To keep Benning Brothers afloat, I responded to as many landscape architecture RFPs and Requests for Quotation (RFQ) as possible. I guess you could say I was too busy minding my p’s and q’s to worry about the helplessness I felt in every area of my life. Coupled with managing all our existing projects, I didn’t have a whole lot of time left over to wallow. Throwing myself into my job worked at keeping me sane for the moment. The suspicions swirling around my father’s untimely death and Milo’s disappearance were soul-sucking—that they occurred within two weeks of each other was a one-two punch that had left me down for the count. I struggled to regain my emotional equilibrium. I didn’t know who to believe, or who to trust.
Therapy twice a week helped. My therapist’s main message was that tough times never lasted, tough people did. Ashley was the best, as usual, putting up with all my endless conversations when I rehashed everything over and over again. I didn’t know what I would have done without her support.
I was wrapping up for the night at the office and making a to-do list for the next day when Ashley called.
I hit Accept. “Speak of the devil!”
“What? Who’s talking about me?”
I laughed. “No one. But I was thinking about you and all you’ve done for me lately. I’m so grateful to have you as a friend, Ash. I don’t thank you often enough, so . . . thank you!”
“Aw, you’re so sweet. I know you’d do the same for me. I was calling to see if you wanted to grab a bite tonight? A new kebab place opened at Olive Branch Mall.”
“I was planning to work out.”
“Of course you were. When you’re not working, you’re working out. Ironic much? Like you need to lose any more weight. I can’t see you anymore when you turn sideways. You need a good square meal.”
“I eat.”
“Girl, you’re going to disappear, too, if you keep it up.”
I could almost feel her cringe over the phone.
“I’m so sorry, Tory. I wasn’t thinking.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
She cleared her throat. “Have you heard from Adrian lately?”
“No new leads as far as I know. They’re still analyzing evidence and waiting on phone and credit card records. Everything takes so long.”
“Apparently. I thought if you had any news you could fill me in over dinner.”
“No news. Sorry. But I’d think you’d hear it yourself from Adrian, no?”
“Um, no. We’ve both been busy with work. You know how that goes. No white car sightings either, I hope?”
I hesitated. “Not really.”
“What the heck does that mean? Someone is still following you? Did you tell Adrian?”
“Every now and then I think I spot a white car behind me. Then it’s gone and I don’t know whether it was ever really there or not.”
“Great. Please, Tory, tell Adrian so he’s aware.”
“Okay. I will.” To be honest, I doubted my own sanity sometimes. Was I being overly paranoid when I thought I was being followed? Or too cavalier when I dismissed it? We were working on moderating my mood swings in therapy.
Ashley quickly regrouped. “Okay. I get the message. You’d rather spend your time with that new boyfriend of yours instead of me. What’s his name again? Oh that’s right. Gym.”
I groaned.
“Too soon?”
“No. I’m fine.”
I worked out each night at the local fitness club because it was the only activity guaranteed to make me feel better on every level. For at least an hour every day, after turning my iPod volume high and hopping on the treadmill, I could zone out and be carefree and forget about my problems. Cardio was my therapy.
While time had eased the initial shock of Milo’s disappearance and probable death, even though I’d stopped the bleeding, my wounds were still fresh and my emotions raw. I wasn’t going to lie, in my weaker moments, or when the charge ran out on my iPod, ugly doubt seeped into my thoughts. Did Milo only marry me for some nefarious scheme to, at some later date, come back and take my money? Why did I agree to marry someone after only knowing him for such a short time? Was Milo really a victim of foul play or did he stage the whole thing, like Gone Girl, only in reverse, Gone Guy? But then a good night’s sleep restored me and I got a grip and came to my senses. In my heart of hearts, I knew our love had been real. And I knew in my gut he was really gone forever, as in dead. But on one level, I’d wished we’d found his body so I would know for sure. Overwhelming guilt filled my being every time that thought popped into my head.
Ashley let out a loud breath. “You don’t sound fine. You need to get out once in a while. I’m starting to get hearing issues from spending so much time on the phone with you. Next thing we know you’ll have thirty cats. I know working out is therapeutic—you have to take care of number one first and foremost. But you have to take care of business too.”
“Uh-huh.” I knew where she was going with this. Taking care of business was Ashley’s code for filing for divorce. Every conversation I’d had with Ashley sooner or later ended with her urging me to file.
