by Nancy Basile
Nodding, Robin said, “She went to his trailer the day he died because she wanted to hear the whole story. I think he must have told her everything, but he also told her not to tell anyone, for her own safety. That’s why, when I showed up asking questions about Roy, she was so scared. She didn’t want Troy to find out that she knew all about the robbery. And that’s why she asked me to find the murderer. She knew who killed Roy, but she was afraid to talk. She knew Chris would protect me.”
“Wait a minute.” Her father held up a hand. “How on earth did you put this all together?”
“I’m glad you asked.” Robin leaned back in her chair. “Like I said, something wasn’t adding up, so I revisited the scene of the crime.” She was really getting into this. “I discovered a path that led from Roy’s backyard to an access road that wasn’t marked on any map. Chris had been focusing on Jodi because the traffic camera footage showed her coming and going right before Roy was killed. But when I discovered that road, I knew the killer could have easily parked there, killed Roy in his trailer, then left the same way, without being spotted.
“That got me excited, so I was running back to my car to call Chris, but I fell.” Her mother tsked and dropped her eyes to inspect Robin for cuts or bruises. Robin snapped her fingers to get her attention again. “When I fell, I saw something under Roy’s truck. It was Troy’s cufflink. It was just dumb luck that I found it, and the forensics team missed it. Troy told Chris that he didn’t visit Roy after he came back, so I knew Troy lied.
“Then I got out a photo taken from security footage of the bank robbery.”
“What did you see in the picture?” her father asked.
“I saw the Spider-Man thief, and poor Mark, and there, holding his hands in the air, was Troy the teller. After that, it all just clicked. Troy killed Roy because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. He had seen Roy at the casino, spending his money like a drunken cowboy. They probably talked and Roy poured his heart out, saying he felt guilty and wanted to apologize to Jodi. That was all Troy needed to hear.”
“And now?” Jenn circled her hand in the air.
“And now, Troy’s going to prison for a very, very long time.”
Chapter 24
The Pearce family arrived at the church two hours before the wedding, along with gowns, a veil, hair accessories, make-up, hair spray, shoes, static cling spray, shapewear, stockings, a garter, double-sided fashion tape, and her dad’s tuxedo. Robin sprawled on a chaise in the bride’s dressing room, exhausted before the wedding even started. And she wasn’t even the one getting married.
Time evaporated. The organist played the beginning notes of “Wild Horses” by the Rolling Stones as people filed into the church. The wedding had a casual atmosphere. Deb and her friends stood at the front of the church and chatted with guests as they took their seats.
Jenn and her attendants, including Robin, gathered in a side room, separated from the sanctuary by a wall of wooden panels. Robin squinted one eye to see the crowd through a space between two panels.
“What’s Deb doing?” Jenn pressed her thumb against her lips. Robin knew she wanted to chew her nails, but they were too beautiful to ruin.
“She’s talking to guests. They’re older. Must be aunts and uncles.” Robin grinned at Jenn over her shoulder. “She looks beautiful.” Deb was wearing a glittery white tunic with spaghetti straps, white palazzo pants, and high white pumps.
Robin walked over to Jenn and hugged her, careful not to smash the bouquet. “And so do you.” Jenn’s wedding gown was white taffeta, with a bodice fitted to the waist, a cut-out back, and a full skirt. The sleeves were completely sheer, with three small buttons adorning each wrist. Her veil was a simple piece of tulle, held in her hair by a beautiful comb covered in pearls.
The organ struck up “Trumpet Voluntary,” and Robin’s arms broke out in goosebumps. She couldn’t stop smiling. The women trotted into the vestibule, careful not to slip in their high heels. Her dad, his eyes misty, offered his arm to Jenn.
Robin was careful to glide down the aisle at the right tempo. She winked at Deb when she reached the front of the church. Then everyone was on their feet for “Bridal March,” and there was Jenn, radiant, stunning, happy. Every teary eye in the church was glued to her.
