Chapter Twenty-Four The Search
Dex
Morning arrived before I stopped thinking about numbers.
I had spent half the night reconciling charges, double checking transactions, and confirming what I already knew.
Wickham had taken the money, and the odds of full recovery were slim.
The coffee in front of me had gone cold and I rubbed grit out of my eyes as the invoices started to blur.
I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss any.
If I did, I knew the Bennet’s would pay it, no matter how difficult it would be for them to absorb the cost. It was a point of pride with them, and I wanted to alleviate the burden Wickham had put on them.
Lucy stepped into the front office, hair pulled back, eyes tired but clear. “Good morning.”
“Morning. I have a meeting with my legal team soon. If you would like, you should sit in on the discussion,” I offered. I didn’t mention the hug from last night, or how beautiful she was this morning.
“Your city firm?” she asked.
“Yes. They handled commercial fraud for one of my past clients. They know the process,” I said. Also, I would be able to pay the legal bills with the Bennet’s none the wiser.
“My dad should be here for the call as well,” Lucy murmured. “I’ll go get him.”
I nodded but Lucy was already gone. Taking a picture of the last invoice, I sent it on to my accountant in an email with all the others.
Lucy returned with a grave William and Helen. We all arranged ourselves in chairs near the laptop.
I connected the call. The senior partner and her associate appeared on screen.
They already knew what had happened since I had called them last night but the lawyers wanted to go over what had happened again, taking notes from our testimony on the timeline, withdrawals, vendor receipts, and the total known missing amount with the presumed missing charity amount.
Lucy added the event details in a steady voice.
She didn’t flinch once and I admired that.
When we finished, the partner spoke. “We’ve confirmed the account linked to the ticket site.
Our IT team was able to take down some details before the site was deleted.
This indicates that Wickham is starting to cover his tracks.
It’s important that you file the police report this morning to start the process of investigating from their side. ”
Helen leaned forward. “Will we recover the money?”
The lawyer’s tone softened. “Unlikely in full. This type of offender moves cash quickly. You might see a portion returned if the police catch him quickly enough and the court orders it returned to you. Expect months to receive anything but it’s more likely you’re simply not going to receive a dime. ”
Helen’s breath hitched and William took hold of her hand.
“We can go to the police right after this call,” Lucy said.
The lawyer continued, “Keep a copy of every document. Stick to the facts when you speak to the police. It builds credibility.”
“Understood,” I said.
We ended the call. The screen went dark, leaving a reflection on the screen of four tired people and one flickering desk lamp. I shut the laptop and rubbed the back of my neck.
“Do you think you could go in our place? I’m not feeling up to it this morning,” William quietly requested.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Lucy asked in concern.
“Just not used to such late nights,” William told her, patting her hand.
Lucy turned toward me. “I’m coming with you.”
“You don’t have to,” I said. “I can file the report on your behalf. I’m sure one of the police will come out to talk to the family about Wickham afterward.”
“I need to be there,” Lucy firmly replied.
I nodded. We gathered our coats and headed out to my rental car. The morning was clear and sunny, leaving the snow extra white. Neither of us spoke. Lucy stared out the window, watching the sunlight glint across the frozen fields. It didn’t take long to reach the small town of Maple Ridge.
The police station was a small brown building.
It gave the impression that there wasn’t much crime in the area.
The sergeant behind the desk greeted us politely.
I handed over the folder of photocopied invoices and summarized what had happened.
Lucy stood beside me, adding details about the event and the timeline.
The man took down the details, asked us questions, then printed a form, asking us to sign it.
Once that was done, he stated we would get a copy of a police report.
“What happens next?” Lucy asked.
“We’ll do some investigating and will likely contact you for further questions,” the sergeant said.
There was little else he could tell us, other than the investigation had been opened and we would have to see how it proceeded.
I thanked the officer and collected the incident number. We decided to walk to a nearby cafe since the weather was fine.
Inside, warmth wrapped around us. We ordered and sat by a window.
Lucy stared into her cup, then said, “I’m going to pay you back.”
“No,” I said automatically.
“I’m serious.”
“So am I,” I replied.
“I can’t owe you this,” she said. “I’ll send installments when I can.”
“Stop." I set my cup down. “You don’t owe me anything.”
“That’s not true." Finally Lucy’s eyes met mine and I could read the conflicting emotions there.
“It is,” I said evenly. “I didn’t do it for repayment. I did it because I wanted to help.”
