Swept Up (14 page)

I nodded and at that moment, the door burst open and Cal and Detective Cha
rlie raced into the living room with guns drawn.

“You can put those away, guys.  Mr. Dubrinski is turning himself in and willing to make a confession.  Right?”

“Right,” he said softly.

“I’m going to leave you guys here and just ask that you give me an hour to go find Shia before you take him in and book him.  I don’t want her to hear this one the news.”

“Quince,” Cal started, as if he planned on lecturing me.  I gave him a pleading look and he looked at Charlie, then back at me.   “One hour.  After that, we’re putting him in the car and taking him to the station.”

“Fine.”

I patted Mr. Dubrinski’s shoulder and hurried out the door.

I called Shia’s phone.  “Hello?” she said.

“Shia it’s Quincy.  I have some news.”

“Is it
Dusted
?  Oh, Quincy, I just knew they’d pick it up.”

My heart broke because she was expecting good news and I was going to bring her news that would shatter her world.  “Are you at home?”

“Yeah.”

“Wait for me there,” I said.

I’d meant what I told Mr. Dubrinski. I would watch over Shia for him. 

I wish I felt better about solving this mystery, but I couldn’t quite manage it.

Chapter Ten

The next week we
heard that
Dusted
had been picked up.  The exposure from our Mortie’s and Mellie’s murder didn’t hurt.

This was Hollywood and the story was everything.

I was asked more than once if I was planning to write the screenplay for Mellie’s murder.  I gave the same answer every time—an emphatic no.

I was working on a new idea. 
My Next Ex
about a woman who was looking for love, and rather than finding it, she found a bunch of ex’s who became her best friends.  So she gave up and rather than looking for the love of her life, she was looking for a man who could be her next ex and fit into her band of friends who were former boyfriends.

It wa
s light and funny.

And there’s not a murder anywhere in the mix.

Two weeks after Mr. Dubrinski was arrested, I called Cal and asked him to meet me at Big G’s.

I was talking to Big G when
Cal, my fiancé, walked in.

“You gonna sit with us?” he asked his friend and headed for a table.

I snagged his hand and said, “No, not here,” and then led him to the office in the back. 

Big G didn’t follow.

There were salads on the desk.

“This is where we had our first official date,” I said.

“That wasn’t a date,” Cal said.  “It was an interrogation.  I simply fed you because I was afraid you were going to pass out if I didn’t.”

“You brought me to your friend’s place and fed me because it was a date…you just didn’t realize it yet.”  I nodded at a chair and he sat down.

He looked at me.  “So what is this all about?”

I slid the engagement ring off my finger and handed it to him.  

“Quincy, no,” Cal said.  “Whatever this is, we’ll work it out.  I—”

“Shh,” I said as I sank to my knees.  “It’s been pointed out that after not saying yes to your very romantic Christmas proposal and making you wait so long in engagement limbo, I owed you a better proposal than in a hall outside a murder scene.”

Cal realized what was going on and grinned.  “Honey, you finally said yes…that was pretty much perfect in my book.”

“Still let me try and do better.” There on my knee, I asked, “Caleb Parker, will you marry me?”

He pulled me up and onto his lap.  “Yes.”

He slid the ring on my finger.  “I just have one request.”

“Love you forever?” I guessed.  “It’s done.”

“Two requests.  Love me forever, and no more
Quincy Mac, Amateur PI
.”

“Done and done,” I promised and I meant it.  Well, unless someone in my family needed me.  Or…

Well, I meant it until I didn’t.

But the loving him forever? There was no question about that.

BONUS Chapter: The Wedding

“Quincy Mac, you are absolutely stunning.”  Tiny’s voice was all breathless  wonder.

I’d been having feelings of deja vu
 for the last two weeks.  This one was particularly strong.

Tiny had said those exact words to me as I stood wearing a pumpkin colored bridesmaid dress for her wedding.  This time, I was the one in a wedding dress and Tiny once again had full-blown wedding-fever.  And again, everything she said was breathless. 

 Breathless wonder. 

 
Breathless excitement. 

 
Breathless anticipation.

Just like for her own wedding.

 
“Breathe, Tiny,” I reminded helpfully as I had countless times the last few weeks. 

 
“You look so.…” She started to cry.

 
Breathless and crying.  Those seemed to be her go-to emotions for any wedding.  

 
“…so beautiful,” Tiny finally managed.  The rest of the women gathered in my bedroom, echoed their agreement. 

When I’d been wearing that pumpkin color bridesmaid dress, I’d lied and told Tiny I loved it.  The truth was, I loved her and if having me look like a walking jack ‘o lantern made her happy, then I’d been prepared to be the happiest jack o’ lantern ever.

Today I didn’t necessarily feel beautiful—I could pull off cute on a good day, but beautiful was a bit much to expect.  But I did feel good.  I was wearing a simple white linen skirt and jacket, with the smallest hint of the Mclean plaid as an accent at the sleeves and jacket closure.

“It’s almost time,” she said. 

Despite the fact Mom, Tiny, and Peri had wanted a full-blown wedding, I wanted something smaller.  And Cal stood by me.  Peri had offered to host it at her house, but after Mellie’s murder, I’ll confess, I didn’t even feel slightly tempted.  Instead we were having it in my backyard.  Now people from other regions might have to worry that a backyard wedding was an iffy thing without tents for backup.  But this is California…the odds were in my favor, I’d maintained.