She sighed. “Without a body, we can’t know for sure what happened. No one knows whether he’s pushing up daisies or coming back or what happened to him. Maybe he had a girlfriend on the side. We don’t know whether that person in the surveillance video was male or female. You see where I’m going with this?”
“I see where you’re going. If you’re trying to make me feel better, this is not helping. This makes it seem like he’s still alive. And he’s not . . .”
“Sorry, Tory. As your lawyer and friend, I’m just trying to protect you and your assets. Ninety-nine percent, he met with foul play. But in the one percent chance he didn’t meet with foul play, you want to protect your assets and limit your liability. Have you given any more thought to filing?”
Up until now, I’d dragged my feet and refused to file for an annulment or divorce until I knew what had happened to Milo. Plus, given the state of Benning Brothers’ current finances, whose money woes I hadn’t even shared with Ashley, out of respect for Uncle Bob, if we didn’t figure out a way to avoid bankruptcy, there might not be any family fortune left to worry about protecting.
Ashley responded to my lack of response with a frustrated sigh. “Okay, I don’t know how to tell you this gently, Tory, so I’ll just say it. Milo once hit on me, but I shut him down. It wasn’t a big deal. But still. I don’t think you knew him long enough to really know him that well.”
“Again, if this is supposed to make me feel better, it’s not.” I didn’t know whether or not to believe her. Ashley wasn’t a liar, but she was a lawyer. She’d always been notorious for her love of debate, never passing up an opportunity to negotiate and persuade everything and everybody. Sometimes, when she got carried away, she even exaggerated to make her point. I’d never pegged Milo as a cheater, but given all the unpleasant surprises I’d experienced lately, I wasn’t as confident in my own judgment as I used to be.
“I’m just sayin’.”
“Okay, you win. You’ve worn me down. I’ll file for legal separation. Baby steps. I know it’s for my own good.”
“Thank you! I’ll get the paperwork to you first thing in the morning. Two pages, fill in the blanks, and boom, you’re protected.”
“I know you’re right. I need to move on. Happy now?”
“Not quite. If you really want to move on, you’ve got to put yourself out there. Come with me Friday night to the Halloween Firefighters Fundraiser at the Hotel Santa Sofia. My plus-one flaked on me.”
“Adrian flaked?”
“Yep. He claims he regards it as a work function so he can’t go with a date. I think he’s playing hard to get. But I’ll show him.”
“Aren’t you overreacting a tad? Adrian has never been a game player. If he said it’s because of work, it is. Don’t take it personally. I think he really likes you.”
“Whatever. I don’t need any more flaky guys. I want to get someone who cares about the world and thinks about other people, not just their own pitiful, narcissistic self. What I need is one of those fine firefighters.”
“You realize that description matches Adrian too, don’t you?”
“Whatever.”
I chuckled. “And you do know it’s not a singles mixer, right?”
“Whatever.”
I hadn’t been back to the Hotel Santa Sofia since I found Milo’s car in the gardening shed. The thought of returning filled me with dread. But I was already feeling guilty for not planning to attend my own company’s fundraiser for an extremely worthy cause, our local firefighters’ emergency fund that benefited fire victims. In the recent Olive Branch Fire, firefighters had risked their lives knocking on doors warning residents to evacuate when the wind had changed abruptly. Several homes in the hills were lost that night and the fire had burned down to the parking lot of the Olive Branch Mall. A smaller fire had even threatened the grounds of the Hotel Santa Sofia. The Santa Sofia Fire Department had prevented bigger disasters in both cases, but that wasn’t much consolation to the victims who lost their homes, especially when it was revealed both fires were the work of a yet-to-be-apprehended arsonist.
In addition to Benning Brothers donating trees to reforest the burn sites, we cosponsored the fundraiser with the Hotel Santa Sofia. Our participation was not only charitable, it was good PR, a commodity we desperately needed right now, given all the takeover rumors that had somehow been leaked in landscape architecture circles, according to Uncle Bob. I also feared my absence might suggest I was out of commission due to Milo’s disappearance, a perception our company couldn’t afford. I felt obligated to show everyone I was able to conduct business. We still hadn’t heard about our entry for the Hotel Santa Sofia’s new condominium project up the coast. The winning bid would be announced soon, according to the latest email from Hotel Santa Sofia Properties. Showing up to schmooze could only help our chance of getting the job.
Agreeing to fill Ashley’s need for a buddy to pal around with while she flirted with all the hunky firefighters in attendance was the least I could do to repay her for all the kindness she’d extended to me. I felt I owed her a favor since she’d listened to all my problems nonstop during the past few weeks. I needed to pull on my big girl panties and face the world again. I didn’t have to stay long. I planned on making an appearance and leaving early.