“Why?” she asked. “You barely know us.”
“I know you. I know that you love your family, have an impressive work ethic that some people might think of as obsessive, I know you prefer a world where everything is fair even though that isn’t practical, and I know you belong at the SnowDrop Inn,” I told her.
“Does that mean you’re not going to offer me my old job back?” Lucy wryly questioned even as her lips pulled into an almost smile from teasing me.
“No. I’ll have to find someone else for the position,” I agreed.
“I suppose that means you will be going back to the city soon,” Lucy murmured.
“I have to go back eventually. The business isn’t set up to work remotely fulltime,” I reluctantly agreed. Although, with Braxton’s help, I could change that.
She nodded, fingers tightening around her mug.
I waited, hoping she would ask me to stay, but the request didn’t come. I tamped down any disappointment I felt.
We sat in companionable silence after that, letting the noise of other people fill the space our words couldn’t. When we finished, I paid before she could reach for her wallet. She rolled her eyes but didn’t fight me.
At the post office, I stopped to collect a parcel I had been expecting. It was a small brown-wrapped package that fit easily under my arm. The clerk handed it over with a receipt. Lucy glanced at it but didn’t ask and I didn’t tell her what it was.
The drive back to the inn was silent. I wanted to tell Lucy that everything would be fine but I didn’t make promises I couldn’t keep.
When we pulled into the parking lot of the inn, Helen was on the porch putting out some salt on the steps for safety. She smiled faintly when she saw us. “Jane put together a nice lunch if the two of you are hungry.”
Inside, the air smelled like soup and bread. William had papers spread across the dining table, adding notes to the ledger. Lydia sat at the end, listlessly scrolling through her phone. When she saw Lucy, she stood quickly.
“How bad was it?” she asked.
“The police have made a report and say they will investigate. We may have to answer more questions.We’ll get updates when they have them,” Lucy told her.
“So that’s it?” Lydia questioned.
“For now,” Lucy said gently.
Lydia nodded, shoulders slumping.
“Have you had lunch?” Lucy asked in concern.
“I couldn’t eat,” Lydia murmured.
“Then you can eat with us,” Lucy decided, putting an arm around her sister’s shoulders. She directed her to the kitchen and I followed because it really did smell good and I hadn’t eaten since yesterday. Jane saw us and immediately began ladling out the soup while Lydia got out plates and cutlery.
I took the parcel from under my arm, setting it on the kitchen table so that I could assist as well. Lydia noticed. “What’s that?”
“A gift,” I answered.
“For who?”
“For Lucy.”
Lucy frowned, eyeing the package. “What is it?”
“You’ll see,” I said.
“I don’t like surprises.”
“I know." I smiled a little. “I think you’ll like this one.”
Her expression softened despite herself. “You’re insufferable.”
“So you’ve told me.”
In short order the three of us were sitting at the small table, enjoying lunch while Jane mixed up something at the counter.
“If it’s a gift for me, can I have it?” Lucy eyed the package.
“You can have it later,” I replied.
Lydia picked it up, turning it over as she thought. “I think it’s a book of some sort.”
“A book?” Lucy frowned. “Why would you buy me a book?”
I shrugged and took the package back from Lydia before she could rip it open to satisfy her curiosity.
Lucy crossed her arms. “You’re impossible.”
“Sometimes, I’m certain I am. However, you will get your gift when lunch is done,” I decided.
Lucy set down her spoon, took a sip of water and held my gaze.
Her mouth curved, half-annoyed, half-amused. “Fine. I’m done with lunch. Give me my book.”
“First, you come with me." I stood up.
“Where?”
“You’ll see.”
Lucy rolled her eyes but got up.
“Can we come too?” Lydia asked. I realized both her and Jane were paying rapt attention to us.
“Later,” I told them firmly, taking Lucy’s hand.
I led her through the corridor, past the dining room, past the framed pictures Helen had hung. At the end of the hall stood at the former parlor door. The handle still gleamed from where I had polished it earlier.
I stopped. She stood beside me, curious but wary. “What is this?”
“Something I’ve been working on. It’s for the inn but it’s mostly for you.”
She blinked. “You’re not serious.”
“I’m always serious.”
“Dex—”
“Lucy,” I said quietly. “Let me show you.”
I turned the key in the lock. The mechanism clicked softly, familiar. The metal was cool against my palm. I could smell varnish and paper even through the crack. I pushed the door just far enough for a sliver of golden light to spill into the hall.