Bodice of Evidence (16 page)

“Oh no, dear, you made mine. I hope you enjoy living here as much as I did.”

“I have a feeling I'm going to do just that.”

The next morning found me at a small airport south of Chicago that offered flight lessons and parachute jumps. I was there two hours ahead of time to ensure there was offsite parking and a party bus to take the family to the landing spot. I spoke with the pilot briefly about the flight plan and the timing of the jump. He assured me that Alexander and his girlfriend would arrive about forty-five minutes early to suit up and go over the weather conditions and wind patterns to ensure a safe jump.

“Explain to me what we're doing again,” Toby said as he walked into the hangar. Today he wore a wrinkled white polo shirt and a pair of dark blue Dockers with deck shoes. At least he had shaved his usually grizzled chin hair.

“Hi, Toby,” I said. “I've finished going over the flight
plan with Jeremy, the pilot.” I pointed out the blond in the pressed uniform of the flight school. “He says we're good to go.”

“I see, and then what?”

“Then you follow me around as I walk through the party plan.”

“And this is of interest to me because?”

“Because I want you to see how excited the family is and how much the potential groom knows about his bride.” I glanced over my shoulder to see Alexander coming my way. “Speaking of the potential groom, here he comes now.” I stepped away from Toby. “Hi, Alexander. How are you today? Are you ready for the big jump?”

Alex's dark brown eyes sparkled and his face lit up. “I have been so excited I haven't slept a wink in two days.”

“Why would you not sleep? Sleep is essential to proper human function,” Toby said.

I sent him a look to keep quiet. “Alex, this is Toby Mallard. He is shadowing me today. I hope you don't mind.”

“No, of course not,” Alex said, and shook Toby's hand. “Alexander Bath, nice to meet you.” Then he turned his attention on me. “Here's the ring. Please ensure that Tom gets it. He's Dominica's oldest brother, and if she says yes—”

“When she says yes,” I interrupted.

“When she says yes,” he repeated, and took a deep breath then let it out slow. “Then Tom will be my best man.”

I took the Tiffany blue ring box from him. “May I see it?”

“Please, I'd love to have a woman's reaction.”

I opened the box to see a brilliant one-carat stone set
in platinum. “Oh, my.” I held it up to the light. “It sparkles so beautifully.”

“It's a new cut,” Alex said proudly. “See how it domes instead of the standard flat cut? It has ninety facets instead of the standard fifty-two. It's the latest thing. I saw pictures of it on her Pinterest board. Do you think she'll like it?”

“She'll love it,” I reassured him with a pat on his back. Then I carefully zipped the ring box into my leather work tote, which carried all of my plans and details for the event. “When is she going to be here?”

He glanced at his watch. “I expect her in the next ten or fifteen minutes.”

“Good, I've already briefed your pilot, Jeremy. He tells me all is a go for a perfect jump. He has added head cams to your gear. If she asks why, tell her they are complimentary. Tell her that Jeremy has asked you both to try them out so that he can see how they work. If your videos turn out well, they will be on display to let others know that they can record their jump. Okay?”

“So, wait, he will play our proposal video?”

“No.” I shook my head and gave him a reassuring smile. “The video is part of your proposal package. That's only a good excuse for wearing the cameras. Okay?”

“Yes, got it. Sorry, I'm a bit nervous.”

“It will be great. You'll see,” I said, and gave him a hug. “My videographer, Cesar, is here and he will take footage of the flight up. His assistant, Tomas, will have cameras rolling on the ground to get the families' excitement and
point of view.” I nodded. “Toby and I are going now. We're going to gather your families at the meet-up point and ensure they get to the drop zone with their signs in hand. I'm on Bluetooth.” I tapped on the earpiece of my headset. “If you need me for any reason, you have my cell phone. Dial it. You are my number one priority today. Okay?”

“Okay, thanks.”

“Come on, Toby,” I said, and put my arm through his. “Let's go get the families.”

He took one look at Old Blue and said, “My car is here.” He pointed to a dark blue convertible Corvette with tan leather seats. “Shall I follow you?”