I woke up to the sun streaming through my window. 

I thought it was a good omen.

But seriously, as long as we didn’t find a dead body, I didn’t care what the weather was like.  I was marrying Cal.

June is a traditional wedding month, and that worked for me because all three boys were home from college for summer break.  It also worked because I couldn’t wait any longer than that to marry Cal.

I marveled that I’d once thought I could make it to August before we were officially engaged.

“It’s time,” Tiny said.

I was beset by a flurry of hugging.  Peri, Honey, my sisters-in-law and even Theresa hugged me.  They all left the room, which left just me, Tiny and my mom.

My mom said, “Honey, I have two things to say, one is thank you for letting me plan this wedding with you.  I’m finally wearing a mother-of-the-bride’s dress.  Mother-of-the-groom isn’t nearly as much fun, though don’t tell your brothers that I said that.  And secondly, I want to offer you a bit of motherly advice.”

“Don’t go to bed angry?” I teased.

“No.  That’s bound to happen.  I’m not even going to pass on my mother’s advice.”  She chuckled in such a way that I really wanted to know what that was.

“Which was?”

“Never tell a man no…it only takes a couple minutes.”

The three of us burst out laughing. 

“Not if you’re doing it right,” Tiny managed to spit out.

When our laughter died down, Mom said, “Love
Cal.  Love him enough to forgive him if you do go to bed angry.  Love him, laugh with him and have a happy life.  You’ve said that I was disappointed you didn’t become a doctor, but Quincy, that wasn’t my greatest wish for you.  My greatest wish has always been that you be happy…and that you live up to your potential.  It’s a wonderful thing when a mother can see her wishes for her child has come true.”

I felt myself tear up.

“No,” Tiny bellowed.  “No crying.  The two of you will mess your makeup.  Judith, go take your seat.  I’ll bring Quincy out in a second.”

Mom kissed my cheek and scurried.  Tiny the wedding-enforcer was scary enough to make Judith Quincy Mac run.

“And you,” she said.  “Your mother’s right.  Love him.  And let him love you.  You deserve nothing but a life of love and happiness.”

And with that, Tiny led me to through the house to the sliding glass door that led to my backyard.  There, Hunter, Miles, Eli and my father all waited to escort me down the aisle. 

Hey, I’m a feminist and I’m not saying I believe any man has the right to
give me away
to someone, but these four men meant the world to me and I was happy they were walking down with me. 

And there, at the end of our makeshift aisle between the folding chairs I’d borrowed from Jerome’s newest set, was Cal…wearing a kilt of Mclean plaid, just like the boys and Dad.  Everyone stood as I entered.  And every male there, from Big G to Dick was wearing a kilt.  Jerome was, too.  From his expression I knew that Peri had forced him.

Then I spotted Detective Charlie…also in a kilt.

No one had warned me about the wedding’s dress code.  I laughed as I
saw all the knobby, knocky kneed men in my life.  Then I teared up again.

Tiny turned around and gave me a thumbs up.  I knew she and my mom had planned this.

I shot them both a look filled with love.

Speaking of love—I walked toward the man I loved.  A man I’d met at one murder scene and had become officially engaged to at another.

The man who drove me crazy and made me laugh.

The man I could envision growing old with.

The ceremony went along in a very traditional manner, until the minister told me to repeat after him.

“I Quincy take you, Caleb. …”

“I Quincy,” I parroted.  “Take you, Caleb.”

“To
be my wedded husband. To have and to hold, from this day forward.…”

“To
be my wedded husband.”  I wasn’t sure after Jerome I’d ever marry again.  But I couldn’t imagine going another day without being married to Cal. “To have and to hold, from this day forward.”

“…for better, for worse.…”

“For better for worse,” I said.  Being with Cal made me a better person, and he’d shown me in so many ways that he’d stand by no matter what.  With the boys, with my family, with whatever life threw at me.”

“…
for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, 'till death do us part,” the minister said.

“F
or richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, 'till death do us part,” I could promise him these things wholeheartedly. 

“
AND.
…” The minister grinned as he drew out the word and said it with such emphasis that I knew something was up.  I glanced at Cal who had a very-pleased-with-himself expression on his face.

“I pledge,” the minister continued, “that if I’m every investigating a crime, I’ll let you be my partner in that, too.”

I burst out laughing, and when I had myself under control, I repeated the words.

I hadn’t thought to add anything to our very traditional vows, but I didn’t need to make Cal promise anything else.  I knew that whatever happened, he’d be there, right beside me no matter what.  And when you know something like that about someone, you don’t need any other promises.

The day was a blur of Mclean tartan and happiness.  I danced, I ate, I laughed, and I teared up…but only happy tears.

And when the party ended, I sat next to my kilt-wearing husband and whispered, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he whispered back.

And that’s why I can end this story with a very decisive promise. 

They lived happily ever after…

at least until…

Thank you for reading Swept Up: A Maid in LA Mystery! I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please help other readers find this book:

1. This book is lendable, so send it to a friend who you think might like it so they can discover
Quincy and her friends, too.

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In case you missed the first three books, they’re:

Book #1
Steamed: A Maid in LA Mystery

Book#2
Dusted: A Maid in LA Mystery

Book #3
Spruced Up: A Maid in LA Holiday Novella