Adams Grove 03-Wedding Cake and Big Mistakes

by Naigle, Nancy

  Connor hated to ask, but he needed to know where they stood. “You didn’t file any—”

  “No. I didn’t. I was mad and feeling protective of my dad. You’re right about small-town law being totally different than practicing in New York.”

  He laid his hand on her knee. “Thanks for listening.”

  She pushed his hand off her leg. “I did it for my dad. If we get this solved, then we’ll talk about forgiveness. Right now, I don’t have the capacity to process anything else.”

  “Deal.”

  But she was mad as a hundred angry bees, and she was even going to be more pissed when she found out he had more information that she didn’t. He wished he could tell her, but his hands were tied.

  Connor could not wait to get down to the station to bring Scott up-to-date on the details, but between Mac’s information and the fact that he himself had seen and could account for Ben’s whereabouts between the narrowed timeline, Ben was surely in the clear. He just hoped Carolanne wouldn’t act all crazy when they got there.

  Connor led the way back to Scott’s office without even checking in at the front desk. “Knock, knock,” Connor said as they walked into his office. “Hey.”

  Scott looked at Carolanne. His face showed the guilt and stress of having her dad there behind bars. “I feel awful, Carolanne.”

  “You’re just doing your job.”

  “I’m trying to get the evidence I need to make this right. I’m sorry. The information came through from the mayor’s office. I didn’t have a choice.”

  “I understand. Let’s just figure this out.”

  Connor closed the door. “I’ve got more information.” He looked to Carolanne. “You better sit down, too. You don’t know all of this yet, either.”

  Carolanne’s jaw pulsed. “You’re going to be the death of me, Connor Buckham.”

  Scott looked away.

  Connor shrugged. “Don’t sweat it, Scott. I’m used to her redhead fuse.”

  “Look who’s talking,” she said. “Can we just get my dad out of jail, please?”

  Connor ran down the information he had timelined out on Ben’s activities and what Ben had shared about Gina.

  Scott added, “Well, the journals we found at Ben’s house belonged to Gina’s mother. We think she probably got them from the old farmhouse. I’m going to check that out myself.”

  “That would explain the chain being down that day,” Connor reasoned.

  “Possibly. We didn’t find anything in Ben’s house that pointed to foul play.”

  “Of course not,” Carolanne said.

  Connor sat on the edge of Scott’s desk. “Mac came to me with some information. You know he and Anita were out of town when all this happened.”

  Scott and Carolanne both nodded.

  Carolanne spoke up. “He showed up at the artisan center to check in with Jill. That’s when he first heard about it, and…” Carolanne’s eyes lit up. “Connor, why didn’t I realize it before? Did you?”

  “What?” he asked.

  “When Mac left that night, do you remember what he said? He knew her name. We’d never said it, but he said he was sorry about Gina!”

  Connor nodded. “Before you go jumping to conclusions and throwing around accusations, let me tell you what he told me. You see, Mac talked to Gina the morning of the wedding. He told me that himself.”

  “He was the last one to see her alive?” Carolanne looked like she was more confused now than before.

  “How did this girl get around this town in stealth mode?” Scott looked confused by all the details. “I’ve gone from a big fat nothing to more details than I could wish for.”

  Scott’s phone rang.

  “Hang on a second.” He took the call, then stood up and started putting on his coat. Gesturing for them to follow him, he whispered, “Come on. We’ll talk on the way.”

  They piled into Scott’s car.

  “Keep talking, Buckham,” he said after hanging up the phone.

  Connor leaned forward between Carolanne and Scott from the backseat. “The short version is Gina was at the artisan center talking to him when he was there to deliver the cake.”

  “He told you that?” Carolanne said.

  “Yep. It was early, like seven thirty in the morning. She was alive when he last saw her, but he’s worried—real worried—and he needs your help, Scott.”

  “I’m listening.”

