Chapter 26 – Surprise, Surprise!
Things with the wedding planning were going smoothly, but unfortunately, the investigation into the slashed tires and broken window wasn't. Strangely, there had been no one caught leaving the area that early in the morning. That only meant it was someone who knew the neighborhood well enough to take the back alleys and avoid the cameras. We suspected that they had staked out the store before the tire slashing incident, because they seemed to know where our new cameras were as well. There were only two cameras posted outside of the shop. One that covered the store front and one that covered part of the parking lot and the back entrance.
Jasper had already proved it wasn't Alice who had broken the window, and I really doubted she had slash her brother's tires. From what I could tell, she and Emmett had a good relationship. He was very easy to get along with, so I found it hard to believe anyone would want to hurt him. They had to have known Edward's last name. Tanya and Rosalie could be bitches, but I really doubted they would vandalize the store. It hurt them just as much as everyone else. It didn't make sense for it to be anyone on the inside; it had to be someone who was very familiar with the neighborhood, most likely one of the shop owners who had been put out of business, when we had moved in.
"Edward, how many people did you approach about investing in this place before you met me?" I asked. He looked at me confused. "The person who slashed Emmett's tires, they probably did so, because your last name was on the side of his truck. They knew you owned this store and knew your name was also Cullen."
"I didn't get a lot of responses to my investment opportunity ad. I only met with two other people, and one didn't even bother to get out of their car, when they saw what the place looked like through the shop window. I think the other wasn't really interested and was just sizing up potential future competition. She laughed in my face and left," he said pouting. I pulled him down to my lips in an attempt to kiss his pout better. He smiled softly. "I'm glad it was you who invested. It made dealing with those two people worth it." He hugged me tighter, and we heard throats clearing. "Anyway, I couldn't tell you who she really was. I think the name she gave me was fake. She said it was Wanda B. Rekundwith." The pout was back, so I kissed him again.
"Well, it's a start, and if we're going by her use of a fake name, she just might be the one who's after the shop. I'm sure she never imagined the place doing so well. Is there any chance you could give us a description of her?"
He shrugged. "It was so long ago, sweetheart. I'm sorry. It was really dim in the shop, so I couldn't make out much about her features. I can't really remember clearly what she looked like at all."
We were at another dead end.
Edward and I decided to secretly add three more cameras inside the store and another three outside. They'd be hidden, instead of out in the open like our other two. We had hoped that with our two visible cameras clearly on display, just knowing they were there would deter anyone from vandalizing the store, but that obviously hadn't been the case.
Once we were sure everyone was asleep upstairs, Edward and I got to work hiding the three indoor cameras. We had one cover the waiting area, another covered the front work stations and register, and the final one covered the back work stations and was positioned so you could partially see into the back room. It was just a sliver, and Edward thought it was pointless to point it back there at all, but he conceded, when I promised it would only be for a short while. He didn't think it was any of our workers, but it wouldn't hurt to watch them just for a bit.
The outside cameras were set up at mid-level in the bushes outside the shop. They were at the right height to capture the face of a driver, or an average-height person. Since we had signs posted, warning about the place being under surveillance, we didn't have to worry about any evidence we gathered being thrown out. We planned to keep the other cameras still recording. I really hoped we'd catch something soon.
The wedding was coming fast, and I was hoping to get things settled before it happened. I'd slowly become more and more involved in the planning, but only after I'd talked to Eddie. It didn't seem like he was holding a grudge against Esme, and I didn't understand why. After the "his life is too short, and hating someone gave them too much power and took too much of your time that it wasn't worth it" speech, he finally told me the real reason.
"Ever since my son passed away, Esme hasn't been the same. She crumbled, and no one blamed her. I think I would've been upset if she hadn't. Alice was a mess, too, and Esme let her get away with too much, afraid to upset her further and too broken up to do it, anyway. Edward stepped into the role of man of the house in a way. He took care of everyone, but at the same time, he was the baby.
"When he moved out and in here to take care of me, Esme was upset. She tried to stop him from leaving her. She pleaded with me not to take him away from her. She didn't want to lose him and resented me for his leaving her. I think she's finally starting to accept that there's no bringing him back. He's getting married and going to start a family of his own. He can't do that under her roof, and she knows it. I knew she'd eventually come around, and I'm glad she finally has. She's even started putting her foot down with Alice, and it's done the girl a world of good."
Esme still wasn't my favorite person, and I wasn't going to let my guard down, but I was playing nice with her for the time being. I knew both my Edwards appreciated it.
Our new cameras captured sound as well as pictures, where our old ones only took video. What we caught over the following week was very revealing.
Esme was having a snack in the shop kitchen in the back room and sat in the little sliver of coverage. She was flipping through a magazine, waiting for Edward and me, when Tanya walked into the room. I was surprised by the glares they exchanged.
