Page 44 of The Girl in the River

He tilted his head sideways in thought. “I’ve being going over this again and again since the sheriff called. I honestly don’t understand.”

“How did she seem the few days before the wedding?”

“Excited,” Kevin said. “We were madly in love, and we’d been planning the service for months. She even designed her own wedding dress and the maid of honor’s dress.”

“Nothing happened to upset her?” Ellie asked.

He shook his head. “There were a few minor kinks with the flowers and we were worried it might rain, but nothing major.”

“She didn’t have any trouble with the boutique? Maybe with a lender or customer?”

“No, the business was stable. I went through all this with Sheriff Kincaid at the time. He checked security cameras around the store but found nothing.”

So he’d said. “Did Jesse have family?” Ellie asked.

“Not that she ever talked about. I think that was why she was drawn to mine so much. Because she felt so alone.”

That fit with what Mark had told her as well. But if Mia had loved Mark’s family and Kevin’s, why wouldn’t she turn to them if she was in trouble?

FIFTY-SIX

Kevin thought the detective and fed would never leave. Talking about his precious Jesse was the kind of torture he’d never known existed. He loved her with every fiber of his being.

Until death do us part. He’d meant every word of it.

The day they said their vows flashed through his mind, drawing him back to the moment she’d walked down the aisle. He’d never forget it.

He could hardly breathe as he waited to get a glimpse of her.Then she appeared at the doorway in that stunning white off the shoulder sequined dress. His heart pounded as he soaked in her beauty.

Her gorgeous silky blond hair was twisted in a fancy chignon at the nape of her neck with a glittery jewel comb, and the dangling teardrop diamond earrings he’d given her the day he’d proposed sparkled against the sunset. They matched the engagement ring he’d had handmade just for her because she deserved to be decked in diamonds and precious stones. The wedding march began and she floated toward him like an angel longing to be in his arms.

The next few seconds blurred as he cradled Jesse’s hand in his and they exchanged promises. The air stirred with the scent of her perfume and the roses she’d carried.

“You may kiss the bride,” the pastor murmured.

She smiled up at him with adoration and he cupped her heart-shaped face in his hands and drew her toward him for a long slow kiss.

Cheers and clapping erupted. The music signaled their exit and they faced their guests as husband and wife. He danced her down the aisle and the wedding party began their parade.

The deck grew crowded as his family rushed to congratulate them and the guests were being ushered to the top deck for pre-dinner drinks and hors d’ oeuvres.

The next few minutes passed in a haze as pictures were taken and they smiled at the camera, hands clasped, the air bubbling with excitement. As they finished the photographs, Jesse whispered she needed to visit the ladies before she joined the guests. He kissed her tenderly and promised to wait. Then she disappeared down the stairs to the bridal dressing room.

Above, guests were milling around, enjoying the signature cocktail Jesse had chosen and nibbling on crab-stuffed mushrooms and caviar.

Suddenly someone screamed from below deck where the kitchen was housed. Smoke curled and began to fill the main level deck. The alarm blared. One of the staff rushed out and screamed, “Fire!”

Guests cried out and began to stampede down the stairs, running toward the exit and boat ramp, crowding each other in their panic to escape.

Panic ripped through Kevin. His father yelled at him to get off the boat, but he couldn’t leave his wife. He pushed through the guests and staff as they raced from the lower deck and he rushed down the stairs, yelling Jesse’s name. “Jesse! Where are you?”

The smoke grew thicker, clogging his vision and he coughed but charged through it to the bridal room. Flames were starting to eat the cabin and the kitchen was engulfed.

He grabbed a towel from a serving cart and covered his mouth as he pushed through the smoke. “Jesse! Jesse, where are you?”

The bridal room was empty. Terror bled through him, and he raced down the narrow hall to the other cabins, checking them one by one. No one was downstairs.

Praying she’d made it upstairs, he plunged back through the fog of smoke, batting flames as he jogged up the steps. Outside the upper deck had cleared. His father stood at the edge of the boat ramp, looking panicked.

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