A Snake in the Garden
Little else was on her mind than their upcoming wedding. How exciting! Piper cuddled next to Nick in his family room on a soft leather couch as they watched a sports show. The announcers were debating a game penalty when Piper started to shiver. Nick rarely turned the heat on in the house, despite the fact it was sixty degrees Fahrenheit outside and possibly even colder inside. She pulled a throw blanket over herself to warm up.
The house phone rang and Nick got up to answer it. His little dog Chipper jumped off of the couch opposite them and trotted behind him, wildly wagging her long tail. Her little body wiggled and danced in such a funny way that Piper cracked up while watching her. The dog’s happiness was contagious and Piper pondered the purpose of a dog.
Such a lovable being. Everyone should have a dog.
“Nick, it’s no accident that dog spelled backwards is god, as those amazing little companions are definitely gifts from God.”
Nick shook his head in agreement, but didn’t say anything. He clenched his fist as he paced back and forth across the wood floors with the phone to his ear.
“You’ve got to be kidding. $36,000. Missing?”
“What?” Piper gasped. “Who’s on the line?”
“It’s Allison from the Collins’ Home. $36,000 is missing from their donor account, the home’s intake account for our on-line contributions. They think it was theft.”
“What? Theft?” Piper tried to make sense of it all and found herself repeating the word theft several times. To think someone would steal $36,000 from a children’s foster home. What a disgusting individual.
“Allison, we’ll be right over.” Nick slammed the phone on the kitchen counter.
“What happened?”
“Allison was balancing the pledges against the deposits when she noticed one of the balances was way off. Over a period of four days a few weeks ago, some thief made four $9,000 withdrawals from their account. He or she probably kept it under $10,000 to fly under the daily radar.”
“Didn’t Chase say he installed security walls to prevent cyber-crimes?”
“Yeah. He did. But he did that after these withdrawals, according to Allison. She thinks the withdrawals may have stopped because Chase reset all of the passwords and set up firewalls.”
“Do you think Chase has something to do with this?”
“No. I think he may have saved them from additional withdrawals.”
She thought of his expensive new cars and his gambling habit. It was too coincidental. Would he do something like that? Would he steal from a children’s home? That would be tragic. What a slap in the face for Cherie’s parents.
When they pulled into the parking lot of the home, Piper noticed Chase’s Porsche was parked in the back of the lot. Maybe he was helping Allison figure things out. Or maybe, just maybe, he was the culprit. Maybe he was there to steal more money or to try to cover his tracks. Piper’s mind was racing.
“Chase is here,” she said.
“I see that.”
“Nick,” she said as she grabbed his hand. “Do you think he stole the money? He gambles, you know. Gambles a lot. Maybe he needed the money to pay a gambling debt. And they just bought those new cars.”
“Oh, Piper. I’ve known Chase for a long time. I don’t think he would do something like this. Plus, he stopped the thief from making more withdrawals.”
“I hope you’re right, for Cherie’s sake.”
***
When Nick and Piper entered Allison’s office, they found Chase sitting in a spinning chair in front of Allison’s laptop on the side of the desk typing code.
“Hey Chase,” Nick said.
“Hey. Just trying to help out a little here,” he said, yet kept his full attention on the computer screen in front of him. “Trying to get a lead on the identity of the hacker.”
“Lucky you stopped the withdrawals when you did.”
“Too bad I didn’t stop them before they started.”
Piper studied Chase, who was wearing blue jeans and a striped button-down shirt. Dark spirits were swarming all about, which made Piper cringe. Suspicious. It was just too coincidental that a cyber-crime occurred just after he and Cherie had gotten involved with the home. Despite the chill in the air outside and the ceiling fan blowing in the room, Piper noticed he was sweating. His forehead was glistening and she could see sweat drops under his nose. Perhaps nervous? Perhaps guilty? The dark spirits were messing with his life.
Her thoughts turned to Cherie. Poor Cherie. Pregnant Cherie. With a thief for a husband. What would she do? What would she tell her son or daughter about her dad? Maybe he would be imprisoned for this crime. Or maybe it would lead to their divorce. Maybe. What if he’s not guilty? What if I’m wrong? She watched him as he banged the keys on the keyboard of the computer.
Allison stood up from her chair and came around the desk to shake Nick and Piper’s hands. “Thanks for coming, Nick and Piper. And many thanks to you, Chase. Rather fortuitous for us to have the service of a cyber expert just when it’s needed the most.” Her deep-set dark eyes appeared solemn, though she wore a warm smile.
“Please, take a seat.” She pointed to the cushioned chairs around a mahogany-colored table in her office, to which Nick and Piper headed. Then she sat down in the chair behind her matching desk.
She was an attractive Jamaican woman, dressed sharply in a purple dress with a black and white paisley silk scarf. Her hair was pulled tightly back into a bun, which exposed her large silver hoop earrings. They offered a stunning contrast against her skin tone.
“So, are you going to call the cops?” Piper asked.
“Already reported the crime. They’re going to send someone out from their cyber division,” Allison responded.
“That’s good. Between the cops and Chase, I’m sure we’ll be able to get to the bottom of this.” Nick said.
“I’m sure,” Piper said as she shifted her eyes to Chase, the snake in the garden.
“So what can we do?” Nick asked.
