Page 73 of Married to Lies

The room fell silent. To be honest, I hadn’t expected the news this quickly or at all. “Who is it?” Bryce asked.

He opened his folder and held up an eight-by-ten photo of a girl with mousy-blond hair, splotchy skin, and brown eyes. “Rita Wright.” He slid the photo over the conference table toward Jude.

Craddock continued, “We pulled the phone records of every person who attended the wedding and scanned calls to people of interest. Most of the waitstaff had no connections to anyone at MyHome or Simon’s family, but she had several calls to a rehabilitation center in Arizona.”

My eyebrows rose. “Daybreak Dominion?”

“No. She and Damien Stone had a stint together in a rehab in south Texas and stayed in touch throughout the years. When she found out she was on the waitstaff for a MyHome CEO’s wedding, she called him to reconnect.”

Aaric said, “Damien’s in Toronto on an acting job. Not Arizona.” She wouldn’t have been calling him.

Craddock shook his head. “Damien was in Toronto, but the show runner found him using on set and said he could only resume filming if he completed thirty days in rehab. Daybreak Dominion owns several rehabs in the southern US as a recruiting tool, and that’s where Damien went.”

I clenched my jaw. Simon’s kids were trouble, and we couldn’t seem to shake them. “So Damien paid her off to poison Simon?”

Craddock said, “We got her confession under oath this morning. Damien gave her a sob story about his dad dying and connected her with a dealer based in Dallas. She said the dealer gave her something that’s on trial to treat chronic heart failure. She didn’t know it was poison. We want to question Damien to confirm her story, but the chief wants to focus on this dealer instead. There’s a good chance Damien will say he was trying to help his dad, which takes his crime down to a misdemeanor at best. The dealer has a wider net of contacts, so⁠—”

“So Damien gets a slap on the wrist and she’s off scot-free?” Jude finished. “Who’s your supervisor, I⁠—”

“Simon does not want to press charges against his son,” Craddock said.

“He’s a stupid old man!” Jude argued, standing up. “Jasper and Damien have both orchestrated attacks against Simon. Are we to let them continue until he kicks the bucket for good?”

Craddock’s eyes narrowed. “Are you saying we investigated this incorrectly? If you’d like, we could reopen the investigation to see if other actors with vested interest in Simon’s life were involved.”

The muscles in Jude’s jaw jumped. “You can see yourself out.”

Craddock snatched up his files and walked out the door, leaving the five of us in silence.

Jude snapped, “The longer it takes for us to get married, the longer this goes on.” He followed the detective out of the room.

Bryce said, “I hate to agree with Jude, but he’s right. Cruz, Aaric, I hope you three have someone in mind.”

Aaric nodded, but Cruz stayed pale.

“We have to call Simon,” Cruz said. “Surely after two attacks he’ll understand what a terrible idea this is. It’s bringing out the worst in all of us.”

I couldn’t help but agree. “Simon loves his kids. He won’t want them to become murderers.” A part of me was strangely sad to think of not marrying Rei, another part hopeful that we could have a relationship the right way.

Aaric rubbed his temples. “Call him, Bryce. You’re the favorite.”

A wry chuckle passed Bryce’s lips. “It’s like being home with my brothers trying to get Dad to say yes.”

Cruz raised his eyebrows and looked down as if to agree.

With a heavy sigh, Bryce tapped his fingers on his phone until we heard it ring over the speaker. Eventually, Simon’s voice crackled in answer. “Hello?”

“Simon, have you heard from the detective?” Bryce asked, voice gentle despite the rough news.

“I have.”

We all looked at each other like we were wondering the same thing. That’s all he had to say?

Bryce spoke slowly, making each syllable count. “Simon, let us out of this deal before you get yourself killed. Two out of your three children have already tried, and I don’t want to lose you earlier than I already am. Please.” His voice cracked at the end with emotion, making my own throat feel tight.

The line went silent, and I could feel the four of us holding our breaths as we waited for Simon’s reply.

A deep sadness permeated Simon’s words as he said, “I’m going to die one way or another. My plan hasn’t changed.”