Murder of the Bride by C. S. Challinor

Carter’s arm for support.
    â€œNeed some water,” she slurred.
    Never had Rex seen anyone look so green around the gills. Perspiration covered her face. Offering to get the water, he hurried to the bar where tea and coffee were being served. By the time he returned with the glass, Polly was doubled over clutching her stomach. He held out the water just as she collapsed in front of the guests in a pile of white lace.

Foul Play
    Rex kneeled down beside Polly while Carter held her head in his lap and tried to put the glass of water to her lips, but she started retching and convulsing uncontrollably.
    â€œAmbulance!” the solicitor cried, and asked everyone to stand back and give Polly some room.
    â€œWhat can I do to help?” the vicar warbled.
    â€œI’ll take care of her.” Victoria Newcombe crouched on the Berber carpet with a handful of white linen napkins and took Carter’s place. She mopped her daughter’s brow and mouth, unable to control the yellowish-green emissions oozing from the girl’s lips. “Get everybody out of here,” she shrieked. “Polly! Polly!”
    Rex cleared the room and suggested to the bartender that the coffee and tea service be moved into the great hall. He opened the bay window to let in some air, since the stench of vomit proved nauseating. The vicar, succumbing to convulsions in turn, flopped into an armchair. Rex rushed to his aid and loosened his clerical collar. “Can I take you outside for some air, Reverend?”
    â€œJust need w-water … oh, let me be, dear boy,” he said hoarsely, feebly pushing Rex away and covering his mouth with a handkerchief.
    Rex glanced over to where Polly lay writhing on the floor. “Let’s get her to a sofa,” he suggested to her mother, who sat sideways and crumpled beside her, leaning forward on her hands.
    Victoria looked up and he was appalled to see that she too had turned green. “Food poisoning,” she said between gasps. “Prawns.”
    Helen and Diana Litton stood in the doorway, holding the guests at bay.
    â€œDid someone call an ambulance?” Rex asked.
    â€œDudley,” Helen told him. “The nearest emergency room is at Derby City Hospital. Mr. Carter went up the tower to look out for the ambulance. Timmy has been taken ill too. His mother is with him upstairs.”
    Polly moaned deliriously from the center of the room, Victoria Newcombe now prostrate on the floor beside her. Rex felt the vicar’s faint pulse.
    â€œI think he’s unconscious.”
    â€œI’ll help clean up,” Diana Litton said. “I’m no stranger to vomit and all the rest of it. I nursed my late mother through years of incontinence. Meredith says she’ll assist. She works as a nurse’s aide.”
    â€œAnything to make them more comfortable,” Rex acquiesced. “Though I’m at a loss what to do. I don’t suppose there’s a doctor in the house?” he asked without any real hope.
    â€œWe already asked if anyone had any sort of medical experience,” Helen told him. “Only Meredith.”
    â€œMeredith seems like a capable, level-headed girl. Send her in.”
    â€œI’ve brought towels and disinfectant,” the girl said.
    â€œGood. Mrs. Litton will help you. Any ideas what caused this?”
    Meredith’s gaze swept over the victims. “My guess is bacteria in the food.” She considered for a moment. “E. coli and salmonella would cause these types of symptoms, but not usually so quickly. I don’t really know for sure, though. Sorry.”
    As Meredith and Diana ministered to the sick, Rex looked around the otherwise deserted room. The half-eaten cake with the two bride and groom figures lying side by side on the top tier presented a pitiful sight. What a tragic end to a wedding, he lamented. And everything had happened so fast.
    As he left the room, he ran into Bobby