Chapter 56

His concern was immediate as well as anger over the fact that Palmer had not been caught. This anger was not focused on Woody for not catching Palmer, it was just an in general reaction to a man that could cause so much damage and continue to avoid being captured.

The three of them talked late into the night trying to come up with some kind of trap they could set for Palmer. Unfortunately they couldn't think of anything that wouldn't put Jordan or Riley at risk. Neither man was willing to do that, even though Jordan said she would be willing to act as bait as long as Riley could be left out of it. Her offer was quickly and vehemently vetoed. It was after Riley's 2am feeding that they all decided that they needed to get some sleep so they could enjoy the wedding.

The banana nut muffins Evelyn had made before she left for Wisconsin were well if sleepily received that morning for breakfast and then it was time to start getting ready for the wedding. The ceremony was to be at 10am, with a lunch reception to be held in the party room of a local restaurant. It had taken some convincing for Max to see that they should have the reception at a place a little bit nicer than his bar.

The invited guests, other than family, included Max' friend and cook from the bar, one old police buddy from his days on the force. Jordan's co-workers at the morgue had also been invited because Max had come to know them well during the Unsolved Cases nights they'd had. LaVon had only her daughter coming, because her ex-husband hadn't allowed her to have any friends. Because Max' sister, Meredith, was out of the country AJ Chegwidden had been asked to come. So the grand total for the luncheon was only twelve.

After feeding Riley again, Jordan dressed in the lovely gown LaVon had chosen for her and Tuyen to wear as they stood up for her during the ceremony. Max' attendants, the cook and his police buddy, had been told that dark suits and ties would be fine. He hadn't wanted anyone to go to the expense of rented formal wear.

Riley was dressed in Woody's christening gown. Jordan had figured since they were going to be in church, something that rarely happened, they might as well kill two birds with one stone, so to speak and have the baby baptized at the same time. They had chosen LaVon and Garrett to be godparents, even though the latter had protested that his skills as a father were questionable, he was over ruled and in the end had agreed to take on the job.

Finally all four of them were ready to leave the apartment. Jordan in a dress which was attire she was unaccustomed to, Riley in his christening gown, Woody in a new suit rather than his military uniform. What none of them knew as they walked out of the apartment building was that there was one other person interested in their movements.

However, the moment they exited Jordan's head came up as a chill went down her spine. She tried to pass the baby she was carrying into AJ's arms so she could go running to investigate. Woody's hands were full with the diaper bag and car carrier. AJ's senses were always on the alert and he had seen Jordan's initial reaction. Refusing to take the baby from her, he instead dashed off in the direction Jordan had been staring at with only a one word call to Woody, "Palmer!"

Dropping the items in his hands Woody raced after AJ, leaving Jordan standing there feeling helpless as she held Riley close to her.

Because of the tussle of trying to pass off Riley, Palmer had time to get away. The only thing Woody and AJ found was a Polaroid picture lying behind some bushes of the four of them just as Jordan had sensed his presence. She had been looking straight at where the camera was when the shot was taken. The entire ride to the wedding Jordan fumed that the men were still refusing to let her act as bait to draw Palmer out. Jordan thought about broaching the subject to her father when they arrived at the church, but two things stopped her. It was his wedding day after all, and knowing the man as well as she did, Jordan knew that he would side with Woody and AJ rather than her! Maybe she could come up with a plan to trap him on her own!

If the incident with Palmer wasn't enough to offset the happiness of the day, there was still more drama in store!

To be continued…