“Thanks,” Peggy answered, sniffling.
Aiden glared at me with red-rimmed eyes as I exited the kitchen.
I pushed through the doorway and planted myself against the wall, trying to catch my breath.
What had I done? Had I just broken up Peggy and Aiden?
17
My mind was spinning as I leaned against the wall. The amount of damage I could do just by existing was amazing. If I hadn’t walked into that room, would it have spared Aiden and Peggy the massive blowout I just witnessed?
These were real issues the two of them were facing. He had reasonable fears, and she had actual insecurities. Things like that always bubble up to the surface sooner or later. Don’t they?
I shook my head. There was nothing I could do about this now. Even if I was the catalyst for all of this, it was well beyond any remedy I was capable of at this point. Whatever happened next would have to come from Peggy and Aiden themselves.
Besides, I had other obligations to tend to, and a ticking clock on my shoulders that held the fate of two women.
Pushing my concerns about my friends’ relationship aside as best I could, I set my sights straight ahead.
Since I couldn’t ask Peggy about Chloe and her the effects of her sudden rise to fame, I was going to have to go digging for information elsewhere. Luckily, I happened to be in a room full of people who knew and (seemingly) cared for her.
It was basically the jackpot in terms of potential leads. But where to start? There were over a hundred people here, and I had no idea what sort of connections any of them had with Chloe.
Ideally, I needed someone who had known her for years, since before the television show. Not only would someone like that be more likely to have her best interests at heart, but they’d also have a perspective that would prove useful to me. Knowing what Chloe and her world looked like before all the craziness would help me pinpoint exactly where the changes were. That would help me navigate through this rabbit hole of crazy.
Scanning the area, I came across one obvious-but very unwelcome- possibility.
Niles stood in a corner. His hands were clasped behind his back, the very picture of stalwart service, but the look on his face said he was more distressed than he was willing to let on.
And why shouldn’t he be? He had already made such a big deal about being with this country club, with this family for decades. It only made sense that he’d be concerned about Chloe Covington. After all, he watched her grow up.
“Bingo,” I muttered, making my way to him.
He wouldn’t be happy to see me, but he should be. With his knowledge, I was going to find out where Chloe and Priscilla were.
“Hey there,” I said, settling beside him in his corner. Now that I was closer, I could see Niles more clearly; the red circles around his eyes, the way he sniffled.
“Have you been crying?” I asked before I could stop myself.
“Absolutely not,” he said, standing straighter, shocked at the accusation. “I can think of nothing that would be more inappropriate. Well, perhaps a baker inserting herself in the personal business of both her temporary employers as well as local law enforcement. But I know better than to beat a dead horse.” He narrowed his red eyes at me. “If you must know, all this excitement has caused my allergies to act up.”
That really wasn’t how allergies worked, but I didn’t see the need to press him on it. It was obvious Niles had been crying but, as he so deftly put it before, that was really none of my business. What was my business, whether he liked it or not, was finding her.
“We’re going to find her, you know,” I said, quirking my mouth to the side.
“An assurance from someone who spends her days elbow deep in buttercream. How could I worry now?” Niles rolled his eyes.
“You might be able to fool the unwashed masses with that surly act, but I know better than that. Under that stuffy exterior beats the heart of someone with a slightly less stuffy exterior.”
“What can I say? You’ve seen into the deepest regions of my soul” he answered drolly. “Now, if you’ll be kind enough to leave me, I have a post to attend.”
“Nope,” I answered, slouching on the wall next to him. “You’re alone. I’m alone, and I think we need to get to know each other better.” I gave him an intentionally annoying grin. “So, you’ve been working here for more than 30 years? You must have quite the pension built up.”
“Pensions are for those who intend to retire,” he answered, sniffling and trying to hide it.
“And you don’t?” I asked, arching my brows.
“Mr. Covington’s father took me in when I had nowhere else to go. He treated me well when my own family would not. I have grown up with these people. I have watched their children grow with pride, knowing I was partly responsible for the upstanding individuals they became. This place is my home. These people are my family.” He shook his head. “One does not retire from family.”
“Look at that,” I muttered. “You and I actually agree on something.” I glanced over at the end of the room, where Daniel stood, staring out the window. “You must have been excited about the wedding.”
“I was happy to see Ms. Chloe make a mature and intelligent life decision,” Niles answered. “The wedding itself was the sort of thing that’s beside the point.”
“As someone who makes her living catering ‘the sort of thing that’s beside the point,' I’ll try not to take that personally.”
“Take it as you wish,” he answered.
“You a fan of Daniel?” I asked, glancing back over at Niles.
“It’s not my place to voice either approval or disappointment in any of Ms. Chloe’s choices. I’m of service. That’s the extent of my involvement.”
I shrugged. “I just figured that someone who calls himself part of the family would have an opinion.”
He sighed, and I could tell he was starting to open up.
