Chapter 7 Murder Mystery
MURDER MYSTERY
Thaddeus
My father outdid himself. Two days after the engagement announcement went out in the paper, he’d put together a lavish party in our honor.
We both knew it was about more than my engagement.
It was about my reentry into upper society.
However, he scheduled this engagement party at the worst damn time possible: the neighborhood annual movie night.
Once a year, the town set up a screen, and people brought blankets, snacks, and food to Patriots Park.
It was super cozy, as far as I could remember.
This year’s movie would be A Nightmare on Elm Street, my favorite movie of all time, so it hurt all the more that I was going to miss it.
Yes, I’d seen it so many times I could recite the words, but rewatching it at night with fellow Halloween fanatics was the best feeling, and I wanted to be in the park, soaking in the spooky atmosphere.
“Thad, the guests are arriving,” Aston said from the other side of my bedroom door.
I froze and looked at my window. Back in high school, I’d often escaped family obligations by climbing out of that very place and scurrying away. Often to meet—
Forget it. I wasn’t a child anymore. Plus, the damn party was in my honor, and my father had been going on and on about PR for days.
Thaddeus Fitzgerald is no longer a murderer.
In fact, he never was one, really. A lapse in judgment after the traumatic death of his mother.
That was the official stance we had to toe.
“I’ll be right there.”
Grabbing my tie, I exited my room and went to perform as my father needed.
Who was I to be ungrateful? The man was doing all this so I could take control of his million-dollar corporation.
I scanned the room for Henry but couldn’t spot him.
He and Lily would be my saviors tonight.
My father had gathered a large crowd for this circus show.
As the prized attraction, I went straight to his side.
“You’re late,” he mumbled.
The energy drained from my body. How can I be late when I live here? I was simply in a different room. I sighed and looked for Lily, knowing she’d want the party to be over as much as I did.
A hand rested on my shoulder, and I turned to find Mimi.
Damn, she looked good. The way Mimi walked, you’d think I was running for office and she was a prospective first lady.
She held her chin high and her shoulders squared.
After pecking me on the cheek, she went to greet guests.
She smiled at everyone and hugged them, though I knew many of them didn’t know she was my lucky bride.
As I studied Mimi, I found myself wondering why she was trying so hard.
Was she the sort who wanted to be accepted by these people only because they lived in a certain part of town?
I did my duties and mingled. Once the smile on my face ached too much, I found a chair and nursed my whisky until Mimi found me and insisted that we dance.
I did as I was told, putting on an Oscar-worthy performance.
As we danced, all she could talk about was money, mergers, and deals.
She wasn’t born wealthy and was obviously obsessed with money.
I’d need one hell of a prenuptial agreement.
The entire night dragged on. I kept checking my watch to see if it was nearing the end.
My father tapped his glass with a knife, and the room stilled before turning to look at him.
His face looked proud. Serious. “Thank you all for coming to celebrate my son’s engagement to the lovely Melissa Kromelis.
Marriage is a sacred thing. It’s a celebration.
A coming together of two people and two families.
I only wish that Thaddeus’s mother, my Gina, could have been here to celebrate with us today.
” He paused for applause on my mother’s behalf.
I stiffened. Mimi slipped her hand in mine and squeezed.
“I read a quote somewhere that said, ‘A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.’ And I believe that to be true. Marriages are work. They’re not easy. They’re also the most fulfilling contract a person can make—and I say that as a businessman!”
The crowd laughed. “To Thaddeus and Melissa!” He lifted his drink into the air. Everyone else followed suit.
The party resumed, and Mimi went back to working the room. And boy, was she working hard.
She made her way back over to me and perched on my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck.
“How much longer do we need to do this show?” I said.
Mimi’s eyes widened. “What, you have a big date after?”
She wouldn’t care. Mimi and I weren’t in love. This was simply a deal she couldn’t refuse. Marrying into money and floating to the top of society. All because her father built an impressive law firm and handled all of my dad’s business.
I pursed my lips. “I want to get to Patriots Park.”
She raised an eyebrow. “A park, why? It’s nighttime.”
