Lavender Lies by Susan Wittig Albert

Author:Susan Wittig Albert [Albert, Susan Wittig]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Mystery, Gardening
ISBN: 9780425177006
Publisher: Penguin
Published: 1999-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

“Your nose looks pretty good, considering.” Laurel eyed me narrowly. “Your hair looks great. What a difference a day makes.” She glanced at the clock, which read eleven-thirty. “But I thought you and Mike were supposed to be at the courthouse, getting your marriage license.”

“Yeah.” I rang the register to see how we had done for the morning. It could have been better. Much better. “But there’s been a complication.”

“Another one?” Laurel asked. She was wearing her brown hair loose today, and it hung forward over her green Thyme and Seasons T-shirt. We had them made to wear and sell in the shop last spring.

“I’m afraid so,” I said. I told her what I had found at Letty Coleman’s house; she expressed dismay, and we mused for a moment together on the impermanence of life. Then I frowned. “What do you mean, another complication?”

Laurel gave me a rueful glance. “For starters, Bertha and Betsy called. They’ve gone to Houston to visit Lucia’s Garden.” Lucia’s Garden is a wonderful herb shop run by my friends Lucia and Michael Bettler. Their Basil Festival, which is held in August, is not to be missed. “They’ll be here Friday morning.”

“Will that be enough time?” I asked anxiously. Khat, who can be remarkably empathic when he’s in the right mood, jumped up on the counter, arched his back, and announced that he would allow me to stroke him, if it would make me feel better. I knew that Ruby and Sheila and I could handle the basic stuff—the flowers, the music, the food. After all, Ruby and I have collaborated on enough classes and celebrations to qualify us as certified professional event planners. But Bertha and Betsy have a magic touch with weddings. I was counting on them for the finishing touches that would make everything perfect.

“Bertha said to tell you not to panic—things will turn out just fine.” Laurel tossed her hair back over her shoulders. “And Betsy said that two days are plenty, since it’s not a huge wedding. And since the Merryweathers are helping with the flowers.”

“It feels huge to me,” I said. “A whale of a wedding. But they’ve had a lot of experience. They’re probably right.” Khat, having allowed me a full five strokes, decided I’d been sufficiently soothed and dropped to the floor. “Do I want to hear about the other complications?”

“Probably not.” With a swift gesture, Laurel took a plastic clip out of her pocket, swept her hair into a pony tail, and fastened the clip around it. “Remember that stack of punch bowls we left in the comer of the tearoom? It fell over during the night. We don’t have to worry about returning them. But we do have to figure out how to let people know that their punch bowls got broken. I’m going to call Fannie and see if she can help.”

“Rats,” I said feelingly.

Laurel’s dimple flashed. “Mice, actually. That’s the other complication. They got into that big box of cookies Ruby dropped off for the reception and made a mess.

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