Page 28 of The Monster I Loved
Everything in my body hated the possibility of the Fitzgeralds winning, but I wasn’t about to risk the lives of others so I could one-up them.
At times like this, I wished Marni was my personal therapist, that she had no other clients. Often, I resorted to an easy fix. Food and or alcohol usually helped me to get past the hard moments. It wasn’t a healthy coping mechanism, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. I headed to the Chinese restaurant to grab takeout. I opened the steaming container of General Tso’s chicken and fried rice topped with scallions and bits of scrambled egg and quickly ate it on a bench outsidethe yarn store where Daisy worked part-time. As I ate, I scanned through the Starlight’s inspection report. It was beyond anything I had expected. We’d been trying to get an inspector out for months, but none of the companies that specialized in multi-occupancy buildings had space or could meet our very limited budget. Thanks to the Fitzgeralds’ connections and deep pockets, the Starlight building was inspected and condemned the same day.
Money really might solve all of a person’s problems.
The building’s survey report had a very handy traffic light coding system for each surveyed area. I stared at a sea of red, an odd amber, and very rarely, a green.
I watched Brit Jonas drive past. I didn’t know much about cars, but it looked like a Mercedes. She stopped at a red light, and I noticed her diamond earrings twinkling in the sunlight. Her hair was in perfect condition, and it tumbled around her shoulders in a waterfall. Brit liked to stand out as though she weren’t a lifelong resident. Like she was just someone visiting our little corner of the world. She never looked around nor wasted a single smile on anyone; she just kept her head forward. Nothing down the hill fancied her.
Something about Brit always puzzled me. Why bother living in Tarrytown if you’d never socialized or even spoken to anyone under a certain tax bracket? She mostly stayed atop the hill and rarely came downtown. The only times she’d ever bothered to speak to me were back when we were teenagers and I had Thaddeus by my side. Without him, I’d have been invisible to her. She was the one thing Thaddeus and I had argued about when we were together. He’d always told me that she didn’t have a crush on him, when it was obvious to anything with a pulse that she did. The last time Brit and I shared a room was at the courthouse, where she’d sat offering Thaddeus moral support.
Rich people often did stick together. My dad had been her family’s chauffeur for years until his alcoholism got in the way. Mr. Jonas sent his condolences after my dad died.
“Sorry I’m late.” Daisy’s voice jarred me from my thoughts. I watched as Brit’s car climbed the hill, away from the normal folks of Tarrytown and into the heights that surrounded it.
7
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 beA 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.
