Page 5 of Love's Faithful Vow

Chapter Five

Donovan

Threedayslater,wesat side by side in the lobby of the police station waiting to give our respective statements. The faculty potluck dinner was that night, and we hoped to be out of that wretched place long before any guests began to arrive. Ella had decorated everything so beautifully, and I tried to help. I don’t have an eye for decor, so I basically stood around and passed things to her as she asked for them, along with hanging the fairy lights on the gate surrounding the pool. We were excited about our new adventure, but we were mostly just happy to finally be together. It was a long time coming.

Angela wanted to be involved in questioning both of us, but because they had to talk to us separately, it took much longer than we’d hoped. We barely had time to finish up the party arrangements before it was time for the festivities to start.

Ella’s plan to invite Angela, despite it typically being faculty only, turned out to be a stroke of genius. Everything was ready to go, and we had an hour before the guests arrived. When the doorbell rang, I glanced at Ella and said, “Are you ready for this?”

“I was born ready, baby,” she said, making her way to the door. “Angela, you look lovely! This lavender top looks divine on you.”

“Thank you. I wasn’t sure about the color, but I think it looks fine enough.”

“It’s gorgeous, honey. You should wear it more often. Donovan, take Angela outside to the pool while I make us some drinks.”

“Oh, I almost forgot. I brought a bottle of wine.” She produced a dark green bottle from her oversized handbag and passed it over to Ella. “I heard once you could never go wrong bringing a bottle of wine for your hostess for any social gathering. I don’t get invited to many parties, but I wanted to be nice, anyway. I feel terrible about having to put you both through the questioning this morning. It’s standard procedure, though. Nothing personal.”

Ella glanced at me and smiled, motioning me to take Angela outside. “Don’t worry about anything. We know you were just doing your job. It must be difficult to be put in a situation where you have to question your friends. I do hope you still consider us to be friends,” I said.

“Of course, Donovan. You and I have known each other for a long time. I even had a crush on you, but I’m sure you probably know that already. Though I’m sorry that nothing ever became of it, I’m glad that you and Ella have found each other.”

“Did I hear my name?” Ella asked as she glided out of the house carrying a small silver tray with three glasses atop it.

“I was just telling Donovan that you two seem very happy together, and I’m happy for you. I haven’t known you for very long, but he and I have been friends for a while. I was also just telling him I used to have a slight crush on him when I was younger. I guess all the girls in class had a crush on him at one point or the other. And now, the teacher has.” She laughed at her own joke while Ella passed her a glass of red wine.

“This isn’t the wine you brought, obviously, because we haven’t had time to allow it to breathe, but I hope you find this to be just as enjoyable.” Ella passed me a glass and took the final one for herself. “What shall we drink to?”

“How about to good friends?” Angela suggested.

We toasted each other and began to sip our wine while continuing our small talk. Within five minutes, Angela’s color began to change, and she appeared to be dizzy. She made a couple of faint sounds in an attempt to pull herself together, but it was almost over. She just didn’t realize it yet. I pulled a chair over to catch her before she fell to the ground. “Are you alright, Angela? You don’t look so good.”

“No, I’m not alright. Something’s not right.” She plopped down in the chair, and I took the glass from her hand to prevent her from dropping it. “I think it’s very wrong. Was there… was there something in the wine?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, there was,” Ella said. “It’s something that’s going to help us get to the bottom of a nasty little situation that we have to figure out here. Now, I want you to just relax and don’t fight anything. Focus on me while you still have time.”

“What do you mean by that? Did you poison me?” she croaked.

“Yes, we did,” Ella said cheerfully. “But we have the antidote, and we’ll be glad to give it to you as soon as you answer some questions for us. But, this is a very fast-acting drug, so you’ll have to talk quickly. Do you understand?”

She nodded. I knelt down in front of her so she could clearly see me. “Angela, tell me the truth. Do you have any suspects in the James Sinclair murder?”

She shook her head, trying to ward off the effects of the poison, to no avail. “Some of the other officers suspect that it was you, Donovan, and that maybe she put you up to it because they didn’t like each other.” She motioned in Ella’s direction. “I didn’t think so, and I convinced my boss to look elsewhere. We didn’t have enough evidence, anyway.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful news!” Ella exclaimed, and she kissed me hard. She was so excited I thought she intended to delay our plans by stripping naked and fucking me right there before the rest of the guests arrived. Thankfully, though, she came to her senses when Angela began trying to get our attention again.

“I’ve told you what I know. Won't you please give me the antidote now? I don’t think I have much time. I’m growing very weak, and things aren’t making sense.”

“Oh, you silly girl,” Ella smirked. “There is no antidote. You’re going to be dead in less than five minutes. And then we have to set up the rest of the plan before anyone else gets here.”

“Why?” Angela screamed. “I told you everything. Why are you doing this to me?” Her body was already paralyzed, but her eyes burned with fear and anger.

“Because you said yourself that you used to have a crush on Donovan. I can’t take any chances that those feelings might rise again. Donovan and I have a lot in common. One of them is that we eliminate all threats to our happiness. So, I’m sorry, but that means you have to go.”

She started screaming again, and although Ella had no neighbors, we couldn’t take the chance that anyone would hear her. I picked her up from the chair and walked over to the pool with her. “I’m sorry, Angela. You are a nice person, and you would be a good friend to anyone. Except for someone like me. I’m a monster.”

She screamed one more time, begging me not to do it, but I tossed her into the pool, anyway. Ella and I stood there a moment and watched her sink to the bottom. It gave us both comfort later to know that the last thing Angela saw was us sharing a kiss to show our love for each other.

Chapter 6

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