes of her shoes with delight. “What was that show, mother?”

  “The Andy…” Misty tapped her temple, trying to remember.

  “The Andy Griffith Show?” I asked, knowing the show very well since they played it on the TV here nightly.

  “That’s it!” Shay was so excited. “Did you base your town on that show?”

  “Ummm. No.” Did she really think towns were based on Hollywood shows? “I think they based the show on real small southern town life.”

  “Just think, Shay,” one of the women gushed, “you’re getting married in a small southern town. So romantic.”

  That made all the women squeal and take even more photos of the diner. I felt sorry for them, really. They were really not living in the moment and joy of what this had to offer for Shay and her big day.

  They’d even taken photos of the sweet iced tea Coke served in the Mason jars.

  “Just like Southern Living.” One of them held her phone up and took a selfie of her and her Mason jar.

  “Why don’t we get this show on the road?” Coke asked the ladies, and we filed out of the diner.

  A lot of stares came from the patrons in the diner. It wasn’t every day a group of gorgeous ladies showed up in Normal all dressed to the hilt. Their clothing was really what made them stand out. We were used to hikers in gear and other appropriate dress.

  Luckily for us, it hadn’t rained in a few weeks and the ground was nice and hard when we walked in the field down to the second barn.

  “It’s not the first one?” Misty had veered to the first barn we were passing.

  “No. That’s used for other events. The wedding barn is so romantic,” Coke gushed.

  I could’ve blurted out how I’d tripped on a murdered body next to the wedding barn just a few months ago but decided it wouldn’t be good for anyone to know this was a previous homicide scene.

  This was the first time I’d seen the barn since then, and I was pretty excited about it. The barn was tucked down into the valley of the property and overlooked 13 beautiful acres that themselves overlooked the valley.

  “Oh my goodness,” Shay gasped when she experienced the beauty and elegance the Daniel Boone Forest had to offer.

  Coke had really kept the renovations inspired by nature and gave the best panoramic views the property had to offer.

  “Are you ready?” Coke smiled when she asked the question. She had gripped the closed sliding barn doors.

  “It’s just like the home reveal on Chip and Jo’s show.” Shay brought her hands up to her face. She must’ve really loved the rustic and southern stuff if she was talking about the HGTV shows.

  Dramatically, Coke shoved the doors open to the 11,000-square foot, air-conditioned barn with soaring 35-foot ceilings. There were three custom cupolas and windows galore. Natural sunlight flowed through the entire barn.

  Coke watched with a big smile on her face as they all took a few minutes to stand in awe and walk around.

  “On the second level,” Coke pointed out, “there is a bridal suite with a private deck. Perfect for photos.”

  Shay looked over at Misty with tears in her eyes.

  The two women embraced, and then I knew Misty would keep her mouth shut because Shay’s happiness was all that mattered to her. Shay was happy. Happiness was practically oozing out of her pores.

  I glanced over at Amy, who was standing in the back. I noticed her rolling her eyes at the embrace the bride and her mom were sharing. It was odd since she’d been so up in Shay’s face and getting things on the calendar. I wondered why she wasn’t busy writing down the types of decorations Shay liked.

  “The small barn to the right of this barn is the groom’s barn. Since you are getting married right before the sun sets, you’re going to be able to get some amazing photos from the covered porch attached to his barn.” Coke continued the tour.

  “Is that a real silo?” The bridesmaids were starting to notice all the real beauty the Old Train Station property had to offer.

  While Coke told the group the history of the property, I noticed Christine Watson from the Cookie Crumble Bakery slip in the side door. She was carrying a box. I headed over to her to see if she needed some help.

  “Hiya.” She grinned from ear to ear. The freckles along her nose were just one of her cute features. She had her brown hair braided in pigtails. Her overalls had the bakery name and logo embroidered on the front pocket. She was a doll, down to her Converse high-top tennis shoes.

  “What do you have here?” I asked.

  “Well, Coke had called me and said y’all had showed up to see the venue, so I thought I’d just meet y’all here to have Shay sample some of the cake options.” She opened up the box.

  “And her tour guide too?” I licked my lips.

  “Of course. If you help me with the rest.” She winked.

  Over the next few minutes, we walked back and forth from her b
akery van into one of the back rooms of the barn Coke had made into a tasting room. Tables were set up there along with a wine refrigerator so the bride could taste samples.

