Later, her skin glowing, she showered, grabbed some coffee and breakfast, and made her way down to the anteroom.
“Well, look at you,” Amanda said. “Breakfast definitely woke you up it seems. How was it?”
“Wonderful. Thank you.”
Amanda looked past her. “Is he planning to hang around?”
Charlie glanced over her shoulder to see Shep nearby. “He is. He worries about me.”
Amanda lifted a brow, but must have thought better of what she was clearly fighting against saying. “I saw Daniel,” she said as they moved deeper into the anteroom. “He didn’t seem to think you’d broken up with him.”
“He was confused. He isn’t anymore.”
She frowned. “I just don’t want him barging into the wedding.”
“He won’t. So let me see your dress.”
Amanda beamed. “It’s so beautiful. It’s like something a princess would wear. I won’t tell you how much it cost. It would floor you. Greg is so good to me.” They stepped into the dressing room and closed the door.
Hanging on the door to the closet was a dress with a massive skirt that crinkled as Amanda touched it. “Isn’t it amazing?”
“Amazing,” Charlie said, hoping Amanda didn’t see her surprised look at its volume. She wondered if it would even fit between the chairs as the woman came down the aisle.
Amanda suddenly teared up. “I’m so happy. Greg has been so wonderful. Last night we drank champagne down in the hotel bar until it closed.” That explained what he’d been doing in the lobby last night. He must have seen Charlie rush in—everyone in the lobby had.
“He loves me,” Amanda was saying. “He loves me so much.” All Charlie could do was nod. “He would do anything to make me happy.”
She wondered if Amanda had seen Greg leave the bar to come after her. “So did the two of you have champagne with Royce and his date?” she asked casually. If Royce had been there, then Amanda wouldn’t have even noticed Greg leaving the bar.
“Greg insisted they join us. It was the polite thing to do. I mean, Royce is the best man. He isn’t serious about that woman though. He’s just trying to make me jealous. Whatever.”
Charlie quickly changed the subject as they began to get ready for the wedding. She was counting down the minutes, afraid it still might not happen.
* * *
SHEP HUNG around in the anteroom. From where he stood, he was able to watch the lobby as people came and went. He didn’t see Lacey, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t here, he told himself.
Wedding guests began to arrive and were led into the main room where the ceremony would take place. As the time got closer, Shep tapped on the dressing room door. “Everything okay in there?” he asked.
“We’re fine,” Amanda called.
Closer to the door, Charlie said, “We’re ready and waiting.”
Only then did Shep enter the main room, find a seat and try to relax. He felt as if there was a bomb ticking in the room. He just wanted the happy couple married. Not that he thought Greg wouldn’t bother Charlie again. Still, he wanted this to be over. He wanted the Lacey problem over as well. He and Charlie couldn’t move on with their lives until then. It was all he’d been able to think about today as he watched for Lacey and waited for this wedding to be over.
The pastor came in and took his place, followed by Greg and Royce, both in tuxes. Shep tried to discern if Greg was having second thoughts. The man looked a little nervous, but it could have been excitement. Royce, on the other hand, looked bored.
A movement from Greg caught Shep’s eye. He reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a tiny bottle. Shep watched Greg put eye drops into both eyes before returning the vial to his pocket.
Amanda might have been telling the truth about putting the eyedrops into the desserts that had made both Charlie and Greg sick. Or was it possible it had been Greg who’d made Charlie sick so she would think it had been Amanda? Why would he do that? Had he put the eye drops in his own mousse, too? Or had he only pretended to be sick that afternoon?
Shep heard his cell ping and realized he should have already turned it off. He eased it out and saw that he had an attachment from Paul Wagner with a note that read Patrick, right and Frank, left. He opened the attachment and felt shock ricochet through him as he stared at the photograph.
In the shot was Lindy or Lacey, who knew which? She stood between two men, both considerably older than the seventeen-year-old. She was grinning at the person taking the photo. The men had their arms around her, one looking at the photographer, the other looking at Lindy/Lacey.
Even in profile, Shep recognized the man who was staring at the teenage girl instead of the camera. His mind argued that it couldn’t be. Wagner had said the man’s name as Patrick.
Shep looked up in confusion. But there was no doubt. Greg Shafer had changed from that love-struck twentysomething-year-old staring longingly at Lindy/Lacey. But he hadn’t changed so much that Shep didn’t recognize him, no matter what name he went by now.
He stared at the photo, trying to make sense of the cold wave of fear that moved through him.
Not that it mattered. What did was that Greg Shafer had been in the same neighborhood as Charlie and Lindy/Lacey whenever he visited his father. Beyond that, Greg had known one of the twins.
A coincidence that Charlie was working for a man who’d been that close by at the worst time of her life? Not a chance. Was that what he’d been trying to tell her?
He wanted to stop the wedding, find Charlie, put an end to whatever this was. But as he pocketed his phone, the organist struck up the first chord of the wedding march. As everyone stood, a million thoughts raced through his head. He looked at all the people who had gathered for this wedding, and he tried to breathe.
What would stopping the wedding buy him? The best thing he could do would be to let Greg and Amanda get married and then find out the truth about Greg Shafer later. Could this possibly be what Greg had to tell Charlie? Hadn’t he told her something about them having a connection?
Did it have something to do with the murder? Did Greg know something he wanted to tell her? Charlie had heard the killer come into the house. Mulvane had found blood on the stairs the killer had left behind after he’d brutally killed Lindy.
Shep’s heart pounded. Perspiration popped out on his forehead even though it was cool in the room. The music was a dull roar in his ears. He stared at the groom, terrified of his thoughts. Greg’s gaze was on the door that had just opened at the end of the room.
Shep turned to see Charlie as she made her walk down the aisle. She took his breath away, making him forget all about Greg for a moment. All he could think about was what a beautiful bride she would make. The navy blue dress Amanda had chosen for her was tasteful and fit her perfectly. Her long curly hair was pulled up, loose dark tendrils framing her face.