Page 32 of The Perfect Hosts
Mellie looks at him like he’s grown a second head. “Of coursethey won’t say that’s the reason why, but everyone knows it happens.”
Jamie can’t say that she’s wrong. “I won’t say anything,” he promises. “You followed Johanna into the barn?”
“I was supposed to stay behind because once we saw the smoke, we were supposed to start pouring the champagne and top it with pink or blue cotton candy and hand it out to the guests. But it was kind of chaotic because they weren’t planning to do the actual reveal until right before sunset, and it was only like six something.”
“They went off-schedule?” Jamie asks. “Do you know who made the change?”
“The Drakes, I guess, but I don’t know,” Mellie says. “I heard it might rain later, so I figured it had something to do with the weather, but I’m not sure.”
The change in schedule could be significant, Jamie thinks. He needs to find out who made the decision to push up the reveal and why.
“So, everyone is moving toward the meadow, and you hang back?”
“Yeah. I decided to peek inside the barn in case I could talk to the midwife for a minute. That’s when I smelled smoke. At first I thought that my boss had moved the grills into the barn, which would have been weird. I was curious, so I opened the door, and I saw her, the midwife.” Mellie takes a shaky breath. “She was smoking a cigarette and holding a gift. It looked like she’d been crying.”
“She was holding a gift?” Jamie asks, his radar beginning to buzz. “Do you remember what it looked like?”
Mellie shrugs. “I’m not sure. It did have a big black bow on top, which I thought was a weird choice for a baby party.” She reaches for the cup of water next to her bed, takes the straw between her lips, and takes a long drink.
“How big?” Jamie asks.
“The bow?” Mellie asks in confusion.
“No, the box,” Jamie clarifies.
Mellie holds her hands about twelve inches apart to indicate how wide the package was. “I asked her what was wrong, but she yelled at me to leave her alone, to get out. I turned right around and left. Then she called out to me, said she was sorry, and started walking my way. That’s when the barn exploded. I went flying, and when I hit the ground, I saw my legs were on fire.” Tears fill Mellie’s eyes. “It crawled right up my legs, and that’s when I remembered I had spilled olive oil all over my pants earlier. Someone tackled me and put the flames out. The last thing I remember was how much it hurt.”
Tears stream freely down Mellie’s cheeks, and she wipes them away with the edge of the bedsheet. “I think I’m tired now,” she says. Jamie can see that it’s true. Her eyes are heavy with exhaustion, her face tight with pain. Their short conversation seems to have sapped any energy the young woman might have had in reserve.
Still, Jamie has more questions. “We’re almost done here, Mellie, I promise. Did you see Johanna Monaghan carrying a gift earlier when you saw her?”
Mellie lifts her eyes to the ceiling, thinking. “No, I don’t think so.”
“And you don’t know where Johanna got it from?” Jamie asks.
“I have no idea. It was so crowded and busy, I didn’t even notice,” Mellie says. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Jamie says, though he’s beginning to wonder if the package is what held the IED. “Did you see anything else unusual? Anything out of place?”
Mellie closes her eyes, as if thinking. After a moment she opens them and shakes her head. “No. Everyone looked like they were having a good time.” She pauses, then adds, “Except for maybe Mrs. Drake. She looked kind of miserable.”
Now that’s interesting, Jamie thinks. A gender reveal party is supposed to be a happy, joyous occasion. And from what Jamie could gather, the party was one of a kind. An A-list country singer, hundreds of friends, great food and drink, finally learning the sex of her baby, all set against the beautiful backdrop of the mountains. Why wouldn’t Madeline Drake be happy?
“Any idea as to why she was upset?” Jamie asks.
“I don’t know,” Mellie says. “And I wouldn’t say she was upset, more like she didn’t want to be there.”
“Okay,” Jamie says. “I will have more questions for you, but if you think of anything else, will you be sure to give me a call?” He sets a business card on the tray in front of her.
Once in the hallway, Jamie feels the buzz of his phone in his pocket and moves to a quiet corner and looks at the screen. It’s his boss, Special Agent in Charge Sykes. Jamie lets out a breath before answering.
“Saldano,” he says by way of greeting.
“Saldano,” Sykes says. “What the hell do you have going on over there? It’s all over the news, and my phone has been ringing off the hook.”
“We found all the makings of an IED. Ball bearings, nails, PVC piping,” Jamie explains. “The bomb techs from Jackson are packing everything up and sending the evidence off to the lab, and the deceased has been transported to the medical examiner’s office for an autopsy.”
“Anyone taking responsibility?” Sykes asks. “Is there any chance of terrorism? Domestic or otherwise?”