• • •
When Friday evening rolled around, I was at my computer, focused on selecting a planting palette for a downtown plaza and putting the finishing touches on my AutoCAD drawing, applying hatching, a shading technique drawn with close parallel lines, to the flower beds. I’d lost all track of time. When I glanced at my phone and saw it was already seven, the time the event started, I packed up and locked up my office. Our offices were located in a one-story, designated-historical adobe building on Manzanita Street. I waved to our nursery manager, Jed Barnes, who was locking up the gates of our nursery and garden shop across the street, as I hurried to the parking lot in back of our building. Benning Brothers was at the opposite end of town from the Hotel Santa Sofia. At this hour, I figured there’d be light traffic and the trip would only take about ten minutes.
I jumped in my car and zipped down the Avenue, making good time until I approached the railroad tracks that cut through the center of town. The crossing lights flashed red, the bells dinged, and the barrier arms lowered. I was stuck. A freight train lumbered by, boxcars extending forever. I texted Ashley to let her know I was held up.
A few moments later she responded, I just got here. Hurry up.
At the hotel, I splurged on valet parking since the self-park lots would be full. The shortest route to the Hidden Garden fundraiser would be through the Secret Maze. I hesitated, paralyzed with fear as a host of horrible images rose in my consciousness—the smashed phone, the bloodstained rock, and the mud. My therapist had told me that my old associations needed to be replaced by new ones. I imagined myself a Mylar balloon floating through the maze, impervious to anything bringing me down, my buoyancy rising above dark memories. I took a deep breath and plunged into the Secret Maze, repeating my therapist’s words, “The best way out is through.”
Again, the mud and gravel path played havoc with my heels. Stay in the moment. Be mindful of now. As I wound my way around the twists and turns, raised male and female voices echoed from somewhere else within the maze’s lofty, dense hedges. I paused, turning in the direction of the voices, straining to hear what they were saying, but their words sounded muffled. I turned quickly to resume my trek and my foot slipped out of my right shoe. I wiggled my foot back into its three-inch-heeled shoe. Despite the darkness, I didn’t need a floodlight to immediately recognize I had a problem. I’d broken my heel. It’d snapped off like the bottom of an asparagus stalk. A few choice swear words escaped before I decided to keep my shoes on anyway and tough it out till I caught up with Ashley.
The party noises grew louder as I hobbled toward the exit like a peg-legged pirate. At last I exited the maze and entered the Hidden Garden.
Making it through the maze with my only casualty being a broken heel filled me with pride. The journey had been short, measured by physical steps, but long in emotional gains. I felt like I could stand taller now having faced my fears. As I hung out at the entrance to the Hidden Garden and scanned the festivities, a man’s deep voice from the maze behind me suddenly got louder.
I spun around to see a man with his head down and a phone to his ear rushing straight for me. Surrounded by thick hedges on both sides, I had nowhere to go but back. I stepped back and shouted a heads-up, “Hey!”
He whipped his head up but not soon enough to avoid crashing into me, each of us grabbing each other’s arms to prevent a head-on collision. When our eyes met, for a moment my heart fluttered. He’s gorgeous! He apologized brusquely and continued on his way, his mind clearly on his phone conversation more than his physical surroundings. Given his muscular build and rugged good looks, I assumed he must be one of the firefighters being honored. No wonder they fought fires. They were pretty hot themselves. Ashley would be thrilled if there were more firefighters like him in attendance. I wondered if it had been his voice I’d heard in the maze earlier.
I looked around and summoned my extravert self to help out her introvert sister to mingle as I took in the scene in front of me. The Hidden Garden was packed with noisy revelers mingling beneath strings of jack-o’-lantern lights and fake cobwebs suspended from tree branches, festive decorations for the Halloween season upon us.
Of course, Ashley was nowhere to be found. Probably checking out all the hot firefighters before launching her speed-dating version of working the crowd. I spied some familiar faces. Hard not to anytime you attended an event in Santa Sofia. Adrian was engaged in an animated conversation across the lawn with a couple of fellow cops and gave me a wave when he caught my eye. My maternal aunt, Marian Wall, the Santa Sofia head librarian and town gossip, was holding court with a few of her friends, among them Uncle Bob and my aunt Veronica. Her back was turned to me, but I’d recognize her silver bun anywhere. Judging by everyone’s smiles, Jed Barnes, our longtime nursery manager, appeared to be entertaining a small circle of fellow employees, among them our secretary, Raquel Okada, and receptionist, Claudette Dunbar. Philip, his hair loose and unbound from his workaday man-bun, who chatted to some people I didn’t recognize, raised his arms in delight when our gazes met and he immediately headed toward me.