  Connor told them how Mac had pulled him aside and told him that he remembered seeing Gina the morning of the wedding. He’d even talked to her, but he was in a hurry and she was gone before he’d gotten the chance to finish their conversation. He’d assumed that she’d just gotten tired of waiting, but now he knew it wasn’t looking good, and he was right. He doesn’t know what happened, but he knew he needed to clear Ben, even if it was going to make himself look guilty.

  “Hold that thought,” Scott said as he turned onto Route 58.

  “Where are we going?” Carolanne asked.

  “To the Dixon farm.”

  A few minutes later, they pulled in front of the path that led back to the Dixon property.

  “The chain’s back down,” Connor said.

  Scott drove down the overgrown path. The branches seemed to reach and tap out a warning on the windows as they drove to the back of the property.

  Connor felt badly about Gina Edwards. This was a nice property. She’d died before she’d known it was her birthright. He wondered if she was the one who had been taking down the chain. “I wonder if she came out here that night.” It might have been when she’d gotten her mother’s journals. Would’ve been nice to have something happy here to replace those old tales.

  Scott pulled his car tight to the right edge of the dirt path to avoid a deep mud gully. Someone had been back here and not that long ago. It was overgrown, but the path was easy to follow because the grass was packed down, leading the way to the old farmhouse and pond.

  As they made it to the clearing, he pulled in front of the house. The front door was wide open. Apparently, someone had been doing more than just four-wheeling or swimming back here recently.

  Scott called in his location, then turned off the car and grabbed his floodlight.

  He flashed the light across the front of the house. He’d boarded up those front windows himself. Only, now, the window next to the door had been shimmied up.

  “It would have taken some tools to get that open. I screwed the boards in myself to keep folks out,” Scott said, handing a floodlight to Connor.

  Connor swept the light across the space and stepped inside. He could see at least a couple different sets of shoe prints in the dust. The handrail going up the stairs had clear spots where someone had gripped it as they made their way up or down the stairs.

  Wouldn’t matter if they took something—there wasn’t anyone left to care if it was missing. Maybe Gina had been here, or maybe someone else had and didn’t want Gina to come back.

  Connor walked back outside, where Carolanne was standing.

  Scott walked toward them from around back. “Y’all follow me. You’re not going to believe what I’ve just found.”

  “What?” Carolanne ran to catch up with Connor and Scott.

  “Let me get some things from my car, and I’ll take you back to see for yourself.”

  They followed Scott to the backyard. As they walked, Scott called in to dispatch from his radio. “Dispatch, I need Deputy Taylor out here at the Dixon farm.”

  Scott’s radio crackled. Then dispatch made the call and confirmed the connection as they walked. When they got around back, they walked to the far end of the house, near the old garage.

  When Scott flashed his light, something reflected back. “See that?”

  “I saw something, but what is it? Some kind of a reflection. A mirror?” Carolanne said.

  “That’s what caught my attention, too.” He started pacing forward. “Follow me.”

  They walked toward the garage, and when they go
t close enough, a vehicle came into view. Not just any vehicle, though. Mac’s old bakery van.

  “I don’t understand.”

  Connor turned off his light. “Mac said they traded in his old van. He and Anita traded it while they were up North.”

  Scott nodded. “And when he told me about it, he said that Anita had talked him into doing it and she handled the whole thing.”

  “Why would she do that and then put the van back here?” Carolanne looked at Connor for an answer.

  Scott walked to the front driver’s side of the van. “Look.” He waved Carolanne over. “Here. Hold this, but don’t y’all touch anything.”

  Carolanne held the light. Connor looked at the damage while Scott ran back to the cruiser.

  Scott came back with some supplies, including a digital camera. He took several pictures of the van.

  Carolanne shifted the light to just below the headlight.

  Connor squatted and examined it closer. “Look at the damage to the front quarter panel.”

  “Looks new,” Carolanne said. “And is that blood?”

