“At last my love has come along.
My lonely days are over and life is like a song.”
Levi belted out the most rock and roll version of “At Last” that Zoe had ever heard. But it was strangely catchy and had her glad that she’d opted for the extra-large dance floor because it seemed as though everyone was on it. Even Marilyn and Bob were shaking their tail feathers. Reluctant Redemption seemed to know all the crowd pleasers.
Piper danced her way over in Aiden’s arms. “Aren’t they great?” she half-yelled over the music. “I’m so glad we hired them.”
Addison spun by with Felix. “I bet Zoe is too!” She grinned devilishly at Zoe as she carried on by.
Zoe ignored the comment, but had to bite back a smile. She wandered over to the snack table where she was keeping her purse and bridal utility bag hidden. For the hundredth time that night, she pulled out her tablet and scrolled through the recent notifications.
There hadn’t been much from Holly since she’d leaked the news about the new venue. The only other comment was posted when the band began to play and she critiqued the newly married couple’s first dance. Obviously she was part of the crowd outside the front gates, but other than that, things had been quiet—which Zoe took as a bad sign. What was Holly Hart up to?
Holly would probably stay all night, if need be, lurking outside the property, waiting for guests to leave so she could accost them with questions. Zoe wondered if the cops would have arrested her by then. Would they arrest her in front of everyone? She preferred to hand herself over quietly and save the newlyweds any embarrassment.
She was staring across the property at the driveway, half expecting them to come for her any second when she heard a shout or a cry. Or maybe a whoop of excitement for the band. But it sounded like it came from around the side of the house.
She peered into the darkness outside the circle of light created by all the lanterns and string lights. It could have been one of the guests. Perhaps a dog got out of the enclosure or off a leash. Zoe knew it wasn’t hers because he was at her heels enjoying the tunes.
As Zoe went to investigate, someone grabbed her hand and tugged her back. She half spun until she landed in Levi’s arms.
“Hey, rock star.” She smiled. “Intermission already?”
“No. But the band was playing our song, so I thought I’d come steal a dance.” He gave her a wink. The string lights nearby sparkled in his eyes, and she got lost for a moment.
“We have a song?” she asked. “And what song is that?”
He hooked Freddy’s leash on one of the many dog-minding posts she’d pounded into the ground around the dance floor and swept her away. “Any song that will get you into my arms.”
And being in his arms felt so right.
She laid her head on his shoulder to soak it all in, him, them, that moment. The band was playing an instrumental version of “We Are the Champions” by Queen as Levi took her for a twirl on the dance floor. He spun her and when she came to a stop, she was facing the house.
Her half-lidded gaze landed on the bar. Something caught her eye. A flash of platinum blonde hair, almost white beneath the twinkling string lights strung from tree to tree.
Levi led her around to the other side of the dance floor and the person was lost from sight. Zoe craned her head this way and that to see past the other dancers. When a couple moved, she caught sight of the woman again.
She gave Zoe a cheeky smile and raised her martini glass, like a greeting to Zoe, or maybe a big old “screw you!”
Holly Hart.
“Is everything okay?” Levi asked, as she stopped dancing.
“Holly’s here,” she said, not taking her eyes off the reporter.
She was dressed head to toe in black, as though this was a funeral, not a wedding. Maybe that was for the best, since there was about to be a funeral. Hers.
“I’m going to kill her.”
“I see the claws are coming out.” He shrugged his shoulders and she realized her nails were digging into them.
“Oh, sorry.” She sighed. “I need to go deal with this.”
“Shall I call for backup?”
“Yeah. Maybe go get Bob. There’s about to be a murder.”
Zoe maneuvered her way across the dance floor, all smiles at the surrounding guests until she reached the bar. Holly waited patiently for her, not even bothering to look guilty or like she didn’t belong there. Instead, she sipped her drink and waved to her good friend Zoe.
