“She has an old friend on the inside who agreed to meet her,” Charlie clarified.
Keith’s gaze went to his boss and the younger man stood taller, almost as if at attention.
“Relax, Keith,” Charlie said, with a half-grin. “I know you’re just doing your job by keeping me locked up. I won’t hold it against you, and hopefully whatever Jill finds out this morning will get me out of here a lot sooner.”
I moved toward Charlie’s cell, and this time Keith didn’t stop either of us. In fact, I noticed that the younger officer politely turned away.
“So, you’re just waiting?” I asked Charlie, lowering my voice.
“Waiting, yes, but not sure exactly for what. It’s a long shot that the team can even trace a prepaid phone this quickly,” Charlie said, rubbing one hand across his brow. They’d lowered the lights back here, and I noticed a pillow and blanket, but last night could not have been a comfortable night of rest.
“Any evidence tying you to the crime is circumstantial at best,” I said. “Surely they can release you.”
“If they figure out who made that fake security phone call to me, then it could send everything in the right direction. Otherwise, I’m in here for a full forty-eight hours, and I don’t want any special treatment.”
I didn’t want to argue with Charlie, to tell him that being involved in the investigation from behind bars was a kind of special treatment, but then again, he’d let Aunt DeeDee participate as much as she could when he’d brought her in a few months ago. She just hadn’t known nearly as much about how the law worked. I swallowed a sudden lump in my throat against the reality that in less than six months, two people I loved deeply had been in the very same place.
“I’m fine,” Charlie said, trying to reassure me, even though he didn’t know quite what I was thinking. “Lacy’s going forward with the ceremony?”
I nodded, leaning my head against the bars. “I want you there with me, not just to figure out who is behind all of this.”
Charlie kissed the top of my head. “I know.”
An alarm beeped on my phone, one I’d set weeks ago when I’d added the hair and makeup appointment to my calendar. I was supposed to be sipping mimosas in the Salon while someone prepped me, Savilla, Jemma, and Lacy for our stroll down the aisle of the Primrose Ballroom.
“You need to go?” Charlie asked.
I lifted a shoulder, not wanting to leave him.
“You need to go,” he said, not a question this time. “I’ll be fine, I swear. I’ve got good company with Keith, and I’ll be out soon, either way.” He gave me a half-smile and spoke in a fake disgruntled voice. “I know my rights.” Charlie kissed my head again and nudged me away from the cell. “Go. Lacy needs you.”
Unfortunately, she wasn’t the only one.
THIRTY-ONE
Savilla stopped by to check on Lacy and me just as we got back to our suite, and though she didn’t come right out and ask the question, I could tell she wanted to know if the wedding would go on as scheduled.
“The wedding is as planned,” I said firmly, and when my sister appeared confused by my tone, Lacy tried to intervene.
“Even though a man was murdered?” Savilla asked, stricken. “And even though Charlie is behind bars?”
Both of those were great questions, ones that I was pretty confident everyone here this weekend would be asking.
“Deputy Wright is on it, and her team believes it’s an isolated incident. Someone had beef with Todd, and they did their worst. Keeping everyone here will buy her time to look into the suspects’ backgrounds.”
When I finished speaking, I realized that in my nervousness I’d been talking very quickly. Part of those nerves came from hiding so much from my sister, but at least the second half of my statement was true. The wedding was happening in part to solve a murder, but Savilla didn’t seem convinced. She started to protest, but Lacy interrupted her.
“And, um, I’m dying to marry Anton, which is, um, a very poorchoice of words, I realize, but it’s just…” Lacy trailed off, looking to me to take over.
“It’s what Todd Anderson would’ve wanted. He was very excited about being in this ceremony.” That was likely true too, I realized, though Todd had probably been much more excited about filching an expensive painting than anything else.
I hated lying to Savilla, and I swore in that moment that when all of this was said and done, I would fill her in on every detail.
Savilla took my words in stride, sensing that I wasn’t telling her the full story but also willing to trust me.
“Of course, you want your big day to be as soon as possible, and I’m sure you’re right. Reverend Todd would want you two to be joined in holy marriagimony just like you planned.” Savilla gave both of us a generous smile. “Everything will be perfect and I’ll see you in the Salon in a few.”
While we prepped and preened in the hours leading up to the ceremony, I heard nothing from Charlie or Jill. The Swanson family was strangely absent as well, no longer causing a fuss over who would marry Anton or bursting into the room with their loud personalities.
