“I know the one,” Jay says with an amused glance, “though we’ve never worked with them before. They have a talent for getting in some very rare specimens. I can get in contact with them, to coordinate, if that works for you?”
The less I have to organise, the better.
“We also have a bakery for the cake, though not for the catering,” Lake says, looking at me for confirmation as if I had anything to do with it. I regret that I haven’t been as involved, and I’m trying to change that, but I can’t even say the name of the bakery.
“We know where we want the venue,” I contribute. That much I at least know. “We haven’t booked it yet, don’t even know if we can since it’s a public area.” It’s gardens with a lake, close to where we live, that Lake likes to visit to feed the ducks and picnic.
“I like the ducks,” Lake says, echoing my thoughts.
“If you can tell me where it is, I can make some enquiries. If it doesn’t work, I’ll do my best to find somewhere that’s similar.”
Jayden writes down the name I give him and then flips to the next page. “What about your outfits?”
“We’re going shopping…” This weekend or next? I pull out my phone to check the dates. “Next weekend.”
“Wonderful. At a specific place or are you still shopping around? We have a list of places that we use and can get you a good deal for if you’re open to ideas.”
“We’d love the list!” Lake says enthusiastically. “I’ve never bought a suit before.”
I’m still not opposed to him wearing his formal wear to the wedding, instead of the traditional tuxedo.
“Do you have a guest list, with a rough estimate of numbers?” Jay continues. “With such a close date, the RSVP may need to be modified. If we can send out physical invitations in the next week, we can ensure there’s an electronic way to respond. Or there are digital invitation options for you to look at.”
Before either of us can answer—not that I have an answer for him, because he’s rattling off a lot of questions I’d never even thought of—my phone rings in my hand.
It’s not a number I recognise, but itislocal. Fucking Christ, can’t crime wait for a few hours while I try to sort out getting myself hitched? At this rate, we’ll never get married.
“Sorry, excuse me.” Once I’m out in the empty hallway, I answer with, “Detective Donehue.” Has to be work related; no one who isn’t on my contact list would call me for any other reason.
“Grady, it’s Emmett.”
Emmett. Why the hell is a uniformed officer calling me? I know him from seeing himatcrime scenes, and the occasional beer at Aubrey’s place when Quinn drags me out unwillingly after work. We don’t shoot the shit, and he doesn’t call me out of the blue. All new cases come directly from Riley, or Quinn if Riley calls him first.
“Something wrong?” is my first question.
“I’ve got your kid here.”
That makes me pause. What the fuck? “What?” Emmett knows bloody well and good that I don’t have a kid. We don’t talk much, but I’d have mentioned something like that at least once.
“Got caught shoplifting. Says he’s your kid.”
Shit. “Riley.”
“That’s the one.”
With a sigh, I pinch the bridge of my nose. Christ, what is this kid doing? “What was he stealing?” As if that really matters. If Emmett says flowers, Riley and I are going to have a talk about how to grow his own. Or just fuckingpayfor them. The ones at the supermarket are mostly reasonable. There’s always a better solution than stealing them.
“A pair of pliers and rope.”
Okay, wasn’t expecting that. What the hell would he need those for? Nothing good. “He has foster parents,” I point out. If Emmett’s even a half-decent cop, he’d know that. They should be the first point of contact. “Have you called them?”
“Yeah, I called them.”
That doesn’t sound promising. “And?”
“It wasn’t exactly a pleasant conversation; I can see why the kid’s having problems. They refused to come get him, and they said he wasn’t welcome back in their home so not to bother bringing him there. Called him a delinquent, among other things.”
I don’t think I want to know what the other things were. My own conversation with them left a lot to be desired. Their foster licence should be revoked. They aren’t the only ones.