The moment she was in reach, Zoe gripped her arm, ready to drag her to the front gates herself. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Why, I’m enjoying the festivities.” She brushed her hand away. “This is quite something. I have to admit, I had my doubts after what happened to the first venue. But you really managed to pull it off.” She gave her a sly wink and lowered her voice to a whisper. “That’s why you’re my favorite.”
“Bite me.”
Holly clicked her tongue. “Is that any way to treat a guest?”
“You’re not a guest,” she spat. “How did you get in here?”
“Oh, it’s a big property.” She waved the details aside. “You didn’t think a couple of police officers and some incompetent security guards were going to stop the likes of Holly Hart, did you? I always get my story.”
Zoe plucked a leaf out of her blonde hair. “Yeah, I’m sure you get around.”
Grass swished behind Zoe and she turned to find Levi and Bob marching over. Even in dress clothes, Bob could look official. It was in his rigid stance, his hard expression. He carried authority even when he didn’t have his gun.
“What’s going on?” he asked. “Everything all right, here?’
“Miss Hart here seems to have lost her way,” Zoe told him.
Bob turned to her. “Will you come with me? Or would you prefer I get one of the officers outside to escort you out in cuffs?”
“Oooh, handcuffs.” She bit her lip. “Sounds kinky. A couple of them were pretty cute. I’ll take that option.” She giggled. “I like it rough.”
“Now don’t make a scene,” Bob said like he was chastising a little girl.
“Who’s making a scene?” She pouted. “You ain’t seen nothing yet. Just call your boys and then we’ll see what happens,” she said, the threat as clear as Swarovski crystal.
Zoe took a step forward, glaring down at the reporter. “I will take you down myself, so help me God.”
Holly raised her chin. “Let’s go, stretch.”
“Zoe, just leave her be.”
Zoe turned to the voice she recognized as Piper’s, but it couldn’t possibly be. She’d never stick up for Holly Hart. “What?”
Piper stood in front of Holly, looking her up and down as though she were a wild animal not yet tamed. “She’ll do more damage to the evening if we kick her out.” With a sneer, she addressed Holly. “You can stay, on one condition. You hand over your phone until the night is over and delete any photos you’ve already taken.”
“Deal.” Reaching into her clutch, she drew out her phone and handed it over to Zoe.
“I don’t trust her,” Zoe said. “She probably has a hidden camera on her somewhere.” She eyed her skin-tight dress.
“Who do you think I am? James Bond?” She threw Zoe a withering look. “But if you’re really that worried, I’m sure Aiden could always frisk me.” She bobbed her head around, searching the crowd for him. “Where are those handcuffs when you need them?”
“Don’t make me regret this,” Piper warned her.
Holly drew an imaginary halo above her head with a finger. “I’ll be on my best behavior.”
“That doesn’t exactly ease my worries.”
“Oh well, you can’t please everybody.” Holly downed her drink and popped the olive into her mouth. “Excuse me. I’m going to go mingle.” She threw her black paisley wrap over her shoulder and left.
Zoe watched her walk away. “I don’t trust her,” she said again.
“Neither do I,” Piper said. “I just figured it would be less hassle to leave her be.”
“I’ll keep an eye on her.” Zoe made shooing motions with her hands. “Go dance with your husband before Holly tries to.”
Piper smiled. “Thanks.”
Levi wrapped an arm around Zoe. “I’d best get back on stage. Any requests?”
“Britney Spears,” she joked.
“Done.” He kissed her cheek before sprinting back on stage.
Zoe glanced down at Holly’s phone in her hand. Holly was up to something. She handed it over too willingly. There was no way she wasn’t going to record every moment she could. Which could only mean she had another way of recording the event. And since Zoe had rarely ever seen the reporter without her cameraman to boss around, she had a hunch he was sneaking around there somewhere too.
Holly was busy rubbing elbows with a few of Aiden’s guests. While she was distracted, Zoe headed for the thick tree line that encircled the property.
From this distance, the music was a soft, steady beat in the background. After the dazzling lights around the house and dance floor, it was like she was walking into a black hole.
