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Emma allowed herself to get lost in the music and the moment. It disappointed her when the music stopped, and she stepped out of Travis's arms. But he pulled her back and smiled, giving a nod toward his right.
"We can enjoy another song; we've got reinforcements." Emma followed his gaze and saw that Jake and Kim had joined them. Quite a few people had meandered out of the house and started dancing to the Christmas music. Emma allowed herself to relax and enjoy the dance. As it finished, Jake motioned for them to join them at the edge of the dance floor. Travis looked down at Emma and nodded.
"It looks like the show is about to begin."
When they reached Jake and Kim, Kim grabbed Emma's hand and pulled her close so she wouldn't be overheard.
"I just got a message from Sean. They're going to escort Nancy out into the main room where Midge is going to make her speech."
"It seems like Sean's pushing up the schedule, but he must have a reason. Wendy and Joe are the two I am most concerned about; we need to keep an eye on them," Emma answered.
"Kim and I can wander over and keep an eye on Wendy. Let's see how she reacts when she sees Nancy," Jake suggested.
"Perfect. Travis and I will watch Joe. I guess we better make our way into the great room. I hear Midge talking now."
Moving quickly but discreetly, the two couples made their way into the main room, positioning themselves so they were standing on either side of the tree, facing the crowd. Travis gave his mother a wink, letting her know they had everything under control. She turned from looking at the tree to face her friends, who were waiting for her to speak. After welcoming family, friends, and company associates, Midge gave special thanks to several people and was getting into full swing of her speech when Sean came into the room from the hallway, Nancy at his side.
Midge paused for a moment and gave Nancy a warm smile. Then she continued speaking. But her pause was enough for some people to take notice and they turned in the direction where she had smiled. The whispers began quickly, and Emma watched the reactions of both suspects and guests.
"Here we go," she whispered to Travis.
Several guests seemed taken aback to find Sean in uniform. Those who knew about Nancy's arrest stared at the young woman.
From the corner of her eye, Emma saw Wendy start toward Nancy and nodded with approval when Kim and Jake followed her, ready to intercept if needed.
"They have Wendy covered. Focus on Joe," Travis advised with a slight nod in the man's direction.
Emma turned her attention toward the man in the tuxedo who didn't fit in, even though he had been trying hard to. Joe's mouth hung slightly open, and he was ignoring the conversation of the two men next to him. The same two men he had earlier tried to make an impression on. Without an apology, he stepped away from the two men and started toward Nancy and Sean.
As this was going on, Midge continued to speak. She was now getting ready to open the box with the new ornament to present to her guests.
"I'm sure you've noticed this evening, that our company is going in a slightly different direction and, thanks to the artistic abilities of Emma Cassidy, we have a new campaign to run with. And our new ornament will fit right in with it. I'm sure we will soon find our missing ones, but in the meantime, we are going forward. And this beautiful ornament that our dear friend Oswald found for us will be the start of our company taking a new direction."
With a flourish, Midge removed the top of the box and gasped in dismay. Reaching into the box with two fingers, she gingerly lifted the ugliest Christmas ornament Emma had ever seen. This was no Tiffany diamond studded ornament. Instead, Midge held a gaudy hot pink ball scattered with glitter.
There was immediate pandemonium as everybody began asking questions. Travis left Emma's side to comfort his mother, and Sean rushed forward, leaving Nancy on her own. Jake and Kim picked up their pace and arrived next to Nancy at the same time Joe did. Emma noticed Wendy looking around her confused, not sure what to do. Then it seemed her family loyalty won out and she rushed forward to comfort her aunt.
While everybody's attention was on Midge and her family, Emma slipped through the crowd, intent on making her way to hear what Joe had to say. He was upset with Nancy and wasn't bothering to keep his voice down. Thankfully, nobody was paying attention to him. They were more concerned with the activity by the tree.
"What are you doing here? I thought the police had pinned the robbery on you," Joe screamed at the gardener. But for once Nancy stood up for herself. And although she didn't raise her voice, Emma heard her words.
"Was that your whole plan, Joe? Pin some robbery on me and then get away scot-free while I sit in jail?"
Joe put his hands up in the air as if to silence Nancy, but she was having none of it.
"Who helped you? There's no way you could've done this on your own. Frankly, you're not smart enough."
As Emma overheard Nancy's words, she realized the young girl was correct. Joe just wasn't smart enough to pull off this magnitude of a crime by himself. He had to have help, and it had to have been somebody within the Anderson household.
Emma tore her attention away from the two next to Kim and Jake and searched the room, wondering who his cohort would be. She saw Wendy with her arm around her aunt giving her comfort, and for the first time realized Wendy couldn't be a suspect. The woman had flaws, and she was selfish, but she also valued her family and their position. She would never do something that would put that in jeopardy.
"Then who?" Emma said the words out loud as she scanned the room. One of the side doors caught her attention as it opened, and she wondered who would leave in the middle of all the drama. Emma waved to Jake, pointing to the door, and started to weave her way through the crowd to get to it. Jake and Kim would take care of Joe and Nancy, but she needed to see who was trying to make an escape.
There were still plenty of guests wandering around the lawns, not aware of the drama that was going on inside. It took a moment for Emma to locate the fleeing figure, and when she did, she felt like slapping herself for not having thought more seriously about this person as a suspect.