Adams Grove 03-Wedding Cake and Big Mistakes (27 page)

“But you were aware she was staying there for at least some period of the time, right?”

“Yes. I was.” Ben scrubbed his hands through his hair. “I can’t believe this. You’d think somewhere along the line I could catch a break.”

Connor wrote down notes as Ben detailed the events leading up to the day of the wedding and his car accident.

“I didn’t even know about Gina being dead until that Monday when Scott came to the hospital.”

Connor knew most of this from Carolanne already, but maybe Ben would say something helpful that Carolanne hadn’t relayed. “Do you remember what time that was when you left the reception?”

“I guess it was around one, because I went to grab something to eat. Penny’s was crowded with a late lunch crowd.”

“Sounds about right. I’ll check with the folks over at Penny’s. She might even be able to pull the ticket and give us an exact time.”

“Penny was there. They were packed, but she should remember.”

“Good. At least she can attest to whether you were acting like something was wrong.”

“Well, that’s not going to work to my favor. I was feeling five kinds of blue. That whole wedding had my heart tied up in
knots. It’s why I left. It was just too big a temptation for me to stick around. I’ve worked too hard to get this far to slip back.”

“Let’s see what she has to say.”

“When Scott showed me that picture of Gina and asked me if I recognized her, I just wasn’t thinking. All I could think of was that I didn’t want Carolanne to be upset with me for trying to help that girl after I’d been such a piss-poor father to her. I lied. It was stupid, but I did. The words were out of my mouth before I knew it, and I didn’t think it would turn into a big deal.”

“But it has.”

“Hell yeah, it has. Dead is some kind of bad trouble.”

“The worst.”

Ben went on. “Someone must have seen her coming and going from my house. They haven’t told me who, but when they showed up, it wasn’t just to ask some questions—they already had a search warrant.”

“What did they find?”

“Some journals were stuffed under my couch. I didn’t know they were there. I have no idea what’s in them. I think that’s all they found.”

“Any idea where she got those journals? Did she have them with her when she showed up?”

“I have no idea.”

“When was the last time you saw her?”

“Friday night before the wedding. She was asleep on my couch when I went to bed that night, and she was gone early the next morning.”

Connor tapped the pen on the table. “That’s the morning of the wedding, when your car wouldn’t start?”

“Yes. She was already gone when you stopped by the house.”

“That was early.” Connor wrote eight thirty and a question mark down on the piece of paper. “Are you sure she was there all night?”

“I guess she could have left during the night, but I’d have thought I would’ve heard her. She was asleep on the couch when I went to bed. I don’t know when she got up.”

Connor looked Ben square in the eye. “We know why she didn’t come back.”

“Because she was dead.”

“At least we know now that she was alive the night before. What time did you go to bed?”

“Around ten?”

“That’s a start. That gives us a time frame. Let me go find out what they’ve got.”

“Connor, the deputy insinuated I wrecked my car last Saturday on purpose. Something about covering up some kind of evidence.”

Connor laid his pen down. “Ben, Carolanne said she saw Gina drive off in your car that night at your house. Did she tell you that?”

Ben looked confused. “No. I didn’t let her use my car.”

“Well, according to Carolanne, she drove off in it that night.”

“But my car was right where I’d left it when I got up in the morning, but Gina wasn’t there. That doesn’t make sense.”

Connor shook his head. “No. It doesn’t. Look, if there’s anything you’re not telling me, tell me now. I can’t help you if you’re not straight with me.”

“I know.”

“Was she ever at the artisan center that you know of?”

“Yes,” Ben said. “I took her with me one night. She helped me with some raking and cleanup. She was a good help, too.”

Connor winced.

“This doesn’t look good, does it? You’ve got to believe me. I’m a champ at self-destruction, but I’d never harm anyone else.”

“I know,” Connor said. “I believe you. No, it doesn’t look good, but I’m glad you’re telling me this. It could be important. The more I know, the more I can help.”

“I swear, Connor, I didn’t do anything to Gina. She’s a nice kid. I wouldn’t have called you if I’d done something wrong. You’ve got to believe me.”

“I do, Ben. Completely. But I don’t think I can keep this from Carolanne. Adams Grove is a small town. I don’t know how long it’ll stay quiet.”

“Here’s the thing. Carolanne knows about Gina being at my house. We talked about that, but I can’t ask her to fight this for me. It’s not fair. I’ve put that girl through too much already. It’s why I called you.”

“I’m not bailing you out yet. You sit tight in here.”

“Not like it’s the first time I’ve slept here.”

“I know, and I’m sure it’s not a pleasant memory, but we’re better off if you’re here with an airtight alibi. If there’s anything you can think of that might give us a clue as to what happened, get them to contact me. I’ll see what I can find out, and I’ll be back.”

Connor signaled for the deputy, who came in and led Ben out of the room.

Chapter Twenty-Four

It wasn’t unusual for Route 58 to be busy on a holiday weekend, but this Friday morning before Memorial Day, the little piece of it where the new Adams Grove Artisan Center sat was as busy as a beehive.

Carolanne could have walked to the artisan center from her new house, but expecting it to be a long day since she’d agreed to help Jill with the stats, she’d driven so she wouldn’t have to walk home in the dark. She pulled into the back lot and parked next to Jill’s car.

There was already a flurry of activity out front. Two news vans were setting up, and people were already starting to mingle in anticipation of the big event.

Carolanne went in through the back entrance and headed for the front counter to see how she could help. She stopped mid-stride as she realized a television crew was filming.