I explained about the Halloween event as Mimi tilted her head and gave me a disapproving frown. I wondered what I’d said that irked her so much.
My cock, which had been hardening at her ass on my thigh, softened.
How could a woman who looked like that be so judgmental?
I mean, damn, what was it about me that offended her so much?
One side of the room fell into disarray, interrupting my thoughts.
I hurried over to see an elderly man clutching his chest and sitting.
I didn’t know who he was. I’d never seen the guy before in my life. Most of the people were my father’s college and business associates.
“Should we call an ambulance?” I croaked, panic lacing my voice.
You’d think I asked if the man wanted a kidney the way Mimi looked at me.
“No, I’m okay. I don’t want to ruin your party,” the older man muttered.
Sir. Please ruin it, I thought. I had a blanket in the car, and Lily was hovering by the door, waiting for a sign.
“Your health comes first. Someone call the ambulance.”
A pair of matching jaws dropped: my father and Mimi. He was at my side in seconds. “Thaddeus,” he whispered. There was a note of warning in his voice.
In a hushed tone, I spoke quickly. “I think it’s better PR that I cared more about an elderly man’s health than my engagement.”
When Father’s eyes widened, I knew I was nearly free.
He echoed my call for concern. “You heard my son. Call an ambulance.”
The next few minutes were chaotic. The man insisted he was fine, but I wouldn’t listen.
I sat beside him and played the part of the concerned host. I walked alongside him as the first responders wheeled him to the ambulance.
When everyone headed back into the house, Lily and I jumped into the car and made a swift exit.
“You really going to marry Melissa?” she asked as I sped down the hill. By my calculation, we’d only missed thirty minutes of the movie. There was still plenty of nostalgic horror goodness waiting for us.
“Why not? She serves her purpose.” I kept my eyes on the road.
Not convinced, Lily continued, “It’s just . . . she’s so different.”
I knew what my sister meant. Mimi wasn’t my type. I liked women who were fun, goofy, and beautiful. Had she forgotten I’d been in prison for ten years? That was plenty of time for my preferences to change.
“Melissa is an open book, and I need that—badly.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lily nod. Thankfully, she let the subject drop.
I parked the car, grabbed our blankets and a few cans of beer that I’d packed in the trunk earlier in the day (just in case), and we hurried to the lawn to find a spot.
The lawn was a sea of blankets and people.
Damn, it looked like half the town was here.
There didn’t seem to be a single patch of grass free.
Desperately, I scanned for just one square big enough for my sister and I to set up.
There wasn’t anywhere left we could squeeze into, so we headed all the way to the back.
I studied the faces as we walked past. There were a few teenagers, but mostly those on the blankets were adults.
Nestled between the groups were couples huddled under blankets.
We eventually found a spot right at the back.
It didn’t matter; the screen was huge. Some strange movements caught my eye a few blankets away.
Where there’d previously been a man and a woman, now just a woman remained—and a very suspicious shape moving under the blanket below her waist. Unless the man had another screen under there, he wasn’t watching the movie.
I tried to tune out the woman’s moans. But the sound and tone were uncomfortably familiar. My body stiffened. I squinted against the darkness, and I could just about make out a bit of blonde hair.
Summer?
She was getting her pussy eaten at my favorite movie. Anger coursed through me. I had no right to be angry; I knew that. I didn’t own her. I didn’t even like her.
“Looks like that couple over there needs a room,” Lily said as my fist clenched, not because I cared or was jealous, only because my poor innocent sister on a break from college shouldn’t have to see their indecent displays, when all she wanted was a clean night of fun.
“Cut that out. Kids are here,” someone snapped from behind them. It wasn’t unusual for people to get frisky at these events. Hell, Summer and I had once . . .
The man lifted his head shamelessly from under the blanket and shuffled up to lie next to Summer.
Felix.
Now, it all made sense. That son of a bitch had probably been eager for me to start my prison sentence all those years ago and prayed I got life, just so he could steal my woman. Well, not mine. Technically, we were exes by then, but damn, he knew the rules.