Sedona Law 5 by Dave Daren (e book reader android .TXT) 📗

wanted a private affair, so it was really just a couple of people.”

The Grand Canyon was just a few hours away from here, so it was a common vacation spot and day getaway for Sedona people.

“With them, you know,” Perry shrugged and made a face as he went on, “I get the whole personal touch thing to the wedding. That’s cool and all. I get you don’t want the drama of a thousand people you don’t even talk to at your wedding. I understand that. Kristen and I only had our families there. But … I don’t know. Clare and Jim seemed to be a little too into the ‘intimate,’ vibe. It was a little weird.”

“Really?” I asked as Vicki and I both leaned in curiously. “How long ago was this?”

“Six months ago?” Perry furrowed his brow in thought. “That sounds about right. They didn’t even invite their families. Just her son. I … thought the whole thing was off, and I almost didn’t do the wedding because it seemed so weird. But I did background checks on them to make sure they weren’t already married or anything. They checked out so, you know, whatever. It’s their business.”

“Right,” I said. “And what’s his name?”

“Jim,” Perry replied. “Jim Hurley.”

“Do you know anything about him?” I asked as I filed the name away for later.

“Not much,” he shook his head, “about either of them, really. She came to me out of the blue. She said she needed an officiant and that I popped up in an online search. So, we went from there. They were both so cagey about their personal lives and used the words, ‘private,’ and ‘intimate’ so many times, it started to bother me. But, like I said, I couldn’t find anything wrong with it, and they said instead of paying the fee, he would design the cabins.”

“Design them?” I asked and blinked in surprise.

“Oh, that’s right,” Perry laughed, “Jim’s an architect. He designed the retreat center.”

“Wow,” I whistled. “That’s a high price for an officiant’s fee.”

“That’s what I said,” Perry replied, “but, I mean, a free architect? Cool.”

“Sure,” I allowed, “but there’s definitely something shady going on.”

He shrugged. “Well, I don’t judge. As long as I don’t know anything about it, and they’re not involving me in it, it’s all their own business, you know?”

“But you know she used to be married to Jerry Steele, right?” I asked.

We were at the party now, and Perry slammed the brakes on the golf cart and turned to me with wide eyes.

“Seriously?” he gasped. “The dead guy?”

I nodded. “Yep.”

He looked fearfully toward the direction of the cabins.

“I don’t want any trouble,” he muttered. “I’ve got a wife and a kid. I don’t need whatever kind of shit they’re into out here.”

“Yeah,” I sighed, “I don’t know what it is, but those people are up to something. Who barters an entire retreat center for an officiant at a secret wedding?”

“A secret wedding?” Perry murmured with a frown as we got out of the vehicle. “I didn’t think of it that way.”

Kristen saw us at that point. Perry’s wife had long brown hair and a pretty smile, and today she wore a blue sundress and flip flops while she carried the baby in a pouch on her chest. She smiled and immediately greeted us.

“You’re back,” she laughed as she pecked Perry’s cheek. “You took forever! I was about to think you got killed by a deranged axe murderer hiding out in the retreat center or something. Here.” She unwrapped the baby and handed him to Perry. “Take him, I have to find another jar of that salsa. People just can’t stop eating the stuff.”

“Yes ma’am,” Perry chuckled as he cuddled Neptune into his chest.

Kristen seemed to notice us in an afterthought. “Vicki, Henry, good to see you guys.” Then she dashed off before we could reply and left Perry holding the baby.

“We’ve got to get those people off this property,” Perry said as he looked at the baby and then back at the cabins again.

“We don’t know anything right now,” Vicki told him.

He kissed Neptune on the head and glanced at us. “I should have listened to my gut when it told me there was something wrong in the first place.”

“No reason to jump to any conclusions,” I cautioned. “Just because someone wants to have a secret wedding does not mean they’re a murderer. There’s not even any connection between the two incidents.”

“Yeah,” Perry sighed as he rocked the baby and stared toward the cabins. “You’re right.”

But I could tell he wasn’t entirely convinced.

The ceremony itself was a peaceful affair. The community gathered in a crowd spread around the courtyard, and I noticed a small hole dug in the ground, a few gardening tools, and a fledgling tree.

Perry quieted the group and stood over the hole while Kristen stood by his side and held Neptune.

“Thank you all for coming out,” Perry began. “Neptune is an amazing miracle. Anyone who is familiar with the history of Kristen and me knows how truly blessed we are to have this child.”

The crowd murmured, and I saw Kristen wipe away a tear. Kristen had had a tumultuous background until she met Perry. She’d shared a few things with us, but I was certain the rest of the crowd knew much more about her story than we did.

“I … cannot,” Perry’s voice choked up, “I cannot tell you how truly happy I am. I’ve got a beautiful wife, the best in the world. And a child who … who just … well, look at him.”

Perry gestured toward the baby, and Kristen held him up for everyone to see. My mom was right, Neptune was all baby fat and smiles as he cooed and waved his arms. Everyone awwed, and Neptune