Wedding Tea Read online

  He walked back to the car and opened the door for Ada, Aldo’s wife. I tried to keep my face neutral. Neutral is better than shocked to shit, right?

  She seemed a little tentative.

  “Ada, how nice to see you. You’re looking well.” I gave her a hug.

  I’m really not a hugger, but it seemed like the right thing to do.

  Under the circumstances.

  Not that I know what the circumstances are.

  A.J. joined us and shared what he’d learned from the cops.

  Basically, Rikki disappeared. Being just over eighteen, they normally wouldn’t push the panic button so quickly, but she’s one of those dependable kids everyone would like to claim as their own, and when she didn’t come home on time, her mother started snooping. She found some really disturbing stuff. Like an online but private diary. Turns out Teagan was right about her ex-boyfriend. He’s a jerk. Tiptoeing around abuse. I take that back. He’s abusive, just not yet physical.

  Her mom called the police, and when they started asking questions, she mentioned that Teagan and I had had a little talk with the jerk before the wedding because he’d trashed our backyard.

  The cops think that he might have been escalating. Even back then. Which is a really bad sign for now.

  Turns out, he’s more of a creep than we knew.

  When they started doing a minor background check, it came back with some really ugly stuff.

  He’d been able to hide his bad behaviors from Rikki and her family, but his old girlfriends and even a couple of the members of his family cautioned he has a really bad temper, a scarily short fuse, and he was becoming more and more obsessed with Rikki. People were volunteering information and showing up to put in their two cents.

  It kind of reminds me of Barry and Suzi’s story.

  Look how that turned out.

  The cops said someone would be here to talk to us as soon as possible. We were on our honeymoon, so we aren’t aware of anything that has happened since we left, but Teagan and I did talk to the jerk, so they’ll probably want to talk to us about that.

  When they asked for Teagan’s number, I offered to call her and ask her to come over.

  Daddy said she’d planned on it anyway, since we’d just gotten home.

  I called Teagan. She said she’d be over in a few.

  We all tromped into the house while A.J. pulled his car into the driveway.

  I had the kettle on, and Daddy was dancing with Evelyn, when A.J. came in the door. “I’ll unpack the car later. Cara, do me a favor. Let the police deal with all of this.”

  “Of course. Why would you even say that?”

  “Because I know you? Teagan will come over here. The two of you will sit down and decide if you hadn’t cornered her old boyfriend, he wouldn’t have come after Rikki, and the two of you should do something about it.”

  “Really? You think we should?”

  He took a deep breath, looked at my dad, and shrugged.

  “You married her.”

  Everyone laughed.

  Except A.J.

  He just looked frustrated.

  “I’m not going to do anything. I have a cruise to plan, remember?”

  “Promise?”

  I hesitated.

  Not because I actually want to do something about the whole Rikki mystery, but because if I promise, then I don’t have an option if I choose to do something.

  “Never mind.” A.J. sat down. “I’m not going to ask you to promise. But do me a favor. Before you do anything, at least let me know what the plan is.”

  “I promise.” I kissed his forehead and fixed a pot of tea.

  It wasn’t that we couldn’t tell the cops anything. We just couldn’t tell them anything they didn’t already know.

  They knew Rikki’s boyfriend’s name. They knew his car and his plates. They knew his address. They figured she was with him, although I’m not sure why they came to that conclusion. Maybe she left a note or something. When you’re talking to cops, there isn’t a lot of give-and-take. You give information, they take it.

  I’m sure they have more information than we do. I’m sure they have more to go on than people saying her ex was obsessed with her. I just don’t know exactly what they know.

  The cops were gone. At least from our side of the fence. If you looked out the windows upstairs, you could still see a bunch of them at Rikki’s house.

  Daddy and Ada left.

  Teagan left right after they did.

  Suzi and A.J. took Evelyn with them to say hi to Gran. They said they’d be gone a couple of hours.

  Even with all those cops so close, I locked up the house and set the alarm. Not because I felt like I needed to, but because I promised A.J. I would. I’m not sure he’s over Barry getting into the house.

  I decided that cooking would bring me some peace and that Jessie’s mother could use some home cooking.

  I don’t think that it’s controlling behavior to send a huge grocery list to your new husband’s sister while you are on your non-honeymoon.

  Suzi laughed a lot, but she did the shopping, and our house is fully functional because of it.

  I started all kinds of meals for Jessie’s family and a good one for us. I recently found ball tip sirloin tip steaks. I’d never bought them before, but our big box store was having a special, and I figured if nothing else, I could use the cut for beef stew. Turns out, I use it for just about everything I use beef for.

  I really like it cooked simply. I take the steak, let it warm up just a bit, marinade it in 7-Up for about an hour, then cook it as desired. I’ve done it on the barbeque, on the top of the stove, in the oven, and in the crockpot. It wasn’t great in the crockpot. Kind of fell apart when we went to eat it, but I’ll bet it would make good loose meat sandwiches that way.

  Tonight, I’m gonna broil it. Baked potatoes. Salad. Some dinner rolls. It’ll be great.

