Chapter 3 - The Bride's Perfect Explanation
Adrian showed the message to no one but the detective on Elise's case. Marisol Vega answered after the third ring.
"I need you at the Bellwether Hotel," he said. "My daughter heard Elise behind a locked door. There's a hidden service lift."
"Have you seen Elise?"
"Not yet. Someone is texting from her phone."
"Then don't go anywhere alone. Keep your daughter with you, and tell the hotel to preserve every camera recording. I'm on my way."
Adrian turned to Simone. "The wedding is over."
A murmur ran through the guests. Simone searched his face, apparently waiting for the familiar Adrian who apologized for trouble and repaired it quietly. That man was occupied holding his shaking daughter.
"You're embarrassing us," she hissed.
"You hurt Poppy."
"I tried to stop a scene. Elise has filled her head with fantasies for years."
Adrian had heard this before: Elise exaggerated; Elise couldn't be trusted. During the divorce, he'd remembered her mistakes more readily than the years she had worked two jobs while he built his business. Simone always had an explanation when he felt overwhelmed.
Now he remembered how often those explanations had arrived before he asked for them.
He carried Poppy into the adjoining lounge. "Can you tell me exactly what you heard?"
"Mommy said, 'Popsicle, don't be scared.'" Poppy rubbed one eye. "Only she calls me Popsicle. You call me Peanut."
"You're right."
"She sounded sick."
Simone appeared at the lounge doorway, holding a small white envelope. "Adrian, I have something you should know. Elise left this with her attorney before she disappeared. I was protecting Poppy from it."
Inside was a typed statement supposedly signed by Elise. It said she could not care for her daughter, wished Adrian and Simone a happy life, and would not seek custody. A copy of a driver's license had been attached.
"Why would you have this?" Adrian asked.
"She sent it to my office."
"Then why wasn't it given to the police?"
Simone blinked. "I was waiting for the right time."
Poppy studied the paper. "Mommy never writes her E like that."
May you like
Adrian examined the signature. He'd spent twelve years reading Elise's grocery lists, birthday notes, and irritated messages on the refrigerator. Poppy was right. The final stroke was wrong.
Before he could say so, Nina appeared again, trembling. "Mr. Ward? The security people took the camera computer. They're loading it into a black van."