“Certainly,” I said, and let him go. He did have a gorgeous car and I half wished I was the one driving it. But then I stuck my key in Old Blue's lock and climbed inside to the familiar smell of old vinyl and classic car.

The family meet-up place was the high school parking lot of a nearby town. I had asked a local family restaurant to cater the engagement party after the proposal. The weather cooperated perfectly and a quick check-in with the restaurant reassured me that two large tents were being set up in the field near the drop-off point.

I checked twice that Toby was still following me. It was pretty clear that he still didn't understand the emotions that came with a proposal of marriage. For an obviously brilliant business man, he was clueless when it came to love.

Upon arrival at the parking lot, I was happy to see the party bus already there. Henrique, the driver, stood outside the bus with a sign that said, “Dominica and Alexander's
proposal.” There were a number of cars already in the lot. I parked Old Blue and waited for Toby to get out and follow me.

“Hi, Henrique, how is it going so far?” I asked.

“Great, the families seem to be getting along fine. I do agree that the champagne at the front of the bus was a good idea.”

“Ensure they only get one glass for now. You never know what can happen. If Dominica says no, the ride back might be too emotional. Especially with alcohol in people's systems.”

Henrique gave me a one-corner-lifted smile. “My sister Jennifer is inside. She's acting bus director today. She'll ensure that no one steps out of line.”

“Perfect.”

“And as they enter the bus, they're instructed to take only one glass of champagne for anyone over twenty-one years of age. There are plenty of bottles of water and sodas in the center and the back of the bus.”

“Great. Now you know where to meet us?”

“Yes, I have the instructions.”

“Good. I'll go in and make sure everyone is getting along. Then I need to get out to the site to check on the tent and other last-minute details.”

Two more cars arrived filled with people. I stepped inside the luxury bus. The air-conditioning was running, keeping everyone cool in the fall afternoon warm-up. The inside seats were large and soft. People were laughing and joking around.

“Hello,” a lovely young woman with olive skin and black curly hair said. “Welcome aboard. I'm Jennifer and I'm here to ensure you have a great time.”

“Hi, Jennifer,” I said, and stuck out my hand. “I'm Pepper Pomeroy and I'm the event planner.”

“Oh, Miss Pomeroy, of course, welcome. And thank you for hiring Holiday Bus. We spoke on the phone several times.”

“Yes, of course,” I said. “This is Toby Mallard. He is shadowing me today.”

“Hello, Toby, welcome,” she said. “Would you like some champagne?”

“No, thanks,” he said, his gaze taking in the laughing and joking people. “Is this only one family? They all seem to know each other.”

“No, this is both families,” Jennifer said. “Plus a group of friends. The families seem to have much in common, right down to their senses of humor. So many came in excited for their role in the proposal.”

“Great,” I said. “Do you happen to know if Dominica's older brother Tom is on the bus yet?”

“Yes, he was the first. He is in the middle row, right-hand side next to his girlfriend, Marijo.” Jennifer pointed him out.

“Thanks, I need to speak to him.” As I made my way to Tom, more people arrived on the bus and I was able to observe Jennifer in action. She was very good at her hostess job. Toby squeezed into the driver's area and took it all in. His expression was thoughtful.

I found Tom right where Jennifer said he would be. “Tom?”

“Yes.” He looked at me quizzically.

“Hi, I'm Pepper Pomeroy, the event planner Alexander hired.”

“Hi,” he said, and shook my hand. “This is my girlfriend, Marijo Walters.” He pointed to the lovely blonde beside him.

“Hello,” I said, and shook her hand as well. “I'm Pepper.”

“You have done an amazing job with this so far,” Marijo gushed. “I'm totally going to pin your website to my Pinterest board.”

“Thanks,” I said, and winked at Tom. Hopefully the guy was getting Marijo's not-too-subtle hint that she expected something just as special when he popped the question.

“Listen, I just came from the airport and all is set there.”

“Great. How does Alex look? Is he green around the gills or is he excited?”