  Coke had taken them outside to the luscious meadow, surrounded by trees, that would provide a picture-perfect setting for their wedding photos.

  Coke Ogden had spared no expense. And neither did Christine.

  “Who is at the bakery?” I asked since I knew Christine was always working.

  “Mallory, if you can believe that.” Christine had brought in some cut pewter trays that went along with what seemed to be shaping up as Shay’s wedding theme.

  Southern. Or at least her idea of southern. Little did she realize that most southern weddings here took at least eighteen months to prepare for.

  “I haven’t seen much of Mallory,” I said and started to arrange the bite-sized piece of various types of cakes Christine had made into petite fours on the platters.

  “She’s been trying to get us into other small towns in the Daniel Boone National Park.” Christine stepped back and looked at the different platforms ranging in height before she moved a couple around. “I told her that I wasn’t going to move and I was only going to work in the one in Normal. She’s going to have to start working in them.”

  “What does she do?” I handed her the platters as she pointed to them, and I watched her work her display magic.

  “She does mainly the money, website and the ordering. She also will work in the test kitchen on new products.” Christine had the different trays all ready for the ladies to test the cakes.

  “Do you like baking new products?” I wondered if she ever got tired of being behind the counter. She was the face of the Cookie Crumble—the one in public.

  “I do make various things when the shop is slow, but Mallory really has a knack for that type of talent.” It was nice to see Christine and her sister got along so well.

  I’d heard many times that you never went into business with your family. There was always one exception to the rule, and they were it.

  “Ladies, I’m excited to introduce you to Christine Watson, the baker for your wedding cake.” Coke had entered the room with the bridal party trailing behind.

  Their eyes lit up when they looked at the table and the magic Christine had created. I’d been too busy focusing on taking a sample for myself to even notice how Christine had used wooden crates to flip over, stand up, and lay down in various ways to display more petite fours in the southern theme. She’d also put out a couple of Mason jars filled with the mix of wildflowers you could find all over the national forest in the fall.

  The pops of purple coneflower, baby’s breath, “Alaska” Shasta daisy, purple prairie clover, mixed corn poppy, clasping coneflower, black-eyed Susan, and prairie coneflower were just a few I’d recognized.

  By the look on Shay’s face, Christine had hit the mark. If this made her happy, then I was happy and figured Misty was on board with the rehearsal being at Chicken Fest.

  Everyone was listening to Christine and growing googly eyed over her samples. I sent Ty Randal a quick text asking if he’d be able to get twenty or so fried chicken meals together with a brief description of why. Not that I needed to use Pierce as my own tool or even that Ty Randal needed the international, attention since Ty was a well-known national chef, but I did put in the text that he might be featured in High Society. He sent me a thumbs up, which signaled a go.

  “Look at the chalkboards.” Misty even had a moment of romantic weakness. “They even have your name on them.”

  I stepped back near Coke and Amy while we watched in awe as Christine did her thing. Mallory knew exactly what she was doing when she put Christine in front of the customer because Christine even sold me and I wasn’t anywhere near getting married.

  “You aren’t noting the types of cake Shay likes for Mr. Moon?” I asked Amy, somewhat sarcastically.

  “Right. I should be doing that.” She hurried off.

  Coke and I laughed.

  “Keep in mind the cakes can come in various forms and not just the traditional tiered wedding cakes.” Christine pulled out a photo album. “In fact, most of the weddings I create for have gone a lot more southern by using drip design, ruffle design, half-naked cakes, and rosette.”

  “Half-naked,” Coke snickered. “Who ever heard alike?”

  “You’ve got yourself a gold mine here.” I shook my head. Both of us turned when we heard someone walk into the cake-tasting room.

  That someone was a man with a camera hooked around his neck.

  “Pierce!” Shay screamed with excitement, rushing over to give the man a hug. “Everyone, this is the big secret I’ve been keeping. Pierce is the editor-in-chief of High Society.”

  All of a sudden, Pierce became the most popular person in the room.

  “You made it right in time.” Shay glowed with delight. “We’ve not tasted the cake yet, so everyone needs to stand back and let him get some amazing photos.”

  “What on earth is High Society?” Coke asked.

  “It’s the premier magazine in New York City and the Hamptons. Anyone who is anyone is featured in there. It’s a big deal.” Apparently, Shay’s wedding was getting a big spread if they sent their top photographer to Normal.

