Pizza, Weddings, and Murder (Papa Pacelli's Pizzeria Series Book 23) Read online

  Just as she started to charge, Ellie threw the chair at her. She didn’t pause to see if it hit her but turned to lunge for the door. She let herself out into the hallway and ran toward the room where the ceremony would be taking place, more grateful than ever that she hadn’t changed into her dress and heels yet.

  She rounded the corner and ran headlong into someone wearing a tuxedo. Looking up, she saw Russell’s puzzled face.

  “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”

  “Katia,” she managed to gasp. “She tried to kill me. She’s in the hallway.”

  Just like that, her fiancé was all business and went off to find the killer.

  EPILOGUE

  * * *

  “And do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?”

  “I do,” Ellie said. She slid the ring onto Russell’s finger, and was glad to see that it was a perfect fit, and a perfect match for her own.

  “Eleanora and Russell, having witnessed your vows to one another, it is my joy to present you to all gathered here as husband and wife.” Turning to Russell, he said, “You may kiss the bride.”

  After the rush of people cleared, most of them heading toward the reception hall just a few rooms away, Ellie and Russell got the first chance to be alone together that they had had since the events earlier that morning. She walked with him down the hall that led to the dressing room where her more comfortable shoes were waiting for her. She paused long enough to wave to her father, who beamed and gave her a thumbs up before slipping out through the front doors. He might have been able to brave seeing her for the first time in years, but he was still adamant about avoiding her mother. She had the feeling that he might visit again soon, and she was willing to take the time to begin getting to know him again. He was far from perfect, but he was still her father, and she thought that it was time to let some grudges go.

  “I don’t understand,” she said as she and Russell resumed walking. “Were she and Wallace both trying to kill me?”

  “We’ll know more when I get back to the sheriff’s department this evening — ah, tomorrow, I mean,” he said, correcting himself with a grin. “Don’t worry, I won’t leave you alone on our wedding night. But considering what Katia said to you, I think it’s likely that Mr. Burns was telling the truth. The night he was in your driveway, he was just using it to turn around because he had forgotten his wallet at home. The day he almost hit you, he claims he was reading a text message on his cell phone and drove off the road accidentally. He told me he didn’t even know he had almost hit somebody, and he seemed to be glad that you were okay.”

  “That’s good, I suppose,” she said. “I think one person trying to kill me at a time is more than enough. I just can’t wrap my mind around how much she resented me.” She shook her head.

  “Hey, it’s our wedding day. Save the unhappy thoughts for another time.” He stopped walking and turned her toward him, kissing her more deeply than he had during the ceremony. “We’ve only got one wedding day, so let’s make the most of it.”

  “I can agree to that,” she said. She grinned, the full impact of the ceremony hitting her for the first time. “Russell, we’re married.”

  “I know.” He grinned back at her. “I was there. And I hear that there’s going to be an amazing reception starting in just a few minutes. Let’s go and have fun. We can save everything else for another day.”

  Ellie couldn’t argue with that, and she didn’t want to. With her husband by her side, nothing could dampen her mood. Her wedding day might not have gone exactly as planned, but in this moment, it was perfect.