  I had all six burners and both ovens going when the phone rang. I was hoping that Daddy had dropped off Ada and wanted to come back over. He’d mentioned something about it earlier.

  No such luck. It was a number I didn’t recognize.

  Teagan always lets those go to voicemail, but I’m much too nosy for that.

  “Hello?”

  “Is this Cara O’Flynn?”

  “Yes.” They must not know me personally if they don’t know that I’m now a proud Cooper.

  “This is Rikki. Your neighbor.”

  “Rikki?” I didn’t drop the phone. “Everyone is looking for you. Where are you? Are you okay?”

  Why was she calling me?

  “Is it true? Do you work for a powerful woman? Could she help me?”

  “The cops are at your house right now. They could help you.”

  “No. No, they can’t. You don’t understand. Please don’t tell them I called. It’s not the way it looks. I need help, and they can’t help me. Please. Don’t turn me in. It will be a thousand times worse. I’m okay. I just need some help. If you can’t help me, that’s okay. I’ll find somebody else. Sorry to bother you.”

  “Rikki, don’t hang up!” Part of me wanted to run into the backyard and hand the phone over to the cops. They’re professionals. They know how to deal with this stuff. A near-hysterical teenager and a slightly panicked newlywed aren’t a good combination for making rational decisions.

  “Can you help me?”

  “I can try, but first you need to help me. Help me understand what’s going on.”

  I’d sounded so stupid I figured she’d hang up, but she responded.

  “I borrowed this phone. The lady is going to want it back. If the cops trace it, all they are going to find is some nice lady with a couple of little kids that let a girl use her phone.”

  “So call me right back. You’ve got my number. I’m assuming you got it from your boyfriend.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend, but yeah.”

  “Tell me one thing before you go. Are you there voluntarily? Is anyone holding you
against your will?”

  “No.”

  She didn’t say any more, and that wasn’t enough for me to run to the cops and tell them to call everything off. Because like an idiot, I’d asked two questions but got one answer, and I didn’t know which she’d been referring to. I was afraid if I asked for clarification, she’d hang up.

  I wonder if this is going to get me in trouble.

  Is there a law that says if Rikki called me, I have to tell the cops? Is that some kind of obstruction of justice or interfering with an investigation or worse?

  That’s just how my life goes. I’ll be the one trying to do a good thing, sitting in the jail, with stripes on. Is it in Arizona they brought back the stripes?

  They’ll bring back those ugly stripes just to punish me.

  I pulled myself back to reality. “Can we meet somewhere? Can you call me back? What do you want me to do?”

  “Promise you won’t turn me in until I can tell you everything.”

  “Swear to me that you are not being forced to do whatever you’re doing.”

  “I swear.”

  “Rikki, this isn’t a game. I could get in big trouble for not telling the cops that I talked to you. Whatever you tell me, I need you to know that by tonight, I’m going to tell the cops that you’re not being held a prisoner or worse. Your parents are losing their minds. There are cops everywhere. It’s gotta be costing a fortune to have so many people looking for you.”

  “You can tell the cops that I called you and that I’m fine. Tell them about the phone. I’m not anywhere they’re going to find me, and I don’t need them looking for me.”

  “Then what?”

  “I’ll call you later.”

  She was gone.

  I turned off the stove and ran for my back fence. I know I could have just called 911 or something, but this seemed to me to be the most expedient way to talk to the people in charge.

  It didn’t take long for the cops to confirm that Rikki had borrowed a phone.

  A woman was in a laundromat waiting for her final load to dry when a young woman walked in and asked if she could borrow her phone for just a minute. The young woman explained that her phone had been stolen and that she just wanted her mother to know that she was all right.

  The young mother of two said that the girl seemed legit. She was by herself. Didn’t seem overly upset.

  The young mother said she handed over her phone and stood between the door and the young woman on the off chance that the girl was setting her up to steal the phone. The girl walked over by the dryers and quietly talked on the phone for a couple of minutes, thanked the young mother, and walked away.

  The cops said that they weren’t really closing everything down, but Rikki was over eighteen, she’d called and said she was fine, and the woman at the laundromat had confirmed that she didn’t seem to be held against her will.

  There wasn’t a lot the cops could do, but they weren’t going to completely shut it down until they had eyes on Rikki so that they knew she was making her statements without duress.

  I thought about asking if it was okay for me to try to find her, or to talk to her if she should call again, but decided against it.

  Better to beg forgiveness than ask permission.

  My mom used to tell us that all the time.

  Teagan’s actually better at it than I am, so, of course, I called her.

  She said she’d be right over. I’m not sure what she thinks we can do unless and until Rikki calls back, but I didn’t argue with her.

  I called and explained everything to A.J. He stayed pretty calm, considering. I told him that Teagan was coming over and that we were going to talk about it, but that I didn’t expect to actually do anything.

  He again asked me to keep him advised.

  I promised.

  Teagan was in a great mood when she got to my house.

  “What’s up with you? Why such a good mood?”

  “I’m always in a good mood, unless I’m not. What are we doing?”

