Til a Death Do Us Part: A Bakery Detectives Cozy Mystery Read Free Page A

actually."
    "But you and Marcello just went to the court house to get married, like, the day after you met," I pointed out. "That doesn't count."
    "Hey, it was two weeks after we met," Pippa said, poking her tongue out. "But you're right, maybe it does only happen in the movies. She's twenty-five minutes late now."
    I looked back at Jackson for any sign that he was growing worried or impatient himself. But there was that same bleary-eyed look on his face like he'd rather be anywhere else.
    "Excuse me, dear," a voice said and I looked up, startled, to see a woman in her late sixties or maybe early seventies wearing a flowery hat trying to get past me. "This is taking so long and I'm afraid at my age, my bladder can't hold on much longer."
    "Oh, sorry!" I said, standing up so that she could get through.
    She smiled as she looked my outfit up and down. "That's an interesting get-up, dear," she said with a smile.
    I laughed a little. "I'm working here today, I'm afraid," I said. "Would you like me to show you to the bathroom?"
    "No, no, dear, that's fine, I know where it is," she answered sweetly. "You wait here just in case that niece of mine actually decides to show up," she said. Leaning closer to me, she whispered, "Though I wouldn't put money on it."
    She hobbled away and I sat down. "That was Emma's aunt," I told Pippa. "She doesn't think Emma is going to show up either."
    After another five minutes of us all twiddling our thumbs had passed, and even more people had left to use the bathroom—and a couple of guests leaving all together— the celebrant finally leaned over and whispered something in Jackson's ear. My lip-reading skills weren’t good enough to catch it, but I was pretty sure he was asking Jackson if he still wanted to wait or whether they ought to just call it.
    "Where is that aunt of Emma's?" I asked, realizing that she had been in the bathroom for a long time. "Maybe someone should go check on her."
    Pippa shrugged. "I suppose so."
    I leaned over and whispered to the young man that the woman had been sitting with. "That woman?" I asked. "Who was sitting with you?"
    "Aunt Cassie," he said. Turning around, he added, "She's been gone a while, hasn't she?"
    I stood up. "I need some fresh air myself. I'll go check that she's okay."
    It had gotten rather humid in the room so it was a relief to feel the cool fall air on my face as I headed out the back of the building, down a few stairs and around to where the bathrooms were kept. Tall trees and rows and rows of grapevines stretched out to my right and, even though there was a threat of rain in the air, it was still picturesque.
    It was a fair walk to the bathrooms so I supposed it wasn't that strange that Aunt Cassie had taken her time getting there and back. They were removed from the main part of the building and I had to walk down another set of stairs to get to them.
    "Aunt Cassie?" I called out through the bathroom door. There was no answer. I looked around. There was no one else in sight. A chill suddenly ran down my spine.
    I paused before I took a step inside the building. Then I told myself that I was just being stupid. There was nothing to fear at a vineyard, right?
    "Aunt Cassie..."
    I came to a standstill as I saw Aunt Cassie, lying lifeless on the floor of the bathroom with her face as blue and grey as the sky was that day. "Aunt Cassie!" I screamed as I ran and checked for her pulse.
    Nothing.
    There was a mark around her neck, red and bruised. She had been strangled.
    "Oh my..." I took a step back frantically and fled out of the bathroom, intending to run back to the function room for help.
    That's when I saw Emma, startled in her wedding dress, standing on the stairs with a wild look in her eyes.
    She took one look at me and ran.

Chapter 3
    I stumbled back into the chapel where the guests were whispering and muttering amongst themselves, and at first I thought they must have known about Aunt Cassie.
    Then I realized, of course they didn't. I was