The touching ceremony left everyone wrung out; plenty of tissues were passed around. Their vintage rings sparkled when Jenn and Deb slipped them on each other’s fingers. As the happy couple recessed up the aisle to the “Wedding March,” everyone cheered, including Robin.
After the ceremony, the ladies touched up their makeup for photos. The photographer herded them here and there. And when she wasn’t in a photo, Robin nibbled on cookies and drank champagne. Her blood sugar was probably through the roof. No regrets.
Their dad had volunteered to be the designated driver, so they all climbed into his old Chevy Tahoe for a ride to the Hilltop Country Club. The women sipped bubbly and sang old campfire songs until they pulled up to an awning completely covered in fairy lights. A country club attendant guided them to a back room, where they could make their grand entrance. The ballroom looked like a wonderland, with more fairy lights, lit candles, and white tulle draped from sconce to sconce. The afternoon sun streamed through a wall of windows to cast a glow over the scene. On the stone patio, a bartender served drinks and guests mingled among potted plants.
From the head table, Robin whooped and pumped her fist in the air when Jenn and Deb entered, dancing their way across the reception to “Lovely Day.”
Dinner was served, then it was time for the toasts. Robin blew out a breath and shook out her hands. Public speaking always made her nervous. She was still shaking when she poured more champagne into her flute.
A server handed her the microphone. “Family and friends who are here to celebrate the beautiful union of these two amazing women, please know, I’m not much for public speaking, especially when it’s about my sister, my best friend.” She could hardly look at Jenn. A serious crying jag was threatening to spill over. She kept going.
“While I’m not great at public speaking, I am great at reading. So, I will borrow Bill Shakespeare’s words from Sonnet 55.”
Not marble, nor the gilded monuments
Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme;
But you shall shine more bright in these contents
Than unswept stone, besmear’d with sluttish time.
When wasteful war shall statues overturn,
And broils root out the work of masonry,
Nor Mars his sword, nor war’s quick fire shall burn
The living record of your memory.
‘Gainst death, and all oblivious enmity
Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room
Even in the eyes of all posterity
That wear this world out to the ending doom.
So, till the judgment that yourself arise,
You live in this, and dwell in lovers’ eyes.
Robin turned to the wedding couple. “Jenn, Deb, your love will outlive time itself. A toast to Jenn and Deb!” Jenn stood and the sisters hugged, and hugged, and hugged. Robin couldn’t hear herself think over the clinking and calls of “cheers!” Then Jenn and Deb laughed and kissed, to the applause of their guests.
The deejay invited the happy couple to open the dancing with their first dance. Adele’s “One and Only” drifted out from the speakers as Jenn and Deb swayed on the dance floor. Robin saw her parents holding hands, staring into each other’s eyes. Soon the deejay invited all the couples to the dance floor, and her parents stepped out first. Most of the other couples wandered onto the dance floor, too.
That was her cue to catch her breath outside.
Chapter 25
While the evening air cooled her skin, Robin massaged her scalp with her fingertips. The weight of her braid was threatening to give her a headache, but she refused to undo it. She never had an occasion to dress up, so she was willing to suffer a while longer.
She sat down on the stone sitting wall that bordered the terrace. After glancing around and seeing no one but the bartender, who only had eyes for his phone, she slipped off her shoes. She rubbed her feet against each other, soothing away the aches and pinches. Then she felt a warm breath on her ear. Before she could move, someone said,
When in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state.
She turned around to find Chris leaning down and smiling at her. He had taken off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, and his tie was loose. He took a seat next to her.
Robin tried not to goggle at him. “You’re a fan of Shakespeare?”
“Don’t sound so surprised.” He raised his eyebrows. “Just because I’m a sheriff doesn’t mean I haven’t read the odd sonnet.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean —” She stammered to a halt.
“I’m teasing.” His face split into a wide grin. “Of course, you’re surprised. I don’t know too many former quarterbacks who like to read iambic pentameter.”
