Chapter 23
It seemed like forever, but it was less than an hour before I heard the all-clear on Esmeralda’s radio.
She stood up from where she’d been sitting with me and headed to the phones to let the officers who were blocking eager shoppers know it was okay to let people in. Then she started calling the stores.
Santa and his elves had been waiting with us at the station and with a “ho, ho, ho,” he left the lobby after giving me a candy cane and Emma a dog treat. Santa told me, “Your actions today give you an upgraded spot on the nice list, so don’t mess it up next year.”
Esmeralda rolled her eyes as we watched him leave. I guess the fortune-teller didn’t believe in the big guy in the red suit. Then she went back to making her calls. I called Beth and told her what had happened and that everything was fine. I’d be home soon.
Just as I hung up, Toby and another officer brought Gunter into the station, directly to the back into a small jail cell. He’d get transferred to the county facility in Bakerstown soon. Greg and Chris came in next and she ran to me.
“Thank goodness you understood what I was trying to say. You know Emma’s always allowed in the bar.
I was just trying not to upset him. He said I should know where Chip’s secret room was if we were so close.
I kept telling him I didn’t know.” Chris was talking really fast and had a pack of cigarettes in her hand that she kept opening and closing again. “I guess I can’t smoke in here?”
Esmeralda shook her head, and Chris tucked the cigarettes back into her purse. “Gunter was always so nice. I didn’t even question why he came into the bar. I thought he was worried about me. I’m an idiot.”
“You’re not an idiot. I know about the secret room.
I’ve been looking for the original blueprints, and finally, the document library sent them over this morning.
So I dropped them off with Greg along with a picture of a patch that got caught in the door when Gunter wasn’t looking.
I guess Chip never let Gunter see where he was storing the stolen goods? ”
“Gunter said he stayed in the bar area that night and any other time he’d visited the bar.
He claimed he’d never been in Chip’s office where you found the patch.
We think he went into the office during the dart tournament, hoping that confusion would cover his tracks, but he couldn’t find the secret room.
When Chip saw him coming out of the office, he must have checked to see if the jewelry was still there.
Then Gunter came back,” Greg explained. “Some of it is conjecture since Gunter’s not talking.
As soon as we found the patches, Dom didn’t want to talk about it, but Lille brought in his jacket to show that Dom’s patches were still there.
She made him confirm her statement that Gunter was the only club member who would have had that patch. ”
“So Lille scares other people too.” I smiled as Toby came back into the room. “Can I go home now?”
“As long as you take Emma with you,” Greg said as he asked Toby to take Chris into an interview room to get her statement. “Text me when you’re home or I’ll call Beth to make sure you got there.”
“I don’t need a babysitter.” I stood and Emma came with me to the door.
“You had one and snuck out on her.” Greg came over and kissed me. “Be safe, okay?”
As I was walking down the street to go home, I saw Dom and Lille coming up toward me. To my surprise, Lille stopped me.
“Are you okay?”
I blinked and nodded. “Chris was at the bar with Gunter, not me. Emma and I just peeked our heads inside to remind Chris to move her car. That’s when I realized she was in trouble.
We went straight to the station and locked the door after I got inside.
I’m glad he made his move early rather than when all these people were around. ”
We moved to the side as people streamed up the sidewalk from the car parking lot the city had set up.
Dom looked around. “No matter what, Christmas shopping must go on.”
“The money from this season keeps us alive on the slow days. Evie’s opening the shop tomorrow to see if we get seasonal customers.
” I was rambling, but I glanced at my watch.
Greg would be concerned if I didn’t text soon, but I thought I had a few more minutes.
“Anyway, I’m glad Greg found Chip’s killer. I’m sorry it was your friend.”
Dom stepped closer to Lille before he spoke.
I wasn’t even sure he realized what he was doing.
“I considered Gunter more than just a friend. He was my brother. I thought he was on board with our move to respectability, but he must have been working on this scam for years. He and Matty were close. He knew her before she moved here.”
Lille rubbed his arm with her left hand and something sparkled on her ring finger.
“Wait, what’s that?” I asked as my eyes widened. “Are you two engaged?”
