“Do you have copies of these documents?”Rainey checked.
Noel looked to Cavin.“Yes, multiple copies in multiple places,” Cavin confirmed.This wasn’t his first rodeo although this situation took the cake.
“Have you told anyone about this?”Rainey inquired, and Noel and Cavin shared the names of the people who knew.“Let’s keep this quiet, and please make a phone call or visit to urge the others to do the same,” he added.“We don’t want Walter and Georgia catching wind of this knowledge although I can’t imagine how they could possibly wriggle their way out of such a conundrum if all this proves to be true.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Noel agreed.
“We do need to act fast, however, because I have a feeling if my dad sent a proposal to Noel, he likely plans to send one to Walter if he has not already assuming, like the rest of us, that Walter owns the building adjacent to the candy shop,” Cavin advised out loud for the first time.“My father has all the information I gathered, so he will probably also send one to the town of Beaufort.But I think sending a proposal to Noel was his first priority because he knew it would send me a message.That said, his eyes are on money, so he will want all of these properties.”
Rainey’s, Chelsea’s, and Noel’s understanding showed on their faces.
“Once we jump on this, I will check with the town of Beaufort to see if they have received a proposal,” Rainey assured.“Again I don’t think these details are going to change the outcome if everything we believe is true, but if it is all fact, we know Walter and Georgia are intelligent and capable of some crafty schemes, so we don’t want to give them time to think of any ways they might elude some of this or run off.”
Rainey suggested that the kids not be present for this discussion even though they already knew many of the details.He kept them occupied by sending them into another room to work on a junior investigation that he explained needed their attention.It wasn’t the first time the grown-ups used this tactic when engaged in adult conversations, but they had to be careful because these two littles had been trained well as Rainey always liked to remind everyone.“We don’t want to stress them out or take the chance that they might slip up and say something to someone,” he suggested.“I do want to talk to them though.”
A few minutes later, Noel called Levi and Laney into the living room, and Rainey led the discussion.
“You two are the department’s best junior officers,” he started.“You now know some important information about the candy shop and what the alleged masterminds have been up to,” he said, explaining that further in terms they could understand.“Keep in mind that one of the most important parts of being a detective is making sure not to share top secret information.That means we don’t talk about this with anyone who is not in this room.Can I count on you two to keep this case quiet?”
“You bet,” Levi promised as he pretended to zip his lips.
“Anything for the candy shop,” Laney guaranteed.
The rest of Christmas Day was thoroughly enjoyed by all, and Noel’s heart swelled with joy when Keaton showed up at her house for Christmas dinner.They celebrated with ham, green beans, squash casserole, macaroni and cheese, and rolls and spent a good amount of the time playing with Levi and Laney as they enjoyed their new Christmas gifts.They also finished the snowman that the kids started on the waterfront side of the building and then created a second one in front of Beaufort Candy Company for all the customers and passersby to enjoy.
No one in Beaufort did much driving on Christmas or the days that followed.Six inches of snow pretty much shut down the town which couldn’t have come at a better time of the year, and it sure was nice that everyone lived within walking distance of one another’s houses to enjoy family time.Although Noel no longer felt the need to worry about sales and the pressure of being open every day possible to maximize revenue, she still felt anxious about what would happen with the debacle Walter and Georgia created with the buildings.She was grateful that Cavin had been with her the day she met with Walter and Georgia and relieved she rebuffed them pressuring her into signing the papers.If Cavin hadn’t been there, she wasn’t sure she could have held out.The stress overcame her even more than she realized at the time.
As promised Rainey kicked off the investigation right away after sharing a laugh with Noel and Cavin about a case he just closed where three teenagers received a slap on the wrist for flattening people’s tires around town.A search warrant gave the detectives access to Beaufort Candy Company’s tax documents and business-related files stored in Walter’s computer and file cabinets at his office.Rainey kept Noel and Cavin informed of the findings, and day by day, it turned out that everything Cavin and Rudy suspected was true.One thing Cavin mentioned to Noel later also proved true—Walter was collecting rent from the tenants in the other building by posing as the owner.
This meant Beaufort Candy Company had the means to hire more employees which had been the case all along but the business's crooked accountant covered it up.Noel and Mrs.Madelyn trained two new full-time employees, one who would work in the kitchen and another who would eventually work on the floor.They also brought on a couple of teenagers part-time to fill in some slots so that everyone else’s schedules would be a bit more flexible.
“Mrs.Madelyn, you just come in and work anytime you want,” Noel told her lifelong friend, “that way you can make spending time with Jack and taking care of him and yourself your primary responsibility.”
“Darling, I will be here anytime you need me just like I always have been,” Mrs.Madelyn promised.
“I know you will, but I am so relieved to know all the pressure is off your shoulders.I couldn’t have kept this store running without you.”
“It was a pleasure to overcome so many obstacles with you, Noel,” Mrs.Madelyn stated.“We are quite the team.”
“Yes, we are,” Noel agreed.
“You are part of another team now, too,” Mrs.Madelyn stated.“The Noel and Cavin team.”
Noel blushed.“Stop it.”
“I told you I expected a Christmas miracle,” Mrs.Madelyn reminded her.“I just didn’t predict all these other Christmas miracles that transpired, but God knew exactly which angels to send our way.”
“You were right,” Noel acknowledged.“I should have never doubted you.”
“Sweet girl, you just needed to figure it out for yourself in your own timing, and you did just that.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you, Cavin, and the kids,” Noel pointed out.
“Speaking of Cavin and the kids, I am excited about spending the weekend with the children next month when you and Cavin go to Florida for his golf tournament.”
Once the snow melted, Noel went golfing with Cavin on what turned out to be a relatively warm Sunday.Prior to that, things became so hectic in their lives that she forgot she promised to play golf with him.Once she did, she couldn’t believe her eyes.Cavin definitely possessed the talent to play in professional tournaments.She watched enough golf to realize he was a little rusty, but even in that state of being, he was by far the best golfer she ever saw play in person.
Noel surprised Cavin with her own abilities on the greens.Although she knew she wouldn’t be joining the ladies' pro tour, Cavin realized the two of them could likely win some relatively competitive couples tournaments if they wanted.Noel turned out to be pretty good at tennis, too, and they were happy to know they shared athletic interests.Fletcher never participated in golf or tennis, so Noel hadn’t played in a long time.His sports were on the water, and Noel loved those also, and that’s why the two of them chose that route.