Zoe resisted the urge to go back and grab her tablet to light her way. She couldn’t very well sneak up on Hey, You if he could see her coming a mile away. Then again, considering the Channel Five News team she was dealing with, he probably had night vision goggles to do his late-night snooping.
She shivered, wishing she’d brought her wrap. Not wanting to take her leather heels into the forest, she began to skirt around the edges of the underbrush.
The distant glow from the lights and paper lanterns caught on the leaves around her. She imagined they were eyes watching her, blinking when they rustled in the wind, winking at her. She certainly felt like she’d had eyes following her everywhere for the last few weeks.
Her ears strained for any sounds in the woods, a cracking twig, the zoom of a lens. But all she could hear was the distant sounds of Britney Spears. She chuckled, but kept moving. She had a job to do.
The breeze picked up again. The leafy bushes began scraping and hissing as they rustled all around her. When it died down, she heard the rhythmic swishing of grass behind her. She’d been so focused on the search before her, that she wasn’t watching her back.
She spun around, squinting against the party’s lights, but she saw nothing. The swishing drew closer. She took a panicked step back. It was right in front of her and yet she still couldn’t see a damn thing.
A scream crawled up her throat.
Then it struck.
It pawed at her shins and licked her exposed ankles, relentless in its attack. Zoe let her scream out in a quiet grunt.
Freddy had somehow gotten free from the post she’d hooked him to, because his leash was still attached, dragging through the grass behind him.
“Freddy,” she hissed. “Go back. Go.” She snapped her fingers and pointed, unsure if he could see her. But even if he could, she realized that he would have done the complete opposite of what she said, anyway. So, she pointed at her feet and said, “Okay, stay.”
Naturally, Freddy took off. Only, instead of returning to the party, he dove for the trees.
“No. Freddy!” she yell-whispered. “Not that way!”
Crap, she thought. So much for being inconspicuous. She was tempted to yell “Hey, You! Ready or not, here I come!”
Zoe could hear Freddy rustling through the underbrush, crunching dead leaves, snorting and digging in the dirt as he sniffed around. There’s a mouse. I know there’s a mouse. It’s around here somewhere.
Although, if there had been mice, he would have scared them all away with his stealthless attack.
“Freddy come back here. There’s no mice in there. Come.” But Freddy was being Freddy and doing exactly what he wasn’t supposed to be doing.
Sighing, Zoe hiked up her floor-length dress and went in after him. She swore she was putting obedience classes on her to-do list. Just as soon as she got out of jail.
Zoe peered into the darkness, picking her way over hidden roots and fallen branches as she followed the sounds of excited prancing in the leaves. She doubted he’d found anything but a stick. The sounds grew louder just behind the next bush.
“Freddy. Come here, boy. I’m making my voice sound really fun and lighthearted right now, but you’re actually in big trouble,” she sang.
Crouching down, she began groping along the damp earth to grab his leash. But from her new point of view, a bright light caught her eye. A flashlight maybe, hidden beneath the bush. She’d likely discovered Holly’s path through the property.
She held the branches aside and reached in, but it wasn’t a flashlight. It was a screen. As she explored, her hand landed on the object. It was heavy, whatever it was.
She dragged it out to discover it was Hey, You’s camera. But there was no sign of the weasel himself.
The camera was still in the midst of recording. She wasn’t sure what he’d hoped to capture all the way out there from the bushes. Squinting against the screen’s light, she found the stop button.
She’d helped enough videographers film weddings over the years, due to poorly timed washroom breaks or illnesses, that she knew her way around professional equipment. Using the buttons, she managed to find the playback menu.
A selection of past footage popped up on the screen. Footage that looked very familiar. Hell, it was practically her last three weeks all laid out in video clips. Out of curiosity, she checked some of the previous footage.
She searched back to the expo, when Holly first began screwing with her life. Her fight with Chelsea popped up on the screen. She pressed play and watched as she threw the pink champagne cake in her rival’s face.
