Page 70 of Wedding Crasher

‘There’s this, too.’

‘What is it?’ Emily asked.

‘It’s a note I never received.’

Marla took the card out of its envelope and passed it to Emily who, clearly confused, read it with a frown then handed it on to Jonny.

‘I found it by accident on Gabe’s desk the night that Bluey died,’ Marla said quietly. ‘I put it in my pocket and forgot about it until this morning.’

‘I don’t understand …’ Emily shrugged, her face a picture of frustration.

‘No? Well I bloody do!’ Jonny burst out, slamming the card down on the table a few seconds later. Marla chewed her lip and waited in silence to see if Jonny’s conclusion tallied with her own.

‘I knew that jumped-up twatface couldn’t have come up with anything so thoughtful on his own!’

‘Tell me what’s going on!’ Emily hissed at them.

Marla placed a hand on Jonny’s arm to stop him from shouting again, then turned to Emily.

‘I think the note should have been attached to the fireworks.’

‘But Rupert gave you the firewo— Oh my God!’

Emily’s mouth dropped into a perfect ‘O’ as realisation dawned.

Jonny drummed his fingers on the tabletop in an attempt to control his temper. ‘Have you said anything to Rupert about this yet?’

Marla shook her head. ‘I only read it today.’

‘Good. Let me tell him. Or, better yet, let me smack his teeth down his throat for you.’

Marla covered Jonny’s tightly balled fist with her own hand, grateful to have him in her corner, even if he had temporarily morphed into Bruce Willis from theDie Hardyears.

‘I still don’t get it though …’ Emily muttered.

‘I don’t either, really,’ Marla said. ‘Rupert definitely gave me those fireworks himself. How did he get hold of them, if they were actually from Gabe?’

Emily shook her head with a perplexed look at Jonny. ‘Well, I know one thing for sure. Gabe wouldn’t have given them to Rupert to pass on, since they can’t stand the sight of each other.’

Marla nodded. She’d arrived at that same stumbling block herself.

Jonny, however, was streets ahead of both of them.

‘You’re right.Gabewouldn’tgive them to Rupert. But you can bet your sweet ass thatMelaniewould,’ he said, slowly. They lapsed into silence and stared at each other.

‘Bitch,’ Jonny spat eventually. ‘I’ve told you all along that she was fucking venomous.’

‘But why would she take Gabe’s note off first?’

Jonny looked at Emily as if she were the village idiot.

‘Durr! Because she’s got the hots for him herself of course! Haven’t you noticed the way she moons over him?’

‘But why would Rupert not mention that they weren’t from him?’ Emily asked, her eyes flicking between Marla and Jonny.

Marla was silent – still turning the idea over in her head.

‘Because he’s a thieving opportunist shitbag. Why else?’