Lethal Wedding, page 8
I used to think that she’d cheated on me, but now I'm pretty certain that she did not.
What I do think is that she's marrying him against her will.
Is that crazy?
I mean, that would never happen in this day and age.
And that would certainly not happen to an heiress, right?
I ask the doorman about the Tate/ Parks engagement party and he points me to the ballroom at the end of the hallway.
Most of the people inside are much older than I am, probably Aurora’s parents’ friends. There are elegant draperies all around and all the guests are dressed in gowns. The room looks like a wedding reception rather than an engagement party.
I slowly make my way toward the bar in the back and spot Franklin holding court with Aurora’s father. Avoiding them, I start to make my way back around the room. When I come out of the ballroom, I run straight into her.
Without a second thought, she throws her arms around me.
“What are you doing here?” she whispers into my ear.
“I'm sorry about that,” she says, pulling away and hiding her exuberance behind a facade of appropriateness. “How are you?”
“I'm good, how are you?” I ask.
“Fine,” she says quietly, looking down at her feet.
Dressed in a short black dress, with thick straps and high stilettos, she doesn't really look like the woman I used to date. This person is buttoned up and so put together that she doesn’t look comfortable in her own skin.
Aurora shifts her weight from one foot to another and looks up at me with her big wide eyes. For a second, it looks like she’s pleading for me to do something. What, I don’t know.
“Are you okay?” I ask, putting my hand on her arm.
She jerks it away and folds her arms across her chest. “Yes, of course, I'm fine.”
We stand staring at each other, neither of us saying a word.
“Aren’t you going to congratulate me?” she asks.
“Yes, of course, congratulations,” I say without much fanfare.
The expression on her face changes and her plastic smile disappears.
“Why are you here?" she asks. “Are you trying to make me angry?”
“No, of course not. I just needed to see you.”
“Why?”
"I miss you,” I say with a shrug. “I don't know what else to say. I love you.”
I know that I'm probably making things very complicated, but I want her to know the truth.
“That's not fair,” Aurora says after moment. “You're too late. I am engaged to someone else.”
"Someone you don't love," I point out. “Someone you are marrying because… you have to.”
Her eyes get big like two saucers and her mouth drops open.
“How do you…” she lets her voice trail off.
“How do I, what?" I ask her. "How do I know?”
“No, I misspoke,” she says. I don't believe her.
“Aurora, what is going on here? Why are you doing this?”
“I love him," she says quietly.
She stares deep into my eyes and repeats herself.
"You can trust me, you know that, right?” I ask.
She doesn't respond.
“You can trust me and you can tell me anything,” I insist.
“I don't have anything to tell you," she says after a long pause. "Why can't you understand that?”
“Tell me the truth,” I plead with her. “I can help you.”
Her eyes dart back-and-forth and then she looks down at her hands.
I can feel that she's on the verge of telling me something. And then Mrs. Tate appears.
Aurora folds her arms across her chest and puts up an invisible wall between us.
“Mom, do you remember Henry?” Aurora asks.
“Yes, of course. It's very nice to see you again," Mrs. Tate says. “I've heard that you are having a lot of success with your podcast. Congratulations!”
“Thank you,” I mumble.
"Aurora, honey.” Mrs. Tate turns to her. “I'm sorry to pull you away but Franklin is getting ready to make a speech and he needs you by his side.”
17
Henry
I stand in the back and listen to Franklin say all sorts of nice and beautiful things about Aurora, all of which someone else must’ve written for him.
It's not until this speech that I fully realize that whatever this is, it is not a real marriage. Franklin doesn't know the first thing about her, and, for some reason, it doesn't seem to bother Aurora.
She laughs and smiles, occasionally looking down at her feet the way that she does when she feels uncomfortable. Franklin doesn't seem to notice and continues talking extravagantly about them as a couple and mostly about himself.
Unwilling to listen to anymore of the charade, I step outside and find myself at the hotel bar near the lobby. I spot Jackie at the far end, nursing a tumbler.
“What are you doing here?" I ask, eyeing his drink and wondering what’s in it.
“I was visiting a girl a few blocks away and remembered that you were going to be here,” he says. When he finishes his drink, he orders another.
The bartender pours him tonic water into his glass and I let out a sigh of relief.
Dressed in a leather jacket and with his black hair slicked back, Jackie Peterson looks every bit like the PI that he is.
“I can confirm that there was an investigation into William Tate’s affairs and they were looking for evidence of insider trading and embezzlement. But as soon as Aurora agreed to marry Franklin Parks, all charges were dropped.”
“But how could they do that?” I ask. “I mean, they already arrested him. Didn’t they have to explain it to a judge?”
"What can I tell you?” Jackie asks. “Franklin and his family are very well connected.”
"His family?"