“He is very excited and if a guy can glow, he's glowing.”

“Good. When my sister says yes, he should feel like the luckiest man on earth.”

I dug the ring box out of my tote. “He wanted me to give you this.”

“Oh, you shouldn't have,” Tom teased as he opened the box.

Marijo gasped when she saw the ring. “Oh, my, it's perfect.”

“All right, everyone,” I said to the bus group in general. “You are all my witnesses. I've given the ring to Tom here. If you don't know, he is Dominica's brother. Say hi, Tom.”

“Hi, all,” he said.

“When Alex and Dominica hit the ground, Tom is going to give the ring box to Alex, at which point, Alex will drop down on one knee and get his answer.” The group on the bus clapped and cheered. “Remember, you all will be holding up the signs asking the important question. I will give you your letter cards and brief you on what to do when you arrive at the drop zone. In the meantime, enjoy yourself. Jennifer and Henrique are here to ensure your comfort. See you soon.”

I made my way to the front of the bus and waved for Toby to leave first. We stepped out into the parking lot, then five more guests made their way to the bus.

“Why don't you ride the rest of the way with me,” I suggested. “The landing zone is in the country on a gravel road. I wouldn't want to see you chip the paint on your new car.”

“Fine,” Toby said.

I unlocked his side of the Oldsmobile and then went around the back of the car, unlocked mine, and got in. “What was your impression of the families?” I asked as I pulled out of the parking lot.

“They seemed excited and happy.”

“I think I heard a silent, but . . .”

“But,” he continued. “It was hard to tell if it was due to the champagne and party bus or the idea of the proposal.”

“I see your point,” I said, and took the two-lane highway out of town toward the landing zone. “When we get to the landing zone, I'll be handing out posters with letters on them spelling out the words ‘Will You Marry Me?' Just observe the entire event. After the proposal, and if Dominica says yes, there will be a tented engagement party. That will be a good time for you to speak to the family and friends one-on-one and get their take on the courtship and romance of the couple. There will be speeches from the parents and the best man, Tom. Listen to them. Watch the couple to get a feel for why courtship and love are important.”

“It all seems rather foolish,” he said with a frown. “My parents taught me that marriage is a contract between two people. They promise to take care of each other and to support and raise any offspring from the union. If you go into marriage with that logic, it tends to last. That's what they said and I agree. That's why many parts of the world have arranged marriages that work out just fine.”

I frowned. “Yes, I suppose that is technically true, but there can be so much more to it than that. If there wasn't, I would be out of a
job.”

We arrived in the landing zone and parked in the farmer's field well to the left of the exact landing spot. That way if the wind took them in a wrong direction, they wouldn't get hurt by hitting a car.

The first thing I did was make my way to the party tents. The two large tents connected to create a single room the size of a ballroom. At one end were several overstuffed couches and ottomans arranged on a twenty-by-twenty-foot rug forming a lounge area. Twinkle lights in blue and white draped from the ceiling and a large crystal chandelier hung from the center of the tent. Next were ten round tables that seated ten people each. The tables were covered in three linens. The bottom was dark blue, followed by pale blue, followed by white. The
dark blue linens were cut round to match the table. The other two were cut square so that they had corners which crossed in a diamond shape.

The florist placed large but low arrangements of blue statice, white roses, and draped branches that contained blue and white twinkle lights along with crystals to give the centerpiece sparkle and shine.

The caterer was placing silver chargers, pale blue plates, and tiny white presents in stacks in front of each place setting. The presents contained a memento that consisted of a tiny replica of the poster each guest held up while the couple parachuted down.

On the final end of the tent was a small ten-by-ten-foot dance floor. The DJ was set up off to the side and a large screen filled the back of the dance area with a slide show of the couple at various points in their lives together.

I spoke to the caterer and the disc jockey to ensure all was going well. Then I glanced at my watch and saw that it was time for the bus to arrive. I went out to Old Blue and pulled out a megaphone and the large posters with the letters on them. Toby leaned against the car with his hands in his pockets.

“The bus is here.”