“Ms. Chloe always had an exuberance about her, a light that shone everywhere she went. When she was in a room, you could not look away. It was no surprise to me when the rest of the world saw it, too. The only surprise to me, is that it took them so long. If the world had seen her before, if they’d have watched the way her eyes lit up whenever I’d take her to watch the fish swim by in the stream under Atkins bridge, then certainly they’d have loved her much earlier than that as well.” Niles set his jaw and sniffled again, this time more overtly. “To me-to anyone who watched her grow into the vibrant, kind, and exceptional woman she is now- no one would be deserving of Ms. Chloe.” He swallowed hard. “Though, if the variables of life are to be taken into consideration, Mr. Essex is as fine a candidate as one is likely to come across.”
“Is that a roundabout way of saying she loved him?” I asked.
“I would assume so, yes,” he answered. “But, in truth, there’s no way I could have known what was truly in her heart.”
“Oh, there are ways,” I said, looking back at Daniel and studying where his eyes went, and where they absolutely never landed. “How did they meet?” I asked.
“I believe they were set up by a publicist from that television program during the inaugural year.”
“The same time she got her personal representation?” I asked, quirking my mouth to the side again. That had a whiff of reality television magic in it, the kind set up by producers.
“Perhaps,” he answered absentmindedly.
“Thanks, Niles,” I said, patting him on the shoulder. He shrugged away from me, but it didn’t matter. I had been right about him. He was much softer than he wanted anyone to see. And I was right about the other thing, too. Daniel was having an affair, and now I was sure I knew who it was with. “And don’t worry, you big teddy bear. We are going to find her.”
I gave him a wink and made off toward Daniel.
He turned as I neared him, giving me the smallest and politest of smiles, the kind you might expect from someone at a funeral.
“How are you holding up?�
� I asked, folding my arms over my chest and looking him up and down.
“As well as can be expected,” he answered. “I’m sorry I got you into this.”
“I’m not,” I answered flatly. “Darrin and I were the only people who believed anything had actually happened to Chloe. We’re the only reason vital information that might lead to her rescue wasn’t lost.”
“I can’t tell you how thankful I am for that,” he nodded.I believed him. He was either being genuine, or he was better at this lying thing than anyone I’d ever met before. “If I’m being honest with you, and I’m ashamed to admit this, I actually thought she left. I thought she had second thoughts about our wedding and decided to bolt.”
“Why would she have done that?” I asked, arching my brows at him.
“I don’t understand?” Daniel answered. “Are you asking me why my wife would want to leave me?”
“Well, she’s not your wife yet, is she?” I asked. “And since I’m being a little hard to follow, let me simplify it for you. You know Debbie, your fiancé’s personal assistant and best friend? I’d like to know how long you’ve been cheating with her?”
18
When I was a kid, I used to spend my days in the Second Springs Sheriff Department. It wasn’t as bad as it sounds. After all, Second Springs wasn’t exactly the crime capital of the world. So it wasn’t like I was surrounded by hardened criminals and dangerous situations.
Mostly, it was jaywalkers, perpetual speeders and-every once in a while- a petty thief.
But every now and again, we’d get an actual criminal.
Those were my favorite days, watching Dad question the suspect, pulling at the threads of his or her alibi until the whole thing unraveled at their feet.
There, watching it all unfold from behind the safety of the two-sided mirror, I learned all about the way a person can lie, about the physical ticks and facial tells most people exhibit when they’re skating around the truth.
There were the eyes, and the way they always seemed to tick up to the left (the creative side of the brain) whenever someone was about to answer a question by spinning a yarn.
Beyond that, there was the stuff you’d expect; wide eyes, visible perspiration, sudden stammering, and a tensing of the body.
All of these things were on full display as Daniel tried to deny what I had just accused him of.
“I d-don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, his arms straightening at the elbow. “Why would you say something like that?!”
There it was, deflection. Throwing the lie back in my direction by pretending the question was too absurd to even ask was a classic defense. I had seen it a thousand times, and my dad always treated it the same way, by not engaging.
“Because it’s the truth,” I answered. “Now, I can either give you all the reason I know it’s the truth out here, in earshot of all your gossip-addicted little rich friends, or you can text Debra and tell her to meet you outside immediately.”
Daniel glared at me. “What makes you think I even have her number?”
Okay. He wants to play. I can play.
“The first reason I know you’re having an affair with your wife’s personal assistant,” I said loudly.
“Stop!” He threw his hand out in front of him. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he typed out the text I told him to. “Lead the way?” he suggested, his eyes tense.
I moved through the room with Daniel behind me. Most eyes were on us as we made our exit, but that didn’t strike me as curious. It was no more than I’d expect from a group of people watching a missing woman’s loved one mill about hours after she’d been kidnapped.
People were morbidly curious like that.
When I made it outside, with Daniel trailing a few feet after me, Debra was already there.
“That was quick,” I noted, but it didn’t surprise me. If someone was about to out my affair with a man while we were both at his wedding, I’d move quickly, too.
“What’s this about? Did you find out something about where Chloe is?” Debra asked, her eyes dancing between Daniel and me.