“Nick, since you and your mom are our most recent and most significant benefactors to the Collins Foster Home, I considered it prudent that we inform you of this matter. We’ll work hard to resolve the situation by involving the police and taking any security measures suggested both by them and by Chase. We will protect your investment in us.”
“Allison, I know you will. We’re all just heeding our call to serve a greater cause and this is one of the greatest causes to which I feel we can contribute. We’re just pleased to be in a position to provide to this great organization.”
“Thank you Nick. And thank you too Piper. You have a very good man, and you’re an amazing woman. We very much appreciate all that you do to serve the home and the many Saturdays that you two have devoted to helping our children.”
“You’re welcome,” Piper said. “And thanks to you too, Allison. I’m sure you could have chosen a much more lucrative corporate path.”
Allison smiled. “Of course. But then I wouldn’t be answering my calling.”
Piper watched Nick as he shook his head in affirmation.
Chase spun around in the chair. “Cherie and I have been putting in our time here too, Allison. We’ve put in over thirty hours so far. And I’ll probably stay here today for quite a while to work on this. More hours for the home.”
“And we appreciate you and Cherie as well, Chase. Of course we do.”
“Thanks,” Chase said as spun back around towards the computer. “I’m sure you know I could be at the beach right now or playing golf.”
“Chase, we appreciate you,” Allison stated once again in a strong and firm tone.
“Thanks. Good to know,” Chase said.
***
Six months passed without a lead on the cyber thief. The chances of catching the culprit at this point seemed slim. Piper was ready to give up on the whole thing, as Nick and Allison had already given up. They hoped the firewalls that Chase put in would help to prevent such thefts in the future. Piper hoped so too, but still couldn’t dodge her theory that Chase was somehow involved. The fact he had just started volunteering in the home when the cyber thefts occurred made him a likely suspect, though the police couldn’t find any links between him and the theft.
Despite her feelings about Chase, Nick still liked Chase and didn’t think he was guilty, so Piper had to respect that. She and Nick invited Chase and Cherie to their wedding. They also invited about forty other friends and relatives.
It would be a small wedding to keep the expenses down. Piper’s frugal grandma had taught her to be practical and most weddings were anything but. Her grandparents were married in a courthouse, but that simply wouldn’t do for Piper and Nick. She wanted to be married in the Fellowship Church by her favorite pastor and Nick supported that idea completely.
Planning a wedding with Nick was easy. He let her make all of the choices, save for the wedding meal. Nick wanted to be sure that steak was on the menu. He loved steak. Piper loved steak too.
***
She stood next to her dad at the end of the aisle in the church, wearing a beautiful white dress of lace and satin. It had taken a while to select the A-line, princess-style sleeveless dress, which displayed her curvy features. It was simple and elegant, embodying all of the qualities Piper considered important. She also wore high white wedding-style heels, which, along with the dress, she would never wear again. That was a shame.
At the end of the aisle her prince awaited. He appeared stunning, just as she expected. His aquamarine tie and crisp white shirt well contrasted his black tuxedo and dark, well-coiffed hair. The tie also matched his boutineer and her bouquet, which her sister had arranged for the wedding. Nick was beaming and staring at Piper as if she were the only one in the room.
Butterflies danced around in her belly and Piper choked back her tears. Don’t get too emotional. Hold it in. Just smile and try not to get too excited. It was almost too perfect of a day. The big day. The biggest day that she would ever have. Her heart was pounding.
She needed to focus on something else so she looked about the church. Friends and relatives were standing on either side of the aisle and all eyes were on her. Piper noticed her sister’s family and Linda, along with several aunts, uncles and cousins in the front rows to her right. Nick’s relatives and friends were standing to her left. Chase, Cherie, Flypaper and his date, and Bob and Betty were among those present. Everyone wore big smiles, but none as big as the one Piper was wearing. She had waited four years for this day.
The “Wedding March” played, which ignited Piper’s emotions even more. Fighting back the tears that were welling up in her eyes was impossible. Time to walk down the aisle with her dad. She looked at him and he nodded his head.
“Let’s go, my dear” he said.
He must have been feeling emotional too as his palms were a little sweaty. His heart was probably pounding too with the knowledge that he was about to give his daughter away in marriage. He liked Nick a lot, fortunately.
They walked past all of the smiling guests and to the altar where Nick stood with the pastor, Piper’s sister the matron of honor, and Nick’s friend Tanner, the best man. Piper hadn’t seen Nick’s life-long friend Tanner since he moved with his wife to New York City. She looked forward to catching up.
Nick was wearing a perma-grin, but she was the lucky one. She was marrying the most eligible bachelor on the planet and would soon be Mrs. Nick O’Brien. No one was as fortunate and blessed as she.
When they reached the end of the aisle, her dad whispered, “Congratulations. We are so happy for you.”
“Thanks Dad.”
He turned around and headed to his seat next to Linda in the front row.
Nick lifted Piper’s veil. “You look so beautiful. I’m a lucky man,” he whispered. His eyes glistened and penetrated her soul.
“So do you. And I’m even luckier.”
Thank you God. Thank you for answering my prayers. This is going to be the best day in my life.
Within an hour, the pastor pronounced Nick and Piper man and wife. Life as Piper O’Brien was about to begin.