“Thanks,” I said. “Can you get the stepladder and follow me?”

“Sure, why not.” Toby pulled the four-foot ladder from the back of Old Blue's trunk. The center of the field had a large bull's-eye on it to give the jumpers a target to aim
for when they landed. I waved for the family to follow me and we made a mini parade of about seventy-five people. I placed them in rows and handed them the cards.

Then I took the ladder from Toby, moved it toward the target and set it up. “Okay everyone, if I can have your attention, please,” I said into the megaphone once I got to the top of the ladder. “Let's have a practice run. Back row hold up your cards over your heads.”

The cards read “Dominica Barret.”

“Perfect,” I said into the phone. “Now, second row, please hold up your cards over your head.” The cards went up and said, “Will ouY.” Okay, that wasn't good. I put down the megaphone and called Toby over. “Fix the three on the right. It should be
Y-o-u
not
o-u-Y
.”

“Got it,” he said, and went over and had them switch cards.

I picked up the megaphone. “One more time, second row, please raise your cards up over your heads.” This time the words were correct. “Good. Now, last row, please raise your cards.”

The cards correctly spelled, “Marry me?” I was proud. Everyone was grinning. I climbed down and checked the time. The plane should have taken off and would arrive at jumping altitude in five minutes. “All right, everyone. Stay in your places.”

Toby followed me back to Old Blue. “They are all so excited. I've heard them saying that Alexander and Dominica have been dating for five years.”

“Yes,” I said, and opened the trunk of my car. “Can you help me with this?” We each took the handle of a big old green and white cooler.

“What do you have in here?” Toby asked as we both strained to lift it out of the car.

“Drinks,” I said. “I need to take this to the family.” We crossed the drive and the field by waddling along and occasionally putting down the cooler for a moment and then picking it back up. The day's heat had begun to set in. The wind was still relatively calm and the air smelled of fall grasses. I could hear cicadas and crickets under the low hush of the families talking and laughing.

We put the cooler down and my cell phone beeped. “The plane should reach jump altitude in a few minutes,” I announced. “In the meantime, have some water. We don't need anyone passing out and dropping their card.”

The crowd clapped and cheered. I leaned over to Toby. “Could you help me hand these out?” Inside the cooler were ice and nearly a hundred mini bottles of water. It took us five minutes to get everyone their drinks.

“All right, everyone,” I said into the megaphone. “Listen up. I just got a text telling me they have reached the jump height. Water bottles down and get ready.”

I studied the sky and spotted the plane in the distance. My phone chirped. “And they've jumped!” I climbed up on the ladder. “Okay, row one—go!” They all flipped their cards and were still in order. I counted ten seconds. “Row two—go!” They all cheered and raised their cards. I counted another ten seconds. “Last row—go!”

Everyone cheered and pumped their cards. The message was dead on. I texted the pilot. “Are you good?”

“Roger that,” he texted back.

“The pilot sees us and can clearly read the sign,” I said into the megaphone. The cheering grew louder as the parachutes were pulled and the couple floated down. “Hold your place,” I warned them. With all the excitement I didn't want anyone to rush up and ruin the message. “Hold!”

Alexander had a red and yellow parachute. Dominica had a pink and blue chute. I grabbed my binoculars and waved my hand over my head. Alex sent me a thumbs-up. “Yes!” I grabbed the megaphone. “I got a thumbs-up from Alex!”

The families started dancing in place, waving their posters over their heads. “Now, turn your cards over!” I shouted. They turned them over and the words
Congratulations, Alex and Dominica
came into view.

I grabbed the binoculars and zoomed into Dominica's face. “She's crying,” I said. “I hope to goodness those are tears of joy.”

Alex landed first. Moments later Dominica landed. Tom dropped his poster and rushed out to help Alex untangle from his chute. Another guy ran out and untangled Dominica. Tomas zoomed in with his video camera. I got off the ladder and went to Dominica.

“Stay right here,” I said, and stopped her. Then I motioned for her girlfriend Heather to stand by her. I could see that Dominica was shaking. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she said. “Definitely!”

