The Wife's Resolve

Chapter 16: Finding a Connection

Paxton had been working all week long after hours, desperately searching for any link between Evelyn Iris and Elena Iris. He had come up empty. He had not found anything much to his own displeasure. He could not even share his suspicions with Valerie. She would tell him to be reasonable and that the connection was not there. He was grasping at straws, but still he kept searching. When they found the car, he thought he would have some answers. However turns out all the police really found was an empty garage on the edge of the Dare properties. No one seemed to know anything about it, except for Drea, who admitted to Donivan that she paid the registration every year out of respect for the dead.

Paxton had been called in to represent Drea when the district attorney debated pressing charges against her for the deed, but evidence linking her was not concrete, and it had to be dismissed. Paxton was found to be even angrier about this lapse in the legal system. He wanted Drea to have to explain how this car was used in an accident, but like everything else, evidence was going missing, and testimonies from witnesses were silenced. At this point, he could not be sure if Donivan was actually helping him or double-crossing him.

When a knock sounded on his door, he slammed his computer shut and took a deep breath. "Come in," he called.

"Sorry if I am disturbing you, but I found something last night that I think will interest you," she said as she came in and slid into the chair in front of his desk.

"You are never a disturbance," he laughed, "what did you find?"

"Last night I started thinking about the fact that Evelyn was dead. She had no family. Who paid for the funeral?"

"Interesting, and you found something?" he questioned with hope for the first time in weeks.

" I found that the funeral itself was done privately and paid for by Demetry Dare. Further digging showed, though, that while Demerty paid for the funeral, Devyn paid for an epitaph to be placed on the headstone, which read Loved with all she had sacrificed none. I thought it was an odd statement to be placed on the headstone of a suicide."

"Because it wasn't a suicide," Paxton stated, "It was a murder, and my grandfather was responsible."

"That's a bold leap," Valerie said.

"Not a leap, a memory," he exhaled, "A few years ago, I heard a rumor about Devyn's first love. He was planning to escape and run away with her. I knew from listening that the girl in question was killed."

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

"Tell you what, I never knew the girl's name, I never knew what happened, and that is the point, isn't it?" Paxton vented, "We may not be under my grandfather's reach anymore, but we are still stuck burying the tragedies of the past."

"What else do you remember?" she prompted him to continue his story and leave his rant behind.

"They discussed how my grandfather punished him by forcing him to marry Gabrella Moore."

"Seems like they are made for each other," Valerie laughed.

"Maybe now, but it was not always that way. There are rumors in the family about her stabbing him over dinner, and him locking her in her room for a month." Paxton laughed.

"You lie," Valerie laughed as well.

"Perhaps, but I said it's a rumor," Paxton laughed again, "Or perhaps you would like to ask my uncle about it."

"Nope, not for a million dollars, " she laughed harder.

"On a more serious note, we still have not found a connection to Elena." Paxton threw it out there and wished he could pull it back.

She eyed him seriously, "What reason would she have in this. To kill Penelope?

"Penelope was an unfortunate accident."

"Just because she has the coincidence of having the same name does not mean there is a connection; you need evidence. You are a lawyer, Paxton. act like it. Follow the evidence, do not create your own.

"We are defense attorneys," Paxton laughed, "our whole job is to create a story for reasonable doubt."

"Fine, you run that angle, but if you want to find the truth, you are going to have to look further back. How did she even come across the Dare family in the first place?" Valerie tried to give him an actual tangible path and not just a vendetta.

"I will look into it," he said, sounding hopeful.

"Go home, get some sleep. I have to go to the rehearsal dinner, but seriously, Paxton, you look terrible."

"I'll try," he laughed.

Valerie left the office with Natalie and headed for the venue. She was not prepared for this evening. As she stepped out of the car, she prepared herself for what would be inside. Though nothing could have prepared her for what was coming.

The rehearsal dinner was held in a hall far too large for the six people attending. Crystal chandeliers glittered above an impossibly long table covered with hundreds of white roses and orchids towering out of vases. A string quartet played on a small stage with two elaborate ice sculptures featuring the bride and groom. Every detail was excessive and wasteful for just a small family dinner. The bride admired it all with contentment and superiority.

Standing at the center of the table, the bride excitedly pointed out each detail to Valerie, who would play the part of the maid of honor in this show. Elena's attire was just as over the top, with her bright pink formal dress sweeping the floor and accentuating her curves, including that of her baby bump. The dress also had a slit that went clear up to her thigh. Valerie was convinced that when she went to sit down, it would ride all the way up.

Valerie and Natli responded to Elena with strained smiles and growing discomfort. Valerie and Elena had never been friends, but the show she was putting on appeared like they had been friends for a lifetime. However, to Nicoli, who was cautiously watching the scene unfold, their interactions felt stiff and unnatural. He noticed the awkward silences and avoided eye contact.

When the bride reached for her hand, Valerie quickly grabbed her wine glass and downed the contents before smiling. Damon could feel her tension. He gave her a look signifying to behave and not cause a scene. Elena just laughed, “I bet you were hoping for something stronger, but there is no wine at this event.”

“Of course there’s not, “Valerie whispered. “Wouldn’t want anyone to realize that you're not drinking.”

“Exactly,” Elena whispered back.

Davius, Damon, and Nicoli exchanged subtle glances about the whispering. “Seems your soon-to-be wife likes unnecessarily extravagant things. Surprising she chose you,” Nicoli chuckled.

“She knows what she likes,” Davius defended.

“Can you afford to meet her standards?” Nicoli teased.

“I will do my best,” Davius shrugged, “after the wedding, though I’ll have to foot my foot down.”

“Oh brother, you don’t even realize you are already screwed.” Damon laughed. "You can't back track after the wedding," he laughed. "You have to do that in the beginning."

"Is that what you did with Valerie?" Davius asked.

"Nope, I was lucky with Valerie. She was never into displaying wealth. She keeps things simple and elegant. I am sure she could give Elena a few pointers," he laughed.

"You both are idiots," Nicoli laughed. "If you think pairing them together will end in anything short of disaster, you don't know these two at all."

The group sat down for dinner. The environment, though tense, proceeded without incident. The wedding was set for tomorrow, and the whole family would be in attendance, and the real show would commence.