"Your fucked up family is going down," Tanya hissed at Esme.
Esme's response was to get in her face and threaten to tear her to shreds if she dared think of harming the shop or her family, and she made it clear that it included me. I think I surprised her, when I hugged her the next day.
We decided to move a camera and put it in the back room, since that seemed to be a hot spot. The other in-store cameras only caught a lot of nose picking and customers giving each other judging looks.
Two days after we moved it, things got crazy. We watched wide-eyed, as Jessica came down the stairs in the middle of the night and went straight to the office. We watched her, as she picked the office lock and came out a few minutes later. She hurried to the back door and waved to someone. Edward and I were both shocked, when the woman who entered was none other than Hillary Bartlett, the disgruntled woman who had lost her shop after we had opened. They hugged, and Jessica reassured her mother that she was in the clear, that the cameras were on a loop, and no one suspected a thing.
"Her MOTHER?" Eddie nearly shouted, as he watched over our shoulders. "Who in their right mind would go there with her?" he grimaced, pointing at the figure of Hillary on the screen.
We laughed at his reaction, until Hillary pulled a syringe out of her purse and a couple of vials of something. We watched in horror, as they opened the freezer and injected all of the prepackaged food we had in it to serve to our waiting customers.
We called the police immediately and showed the officers the video. "We still think there may be more to be discovered, and I'd like to keep the hidden cameras' existence quiet. Is there any way to catch them without the footage?" I asked.
"We can dust the evidence for prints, test the food for toxins and try and establish when and who bought them. There are no guarantees, though," the officer said, frowning.
"You didn't think the tire slashing was related to the vandalism, correct?" Edward asked.
The officer nodded in agreement.
"If we have to use the footage in court, we will. You can say you have footage of Hillary entering the shop, which is what our open cameras would've caught, if they hadn't been disabled. We can let them think that their little loop trick didn't work. Will that be enough to hold them?" Edward asked. He was a genius.
"That'd do it," the officers agreed and gave us a card with an email address to send the video to. Jessica and Hillary were arrested, before we opened the next morning. Edward held down the fort, and Angela took over Jessica's clients, while I quickly ran to the store for more untainted food for our customers. We had a reputation and standards to uphold.
If it had been Jessica and Hillary who had broken the window, that likely meant someone else had slashed Emmett's tires. Jessica knew who Emmett was and knew what his truck looked like. It wouldn't have made sense for them to attack him. We were back to square one, looking for a second vandal.
Jessica and her mother took a plea bargain for attempted murder. They were both sentenced to ten years in prison without parole, because their plan was premeditated and intended to cause the death of one or more of our customers, so we would be sued for wrongful death and lose our shop. Another three years was tacked on for vandalism. They admitted to breaking the window, so the store would have to close for a few days and disrupt our financial stability. After all, the first year a shop was open was when they were most likely to go under, and any disruption in income could be potentially detrimental.
I was so thankful that we had caught them in time. We served several small children and pregnant women. I didn't think I could've lived with myself if someone had died.
With Jessica out of the shop and part of the mystery solved, some of the tension had lifted. It was time for me to focus on getting a dress for the wedding. I went to a little wedding boutique across town and stared blankly at the sea of white. I had always imagined that I would be picking out a dress with my mother's help. I tried to hold onto what Jerry had said. I knew she was there with me. I could almost feel her.
The bell over the shop door rang, alerting the attendant to a new customer. She excused herself from me and went to the front of the store. I was surprised, when she returned so quickly. I was even more surprised to see she had Esme in tow. "I hope you don't mind. If you want me to go, I will. Edward told me where you were and that you'd gone alone to pick a dress. I was wondering if you'd like some help or maybe a second opinion?" Esme asked sheepishly.
I felt a warm peaceful feeling engulf me, and I knew it was my mother, encouraging me to include Esme in picking the dress. "Thanks, Esme, that'd be nice."
The afternoon went well. Esme burst into tears several times, telling me I was beautiful. I think my mother would have done the same. Esme didn't push her taste on me, and after two hours of digging through the little dress store, I was able to find one that worked for me. Esme offered to take me to Seattle to look some more if I wasn't sure of my choice, but I was. It was simple, but elegant. I was sure it would go well with our small wedding. Simple and elegant seemed to be the theme of it. I was shocked, when Billy showed up to pay for my dress. "How did you know I was here?" I asked, stunned.
"Edward, I told him to call me, when you were going to buy your dress."
"You don't need to pay for it."
"Bella, you're my little girl, and you know for damn sure that Charlie would've paid for it. I'm his stand-in. You're not stopping me," he said, as he passed his card to the salesgirl. I'd have to find a way to pay him back. I knew he wasn't a rich man and was thankful that my dress wasn't outrageously expensive. I hugged Billy tighter than ever and thanked him. I couldn't have had a better man for a stand-in dad. His helping me made the dress all the more special.