Zoe cringed. Watching it from the outside looking in was even worse. That hadn’t exactly been her brightest moment, nor one she wanted to relive, so she moved onto the next clip.
It was just more footage from the expo. Not exactly riveting stuff. Hey, You was scanning the underground parking lot, taking in a panorama of the parked cars. Then it zoomed in on a van. Her van.
It was post break-in because she could see the tendrils of Piper’s shredded dress fluttering out the open back. But there were no people gathered around it. It was before the vandalism had even been discovered. Had it been Hey, You who first reported it?
As she continued to watch, the van wiggled and rocked. Seconds later, a figure leapt out. But it was too dark, too far away to see who it was.
Zoe flipped to the next video. Of course, it was her gaping at her destroyed van, at the dress, and Holly was pestering her with questions. She skipped that one.
The next footage was something Zoe had watched on the news, along with the rest of the city. Holly Hart stood in front of the camera, checking her teeth in the lens’s reflection before introducing the night’s top story.
“This is Holly Hart coming to you from North Beach, where the San Fran Slayer has taken his next victim.”
But the mention of the serial killer made Zoe shiver with the creeps. Zoe scanned through the rest of the footage. It was practically a montage of her life, one epic disaster after another. And the news team had been there for everyone. Every single one.
Her hair stood on end, and it felt like something was crawling up the back of her neck. She rubbed at it and spun around, her chest thumping.
Suddenly on alert, she peered through the dark woods, straining to hear anything out of the ordinary. But the only sounds were Freddy’s grunting as he tried to drag his “mouse” out of the bush—which, knowing him, was likely a root.
Mouse, mouse, mouse, mouse …
Zoe shook off the sudden anxiety. This was the rescue center, after all. It was practically a second home to her, a place where she spent much of her free time. A safe haven. Not to mention, she was surrounded by a collection of professional security guards and San Francisco’s finest. Besides, she could hear Levi’s voice drifting over from the speakers in the distance, and it comforted her.
She searched the menu for any clips filmed on the day of their brunch at the restaurant. She found one. It had been created half an hour before they left. And Holly Hart was interviewing a very much alive Chef Glazier.
“This is Holly Hart reporting from the restaurant House of Glass. I’m with Chef Glazier, world renowned chef and caterer for this year’s biggest event, the joining of our favorite devoted doggy duo, Aiden Caldwell and the Dachshund Rescue Center spokesperson, Piper Summers.” She turned to the chef. “Chef Glazier, can you give us a sneak peek of the wedding menu?”
“Well, they haven’t made a final decision yet. As we speak, they are sampling my signature dishes—”
Zoe frowned and pressed fast forward, skipping over their banter. She’d had no idea this had been going on in the kitchen while they ate lunch. Holly must have come in after the interview, pretending like she’d only just arrived.
Zoe slowed down again when it looked like Holly was giving her sign off. In the next video, Hey, You was still in the restaurant kitchen. Chef Glazier was showing him around. By the looks of it, they were in the delivery area where the body had been found.
“What kind of stuff do you get delivered here?” a man asked. Zoe realized it was Hey, You. She’d never actually heard him speak.
He continued to ask mundane questions about the delivery area while the chef insisted he return to his guests. Zoe supposed that was why Holly asked the questions and he was stuck behind the camera. But when he continued to press the chef about wanting to see the bay door open, it was obvious. He was distracting the chef.
Fed up, the chef turned back to the kitchen. Zoe’s view of the scene jiggled as Hey, You chased after him. “Wait!”
But then the chef paused on the threshold of the kitchen. “What do you think you’re doing?”
All she could see was the chef’s back blocking the view of his work station, but Holly answered.
“I thought I might contribute to the momentous occasion,” she said. “You know, I’m not half bad in the kitchen. I make a mean soufflé.”
But the chef wasn’t buying it. He swiped at something on his cutting board. “What is this?” He smelled it and touched a finger to his tongue. “Sesame seed?”
