Going to the Chapel: A Novella (14 page)

Levi noticed the drawn shades on the front windows of One Stop Weddings as soon as he parked, and an uneasy feeling ripped through his gut.

Had Izzy closed the shop to set up for the presentation she’d prepared for him and his fake wedding?

He walked up to the store and tried to look through the shades, but he couldn’t see the interior of the shop.

Voices reverberated, though, indicating Izzy was inside. Nellie Needlemyer and Uner Pinkerton strolled by and peered at him as if they thought he was a peeping tom.

He waved to them with a smile. “Izzy’s planning to surprise me with the wedding plans today.”

Nellie shot him a disapproving scowl while Uner kept her hand on her purse as if she thought she might have to whack him with it any minute. No wonder she walked stoop shouldered—the damn thing was so big she could hide a body in there.

At his sinister look, they hurried past, Uner leaning on her cane.

He rapped on the door, desperate to talk to Izzy before Ray arrived. If she was innocent, he had to warn her that the cops were investigating Ray.

The voices died inside, and he leaned up to the glass. A hushed sound. Footsteps.

He knocked again. “Izzy, it’s me, Levi. We need to talk.”

Finally the door squeaked open just enough for Izzy’s face to appear. Her eyes looked wide . . . panicked?

Because of the wedding plans? Because of that kiss?

“Levi, this is not a good time. Can you come back later?”

He clutched the doorknob. “No. It’s important, Izzy.”

She pushed one hand through the crack in the door and shoved him back. “Please. I’m busy. Go away.”

The tone of her voice sounded odd. Frightened?

Levi wedged the door open with his foot so she couldn’t close it. “It’s important. Please let me in.”

“I can’t.” A note of desperation tinged her voice.

Had Ray beaten him here?

Instincts alert, Levi shouldered his way inside the store.

Izzy stumbled backward. “Levi, get out. I’m trying to protect you!”

“Aren’t you noble, Izzy?” Ray said sarcastically.

Levi’s pulse hammered as he spotted LaPone pointing a gun at the back of Izzy’s head.

“Levi, why didn’t you listen?” Izzy turned to Ray. “Please, Ray, let him go. Levi has nothing to do with this. He’s just a client—I’m helping him plan his wedding.”

Ray’s wry laugh boomeranged through the room. “You think he’s a client for your ridiculous wedding shop? And you’re protecting him? You really are stupider than I thought.”

Izzy’s face paled. “What?”

Ray smirked. “Honey, he’s not here to get married. He’s the man I hired to find you.”

“No . . .” Izzy staggered against the wall. “What is he talking about, Levi?”

Levi reached out to steady her, but she pushed his hands away.

“Listen, Izzy,” Levi said in a gruff voice. “I can explain.”

Ray waved the gun at them. “Explain? Tell her how I gave you five thousand dollars to find her, and last night you called and told me she was here.”

Izzy gasped, nausea rising to her throat. Levi was working for Ray? He’d called Ray to come here?

The door opened, and her sisters rushed in, bringing a gust of wind with them. “Izzy—” Daisy started to say something, but she and Caroline saw Ray and the gun and halted.

“What’s going on?” Caroline asked.

“Who is he, Izzy?” Daisy’s voice cracked.

Panicked that Ray would hurt them, Izzy rushed to herd them out of the shop.

But Ray snatched her arm and swung the pistol toward Daisy and Caroline. “Don’t move, Izzy, or I’ll shoot.”

Terror seized Izzy. “No, please, Ray, don’t hurt my sisters.”

Daisy folded her arms in a defensive gesture. “Who are you?”

“Her husband,” Ray said with a leer. “She didn’t tell you about me?”

Caroline and Daisy both aimed shocked gazes toward her, but Caroline lifted her head defiantly. “No, but now I can understand the reason.”

“You leave her alone,” Daisy cried.

“I thought you guys didn’t get along,” Ray snarled.

