Murder Worthy
Michael Connelly
Copyright
Copyright © Michael Connelly 2016. All rights reserved
The right of Michael Connelly to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No parts of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without the prior written consent of the author, excepting for brief quotes used in reviews. Your respect of the author’s rights and hard work is appreciated.
This book is a work of fiction. References to real people (living or dead), events, establishments, organizations, or locations are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity, and are used factitiously. All other characters, and all other incidents and dialogue, are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.
Part I
1
What was she supposed to say? Every person in the room had their eyes glued to her, smiles on their faces. As Andrew glanced around at them all, she spotted her mom and dad. Dad had his arm around her mom’s waist and both were beaming proudly as they looked at her, dressed in their finery. The invitations had been very clear. This was a black tie event and the guests were dressed up to the nines for this, her 21st birthday party.
As one of the wealthiest families in Brecon Point, entertaining was something they regularly did. For tonight’s festivities, they’d taken over Faraday’s Tennis Club, a place where you didn’t usually get in unless you had a bank account in the seven figures. But tonight, just about everybody had been invited and social differences had been set aside. Now they were all standing around, looking at her.
As she peered down at the young man kneeling on one knee in front of her, Andrew was hit by a sudden wave of panic. She loved him. Well, she thought she did but she was only 21, far too young to get married. But what was she supposed to say? If she said no her parents would be devastated, not to mention completely embarrassed in front of all their guests.
He was starting to look a bit uncomfortable now and, with a jolt, Andrew realized that at least a full minute had passed since he’d presented her with the ring and asked her to marry him. She’d not said a word.
“Yes. Yes, of course I’ll marry you.” What else could she say?
Ted hadn’t left her side since he’d slipped the ring on her finger. She had to admit, it was stunning and undoubtedly expensive, a cabochon cut yellow diamond, which fit perfectly on her left hand and flashed every time it caught the light. For the past hour, people had come up to them, shaking Ted’s hand and admiring the ring. It was gorgeous. Ted was gorgeous. So why did she feel as though she’d just been put on a leash?
Ted Jackman, one of the Kentucky Jackmans no less, had set his sights on her when she’d still been in high school. They’d met at one of the many social functions both their families had attended on one of his visits home from college and they’d started dating straight away. It had become serious once he had returned home and gone to work for his father. Her parents had been thrilled. He was from a good family and had excellent prospects, things that were still important to them, even in this day and age. Andrew knew they’d harbored hopes that the two of them would marry one day, but tonight’s proposal had completely taken her by surprise.
“Did you know about this?” she whispered to her mom after finally giving Ted the slip for five minutes.
“Of course, darling. Ted came to see your father last week and asked for his permission.” She beamed. “Isn’t it wonderful? I’m thrilled for you both!”
“I guess.” Andrew shrugged.
Her mom placed a hand on her arm. “Aren’t you happy?”
Andrew looked into her mother’s face and saw the question there. Not wanting to upset her, she forced herself to smile widely. “Of course I am, Mom. Still just a little shocked, I think.”
Her mom wouldn’t understand. She’d married her father at about the same age as Andrew was now. Theirs hadn’t been a marriage of love, but more of an agreement between two families that it would be a good match. Not that they’d been unhappy, not at all. But her mom had taken on the role of good little wife, subservient to her husband, and that was not something Andrew had ever envisioned for herself. She wanted more out of life, wanted to see the world.
“Oh, good! Don’t worry me like that!”
“Sorry, Mom.” Andrew looked around. “Where’s Neil? I haven’t seen him since we got here.”
“I don’t know, darling. I saw him go outside with that Harper girl.” She sniffed with distaste. “I just don’t know what he sees in her.”
Andrew knew exactly what her brother saw in her, but she didn’t think it was something she should share with her mom. She loved her mother to pieces but she was a complete snob in some ways and Marrie Harper did not fit with what she had in mind for her only son.
“There you are!” a voice boomed, and Andrew turned to find Ted standing behind her. “Come on, my parents want to see the ring.” Taking her by the elbow and making his apologies to her mother, he led her away.
2
“Come on, baby.” Neil pushed his hand up under Marrie’s dress. The lights from the party shone on the bench where they were sitting and the sound of music and laughter drifted out across the lawn.
“Not here. Someone will see!” With a giggle, Marrie took him by the hand and led him away from the main club house and into a stand of trees a couple of hundred yards away.
Pushing her up against a tree he pressed himself against her, his hand once again lifting the hem of her dress.
“Careful! I saved up for ages to buy this!” she squeaked as he pushed her against the rough bark.
He didn’t know why she’d bothered. The dress looked cheap, just like she did. Which was just the way he liked her.
