Chapter 6 - THE BRIDAL SUITE
The drive to the hotel was a blur of flashing streetlights and Tom’s white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel.
Mark had stayed behind at Elise’s house, sitting on the floor of the shrine room, weeping into his hands. I didn’t care what happened to him. My only thought was Emma.
“Call Sarah,” I told Tom. “Tell her to lock the doors to the bridal suite.”
Tom dialed the number on the truck’s Bluetooth. It rang three times before Sarah picked up.
“Tom? Is everything okay?” Sarah’s voice sounded tight.
“Sarah, is Emma with you? Are you in the room?”
“Yes, we’re in the suite. But... Elise is here.”
My heart stopped. “Sarah, get her out of there. Now.”
“I’m trying, Nora, but she’s... she’s threatening to ruin the dress.”
Tom slammed his foot on the gas, running a red light. “We’re three minutes away. Do not let her touch Emma.”
When we arrived at the hotel, I sprinted through the lobby, ignoring the concierge asking if I needed assistance. Tom was right behind me. We caught the elevator just as the doors were closing.
When the doors opened on the penthouse floor, I could hear Elise’s voice echoing down the hallway.
“You think a little dress makes you a princess?” Elise was sneering.
I pushed through the heavy double doors of the bridal suite.
The room was in chaos. Emma was backed into a corner, wearing her silk pajamas, tears streaming down her face. Sarah was standing protectively in front of her. Luke was trying to physically block his aunt from getting closer to the closet where the wedding dress hung.
And Elise was standing in the center of the room, holding a glass of red wine, swinging it dangerously close to the pristine white fabric of my daughter’s gown.
Around Elise’s neck hung my mother’s pearl necklace. The one I had given Emma yesterday to wear as her “something old.”
“Mom!” Emma cried, trying to push past Sarah.
I walked straight toward Elise. I didn’t yell. I didn’t run. I moved with a cold, absolute certainty that made Elise take a step back.
“Put the wine down, Elise,” I said.
“Or what, Nora? You’ll take me away in the middle of the night like you did your brother?” Elise laughed, but her eyes were wild, unhinged. “Your father ruined my family. He took our money and drank it away. My father died of a heart attack trying to fix the bankruptcy. You owe me.”
“I don’t owe you a damn thing,” I said. “My father was a monster. You think I’m defending him? I spent my entire childhood paying for his sins. I am not paying for them anymore.”
“Mark already gave me the Cape May house,” Elise sneered. “And tomorrow, I’m taking the rest of it to the police. I have the forged deed. Your brother is going to prison.”
A reversal. She wasn’t trying to hide the forgery. She was going to use it to destroy Tom.
Tom stepped into the room. He didn’t look angry anymore. He looked incredibly calm.
“You’re right, Elise,” Tom said, pulling his phone from his pocket. “The police are going to be very interested in that deed. Especially since I already called them.”
Elise’s smug expression faltered. “What?”
“I called a buddy of mine at the precinct from the truck,” Tom said. “Told him my identity had been stolen. Sent him a photo of the deed with your notary stamp on it. They’re running a background check on you right now. Turns out, notarizing a forged document to transfer property into your own possession is a federal offense.”
Elise’s hand shook. The red wine sloshed over the rim of the glass, staining the carpet.
“You’re bluffing,” she whispered.
“Take off the necklace,” I demanded, stepping closer.
Elise backed up until she hit the closet door. “No. It’s mine. You owe me.”
“Take it off,” Luke commanded, his voice deeper and more authoritative than I had ever heard it. He grabbed Elise’s wrist, pinning her hand holding the wine glass away from the dress. “Take it off, Aunt Elise, or I will let Tom handle this his way.”
Trembling with rage, Elise reached behind her neck. She fumbled with the clasp, finally pulling the pearls free. She threw them at my chest. I caught them in my palm.
“This isn’t over,” Elise hissed, pushing past Luke.
She marched toward the door, her heels clicking aggressively against the hardwood.
As she reached for the handle, the door swung open from the outside.
Two uniformed police officers stood in the hallway.
“Elise Montgomery?” the older officer asked.
May you like
Elise froze.
“We have a warrant for your arrest,” the officer said, pulling a pair of handcuffs from his belt. “For fraud, extortion, and the forgery of legal documents.”
