Murder Is A Piece Of Cake Part 34

"But, Mom."

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!"

"Yes, Mother."

"Go sit down. I've already apologized to my guests. Now you will."

"I don't know what to say," Richard said.

"Think of something," Lenore said. "Or you'll fly home commercial."

That horror forced Richard to make a rambling apology. He left before dessert.

With the threat of Richard's shenanigans gone, Josie felt free to enjoy her wedding day. She and Ted ran out of the building in a playful shower of wedding bubbles, then posed in front of the statue of St. Francis of a.s.sisi, the patron saint of animals, near the Jewel Box. Ted wanted that photo for the clinic.

Then he helped Josie into his newly waxed vintage Mustang, decorated with white bows and JUST MARRIED signs. Once they were both settled in the car, they kissed. This time, they could let the kiss last.

"Um," Josie said. "I may like legal love even better."

"We'll test that theory on our honeymoon," Ted said as he started the car.

The other wedding guests formed a waving, honking parade through Forest Park and along the streets to Tower Grove Park in the south part of the city. The wedding procession rolled through Tower Grove's Grand Avenue entrance, guarded by lions and griffins.

They waved to another wedding party, a couple on bicycles, and a mom with a baby stroller, all enjoying the pleasures of the park's main drive.

At last, they came to the most romantic spot in the park, the place where Ted had proposed: A three-tiered fountain splashing in a gla.s.s-smooth reflecting pool, surrounded by stone ruins.

Even Lenore was impressed. "It looks like a Valenciennes landscape," she said.

Josie guessed he was a painter.

"Was there a mansion on this site?" Lenore asked.

"No, Mom," Ted said. "These are real ruins from an old hotel that burned down almost a hundred and fifty years ago. Henry Shaw, the man who created this park, made the ruins into this folly. They're an artistic recycling."

"Very successful," Lenore said. That was high praise indeed.

Two clinic aides were waiting with the pets. The dogs, Festus and Stuart Little, were freshly washed and wearing their bow ties. Marmalade had bathed herself and wore her white ribbon. Harry tried to claw off his bow tie.

Lenore eyed the pets and the pond warily, as if she expected the orange carp to leap out and attack.

Tom and his a.s.sistants posed the wedding party, with Ted and Josie in the center. Alyce, Amelia, and Jane were on Josie's side. Amelia held her rose bouquet and perched Harry on her shoulder. Stuart Little sat obediently at Jane's feet. Ted sat Marmalade on his shoulder and Festus at his feet, where the friendly Lab's tail whipped at Lenore's long skirt. She tried to be a good sport, but she didn't like Festus near her dress. Whit traded places and stood next to Ted, with Lenore at his side.

"Big smiles," Tom said. He had the video camera trained on the group. His a.s.sistants were taking the still shots.

"Cheese," said Josie, Jane, Ted and Amelia.

"Money," said Dr. Hall and Lenore.

"Beautiful," Tom said. "One more."

It was one too many for Harry. The striped cat tore off his bow tie and jumped on his friend Stuart's back. The surprised shih tzu leaped up and darted toward Festus. Marmalade jumped off Ted's shoulder and ran under Lenore's dress. "I've got it all," Tom the videographer yelled.

"So do I," Ted said, and gave Josie a joyous kiss.

Epilogue.

"How was your honeymoon?" Jane asked. "Never mind. I can see. You're both glowing." She opened her front door and smiled at Ted and Josie.

Josie felt odd being invited into her mother's home like a guest. Her downstairs flat was empty and the blinds were shut. She no longer lived on Phelan Street. After tonight, neither would Amelia.

"Thank you for letting me know you arrived home safely last night," Jane said.

"Good to see you, Mom," Ted said, and kissed Jane on her cheek.

Josie hugged her mother. "How are you? How's my girl?"

"Amelia's fine. She's upstairs making meat loaf, Ted's favorite dinner."

"And what about Mom's favorite dinner?" Josie asked, with mock severity.

"I've never seen you turn down meat loaf," Jane said.

"And you never will," Josie said.

"We've moved Amelia's things into her new room at your place," Jane said. "She's ready to go home with you tonight-after you open your wedding presents. Your nose is peeling, Josie."

"Even a thirty-SPF sunblock couldn't protect it in the tropics," Josie said.

Josie noticed how slowly her mother climbed the stairs to her flat. Jane seemed frailer than she had before the wedding. Or maybe I've been too wrapped up in myself to notice, Josie thought.

Amelia was waiting at the top of the stairs. "Mom! Ted!"

She launched herself at her mother.

"Oh, I've missed you so much," Josie said, wrapping her arms around her daughter. She was pleased that Amelia didn't pull away, and touched that she wore the pink necklace Josie had given her as a bridesmaid's gift.

Ted gave her a grave kiss on the cheek.

"Woof!" Stuart Little said, dancing at their feet. Harry was curled up on the pile of wedding presents in Jane's living room, pretending to be aloof. Ted and Josie scratched both pets and Ted dropped a shopping bag beside Jane's couch.

