by Vicki Hinze
Knowing an exit line when she heard one, Lisa passed Mandy her bouquet. “You’re very welcome.” She motioned to Charles Travest to rejoin them. “It’s time.”
People packed the little church, filling both sides of the aisle.
Tim would appreciate that kindness. He stood near the minister, scanning their guests’ faces. Judging by his body language, he recognized most of them. Mark stood to his right, his best man, and he was smiling. Tim appeared serious. Happy, but worried.
Mandy’s stomach fluttered and tears threatened. The church looked stunning, decorated simply and elegantly, just as she’d hoped. Prisms of sunlight streaked in through the stained glass windows and cast rainbows throughout. Knowing the promise they carried left her breathless.
Tim smiled at her.
The music shifted from a prelude to The Wedding March.
Everyone stood up. Charles Travest looped their arms and they began the walk down the aisle.
When Mandy passed her, Annie sniffled.
Nora elbowed her.
Benjamin Brandt and his wife Kelly smiled, Kelly patting their infant daughter gently on the back. She had a purple ribbon in her hair in Mandy’s honor. When Mandy had met Kelly at the shower, she’d been amazed at how much she looked like the center’s founder, Susan. Tim had warned her to prepare for that. But within hours, Mandy wondered how she’d ever thought they strongly resembled. Kelly was so unique and vibrant.
The music caught Mandy’s ear.
Her mother’s extra note.
She stumbled.
Her father looked over, silently asking if she was okay.
“I’m fine.” She surreptitiously glanced at the organist. Didn’t recognize her. Had she really heard that note, or was her mind playing tricks on her? She had been wishing hard her mother could be here for the wedding . . .
Mandy kept moving, kept walking toward Tim. He looked so handsome, so strong and trustworthy and . . . genuinely happy. That beloved twinkle she’d seen in his eyes the first time he’d looked at her greeted her now. How she loved that twinkle. He had to still love her. Certainty fueled her steps. Fifty years from now, that twinkle would still be there. That twinkle, and a lifetime of memories.
The chorus came again. She listened intently. Waited. Her stomach in knots, her hands clammy beneath her gloves, her heart pounding.
And she heard the note. Again. Her mother’s note.
It’s my signature note, darling . . .
Mandy didn’t dare to glance at the organist. Didn’t dare. The woman didn’t look remotely like her mother, but she had to be. Had to be. No one else knew that note.
She was alive. Alive and here to see her daughter marry Tim. After Jackal’s warning, she had to be terrified, but still she’d come. How had she faked her own death? Why?
Surely she hadn’t anticipated all that had happened. The events had to be because of NINA. Something it did or wanted to do. But why her?
Thirty million reasons…
Was her mother one of them? Could that truly be possible?
Her father stopped at the front of the church. “Good luck to you, Mandy.”
“And to you.” She stepped away from him and clasped Tim’s outstretched hand.
He lifted her veil, and smiled.
Would he love her if he knew about her mother? Would he smile then? Look at her with that beloved twinkle in his eyes?
She had to know—and to give him what neither of her parents had ever given to her. The truth. Dropping her voice to a whisper only he would hear, she offered it to him, praying he didn’t hate her for it. “When they open the grave, it’s going to be empty.”
Confusion burned in his eyes. “What?”
Regrettable, to have to have this conversation at the altar, but they had no choice. She had to be honest with him. She’d promised, no secrets. “My mother’s grave. They won’t be able to exhume her body. It’s empty.”
“I know.” His confusion didn’t clear. “We just heard. But how did you know?”
Don’t push. Take a chance on your heart, Mandy. Have faith in him, and in yourself.
“I’ll tell you after.” She looked up at him. “Right now, we’re a little busy.”
A resigned expression flitted across his face and then returned and stayed. “You know that the woman who made the transaction on the money appeared to be her.”
She nodded.
“You also know NINA is here.”
Boy, did she. “Jackal?” Oh, how she hoped only her father was a NINA insider.
“And Phoenix.”
“Who’s Phoenix?” Her heart thudded, seemingly dropped into her stomach and dumped acid.
