Chapter 34
34
M argo stood in the conference room at the real estate office and looked over the decorations Hanna had purchased for her wedding. It was tomorrow already. Where had the week gone?
She had them organized by item: tablecloths, napkins, and vines for the arbor. Floral decorations will be delivered to the Sandbar tomorrow.
Tomorrow she'd go over with Carley in the afternoon, right after lunch, and put the flowers out on the tables and tuck them into the arbor so they wouldn't wilt before the wedding.
Then she would need time to go home, shower, change, and get ready to come back in time for the ceremony.
Hanna's best friend, Jalyn, was her maid of honor. Her parents, of course, would be there, and their friends from town.
Quinn's kids would be there. Margo hadn't met them yet. And there was a smattering of other friends here and there. Quinn had been in business for long enough that there would be plenty of business contacts and people that he associated with over time. It wasn't going to be huge, but it was going to be nice. And she was really looking forward to having a nice wedding celebration.
She started to pack up the decorations into the totes that she would transport them in, checking them off as she packed them.
The doorbell at the front door rang.
She heard Addison's voice. "Hi, how may I help you?"
"My name is Sheriff Elliott Ortiz. This is Officer Gilbert Reece. We're up here from Miami. I'd like to speak with Mrs. Margo Price, please."
Margo swallowed. She stepped out of the conference room and down the hall. As soon as she entered the entryway area, the sheriff turned.
She held out her hand. "I'm Margo Price."
He introduced himself again as he shook her hand.
She reached over and shook the hand of the deputy with him. "Would you like to come into the conference room?"
"Of course, yes."
She led them down the hall. As they entered, she said, "I have wedding supplies out here. I was just beginning to pack them up. So just give me a moment here. I'll clear some space away."
She cleaned off the decorations in front of three of the chairs so they could sit at the end.
The sheriff sat. "Are you getting married?"
She chuckled. "No, no. A friend. I'm the decorations person. So I am storing them, organizing them, and I'm responsible for getting them up tomorrow."
"Sounds fun."
"Actually, I'm really looking forward to it. How can I help you?"
The sheriff leaned forward. "I have spoken to your attorney, Grant Park, and he tells me that he has spoken to you about this. We would like to have access to your husband's medical records and his ashes. I understand he'd been cremated."
"Yes, yes. Actually, the funeral home called me a day or two ago to tell me that his ashes were available. I have not picked them up."
The sheriff nodded. "I see. Do you have a problem if we pick them up and take them to the lab for analysis?"
"No. I don't have a problem at all with that."
"Sounds good. We'll do that."
The deputy pulled a document from a little case that he carried. "We have a document here for you to sign that will show the funeral home that we have your permission to pick up the ashes."
She quickly signed her name, slid the document back over to the deputy, and the sheriff said, "We'll get them back to you as soon as we can."
Margo shook her head and took a deep breath. "No need. Do what you want with them after you're done."
The sheriff blinked. "Look, if you're investigating Sierra Stigler then you know full well that my husband had an affair with her. Not just an affair, but they've been together for seven years."
She proceeded to tell him all the things that Logan had done afterward and then she told him about the stolen necklace she saw Sierra wearing.
"So, as you can imagine, I don't want to have anything to do with my husband's ashes. Maybe Sierra would like to take them to jail with her when she goes for murder if that's indeed what happens to her."
The sheriff stared at her for a few moments. Not long. She assumed he was probably exceptional at assessing people.
"I completely understand, Ms. Price. Thank you for your time."
He stood and shook her hand.
The deputy shook her hand, and they both exited the office. Before they left the office, the sheriff turned to her. "Do you have documentation on the necklace?"
"Yes. I had it insured and have the paperwork on it."
The sheriff's dark eyes bore into hers. "You didn't make an insurance claim?"
Margo swallowed. "I thought about it and then lead them to Sierra. But then I received the call from Grant, and frankly..." She held her hands out and dropped them. "Frankly, I don't want the damned necklace now that she's been wearing it. I don't want the reminder. Let it be an albatross around her scrawny neck for all I care at this point."
The sheriff grinned. "I'd like the paperwork, if you don't mind. Whether you decide you want the necklace or not, it could be evidence for us as to her behavior. You can decide afterward what to do with it."
He pulled a business card from his notebook and handed it to her. "If you'd email me what you have, I'd appreciate it."
She nodded. "I will do that."
The sheriff and deputy stepped from the building, and she let out a big sigh. She didn't feel bad about giving her permission. If he was indeed poisoned, it would be a shame. But she didn't do it.
And she wanted nothing to do with his ashes afterward. If she and Logan had children, maybe they would have wanted them. Logan's parents were gone. He had no siblings.
So really, there was no one who wanted Logan's ashes. And she'd bet dollars to donuts Sierra Stigler didn't want them right now either. But maybe they could help bring a murderer to justice. And in his death, Logan would have to be happy with that. She wasn't willing to do much more.
Margo finished packing up the decorations and carried them out to her SUV, putting them in the back. She then got in her car and drove to the bakery. As she entered, Hanna was speaking to a customer. When the customer turned around with her cinnamon roll on a plate, Margo glanced at her and saw that she was the little old lady who had been giving her dirty looks at the town hall meeting a few days before, because she was holding Jace's hand.
Margo smiled brightly at her. "Good afternoon."
The woman froze for a moment, recognized who she was, and then nodded. "Good afternoon, Ms. Price. I hope everything is all right with you."
"Everything is wonderful. Thank you."
The lady moved on.
Margo turned to see Hanna watching her, a big smile on her face. "How can I help you?" She asked.
"I just came to tell you I've just done an inventory of your decorations and have them packed up in totes and ready to take over to the Sandbar. I'll be stopping at the flower shop next to go over the list of items you gave me that they are supposed to have available for me and delivered tomorrow at one."
"Thank you, Margo. I appreciate all that you've done to help me with this. Your help has been invaluable."
"Well, I don't know about invaluable, but it was fun. I'll tell you that much. And I'm happy to do it."
"Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow at one o'clock when my sister and I will be at the Sandbar setting up the decorations. You don't need to worry about a thing. We've got this covered."
"Thank you again. And thank Carley for me. I'll thank her tomorrow when I see her, too."
"All right. Take care."
She walked around the end of the counter and Hanna met her there. They hugged, and her heart swelled as she thought about her new friends. She actually had friends now. It had been years.
Hanna hugged her hard, and she squeezed her right back. "Thank you so much, Margo. Thank you."
Margo chuckled. "As I said, I'm happy to do it. Thank you for being a friend."
Hanna squeezed her again. She stepped back and looked into her new friend's eyes.
"Always."