Page 6 of The Bridesmaid

I watch, mesmerized, as the carriage fills out the rest of the invitation.

Day 1. Teterboro Airport, 11 a.m. Drinks Reception, Elysium Island. White Tie.

Day 2. Elysium Island, 11 a.m. Ceremony. Wedding Breakfast. Black Tie.

Day 3. Elysium Island. Celebrations. Dress-up. 3 p.m.–2 a.m.

My mind drifts to the meager rack of clothes in my room. What in the world is ‘white tie’?

A final line scrolls out.

Holly Stone, meet Mark Li at the New York Plaza URGENTLY!

OK … So maybe Simone didn’t send me this invite? Before I cantake this in, my cell sounds its goth-rock ringer. I glance at the display.

Could be: Mark Li

I press to answer.

‘Holly Stone?’ The voice is male, loud with confidence.

‘Yes?’

‘This is Mark Li.’

He leaves a pause. I don’t fill it. ‘Did you get the invitation?’

‘The one couriered to a live crime scene?’ I lift the cut-out from its cushion bed for a second time, turning it in my hand. ‘It got my attention.’

There’s a pause. ‘Good. I had twelve staff work around the clock for a week, getting that carriage to roll. Adrianna was insistent the card be a certain thickness and the weight ratios were a nightmare.’

Adrianna. As inTheAdrianna Kensington. It’s really weird to hear him say her name so casually. Everyone has heard of the Kensingtons. Adrianna works hard to keep private, with limited success. With a father like Leopold Kensington, her private life is public property.

‘What can I do for you, Mr Li? Why are you asking me to meet you at the Plaza?’

‘I need your help. You work as a forensic, for Attorney Simone Walters?’

‘Not anymore,’ I explain. ‘We had … a disagreement.’

There’s a long pause.

‘Mr Li?’ I try. ‘If Simone is using you as a go-between, you can tell her to talk to me herself.’

‘I wasn’t aware that you and Attorney Walters had had a disagreement,’ he says smoothly. ‘I contacted you because Iresearched you thoroughly, and determined your qualifications to be excellent. Your self-taught abilities in the field won you a scholarship at New York University. You’re the only student ever to graduate forensics without a high-school diploma. Your two years working with Simone Walters was another point in your favor. But,’ he concludes, ‘I will now strike this merit from the list. What Idoknow is you are driven by unusual and complicated cases.’

‘Mr Li,’ I say, trying to maintain an even tone, ‘I’m flattered you researched me. But you should know that I quit Simone’s law firm because I want to solve criminal injustice, not garner TV ratings. Simone wanted exclusive access to Adrianna’s stalker case. I didn’t. I’m just not interested in picking over a dead case for publicity purposes, so I don’t think I’m the right person for you.’

‘One of our bridesmaids has been murdered.’

The words send a jolt right through me. Adrianna’s upcoming wedding to her tech billionaire boyfriend has been featured in every glossy magazine, and the family employs the best security in the world. The idea of one of their bridesmaids being murdered is as bizarre as it is unlikely.

‘I’m … so sorry to hear that,’ I manage. ‘I’d advise you to trust the police …’

‘We have good reason not to,’ says Mark.

‘Because the Kensington nightclub empire is notoriously shady, and Leopold Kensington is three parts businessman to one part mobster?’ I suggest.

‘I’m sending you pictures. They’ll self-delete in a few minutes.’