“Jackal’s boss,” he whispered. “We’re not sure if it’s a man or a woman.”
Jackal’s boss? Mandy stilled. Glanced at the organist. His boss?
“Excuse me.” The minister interrupted, clearly out of sorts at their choosing now to have a private conversation. “Are you ready to proceed?”
“Sorry,” Tim told him. “I’m ready.” He swept his gaze to her. “Are you ready to marry me, Mandy?”
Her mother? Could she be NINA’s Phoenix? Charles Travest’s boss? Now that was rich. Extremely unlikely, but rich. Her mother was a recluse, not a likely candidate for a covert operative. Some kind of cover? No. No way. She had many abilities and skills, but not those kind of abilities or skills.
Thirty million can buy a lot of skills—and nobody pays thirty million to anyone without a lot of skills and abilities.
Mandy squeezed Tim’s hand until he looked at her. “Will you love me, no matter what?”
Tim didn’t hesitate. “Until my last breath.”
Mandy studied his eyes. If her mother was Phoenix, he’d breathe a lot longer. She’d do everything possible to protect them both from NINA. Rather than not marrying him to keep him safe, now she had to marry him to keep him safe. And to pray he didn’t come to hate her. The line between love and hate could be thin. Razor thin.
Either way, she had only one choice. She nodded at the minister. “I’m ready.”
“Ah, good.” He looked beyond them and his voice rang out loud and clear. “Dearly beloved . . .”
Chapter 11
The ceremony went perfectly.
When leaving the Sanctuary arm in arm with Tim, Mandy slowed her steps. Nora looked immensely relieved and Annie Harper stood dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. That they cared so much touched Mandy.
In the Narthex, she paused beside her new husband and accepted well wishes from their guests. The guys seemed sincerely delighted and surprised her, hugging her as enthusiastically as they did Tim. Never in her life had she felt so much a part of a group. They knew her worst, and yet they had accepted her into their circle, their lives, and into their hearts.
A lump rose in her throat and stayed.
“You okay?” Tim whispered close to her ear.
“Moved. These people awe me.”
“I know what you mean. They still awe me. It’s humbling, isn’t it?”
She nodded, spotting her father approaching them. Something was wrong. Not wrong, but off. Odd. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly what, but recalling Lisa’s warning to stay on her toes, she couldn’t let go of her certainty either, and studied him closely.
“Congratulations,” he said to them both, then focused on her. “Mandy, I’m afraid I won’t be able to stay for the reception.”
His teeth. The hair on the back of her neck lifted. How had she missed that when they’d talked earlier? “I’m so sorry to hear that.” It took effort, but she kept her tone steady, cordial yet formal, appropriate for speaking to a stranger. “Thank you for coming.”
The veins in his neck swelled, proving he wasn’t accustomed to and didn’t appreciate being summarily dismissed. Reaching into his inner suit pocket, he pulled out an envelope. “I want you and Tim to have this.”
She considered refusing it. She didn’t want anything from him. But good sense insisted she take
it. It galled her, but she accepted the extended white linen envelope with her gloved hand. “Thank you.”
He paused, as if uncertain what else to say, then finally added, “You look so like your mother today.”
She braced for the bite those words summoned. Twice, he’d done this—on her wedding day. He would never see her for herself. She waited and waited, but for the first time in her life, the bite didn’t come. An annoying sting pricked at her. Mildly irritating, but nothing more. Nora had been so right. There was wisdom in truth. Even the truths that hurt empowered.
Yet, another reason his words couldn’t cut to her bone surfaced. If not for her father, her mother likely would have been here as herself—if this series of events and her marriage had still somehow come about. It was unlikely that it would have. It seemed far more likely that Mandy would have gone on doing what she had done, avoiding Tim to protect him.
Stop it, Mandy. Don’t go there. There’ll be time for processing all that’s happened, but not today. Today, count your blessings. She’s alive. This man can’t hurt you like in the past. You and Tim are married and together. Celebrate that. Be happy.
