Page 107 of Love What's Left
Janessa tilts her head. “Why do you think so?”
I point to a tiny spot on the letterL. “See the little bit of glue and how the letter looks slightly crooked? The black extends a bit too far? My senior year, someone thought it would be funny to steal it out of my locker and put it on the gym basketball hoop as a prank. When I got it back, the embroidered letter took a little damage. I glued it down with Gorilla Glue, and I used a black fabric marker to try to blend it, but it was never perfect. What do you see on thatL?”
Bronwyn covers her mouth. “This doesn’t make sense. If they found your hat, why wouldn’t they say so? It’s evidence.”
“Because Rob or Amelia were part of it,” I say.
“Then why give your hat back at all? That would be stupid,” Janessa says.
“I don’t know.”
“If you say you’re sure about this, I’ll believe you, but you’ve been . . . confused . . . a lot lately,” Bronwyn says.
Am Isure?I inspect the hat closer. Turn it over and upside down, then point to a slightly skewed yellow rivet. “I’m sure.”
“Could Amelia be the woman you remembered?” Janessa asks.
I nod slowly. “I don’t remember what she looked like except the eye color. A lot of people have brown eyes. I do. You do. But if it was Amelia, she has some brass balls to be in constant contact with me and show up at my birthday party.”
“We have to tell Gabriel and let security know.” Bronwyn rises and looks toward her parents.
I take her hand in mine, pulling her attention back to me. “Nothing has to happen this second. I want to think about this a little more. If Amelia and Rob had something to do with it, they’ll still be there tomorrow. Don’t ruin the party. You and Charlotte went to too much effort. I’ll tell Gabriel when he comes back with my drink, and we’ll tell everyone else about it after we have cake. Then we’ll figure out what comes next.”
Janessa’s mouth drops. “What comes next is that you call the cops. Right now.”
“Contact the authorities in two hours or right now. It doesn’t matter. Rob and Amelia aren’t going anywhere, and if they were part of it, it might work out better to nose around first without them knowing we’re doing it.”
Janessa straightens. “Okay.”
I rise. “I’m heading inside to grab a drink. Someone must have waylaid my husband to talk.” He’s been gone for nearly half an hour. I push the instant anxiety away. We’re at a family party, surrounded by people who care about us, and I sure don’t need him to wait on me.
I enter the kitchen on my own a few minutes later and snag a regular bottle of water from the fridge. Dean enters carrying his youngest son in one arm.
“You probably want to find Bronwyn,” I say.
The big man’s hazel eyes sharpen. “Something wrong?” he asks, his Virginia accent slight, but unmistakable.
“There’s no emergency. She’ll tell you.”
Before he makes it to the door, I call after him, “Have you seen Gabriel?”
Dean shakes his dark head, threads of steel evident at his temples and in the scruff on his jaw. “Not since he was outside with you.”
I can’t traipse through my in-laws’ house looking for him. The mansion is huge, with an indoor pool and tennis court, a wing for live-in staff, and a wine cellar. The last thought pulls me up short when I picture my husband in the last set of rooms, then I brush off the twinge of paranoia. Those kinds of thoughts aren’t based on who Gabriel is, but who I am.
I fire off a text.
Me: Hey! Wondering where you went. I’m going to blow out the candles soon.
No response. Maybe he left through another door and has already returned to the back patio.
The moment I step foot outside, Charlotte wraps her arm around my waist and ushers me toward the table with a chocolate layer cake on it.
She waves her hands to encourage everyone to move closer. “It’s time to sing to the birthday girl.”
Responding to Charlotte’s announcement, the crowd approaches the general area of the table, Bronwyn’s oldest kids near the front.
Warmth floods through me, but I turn back hesitantly. “You really don’t need to do this. The party is more than enough.”
