Back on Blossom Street (Blossom Street #4)(72)

Before I could respond, the phone rang. I hurried over to the counter, hoping the caller would be either Margaret or Alix. It was Margaret.

“How’d it go?” I asked.

“His name is Danny Chesterfield,” my sister said.

It sounded like a nice name, the name of someone pleasant, an upstanding citizen, not a hardened criminal.

“Danny Chesterfield,” I repeated slowly. “Did Julia recognize him?”

“Right away,” Margaret told me with a hint of pride. “As soon as they marched the men into the room, Julia grabbed my hand.”

I wish I could’ve been there to reassure Julia, too.

“She called out Danny’s number even before all the men turned to face us.” Margaret snickered derisively. “And guess what—first thing he did was get a lawyer.”

Of course he would.

“Detective Johnson says he belongs to a gang of car thieves that target certain cars. Apparently, Danny’s been in enough trouble through the years that there’s no chance he’ll get off lightly.”

“Good.” Like my sister, I wanted this criminal behind bars, the sooner, the better.

“I can already see a difference in Julia,” my sister told me. Margaret sounded more carefree than she had in weeks.

“Where is she now?” I asked, hoping to talk to her, if only for a minute. It couldn’t have been easy to confront this felon. Even though he couldn’t see her behind the glass, Julia saw him and with his face in full view, she would’ve felt the terror and helplessness all over again. I was proud of what she’d done and wanted her to know it.

“She went over to a friend’s house,” Margaret announced triumphantly.

I wondered why my sister’s tone held such a note of pride—and then it came to me. Since the carjacking, Julia had refused to get behind the wheel of a car.

“Julia drove?” I asked breathlessly.

Margaret, who so rarely laughs, did. “Yes. By herself.”

“Oh, Margaret, that’s fabulous!”

“It’s over,” she said soberly. “At last this nightmare is over.”

I prayed my sister was right.

CHAPTER 26

Colette Blake

Susannah had a doctor’s appointment, so Colette was opening the flower shop on her own Friday morning. As she approached the alley doorway, she noticed someone squatting there, puffing away on a cigarette. A plume of smoke rose from the hunched figure.

“Alix?” Colette couldn’t keep the relief out of her voice. “Is that you?”

Slowly Alix Townsend rose to a standing position, then dropped the cigarette and ground it out. Colette was filled with questions. Everyone had been talking about Alix and no one seemed to know where she’d been for the past four days.

“What are you doing here in the alley?” Colette asked, unlocking the door.

“I need to talk to you,” Alix said gruffly and followed Colette into the back of the shop.

“It’s so good to see you,” Colette told her, ignoring her rudeness. She flipped on the lights and punched in the code to shut off the alarm. Walking to the front of the shop, she turned over the Closed sign. Susannah liked to prop open the door, which she saw as an invitation for customers to come in and browse. Her “open-door policy” had been successful, too; equally enticing were the buckets of fresh flowers she arranged along the sidewalk.

Colette left the door open; she would set everything up when she’d finished talking to Alix. This was going to be a busy day for her. After work, she’d be joining Christian and his aunt for dinner. Although she was reluctant to admit it, Colette was looking forward to the evening. It’d been more than a month since she’d seen Christian and despite everything, she craved the sight of him.

“What’s up? Is there anything I can do for you?” Colette asked, but what she really wanted to know was where Alix had been and why. Her friend looked as if she hadn’t slept in a week. The smudges under her eyes spoke of misery and exhaustion.

“I came to cancel the wedding flowers,” Alix said abruptly.

This was a shock, but Colette tried not to show it. “Are you changing the order?” she asked. “Or canceling it altogether?”

Alix’s eyes were shadowed. “Canceling.”

Susannah would be disappointed. The Turner wedding was a huge order and had come with a substantial down payment. Although she’d hold a certain amount back, it would still be a loss.

“So you and Jordan have decided to call off the wedding?” Colette asked, finding this hard to believe. Colette knew how much Alix loved him. In fact, Colette envied her friend the close relationship she had with her fiancé.

“As of last Tuesday, the wedding’s officially off,” Alix said blandly. Colette stared at her. Despite Alix’s no-big-deal attitude, this must be ripping her heart out. It also explained why no one had seen her all week. Colette noticed that Alix’s hands were shaking, although she tried to hide it by shoving them in her pockets.

“The paperwork’s in the office,” Colette said in a noncommittal tone. She led Alix there, out of view of anyone who might be looking in the shop windows. As soon as they were alone, she breathed, “What happened?”

Alix tried unsuccessfully to pretend it was a small thing. “Jordan and I agreed it was for the best, that’s all.”