She gave herself a mental shake, then lifted her chin and looked him in the eye. “Have a safe trip home.”
Accepting that their conversation was over, he nodded then turned and walked out the front door.
As it closed behind him, Mandy breathed easier and noted that the guys had all positioned themselves close to her and Tim. “They’re protecting you,” she whispered to him, uncertain he’d noticed the touching gesture. “How lucky you are to have them.”
“I am. But they’re protecting you, not me.” Tim mumbled low and deep. “They’re determined that you have a perfect wedding with good memories. If he’d done or said anything to wreck it . . .”
Protected. She let the alien feeling spread through her. Liking it, she warmed and smiled. And she regretted her suspicions about her mother. What the explanation for the money was, she had no idea. But there had to be one. Her mother couldn’t be a part of NINA. It went against the values and ethics she’d taught Mandy from the cradle. “Is that what you want, too? A perfect day for me, or for us?”
“We are us now.” He smiled. “But okay, I’ll admit it. Mostly for you, because I know what it cost you to lose what we had. I’m enjoying the day, too. I’ll enjoy it more now.” The crackle in his tone warned her he’d expected trouble from Charles Travest and Tim was relieved the potential for it had passed with his departure.
Well, he was mostly right about that. She hated to shatter the illusion, but had no choice. “Can you use that throat radio thing to get an evidence bag over here?” She wagged a fingertip in the general direction of his mic.
“What for?”
“This.” She held up the envelope, pinched between her forefinger and thumb.
“Why?”
“To run prints on it.”
“We have Charles Travest’s prints.”
Oh, but she hated to ruin their reception and his perfect day. Unfortunately, it was necessary. “I’m afraid that we still need these prints.”
He sobered. “Why?”
“Because the man who was here was not Charles Travest.”
“How do you know that?”
Sam, Joe and Mark overheard that comment and circled her, Mark mumbling into his mic for Jeff to keep a tail on Travest. “If he sneezes, we need to know it. Priority One.”
Mark frowned. “What do you mean, Mandy?”
“It wasn’t him.” That was as blunt and clear as she could get.
“Who was he?” Sam asked.
“Give her a minute,” Joe said, sliding a worried glance at Tim.
His frown matched Mark’s. “Spill it, Mandy.”
“I don’t know who he is. That’s why we need to run the prints.”
Tim sobered, his full focus shifting from the personal to the professional. “Why do think he wasn’t your father?”
“I don’t think he wasn’t, Tim. I know he wasn’t.” Her neck warmed and her face heated. “In the bridal chamber earlier, we spoke. I told him to leave right after the ceremony and not to start anything with any of you. That he wasn’t armed, but I was.” Her face grew hotter.
Tim’s eyes stretched wide. “You threatened him?”
Well, great. He hadn’t known it, but he did now. “Not exactly. Well, I guess I did, but the point is that the real Charles Travest would have taken exception. He would have stayed for the reception just to show me he could.”
Joe shrugged. “Maybe he didn’t want to ruin your wedding day.”
“Unlikely,” she countered. “He’s been perfectly content ruining my life.”
“I can’t believe no one told me you had to threaten him.” Tim looked from man to man, clearly seeking an explanation.
Sam grunted. “Seemed appropriate to me. Natural, too.”
Mark and Joe mumbled their agreement.
“What’s the problem, buddy?” Sam shrugged. “The woman needed some privacy. She didn’t tell Travest a thing we all ain’t been thinking.”
Tim accepted an evidence bag from Sam, held it open, then motioned for Mandy to drop the envelope into it. “What alerted you that he wasn’t your father? His eyes? Voice? What specifically gave him away?”
“You know me so well.” She smiled, loving the comfort she felt in that. “His teeth.” She pointed to her lower front teeth. “No gap between them. My father’s have a gap.”
Tim’s eyes gleamed. “Observant.”
“I didn’t trust him not to come here and try to kill you.” She frowned. “Definitely observant. Working hard at it, but I should have caught it in the chamber before the wedding and I didn’t. I only noticed the missing gap in his teeth when he was walking toward us here and he smiled at Nora.”