  Scott took more pictures. “When the forensics team gets here, they’ll take the official photos, but I always like to be able to prove that nothing changed between when I found the site and when they start, just in case something goes awry.”

  Then he snapped on a pair of gloves and handed Connor a paper sack.

  “Hold this,” Scott said as he lifted the door handle to the van. “The key is still in the ignition.”

  “Look how far the seat is pulled up,” Carolanne said. “Mac could never fit behind the wheel with the seat that close.”

  Lights washed over the overgrowth as a car idled down the path to the house.

  “That should be Deputy Taylor,” Scott said. “Come on.”

  Dan stepped out of the car just as they walked back out front. “What do we have?”

  “Couple things. Someone has been in the house. Not sure there’ll be anything worth spending a lot of time on in there, but there’s a vehicle out back. I’ve got the forensics team on the way. Just need you to sit tight here and be sure nothing gets disturbed before they arrive.”

  “No problem.”

  Scott turned off his floodlight and placed it inside his trunk. “Did you hear anything back from the team that was looking at Ben Baxter’s car?”

  “I did. No trace evidence. Hard to say if he’d hit a person if they’d been in the same spot he’d hit that tree, but the fenders were clean.”

  “That’s good.” Scott looked to Carolanne. “We’ll be releasing your dad. Any circumstantial evidence we thought we had has been explained now.”

  “While you’re waiting, you might go ahead and collect anything out here on the grounds. It was pretty clear last time I was out here,” Scott said to his deputy. “Could be something new now. See what you find.”

  “Will do. What time is the team supposed to be here?”

  “Around eight. You’ve got all night.”

  “Won’t be the first time,” Deputy Taylor said.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Connor escorted Ben to his car to give him a ride home.

  “I can’t thank you enough.” Ben reached for Connor’s hand and shook it.

  “If Mac hadn’t come to me with what he knew when he heard you’d been arrested, no telling how this would be going right now.” Connor clicked his key fob to unlock the car doors. “You know what we have to do first, don’t you?”

  “Oh yeah. Tell Carolanne that I told you to keep the information from her to get your ass out of a sling.” Ben pulled his seat belt into place.

  “I’d appreciate that.”

  “You’re a good man. Thanks for everything. I promise I won’t put you in that kind of a position again.”

  “I’m glad to hear you say that, because if I have it my way, I’ll be asking her to marry me. I’m not going to putz around and take a chance on losing her. With that fiery temper of hers, we could be up and down a million times, but one thing I know is that I want that little redhead by my side.”

  “I know exactly how you feel,” Ben said. “Her momma was the same way. You’ll have my blessing, but good luck. She can be a little stubborn.”

  Connor gave him a sideways glance. “I’ll count on you to help me out, then.”

  “Well, I do owe you.”

  “And Mac—you owe him, too. If he hadn’t come to us with that information, you could still be in a heap of circumstantial trouble. Trust me—even circumstantial evidence is still no picnic. You’d be surprised how many convictions get made on that.”

  Ben traced his hand on the door handle. “Do they know what happened to her yet?”

  “Scott has a theory. He’s going to try to prove it today. That’s all I can tell you for now.”

  “That’ll have to be good enough, then.”

  Connor pulled into Ben’s driveway. “I’ll keep you posted.”

  “You’ll keep me posted on the case and on my daughter, right?”

  “You got it,” Connor said.

  “Before you leave, do you have a minute?”

  “Sure. What’s up?”

  Ben opened the car door. “Wait here. I have something I want to give you.”

  When Connor got back to the office, Carolanne was filing. He watched her for a minute before walking over to her. “I’m sorry,” he said, reaching for her hand.

  She let him take her hand, but she kept her gaze on the file drawer.

  “Look at me.” He tipped her face toward him.

  Carolanne lifted her eyes to his.

  “I love you. I will never let you down, I will never hurt you, and I will never keep anything from you again. I know I’ve disappointed you, but trust me on this. Please.”

