Zoe rushed onto the dance floor with Freddy clutched in her arms. Her muddy dress, wrapping around her legs with each frantic step, threatened to trip her.
Barging past dancing couples, she clipped a shoulder, sending someone spinning. She ignored their cry of surprise and pushed her way through the bodies. Finally, she spotted Bob dancing with Marilyn.
She gripped his arm and he turned, eyes wide. “Oh, Zoe. You startled me.”
Marilyn pulled away from her dancing partner and gave her the once over. “Zoe, dear. You look like you’ve been dragged through a hedge. Literally. What’s wrong?”
“Bob,” her voice was raspy from running, from fear. Her grip tightened on his arm. “Bob, you have to go get the police.”
“Why? What’s happened?”
The gentle, older man transformed before her. The lighthearted sparkle that had been in his eyes while he was dancing with Marilyn faded and his look became unreadable. He wasn’t the man she spent every Sunday pancake brunch with. He was the law now, and in his eyes, she was on the other side of it. A criminal waiting to be arrested.
Despite the urgency of the situation, she became aware of the dancers slowing down around them. They were forced to step past their frozen group. They eyed her with curiosity. Bob seemed to notice too, and drew her away from the dance floor, out of earshot.
It occurred to Zoe that what she was about to say could cause mass panic among the happy wedding guests. She lowered her voice and leaned close enough so not even Marilyn could hear. “There’s a body in the woods. He’s been murdered.”
Bob stepped back in shock. His mask from earlier slipped. The one that he’d worn when he pretended he didn’t know she was going to be arrested, like she was some common criminal to be deceived.
The expression hidden beneath tore at her. Horror, disgust. Did he really believe she was capable of the murder? He obviously believed she should go to jail.
When she took her next breath, it almost sounded like a sob. “Look, I know the police are waiting to arrest me. But I didn’t kill the man.” She gripped him by the shoulders. “You have to believe me because there’s something more important—”
Bob held up a hand. “Wait. Arrest you?” Understanding dawned on his face, as he was clearly reviewing their encounter in the parking lot. He shook his head. “They’re not here to arrest you. They’re here to protect you.”
Zoe blinked, trying to make sense of what he was saying. “From what?”
Glancing around, he slid his arm through hers and led her around the side of the house where the music was quieter. Marilyn anxiously followed, but Bob held up a gentle hand. The woman watched them leave, picking at a thread in her wrap.
When they were far enough away, Bob took on the stance of a man just having a nice chat with a friend. He placed his hands in his pockets casually, as though everything was normal. But what he said next was anything but normal.
“They’re here to protect you from the San Fran Slayer.”
Zoe’s legs trembled. She braced herself against the porch railing, but her arms were shaking so violently that she slid ungracefully onto the steps. Freddy slinked to the ground in front of her, but she held his leash tight.
“What?” she managed to breathe.
Bob took a seat next to her, as though they were taking in the night air together. It felt so wrong. As though they were relaxing while Piper’s life was on the line.
“They found evidence on Chef Glazier’s body consistent with the slayer case,” he said. “They know it wasn’t you.”
“Are you sure it’s the slayer that killed the chef?” She shut her eyes. The images she saw on Hey, You’s camera were still there, forever burned onto her retinas, of Holly killing Chef Glazier. If the chef was killed by the slayer, that meant Holly …
“Yes, we’re sure. Considering the attempts on your life recently, they’re taking you into police custody for your protection after the wedding.” He eyed the trees surrounding them. “But if you found a body, maybe the slayer’s already here.”
“She is.”
Bob’s head whipped toward her. “How do you know it’s a female? We’ve never released information about the sex.”
Zoe could feel time slipping away. Every moment they sat there was another moment lost. They had to find Piper before Holly did something to her. Before she was murdered by a serial killer.
“Listen to me Bob. The slayer is Holly Hart.”
“How—”
“There’s no time to explain. But it’s not me she’s after. It’s Piper.”
Bob’s wide eyes scanned the party, but his gaze was distant, as though realigning all the facts, all the evidence in his mind.
“And she’s here now,” he said, stunned.
He sprang to his feet with the energy of someone half his age. “I’m going to go get the police from the property gates. You stay here.” He made as though to leave, but at the last second, he turned back. “And Zoe? It’s important that no one knows anything is wrong. If Holly is alerted that we’re on to her, it might make her act sooner.”
“Act?” Zoe swallowed. She was suddenly on her unsteady feet. “I have to go find Piper.” She began backing away, dragging Freddy with her.
Before she got far, Bob grabbed her arm. “Zoe, it’s too dangerous.”
“She’s after Piper, not me.”
“But if you get caught in the middle—” he began.
“Bob,” Zoe said. “It’s Piper.”
“You can’t help her if you wind up dead yourself.” She felt Bob squeeze her arm, as though trying to relay the importance of what he said.
But his words didn’t convince her to stay behind. It only made her more desperate to find her best friend.
As Bob went for the police, Zoe took a deep breath and pushed it all down—the fear, the anxiety, the guilt that somehow she could have prevented this. If only she’d figured it all out sooner.
But at that moment, all that mattered was saving the bride from a serial killer in Manolo Blahniks. She never thought she’d miss the normal wedding woes, like ill-fitting wedding dresses, and drunk uncles.
Zoe spotted Aiden near the dance floor. Picking Freddy up, she crossed over to him, in a totally not-jittery or too-anxious way.