A fast-paced pop song played inside the country club. He scooted closer to her. “That was a very nice toast.”
“Thank you. I’m just happy I didn’t fall off the dais.”
“It was very touching. Seriously.” He nudged her with his shoulder.
She felt a blush coloring her face. “I’m surprised you didn’t bring a plus one.” Her face grew hotter.
Chris ignored her blush, thankfully, and didn’t balk at such a personal query. “Dating in River Sutton is tricky for me.” Robin couldn’t imagine he had any trouble finding a date. But he explained, “You’d be surprised how people in River Sutton love to gossip about who the sheriff is dating.”
“Ah.” She nodded. “Especially when he was the star quarterback at River Sutton High?”
He tapped his nose. “Got it in one.”
The bartender on the terrace began packing up. Chris caught her watching. “Would you like a drink? I can grab one before he finishes.” He held his hand to the side of his mouth. “I can flash my badge, if I have to.”
His sense of humor was wonderful, and surprising, considering he was a sheriff. She laughed. “Actually, yes, if you don’t mind. I’d love some cold water.”
“Two waters, coming up.” He had a quick word with the bartender, handed him a tip, and jogged back with two cups of water. He handed one to her, then lifted his. “A toast?”
“To Jenn and Deb.” She tapped her cup to his.
“To the happy couple.” He met her tap with his own cup.
The cold water soothed her throat, left hoarse from alternately crying and talking over the music all evening.
“Tell me about Cleveland.” As he drank, his blue eyes watched her over his cup.
She finished her water. “I don’t live downtown, but I work there. It’s nice, especially on the lakefront. There’s a thriving arts scene and you can find any kind of restaurant you want. There’s a Vietnamese restaurant close to my office that has the best pad thai I’ve ever tasted.”
He nodded and drew his eyebrows together. “Do you ever miss living in River Sutton?”
She thought about moving back to River Sutton every time she talked to Jenn on the phone. But there wasn’t a booming tech industry with enough work to satisfy her and pay her bills.
Then again, River Sutton had Jenn. And her parents. And Chris.
She pretended to rack her brain, breathing deeply, and caught his wonderful pine scent. “Sometimes. I miss walking through familiar forests and driving along the river. And I miss Jenn. But I don’t miss everyone knowing my business.” She cringed. “Is that awful?”
“No. I completely understand.” He watched the guests dancing in the ballroom to another up tempo song. “When you’re here, you’re the same person you were since kindergarten, right?”
“Exactly.” Few people understood that, including her parents.
“But, for you, why is that a bad thing?” He narrowed his eyes. “You were always smart and nice and funny. Why is it so bad to be the Robin Pearce everyone around here remembers?”
“It’s not bad all the time.” She studied the expanse of lawn that stretched away from the stone terrace. “I think I see myself differently than everyone else.”
“In what way?” He took a swig of his water, swallowed. “I really want to know, because I can’t imagine a better version of you.”
Tingles ran down her spine and her muscles turned into gummy worms.
She smoothed the skirt of her dress around her legs. “I’m not such a goodie-goodie. I’m a lot darker than people think I am.”
“Oh, really.” He pressed his lips together, but his shoulders shook. “In what way?”
She sat up ramrod straight and tipped up her chin. “I got a tattoo on vacation once.”
“You did?” His gaze traveled over the skin he could see. “What is it? Where?”
She crossed her arms over her chest, her shoes dangling from one hand. “It was a temporary tattoo.” He pressed his fist to his mouth and his shoulders shook harder. “Of a butterfly.” His laughter filled the terrace. And then her laughter joined his.
The cloudless summer night twinkled with stars. He leaned closer to her and rested his hand on her hers. “I hate to break it to you, but you’re just as nice as we all think you are.”
His face was mere inches from her. The noise of the crowd and the music faded while she fell into the sapphire — azure? — of his eyes. Neither of them were smiling anymore.
