The Ghost of Grey Fox Inn by Carolyn Keene Page B

glanced at the threatening note, and his face twisted in shock and confusion. “This came as a gift? Who would do such a thing?”
    â€œI don’t know yet,” I said, keeping my voice calm. The last thing I needed was for this to cause a major scene at the rehearsal dinner. “But Parker, I need you to put the knife down. The fewer people who touch it, the better.” I immediately thought to dust the knife forfingerprints, but between Charlotte’s prints and now Parker’s, the chances of getting a clean fingerprint off the weapon were slim.
    While George and Bess shuttled Charlotte off to the ladies’ room to console her, I took the opportunity to inspect the evidence. The box had been beautifully wrapped; the paper was thick and expensive, and the bow had been tied expertly. The fact that the paper was yellow was also suspect; it seemed all too possible that the culprit was the same person who’d switched the flowers. There was something else, too—a faint aroma coming off the box. It was a pleasant scent, a little citrusy. Maybe the culprit used a cleaning solution to wipe any identifying marks from the knife before placing it in the box?
    And what about the message? It should have been me. It seemed to suggest envy as a motive for disrupting the wedding—which made Tucker and Alicia prime suspects. Both had reasons to feel angry about Parker and Charlotte’s run of good luck. They were both staying at the Grey Fox Inn, too, so they wouldhave had ample opportunity to commit some of the nighttime terrors that had frightened all the guests last night. I wrinkled my nose in annoyance—I still hadn’t figured out exactly how the culprit had been sneaking in and out of locked rooms. Oh well, one problem at a time! I made a note to myself to try and interrogate Tucker and Alicia further whenever I got the chance.
    I turned the knife over with the napkin, being careful not to touch it, and sighed. The knife posed more questions than it answered. But one thing was for certain—the person behind all these stunts was far from finished. They were determined to ruin this wedding.
    I found George and Bess with Charlotte in the ladies’ room, and things didn’t look good. Charlotte was leaning against the wall of sinks, and her face was wet with tears, mascara running down her cheeks in long black streaks. George and Bess whirled when the door opened, eyes wide, but they relaxed when they saw it was me.
    â€œOh, Nancy,” Charlotte moaned, her voice trembling with sobs. “My wedding is doomed! I knew it was all too good to be true—someone like Parker falling for a boring bookworm like me. I was so naive!” She stopped to blow her nose in a tissue. “I knew something would get in the way, I just never thought it would be something like this!”
    I moved next to her and laid a hand on her shoulder. “This has nothing to do with you being naive, or not being a good match with your fiancé,” I said. “And none of it is your fault. Someone has some kind of grudge against you or Parker, and this is their way of expressing it. We just need to figure out who it is and stop them before tomorrow night.”
    Bess nodded. “Nancy’s right, Char. There’s no way we’re going to let some chump mess up your big day. But . . .” Bess bit her lip, looking uncomfortable. “Do you know anyone who might feel that way? Someone who wishes they were the one getting married instead of you two?”
    Charlotte wiped her eyes dry with a paper towel andsniffed. “There are probably dozens of girls who wish they were marrying Parker instead of me—I mean, he’s a local celebrity. But I can’t think of anyone in particular. And as far as somebody wishing they were in Parker’s shoes . . .” She shrugged. “I have no idea. I’m just a nearsighted history buff who would rather organize