The Wedding Caper Read Online Free PDF Page B

plans.
    Candy
continued on with her well thought-out discussion, laying out an organized plan
for the day, an hour-by-hour approach. I could hear Brandi arguing in the
background taking issue with this point or that, and found myself smiling. What
interesting roomies these two made.
    At some
point, Candy’s words sent my antenna shooting straight up into the air. “We’ve
set up a 2:00 appointment at Clarksborough Catering.”
    “ Clarksborough Catering? Today?” I whispered the words
again, so as not to awaken Suspect #1. “ Clarksborough Catering?”
    “Yes.”
    “Would
you like me to go with you?” I offered.
    When
Candy answered in the affirmative, I knew the Lord must surely have special
plans for me on this lovely fall day.
    With my
social graces firmly in place, I met the girls for lunch at the local diner. We
giggled our way through soup and sandwiches as they showed me wedding dress
photos. How many squeals of sheer delight could they possibly manage?
    After the
meal, we drove to the tiny converted house that was Clarksborough Catering. The owner, Janetta Mullins, met us at the
door. Even after years of doing business amongst us, the woman remained
something of an oddity in Clarksborough —certainly
not typical small-town material and not the sort to join our
organizations—but what was it about her that intrigued me now? Perhaps
her spiked hair with tips of blue? Or maybe the tattoo of a weightlifter on her
upper arm, which she showed off by strategically rolling up the sleeve of her Don’t Mess with Mama t-shirt?
    She might
look gruff on the outside, but Janetta had catered
nearly every big social event in Clark County over the past ten years—and
we knew better than to call on anyone else for our big to-dos.
    I smiled
as I reflected on my current www.investigativeskills.com lesson. Standing
before me was a woman of social awareness, if I ever saw one.
    Sheer
curiosity settled in as she seated us at a table to discuss our options. Janetta got us off on the right foot. “Girls, take a look
at this book while I go track down that daughter of mine to help out.”
    As she
sprinted from the room, I couldn’t help but wonder which daughter she meant. I
understood her to have four or five. And a couple of sons, to
boot. Of course, most had grown up and moved on, like my own children.
    Nearly
everyone in town knew Janetta had never married, and
certainly more than one fella had been seen coming and going from this place
through the years. Most of us never could quite put together which child went
with which father, but I guess we figured that was none of our business. The
family had managed not only to survive but to thrive.
Their business was known for miles around. Catering business, not personal
business.
    A lovely
young woman with sandy colored hair and sparkling green eyes entered the room.
    “Hi,
Kristina.” Brandi gave her a warm smile. “How’ve you been?”
    Kristina
responded with “It’s so good to see you!” and joined my daughters at the table,
where they caught on all they’d missed since graduating from Clark County High
years prior. That done, Kristina handed out catering
brochures and the work began.
    “ Oooh ! This looks great!” Brandi pointed to a photo of an
elaborate serving table loaded with Italian goodies. “And look at that
chocolate fountain!”
    Candy’s
nose wrinkled in disagreement. “I was thinking of something much simpler than
that. Hors d’oeuvres. Finger sandwiches. That kind of thing.”
    The three
began a lengthy discussion as they flipped through the pages of the brochure
and I turned my attentions to the caterer herself. Perhaps, in getting to know Janetta better, I could learn some things about the
burglary.
    “If you
don’t mind my asking,” I shifted my gaze, so as not to make her uncomfortable,
“How are you faring since the—”
    “The
unfortunate event at the bank, you mean?” Janetta let
out a lingering sigh and I couldn’t help but feel