Dumped at the Courthouse, Married by Noon novel · Chapter 12 of 24
Chapter 12: Who Knew
Nobody moved.
A drop of water fell from a hose onto the brick.
Pretzel lifted his head and put it down again.
"Say it again, Grandma," Emmett said.
His voice was quiet and scary.
Liesl did not flinch.
"I paid the man Jean was marrying to be late," she said. "Sixty thousand dollars. On the second of October."
"Why?"
"Because Greta Voigt was never going to show, and you were going to stand in a hallway alone, and the trust would have gone to Lyle. And because the young man was a thief and I knew it."
"You knew Greta wouldn't come."
"For three weeks."
"You let me go to the courthouse."
"I let you go, yes."
"You watched me wait."
"I came to watch, and I stayed to sign."
His hands were closed into fists at his sides.
I'd never seen him look like that.
"You manipulated a stranger's wedding," he said. "You paid for a man to leave her. You used a woman's worst day to solve my problem."
"It was not only your problem."
"That's not an answer."
"No," she said. "It isn't."
He turned and looked at me.
The anger drained out of his face, and what was left was worse.
"Jean," he said. "I didn't know. I swear to you. I stood in that hallway and I had no idea."
"I believe you."
"I would never."
"I believe you," I said again.
I did.
I had watched him for three weeks, and he had never once lied to me even when a lie would have been kinder.
That was what made it harder to stand there.
"I need to leave," I said.
"Jean."
"Not forever. Just from here."
"I'll drive you."
"No. I'll take my car."
Liesl rose, leaning on her cane.
"Child, let me say one more thing."
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