"At least you’ve got your feet planted on the floor while you’re working. Willie and I are hanging by our necks half the time."

"What are you doing in the loft?" Laurant asked.

"Tearing out the old, rotting wood and replacing it. There was a lot of water damage around the organ," he added. "It’s tedious work, but it’s going to look real nice when I’m finished."

"How do you like living at the Morrison’s house?" Bessie Jean asked.

"It’s okay," Mark said, shrugging. "Justin thought we all should split the chores, so we each took a room to keep clean. It makes it easier."

Nick devoured two hamburgers while he listened to the conversation. Feinberg had told him that Wesson had already ruled out these three men. He’d run a background check on all of them. They were farmers working as carpenters and racing against the clock to get renovations finished, but as far as Nick was concerned, they were still suspects. So was every other man attending the picnic. He wasn’t about to rule out anyone in Holy Oaks.

One of the high school boys tapped Laurant on her shoulder and asked her to dance. She graciously accepted before Nick could come up with a reason to object. He followed them to the edge of the dance floor and stood there with his arms folded across his chest, watching. The band was playing an old Elvis Presley song. Laurant swayed to the music while her enthusiastic dance partner gyrated wildly in a circle around her. She had to duck his elbow a couple of times because the kid’s arms and legs were going every which way. Nick thought he looked like an extra in a bad karate movie, and he knew Laurant was having trouble maintaining a straight face. Other couples were giving the kid a lot of room, probably so they wouldn’t get kicked.

For the next hour she was dragged onto the dance floor again and again as the bandleader called out the dedications and played the requested songs. When Laurant wasn’t dancing, she helped clean up, and she was constantly being stopped by men and women, children too, to say hello. She moved through the crowd with an ease and comfort he envied.

She had told him that in Holy Oaks, people cared about one another, but now he was seeing it firsthand. He used to think it would drive him crazy if everyone knew what he was doing. Now he wasn’t so sure. It might be kind of nice. He didn’t know any of his neighbors in Boston. When he came home at night, he drove into the garage, went in his house, and stayed there until it was time to leave again. He had never had the time nor the inclination to interact with any of his neighbors. He didn’t even know if there were any children on the block.

Laurant was dancing with Justin now and was laughing at something he’d said. The song ended and Nick spotted a man about his age heading toward Laurant. He decided she’d done enough dancing for one night. He got to her first, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her.

"What was that for?"

"Because we’re in love," he reminded her. "Have you been telling people how we met?"

"Oh, yes," she answered. "I’ve told the story at least twenty times now."

"And did you tell them what the experts are saying about your stalker?"

She nodded against his chin, then put her head down on his shoulder and closed her eyes so that anyone watching would see her snuggling up to her lover while she danced with him.

"I’ve said it so many ways, I’ve run out of adjectives. I’ve called him stupid and sloppy, and I’ve told them the FBI’s convinced he has a very low IQ, that he’s to be pitied because he’s so dysfunctional. You name it, Nick. I’ve said it."

"That’s my girl."

"What about you? Have you been telling people how we met?"

"Yeah, every chance I get," he answered. "I met Christopher," he added. "I liked him."

"I haven’t seen Michelle yet. Uh-oh, here comes Steve Brenner."

"You aren’t gonna be dancing with him."

"I don’t want to dance with him."

The song ended. As Nick and Laurant were leaving the dance floor, they were intercepted by Brenner.

Nick sized him up with just one quick look. The man was all about control. The way he moved and the way he dressed were giveaways. The man’s appearance was extremely important to him. His Ralph Lauren shirt and pants were crisply pressed, and there wasn’t a hair out of place. The only concession he made to casual picnic attire was not to wear socks with his new Gucci loafers. As Nick shook his hand, he noticed Brenner was sporting a Rolex watch.

Brenner touched Laurant’s shoulder sympathetically. "Laurant, I want you to know how sorry I am about that article Lorna wrote. I was embarrassed when I read that nonsense about the two of us. I have no idea where she came up with that story, and I hope it didn’t cause you any distress."

"No, it didn’t," she said.

He smiled. "Lorna told me that you and Nick are engaged, or was that another fabrication?"

"She got that right. Nick and I are getting married."

"Well, I’ll be damned. Congratulations to both of you. You’re getting a good woman," he said to Nick. Looking at Laurant again, he asked, "Have you set the wedding date?"

"Second Saturday in October," she told him.

"Where are you going to live?"

"In Holy Oaks," she said. "And I’ll still be fighting you on the town square."

The smile went out of his eyes. "I expect you will, but I think I’ve come up with an offer you won’t want to refuse. I’d like to drop it off tomorrow after work. Are you going to be home? We could sit down and discuss it."

"No, I’m sorry, I won’t be home. Nick and I are going to the rehearsal at the abbey for the wedding. And then there’s dinner after," she explained. "We won’t be getting home until after midnight."

Brenner nodded. "Why don’t I give you a call next Monday. That should give you time to recover from Michelle’s wedding."

"That would be fine."

"Getting engaged and setting a wedding date… that happened pretty quick, didn’t it?"

Nick answered, "I’ve known Laurant a very long time, since she was a little girl."

"And when we saw each other again in Kansas City, we just… knew… didn’t we, darling?" Laurant added.

Nick smiled. "Yes."

"Congratulations again," he said. "I guess I better go get a hamburger before they’re all gone."

Nick kept his eye on Brenner as he walked away.

"What do you think of him?" she asked.

"He’s got a lot of anger pent up inside."

"How could you tell that?"

"When he was congratulating us, his hands were fisted."

"I’m making his life miserable right now. He was probably clenching his fists to keep from wringing my neck."

"You’re single-handedly blocking his plans."

"Is he a suspect?"

"Everyone is," he replied. "Come on. Let’s go sit on the blanket and make out like teenagers."

The suggestion made her laugh. Several men and women turned and smiled at the happy couple.

"Sounds like a plan," she said. "But I don’t think the abbot would approve."

"There you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you."

Michelle came hurrying across the grass. Her fiance, Christopher, had hold of her hand and was grinning from ear to ear.

Michelle was a beautiful woman. Petite, with delicate features, she had long golden hair that framed her heart-shaped face. She had a killer smile that demanded a response.

Laurant’s friend wore a metal brace on her right leg, and when she tried to sit down at the picnic table, she winced in pain. Christopher was telling Nick a joke he’d just heard as he swept Michelle up into his arms and then sat down with her in his lap.

"I’m still limping," Michelle said to Laurant.

"But barely," she insisted.

"You think so?"

"Oh, yes. I noticed the difference."

"I shattered my knee in a car accident," she explained to Nick. "I shouldn’t be able to walk at all, but I beat the odds."