The families surrounded her as Tom gave the box to Alex. He strode toward her, got down on one knee, and opened the ring box. “Dominica Barret, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

Her trembling hands went to her mouth. Tears welled up in her eyes. The crowd grew silent. “Yes, Alex, oh yes!” She threw her arms around him and he stood, picking her up and twirling her. There was not a dry eye in the crowd as he stopped and let her down slowly, and then placed the ring on her left ring finger.

“You have made me the luckiest man in the world.”

The families clapped happily, smiles all around. I went back to the ladder and climbed up two steps to be seen above the crowd. “Congratulations to Alex and Dominica!” I said into the megaphone. The crowd cheered again. “Now, please follow Alex and Dominica over to the white tents for dinner, dancing, and the engagement party.”

I watched as the entire group followed the happy couple across the field, over the gravel drive to the tents beyond. Cesar appeared near the cars and gave me a thumbs-up. I smiled and returned the gesture. Cesar was my videographer of choice and he had been late to the field because he had been at the airport pretending to be a “Documentary Videographer” working on a short film for the jump school. He was really there to film Alex and Dominica preparing for the Big Leap. Cesar is a good sport about most of the events that I plan, but was adamant that he
was not about to jump out of a plane to get the shot of the moment that Dominica saw the cards.

That was okay with me. I was certain the helmet cams would catch the shot. From the look on Alex's face, it didn't matter if they did or didn't. The whole thing had me grinning.

“That was quite a success,” Toby said as he stood beside the stepladder. “I certainly got a better understanding of the emotion behind what it is that you do.”

“Good,” I said, and folded up the ladder to take back to Old Blue. “Why don't you go on in to the tent, get a drink, and see if you can find out a little more about the courtship. Marriage may be a contract as you described, but it is not cold or bloodless. The courtship aspect builds trust and affection. It allows people to see if they have things in common.”

“Perhaps, but, as I mentioned, in many countries people have arranged marriages. These are often statistically more successful than marriages based on emotion.”

“Toby.” I blew out a breath. “Unless you want a mail-order bride who doesn't speak English very well, you need to truly understand how courtship and love work into marriage. Now go.” I shooed him off. “Enjoy yourself. Meet people. Get their take on the issue.”

“Are you leaving?” he asked, his expression confused.

“No, I'll be over there in a bit. First I need to pack up and such.”

“Okay.” He shrugged, shoved his hands in his pockets, and wandered after the crowd.

I put the ladder in the trunk of my car, gathered up all the posters, and stacked them in the back as well. Finally, I emptied the cooler of the ice and packed it away.

The jump school had taken care of the parachute gear and the bull's-eye tarp. I stopped, stretched, and lifted my face to the sun. Another successful event. I pulled out my phone and called Gage.

“Hey, beautiful,” he answered.

“Hi,” I said as a warm feeling washed over me.

“How did your event go?”

“Great,” I said, and leaned against the car. “Dominica was crying, Alex was crying. In fact I don't think there was a dry eye in the field.”

“Isn't the saying ‘there wasn't a dry eye in the house'?”

“Yes, well, this was entirely outside, so . . .” I let the words trail off.

“I get it. I was teasing,” he said. “I'm glad it went so well. Want to go out tonight and celebrate? I know this nice little Greek restaurant that you might like. I know you love hummus.”

“How did you know?”

“I pay attention,” he said.

“Bobby never took me to anyplace that might resemble a restaurant that wasn't a franchise.”

“I know,” Gage said softly. “Let's not talk about him. Okay?”

“Sure, I'm sorry.” I bit my bottom lip. “I would love to go out and celebrate with you tonight. I have more great
news, other than how well the Big Leap went, but it can wait until I see you.”

“Well, then I'm looking forward to your news and seeing you in something sexy.”

I couldn't help the smile that crossed my face. “Is that a hint that I should dress up a bit?”

“It's a date, Pepper.”

“Then I'm looking forward to seeing you in something sexy as well.”

“It's a deal. I'll pick you up at
eight.”