“We don’t,” Caroline said.

Daisy lifted her chin. “But she’s still a Sassafras.”

Levi gestured for everyone to stay calm. “Ray, put down the gun and let’s talk. You don’t want to hurt anyone. That will only make the charges against you worse.”

“What charges?” Izzy asked.

Levi frowned. “Ray has been scamming women at the country club near your house in Texas.”

Ray narrowed his eyes. “How do you know what I’ve been doing?”

“I did my homework,” Levi said. “I know you robbed those women.”

Suddenly the door burst open, and a woman in black slacks and a white shirt burst in, her hands clenching a pistol. “Hold it right there, LaPone.”

Daisy shrieked and Caroline stepped in front of her sister to protect her.

“Who the hell are you?” Ray snarled.

The woman’s hand tightened around her gun. “Detective Elsa Firestone.”

Izzy swallowed hard. The brunette with the short-cropped hair and man shoes was the woman of Levi’s dreams? “You’re Levi’s fiancée?”

Levi scrubbed a hand over his face. “Partner.”

“Technically ex-partner,” Elsa said. “Now drop the weapon, LaPone. It’s over.”

Izzy glanced back and forth between Levi and Elsa, her mind racing to keep up. “What do you mean—partner? I thought you two were engaged.”

“I’m already married,” Elsa said, her voice tight.

“You’re engaged to a married woman!” Izzy glared at Levi. “And you kissed me.”

“You kissed her?” Elsa asked.

“You kissed him?” Caroline asked at the same time.

“That’s what she didn’t want me to tell you,” Daisy said in a hushed whisper.

Izzy gulped. Ray’s comment about Levi posing as a client started to seep in . . . he’d lied to her . . .

Ray hissed. “I should have known I didn’t hear from you ’cause you were hooking up with Izzy.”

“We didn’t hook up,” Levi said tightly. “Now, stay calm, Ray, and we’ll sort this out.”

“You called him to come and get me,” Izzy said, a dozen questions pummeling her. “What . . . why would you do that if you thought he was a crook? And what’s this about being Elsa’s partner? And why did you pretend you were marrying her?”

Elsa gave her a sympathetic look. “That was Levi’s cover story so he could find out what you knew about LaPone and his scam.”

Levi hated the look of betrayal in Izzy’s eyes.

She seemed shocked that Ray was under investigation. Was she as naive as she seemed?

A loud noise startled them all, then a beefy man with tattoos up and down his arms appeared from the back doorway with a Glock in his hand.

Good God. Was this some kind of party?

“Who the hell are you?” Levi bellowed.

“That’s what I meant by my text,” Elsa said, her voice sharp. “Ray did have a partner, but it wasn’t Izzy.”

Izzy’s lungs churned for air. “Ray had a partner?”

“He and your husband sold fake oil rights to seniors and promised them a big payout when the company made it,” Elsa explained. “After months, when that didn’t happen and the money didn’t materialize, the men were too embarrassed to tell their wives that they’d lost their savings. Desperate to cover their mistakes and take care of their families, they pleaded with Ray to help them. One man decided to commit suicide, so Ray arranged for his partner Loudon to make it look accidental so his wife could collect on her insurance. When the other men figured out they’d been conned, Ray was afraid he’d get caught so he hired this man—Tate Loudon—to kill them and make it look look like they died of natural causes. He consoled the grieving widows to waylay suspicion from himself.”

Izzy’s knees buckled. She barely caught herself by holding on to a table of gift items. “Oh, my God. Is that true, Ray?”

Levi gritted his teeth. What a lowlife. “So, LaPone, you’re not only guilty of fraud, but murder.”

The sisters darted furtive looks at him, obviously terrified.

Loudon inched toward Elsa. “Now, lady, lower that gun so LaPone can give me what he owes me, then I’ll leave.”

Levi traded a knowing look with Elsa. If Loudon and Ray had killed before, they’d kill again. And they probably didn’t intend to leave any witnesses behind.