“So nice to see you, my darling. How are you?” He surveyed my hair with a disapproving eye. “You should have called me. I’d have done your hair.”
I’d swept my locks up into a messy updo because I was overdue for a shampoo. The gym played havoc with my beauty regimen. “I know. I would have, but I’ve been so busy at work.”
He bubbled with conspiratorial delight as he leaned in and whispered in my ear, “OMG have you ever seen so many hot men?” Out of habit, Philip arranged a few stray strands of my hair. “Come join me for a drink and then you can tell me all about what’s going on with your shoe.”
“I need to sign in first. I’m supposed to meet Ashley here. Have you seen her?”
“I haven’t, but if I find her, I’ll tell her you’re here. Come and find me when you’re done registering.”
We parted and the handsome stranger had disappeared into the crowd. I walked in the direction of the registration table to check in. The Halloween theme was in full force. The perimeter of the Hidden Garden was dotted with booths that housed a variety of psychic services offered by different types of fortune-tellers, from mediums to palm readers to astrologists. While I waited to check in, attendees who were eager to have their futures predicted lined up outside the booths.
Ashley emerged from one of the palm reading booths. She dazzled in an off-the-shoulder black dress and strappy heels. As soon as she spotted me, she rushed over. As she approached, her hoop earrings swung gently, peeking through her mass of perfectly coiffed crimped curls.
I hugged her. “You look gorgeous!”
“Thanks. I know, right? Gotta step up my game if I want to snag one of these fine firefighters. You look gorgeous too.”
I was wearing the same black top and pants I’d worn all day at work. But she was kind to say so. I dangled my broken-heeled shoe in front of her.
“What the heck happened? Those are the ones from Nordstrom, right?”
“Yep.”
“Hope you’re gonna give them a one-star review. Now we know why they were on sale.”
“I blame the maze. Again. It’s a long story.”
“Give me that. I’ll fix it. Wait here.”
“Where would I go with only one shoe?”
Ashley laughed and gave me a fist bump. “I’ll be as quick as I can.”
In less than five minutes, Ashley returned with my shoe. Duct tape encased the heel shaft and the back of my shoe. It looked like a middle school avant-garde art project.
“Wow! Thanks, Ash. Where did you get the tape?”
Ashley grinned from ear to ear. “I asked the cutest firefighter here. It was a perfect icebreaker. ‘Excuse me, kind sir. I don’t suppose you could help a damsel in distress?’” She chortled.
“Please tell me you didn’t actually say that?”
“Of course not, silly. But that was the gist. And it worked! See?” She pushed the shoe into my hands.
I tried moving the taped heel. It didn’t budge. I had to admit it looked like a good fix. “I didn’t know they taught shoe repair as part of EMT training. Thanks again.”
“It’s not Cinderella’s glass slipper, but at least you can walk now.”
Her glass slipper reference stirred a sad, fleeting memory of my wedding. I slipped on my shoe and immediately brightened. “Wow. I’m impressed. Good as new! Now, if only all my other problems could be solved so easily.”
“Can you believe all the gorgeous guys here? I feel like a kid in a candy store, only I’m thirty-two and it’s eye candy.” She squealed softly. “Don’t look now, cute guy at two o’clock.”
I looked in the direction of two o’clock. A small group of firefighters stood in a circle talking. “Which one? They all look cute to me.”
She did a little dance in place by stomping her feet a few times. “I know! I’m talking about the black guy. He’s the one who fixed your shoe.”
“I hope you thanked him for me. Props for the creative icebreaker, by the way.”
Ashley nodded. “His name is Tate and he was so-o-o nice, too.”
“What happened to Adrian? I thought you two were really hitting it off.”
“We were, but I think he only wants to be friends.”
That certainly wasn’t the vibe I picked up when I saw them together, but I had too much on my plate at the moment to play cupid too. “He seems into you to me. Time will tell. Where are you going now? They have a hypnotist. You always said you wanted to try one.”
She scanned the garden. I assumed she was following my recommendation and was searching for the hypnotist’s booth. She turned and gave me a quick hug and whispered in my ear, “I’ll be in whatever line has the cutest guys, and by cutest guys, I mean Tate.”