“Oh, I found something out,” I answered. “It just wasn’t about Chloe.”
“She thinks we’re having an affair,” Daniel answered, addressing Debra’s obvious confusion.
“What?” she asked, showcasing the same forced shock that had been so evident on Daniel’s face just minutes ago. “That’s preposterous.” She shook her head “Why that’s the most ludicrous idea I’ve ever-”
“Save it,” I said. “I know it’s the truth.”
“Well,” Debra huffed. “Then I hope you have some evidence. Otherwise, Ms. Covington’s legal team will have a field day with you, given the obvious slander charges you’re racking up with these baseless allegations.”
“Evidence?” I said, grinning. “I thought you’d never ask. Let’s start with the obvious,” I said, pacing between the two of them. “I’ve been watching the two of you. You haven’t spoken even once.”
“So?” Daniel blanched. “That’s your proof? You think we’re having an affair because we haven’t spoken?”
“Precisely,” I answered. “Think about it. Your wife goes missing without a trace. You even confided in me that you thought she bailed because she was having second thoughts about marrying you. You mean to tell me that you wouldn’t at least have a conversation with her best friend about where her head’s been the last few days.”
“Maybe he did,” Debra answered. “There’s no way you’ve had your eyes on us the entire day.”
“True,” I answered. “But I’ve been around long enough to know that, at a party where mingling is the order of the day-where every person has made at least one lap around the room- you two have stayed achingly apart. You’re the only people in that entire room who haven’t spoken to each other, which either means that you can’t stand one another, or you don’t want people jumping to a conclusion you think is obvious.”
“Maybe I do hate him,” Debra answered, shaking her head at me. “Maybe I don’t think he’s right for Chloe.”
“Oh I’m sure you don’t,” I answered, settling my gaze on her. “That would be important to you, since she’s your best friend, right?”
“Obviously,” she scoffed.
“Which leads me to another question,” I started. “If you are Chloe’s best friend, then why aren’t you in her bridal party?”
“I am,” she said, her teeth clenched.
“In a dress like that? I don’t think so,” I said, motioning toward her simple black dress.
“Shows what you know,” Debra chuckled. “My bridesmaid dress is in the hall closet. I haven’t put it on yet.”
“And why is that?” I asked, tightening the verbal noose I had set up with my previous questions.
“Because I didn’t want to,” she answered flatly, obviously thinking that a strange question.
“Because you didn’t like it?” I asked.
“If you must know, it’s not my taste,” she answered, her hands clenching into fists.
“Could that be because it’s so ugly that the person wearing it should have a bag on her head so doesn’t have to actually see it?” I asked, echoing what I heard the woman in the staircase say earlier.
“What…what are you…?”
“I heard you,” I said, folding my arms over my chest. “I knew your voice sounded familiar to me, but I couldn’t place it before. But, I finally did. You were the woman I heard in that hidden stairwell. You were professing your love for someone, telling him that –in just a few hours- everything could go back to normal. Then, when Priscilla told me about Daniel’s affair, it was only a hop, skip, and a jump to figuring the rest of it out.” I shook my head. “You were her best friend, and you,” I said, looking back at Daniel. “You were more than that.”
“You don’t understand,” Daniel said.
“Shut up!” Debra shouted. Turning back to me, she said. “That’s not proof. It’s an interesting story, b
ut you can’t prove anything.”
“Probably not, but I’m sure the police can. Let’s see, I heard that woman in the staircase at around ten thirty this morning. I wonder if your phone records would show a call between the two of you at that time. Something tells me it just might.”
Debra’s face went white.
“What happened? Did Chloe find the letter Priscilla wrote? Was she going to out you in front of everyone? Ruin your reputation?” I turned to Debra. “Effectively end your career over what amounted to a fling?”
“It’s not a fling!” Daniel yelled.
“Shut up!” Debra said.
“What did you do to her?” I asked, my eyes wide and intense.
“Nothing,” Daniel answered.
“Where is she?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he said.
“I know you took her, Daniel. She found out about your affair, and you took her. I just don’t understand why you left the ransom note.”
“Because I didn’t take her,” he screamed, tears welling up in his eyes. “I wasn’t having an affair, okay! I would never cheat! I’m not that kind of guy.”
“Obviously, you are. Why else would you be with Debra?”
“Because I-”
“Don’t you dare,’ Debra snapped. “Daniel, don’t you dare say another word!”
“I have to,” he said softly, looking at the ground. “I’m sorry, but I have to. I’m just so tired of lying.” He looked up at me. “I am with Debra, and I’m in love with her. But I’m not cheating on Chloe.”
“How is that possible?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
“Because I’m not really with Chloe,” he answered. “I’ve never been with Chloe. This entire wedding is a sham.”
19
Okay. So I had always prided myself on being quick on the uptake. I was, after all, a sheriff’s daughter. And I did-on more than one occasion- help solve some of my father’s tougher cases. Even if he wasn’t aware I was doing it.
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