  “Unfortunately, I’ve been in it, only to be shamed after Paul had… you know.” I looked at Pierce. It was the first time I’d ever seen the man behind the camera. I’d seen him printed on all the photos in the magazine but never seen the face.

  He wore a pair of skinny khakis, a blue button-down that was equally tight, and a pair of lace-up ankle boots. His black hair was shiny with the right amount of gel and neatly parted to the side. He wore a fancy gold watch and gold pinky ring.

  “Where is she?” he asked Shay. They both slowly turned their heads to look at me. “Mae West. The Mae West in person.”

  “Mae,” Shay said, saying my name like she had something very important to tell me. “Please don’t get upset, but I told Pierce that if he came to take my photos, then he’d get an exclusive interview with you.”

  “I… umm…” I rapidly started to blink and turned to find an exit.

  “That is not going to happen.” Coke stepped in and took up for me. Amy Hill was nowhere to be seen. “There’s no way Mae West is going to give any sort of interview about the past. The past is the past, and she’s a do-gooder around these parts. We love her and accept her just as she is.”

  Shay drew back and glared at Coke.

  “If you don’t want to have your wedding here, that’s fine with me. I don’t need the money.” Coke put an arm around me.

  “Is this true?” Pierce’s slim shoulders relaxed as his head tilted. “Shay?”

  “Now, can’t we all discuss this over some cake?” Christine must have been trying to smooth out the very sticky situation.

  “Cake isn’t going to help this.” Misty crossed her arms. Her brows rose.

  “No.” Shay’s eyes lowered as she glared at me. “Daddy will, though.”

  Amy grabbed her pencil and flipped open her calendar. I wanted to grab the pencil from her and break it right in half.

  THREE

  “Daddy will? That’s what she said?” Helen Pyle brushed caramel highlight dye on a strand of my hair. She put her hand out for me to give her one of the foil squares she had me hold while she worked on my crazy hair.

  “She sure did.” Coke Ogden nodded from underneath the big round hairdryer.

  “I just don’t get rich folk.” Helen shook her head.

  She sparkled from head to toe with her bright orange lipstick and orange bedazzled shirt that was tucked up in her mom jeans and pulled clear up to the bottoms of her boobs.

  She slapped some more dye into my hair. “Do they just think they can snap their finger and you do what they want?”

  They sure do, I wanted to say, remembering how my life was so different a few short years ago. Back then, I’d never been caught in a getup that was the color of Pepto-
Bismol and doused with glitter and had big hair sprayed to heaven.

  “I love the new renovations.” I looked around and really didn’t see much difference. The equipment sure hadn’t moved into the twenty-first century.

  Helen had moved the salon into her cute cottage house while she had some work done on the salon, but it sure did look the same to me.

  “Keep your head still.” Helen’s fingertips rotated my head back in place. “I’m just glad to get it out of my house. I loved having my clients there, but I just couldn’t turn off my southern hospitality and lost my shorts on the snacks and tea I was serving. But I knew my clients had to get their hair done. Of course, Walter had about had his fill.” She rolled her eyes when she talked about her husband. “He said he got so sick of what he called women-speak.”

  “Women-speak?” Coke chimed in. “Is that what we are calling it nowadays?” she asked with a cackle, knowing she meant gossip.

  “Tell me what all you did.” I handed her another square of foil.

  “We love the new wallpaper in the bathroom and the new chandelier over there.” She waved the dye brush around and chomped on her gum with a big smile on her face. She rattled off a few more things like an upgrade in the electrical boxes along with new equipment coming soon.

  “I can’t wait for my new pedicure chair.” Sally Ann Dean took some fingernail oil and rubbed away at Violet Rhinehammer’s fingers.

  I knew Violet, and in no way was she enjoying that rubbing, but she probably didn’t notice, since she was so tuned into what Coke was saying.

  “You decided not to do the wedding?” Helen’s jaw dropped. I shook a piece of foil in the air to keep her on task.

  “I don’t care what society magazine they were going to put me in. They had no right trying to expose Mae like that.” Coke had been so nice to me and for good reason.

  Not too long ago, I helped solve that murder I’d mentioned earlier about the dead body I found near the wedding barn. When word gets around that there’s a dead body in your place of business, the income slows way down, if you know what I mean. No one wanted to shop there, much less get married.