Soon after, I was all set, equipped with my name tag. I sipped a glass of white wine I’d swiped from a passing server’s tray as Ashley and I exchanged texts. She told me she was at the fortune-teller’s booth, which didn’t really narrow it down much. I wandered around for a few minutes before finding Esmeralda the Fortune-teller. As an added bonus, her booth didn’t have a line, but I soon realized why. Stuck to the front of the booth was a little note written on a yellow Post-it that read “Back in five.” Puzzled, I was about to pull out my phone again to text Ashley when, with a sweep of the curtain, the booth was open for business. A woman I assumed to be Esmeralda appeared in the doorway. Her slight frame was draped in a long, ornately embroidered vest over a white blouse and long black skirt. A heavy black veil covered her face.
She coughed a few times then cleared her throat. Her husky voice sounded like she was a smoker. “Hello, my dear. Please come in and have a seat.”
Even though I normally didn’t believe in such nonsense, I had to admit I was intrigued with the prospect of hearing my fortune predicted. A small brocade-covered table and two wooden chairs had been squeezed into the cramped space. I set my phone and my wine down and faced Esmeralda across the table.
She grasped my hands. “What’s your first name, dear?”
“Tory. Actually, that’s my nickname. My given name is Victoria.”
She winked at me. “Date of birth?”
“July fourth, nineteen eighty-four.”
She stared at me for a few seconds and gently squeezed my hands. She slowly lowered her eyes, her lids fluttering like Iris’s when she dreamed. “You are an extraverted introvert. You like spending time by yourself because it brings you peace, the same reason you love nature. You’re independent, but sometimes you can be headstrong to a fault. On the other hand, your kindness and intelligence attract others to you, and you connect with a few like-minded close friends. You help others by teaching them to help themselves. You will make a good mother someday. Your high intelligence is manifest in your insatiable curiosity and problem-solving skills. You like to solve puzzles, both jigsaw and those in real life. However, be warned! Curiosity killed the cat. Don’t let your impatience in finding solutions make you throw caution to the wind. Your worst fear is not being in control of a situation.”
My mouth slacked in awe. “Wow.” She had described my personality to a T. Even the part about teaching others to help themselves, a trait I picked up from my father. There was something about Esmeralda that made me trust her. Her spirit came across as authentic, rather than playacting. I felt like I knew her.
Next, Esmeralda turned my right hand upward and studied my palm. With her index finger, she traced the lines in my palm and examined them as if they were roads on a map leading to my future. Her eyelids fluttered shut for a few seconds before she spoke. “You have recently lost a loved one.”
A chill went up my spine and I sighed mournfully. “My father—”
Esmeralda put her finger to her lips and hissed at me. “Shh! His death was not what it appeared to be.”
I froze in fright. Did she mean my father had committed suicide? There was no way I’d ever believe that. I was ready to get up and leave.
She closed her eyes. “Another loved one also left you. This one you had a romantic relationship with. A boyfriend?” She shook her head. “No, a husband. I see a good aura around him. I have a message from your husband.”
I nearly fell off my chair. “From Milo?”
Esmeralda’s veil prevented me from seeing her expression, but her heavy nod spoke volumes of sadness that chilled me to the bone. “He loves you and he’s sorry. He was only trying to help. He never meant to leave you.”
At that moment, my worst fears about Milo’s fate, that I’d tried to repress, surfaced from the back of my brain. Compliments of a rent-a-psychic, no less. The one percent of hope I’d held out that he was still alive was dashed. It was bad enough when the police reached their conclusion based on circumstantial evidence. But to have a totally different source confirm the same conclusion was like having a different brand of pregnancy kit duplicate the first test result. My palm was still in Esmeralda’s grip, now a whole lot sweatier, but her hold kept me anchored to the moment. I reached for my wine with my other hand, taking a few swigs while she continued.
“Both of your lost loved ones are now your guardian angels. They’re looking out for you. They’re reaching out to show you signs. The answer to your husband’s disappearance lies in the Secret Maze.”
Just then a crack of light pierced the darkened booth as someone parted the curtains that hung at the entrance. Someone peeked in at us. I kept my eyes on Esmeralda, practically entranced from what she had just said. She looked over my shoulder and shook her head sharply. At the same time, my phone pinged. It was a text from Ashley. These interruptions broke Esmeralda’s spell. She took both my hands in hers and patted them before standing up. I gathered up my purse, phone, and glass and thanked her.
