When Mitch and Sammy came down, Grandma said the same thing to him.
"You told the sheriff about him. There is nothing more you could have done," Mitch told her.
"Don't be upset, Rico's grandma," Sammy told her and gave her a hug. "Let's go pet the kitties. Then you'll feel better." Taking her by the hand, Sammy led her back to the rose room and Mitch and Rico had a moment alone.
They leaned against each other with their foreheads pressed together. Then Mitch said. "Thank you for being here and for everything you did."
"I didn't really do anything," Rico said. He had actually felt pretty useless. "I wish I could have done more."
"You did the most important thing. You took care of Sammy, and you were steady as a rock. You did really well," Mitch told him and stroked his face.
"I was scared out of my mind," Rico confessed.
"You didn't show it and you kept Sammy pretty calm. Thank you. It meant a lot to me to know I could count on you at a time like that. I really needed you and you came through for me," Mitch said in such a heartfelt way that Rico was touched.
He wanted to kiss him but a deputy went by with the silver egg in an evidence bag. "What was the deal with that egg?" Rico asked.
Mitch told him what he knew. "A while ago, I noticed it had something inside. I have a soldering kit, so I knew I could put it back together. I opened it up and found the paper inside. I didn't know what to make of it, just a string of numbers. I showed it to your grandmother. She took a picture of the note and sent it to the Dunbar's niece. I kept the paper just in case and put the egg back together for Sammy."
"And you used it to your advantage," Rico said.
"It worked out that way," Mitch said modestly. "A small piece of paper is harder to find than a silver egg. Except the paper was in an envelope labeled 'nest egg numbers'. When West broke in here, he could have found it easily if he just knew where to look. But he was so focused on the egg, he never thought to look for the paper on its own."
"What are the numbers for?" Rico wondered.
"No way to know. A combination to some lock maybe?" Mitch guessed.
"I hope they catch that guy," Rico said as he watched a deputy dusting for prints.
"Even if they don't. He shouldn't have any reason to come back here," Mitch said.
Suddenly Sam and Wyatt were at the door startling them. Sam rushed to hug Rico, and then Wyatt hugged both of them.
"You too," Wyatt said and pulled Mitch into a four way hug. "Glad you came through this all right." Wyatt clapped Mitch on the back as they pulled apart.
"I swear the festivals are cursed," Sam said.
Rico was confused for a minute. "What? Oh. I forgot about that thing at the last festival."
Wyatt disagreed with Sam though. "There's no curse. Everything turned out OK," he pointed out.
"That's true," Sam said, but he still looked spooked by the close call they had and also so heartbreakingly relieved. Then he had to hug Rico again.
"It's all good now," Rico told him.
Sam stood straight and huffed. "I know. I'm just being stupid."
"Yes, he's the cutest," Wyatt said before Rico could say it.
Hearing their voices, Sammy came out followed by Grandma. There was more hugging from her while Sammy looked at all the grown up people and asked about guys who were more her size. "Where are DJ and Ry?"
"They're at the festival with my friend Raquel and Lara and Gloria," Wyatt told her.
That sent Sammy into a tizzy. "They're at the festival already!" she said to Mitch and Rico.
"Don't worry. They're not going to have any fun until you get there," Wyatt told her then he looked at Mitch and Rico. "You guys are going, right?"
"Of course they are," Grandma said. "Don't you see that this child is all dressed up and ready to go?"
