Chapter 8 Amelia Ridley #2
“Mellie, do you feel that Father has paid off the newspaper and the county so they won’t report on Dale dying here?”
Amelia rubbed water over her face. She couldn’t escape the nightmare slowly becoming their life.
Deep down, she did want to deny the thought of her father doing something so immoral.
Then again, Kavita wouldn’t be asking if she felt as if Father weren’t capable.
He had gotten rid of—or better yet, silenced—many scandals before this.
Having wealth like Father’s had given him power that came with both enemies and protection that many people would never get to experience.
A dead body on the Ridley grounds. Now the detectives felt that she and her siblings could be potential suspects?
Yes, they had all had their fair share of scandals.
But murder? That was an insult, even from the rabid voices of New York.
“Kavita, you have nothing to worry about. Yes, our family is powerful, but I feel the press didn’t want the city up in arms with pitchforks over people like us.
They need people to want to follow in our footsteps.
We bring business to local restaurants, clubs, and even clothing designers.
Look at Adesua with Ann! People will have nothing to look forward to with us out of the picture.
The American dream would be a lie for so many,” Amelia said with a slight sternness.
Kavita nodded in relief.
“Also, Mellie . . . I wanted to tell you and Adesua at the same time, but I bled last night. I thought maybe Franklin and I were with child, which is why Father was insistent on us getting married. He knew already. He made me swear to keep it a secret. Now it looks like I don’t have a secret anymore.
I am sorry for not telling you,” Kavita said somberly, before kissing her sister on the forehead.
“Love you, Kavi. You can always tell me everything. I don’t know if I should be happy or sad for you, but you know Adesua and I will always be there for you.
If this was the only reason you were getting married to Franklin, hopefully you can wait a little longer to see if he is truly the love of your life. ”
She could see Kavita light up inside with the possibility of a second chance even through life and death.
“I love you, too, Mellie. Hurry up before Father yells at us for being late to dinner.”
Kavita slowly closed the door while Amelia was in deep thought. Amelia knew what she’d said was a lie. Father would indeed pay off anyone who would get in their way. But the last thing she needed was Kavita screaming down the hallways in anger, asking who killed Dale.
Amelia knew Kavita was the emotional sister of the family; she was a Do now, think later sort of person.
That was always her motto. Which made Amelia think maybe Kavita could do something as heinous as kill Dale.
What if he’d wanted to expose her possible pregnancy?
Amelia slapped herself lightly for thinking those damning thoughts.
She felt somewhat sorry for Dale. Mother had mentioned that he hadn’t always been so cutthroat. Before writing for the column, he had tried to publish a book that ended up failing miserably. He then went on to make Metropolitan Musings into what it was today.
Not that that should matter, but it was peculiar that he made his living off people like them, the wealthy, the people who threw these extravagant parties for him to report on.
Amelia thought to herself that maybe she would have been like him if success hadn’t come to her so easily as a Ridley.
Amelia slipped on a blue chiffon dress that was vastly different from her riding breeches.
Amelia arrived at dinner and saw roast and potatoes.
Something her father loved. It was a simple meal, but she’d had no interest in meat since she was a little girl.
Amelia excused herself after prodding her fork into the potatoes and having a slice of lemon-blueberry cheesecake for dessert.
After Father and Mother left, she wanted so badly to get under her sheets after this drawn-out day.
The winding steps to Father’s office seemed longer tonight, the clicks of her heels getting louder and louder until she made it to the landing.
Father had many private offices in the home, but this one was the most special to him. It was invisible to most. A small door led to stairs that led to a long walkway that led to a room with a grand oak desk in the center. She felt almost as if she were about to be interrogated, but by her father.
“I have spoken with the press, and all is settled for now,” he said.
Well, I’ll be damned. She thought instantly of how Kavita had truly been ahead of this all along.
Father sipped his old-fashioned, then continued. “Those mobsters did it, of course. Retaliating against us for not cooperating with their bootlegging. Especially against Dale, for not keeping his mouth shut.”
Amelia’s toes felt like they were digging deeper against the soles of her shoes.
She could feel the blood draining from her face.
Mobsters in their home sounded outrageous.
Even she didn’t believe this lie. Amelia would have had more peace of mind if one of her siblings had done it rather than some random men who wanted to seek vengeance on her family.
“So what does this mean, Father? Are we still in danger? What about Kavita? Will this ruin her engagement?”
The questions seemed to riddle through her head but not come out her mouth fast enough.
Father stood up, placing his drink down on his desk.
“Settle your spirits, Mellie. There isn’t anything to worry about for now. There have been some staff running rumors with other reporters about you and your siblings being there and near him at his death. So people may have . . . suspicions.”
Suspicions? The Ridleys were already the family everyone in America wanted to be or wanted to get rid of.
In the public eye, a poor boy like Dale, who’d made his come-up, even if it was by bringing others down, was still somewhat more noble than their family.
She knew the world saw the Ridleys as untouchable.
Dale was a light in darkness for them, showing how perfectly imperfect they all really were.
If one of them had done it, New York would make sure to have their head on the table by dinner tomorrow.