The consignment store had been in business for more than ten years, and with the recent downturn in the economy, its popularity had risen. Necia always put new items out on Thursdays and Fridays, and the committed thrifters were usually waiting for her store to open at ten. The dashboard on the Mountaineer read fifteen to nine, so she had called me in time to check out whatever she had found before anyone else had a chance to see it.
I had scored major points with Natalie when I bought an old family Bible from the store to use in her wedding ceremony. She planned to tie the rings to the Bible instead of to a ring pillow.
I signaled to turn left into the tiny parking lot and eased over the dip in the pavement. A horn blared behind me, and my heart jumped as I slammed on the brakes. A familiar brown truck showed up in my rearview mirror. I frowned. Why was Colton honking at me? He had stopped his truck alongside the road, so I put the Mountaineer in park and turned to see what he was up to. He jumped from his truck and grabbed a box, heading toward me with a grin.
With a shrug, I opened my door and leaned out as he approached. “Morning, Colton.”
“Adri, I’m so glad I saw you. I have a package for you. I think it could be that cupcake stand you ordered the other day. I’m really sorry about how I acted.” He held out the box. “I thought it might help if you had it before you opened your shop.”
“That’s really kind of you, Colton, but you didn’t need to worry. Let me pop the back.” I pressed the button to release the liftgate and followed him around to the back of my Mountaineer.
He set the box inside and wiped his hands on his pants. “I hope that helps. I even stopped by your house this morning, but you’d already left. I feel better knowing this is delivered and it won’t be knocking around my truck all day.”
“Wow, thanks,” I said. “Wait—how do you know where I live?” All my packages were delivered to the shop, so I didn’t have boxes sitting on my doorstep at home.
Colton grinned. “I’m the delivery man. I know where everyone lives.” He winked. “Your neighbor—Lily Rowan—she gets a lot of packages, and I’ve seen you coming and going a few times.”
“Well, thank you again. I appreciate you looking out for me.”
“No problem. Tell Lorea hello for me.”
I waved and got back in my vehicle. Colton’s truck roared by a second later. I hadn’t had the heart to tell Colton that Sylvia had postponed her wedding. He’d caught me off guard when he mentioned stopping by my house. It bothered me that he knew where I lived and had made a special trip to deliver this package. I couldn’t decide if he was trying to make a good impression on me in the hopes I’d convince Lorea to go out with him someday or if he really was that friendly. Chill out, Adri! I thought as I drove across the parking lot and around to the back of Necia’s store.
Too much anxiety had me questioning everything lately, even a delivery man’s good will. After locking my vehicle, I hurried down the alley. I knocked three times on the large gray metal door, and it echoed across the clear morning. Necia must have been waiting for me because the door swung open just as I pulled my hand away.
“I’m so glad you could come down.” She motioned for me to follow her through the back of the store and then swept a lock of her straight brown hair over her shoulder. “I read the paper this morning. You poor thing. First the stolen wedding gowns, and then to have that awful man attack you. Are you okay?”
“I am now. It’s been a stressful couple of weeks.” The scent of lavender floated in the air as we passed aisle after aisle of knick-knacks, old books, baskets, ceramics, and antique dolls.
“I’ll say. That’s why when I found this, I called you right away.”
We turned the corner, and my breath caught in my throat. The morning light streaming through the side window caught the rhinestones sewn onto the dress and created a dazzling sparkle. The gown intended for Sylvia Rockfort had somehow ended up in the consignment store.
I hadn’t thought of Sylvia for two full days. It had been a wonderful reprieve, since Miss Nostril had haunted my days for the past eight weeks. When I saw her dress, intact, its train billowing down from a second hanger, my knees wobbled. I grabbed a wicker chair for support and sucked in a breath. “Where did you get that?”
“It was in a box out back. Someone left it there last night.” Necia watched me. “It’s one of yours, isn’t it? One of the stolen gowns?”
“We need to call the police.” I had learned my lesson. I didn’t even want to look at Sylvia’s dress without Tony. I dialed his number. “I have a minor emergency, and I need you at Everybody’s Closet. Now.”
“Are you hurt?” Tony asked.
“No, I’m fine—no danger. I’ll explain when you get here.”
“Is everything okay?” Necia asked after I hung up.
“I’m glad you called me. The man who attacked me did it because of the wedding gowns.”
Necia’s eyebrows shot up.
“It’s a long story, but I have to wait for Tony’s permission before I fill you in.”
Tony arrived at the store five minutes later. “Adri, do you have my number on speed dial yet?”
With a smirk, I tipped my head toward the wedding