“Yes, his father knows everybody, and whoever he doesn't know Franklin knows.”
“William Tate did have a heart attack. I know that you had your suspicions, but there are hospital records to substantiate that. He really had no idea that he was getting arrested. Another thing that I found out is that he has been going to almost everybody he can think of to find a buyer for Tate Media. But he wanted too much. No one would value it as high and he refused to budge.”
“Why?” I ask.
“I suspect that he had taken so much money out of the company’s coffers that if he were to sell it for any less, there wouldn’t be much left.”
“Where does Franklin come in?” I ask.
“Franklin started OMS but his family has a lot of holdings in various oil fields as well as real estate companies. His father also owns a very profitable chain of storage units, the biggest one in the country. The storage industry is one of the biggest growth sectors right now with everyone buying way too much crap and needing space to store everything in.”
“What does this have to do with Aurora?” I ask.
“I'm not really sure,” he says. “But somehow she is part of the deal. I heard that her father had made a proposition to Franklin before about selling part of Tate Media to him, but he was never interested. And then suddenly, a month after your breakup, her father is arrested and they announce their engagement. One of the sources that I've talked to said that she was part of the deal.”
"Part of the deal?" I gasp.
“It’s the only reason why William Tate is out of jail right now and moving up the rungs of the richest men in the world.”
“Because she agreed to marry him?” I ask.
“Looks like it.” He nods.
“But why? Why does he want to marry her?”
"That I do not know.”
“No," I say, shaking my head. “This can't be happening. I mean, this can't be true.”
“It's the only thing that would explain why this is happening so quickly. Unless of course, you actually believe that they are in love.”
I want to believe that.
I want to believe that more than anything because then it would mean that she's not being forced to marry someone against her will.
“How do you know that the charges were dropped after they announced the engagement?” I ask.
"I have some connections in the justice department and the police and that's the rumor. No one will go on record, of course, but these things did not happen without some serious pull from the higher ups.”
"So, what do you think?" I ask, turning toward him.
“There's definitely something here,” Jackie says. “But if you want to investigate further, you have to know who you're dealing with. You have to be really careful about what you say and to whom, even Aurora. She doesn't seem to have much of a choice in any of this and she may be playing her own game, one that may require her to sacrifice you if it came right down to it.”
I shake my head and finish my whiskey.
“I know that you don't want to believe that,” Jackie says, “but I want you to really think about this. He's not just your boss, he's one of the most powerful men on earth. What you're talking about is investigating and exposing him for whatever it is that you may find. But in doing so, he will probably take down Aurora’s father as well. If she's doing this to protect him, then she will not go along with it quietly. And if you're doing this to get her back, that may not work.”
"Well, hello there,” Franklin says, walking up to us.
My heart drops into the pit of my stomach.
My ears start to buzz as blood rushes through my head.
What did he hear?
How much did he hear?
“Aren’t you going to congratulate me?” Franklin asks.
18
Henry
When I rise to my feet, my knees wobble but I force myself to stand up and give him a warm hug.
“Congratulations," I say. “I'm really happy for you.”
I introduce him to Jackie.
“You used to be a cop, right?” Franklin asks.
“Yes, at the Montauk Police Department.”
“What happened with that?”
“I had some issues with the way that the department was being run so I decided to strike out on my own.”
“That’s a massive understatement.” I chuckle to myself.
Jackie lost his job because he threatened a fellow police officer with a gun at the station after that guy found out Jackie was sleeping with his wife. But that’s not exactly the sort of thing you tell your potential new employer.
“Besides, the pay is much better as a PI.”
“I like that,” Franklin says. “Well, if my man here says you’re the one for the job, who am I to argue with him?”
“Thanks, I appreciate that,” I say.
“When are you planning on going there?”
"In a few days,” I tell him. “I want to spend some time with my mom first.”
We chat for a while and everything is pleasant. He’s actually quite a likable guy.
“So, what sort of things do you usually investigate?” Franklin asks Jackie after ordering another drink.
“Ah, the usual things. A lot of stalking of married people to find out if their spouse is cheating so that they can use that evidence in their divorce and custody cases. Maybe, I should give you my card,” Jackie jokes.
Franklin shakes his head. “Nope, that’s not gonna happen to us,” he insists.
“They all say that.” Jackie laughs. “In that case, maybe I should give my card to Aurora. I mean, you do have quite a reputation.”
Franklin stops laughing and any inkling of a smile disappears.
“Nope, not anymore,” he says after a moment. "Aurora is the one.”
My heart sinks into the pit of my stomach.
Is he telling the truth?
Are they really together?
I had come here thinking that she was doing all of this to help her father, but what if I’m wrong?
What if she’s actually in love with him?
As I try to think of a way to extricate myself from the situation, things only get worse.
