That’s the biggest load of bullshit I’ve ever heard, but I’m not looking too deep into it. Could be he doesn’t want to lower his guard here. I can’t blame him. Something dark transpired between him and Daniel at the Velvet Hideaway. Rath may be determined to ruin his liver, but he doesn’t have to do it today.
“Smart man,” Daniel says, taking his glass, “but you did always know how to make the right choice, didn’t you, Dimitri?”
Rath’s hand balls into a fist by his side, and if I’d had to place bets on who lost it first on Thanksgiving, it wouldn’t have been him. He wouldn’t have even been second.
Killian senses it too, and says, “Any word on Vivienne?”
Ah, got to hand it to Killer. Like Geoff up there on the screen, he’s always playing offense.
His father hums, not deigning to look his son in the eye. “You mean, do I know who carved and mutilated her body with your initials before slitting her throat and letting her bleed out?” He swirls the ice in his glass. “I have my theories.”
After a long, weirdly aggressive beat of silence, Killian asks, “Do you care to share? Because it wasn’t—”
“I’m well aware it wasn’t you,” Daniel says, eyes dropping to the gunshot wound in Killian’s gut. “You had no problem shooting your old man, but going after an innocent? That’s a line you’re too weak to cross.” Despite the clear insult of the words, his voice is measured and casual. “I know a message when I see it. The hit on you. Taking such…vicious efforts on Vivienne…” He swallows thickly. He won’t admit it—can’t, really—but Vivian was more than a secretary. She was his confidante, his right hand, and probably also his lover. Although it’s hard to know how deep that went—sex doesn’t mean much in Daniel’s world—going after her was personal. As personal as going after his son. “Cartwright and his little band of heathens comes to mind.”
“The Dukes?” Killian repeats, sharing a glance with me. Saul Cartwright’s name is already gracing our list of suspects, too, considering he’d been one of Story’s sugar daddies back in the day. “You really think they’re behind this?”
On the TV, the announcer’s voice raises with excitement. We all look up to see Geoff throw a spiral down to the receiver at the other end of the field. Before it gets to him, a player from the other team leaps up and intercepts, snagging the ball out of the air and tucking it into his chest. He carries it twenty yards before Detroit figures out what’s going on and tackles him.
“He recently had to pay restitution to the Kings. Hand over assets that are important to him. It was all conducted fairly, but you know how Kings are. We don’t like to lose.” He swirls the liquid in his glass, eyes pensive. “He’s always been a little petty. I can see him lashing out.”
“Do we need to look into it?” I ask.
“Not yet,” he says, throwing his drink back. “Saul is only one suspect.”
“And the others?” KIllian asks.
“I have no doubt it’s someone close to me.” Daniel looks away from the screen, eyes darting toward the kitchen. “Someone determined to hurt me. Personally. Which is a mistake, because when I find out exactly who killed her,” he finally looks his son in the eye, giving him a chilly smirk, “they’re going to pay.”
3
Story
My mother has always been the master of putting on a show. When she was turning tricks, it was all about being whatever her John wanted. For the parent-teacher conferences, it was all about being a supportive, concerned mother. I’m not sure what show she put on for Daniel, but I admit to being curious. Was it complete subservience? Was it something just awful? I know it was enough to land that fat diamond on her finger, a six-thousand square foot house, and all the security she longed for.
I can’t help but think about this as she holds up her glass of wine with one hand, while arranging the centerpiece with the other—all with a serene smile on her face. The scent of roasted turkey fills the air, along with a variety of other delicious-smelling foods. We set the table with expensive china, and the shiny silverware sits on crisp cloth napkins. They’re dishes she’s probably never cleaned herself. Daniel hires out for that kind of thing. All of this—the cooking, the hosting—it’s purely a performance for her. They could have had dinner catered, but my mom wanted to play the part, and in some ways, I understand why.