Elsa raised her hands in surrender. “All right. Just stay calm. We can all walk out of here alive.”

Loudon’s gaze locked onto Elsa’s weapon as she slowly lowered it to the floor. Levi took advantage of the moment to tackle Loudon. With one lunge, he knocked the beefy man to the floor and punched him. But Loudon fought back and gave him a hard right to his solar plexus.

Levi grunted, and the two of them rolled across the floor, fighting. A display of wedding dishes crashed to the floor. Candles rolled beneath him. Loudon’s foot caught on the rack holding bridal gowns, and the dresses tumbled down on top of them. Levi shoved and fought the lace, determined not to let Loudon escape.

Footsteps pounded, and he heard Elsa shouting at Ray.

Dammit. Ray was trying to get away. The coward.

Ray fired at Elsa, though, and a bullet shattered the glass dessert case. Izzy screamed, and Elsa ducked and reached for her gun as cakes and pies slid to the floor.

Levi slammed his fist into Loudon’s nose and heard bones crunch. Blood spurted everywhere. A loud crash followed.

He glanced up and saw Ray at the front door. But Izzy hurled the unity candelabra at Ray and caught him in the back of the head. The man yelped in pain, then sank to the floor like a rock.

Levi rolled Loudon over, and Elsa tossed him a pair of handcuffs to secure him. Then she handcuffed Ray, who lay limp and unconscious.

Levi heaved for a breath, wiped blood from his forehead and pushed to his feet to go to Izzy.

But her sisters dashed toward her and surrounded her. “Izzy, are you okay?” Daisy cried.

Like a mother hen, Caroline pulled both her sisters close to her. “Honey, you scared us to death.”

Izzy looked at Levi with tears in her eyes, then hugged Daisy and Caroline. “I’m so sorry, I should have told you I left Ray. But I swear I didn’t know about him conning those women. I thought he was just sleeping with them.”

She choked on her emotions. “Now I’ve messed up here. Aunt Dottie is going to be so disappointed.”

Her sisters gave Levi the evil eye as they swept Izzy away from him and the mess on the floor of One Stop Weddings.

Izzy stood in the corner of the shop in stunned silence as chaos continued around her.

Aunt Dottie raced in with her crutch, her hat askew—its peacock feather dangling precariously—and her face terrified. “My heavens, girls, Uner and Nellie said there was a shooting over here. Are you all right?”

“Yes, Aunt Dottie,” Caroline assured her.

“Do I need to call the sheriff back from his vacation?” Aunt Dottie asked.

“No,” Elsa replied. “I’m a detective, ma’am. This man is wanted on charges in Texas.”

Aunt Dottie swayed slightly and Izzy reached out to steady her. “I’m so sorry,” Izzy said. “I shouldn’t have come back here. I put you all in danger. And I . . . broke all your rules, Aunt Dottie.”

“Hush now, sweetie.” Aunt Dottie folded Izzy in her arms. “To hell with the rules. Being a family means being there when one of us needs help.” She held her head high as always, in spite of the fact that Nellie Needlemyer had trailed her with a camera and was photographing the arrests and remains of what had once been the beautiful displays in the store.

Yep, rule number four—
never make a scene in public, that includes no cursing or being inebriated
—down the tube.

Nellie made a beeline toward Izzy, but Caroline headed her off while Daisy waved their aunt’s crutch like a fly swatter at Uner and the curious locals to prevent them from entering.

“The show is over, folks. Now go on,” Daisy shouted.

Elsa escorted Loudon to her police car. Levi dragged Ray off the floor, and Ray stirred, cursing as he realized Levi had handcuffed him and was hauling him to jail.

After Levi shoved Ray into the backseat of the car and slammed the door, he headed back to the shop, his expression dark.

Izzy was tempted to throw the other candelabra at him. To knock him out for deceiving her and . . . using her.