Tulle Death Do Us Part Read online

  Aunt Fee nodded. “I’ll rebut with George Meredith: ‘The task of reclaiming a bad man is extremely seductive to good women.’”

  Oh, my stars and garters, they were a perfect match.

  The minister began the formal part of the ceremony, after which he asked if they had their own words to speak. They winged it perfectly. Not a dry eye in the house.

  The scent of chocolate was to die for.

  There was no meal at this late hour, but a lovely dessert buffet, so people thought the aroma of chocolate came from there.

  Fiona and I knew better. We cried as we embraced. “Did you know?” she asked.

  “Not until I saw your flower girl. He pulled one over on the best of us. I had no idea he’d planned an entire wedding!” I leaned in to whisper, “I didn’t know and I’m a psychic sleuth, for heaven’s sakes.”

  My father stuck his head between us. “That’s why we didn’t let you hem Kelsey’s dress,” he whispered.

  Ack! “How much do you know…about what I might or might not…know?” I dared ask.

  “You remind me of your mother…more every day.”

  Neither Fiona nor I asked for clarification. We took him at face value.

  The newlyweds stayed for less than an hour, until a white limo whisked them off to the airport and a trip to the South Seas, which is all my father would say, besides, “I’ll call you and I love you,” as he waved.

  People walked them to the limo and left. I watched Tunney tuck Dolly into his car from the upper window. The band had another half hour to play, so Werner asked them to continue.

  I couldn’t believe my eyes, but I turned and saw my mother in the next window looking down, watching the limo carrying Dad and Fee roll from my parking lot.

  “Mom,” I whispered in my mind, and she turned to me, her eyes glistening.

  “You’re happy for them, aren’t you?”

  She fisted her hand against her heart and nodded.

  “But you miss them.”

  Another nod as she started to fade, and my last sight was of her blowing me a kiss.

  Werner walked up to me. “Why so sad?”

  “My mom,” I said. “It’s natural—”

  “You look like you might have seen her. Did you?”

  “For the second time in twenty years. The first was at Sherry’s wedding.”

  The band played a slow waltz. Werner and I danced, as did Robin and Glen, Eve and Jay, who we talked into staying. The lights dimmed, compliments of Dante.

  Werner kissed me as we waltzed, so romantic, so slow, just us, until…

  My eyes overflowed, dripped slowly down my face, as I realized what I saw before me.

  “No reason to be sad, Cupcake,” Dolly said, young as the day she and Dante had met, dancing in his arms like they’d never been apart.

  I knew only one thing for sure: She’d died in her Katharine Hepburn dress, the one like the wedding gown from The Philadelphia Story. Two unions had been ordained this night, and only I knew it.

  “Why cry?” Dolly asked, eliciting Dante’s killer grin, and her eyes twinkled. “We’re spending eternity together, here, Mad, with you.”

  Vintage Magic Purses

  The first purse you saw in the story was Dolly’s bright orange square handbag. Definitely plastic, probably from a five-and-dime store, circa the nineteen sixties. The name is molded inside: “Jaclyn-ette.” It’s about twelve inches square with an accordion fold, it can get up to about five inches wide. It has a mail pouch on the front with a brass latch and grommets, and brass rings that connect the handles. They’re not adjustable. Inside are two zip compartments, one on each side, and the center is a zip compartment of its own. All zippers are metal.

  The second bag is a beaded white clutch with a snap closure, about six inches wide and three and a half deep. The corded interior has “Corde Bead” stamped in gold with other lettering that I can’t read inside.

  The black-and-white beaded bag, top gold circle-over-ball snap closure, same size, has “Grandee” stamped on the satin interior.

  The fourth is a gold-spun weave with rhinestones sprinkled throughout. Very flat. About seven inches wide, three inches deep. One back pocket. It has a flap the full size of the purse with a snap at the bottom front. Stamped inside the cream satin interior is “Magid” with a pair of wings beneath the word.

  I adore the black satin bag. Wider at the bottom at about nine curved inches to six straight at the top, it flares inside its frame and has a bow at the top center. The cream satin interior has a cursive “L” printed and a cursive “PM” above a circle. In the circle, I can only make out the word “Rochette.” This is the only brand of the set that I could not verify. And there’s more writing that I can’t make out. If you know this brand I’d love to hear from you.

  You can see pictures of the bags on my website at www.annetteblair.com/vintage_magic_handbags.htm.

  I found all the bags above at Cressie’s Vintage Boutique in Goshen, Indiana, 1100 North Chicago Avenue, at the Old Bag Factory, second floor.

  Special thanks to Crescencia for a lovely visit.

  www.cressiesvintageboutique.vpweb.com

  Berkley Prime Crime titles by Annette Blair

  A VEILED DECEPTION

  LARCENY AND LACE

  DEATH BY DIAMONDS

  SKIRTING THE GRAVE

  CLOAKED IN MALICE

  TULLE DEATH DO US PART

  Berkley Sensation titles by Annette Blair

  THE KITCHEN WITCH

  MY FAVORITE WITCH

  THE SCOT, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE

  SEX AND THE PSYCHIC WITCH

  GONE WITH THE WITCH

  NEVER BEEN WITCHED

  NAKED DRAGON

  BEDEVILED ANGEL

  VAMPIRE DRAGON