Lille narrowed her eyes as she glared at me. “What? Did you think you and your friends were the only ones who could find a man?”
Dom chuckled and held out Lille’s hand. “Lille, be nice. It’s a beauty, isn’t it? I had to get your uncle’s approval, first, but then I surprised her this morning after taking a ride up the coast to this beautiful spot overlooking the ocean. We’re getting married.” He kissed her cheek.
“Congratulations. The ring is beautiful and I wish you both all the best.” I did hope that this was Lille’s soul mate. Maybe Dom would make her nicer. Marriage had worked for Josh. Finding the love of a good man or woman could change someone. Even Jim was a little nicer.
“Please thank Beth for helping me pick out the ring. She translated all the clues this one gave me over the years.” Dom squeezed Lille and she giggled. “It has my mom’s old stones in the setting as well as a new one, just for my Lilly flower.”
Lille giggled again. The world must have shifted. I felt Emma lean against my leg, so I assumed I was awake. “I’ll let her know.”
Now, I understood why Dom and Beth talked so much. Yes, they were talking about his sister and the effect of the cult on the family structure, but he was also planning this surprise.
The surprise that Beth had warned me about had arrived.
Lille was getting married. I wondered if the theme would be black goth or Halloween.
Somehow, I didn’t see her in a white princess wedding gown.
But maybe a silky white gown that accentuated all her curves and assets.
I didn’t know why I was thinking about Lille’s wedding dress.
I probably wouldn’t be invited to the ceremony anyway.
“I better go. Greg’s expecting a call when I get home. He’s a little overprotective.”
Dom smiled and nodded at me as we started to leave. “I understand his feelings.”
I tried not to hear Lille giggle again. The first one had nearly put me into catatonic shock. As we hurried home, I hoped that the happy couple would stay that way. Dom seemed nice, even with his sordid past. Had Lille finally found her bad boy with a heart of gold?
When I got home, I let Emma off the leash and she ran to the water dish in the kitchen. I could hear Beth chatting with someone on the phone.
She smiled as I came into the kitchen. “She’s here, do you want to talk to her?”
“I was talking to Dom and Lille and they told me the good news.” I didn’t wait to let her hear Greg’s response. I grabbed a bottle of water and sat down at the table, putting Beth’s gift on the table.
“Oh, he popped the question?” Beth did a little joy jump. The girl was all about the good news. “Sorry, Greg, I’ve got to go. Cookies to bake and all.”
She sat next to me. “Isn’t the ring the most stunning thing you’ve ever seen? I went with him to pick out the setting. I hope she loves it.”
“She seemed happy. Sorry I questioned your motives with Dom.” I moved the gift bag toward her. “This is to help you stay on track in January when you go back to school.”
Beth opened the bag and pulled out a planner and a goal-setting book that Deek had loved. “This is amazing. I usually use a cheap planner I can get at the dollar store. This has stickers and everything.”
“If you’re going to be a professor, you need a good planner for all your appointments and wise thoughts.” I drank more water as I watched her page through the planner. “Make sure you put my birthday in there. I don’t want you to miss it.”
She went to her purse and grabbed a purple pen. “Okay, give me your birthday and Greg’s. I already know Amanda’s.”
After she played with the planner for a bit, she put it in the living room and then washed her hands. “I’m glad you’re back. It’s time to make peanut butter kisses.”
And just like that, we were back in Christmas mode.
I turned up the carols on the radio and we spent the afternoon covered in sugar and flour.
By the time Greg came in the door, the kitchen was clean, and the ham was baked along with a batch of scalloped potatoes.
A pumpkin pie sat on the counter, cooling. The house smelled like the holidays.
We sat down around the table as a mini family.
As Beth prayed over the food and our lives, I silently added to the prayer that Jim would figure out that this woman was already part of our family.
All he had to do was accept her for who she was.
Even Lille had found her soul mate. Jim just had to open his eyes and unharden his heart.
Just before Beth said amen, I also said a prayer for Chris and Chip. Their happily ever after hadn’t happened, but hopefully, Chris would find someone else. Or at least find something that made her happy.
Life was too short for anyone to be miserable.