  Her lips parted. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep. You don’t know what the future holds.”

  “I do know.”

  She was keenly aware of his determination. “Why are you making this impossible?”

  “Because I can’t be without you, and I’m afraid you’re going to walk away from what we could have together.”

  Carolanne wiggled out of his hold. “I can’t do this.”

  “Please let me in. I promise you the worst thing that can happen is you decide you don’t love me, and you can leave. No harm. No foul. I’m not asking you to give up anything. Please. Just try.”

  The door to the office slammed open, and Derek Honeycutt came running inside. “I need your help.”

  Connor jumped up and ran out to the lobby. “Derek, what’s the matter?”

  “They’ve just arrested my dad.” The twentysomething man had the fear of a fourteen-year-old boy in his eyes.

  “This can’t be happening.” Carolanne ran out to the lobby. “Come on. Let’s go.”

  Derek was already sprinting toward the bakery. Carolanne and Connor ran to catch up with him in a mad dash to help Mac.

  By the time the three of them got there, Mac was in handcuffs.

  Carolanne’s heart dropped. “No.”

  Connor pulled out his phone.

  “Who are you calling?”

  “Anita.” He hit send. “Anita? This is Connor. They’ve just arrested Mac. You’ve got to get down here.”

  Derek stood frozen, watching the arrest go down. Carolanne ran to his side, wishing something comforting would pop into her head to say to make him feel better, but she knew what he was feeling. Embarrassed. Helpless. She’d been there a million times herself.

  Connor ran over to Scott. “What’s going on here? There’s got to be a mistake.”

  Scott had never looked so serious. “Mac’s old van was found behind the Dixon farmhouse. Forensics just confirmed the blood and material on the damaged fender of the van match Gina Edwards.”

  Derek’s eyes went wide. “No. My dad would never…”

  Carolanne knew that they’d found that van last night, but Mac had already talked to Connor. Something wasn’t right. This arrest seemed a littl
e over-the-top. She put her arm around Derek. “Connor will sort this out. There’s got to be an explanation.”

  Derek ran a nervous hand through his hair. “He didn’t like Gina hanging around. He’d seen her talking to me. He told her not to hang around anymore. Do you think…?”

  “No. No, I don’t.” Carolanne pulled him to the side. “This isn’t the time to speculate. Let’s be calm, and don’t say anything like that aloud. That’s a totally innocent remark, but the police will hang on to it like a life raft if it helps their case.”

  Derek nodded.

  “Let’s lock up the shop, and I’ll give you a ride home.”

  “I can’t sit at home. I’m working on a cake in the back. I think I’d rather do that than go home.”

  “OK.” Carolanne’s heart was breaking. She led him back inside. “That’s a good idea. You keep busy, and I promise I’ll be back as soon as I have information.”

  Carolanne flipped the sign on the door from OPEN TO CLOSED and locked it behind her. She rushed down the street to catch up with Connor at the police station.

  She was glad the focus wasn’t on her dad, but there was no way Mac was guilty. She felt it strongly. Connor stepped outside just as she walked up the steps.

  Out of breath, Carolanne prayed he’d have good news. “What’s the deal?”

  “Come on. I’ll fill you in on the way back to the office.” Connor took her hand, and they walked up the block in silence.

  When they walked into the office, he sat in a chair in the waiting area, and Carolanne sat across from him.

  “So?”

  Connor smiled. “Everything is OK.”

  She looked at him like he was crazy. “It’s not OK if we just traded Dad for Mac. Mac isn’t any more guilty than my dad in this. There’s no way. I don’t believe it.”

  “That Scott Calvin is one slick dude.” Connor leaned back in his chair and laughed.

  “Why are you so giddy?” This is not the time to joke around. “Would you please be serious?”

  “That whole thing with Mac just now, the arrest—it was a total setup.”

  “What?” It took a moment to process. She leveled a stare. “You knew the whole time?”

  He nodded.