Carol Clark - Hitched

“We’re exhausted,” Alfred said. “We were up all night sewing. No matter what, we will have the dresses ready for Regan and Brianne. They’ve both been so wonderful and patient.”

Patient? Regan thought. Brianne’s father threatened you, and I got two hours sleep last night because I’m out trying to solve this case. I don’t call that patient.

Patrick leaned in. “We know that Brianne walked into your salon to find her wedding dress in a heap on the floor all slashed with drops of blood on it. Tell us what that was like, Brianne.”

“Oh, please,” Brianne said, rolling her eyes. “It was unbelievable.”

“I understand that you went home and dug out your mother’s wedding gown but it was full of bugs?”

Brianne smiled and laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world. “My mother was so upset,” she began.

After Brianne finished sharing her anecdotes, Patrick looked at Regan. “And here we have bride-to-be Regan Reilly, who is also a private investigator.”

“Eeeww,” Jeannie said. “How fun!”

“You’re working on this case, right, Regan?” Patrick asked.

“As you can imagine, I have more than a passing interest in it,” Regan joked. “The NYPD is also investigating.”

“Your fiancé is a member of the NYPD. I see here that he is the head of the Major Case Squad, Jack Reilly.”

“Yes,” Regan answered with a genuine smile.

Patrick looked earnest. “So you’re kind of a crime-fighting duo. The two Reillys!”

Jack’s going to kill me, Regan thought. “We both enjoy our work.”

“Tell us about this investigation.”

“Basically, we’re looking for two men who came into Alfred and Charisse’s loft, tied them up, broke into the safe, stole a large amount of cash and jewelry, and made off with the dresses.”

Jeannie’s face looked quizzical. “How did they get in?”

“There was no sign of forced entry,” Regan answered.

“I’m always losing my keys,” Alfred confessed dramatically.

Regan became convinced Alfred would do anything to get camera time.

“Gotta be careful about that, folks,” Patrick warned. “See what can happen when you lose your keys.”

“Change your locks!” Jeannie urged the viewers. Then she turned to Alfred and Charisse. “Weren’t you scared when the intruders tied you up?”

“Poor Charisse was terrified,” Alfred answered.

Patrick looked down at his notes. “Three other brides were affected by this crime. Tracy Timber…”

Regan cringed.

“Victoria Beardsley, and Shauna Nickles. Where are they this morning? I’m sure they have interesting stories.”

You have no idea, Regan thought. At this very moment Tracy is probably having another meltdown in Connecticut.

“Alfred, do you know how they are coping with this?” Jeannie asked.

Alfred started to stammer. Charisse cut him off. “Of the five April Brides, Regan and Brianne are the two we’re concentrating on right now. They are both getting married next Saturday. We have a little more time to replace the other dresses.”

“Good luck,” Patrick said. He turned full face to the camera. “We want to help catch these guys. And you viewers out there, watching from coast to coast, often make the difference. If you see anything or have any information, please call our hotline. Help our April Brides, Regan Reilly, Brianne Barth, Tracy Timber, Victoria Beardsley, and Shauna Nickles, get their dresses back.”

Jeannie nodded. “Take another look at this spectacular vintage-style dress behind us. This is Alfred and Charisse’s creation. All four of the stolen gowns look similar to this one. Those dresses have to be somewhere! Our hotline number is…”

Patrick held up the copy of the New York Post for the camera. WEDDING DRESS BLUES. He sighed dramatically, then shook his head and smiled. “I can tell you right now my wife wouldn’t have been happy if this had happened a week before our wedding. Folks, we’ll be right back.”

The segment was over.

Patrick pulled off his mike. “Thank you all for coming in this morning. I’m sure there will be quite a reaction to this story.”

I have no doubt about that, Regan thought.

“Thanks so much,” Jeannie echoed as the twosome hurried back to their anchor chairs.

Jack and Pauly were inside the studio. They’d been invited to watch the segment live instead of waiting in the greenroom and seeing it on the monitor.

Regan walked up to Jack and smiled. “Sorry, Batman.”

Jack put his arm around her and whispered in her ear. “We make a great duo. And not just as crime fighters.”

The phone lines of Tiger News were already lighting up.

Jack and Regan, Pauly and Brianne, and Alfred and Charisse all got into the elevator together and descended to the lobby.

They were exiting the building together when an assistant came running after them. “Miss Reilly, my boss thought that you might be interested in one of our callers…

In the large and tasteful guest room of the Neys’ apartment, Tyler and Shauna were just waking up. Tyler picked up the remote control, as he did on most mornings, and flicked on the television. As usual, he constantly changed the channel, giving each program about a nanosecond to grab his attention. If it didn’t, he kept going.

He almost missed the segment on the April Brides. Almost, but not quite. He had already started to push the remote when Regan Reilly’s face appeared onscreen.

“Shauna,” he said, tapping her back. “Look at this!”

“What?” Shauna asked drowsily.

“Look!”

They both watched the segment. When the news anchor read Shauna’s name they slowly looked at each other. Shauna threw back the covers and got out of bed. She looked at the clock. “Pamela should be getting ready for church right now. I’m going to go in and see if I can help her.”

“That’s a great idea,” Tyler said quietly.

Pamela and Arnold could always be found in the front row of St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church on Park Avenue at the nine o’clock service on Sunday mornings. But today they had gotten there a little late and were seated toward the back.

So already things felt a little off.

After all the excitement last night, they got off to a slower start this morning. Pamela had prepared Arnold his oatmeal and coffee, grateful that Shauna and Tyler were late sleepers. It was wonderful having them stay at the apartment, but sometimes she felt the need for more elbow room.

Now they were going to have a child. And it will be named after one of us, Pamela thought as Father Tully preached to the congregation about God’s grace. It would be wonderful to hold a baby in her arms. So why was she feeling so unsettled? It should be a happy day.

Pamela smoothed back her hair with her left hand and realized that her earring was missing. Quickly she felt her other ear. That earring was in place. It was one of her favorite pairs, the large diamonds in a gold setting that Arnold had given her on their wedding anniversary last year. Did I drop it, she wondered in a panic. She looked around her seat. I shouldn’t be worried about jewelry when I’m in church, but that pair is so special.

I hope I find it when I get home.

Pamela sat back in her seat. She thought about the dinner last night. They had toasted the baby. Shauna had had several glasses of wine. Maybe it was because they were celebrating, Pamela thought, but she shouldn’t be drinking if she’s pregnant.

If she’s pregnant.

Pamela’s hand went back up to her left ear. This morning when I was getting ready, Shauna came into the bedroom. I had the safe open. Arnie was calling for me to hurry. Shauna was going on and on about the baby. I didn’t want to be rude so I tried to listen, but it was so distracting. I left the bedroom before Shauna, mostly to get away from her constant chatter.