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WINSTON HUFFED ALL the way to the clearing, with Gaffey following right behind. Once he found Kristy, Winston hugged her tight. He felt her tremble in his arms. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
In his peripheral vision, Winston noticed the cop scanning the scene, one hand resting on his police gear belt.
“I’m fine,” Kristy told Winston, touching his cheek with gentle fingers.
“But I heard a gun.” Winston looked around him. Everything seemed to be in order, and none of the guests appeared injured.
“Oh no, nothing like that,” she said. “We all froze until the noise ended. Nobody got hurt, but I can still hear ringing.” She rubbed at her ears.
Gaffey joined them, and Winston restrained from scowling at the cop for ruining the intimate moment.
“Kristy,” the policeman said, softening his tone at her name.
She looked at Gaffey. Winston saw the cop freeze, noticed the man almost stop breathing. It must be Kristy’s exquisiteness, that emerald dress highlighting her natural fresh beauty.
Kristy pulled Winston close to her as she spoke. “Thank goodness my groom-to-be came to protect me . . . But what are you doing here, Mark?”
Gaffey looked back and forth between the two of them. “You’re really getting married? I thought my great-aunt was joking. And to that guy?” He jerked his thumb at Winston.
Winston looped his arm around Kristy’s waist. “The big day is tomorrow.”
“I still don’t understand,” Kristy said, addressing Gaffey, whose mouth had dropped open. “Why did you come to the wedding rehearsal?”
Gaffey shook his head a few times, maybe to clear it. “Got a call, neighborhood disturbance. Some screaming.”
Kristy shuddered. “I heard it.” Her gaze dropped down to the green grass at her feet. “From the shack, right? Was it the Chan family?”
Winston nodded. He wanted to draw her even closer as he spoke his next words. “The father had a fall. An ambulance took him to the hospital. Mrs. Chan’s with him right now.”
Kristy wrung her hands. Her elegant fingers twisted together. “I wish I could do something for them.”
Always so sweet. She thought of everyone else first. “What about the scare here?” Winston asked. “I want to make sure you’re okay.”
Kristy shrugged it off. “That was nothing. A few balloons got popped on the wedding arch.”
Marcy swooped in at this point. “More than just a couple.” She sighed and gestured to a space beyond the clearing, hidden behind some towering trees. “The whole arch is gone. Only the frame is left.”
“They’re just balloons,” Kristy said.
Winston could see Marcy switch into problem-solving mode. A frown spread across her face. “This wedding will be perfect if I have anything to do with it.”
Marcy narrowed her eyes at Gaffey. “Officer,” she said, giving him a brief head nod. His sister didn’t have any lost love for the cop, not after he’d come so late to the crime scene during the Magnolia Lane case.
Kristy bit her lips. They were a sweet pink color. “I would be able to concentrate more on the balloons if I knew someone was taking care of the Chans.”
Gaffey shifted his feet to a wider stance. “I’ll escort their car to the hospital. With sirens blaring, they’ll get there in no time.”
Kristy gave the cop a grateful smile, and Winston felt his stomach roil. Without thinking, he piped up. “And I’ll drive them to the hospital. None of them are in the right frame of mind to handle a car right now.”
Kristy turned to Winston, her smile growing wider. She gave him a peck on the cheek. “You’re the best,” she said. “Now, I won’t worry at all. Once you finish, head over to the restaurant, and we can enjoy our rehearsal dinner.”
Winston touched his forehead against hers. The silky strands of her hair tickled his ears. “I’ll see you soon.”
Turning around, Winston noticed a sullen look on Gaffey’s face. But then the cop rearranged his features into an impassive look. Without saying anything, Gaffey marched off in the direction of the Mystery Shack.