“How comforting.”
The sarcasm that dripped from Wally’s words made Skye roll her eyes. Evidently, her husband wasn’t in a glass half-full sort of mood.
Chapter 20
You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby
“So, Aiden is the last suspect we have with a motive for bombing the bowling alley.” Skye had explained to Bunny how Udelle, Zeus, and Yuri had been eliminated and was now attempting to get her to take the threat from her almost-ex seriously. “Wally is still waiting to hear from the passport people as to when he returned to Illinois after his trip to Ireland, but you said he was due back the day—”
“Whoa,” Bunny broke in, her tone conveying that she was unimpressed with the idea that her ex might be dangerous. “Aiden may have been a little miffed, but it wasn’t as if I was his one true love and he was hearing wedding bells.”
“Bunny, if you have any idea how the police can find this guy, you need to tell me right now.” Skye barely held on to her temper. “For once, make the smart choice.”
“Hey,” Bunny said sharply. “You could learn a lot from me. My choices reflect my hopes, not my fears.”
Skye shook her head. She’d never thought she’d hear Bunny Reid paraphrasing Nelson Mandela. Still, she had a gut feeling that the redhead knew something about O’Twomey that she wasn’t telling, which is why she had taken time on the morning of her babies’ baptism to phone Bunny and warn her.
Carson tapped Skye on the shoulder and said, “Let me talk to her.”
He’d brought the security system technician over to the RV to install the nanny surveillance equipment and stayed to help Skye with anything she needed before going to the church. A comment he’d made about Bunny’s recent secretive behavior had niggled Skye into making the call.
Skye handed her cell to Carson and swiped the speaker icon. There was no use pretending to give him any privacy when she fully intended to listen to every word.
“Sweetheart,” Carson drawled. “All we want is for you to be safe.”
“I’ve told you and told you that I’m fine.” Bunny’s voice howled like the wind sweeping down a chimney. “I’m sure that I wasn’t the target.”
With that, she abruptly disconnected and Carson returned the phone to Skye.
In the silence that followed, the only sound was the refrigerator motor humming.
Finally, Skye asked, “Do you think O’Twomey has been in touch with Bunny?”
“Who knows,” Carson grunted. “She is one stubborn little filly. But she has been spending an inordinate amount of time in the bathroom. She says staying at the motor court is driving her nuts and she just needs some space, but Bunny’s never been one to want that in the past.”
Skye raised her brows and Carson shrugged, but before she could pursue the matter, the phone rang. She glanced at her cell and saw her husband’s gorgeous face.
She swiped her thumb across his picture and answered, “Hello, sweetie.”
“Just checking to see if you need me to pick up anything before I head home.”
Skye glanced around but didn’t notice anything they were missing. “I think we’re good here. Anything new at the police station?”
“Nope.” Wally chuckled. “My guess is that the whole town is home getting ready for the christening/baby shower at our place this afternoon.”
“You think you’re being funny.” Skye shuddered. “But Mom never did let me see the final guest list and she was at over a hundred and fifty on Thursday. She had all of yesterday to invite more people.”
“With everything that’s happened around here, I’ve hired a couple of off-duty county deputies to provide security.” Wally’s voice was grim. “Are you still worried about that Rose woman crashing the party?”
“Not so much,” Skye hedged, touching one of the curlers in her hair that was coming loose. Changing the subject, she asked, “We’re paying the off-duty deputies, right? It shouldn’t come out of the city’s budget.”
“Of course not,” Wally assured her. “Their salaries are on our tab.”
“Good.” Skye glanced at Carson, who was giving her an odd look.
“What time did you say we needed to be at the church?” Wally asked.
“One thirty.” Skye looked at the pile of stuff by the door. “But we should start getting everything into the Mercedes no later than one.”
“Wait a second,” Wally muttered, and Skye could hear an indistinct voice talking to him. Finally, he came back on the line and said, “I’ll leave here as soon as Tolman gets back to the station.”
“You need to be here early enough to shower and put on your suit,” Skye reminded him. Her stomach tightened. Would he be late for their babies’ baptism?
“Tolman is due any second.” Wally’s tone was reassuring. “I promise to get home in time. I’d never miss the twins’ christening.”
“I know.” Skye forced a cheerful note into her voice. “Mom is coming here in about forty-five minutes to keep an eye on the babies while I get dressed.”
“I’ll probably beat her there. Love you,” Wally said before disconnecting.
While Skye and Carson chatted, she fixed an early lunch. She put aside a plate for Wally, then sat across from her father-in-law and passed him the casserole dish containing the leftover Italian beef and a basket of Milano French Rolls.
While they both made their sandwiches, Skye said, “I just wanted to thank you again for having your security team keep an eye on the nanny.”
Peering at Skye, Carson seemed to debate his response, but he finally said, “With the news about our family’s wealth coming out, the babies may become targets for kidnappers.” He cleared his throat, then said, “I think it’s a good idea to keep some sort of security in place for the indefinite future.”
“Oh my!” Skye gasped. “I supposed that I should have thought of that possibility, but it never crossed my mind.”
