Page 59 of The Wedding Cake Wish
Everything seems to happen in a flash after that.
Stephanie catches sight of Rory a moment after we do and shestraightens and stares up at him for a second. Then she charges towards Tommy’sTreehouse and disappears inside.
‘That’s what he was doing last night in the office,’ I gasp.‘He was messing with the computer programming for the fountain display to ruinthe event!’
Hudson nods. ‘It must have seemed the perfect way to put hisIT skills to good use. He’s been very patient, playing a waiting game, gainingStephanie’s trust as her indispensable handy-man.’
‘Just so he could turn the event into a complete catastrophe!’
‘Come on.’ Hudson grabs my hand and we start running over toTommy’s Treehouse.
But before we can get in there, Rory himself comes flyingdown the stairs and pushes past us at the entrance.
‘Let’s go,’ urges Hudson. ‘We need to follow him.’
I stop, torn. ‘But what about Stephanie? We need to checkthat she’s all right.’
Hudson hesitates for just a second or two, then he sprintsfor the stairs that lead up to the balcony. I follow him as he climbs them twoat a time and we arrive to find Stephanie leaning on the balcony railings, herhands in her hair, staring out at the chaos.
‘Are you okay?’ demands Hudson.
She turns and glares at us. ‘Me? Oh, I’m tickety boo,’ shesnaps. ‘How the hell do youthinkI am?’ She’s almost in tears. ‘I’vespent the last twenty years building up this business, only to have myreputation ruined by some bloke because of something that happened a bloodycentury ago! You treat your employees well and what do they do? They throw itright back in your face. And to think, I hired that bastard Rory in good faith!No client will touch me with a bargepole after this fiasco.’
‘I’m not sure Gaynor would agree with you...thatyou treat your employees well,’ I say coldly. ‘She’s out of a job now and shedid absolutely nothing to deserve being sacked like that.’
She sneers at me. ‘Oh, girls like her are two a penny. I’llhave hired someone to take her place by tomorrow.’
I exchange a disgusted look with Hudson, and he says, ‘Sodidyoustart the fire that got Rachel locked up?’
For a second, she looks taken aback at the question. ‘No, Idid not.’ She glowers at us. ‘As I told your friend Rory, he was barking up thewrong tree when he came looking for me.’
Hudson thrusts the photo in her face. ‘So are you saying itwas the other girl in this picture who set the cottage on fire?’
She frowns, peering at the photo. Then she points. ‘Yes. Itwas her. She’s the bloody arsonist. Not me.’
‘So who is she?’ I ask, my heart beating faster.We’regetting closer to the truth.
Her face hardens. ‘I’m not saying.’
‘But Rory could be going afterhernow. You need totell us who she is.’
‘I don’t need to tellyouanything,’ she flashesback.
Hudson sighs with frustration. ‘Did you tell Rory who thegirl is?’
She swallows and nods. ‘Yes, I told bloody Rory. He was soangry I was scared he’d throw me over the balcony if I refused to say. So yes,I told him.’
‘So you need to let us know,’ I urge her. ‘Or she could bein danger.’
‘Honey, I couldn’t give a rat’s arse if he kills her. Shedeserves everything she gets.’
Hudson takes a step towards her, his face tense with anger.‘Now, look – ’
But he gets no further because, without warning, a manbursts onto the balcony in a rage. ‘What the hellhappened, Stephanie?You’d better have a damn good explanation, because if you don’t, I’ll make sureevery single one of your clients find out how totally incompetent you are. Let’sface it,no one’sgoing to hire you after this bloody fiasco!’
He’s a big man, red-faced and squeezed into a suit, thebuttons straining, and he looks as if he might spontaneously combust with rageat any moment. Stephanie, speechless for once, shrinks back against therailings.
‘And who the hell are you?’ The man rounds on us. ‘I thoughteveryone had gone.’