“Why didn’t you ever ask me out?” He didn’t answer immediately. She fought her instinct to fill the silence with babble and waited.
“Would you have said ‘yes’?” Light spilled from the ballroom, leaving half of his face in shadow. His jaw hardened and the eye she could see held an intensity she hadn’t seen in him before.
Her heart climbed into her throat. She could barely speak, but she whispered, “Yes.”
His eyes lifted, meeting hers. She couldn’t look away. Her lips parted. He brought his face an inch closer…
“There you are!” Her mother bore down on them like a raging bull. Robin closed her eyes and groaned. “I’ve been looking all over for you. Jenn’s about to throw the bouquet.” She stood over Robin and Chris, a flute of champagne in her hand. “Hello, Chris, are you enjoying the reception?”
He glanced at Robin. “Very much, Mrs. Pearce. It was a beautiful ceremony, too.”
“I thought so.” She cocked her head. “Everything went as planned.”
“And your peanut butter blossoms were delicious.”
Frances beamed at him. “I’m glad you enjoyed them, dear. I’ll be sure to give you some at Christmas.” To Robin she said, “Come along, Robin. I told Jenn to be sure to aim your way.”
Robin rolled her eyes at Chris, and he coughed to cover his laughter.
Standing in a messy semi-circle around Jenn, the single women at the reception giggled and stumbled, while the deejay counted down from five. When he shouted, “one!” Jenn whipped her bouquet behind her. It arced over the crowd, orange blossom petals raining down on the women reaching up to catch it. Two women leaped up, knocking into each other, but missing the bouquet. It plopped down at Robin’s feet.
She blinked at the mass of flowers in a ribbon-wrapped handle, while a chorus of “aw” filled the reception hall. Everyone stared at her, some disappointed, some irritated, and some amused. Before she could grab it, a middle-aged friend of her mother’s scooped it up, yelling, “I got it! I’m next!” She waved it in the air like a trophy. Half the crowd clapped, while the other half went back to their conversations. Robin didn’t dare look at her mother. She knew she’d hear about the bouquet debacle later.
Night had fallen when Jenn and Deb waved goodbye to everyone beneath a shower of primrose petals. Robin watched their limousine drive away until it turned at the gate and disappeared.
She sauntered back to the country club’s entrance as Chris was leaving, sl
ipping his jacket onto his wide shoulders. “Need a ride?”
She sorely wanted to say “yes.” She had no definite plans to return to River Sutton, and spending more time with Chris would provide enough memories to keep her imagination revved up in Cleveland.
But tonight was for family, not for romance. “No. I’m riding with Mom and Dad.”
His head dropped, but he lifted it right back up and trapped her gaze. “I hope someday, someday soon, you come back for good. I couldn’t have caught Troy without you. Thank you.” He wrapped her in a deliciously warm hug, the side of her face pressed to his chest. She drew in a deep breath, savoring his fresh linen and pine scent.
As they parted, he said, “I just might have to deputize you.” Then he walked toward the parking lot and she returned to the ballroom.
The remaining guests were sliding their chairs under tables, gathering their favors, hugging and kissing their goodbyes.
She scanned the room, her eyes landing on her father. She took in his soft brown eyes, the salt and pepper hair, and the bittersweet smile he wore. He blew her a kiss, like he used to when she was little. She pretended to catch it and place it on her cheek.
As she tacked her way to her parents’ table, through dropped napkins, tired guests, and the country club’s clean-up crew, she remembered the last lines of the sonnet Chris had quoted to her on the terrace.
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
She reached her parents’ table where they held hands, and her father spoke into her mother’s ear. After they realized she was behind them, her mother handed her a pile of boxes to carry. “What are you grinning about?”
Robin remembered Jenn’s dazzling smile and the solid warmth of Chris’s hug. Her smile grew wider. “It was a magical day.”
THE END
Afterword
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