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bled back down the aisle on the arm of a groomsman.
Helen edged closer to the hulking security guard, hoping to
go unnoticed.
But Melanie saw Helen as she came down the aisle. Her
face mirrored her panic. Melanie tossed her bouquet into
the nearest pew and tried to cut through the pews on the
bride s side. Her huge skirt wouldn t fit. She picked it up
and held out it at an angle, exposing sheer-to-the-waist
panty hose and unromantic white underwear. The church
was speechless with shock as Melanie ran through the door
at the end of the aisle.
Helen followed, stomping on the feet of a woman in a
coral silk suit. Someone screamed. The other bridesmaids
and groomsmen halted in the aisle.
 Stop that woman. She s ruining my wedding, shouted
the bride, and the wedding party took off after Helen. A
welter of skirts tried to squeeze after her. Helen heard the
snap of a hoop and an  Ouch! The other bridesmaids fol-
lowed Melanie s lead and tilted their skirts either forward
or backward, displaying garments rarely seen in church.
Helen went through the door and then locked it. She
could hear Melanie clattering down the steps. She followed
and locked the door at the bottom of the steps, too. Now
she was in a church reception area. At least, Helen thought
that s what it was. This wedding was very different from
the lavish Catholic affairs she was used to.
The Baptist wedding reception had cake and punch and a
pretty flower centerpiece. The punch was pale pink with
something fizzy. An ice ring of strawberries floated in the
massive cut-glass bowl. It was a classy little reception.
260 Elaine Viets
There were real china cups for the coffee. The caterers were
setting out some nifty canapes on a silver tray. Helen s
stomach growled as she passed the miniquesadillas. The
sesame chicken skewers looked good, too.
Helen could hear the wedding party. It had broken
through the first door and was pounding on the second. The
hulking groomsmen would have it open soon. Helen looked
for another way out, but didn t see one. She did see
Melanie. Her hoop skirt was back in its proper place.
Melanie was swaying with rage, and moving swiftly for
someone in ankle-strap heels. She threw her picture hat on
the floor, grabbed the ornamental cake knife, and went after
Helen.
Slash. Slash. Ribbons and lilies of the valley ripped
through the air, and left a long cut in Helen s shirt. Helen
had no idea those cake knives were so sharp.
Melanie was doubly dangerous. The ruffles didn t hinder
her furious thrusts and parries. Together with the wide hoop
skirt, they served as protection. She would be hard to stop.
 You ve ruined my life, Melanie sobbed.  All I ever
wanted was to write, and you ve humiliated me.
 It wasn t me. It was Page Turner, Helen said.
 Don t say that vile name! Melanie said. She lunged at
Helen with the cake knife, and Helen dodged a nearly lethal
swipe at her heart. She heard a ripping sound. There was
another deep cut in her shirt.
Helen looked for a weapon to defend herself from the
wild knife thrusts. She saw only coffee spoons, china cups
and saucers. Helen picked up a coffee cup and hurled it at
Melanie. It shattered.
 Hey! yelled a caterer, but the woman backed away
when she saw Melanie s slashing knife.
 Call nine-one-one, Helen shouted, and threw another
cup. That one bounced harmlessly off the lurching skirt.
Chiffon was better than Kevlar. Helen reached for more
MURDER BETWEEN THE COVERS 261
ammunition from the coffee bar. The coffee urn wasn t out
yet, or she would have unleashed gallons of hot coffee. In-
stead, she grabbed a fistful of delicate china saucers. Two
went wide of their mark. One bounced off Melanie s arm. A
cup hit a wad of ruffles and slid harmlessly away. Helen
was desperate. Melanie and her knife were moving in for
the kill.
Helen ducked behind the wedding cake for protection,
but Melanie kept coming with the knife. She was a terrify-
ing sight. Her blond hair looked like it had been electrified.
Her ruffles whipped back and forth. Her skirt swung
crazily. She was the bridesmaid from hell.
 I ll kill you, she screamed.  I ll kill you like I killed
him.
Helen knew the three-tiered cake would be no protection
against Melanie s jabbing, stabbing knife. That knife was
designed to cut cake into little pieces.
Helen had only one choice.
She picked up the wedding cake and heaved it at
Melanie. The mad bridesmaid went down in a welter of
white icing and chocolate layer cake. The top layer was
cheesecake, which was really slick. Melanie s skirt belled
out modestly around her, covering a lot of splattered cake.
Melanie tried to get up, but her foot tangled in the hoop.
She slipped in the butter-cream frosting, twisting her ankle,
and slid back down in the squashed cake.
 My ankle, Melanie cried.
 My cake, the bride cried, bursting into the room.  You
ruined my cake.
She picked up the huge bowl of sticky pink punch and
hurled it at Helen.
Chapter 29
g
 Halt! said Detective Gil Gilbert.  Drop it! Right now.
The bride had already emptied the cut-glass punch bowl
on Helen. Now she was preparing to smash her head with
the heavy bowl. Helen was too punch-drunk to move.
 You ll kill her if you hit her with that, Detective
Gilbert warned.
 I want to kill her, the bride said, raising the bowl over
her head.  She ruined my wedding.
 You ll lose your deposit on the bowl, he said.
At that, a portly tuxedoed man stepped forward and took
the bowl from the bride.  This has cost us enough already.
Helen assumed he was the father of the bride.
Melanie sat quietly on the floor, the ruined wedding cake
mostly hidden by her huge skirt. The knife had been confis-
cated by Detective Tom Levinson, who showed up with
Gilbert for some reason Helen never figured out. He was
reading Melanie her rights and was preparing to take her in
quietly for questioning. But Melanie, who lived in her own
romance novel, refused to go without a scene.
 I ll tell you everything, but I want the world to know
MURDER BETWEEN THE COVERS 263
what I suffered, she said.  Otherwise, I ll call a lawyer
now and never say another word. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]