Louisa's face radiated joy as she turned to the Browns. "Please, you have to stay for dinner. We need to celebrate this wonderful news! We'll continue with the brain racking and Scooby-dooing another time. I'll get the help to set an extra three plates."
Susan's eyes sparkled with delight. "That sounds lovely, Louisa. Thank you for having us."
Louisa excused herself, and came back few minutes later, the butler following closely behind her. He had a bottle of wine and glasses enough for everyone.
As the two families sat in the living room, sipping their wine and basking in the glow of the engagement news, Louisa and Susan busied themselves at one corner of the room, already discussing the wedding details.
"Oh, I'm so excited to start planning!" Louisa exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. "What theme do you think Stacey would like?"
Susan thought for a moment. "Hmm... I think a vintage garden theme would suit her perfectly."
Louisa clapped her hands. "I love it! And we can use the garden here at the villa as the venue. What do you think?"
Susan was about to give her opinion when the butler announced that dinner was served.
As the two families merged into the dining room, the atmosphere was electric with excitement. Frederick and Stacey exchanged shy glances, and the women giggled as they eyed them.
"I'm so happy for you both!" Louisa gushed, beaming at the couple. "You're perfect for each other."
Susan nodded in agreement. "They complement each other beautifully. And Stacey, you deserve all the happiness in the world."
"Easy on the compliments mum… I could still decide I don't want to go on with the marriage anymore." Stacey joked.
"Then, I'd hunt you down to the ends of the earth." Fredrick said softly, reaching for Stacey's hand. His fingers intertwined with hers, protectively.
Stacey's cheeks flushed, and she looked away, trying to hide her smile.
The conversation flowed easily, with laughter and stories filling the room. Louisa and Susan dominated the conversation, gushing about wedding plans and babies.
"I always wanted a big wedding," Louisa said, her eyes sparkling. "But your father wanted something quiet for obvious reasons. It makes me a little sad that we'll have to do another quiet one for you two.
"A quiet wedding isn't bad. Actually, I think I prefer it." Stacey said. She was surprised at herself. She'd never had thought that morning, that she would end up talking about her wedding in a matter of hours. It still felt surreal.
Susan nodded enthusiastically. "We can make it a beautiful, intimate affair. With just close friends and family."
"After this whole drama is over," Frederick began, lifting Stacey's right hand to his lips.. "I would love nothing more than to show you off to the world." He finished, planting a frather-light kiss on Stacey's hand.
The two men - Henry and James just looked on, radiant smiles on their faces. All they wanted was to get their wards out of harm's way.
"You take care of my princess." James said, his voice a little shaky. He was getting emotional, so he didn't speak much.
Frederick nodded, and gave Stacey's hand a light squeeze.
As the night wore on, Frederick and Stacey's awkwardness grew. They had agreed to take this journey together, but it didn't mean they would become all lovey-dovey all of a sudden. Stacey still had her reservations, and Frederick… well, Fredrick was going to have to get used to being with a woman who would most likely never let him have the last word.
They sat down to a very elaborate supper. Just as they were finding their rhythm, Henry's phone rang.
"Hello, good evening." He greeted. He hadn't bothered to check the identity of the caller, distracted with Louisa's planning.
"Mr. August, this is detective Lance. Do you remember me?"
Henry coughed, almost choking on his salad the moment the name and voice registered. His eyes bulged so much, everyone knew something was wrong. The room immediately went still as a graveyard.
"Honey, who is that?" Louisa mouthed a whisper.
Henry held up his hand, signalling to everyone to remain quiet. He put the call on record, and put it on speaker. "Detective Lance… I thought you were dead?"
The call got disconnected immediately. Henry tried to call back, but the number could not be reached. His expression remained tense, as his brain tried to make sense of the call. Was it a prank?
The mood in the dining table had shifted. Louisa's eyes narrowed, her brow furrowed in concern.
"Who could that be?" Susan wondered aloud.
Henry returned, his face ashen. "It's... it's the private detective who investigated my wife's death."
The room became even more silent… the air thick with tension.
"What did he want?" Frederick asked, his voice low.
Henry's eyes locked onto Stacey's, his gaze piercing. "I have no idea. He's been off the grid for twenty-eight years. After we heard his colleague who was working on the case with him was found dead, and we couldn't reach him no matter how we tried, we just assumed he was dead too."
"Could it really be him?" James questioned, his mood pensive.
The room erupted into chaos, questions and concerns flying like sparks. But Stacey's eyes remained fixed on Henry's, a sense of foreboding settling in her stomach.
"What does this mean?" Louisa asked, her voice trembling.
Henry's jaw clenched. "I don't know, but I need to find out."
The celebratory dinner was put on hold. Everyone had lost their appetite and returned to the living room. Susan was pacing the length of the living room, Louisa had her hands in-between her thighs… Henry and James kept trying to dial the number that had just called, while Stacey and Fredrick sat still, next to each other.
Henry's eyes remained fixed on the phone, his mind racing with possibilities. Suddenly, it rang again. He hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Hello?" he said cautiously, putting the phone on speaker again.
"Mr. August, I apologize for the interrupted call earlier," a gravelly voice said. "My name is Detective Lance. I'm sure you remember me."
Henry's eyes locked onto the phone, his grip tightening. "Detective Lance. I thought you were dead."
"I've been in hiding for a long time, Mr. August," the detective replied. "I couldn't risk being found. But I've been watching from afar, and I know what's been going on. I need to meet with you and Mr. Brown. In person."
The room fell silent, all eyes fixed on the phone.
"Why?" Henry asked, his voice firm. "What do you know?"
"I don't have much time, Mr. August," Detective Lance said urgently. "My phone may be tracked. I just need to say that I have information about your wife. Information that could change everything."
Susan stopped pacing, her eyes wide with shock. Louisa's hands flew to her mouth, her eyes fixed on Henry.
"What kind of information?" Henry demanded.
"I'll tell you when we meet," the detective replied. "Meet me at the old warehouse on 5th and Main, tomorrow at midnight, sharp. It should be just you and Mr. Brown. Don't be late."
"I don't know if that's a good idea," Henry said, his brow furrowed in concern.
"Just you and Mr. Brown," the detective insisted. "I don't have time to explain. Just be there."
The line went dead, leaving the room in stunned silence.
"Could it really be him?" James asked again.
Henry nodded, his face grim. "I am sure he's the one. I remember that voice."
James stood up, his eyes locked onto Henry's. "We'll be fine as long as we go together."
Louisa's eyes narrowed. "What if it's a trap? How can you just trust him?"
Henry's jaw clenched. "We'll take that risk. We need to know what he knows."
"I don't feel good about this." Susan said, her voice almost inaudible.
Stacey's eyes found her father's own. The fear in her eyes burned. James walked over to where she sat and placed a hand on her shoulder. He didn't know what words would offer comfort, so he let his touch do the talking.
Her mind raced with possibilities. What secrets had Detective Lance uncovered? And what did he mean by "change everything"?
The room erupted into a quiet chaos. Unuttered questions and concerns flying like sparks. One thing was certain though - they would be at that warehouse tomorrow, at midnight, ready to face whatever secrets Detective Lance had uncovered.
The tension in the room grew thicker as the seconds ticked by. What would they find out tomorrow? And would they be prepared for the truth?
James broke the eerie silence as he got up. "I think we should be on our way. It's getting rather late."
Henry nodded, getting to his feet as well. "We'll meet back here tomorrow, and have everyone together before we head out."
Both Henry and James had started making plans in their head against the meeting. They were not going to just walk into that building unprepared… unprotected like lambs to the slaughter. If it came down to losing lives, it would definitely, most definitely not be theirs!