“This isn’t what it looks like,” she said.
He glanced from her to the dessert balls, freshly powdered with the deadly stuff. “You know about her allergy,” he said, more like an accusation. “You plan to poison my customer.”
“Okay, it’s exactly what it looks like,” she said. “But it’s not like it’s going to kill her,” she reasoned. Zoe still couldn’t see Holly’s face, but there was no hint of remorse or guilt in her voice.
“Both of you stay right here.” The chef shook a finger at her. When he turned to face Hey, You, his cheeks were flushed, his eyes bulging with fury.
Hey, You wasn’t bothering to aim the camera. The chef’s chest filled the frame, the buttons of his coat shaking as he continued to rant, threatening police and lawyers. Then mid-sentence he trailed off, his voice gurgling in the back of his throat.
Chef Glazier fell forward. He crumpled at Hey, You’s feet. Holly stood behind him, holding the steak knife. It dripped with the chef’s blood.
Zoe yelped and covered her mouth with her hand. She sank to her knees, feeling the damp earth soak through her dress. She wanted to scream, to run. She suddenly felt so alone and exposed, but she couldn’t seem to drop the camera. She couldn’t tear her eyes away.
“Jesus. Holy Shit, Holly. What did you do?” Hey, You asked. “What did you just do?”
But Holly still didn’t look sorry. In fact, she looked irritated, like someone just brought her a Pepsi instead of a Coke. “Well, I didn’t plan for this to happen, did I?”
But Zoe couldn’t help but notice she’d put on leather gloves at some point. That was why only Zoe’s fingerprints had been found on the knife.
Holly hastily wiped the knife on the chef’s pant leg before putting it back down next to the cutting board.
“Shit,” Hey, You said. “You just stabbed someone.”
The world tilted like Hey, You just about dropped the camera, and Zoe got a glimpse of Chef Glazier’s body lying face down. Blood seeped through his white coat, the stain growing bigger.
She shut her eyes and when she opened them again, Hey, You had placed his camera on the counter. He was bent over the body.
When he stood back up, he said, “Oh my God. He’s dead. We have to do something.”
His words seemed to change something in Holly. Her face went blank for a moment. “You’re right. You’re right. Oh, my God. We have to do something.”
“Good, okay. We should call the police and—”
But Holly wasn’t listening. She reached down to the body. “Come on. You grab his upper body. I’ll grab his feet.”
“What?”
“Well, I can’t very well get blood on me. This is Dior for shit’s sake.” She tugged at her outfit. “Use your brain.”
“But I don’t understand,” he said. “He’s dead. We need to call the police.”
“The police?” Now Holly did look affected. She looked downright scared. “But then they’re going to blame me.”
“Yes.” He nodded. “Because you killed him.”
“You were here too.”
“Tricking someone into eating a few seeds is one thing,” he said. “But this? This is cold-blooded murder. I mean, shit, Holly.”
Holly covered her face with her hands. A sound not unlike a sob came out of her, but Zoe thought it was far from the real thing.
“After working together for all these years,” she said. “After everything we’ve been through, you’d turn me in just like that?”
Holly stepped over the body until she was close enough to place a hand on Hey, You’s chest. When he didn’t move, she laid her head against his shoulder. “I thought you’d do anything for me. We’re a team.”
“Team? You do nothing but boss me around.” But he sounded less panicky and more confused as he stared down at the top of her head on his chest.
“That’s only because I’ve been fighting my true feelings for you.”
He swallowed. “Feelings?”
“Don’t deny it. I know you’ve wanted me since the first day we worked together. I’ve wanted you too.”
Her hand slid down his chest to his crotch. He jumped as she clutched it.
“Ooh. See? You can deny it all you want, but your true desires are obvious.” As she rubbed the front of his pants, Zoe could see his eyes roll into the back of his head and his resolve begin to waiver.
“I need you,” she said. “I want you. And you want me, too.”
“Yes,” he said.