“This is Steffi Zimmer coming to you live from Adams Grove for the ribbon cutting and grand opening of the new Adams Grove Artisan Center. Stay tuned to News Channel 3 for the full report.”

“Got it,” said the cameraman.

They filmed one more bumper, and then Steffi, the field reporter from the CBS affiliate in Virginia Beach, waited for her cue from the morning show anchors for the ten-minutes-after-the-hour slot.

Carolanne waved to Jill, who stood to the left of the reporter, looking much more comfortable in her sundress than that poor Steffi Zimmer did in her business suit.

Outside, the temperature was already pushing record-breaking numbers for a May morning, and the air-conditioning was working overtime trying to cool the large building.

Carolanne resisted the temptation to run over and sweep away a little bead of sweat from Steffi’s temple before they started the interview with Jill.

One of the guys helping folks park walked by, looking sharp in his crisp brown uniform with the artisan center logo embroidered in white over the left pocket. The simple logo—a lowercase “a” with a capital “C” wrapped around—was a nice blend of art and simplicity that matched the architecture to the letter—in this case, “a.” Garrett had designed the building in the shape of a lowercase “a.” The part of the building that was the sweeping oval of the bottom gave visitors an endless loop of displays, and the top arch was where the apartment studios would be for the artists-in-residence program.

“How’s it going out there?” Jill asked.

“Glad we had the guys from the Ruritan Club come help with the parking. The front lot is full. We’re starting to park them in the grass.”

Milly stormed through the space like she owned the place. “Can you believe this turnout?”

Carolanne gave her a welcome hug. “I know. I’m so thrilled.”

Milly hitched her straw purse up on her elbow and held it tight to her body. “The old geezer out front tried to keep me from coming in. I told him I was family and nothing would keep me from
coming inside. I’m so happy for Jill.” Milly put an arm around Carolanne and gave her a quick squeeze. “Her grandmother would be proud of her today.”

Jill waved from across the room.

Milly waved back and then turned to Carolanne again. “Thank goodness that storm skirted us last night. If all of these cars were driving on soggy grass, they’d have ruined months of Ben’s landscaping.”

Garrett stepped up next to Milly. “Ben really turned these grounds into something impressive, didn’t he?”

“He did an amazing job,” Milly said. “Where is he, anyway?”

Carolanne looked around. “You know, I haven’t seen him, but then, I haven’t seen Connor yet this morning, either. It’s already so crowded it’s hard to track down anybody.”

“We won’t complain about that,” Garrett said. “Besides, Ben’s work is done for now. The place looks nicer than most golf courses. Everyone has commented on it. He deserves the chance to just enjoy the day.”

Nervous excitement built in the room as the seconds clicked off to airtime. Even though the Kase Foundation may have ended up being a big fat scam, Jill’s position there had garnered her valuable experience in handling the media, and that was coming in handy with all the attention the artisan center was getting. She looked cool as a rock star.

Just like someone had flipped a switch, Steffi Zimmer exploded into motion.

Steffi’s unexpected burst of energy caught Jill by surprise, causing her to hiccup.

Jill flashed a look of panic toward Carolanne and Garrett.

Can you believe this?
She mouthed the words, then slung her hand over her mouth as another hiccup escaped.

Garrett shrugged and turned away, then spun around, swept Jill into his arms, and planted a big kiss smack-dab on her lips.

When Garrett released her, Jill staggered back, blinking, but the hiccups seemed to be gone.

Carolanne gave him a high five. “Perfect timing.”

Jill stepped back in place next to Steffi, who hadn’t missed a beat.

“Steffi Zimmer coming to you live this morning from Adams Grove, Virginia, where later this morning they’ll begin the ribbon-cutting ceremony here at the Adams Grove Artisan Center. They’ve got an amazing schedule of festivities today.”

The cameraman widened the angle, and Steffi stepped closer to Jill.

Steffi continued. “I’ve got the founder, Jill Clemmons, right here with me.”

“Good morning. Thank you so much for joining us.”

Steffi focused on the camera. “Jill took us on a tour of the facility this morning. Let me tell you firsthand, this place is filled with amazing artwork from talented artists from all over the state. You can find everything from pottery, painting, photography, furniture to quilts and even one-of-a-kind handcrafted jewelry here. I’ve got my eye on a couple special pieces!” Steffi turned to Jill. “Words can’t do it justice. Let’s cut to some footage of our tour.”

Steffi held a finger to Jill, then put her hand to her ear, listening for the cues.

When Steffi burst back into character, Jill flinched, but thank goodness she didn’t get the hiccups this time.

“Before we wrap up and get ready for the big ceremony, Jenn and Greg, I just had to share this other piece of exciting news from Adams Grove this morning.” She waved to the cameraman. “Can you pan over here?”

Steffi moved to the side of an elegantly set table with a huge cake in the center. “Perfect. Can you see this cake?”

From the newsroom feed: “It’s huge!”

“Right, Jenn. Do you remember Mac Honeycutt from the Food Network cake show last fall?”

“Yes! He was my favorite contestant,” Jenn said. “I knew he was from Virginia, but not from so nearby.”

“Yep, from right here in Adams Grove. He made it all the way to the final three, but then his cake fell just a quarter of an inch short in the finale of the Extremely Amazing Monster-Size Celebration Cake Bake-Off. Well, no missteps today. We’ve measured this one. This creation is the full four feet of towering sugar inferno.”