She laid a hand on his arm. “Aiden.”
He turned with a smile but then he took in the state of her. “Zoe, what happened to your dress?”
“One too many tequila shots. Have you seen Piper?” she asked, sounding too loud and slightly terrified even over the rock music.
He frowned, glancing around as though expecting her to be nearby. “Not for a little while now.”
“Okay, no problem,” she said as normally as she could. “She’s probably in the washroom. I’ll go check on her.”
Before she turned away, she gave his arm a squeeze, because she was afraid it wouldn’t be that easy. That she wasn’t simply going to find Piper reapplying her makeup.
Zoe calmly made her way to the snack table. She grabbed her purse and slung it over her body. It was the easiest way to keep her tablet with her while freeing up her hands. She would need to keep in contact with Bob somehow, in case she found Piper. Or in case Holly found Zoe first.
Pushing that thought aside, she headed into the house, systematically checking each and every room and closet. She wished she had a Fuzzy Friend. Instead, she held Freddy tight. Not for a moment did she consider putting him down. Not with a serial killer on the loose.
His presence kept her calm and focused. She could get through this, just like she’d gotten through every other terrible moment in her life. But this wasn’t a spelling bee or a broken limb. This was life and death.
Her frantic search probably took less than two minutes of racing through the house, but she was sweating and panting by the time she reached the porch again.
Piper was nowhere in the house. And as Zoe scanned the yard, there were no signs of her white dress. There was nowhere else the bride would be.
Zoe closed her eyes. She knew Holly had gotten to Piper.
But Zoe did spot her friends. Not just friends. They were practically family. Addison, Felix, Naia, Marilyn, Aiden. They were all laughing, having a good time, while a tragedy played out under their noses that only Zoe and Bob knew about.
As she stood there, heart rate increasing with each passing second, she racked her brain for places where Holly might have taken Piper. Her eyes moved over the tree line. Could they be in the forest? Away from prying eyes?
Levi caught her eye from the makeshift stage on the porch. He gave her a wink and a smile between verses. Zoe felt her face move in what she hoped was a smile because no one could know, no one cold suspect. Raise the alarm and Piper could pay for it.
Of course, somehow Levi could see right through her usual calm veneer, because a little wrinkle formed between his brows, and he stared at her a moment too long.
Before she could give anything else away, she turned toward the dog enclosure. Freddy was squirming in her arms—maybe he sensed her anxiety too. If she was headed into the woods in search of a murderer, she’d need her arms free.
The moment she set him down in the enclosure, he raced away from her. How’s that for loyalty? Zoe thought. First sign of trouble and he runs.
There was only a small group of dogs milling in the large grassy area. She assumed they were all hiding in the longhouse where the cages were, maybe hiding from the loud music. Obviously they weren’t the music aficionados Freddy was.
But instead of heading for the other dogs, Freddy zipped toward the giant doghouse. Without a backward glance, he ducked through one of the unlocked doggy doors leading into the building.
Now that he was safe, Zoe scanned the enclosure and the dark wall of trees on the far side. But the soft glow from the hanging lanterns and string lights didn’t reach very far. She hesitated, unsure where to begin her search. The property was so big. How was she ever going to find them by herself?
A moment later, a doggy door swung open and Freddy returned, dragging something behind him. It was long, whatever it was, because his short legs became tangled. He went head over tail until he was a sausage in a blanket. Literally, Zoe thought, as she realized he’d found a long piece of fabric.
Squinting through the dark, she unlatched the gate and went to untangle Freddy. Frowning, she held the fabric up to the dim light. It was a shawl. Not unlike the one that had been wrapped around Holly’s shoulders when she’d arrived.
Beneath the vibrating bass, Levi’s warm voice humming through the speakers, and the steady drum beat, Zoe could hear chaotic sounds pierce the air. Shrill, urgent barking.
It was coming from the doghouse. The only place on the property where no one would hear anything over all the dogs’ barking. No one would think twice about all the racket.
Freddy took off without waiting for Zoe. Glancing over her shoulder, she tossed the pashmina aside and headed across the dog enclosure.
Thankfully, the music drowned out the noises of her approach so she could sneak up. But she quickly realized that if Holly really was in there, Zoe wouldn’t know until she was in the middle of whatever was going down. She needed to scope it out first, but bursting through the door wasn’t exactly covert. Without any ground-level windows, there was only one other option.
As she snuck closer, she could see the light from inside glowing around the edges of the doggy doors. Getting on her hands and knees, she crawled up to the one Freddy had just gone through. With a hesitant finger, she cracked the door slightly and lowered her head to peer inside.
She was met with a blast of excited yipping and crying from the collection of dogs within. By all the fur blocking her view, it seemed most of the dogs had gathered there, agitated by whatever was going on. They’d clearly all crammed themselves into the few stalls not locked from the outside.
Between furry bodies jostling in front of her, she caught glimpses of Holly Hart’s blonde hair. She had her back to Zoe. Her arms flailed wildly, like she was talking to someone, but Zoe couldn’t hear over the dogs.
A border collie skittered out of the way and she saw what they were so excited about. On the other side of the chain-linked enclosure, in the open area between kennels, Piper was gaged and bound with dog leashes to one of the wooden center posts.
The sight of her friend had Zoe’s body sagging onto the dirt ground in relief. She was still alive. Then Zoe saw a flash of a knife in Holly’s clenched hand.