Franklin sees Aurora across the room and calls her over.
“Listen, I think I have to go,” I say and start to walk away, but Franklin stops me.
When Aurora gets to his side, he puts his arm around her and gives her a big kiss on the mouth.
I want to punch him in the face, but I bury my fists in my pockets.
“Just wanted to see if you guys are planning on becoming friends anytime soon,” Franklin says confidently.
Aurora and I look at each other and then down at the floor, without saying a word.
“I know that you have been through a lot but I like having both of you in my life and it would be good if you could be friends.”
“Are you kidding me?” I want to ask. “Why is he doing this? Is this his idea of a joke?”
I don’t know Franklin well enough to make a judgment either way, but I get the feeling that he’s being genuine.
When I look up at Aurora, she shakes her head a little bit from side to side and only meets my eyes for moment.
“Listen, bro, I want to introduce you to someone,” Franklin says. “I think you’re really gonna like her.”
“No, no thanks.” I start to protest, but it’s already too late.
He waves to a beautiful woman with lustrous blonde hair and perfect sky-high breasts.
“This is my old friend, Chelsea Novak.”
Despite her perfect exterior, there is something fragile about Chelsea that draws me in immediately.
When we shake hands, she gives Franklin a brief hug of congratulations. They look like they have been friends for a long time. There is no tension between them. In fact, this is the most comfortable that I have seen Franklin with a woman and I wonder if she is actually an old flame of his.
We make small talk about nothing in particular and Jackie excuses himself when the conversation runs a little dry. The thing is that it's not really a four-way conversation, it's mainly just Chelsea and Franklin catching up while Aurora and I stand around waiting for something to say without actually doing it.
I'm not sure what exactly Chelsea does, but judging from her gown and the way that she handles herself, I can tell that she has been a very wealthy woman for a long time.
When the conversation shifts to the stock market, which it inevitably does, she mentions that she had followed his advice and became an angel investor in a number of up-and-coming tech companies.
Franklin laughs and says that he's glad that his suggestions have paid off.
“Well, you know, I've never been involved with anything like that and I'm glad that you showed me the ropes.”
“And now you're an expert, from what I hear.”
“No, of course not. Not like you.”
“Ha.” He laughs. “That's not what Jimmy tells me.”
“Who is Jimmy?” Aurora asks.
“He runs the entire angel investor fund that we are both heavily invested in,” Franklin explains. “You see, I had to drag this girl, kicking and screaming, to make an investment and I step away from that business for a little bit and come back to discover that she is actually the one who is making the most money.”
Chelsea laughs and tosses her hair, waving her finger in his face.
“Jimmy tells me that you've gotten quite involved, picking companies, suggesting companies—”
“Oh, come on,” she says. “There's only so much shopping that I can stomach.”
I don't really care about listening to any of this.
They are just two people who have more money than they know what to do with, trying to figure out how to get more. Yet, there's something that draws me in.
Aurora is part of this world.
I never had any interest in anything but having a comfortable life, and then I met her.
Suddenly, I realize just how complicated being rich can really be.
When Franklin and Chelsea get closer and start talking more intimately, I see my chance to pull Aurora away.
“Congratulations,” I say, offering to order her another drink.
She shakes her head. “No, thank you.”
"Are you having a good time?” I ask.
“Yes, of course, what would make you think that I'm not?" she asks defensively.
“I wasn't trying to imply that,” I say, leaning on the bar and squaring myself off with her. “If there’s something that you want to tell me, anything at all, I want you to know that you always can.”
“I don't know what you're talking about,” she says after a long pause, even though we both know that she does.
"Hey, listen, we're missing the whole party,” Franklin says, dropping his arm around my shoulder. “Why don't we go back inside and take our girls out on the dance floor?”
19
Aurora
I watch them from afar and I can't help but feel jealous.
Why did Franklin have to introduce him to her, of all people!
Chelsea is tall, beautiful, flirtatious, smart, and wealthy. She has made her money in real estate and investing. But she was one of the earliest investors in Snapchat and Uber and she made out with multiple millions. Now, she even has a makeup line that is doing so well that it has landed her on the cover of Forbes.
I'm not sure if Henry knows any of this, but he is certain to find out as soon as he Googles her.
Franklin holds me in his arms and grinds against me as the lights dim and the music gets louder and all I can focus on is Henry and Chelsea and the way that his hands make their way down her body.
It occurs to me that I have never danced with Henry before and I never knew that he was such a good dancer.
But then again, he is amazing in bed so why wouldn’t he be amazing on the dance floor?
When I can't stand watching them anymore, I try to pull away from Franklin, who stops me in my tracks.
“No," he says. "Let's dance some more.”
"No, I don't want to,” I say.
I try to walk away, but he grabs my wrist.