“Well, there’s one way to deal with that.” he told her, reaching up behind her and undoing her zipper. Tugging the dress from her shoulders, it slithered to the ground with nothing left to keep it up. That was more like it! He thought, as he looked her over, naked except for a tiny black thong.
She was an attractive girl, not classically beautiful, but not bad. Her light blonde hair with natural waves hung down to her shoulders and her eyes, wide like a doe’s, were dark brown. It was her body, though, that was her best feature. He took it all in by the moonlight, her body slim and firm, with large perky breasts. The fact that she was always willing was what kept him coming back for more though. That’s why he’d brought her to his sister’s party tonight. He’d known full well that he would need his own entertainment and, looking at her now, he was glad he had.
“You do love me, don’t you?” she asked him, as he was closing his zipper.
Here we go. “Would I have invited you tonight if I didn’t?”
He avoided the question. It was not that he didn’t like her but she wasn’t exactly wife material. She was the kind of girl you kept hidden away in an apartment somewhere to satisfy your needs at the drop of a hat. No, any wife of his would have breeding. And more importantly, money. His father had instilled that in him from a very early age.
He supposed he’d better go and show his face at the party or his parents would have his hide. He didn’t want to give them yet another reason to remind him about how damned perfect his sister was.
She wasn’t his biological sister. His parents had adopted him as a three-month-old, after years of trying to have children of their own. What they hadn’t expected when they’d brought him home was to find out that, in a twist of fate, his mom had already been pregnant with his sister. Andrew had been born six months later.
He’d found out the truth shortly after his sixth birthday and he hadn’t taken it well. His mom had since told him that she’d thought it was too soon, that he’d been too young, but his father had been insistent, telling her that it would toughen him up.
They’d sat him down and explained that his parents hadn’t been able to take care of him properly so they’d chosen him to be theirs. Looking back, he knew that was when the first stirrings of discontent had settled within him, but it wasn’t until later that these formed into something more.
He’d found out years later that his biological parents, whoever they were, had, in fact, abandoned him in a basket by the side of the road, unwanted and discarded like trash.
It was that knowledge more than anything else that had changed him then. That had sown the seed of the deep insecurity that had grown within him and fueled his desire to be someone.
Ever since that day, he’d watched for signs that they preferred Andrew to him and he’d seen them everywhere, especially the way they’d look at him, disappointed, when Andrew brought home achievement award after achievement award from school and all he’d brought home were detention notices. Then, as they’d gotten older, she’d made friends with all the right people while his friends were frowned upon.
And now, tonight. Yet again, Andrew had lived up to their dreams of the perfect child and gotten engaged to the perfect man. When his parents had told him what was going to happen tonight, he’d been determined not to be there. He didn’t think he could face seeing their disappointment in him yet again. He was finding it harder and harder these days to hide his feelings.
Pushing open the French doors to where the party was in full swing, he scanned the room. He saw that his mom had spotted him coming in with Marrie in tow and watched as a frown appeared on her face. Taking Marrie by the hand, he made his way over to her, weaving in and out of the partygoers until he was standing in front of her.
“Where’ve you been, Neil? You missed your sister’s big moment,” she asked, a hard edge to her voice.
“Did I? I’m sorry. I must have lost track of time,” he replied innocently, controlling the smirk that threatened to appear on his lips. “What did she say?”
“What do you think she said? She said yes, of course.”
“Of course.” Yeah. She wouldn’t rock the boat and say anything else, would she
His parents had come to have low expectations of him, but that was not the case where Andrew was concerned. In their eyes, her path was clear. Marry well and provide good stock. Andrew knew this and would never let them down, however much she may want to.
“Well, I think you need to go apologize.” She looked pointedly at Marrie. “Alone.”
Neil bridled. It didn’t bother him in the slightest if Marrie was offended by his mother’s obvious disdain, but he hated being told what to do like a naughty child. He had to play his cards right, though. He worked for his dad and he was angling for a promotion. The manufacturing firm that had made his family so wealthy had been founded by his great-great-grandfather on his mother’s side and had grown over the generations. Now, it was one of the biggest firms in the southern United States.
“Go and get yourself a drink. I’ll go and find Andrew and then I’ll come and join you,” he told Marrie, doing as he was told.
“I take it you’re still involved with that girl?” his mother asked him as she watched her walk away.
“Involved is probably too strong a word. We’re having some fun.”
“Well, make sure that’s all it is and that she doesn’t get any ideas. And please, in the future, keep your sordid little dalliances away from family occasions.” Her face softened. “I love you, darling. I only want what’s best for you.”
Neil nodded. “I know, Mom, don’t worry.”
He knew that it was true, that his mother did love him, but he couldn’t help the simmering resentment he felt, resentment that just seemed to grow with every bit of praise they heaped on Andrew and every bit of criticism they aimed at him.
Searching the room, he spotted her in a corner, talking to one of their parents’ friends.
