“I’m so sorry that you were hurt. I just keep thinking, what are the chances that Briette’s best friend would solve her murder?”
“I guess you could call it solving—or something.”
“It’s a miracle. I know you might not think so right now, but you have helped me and Briette so much. This past year has been hell for me. I couldn’t sleep knowing that the man who had killed her was out there, living life. But it’s over now. It’s really over.” He hesitated. “Do you know what I mean? Does any of this make sense?”
“I do. I think she’s at peace. I’ll always miss her, but when I think of her now, it feels . . . better.”
“Thank you, Adri. It will never be enough, but thank you for all you’ve done.”
We talked for a few minutes longer, and Caleb told me about the work he was doing for his father’s business in an effort to get through another day, another week. We wished each other luck, and I clutched my phone until it started ringing again, and my mom came running to answer it.
Fortunately, another news story overshadowed mine a couple of days later. It involved Sylvia Rockfort. Lorea and I were able to piece together most of the details through tabloids, Twitter, and Tony.
Sylvia had hired someone to steal her dress so she could call off her wedding. When she heard the news story about how I was attacked while running, she felt incredibly guilty—like stealing the dress in the first place didn’t make her feel guilty? Anyway, she was afraid I was going to be killed over her conniving plan, so she had the wedding dress dropped off at Necia’s consignment store.
After Dallas tried to kill me, she came clean over the whole thing. She mistakenly thought my attempted murder had something to do with the diamonds and stolen gowns. I didn’t press charges, but I did tell Tony “I told you so” plenty of times. Then I made him promise to let my detective skills have their freedom.
Lorea stopped by with a few wedding binders from my shop. The empty binders filled me with hope and excitement as I thought of the new growth in my business. “So, what’s the latest on Sylvia?”
“They left town right after she spilled the beans. I think she didn’t want to give you a chance to change your mind about pressing charges,” Lorea said.
“Good plan.”
“Sylvia has a contract for a new reality TV show—and a book deal.”
I sat up. “A book? About what?”
“I think they’re calling it How I Sabotaged My Own Wedding.”
“Get out.” I snorted. Lorea raised one eyebrow and cocked her head to the side. “Wait. You’re serious?”
“The Rockfort mansion is up for sale.”
“Thank goodness.” We indulged in a good belly laugh, and I got back to work.
Tony stopped by the next day with bittersweet news. Jerry had identified a man named Roland Mayfield as an accomplice in the diamond smuggling ring. It had taken the feds longer to figure it out because he’d been using an alias. “Apparently, they were supposed to intercept the diamonds before they arrived at your boutique, but some of the boxes got mixed up.” Tony frowned. “Roland is in custody now, and we found out that Walter is okay. Roland stole Walter’s cell phone and encouraged Walter to go out of the country. It was the only way to shield him from the diamond smuggling operation.”
I saw tears well up in Lorea’s eyes. “Poor Walter. He’ll be so upset.”
Tony nodded. “At least he wasn’t involved directly. It’s still a shame, though.”
Thinking of Walter and the way his cousin had used him made my chest feel heavy with sadness. Tony said Walter would be arriving home in Ketchum in a few days. I hoped that he would still be able to continue with his business, but I was afraid that his genuine smile and light step might be forever affected.
By the time my stitches were removed, Natalie’s wedding was only nine days away. I struggled with overcoming the paralyzing fear that haunted me each night. My mom planned on traveling back and forth from Rupert every few days to help me until I felt like the “old Adri” again. Each day brought me closer to recovery, and I soon immersed myself in the business of weddings. Luke honored my wish to give me time to straighten things out in my head, but I found myself thinking of him more often than I would ever admit.
Chapter 29
Guest-Book Stones
Collect or purchase small river rocks (nothing larger than about three inches in diameter) and arrange on a table beside permanent markers (both black and lighter colors, such as silver). Invite guests to sign the “Stepping-Stones to a Happy Marriage” with brief words of advice. Present the bride and groom with a large (sturdy) glass container filled with the guest-book stones.
Courtesy of www.mashedpotatoesandcrafts.com.
I checked the seating of the wedding party one last time and gave a thumbs-up to Lorea. My eyes flicked to the center of the meadow, where Brock stood dressed in a gorgeous charcoal-gray tuxedo. I had instructed the photographer and videographer to capture his face when Natalie entered. She was beyond beautiful, glowing with happiness, and I was so happy to see this day come.
I could feel someone staring at me, and I turned slowly to meet Luke Stetson’s gaze. Of course I knew he would be present. The guest list was on my computer, and he and Brock were friends, but my stomach still flipped when he smiled at me. I smiled back, and it was sincere. Saving someone’s life gave a whole new motivation for full forgiveness—Lorea had ceased calling him “tontua”—and I could see the possibility of friendship between us. Smoothing out an invisible wrinkle in the cream ruffled skirt that brushed my knees gave me a moment to catch my breath. I
