Page 46 of Halloween with a Daddy
Thepolicearenotvery receptive when we first arrive.
The officer at the front desk looks at me like I’m some sort of lunatic before Jon intervenes. With a little persuasion and what I can only describe as Willow Grove charm, Jon convinces the officer to let us speak with the detective assigned to the case.
Detective Matthews takes us into the interrogation room, which is a little intimidating, but we lay everything out. After we go through it all, the detective seems more interested, and collects what we brought. I don’t know if it’s enough to solve the case, but at least we’ve done our part.
I get a call from my secretary when we get to the car, and excuse myself to take the call. She tells me that her phone has been ringing all day about Grimwillow Manor, and she’s taking messages, but does not know what to do with them. I have her forward them all to me in an email so I can sort things out. Jon waits while I read the email on my phone.
“Lawyers, real estate buyers, a couple of investors.” I shake my head. “Apparently, this story has spread further than Willow Grove.”
“What do you expect?” Jon shrugs. “The bones were found right after Halloween. Everyone is still in the mood for a ghost story.”
“I guess so.” A sigh escapes my lips. “I’ll figure all of this out later. Let me just forward this email to the attorney that handles the family trust and let him know what’s going on.”
“Okay.” Jon nods. “Then I think we need to go have a well-deserved drink.”
“Agreed.” I chuckle as I type away on my phone.
Jon takes me to a bar in Willow Grove. It’s not an upscale place by any means, but it’s got a decent atmosphere. I order a couple of drinks and we find a table in the corner where it’s quiet.
“What a day.” Jon lifts his glass for a toast. “To solving old mysteries and making new friends.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you.” I nod to his toast and we drink.
We talk about the bones for a while, and when we get our second drink, the conversation shifts to Bethany. Hearing the way he talks about his granddaughter just makes her more endearing to me. My family has never been that close, even if we’re on good terms with each other. Hell, my nephew lives in Willow Grove and he didn’t even come to Grimwillow Manor after we found the bones. He said he’d call me today and hasn’t. He’s probably enjoying the fifteen minutes of fame he’s getting right now, considering he threw a party at Grimwillow Manor over the weekend.
But that’s fine. I get it. I wanted to be my own man as his age too. Maybe I’ll just put a pin in the conversation I planned to have with him so he can find his own way in life. Sometimes mistakes shape the man you become. Jon seems to hint at making some of those when he was younger, and he’s turned out alright. I certainly have a few that changed the direction of my life.
What started as a drink turns into several, and neither of us should drive, so I call for a car.
We arrive back at Jon’s house looking for more whiskey, which gets us a glare from both Wendy and Bethany, so we decide to drink on the patio. Jon lights a cigar and offers me one. I rarely partake, and last night was mainly to be nice, but I’m too drunk to care, so I take one anyway.
We sip our whiskey and Jon teaches me how to blow smoke rings. I’m not sure it’ll ever come in handy, but it’s a neat trick I become obsessed with perfecting in my inebriated state.
We make it back inside in time for dinner, then return to the patio after it’s over. I can already tell I need to lie down, even if it’s early, but Jon is still going strong. I have one more drink with him before calling it a night.
Bethany just shakes her head at me as I walk through the living room and say goodnight. I hear her laughing with Wendy after I close my door. Jon did mention that he doesn’t drink very often, so I guess we’re just their entertainment for the evening. At least it’s harmless, and after the last couple of days, I deserve to pass the fuck out.
I strip down to my boxers and go straight to bed. I don’t know how long I’m out for, but when I come to, Bethany is in bed with me. She’s completely naked and tracing her way up my leg with her fingers, whispering for me to wake up.
“What are you doing?” I groan.
“Shh.” She leans over and kisses me, then pulls away. “You taste like cigar smoke again. Is my grandpa being a bad influence on you or are you being a bad influence on him?”
“A combination of both, I think.” I chuckle and pull her close. “Either way, I just woke up with a naked woman in my bed, so I must be doing something right.”
“We still have to be quiet.” She grins.
“Then you can be quiet while I fuck you.” I roll over on top of Bethany and force my way between her legs.
There’s a whimper of protest before she gives in and starts sliding my boxers down.
There’s less urgency than last night and I go slower, so we only make a little noise. I do have to put my hand over Bethany’s mouth with she comes and bite down on my hand when I unload inside her. We lay together for almost an hour before she leaves, and I drift off the sleep with her scent on the pillow to ease me into a splendid dream.
I have a slight hangover the next morning, but Jon looks like he woke up on the best side of the bed, and Wendy seems quite happy considering the glare we got when we came home.
After breakfast, I say goodbye to Bethany and return to my room. I’m behind on so much work that it makes my head hurt, but I’m sure part of that is the whiskey.
Around noon, I get a call from the attorney that handles our family trust. He has interesting news that makes my head spin even more than it already is. If the theory Jon and I came up with is accurate, then it calls the entire trust into question, because it was done to conceal a criminal act. In fact, he’s fairly certain that if he puts it in front of a judge, the whole thing would be dissolved, and there’s nobody that would argue otherwise, considering that’s what the family has wanted for years. It would be a civil matter, and our evidence is enough, even if nothing comes of the investigation on the criminal side.
