The Wedding Caper by Janice Thompson Page B

understand.
    “What
happened?”
    “She
somehow talked them into making an exception and headed out of town with
twenty-seven thousand dollars cash in her pocket that same afternoon.”
    Twenty-seven
thousand, not twenty-five? And why in the world didn’t Janetta wait to deposit
the check into her account back in Clarksborough ? Why
the rush?
    On the
other hand, it was really none of my business, was it?
    Mrs. Lapp
continued on, oblivious to my thoughts. “And then, just a day or so later, when
we heard the news about the arrest of that young man in Clarksborough ,
well—”
    Well,
what?
    “The
whole thing was just too suspicious. We put two and two together and realized the
missing cash deposit was probably the money we’d paid her.” She sighed. “I
can’t explain why this hit me as strange, but it did. And I’ll tell you
this—if you’re using that woman’s company for your daughter’s wedding,
just be sure to get everything on paper. And don’t be surprised if she won’t
take your check.”
    I
suddenly felt sick inside. I’d passed off three thousand dollars cash to Janetta Mullins as a down-payment for Brandi’s reception. Cash. What if she’d skipped town, taken off with my
money? What if . . .
    A
thousand what if’s floated through my head before reality hit.
    Looks
like I needed to update my crime notebook.
    Whether I
wanted to admit it or not, I had just acquired one more suspect to add to my
ever-growing list.
     
     
     

 
    Chapter Eleven
     
    “I take it
Sasha missed me while I was gone?”
    I stared
down at the mounds of shredded toilet paper on the master bath floor, then back
up into Warren’s eyes. He looked like a whipped man. Puppy-whipped, to be
precise.
    “I guess.”
He let out a woeful sigh. “She was a handful. And if you think this is bad, you
should’ve seen what she did with the trash can in the kitchen. I don’t think
she was happy with your leaving.”
    “Clearly.”
I shook my head in disbelief. If the little monster could do this much damage
in a 48-hour period, I hated to think of what she might accomplish in a week
without me. Looked like I’d be spending a lot of time at home from now on.
    Warren
raked his fingers through his hair, lifting the salt and pepper waves into a
mess almost as big as the one on the floor. “Seriously, Annie,” he said. “She’s
a pain in the neck. And she’s not getting better with time.”
    “Time for
a little doggy obedience training?” I gave her my toughest stare and she
responded by shifting to a “begging” position. How cute was that?
    Warren
groaned. “They’d kick her out of class. Wouldn’t be worth the money.”
    Still . .
.
    I looked
down at my little crime-fighting cohort as she settled to all fours. Her tail
wagged a mile a minute and she leapt up, hoping I’d catch her for a little
“cuddle time.”
    Aw. How
could I resist?
    Once
safely in my arms, she settled down, as always. I scratched her behind the ears
as I explained my addiction: “I know she’s awful, and I don’t know why I love
her so much. Maybe—” Tears rose to my eyes right away and, I had to
confess, I did know. “Maybe it’s because the kids are growing up and
leaving—” The tears tipped over the edge of my lashes and Warren stared
at me as if I’d gone mad.
    “So,
you’re saying that keeping the dog around is therapeutic?”
     Sasha
nuzzled her face against my cheek and I whispered, “Uh huh.”
    Warren
made a face and headed into the bedroom, muttering all the way. Seemed like
he’d been doing a lot of that lately. With a sigh, I scooped up the heaps of
toilet paper. All the while, Sasha stood at my side, tail beating against the
toilet seat. She might be a little on the disobedient side, but I loved her.
    Within
minutes, Warren reappeared at the bathroom doorway dressed in his boxers and a
t-shirt. “I’m worn out. Are you nearly ready for bed?”
    I nodded
and he came into the bathroom to help me finish up. In typical