supposed to be waiting for us in the hall, Mum,’ Alice said patiently.
‘Your dads would be so proud of you right now,’ her mum replied, her eyes welling instantly. ‘It’s been a lovely day so far.’
It had taken enough planning, but it felt good to have all that effort vindicated by someone who could be so judgemental.
‘Thank you, Mum. Are you okay?’
Her mum removed a tissue from the sleeve of her violet cardigan and dabbed the corner of her eyes. ‘I’m hanging in there. I wish both your dads could have been here to see you walk down the aisle. You looked like a princess from one of those stories we used to read to you as a child.’
Alice could feel the sting of tears and took a moment to compose herself. ‘Stop it, Mum, you’ll set me off.’
Her mum hugged her tightly. ‘I’m so proud of all you’ve achieved, Alice. I wanted you to know that.’
Alice eyed the large glass of wine tentatively poised in her mum’s hand; she always became more emotional under the influence.
‘Well I’m so glad I have you here to celebrate with,’ Alice said, squeezing her back.
She saw Ben stumbling towards the table before she heard him. ‘Here are my two favourite ladies,’ he said, planting a kiss on Alice’s lips.
She could smell the whisky on his breath; he looked happier than she’d ever seen him.
‘It’s time for us to make a grand entrance,’ he slurred. ‘You’d better take charge of the cake knife though.’
Alice had enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine, but she’d wanted to keep a clear head so she could commit every second of the day to memory.
‘How is my new son-in-law?’ her mum asked.
Ben leaned forwards and planted a kiss on his mother-in-law’s cheek. ‘Does this mean you’re happy with me calling you Mum at last?’
It had been a running joke between them since he’d first strolled into her parents’ kitchen and called her Mum. They’d only been dating for three months at the time, but he’d later revealed that he’d already known he would marry Alice one day. He was a determined individual, and when he set his sights on a goal, nothing would stop him achieving it. It’s why he now headed one of the largest logistics companies on the south coast, and why they lived in a six bedroom house in the affluent area of Chilworth. He wanted to fill the property with the sound of children’s laughter and had implied he’d like at least four children; Alice, though, would wait until they’d managed to conceive one before thinking about more.
Smiling and nodding as she moved through the sea of smiling faces in the suite, she tried not to think about how uncomfortable being the centre of attention made her feel.
Ben was holding her hand, as ever her rock, leading her through the crowd to the large table in the corner where the three-tiered cake stood, miniature marzipan figures of Alice and Ben on the top. The smallest layer was fruit cake, the middle a moist chocolate sponge and the bottom a jam and vanilla mix. Something for everyone.
Moving behind the table, Ben took her hand, and together they coiled their fingers around the cold knife handle and held it on the white icing, pausing and smiling at the cameras as the room erupted with bright flashes, startling them both. In her head she counted to ten, before she pushed down together with Ben, cutting through the light sponge as another wave of flashes erupted.
It was as close to perfect as she could have imagined.
The gathered guests applauded the moment, and as Alice posed with Ben, both beaming into the continued flashes of cameras and phones, she wished she could freeze the moment in time forever.
Tara was the first to come over and hug her, swiftly followed by Faye, who looked much happier than she had in the car. ‘We’ve got something for you,’ Tara said into her ear, just as a man in a shabby-looking brown suit approached Ben and began to say something into his ear. Alice didn’t recognize the man’s face; moustachioed, wrinkles bearing the passing of time, she was sure she’d never been introduced to him.
Before she could interrupt the two men though, Faye and Tara whisked her away to the opposite side of the room, and the two men disappeared behind the throng of guests.
‘Here you go,’ Tara said, handing over a small jewellery box.
Alice craned her neck to see whether she could catch a glimpse of Ben and the stranger, but it was no use.
‘Go on, open it,’ Faye encouraged. ‘We had it specially made.’
Alice unclasped the box and lifted the lid, gasping at the olive-coloured stone hanging from the silver chain.
‘It’s peridot,’ Tara explained, ‘the birthstone for the month of August.’
‘Peridot brings its wearer success, peace and good luck,’ Faye chimed in.
‘My birthday is in June, though,’ Alice said, confused, as she lifted the stone out, reading the encryption.
‘Today is the third of August,’ Tara continued, ‘and this stone represents the birth of your union with Ben.’
Alice held the gemstone up to the light and marvelled at the luminescent green colour, with just a hint of gold. ‘It’s beautiful,’ she said, returning it to the box and pulling her friends closer.
Suddenly Scott burst through the crowd of guests, skidding across the floor towards them, his face drained of blood. ‘Alice, you need to come with me quickly,’ he said.
The ball of worry that had been in the pit of her stomach all day suddenly sprang back to life. ‘What is it? What’s going on?’
Scott opened his mouth to speak, but no words emerged. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her with him, pushing through the guests to where Ben was standing at the cake.
‘This must be some kind of joke,’ Ben was saying, his cheeks red with anger.
The man in the brown suit said something that Alice couldn’t hear as the DJ restarted the disco music.
‘What is it?’ Alice asked, wrapping her hands around Ben’s arm. ‘What’s going on?’
‘There’s no need for us to make a scene,’ the moustachioed man said to Ben, ignoring Alice’s appearance.
‘It’s my wedding day,’ Ben shouted back. ‘You don’t realize you’re making a huge mistake.’
The moustachioed man turned and nodded at two men standing beyond the cake. It was only when they moved closer that Alice saw what they were wearing, and realized who they were.
‘Ben, what’s going on?’ she said, the anxiety reaching her voice.
‘Ben Goodman, I am arresting you on suspicion of the murder of Kerry Valentine. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.’
