Renee put her hands together and smiled. “What a wonderful plan.”
Chase put his ring back on the satin pillow. Thank God he hadn’t looked inside. He would’ve been so disappointed.
But what was I going to say? Maybe I could sneak a peek inside my ring to get some idea about what he’d had inscribed.
I put my ring on the pillow, trying to see what was written in it. It was no use. It was too small, and I didn’t have time before Rene put them away. I’d have to come back and look at it later.
“Thank you so much for your craftsmanship, and everything you’ve done for us.” Chase clasped hands with Rene first and then his sister.
He gave me a nod, and I thanked the twins too. Maybe not as elegantly, but I thanked them anyway.
Lucky for me, Chase’s radio called out another problem that required his attention— there were two naked women in the Good Luck Fountain—it happened at least once every month. He excused himself to the twins, gave me a kiss, and was gone.
Rene and Renee stood staring at me with knowing eyes.
“You have to tell me what he had inscribed.”
Renee shook her head, her long white hair following the movement. “We cannot. We swore an oath to our customer, the Bailiff. We would dishonor him, and ourselves, if we did not uphold it.”
“Okay.” I felt a little desperate. “Was it more than one line? Was it a famous quote? Give me something to work with here. Is there still time for me to inscribe something on his ring?”
“There is plenty of time remaining,” Rene confirmed. “But we cannot divulge what he said.”
“Please,” I begged. “I don’t know what to say inside a ring. I never even thought about it.”
The twins did their intent staring session, as they had many times before. I felt sure they were communicating with their minds, though I had no proof of that.
Finally, Renee agreed. “The words on the ring are not a quote, nor are they words that ever belonged to anyone else. The words belong to the Bailiff.”
“Okay.” Thanks for nothing! So I have to come up with some clever saying that you can inscribe on the ring. How long?”
“Three days.” Rene nodded.
“Three days. Thanks. I’ll get back with you.”
Anything else? My poor tired brain was screaming. Find Dave’s killer. Get ready for the wedding. Have dinner with Chase’s parents who hated me. Run the museum. Wait for a sorcerer to come who would deal with Wanda’s ghost.
I was on the verge of a meltdown.
I saw Master Archer Simmons with his team of archers practicing for the wedding, despite the rain. It would be quite a show—if I lived to see it. For the moment, it looked like something familiar, a sanctuary from my crazy world.
“Lady Jessie!” Master Archer Simmons greeted me. “I’m so glad you’re here. You can give us your opinion of our performance. We’ve been working very hard on this.”
“Gladly.” Anything for a distraction. What would it look like if I inscribed You shot an arrow into my heart inside Chase’s ring?
No. That was too plain. Anyone could say that. I was pretty sure the little heart-shaped candies that were out at Valentine’s Day said something similar.
The archers lit their arrows—difficult because of the rain and mist. They took aim, and fired into the dull, gray sky. The arrows flew true, some extinguishing from the moisture, others returning to the earth, still on fire.
The archers ran to retrieve their arrows.
“Wonderful.” I applauded. “That was really exciting.”
Could I have Your love is my aim? inscribed in Chase’s ring?
No. I had to think of something better than that.
“Do you think we should aim at a different trajectory?” Master Simmons asked.
“I think that was fine.” I was only half paying attention.
“If you don’t mind the royal court going up in flames.” Wanda’s mocking voice interrupted my thoughts. “Why do you think they used to shoot flaming arrows at their enemies? Use your head, Jessie. I want to be the one to spoil your wedding, with no help from you.”
“I suppose you should position the archers so the arrows drop into the lake,” I suggested.
Master Simmons looked surprised. “That’s probably a good idea. I’m not sure yet where everyone will be sitting. The king told me that the plans aren’t finalized. I’ll be sure to tell him of your suggestion.”
What about: You’re the king of my heart?
No! That was awful.
In the meantime, the archers continued lighting their arrows and shooting them off until the whole area was smoky.
It was a good time to ask Master Simmons about why he was at the museum the night Dave was killed. “I’ve heard you were outside the museum that night? Is that true?”