“Which is fine.” Carson smiled. “It’s one of those things that probably will never happen, but we’d all kick ourselves if the kids were abducted and we hadn’t taken precautions.”
Skye took a bite of her sandwich, chewed, and swallowed as she considered Carson’s words, then asked, “Have you discussed this with Wally?”
“Somewhat.” Carson was silent as he ate. When his plate was empty, he said, “Wally agrees we need to take measures to keep the babies safe. He just doesn’t agree on the method or who should foot the bill.”
Before Skye could respond, Carson got up and headed for the door. Pausing with his hand on the knob, he said, “I’ll see you at the church.”
“Two o’clock sharp. Don’t let Bunny make you late,” Skye admonished. “Father Burns waits for no man—or woman for that matter.”
“I told her we had to be there at one.” Carson chuckled. “Just to be safe.”
A few minutes after Skye finished feeding the twins, May arrived, and Skye disappeared into the bathroom to get ready. Bingo was lying in the sink and Skye placed a stack of folded towels in the bathtub before relocating him to his new throne.
With her mother watching the babies, Skye took extra time with her appearance. She coaxed her natural curls into a cascade of ringlets down her back, leaving a few tendrils surrounding her face. Then after applying foundation, concealer, and bronzer, she emphasized her green eyes with a smoky plum shadow and black liner. There would be a million pictures taken of her with the babies, so she might as well look as good as she could.
It was nearly twelve forty-five by the time she was coiffed, made up, and had slipped on her dress. The bodice was black jersey knit and the skirt was a box-pleated, floral-printed jacquard. She wore it with metallic pumps and the necklace that Wally had given her for their wedding. The two swirling ribbons—one lined with shimmering, baguette-cut diamonds, the other with glittering, round diamonds—formed an X and were
the perfect length for the dress’s neckline.
When she emerged from the bathroom, Skye and her mom shared a teary embrace, and May sobbed, “I can’t believe my baby has her own babies. I’ve dreamed of this forever.”
“I know.” A mixture of emotions slammed into her chest and Skye patted her mother’s arm. Then she stepped back and said, “I see you decided on the navy-and-wine lace sheath. As always, you look fantastic.”
Skye continued inspecting May’s appearance and narrowed her eyes. Her mom’s fingernails gleamed with perfectly applied pink polish. Had May gone for a manicure? She’d always told Skye she was silly to spend money on mani-pedis. Evidently, her mother had changed her mind.
“Thanks, honey.” May blinked back tears. “You too.” She sniffed, then said, “We’d better get the twins in their outfits.”
“Give me one second.”
There was still no sign of Wally, and Skye wondered what was keeping him. She stealthily grabbed her cell from the dresser and hid it in the folds of her skirt. Her mother would have a fit if she thought Wally might miss the baptism.
“For what?” May’s head snapped up and swiveled in her daughter’s direction.
“Uh…” Skye stalled, then fibbed, “I think my bra strap just broke.”
May narrowed her eyes, clearly suspicious, but she waved Skye into the bathroom.
Once she was behind closed doors, Skye saw that she had a message and played it.
Wally’s voice sounded stressed. “Martinez found Tolman in his squad car near the highway entrance ramp. It looks as if someone hit him over the head with a blunt object and he was out of it for a while. He seems better now, but he’s being transported to the hospital. I’m sending Quirk with Tolman. I’ll be on my way home to change in a few minutes. See you soon.”
Skye debated keeping Wally’s message from her mother but decided against it. If even a part of what happened had gone out over the police radio, everyone with a scanner would be talking about it.
Reentering the bedroom, Skye quickly summarized the information about Officer Tolman for May, who clutched her chest and said, “Poor Paul. I hope he’s okay.”
“Confusion after a head injury is never a good sign.” Skye wrung her hands. “What I can’t understand is how someone got close enough to attack him.”
“Not to speak ill of the wounded, but he was probably napping,” May tsked.
“Seriously?” Skye tried to imagine Wally or Roy or Zelda or Anthony sleeping on duty.
“He’s not a bad cop,” May said quickly. “But he also doesn’t have a lot of ambition. For a long time now, I’ve suspected that Paul goes on patrol, finds an out-of-the-way spot, and parks there for much of his shift.”
“I’m guessing that Wally has no idea about Paul’s siestas.” Skye frowned. “But wouldn’t someone notice that he wasn’t putting on the amount of mileage you would expect on the squad car?”
“There’s a gadget you can use to adjust the odometer. Paul likes to tinker with cars in his spare time, so he probably has one of those,” May answered.
“Okay, then.” Skye blinked. Having worked with teens for so many years, she should have known that someone determined to beat the system would manage to do it.
May grimaced. “Maybe I should have mentioned my suspicions to Wally. This might never have happened if Paul had stopped taking his little naps.”
“Paul is responsible for leaving himself exposed to attack. And whoever hit him is to blame for him being hurt, not you.” Skye hugged her mom, then said, “I know Wally would want to be with his injured officer. Do you think that I should encourage him to go to the hospital and postpone the baptism?”