  “I guess we’re waiting around for Rikki to call back. Her mother was over here a few minutes ago. The cops told her that Rikki had called me and that she was fine. She’s beyond pissed. She thinks I should have told the cops when Rikki was on the phone so they could trace the call and show up where she was and grab her.”

  “That only happens on TV.”

  “I’m sure they can make it happen in real life, but I doubt they would under these circumstances. The cops told her that she could put up flyers. They aren’t exactly walking away from it, but it isn’t the huge response it was, and her mom blames me.”

  “How are you at fault?”

  “You’re asking a mother with a missing child to be rational.”

  “True, I’d lose my mind. We could send Rikki a message via social media.”

  “My guess is she isn’t going to log on for fear the cops are watching it.”

  “We could head over to the boyfriend’s house again.”

  “I’m sure the cops have done that.”

  “But now that she’s not officially missing or anything, you have to assume they aren’t going to be watching the apartment, Cara.”

  “True. I just don’t want to go out there and run around in circles.”

  “Mrs. Cooper is very different than Cara O’Flynn.”

  “Yes, yes she is.” I know Teagan was trying to bait me, but Mrs. Cooper doesn’t take the bait quite that easily.

  She laughed.

  We sat down for a cup of tea. I’d just taken my first sip when my phone rang.

  Another number I didn’t recognize.

  “Is this Cara?”

  “It is. Rikki?”

  “Yeah. What did the cops say?”

  “They checked with the woman that loaned you her phone. I’m sure it complicated her day, but she backed up your story. So the cops said since you’re over eighteen, they aren’t going to turn over every rock looking for you. They haven’t totally given up.”

  “What did my mom say?”

  “She’s not happy. She’s scared. She’s worried. She wants you home.”

  “I’d be home if she’d ever believe me when I tell her things.”

  “I’m sure she’ll believe you now, Rikki. Why don’t you come home? I’ll come pick you up if you need a ride.”

  “I’m not going there. Forget it.”

  “Don’t hang up. Rikki, I don’t know what’s going on with you. I want to help, but to help, you need to talk to me. You need to explain what’s going on. All I know about you and your family is that you guys take down fences so that parties will be more fun and that you’re really smart.”

  “How do you know I’m smart?”

  “Didn’t you just graduate early?”

  “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean anything.”

  “It means you’re smart. You know how to get things done. You have a lot going for you. Can we meet somewhere?”

  “How do I know you won’t just call my mom?”

  “You don’t. So far I’ve done exactly what you’ve asked me to. You have to decide if you’re going to trust me or not. I’ve been totally honest with you.”

  “Okay. I can meet you. Where do you want to meet?”

  “You could come to my house. You know where it is.”

  “Forget it.”

  “I was kidding. Give me a minute to think about it.”

  I looked at Teagan for suggestions. She mouthed the words Old Town. It was a good thought. I’m familiar with it. People there know me. I know people. If I have a problem and scream, someone might actually help.

  “How about the diner in Old Town?”

  “Okay. I’ll be there in thirty minutes, is that okay?”

  “Yes. And I’m bringing my sister.”

  “Forget it.”

  “Rikki, you’re asking a lot of me. I’m supposed to go behind your parents’ backs, not tell the cops, and come alone? I don’t know you. I don’t know why you’re so scared, but it’s
obvious you’re scared of something, and you expect me to walk into a meeting with nobody to watch my back. Sorry, that’s too much to ask. Either I bring my sister, or I can’t do it.”

  Teagan was nodding her head.

  “Okay, but just your sister. I’m coming alone.”

  “Okay, see you in thirty.”

  I hadn’t even hit the disconnect button when Teagan asked, “How did I get in the middle of this?”

  “It’s your fault there’s any ‘this’ to get in the middle of.”

  “What? How’s this my fault?”

  “You’re the one that told her ex-boyfriend that I work for the world’s most powerful person. You made it sound like I could snap my fingers and demons from hell would rain down on anyone and anything that displeased me. She obviously heard about it and took you at your word.”

  “Okay, but I gave him my phone number, how did she get yours?”

  “Probably from her parents. We gave them our number in case anything needed to be done about the wedding or the party they had. Maybe they keep all their numbers on a whiteboard by the phone like Mom does.”

  “They aren’t that old, Cara.”

  “Old things can be good things, Teagan. Not everything has to be shiny and new and full of technology.”

  “We gotta go if we’re going to be there in thirty minutes.”

  “Let me just text A.J., and we’re out the door.”

  We got to the diner a few minutes early. Teagan insisted we walk around the side to make sure there wasn’t anything funny going on, although I’m not sure she would have been able to identify something strange if she saw it. Old Town can be a bit of an adventure on good days. On bad days, there are a lot of different souls walking around.

  Don’t tell A.J. and Morgan I said that.

  They’re still working hard on Old Town’s image, but I believe the unique people and the tiny edge of seediness is what makes it special. It’s not all chrome and glass like other areas of town.

  We went inside and were seated at a booth by the front window. I saw Rikki get out of a beater car halfway down the block. She didn’t even look around. She headed straight to the diner. I guess she assumes if the cops were there to grab her, there wasn’t much she could do to stop them once she was out of the car.