“Maybe he’s your father’s brother or something?” Mark speculated.
“No brother. A mask.” She cocked her head, saw Lisa motioning to Mark to join her. “A very good mask.”
“So what do you think he’s doing?” Mark held up a finger for Lisa to wait a second.
“My guess is he expected trouble. He either suspects or knows we’re aware of his other identity.” She avoided saying Jackal out in the open for anyone outside their circle to overhear.
“He said we knew it, in the bridal chamber when they talked,” Joe told Tim.
“What did you say to that?” Tim asked Mandy.
“Something about him being a vulture. I played stupid about . . . you know. Like I’d never heard it before.”
“She came across great,” Mark said. “Like a pro.”
“My father wanted to do what he’s always done. Keep himself safe.” She brushed a fingertip to Tim’s jaw. “He sent in a sub, but I bet he’s close, watching everything here like he did at my mother’s funeral.”
Tim frowned. “You told me he wasn’t there.”
“He wasn’t. But he was close by. Maybe across the cemetery, on the other side of the lake, or in the woods that abut it. I don’t know exactly where he was, but he was close. Slinking around like some slug instead of paying proper respects to my mother. I’ll never forgive him for that.”
Still puzzled, Tim prodded. “You obviously didn’t see him, so how do you know he was close?”
“I told you. I felt him there, hiding in the shadows, protecting himself, ignoring his responsibilities to us yet again. A decent man would have stood with his daughter at her mother’s grave. But he didn’t. He couldn’t risk being seen by anyone, so he stayed in the shadows and hid like a coward.”
Tim repeated her. “You felt him there.”
“Yes.” She countered his skeptical look. “It’s like when you walk into your house and you know it’s empty. Or you sense someone following you. Don’t tell me you don’t get instinctive nudges. Not in your job. I won’t believe you.”
“I get them.” Tim motioned to Sam. “Run these prints and get someone to tag Travest.”
“Alr
eady tailing . . . whoever the guy is.” Sam took the evidence bag. “So he’s definitely not Travest.” Sam looked to Tim.
“No.”
Mandy didn’t much care for Sam questioning her judgment, but she let it slide. This was too significant and too high-risk for ego to get into anyone’s way.
Joe rubbed at his neck. “Could be Phoenix posing as Travest.”
“No,” Mark countered. “My gut says Mandy’s nailed it. Whoever he is, Travest hired him to cover his sixes. He expected trouble here.”
Nora came over, lifted a staying hand. “Enough business, boys. No blood shed in my church and everyone lived, so let’s be grateful and get moving. Tim, your limo is out front. You and Mandy need to get on over to the reception before my food’s ruined.” She turned to go.
“Nora, wait.” Mandy touched Nora’s arm. When she paused, Mandy impulsively hugged her. “Thank you for everything. You and Annie awe me. This wedding has been perfect.”
Nora grinned. Her bright red lipstick smeared on her front teeth. “It ain’t the wedding that’s perfect, dearie. It’s the love.”
Mandy’s stomach quivered. “I’m counting on that.”
Seeing the organist in the hallway near the bridal chamber, Mandy told Tim, “I’ll meet you right here in five minutes.”
“Where are you going?”
“Ladies room.” She headed down the hallway, then pushed open the door . . . and saw the organist, Viviana Hayes, standing inside, waiting for her. Caution swelled in Mandy. “Thank you for stepping in last minute.”
“It’s a hard time of year to get the flu. Comes on so quickly, you know?”
“Mmm.” Mandy looked right into her eyes. “Your playing is . . . unique.”
The woman smiled.
The eyes. The voice. The smile. Definitely her mother. Mandy moved from stall to stall. “Alone?” She mouthed the word.
Her mother nodded. “I knew you’d recognize the note. I saw the moment you did. Your step faltered.”
“It did.” Mandy held her breath, afraid she’d sob. She covered the pearl to mute their voices so whoever was listening wouldn’t hear. When the rush of relief that her mother was alive passed, she added, “I’m so glad you aren’t dead.”