“Think about what I’ve told you. Here’s my card. You can call me with ten questions you want answered related to what I’ve said.”
Before I could articulate any follow-up questions, she’d ushered me out of the booth and disappeared behind the curtains, shutting them tight.
At once I texted Ashley back. We met near the beverage table. I was typically a light drinker, but I needed more wine.
“She said what now?” It was noisy and Ashley’s attention was elsewhere, distracted by the attractive scenery. “That you’re nosy and bossy?” She chuckled.
I pushed my shoulder sideways into hers. “No. She called it independent, curious, and intelligent, thank you very much, and that Milo is going to send me a sign to explain his disappearance, and that the answer lies in the Secret Maze.”
“Hmm. Weird that she got so much stuff right, though.”
“Yeah, I know she’s basically a psychic for hire, but she blew me away with her accuracy.”
Ashley did a double take. “Wait, you’re not going to tell me that the queen of logic, Ms. Victoria Benning, really buys any of this crap, are you?”
I remained silent.
“I can’t believe you! She probably read about Milo’s disappearance in the Santa Sofia Sentinel and saw your photograph, like everyone else. You’ve got to admit, his disappearance has made you somewhat of a minor celebrity. You’re the biggest thing that’s happened in Santa Sofia since they found that naked dude stuck in a chimney last Christmas.”
“Umm, thanks? Could you just humor me for a minute, please? It makes me hopeful that I still have a connection with my dad and Milo, even if it’s in another realm. I felt like Esmeralda knew what she was talking about. Come with me. I want to ask her what she meant when she said the answer was lying in the Secret Maze. You always ask such good lawyer questions.”
“Okay. But let’s make it quick. I have firefighters to meet and places to go.”
I rolled my eyes as she shot me an impish smile. The dinner hour was upon us and the crowd had reached capacity. We wiggled through the throng, but when we finally reached Esmeralda’s booth, it was empty. Esmeralda was gone.
The voice over the loudspeaker announced that dinner would start in ten minutes.
I pleaded with Ashley. “Can we at least check out the Secret Maze to see if we can figure out what Esmeralda meant? Maybe it’ll inspire us to see it from a different perspective, to think outside the box. Now we’re looking for some kind of message.”
“We’ve gone through that maze more times than is healthy. I think it gave me maze-brain last time. I couldn’t think straight. I’ll give you five minutes. Then I need to scope out the dining room. I want to make sure I’m sitting at a good table. And by good, I mean one populated with cute guys.” She flashed me a toothy grin.
Once in the Secret Maze, I led the way. After we’d turned a few corners, Ashley checked the time on her phone. “Welp. Nothing new to see here.”
We arrived at a small clearing, near where I’d overheard a man and a woman arguing earlier. Stumped, I didn’t know what Esmeralda wanted me to look for. Ashley glanced at the time again.
“I know you think I’m stupid thinking we’ll find a message from Milo.”
“Not at all. I’m a skeptic and a big believer in logic, but I also know I don’t know everything.”
“Well, I know one thing—you didn’t like him. You told me he was a player and that he’d hit on you. So, you probably think I’m better off without him anyway, right?”
“Yes and no. Yes, you’d be better off without him, obviously, if he were up to no good. But I never said I believed he was. So, technically, I might have stretched the truth when I said Milo hit on me. I’ll admit that was a fib, but I did it for your own good. I acted like that because I wanted to protect your sorry butt just in case we had all been wrong about Milo. You weren’t in the frame of mind to listen to reason. So, I appealed to your emotions. If I told you how great he was and what a perfect match you two were, you would have never agreed to the precaution of legally separating. Sorry. I’m goal-oriented, what can I say.”
The wine and this rare self-revelation from Ashley made me grateful for our friendship more than ever.
“Aw, that’s so sweet.” She wasn’t the only one feeling the effects of alcohol.
We hugged it out and resumed our search for another ten minutes but came up empty.
I sighed. “Okay, I give up. That’s enough excitement for me for one night. I’m going to head out to the gym.” I gave Ashley a hug. “Don’t break too many hearts.”
Ashley went back to the party, and I continued along the dark maze on my way to my car. Around the next bend, I tripped over something. I flashed my phone light downward and flinched. Esmeralda’s body was sprawled across the path in front of me, slumped on her side. Her veil was rolled back and rested on the top of her head like a padded headband. A knife stuck out of her chest.