Chapter 8 - The Groom Who Hadn't Heard the Truth
Theo Bennett had known me for eleven months and my sister for nearly three years. He was a structural engineer who cared about doing things correctly, even when nobody thanked him. Last Christmas he'd quietly fixed my porch railing because the loose post made getting down the steps harder. I'd liked him then. Now I couldn't tell whether that kindness had been real.
I texted him one question: CAN WE TALK WITHOUT SLOANE OR MY PARENTS?
He called within seconds. "Merritt, I was told you tried to stop the wedding by causing a scene."
"Does that sound like me?"
"I don't know what happened. Sloane says you lost your balance."
"She shoved me. I have a video."
"Send it."
I sent a version Ira had already preserved, and we waited. Theo called back after six minutes, his voice strained.
"She looked behind her before she touched you."
"Yes."
"Why would she do that?"
"I think she was scared I'd expose the wedding payments. My parents took money from my company's emergency account. Sloane's name is on the receiving business."
"That's a serious accusation."
"It is. Which is why an independent accountant is reviewing it."
He said he needed time. He also said he had never asked for a grand wedding. His family wanted a small ceremony at a lighthouse. Sloane and Elaine had insisted that a wedding this important should be seen.
"Theo," I asked, "did Sloane tell you our dad was putting money into the event?"
"She said her father had a construction bonus."
"His company hasn't had a major contract since February."
He went quiet. Then he asked whether I knew why Sloane had demanded the vintage diamond ring his grandmother left him be kept at the venue rather than in their apartment. I didn't. He had been told it was part of a surprise ceremony. Now he wasn't certain.
Before hanging up he said, "I'm going to ask Frances for the ring and the deposit paperwork. If this is what you say, I don't think I know the woman I'm marrying."
May you like
Half an hour later Frances called me instead. Her voice was brittle.
"Miss Cole, Theo Bennett is demanding his property back. Your sister has told us not to release anything. Now she says she'll sue the estate unless we destroy the stairwell footage."
