He questioned us for several more minutes, but we had nothing new to share. No, Jon didn't have any enemies that we knew of. No, he hadn't been acting strange lately. No, he hadn't received any threats. Yes, he seemed normal and happy when he arrived.
When I mentioned that he'd been dating Bridgette, Grey finished with us and moved on to her. I slumped into a chair and Ash sat next to me, his eyes glued to the wreckage. The fire had been put out and a team of firefighters swarmed the black twisted metal that used to be a car.
Mrs. Brown, our housekeeper and a long-time motherly figure to Ash, brought us both a plate of food. I looked down to see our wedding cake and a sob escaped my throat.
"You have to eat, my dear," said Mrs. Brown, putting a hand on my shoulder. "The sugar will help with the shock."
Ash nodded and shoveled the vanilla and lemon concoction into his mouth. I did my best, but it tasted like sand and I choked on the frosting, washing it down with a glass of punch Mrs. Brown had also provided.
Ash stood and Mrs. Brown hugged him, her face covered in tears. "I'm so sorry, my boy. So sorry."
The summer sun beat down on us, but I still felt chilled. As the paramedics and firefighters searched for a body in the mangled remnants of Jon's car, guests from the hotel checked in and out and went about their plans and I wondered how a person lived through days like this. How could tragedy and normalcy live side-by-side without one destroying the other?
A firefighter's voice, gruff from too many years inhaling smoke, carried through the crowd. "We've found a body!"
I set my plate aside and followed Ash over to the parking lot. Yellow caution tape had been put up to keep the crime scene clear, but Ash ignored it.
A uniformed officer tried to stop him. "Excuse me, sir, you're not allowed to be here."
Detective Gray waved the officer away. "They're with me."
We stood with the detective as a body charred beyond recognition was pulled from the car and placed on a stretcher. I gripped Ash's arm, fighting the bile rising in my throat. He'd turned white, his jaw clenched so hard I worried he'd break his teeth.
A thought had been running a loop in my mind ever since the explosion and then it slipped out of my mouth. "Is it possible… could it be that Lucky and Lauren were both working for someone else? That the Midnight Murderer is still out there?"
Ash and Detective Gray both looked at me, Gray speaking first. "It's highly unlikely. We caught the Midnight Murderer. That case has been put to rest."
Ash nodded, but I caught a flicker of doubt in his eyes before he turned away.
I excused myself and half ran, half walked back to the grass and into the garden where we were supposed to have been married. Finding a bench away from the crowds, I sank down and rested my head in my lap, finally letting the tears take me.
I didn't hear Bridgette approach, only felt her hand rest on my arm as she sat next to me. She'd found time to change into jeans and a blouse, something I wish I'd thought of doing. My wedding dress tightened around me like a corset, fighting my lungs for space.
Bridgette's beautiful face, normally pale, looked even more so now. She'd washed the make up off, so instead of streaks of black down her cheeks, she just had red-rimmed eyes.
I held her hand, squeezing it. "Are you okay?"
She shook her head. "No. What am I going to do, Catelyn? It's just… too much. I loved him, you know? Like, really loved him."
I nodded, unsure what to say.
She turned to me, her face serious. "I know what your mom's notes say about the Davenports. I know you had issues with Jon. So I need to know, as your best friend, I need to know the truth. Did you kill Jon Davenport?"
I pulled aware from her. "Of course I didn’t! What kind of question is that?"
Needing an escape from the smell of burning flesh, from the accusations and pity in the eyes of those around me, I fled to bathroom but stopped cold as I entered the ballroom where we'd planned our small reception. Over the enlarged wedding invitation resting on a stand, its cream paper dripped with red stains that stopped my heart.
Ash is next. The Davenports will pay for their sins.
Chapter Four
A Hole In One
FOUR MONTHS AGO
SPRING FLOWERS WERE in full bloom and the grass gleamed with that brilliantly perfect green that only golf course grass could pull off. Jon and I walked to the first tee-off. He picked a driver and hit the ball across the fairway.
I pulled out my club and did a few test swings, then squared my shoulders and swung. "I remember my dad taking me golfing when I was little. He'd let me drive the golf cart and even bought me a miniature golf set so I could play with him. I wasn't very good, but they’re some of my best memories with him."
We walked to our balls and Jon took another swing at his. "I'm glad you could come today. I'm surprised Ash didn't give you a hard time about spending the day with me."
I didn't reply and instead hit my ball closer to the hole as I thought back to my fight with Ash yesterday.
***