Chapter 20

                                    

                                          
"Oh, it's no problem. Our wedding planner, Andrea, accidentally booked us two extra. It's like she knew they were coming. Maybe Mark wrote now the same names twice or something. And it's great to see some of Rachel's friends." I could hear April talking to Amy before we saw her.
                          
Once we were in sight, April gasped and ran towards me. I was locked into a hug before I knew what was happening. Her strawberry blonde hair was obviously dyed, but it looked good with her slender face and body, light brown eyes, and peach pink sundress. She pulled back to look at my face, holding the upper part of my arms.
                          
"Oh my god, you're gorgeous. Heaven must exist. All the boys must want you."
                          
"He kind scares them all off." I said, indicating to Michael beside me with a smile.
                          
"God, I didn't think such beautiful people existed. How on earth did my cousin Rachel wind up with the most people people on the planet?"
                          
"Hey!"
                          
"We actually came to her. And she's plenty beautiful herself."
                          
"April, can you let go of my friends?" Rachel asked. 
                          
"Fine, worried I'll steal your friends?"
                          
"No, worried you'll piss off one of them and we'll have major problems."
                          
"We're going up to unpack, why don't you show them the venue, April?" Amy questioned, trying to keep them from fighting.
                          
"Oh, yes! The place is beautiful, Andrea is the queen of weddings."
                          
*****
The hall was really beautiful. And the woman standing among the tables, directing everyone was even more so. She turned to us and smiled, but there was something sharp and cold in her bright blue eyes. 
                          
"Andrea, everything is so beautiful! My wedding is going to be amazing!" April said happily, running towards the woman.
                          
"I'm glad you like it."
                          
"Guys, this is Andrea, the wedding planner. Oh, and over there is her assistant Erik. Theyare masters at this."
                          
"So we've been told." I said, looking at Andrea suspiciously. 
                          
If she noticed it, she did nothing more but smile wider. Michael touched my arm, feeling my unease. Andrea's smile turned just a tad more sincere. When Michael's fingers interlaced with mine, she was smiling an actual smile and turned her attention back to April.
                          
"Want to go investigate some deaths?" Michael half teasingly asked, leaning down to whisper in my ear.
                          
"Carver, yes." I whispered back with a smile.
                          
I could see him trying to hold back his laughter at my joke. Smiling, I watched him press his lips into a firm line trying his damn hardest not to smile. He was obviously failing, it was cute. Michael straighened up and addressed Andrea and April.
                          
"I'm sorry, we'd love to stay a little longer but, I promised my girls lunch. We'll be back for the rehearsal dinner, of course, though."
                          
We said our goodbyes and walked out into the hallway of the hotel.
                          
"We're not going to lunch, are we?" Rachel asked. 
                          
"Nope, investing deaths." I answered. 
                          
"You guys realize you're holding hands?"
                          
"I don't even know why I did this." Michael said, looking down at our hands.
                          
"And neither of you have let go."
                          
I slipped my fingers out of Michael's. I did not miss the small frown Michael made for a brief second. We grabbed Jason like promised, and headed to the morgue.
                          
"Shoot, I didn't bring my fake id with me." Jason said as we rolled up to the morgue.
                          
Michael snapped his fingers to put us all in suits and I tossed fbi badges to everyone. Michael and Rachel caught them easily, as it was almost a practiced move now, but Jason fumbled with it. He had also been surprised by the sudden change in clothes. Our actions matched each other's almost perfectly, while his were far from ours. We had done this many times before, and this was his first job with us. We went in to talk to the coroner, Dr. Thomas. However, he wasn't there and we were stuck with his assistant, Evan. 
                          
"Agents Hill, Romanoff, Barton, and Coulson." Rachel said, flashing her badge.
                          
"Aren't those-"
                          
"Yes, I know. You would believe how many people make jokes about it. We're here about the couple suicides." I said.
                          
"The doctor is out to lunch, I'm not allowed to let anyone in the lab." Evan said nervously. 
                          
"Or I could arrest you for withholding evidence in a serious investigation on what may be more than suicides." Michael threatened. 
                          
"You know what, I'm sure the doctor would mind if I let federal agents in."
                          
He scurried away to get the keys to the lab.
                          
"Wow."
                          
"This isn't our first job, kid." I said, following after Evan.
                          
"I'm older than you."
                          
"Adam and Lilith are the only humans older than me."
                          
"Oh, right...."
                          
*****
"So, to first two couples have already been taken, but we have the other two couples." Evan said, pulling out the bodies while I looked at the reports.
                          
"The hearts are missing." Michael commented, looking over one of the bodies.
                          
"Yeah, we thought there might be something up with the hearts. Just to check. They're over there in the fridge."
                          
"Evan, could you leave us to look at the bodies?" I asked.
                          
"Yeah, sure." He said, glancing at Michael nervously. 
                          
He left, leaving us to strap on aprons and gloves. Michael and I looked at the hearts while Rachel looked at the bodies. And Jason stood there awkwardly.
                          
"You guys aren't weirded out by this at all?" He asked.
                          
"This is how we do things. You think you'd know more about it, you are a Hunter after all." I said.
                          
"I only got into it because my dad made me. I never like dead bodies."
                          
"Oh well, look over the reports then."
                          
"I'm surprised at you, dad."
                          
"I'm not really surprised with how well your house is warded. And the fact that he started a family. Very few Hunters start families after they become Hunters."
                          
"Rina, I'm not seeing any marks on these hearts. Cherubim always leave marks on the heart. This is no Cherub. What else could be causing this?" Michael questioned, a crease forming between his eyebrows. 
                          
"Come look at this." Rachel called over.
                          
I looked at the body. Rachel pointed to a tiny mark on the skin that was above the heart cavity. Pulling over a magnifying glass, I looked at it closer.
                          
"It's....an arrow scar? It looks like he was shot with an arrow."
                          
"What could cause that? It can't be a real arrow or he'd die from that, not a bullet to the brain." Michael said.
                          
I pulled off my gloves, thinking. Arrows, love, couples, death, wedding, think, think, think. The deaths were to mysterious to be normal deaths. Four couples each commit suicide three days after falling in love, why? If they had just fallen in love, they wouldn't commit suicide. Wait, deaths too odd, odd enough to draw in a Hunter. Deaths in the same town Rachel's cousin was getting married. I suddenly gasped, startling everyone.
                          
"We're focusing on the wrong thing! It's not the deaths, they were just breadcrumbs leading us here! Why didn't I see it before!? It's not about these couples, it's about us! We need to get back to the hotel before this happens again!"