Gabriel’s face on the television screen haunted me; my thoughts, my dreams. Even as I sat across from Samantha’s father who was lazily lunching on his chicken salad. I waited patiently with him in his office, my fingers tapping rhythmically against the handrest as I waited, thinking to myself how this man was a little too nonchalant for a man who had just lost his precious daughter. Images of Samantha flashed through my mind. She had been afraid of her father, what he would do if he found out that she wouldn’t be marrying him anymore. But had he found out?
A gasp caught in my throat. Possibly, he wouldn’t harm his child to get back at me, but the more I thought about how Samantha had attempted to poison us to please her father, maybe it wasn’t so far-fetched. Finally, he finished his meal and dropped the plastic plate into the trash can right next to his desk. He watched me through hooded eyes as he noisily gulped down a glass of water, and wiped his mouth. I held my tongue when he belched rather loudly and leaned back in his chair.
“So…do what do I owe this unexpected visit?” He asked, a slight smirk on his face.
“Samantha is dead.”
He nodded. “I’m aware,” he answered, still unfazed by the news that his daughter was murdered.
Something wasn’t right.
“You don’t seem to care much, Shawn.”
Shawn shrugged. “Well, she would be missed as much as a father would miss his daughter. But…you know, she wasn’t much of an asset to me anyway. More like a liability.”
My hands folded into fists in my lap in a desperate attempt to fight off the anger and guilt I felt. I failed Samantha. I failed her as a fiancé, I failed her as a friend. I should have seen the signs. I should have known. I should have handled this better. I lowered my head and fought the tears that came unbidden to my eyes. Shawn’s laughter pulled me out of my thoughts.
“What’s funny?” I asked, keeping my head low. More than anything, I didn’t want him to see the tears in my eyes.
“Are you crying?” He asked and then laughed again. “Now that I think about it, maybe it was best that Samantha didn’t marry you.”
“Excuse me?” I asked, and looked up at the face of my late fiancée’s father, barely resisting the urge to send my fist flying into his face.
Shawn shrugged, still unfazed by his unhinged behavior. “Imagine my daughter being married to a sissy. I think this was how God wanted it.”
I laughed, more at myself and the situation. The more he spoke, the more guilt enveloped me. How could I not have seen through this man? And then there was Gabriel. I had also failed Gabriel.
“You arrested Gabriel.”
“Ah…him. Is that his name? Gabriel? A good name for the lad, I’ll say.”
“He didn’t kill Samantha.”
“So, who did? He was found at the scene of the crime. He had motive….besides…”
“Stop the act, Shawn. You knew that we were going to snuggle Samantha out of the country, didn’t you?”
Shawn’s nonchalant charade dropped and a wide grin spread across his face.
“Well, I had my suspicions,” he said. “When she said she would convince you to push through with the marriage, I knew she didn’t believe that. Which just meant one thing, she was goi to try and run. And you would provide the avenue. It was just a matter of time.”
“So, you know that Gabriel didn’t kill Samantha?”
Shawn threw back his head and guffawed. “Of course, I do!”
“You set him up…why?”
“So you would come here.”
My brows drew down in a frown, and the wheels in my head turned violently trying to make sense of what he was saying. He was aware that Gabriel didn’t kill Samantha, and he wanted me here. What for?
My eyes widened in shock as the piece of the puzzle fell right in. No…it couldn’t be. He wouldn’t possibly…
“You killed Samantha?” Although a question, I said that more as a statement of fact. Shawn’s smile spread even wider, and there was my answer.
Shan laughed stood from his chair, and walked around the large mahogany table to stand over me.
Shawn shook his head, his lips turning down in disappointment. “The little rat didn’t know what was at stake. She thought she could flake the marriage and there would be no consequences.”
“Why is it so important that Samantha married me? You and my father are friends and would remain friends regardless of whether the marriage happened or not!”
“Oh, the marriage was never about that.”
“What?” I asked, confused. “What was it about?”
“It was about power, Oliver. Your family carried an ancient blessing, a blessing that you take advantage of, a blessing that I want.”
My brows furrowed in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
Shawn looked down at me and smiled, as though he was waiting for my brain to catch up to the conversation, for me to understand the secret joke. I gasped lousy when it came to me, and I pushed myself up to my feet. He couldn’t be serious.
“The river goddess?! You can’t be serious! She chooses her messengers.”
“True. However, she bestows wealth and power to the immediate members of the family her messenger is from. Brother, sister…wife. If Samantha hadn’t messed up, my legacy would have lived forever through her. The whole world would have been under my feet,” His face had begun to take on an unusual shade of red as his anger rose. “That little rat…”
“She’s your daughter…” I said slowly, a stronger sadness enveloping my being and encased in guilt. I should have been a better friend to Samantha.
“Because she failed me. Now, I know Samantha’s death isn’t why you’re here. That isn’t the question you should be asking,” he said. “You should be more worried about your lover, and what would happen to him if you don’t do what I say.”
My head snapped up and my eyes met his. At that moment, I realized that I hadn’t hated someone this much before and that I hadn’t had this insane urge to kill someone since Jamie. Gabriel’s mugshot came to my mind unbidden and I sighed and lowered my head in resignation.
“We’ll prove that he didn’t do it,” I said faintly.
Shawn scolded. “How? His fingerprints are all over the airport, Steve’s gone, and there are no active witnesses.”
My shoulders slumped and I lowered my head. “What do you want?”