“Can I interrupt? I understand congratulations are in order.” He smiled.
“Neil!” Andrew’s face broke into a wide grin. Making her excuses to their parents’ friend, she took him by the arm and led him to a quiet spot. “Did you know about this?”
“Sure did. Aren’t you pleased?” He eyed her curiously. He loved his sister and despite resenting the praise that was heaped on her, he knew it wasn’t her fault. Being so similar in age, they’d been very close growing up and she’d often run interference with his father when she could see him coming down hard on him.
“Well, yes, I suppose I am, but it would have been nice to have been warned!”
“I was sworn to secrecy!” He held up his hands in mock surrender.
Playfully, she punched him in the arm. “Since when have you been able to keep a secret?”
She had a point. Growing up, there had been many times when she’d asked him to keep a secret from their parents. Nothing serious, usual kid stuff, but he’d never been able to, always running straight to them to share what he knew. He realized now that this was his way of trying to gain his parents’ approval, particularly his father’s, rather than any attempt at getting her into trouble. It was as if Andrew had known this, though, and she’d never been angry with him.
“Well, I hope you’ll both be very happy,” he said, which was true. He didn’t want her to be unhappy.
“Thank you, Neil. That means a lot.” She smiled at him now, a twinkle in her eye. “So, where were you? I couldn’t see you?”
“Sorry, Andrew, I didn’t mean to miss it.” He felt a twinge of guilt as he lied to her, but he hadn’t done it to hurt her.
“Are you and Marrie serious, then?” she asked knowingly.
“God, no!”
“So, why did you bring her as your date tonight?” she sighed. “You know what Mom and Dad are like. You’re only making things harder for yourself.”
He knew she was right, but he increasingly felt the need to push the boundaries.
“Dad’s never going to promote you unless you show him you can tow the party line, you know that.” She put her hand on the sleeve of his jacket. “Just try, for me?”
She was right, of course. His father was very old fashioned in his views. Men could and should be men, but they should keep it discreet and always go back to their wives at the end of the night. His being so open about his relationship with Marrie, a girl very much from the wrong side of the tracks, was proving a real bone of contention between them. His father didn’t mind that he was sleeping with her, but he didn’t want all their friends to know about it.
Covering her hand with his own, he smiled. “Okay, just for you.”
“Where is the lucky man, anyway?” he asked, scanning the room.
“Oh, he won’t be far away. He’s hardly left my side all night.” She turned and had a quick look, too. “He’s over there, at the bar.”
He turned to look and sure enough, he was there, talking to Marrie. “I’d better go and take her home before Mom and dad disown me.”
Andrew chuckled. “Come on, they’re not bad.”
He just looked at her and raised his eyebrow. “You and I both know that they are!”
“Yeah, you’re right. They are!” She pushed him away gently. “Go on, take her home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Still chuckling, he made his way over to the bar where Ted and Marrie were still talking. It wasn’t until he got closer that he realized, from the expression on their faces and the way that they were trying to keep their voices down, that they were having a disagreement.
“I’ve already told you no!”
“Am I interrupting anything?” Neil asked curiously as he joined them. “What have you said no to?” he asked, turning his gaze to Ted, who now looked like he’d been caught wi
th his hand in the cookie jar.
“Nothing. Nothing at all.” With a glare at Marrie, Ted turned and stalked off.
“What was that about?”
“Oh, it really was nothing.”
He didn’t believe her for a second. “Tell me.”
“Really! I was just getting a bit pushy about getting him to buy me a drink, that’s all.” She couldn’t meet his eyes.
There was no doubt in his mind as he looked at her that she was lying, but he didn’t know why. “Come on. I’m taking you home.”
Grabbing their coats from the cloakroom, they made their way out to his car.
“Your mom looked absolutely thrilled to see me,” she said sarcastically, turning to him as he started the car.
“Don’t start, Marrie. You know what they’re like.” They’d had this conversation many times before.
“I just wish you’d stand up for me now and then. It wouldn’t kill you, especially if you really love me,” she pouted.
The sex was great, and pissing off his folks was a bonus, but maybe it was time to think about ditching her. Her whining was starting to get on his nerves.
Reaching across the seat, she pressed her hand to his crotch. “You gonna stay for a while when we get to my place?”
Maybe I can put up with her just a little longer. He smiled. “Yeah, why not.”
3
Ted watched as Andrew chatted to some of her guests in a corner of the room. She was pretty enough, there was no doubt about that, but she really didn’t do it for him. For a start, she wasn’t a blonde and though slim, she was far too curvy for his tastes. He liked his women stick thin, blonde and with huge breasts. And preferably without too much in the brains department. But she had one thing going for her. Money. Tons of it. And when her parents died, it would come to her.
Murder Worthy Page 1
