Chapter 5: What Diane Knew
Diane found me by the coat check at the edge of the lobby, twenty minutes after Gareth was escorted to a separate room to give his statement.
I almost didn't recognize her at first.
She'd taken off the cathedral veil.
Without it, she looked younger and much more tired.
"Can I talk to you?" she said.
Nora was sitting on a bench nearby, carefully applying star bandages to her fingers one by one.
I glanced at her, then back at Diane.
"You have about five minutes before my daughter gets bored and I have to focus on her," I said.
Diane nodded.
She clasped her hands in front of her, looked at the floor, then looked at me.
"I didn't know he was going to do that.
I want you to know that."
"Do what, specifically?"
"Any of it." She exhaled.
"The phone.
Nora.
I didn't know."
"But you knew something."
She was quiet for a moment.
"He told me three days ago that he was worried Nora might cause a problem at the reception.
He didn't say how.
I thought he meant she might cry during the ceremony or knock something over.
I didn't ask more questions." Her voice dropped.
"I should have asked more questions."
"Yes," I said.
"You should have."
She flinched but didn't look away.
"There's something else.
Something I found two weeks ago that I didn't know what to do with."
I waited.
Diane reached into the small satin clutch she was still carrying and pulled out her phone.
She opened a photo and held it toward me.
It was a screenshot of a text conversation.
Gareth's name at the top.
The other contact was saved only as a letter — K.
The messages were short.
I read them twice.
*She'll be there.
Easy target.
Nobody's going to question a kid.*
*What if it doesn't work?*
*It'll work.
I've done this before.*
My stomach dropped.
"I've done this before," I said.
Diane nodded.
"He's done this before," I said again, and this time it wasn't a question.
"I don't know who K is," Diane said.
"I don't know what he's done before or to whom.
I only know I found this and I've been sick about it for two weeks and I didn't know if I was reading it wrong." She looked at me with something raw in her eyes.
"I wasn't reading it wrong, was I."
"No," I said.
"You weren't."
She held the phone out further.
"I want to give this to the police."
"Then let's go find Officer Reyes," I said.
Diane lowered the phone.
She looked over at Nora, who had now run out of fingers and was applying star bandages to the back of her hand.
"I'm sorry," Diane said.
"For what happened to her.
She's a sweet little girl."
"She is," I said.
"She didn't deserve any of this."
"No." Diane's voice was very quiet.
"She didn't."
We walked toward the security corridor together.
Halfway there, Diane stopped.
"The man in the catering uniform," she said.
"K.
I think I know who it might be.
Gareth has a friend — someone he's known since college.
He goes by Kit.
I've only met him twice.
He made me uncomfortable both times and I could never explain why."
I looked at her.
"Tell Officer Reyes that too."
She nodded.
We kept walking.
May you like
Behind us, from the ballroom, I heard my mother's voice rise briefly and then go quiet.
I didn't turn around.