She rubbed faster. “But we can’t be together if I go to jail.”
“No.”
“I can’t take it anymore,” she said. “I want you. Now.”
“Now?”
“Yes.”
“We can go to my place,” he said.
“No. I can’t wait that long. We can do it in the van.” She leaned in close, like she was about to kiss him. “But first…”
His eyes closed and his lips quivered as they searched for hers, but she pulled away, disappearing beneath the counter. When she popped back up, she was holding a pair of feet.
“Grab his arms. Hurry. Before someone comes back here.”
He did as she asked, grunting from the dead weight. “Where are we going to hide it?”
“Just shut up and lift with your legs.”
They moved off camera. A moment later, the kitchen’s double doors swung open, and the server came in with her tray.
“Chef Glazier!?” she called, scanning the kitchen for signs of him. When no one answered, she shrugged and loaded the desserts onto the tray.
The moment the doors swung closed behind her, Hey, You, and Holly returned to clean up the blood on the floor. Hey, You reached for the camera and the screen went blank.
Zoe now knew Holly was the one behind everything. Her van, the bombings, the murder. Everything. Hey, You had known she was up to something, or at least, suspected it. She recalled chasing him down an alley after her office was bombed. He’d been gathering footage of her. Evidence.
Zoe knew she should take the camera and run. Run to the police. Run to Bob. Run to someone and tell them what she’d found, but something made her click on the most recent video. The last one.
With a shaking finger, she hit play.
By the heavy breathing, she could tell that Hey, You was hiding in the woods. In the very spot she was standing on, she realized. He was filming the dance floor.
A twig snapped.
Zoe spun, thinking it was behind her, but she was still alone. It had been behind Hey, You. The camera spun to face the sound. It was Holly.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I came to stop you,” he said. “You can’t do this.”
She took a step forward, but he blocked her.
“Get out of my way,” she said.
“Give it up. It’s over.”
“It’s not over yet,” Holly told him. “I’ve tried too hard to fail now.”
Zoe’s breath left her in a grunt. The camera shook in her hands. It wasn’t her. It wasn’t Zoe that Holly was after. It never had been.
“You’ve failed,” Hey, You said with finality. “You can’t undo it.”
“There’s one way.”
And by the tone of her voice, Zoe knew what that way was.
The whole time, she’d assumed someone was out to get her. Was sabotaging her. But it wasn’t about Zoe. It was about Piper. It was about stopping the wedding by whatever means necessary, by ruining the dress, hurting the wedding planner, landing the bride in the hospital.
But nothing had been able to work. And now that the wedding had taken place, there was only one way to “undo” it.
Zoe dropped the camera. “Piper.”
She didn’t watch the rest. She didn’t find out what happened to Hey, You because Holly had gotten past him. She was already at the reception. Nausea rose hot inside her, and she had to fight the urge to pass out from the overwhelming panic.
Scrambling to her feet, she was already moving to grab Freddy, stumbling with anxiety. Was she too late? Would she find Piper in time?
The screen had been so bright, the woods so dark. She tried to blink away the images of Chef Glazier’s body, his blood.
She reached down to grab Freddy, but her heel caught on something. A plant, or maybe a root. Unable to find her balance, she fell forward.
Pain exploded in her knee. Her shins scraped against rough bark. Her arms flew out, and she braced herself for impact. But her chest and face landed on something soft, cushiony.
Groping through the dark, she pushed herself up and found herself nose to nose with Hey, You, his sightless gaze facing her. He was dead.
A soundless scream escaped her, like a high-pitched whistle of wind through a broken window.
She clambered back, clawing at the ground, kicking the stiff body. It flopped away from her, the lifelessness making her panic all the more.
Freddy found her in the dark, his tail wagging happily, like he’d found the biggest mouse ever and deserved a treat.
A sob escaped Zoe. Grabbing her doxie, she half-crawled, half-stumbled out of the woods, back toward the party. She just hoped she wasn’t too late to warn Piper.