“It sounds as if Paul will be fine.” May took Skye by the shoulders. “And to quote my wise daughter, Wally is responsible for his own actions.” She raised her brows. “Not to mention, how in the heck would we be able to contact everyone and call this all off?”
“You’re right.” Skye glanced at her babies, who were quietly batting at the mobiles over their bassinets. “Let’s get the twins ready.”
Wally arrived home while Skye was still carefully draping the christening outfits on the bed. He kissed her cheek, assured her and May that he had no further information about Paul, and headed into the bathroom to shower.
By one thirty, Skye, Wally, and the babies were settled in the Mercedes and on their way. May had left in her own car a few seconds earlier.
The church parking lot was already packed when they arrived, and Skye smiled in relief when she saw Vince’s Jeep. He tended to have a laissez-faire attitude about time and it wouldn’t do to have the godmother and godfather walk in late. She and Wally, each carrying a baby in their car seat, slipped in through the side entrance.
When the door thudded shut behind them, Skye’s breath whooshed out of her. This was it. She inhaled and nearly choked at the smell of incense hovering thickly in the air.
Vince and Loretta were waiting and escorted them up to the baptismal font. Skye noticed the beautiful basket of flowers decorating the altar. One of the reasons that she loved St. Francis was its simple interior, with plain wooden pews. To her, it was the ideal place to worship.
Once they were in place, Father Burns turned to the congregation and said, “We are here today to welcome two new members to our church family. In the same way that Skye and Walter joyfully welcomed these beautiful children as a gift from God, so do we.”
Skye’s heart expanded until her chest felt tight. How had her very ordinary life turned into such a fairy-tale-like story full of love?
Wally’s expression matched hers and he squeezed Skye’s hand. She knew he would give his life to protect her and their children.
Father Burns turned to them and asked, “What names do you give your children?”
Together, Skye and Wally said, “Carson Jedidiah and Evangeline May.”
They had finally decided to name the babies after their parents—Carson and Evangeline for Wally’s, Jedidiah and May for Skye’s. At first, Skye had been worried that the names wouldn’t be acceptable to the church, but Father Burns had cleared up the matter when he’d told her that, since 1983, it was no longer necessary to choose a saint’s name.
“What do you ask of God’s church for Carson Jedidiah and Evangeline May?”
“Baptism.”
Father Burns nodded, then intoned, “You have asked to have your children baptized. In doing so, you are accepting the responsibility of training them in the practice of the faith. It will be your duty to bring them up to keep God’s commandments as Christ taught us, by loving God and our neighbor. Do you clearly understand what you are undertaking?”
Skye and Wally answered, “We do.”
Turning to Vince and Loretta, Father Burns asked, “Are you ready to help the parents of this child in their duty as Christian parents?”
They answered, “We are.”
“Carson Jedidiah and Evangeline May, the Christian community welcomes you with great joy. In his name, I claim you for Christ our Savior. I now trace his cross on your forehead and invite your parents and godparents to do the same.”
After the four of them complied with Father Burns’s instructions, he indicated that they all could sit and the rest was a blur until the priest invited them to the font and began his questions.
“Is it your will that Carson Jedidiah and Evangeline May be baptized in the faith of the Church, which we have all professed with you?”
Wally and Skye answered, “It is.”
Father Burns turned to the babies and said, “Carson Jedidiah and Evangeline May, I baptize you in the name of the Father.” He poured water on both babies’ foreheads. “And of the Son.” He poured water on them again. “And of the Holy Spirit.” He poured a third stream of water on them.
Then the babies were anointed with oil, candles were lit, and Father
Burns touched the ears and mouth of the babies with his thumb and said, “The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the dumb speak. May he soon touch your ears to receive his word, and your mouth to proclaim his faith. To the praise and glory of God the Father.”
Next, Father Burns led them to the altar, where the ceremony was concluded with the Lord’s Prayer and a blessing. Finally, the priest said, “Go in peace.” Then, with a wink, he added, “And remember that a lot of kneeling keeps you in good standing.”
The recessional music started to play and as they walked down the aisle, Skye’s glance skimmed the pews. She smiled at all of her friends and relatives who had gathered to help them celebrate, but then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the back of a woman wearing a bright-blue cape. Evidently, Millicent Rose had managed to slip into the church despite the off-duty deputies working security at the door.
Shrugging, Skye let it go. The woman was leaving and nothing had happened. All Skye’s worry and aggravation had been for nothing.
Of course, there was still the party…
Chapter 21
I Found a Million-Dollar Baby
“You know, this will only be my second baby shower,” Wally commented as he and Skye buckled the twins into the back of the Mercedes. Both babies had been amazingly well behaved during the baptism ceremony, barely whimpering when the priest sprinkled them with holy water, and now they were happily batting the mobiles that hung from their car seats. “What should I expect at this thing?”
“With my mother in charge?” Skye powered down the window. It had been stifling inside the church and she needed to cool down. “I can’t even begin to guess. We’ll be lucky if she didn’t manage to arrange for a star of Bethlehem to appear over the party tent and three wise men to visit bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”
“Huh?” Wally gave her a startled look.
“You know,” Skye teased. “Because the Magi are the most famous trio to ever attend a baby shower.”
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