He sniffed the air. "I smell something wonderful."

"Meat loaf stuffed with prosciutto and spinach," Amelia said. "I made it with ground pork and beef. Come on. I'll show you."

Josie watched her new husband and daughter retreat to Jane's kitchen.

"She's gotten taller in the week we've been gone," Josie said.

"Amelia is a young woman now," Jane said. "And a born chef."

"Like you," Josie said.

"She's long since surpa.s.sed me," Jane said.

Dinner was a noisy celebration. The food disappeared quickly while Amelia peppered them with questions: "Awesome photos of your honeymoon villa. Could you really see the ocean from your porch? Did you go snorkeling? Sailboating? Sit on the beach? Hike?"

"Yes, yes, and yes," Josie said, laughing. "We got all those activities for wedding presents. Some guests gave us scuba diving and sailing. I spent a day at a spa while Ted went deep-sea fishing."

"What did you catch?" Amelia asked.

"Mahi mahi," Ted said.

"Best steaks ever," Josie said.

"I wish they had a gift service like that when I got married," Jane said. "It would be nice to give good memories."

"You don't have to dust them, either," Josie said.

She didn't need photos to remember their tropical nights, the walks on the secluded beaches, or the lazy afternoons at the villa. She'd always have those memories.

"I baked a Bundt cake for dessert," Amelia said. "It's my first."

The four of them ate nearly the entire cake. "That was a spectacular dinner," Ted said.

"What else can we do?" Josie said.

"Please open your wedding gifts," Jane said. "I really do want them out of my living room."

Josie had kept pace with the presents that arrived before their wedding, writing thank-you notes and putting their gifts away at Ted's home. She and Ted still had to formally thank Lenore and Whit for their present. At the rehearsal dinner, Whit had given them a sterling silver box. Inside was a balance transfer for one hundred thousand dollars to Ted and Josie's joint account.

"That's very generous," Josie said after she caught her breath.

"I don't know how to thank you," Ted said.

"That's only part of what Lenore's case would have cost if she'd gone to trial," Whit said. "We hope you'll use it for the down payment on your new home, but the money is yours to do with as you please."

"Thank you," Josie said.

"We owe you much more, Josie," Whit said. "I wouldn't be here tonight with my beautiful bride without you."

He kissed Lenore.

"Ted told us what you did, my dear," Lenore said. "I'm grateful to our attorney for getting me out of jail quickly, but the real credit goes to you."

"And the cash," Whit said, and winked. The silver box was on the dresser in Ted and Josie's room. Josie kept her jewelry in it.

Jane handed Josie the first present, a flat box wrapped in white paper.

"I found this on my porch when Amelia and I came home from the wedding," Jane said. "It's from Mrs. Mueller."

Josie held the box up to her ear. "Does it tick?" she asked.

She read the card out loud. "*Dear Josie,'" it said. "*I'm sorry I am unable to attend your wedding. I hope this gift will help you remember me.'"

"How can I ever forget Mrs. M?" Josie ripped open the paper and burst into laughter when she lifted the box lid. Inside was a gold spray-painted ashtray with a chipped corner.

"Gross," Amelia said.

"Did she get it at Goodwill?" Ted asked.

"More like a garage sale," Josie said. "She caught me smoking behind her garage when I was fifteen and ratted me out to Mom. I got even with Mrs. M by leaving burning dog doo on her porch, and she stamped out the fire."

Ted snorted. Amelia said, "That's way worse than exploding Mentos."

"Give me that," Jane said. "I'm putting it in the trash."

"No, you're not," Josie said. "I'm keeping it. And I'll write her a thank-you note."

"I'm glad she wasn't at your wedding," Jane said. "Everyone at church talked about your beautiful wedding and the wonderful reception and she had nothing to say."

An hour later, Josie and Ted sat with their unwrapped loot.

"Primo swag," Amelia said. "You got all your china and crystal, Mom. Awesome truffle slicer-and we got the truffles, too. Are we going to try those organic aji powders, Ted?"

"It would be wrong to waste hot peppers," Ted said. "We can experiment with spicy recipes. And we have a lot of new cookware to break in. But we still haven't opened all the gifts."

He reached into the bag next to the couch and handed one box to Jane and another to Amelia.

Jane opened hers first. "A green silk pantsuit," she said. "It's so beautiful, I'm afraid to wear it."

"It's not silk," Josie said. "It's bamboo, but it looks like silk. Eco friendly. You can throw it in the washing machine."

"Pictures!" Amelia said. "I got pictures."

She was hugging two of the silver Elsa Peretti frames. The double frame showed Josie in her wedding dress and Amelia dancing at the reception with her grandfather, Jack. The other framed the photo of the wedding party at Tower Grove Park, captured just as Harry had turned the posed photo into chaos.

"What do you think of your photos?" Ted asked.

"Flawless," Amelia said.