A/N: All stories occur prior to the start of the series.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters or ideas created by Ari Schlossberg. I only borrowed them for the entertainment and amusement of my audience.
SUMMARY: Twenty-five suspects. Twenty-five stories.
GENRE: Drama
RATING: PG-13
DATE COMPLETED: February 10, 2011
::~*~::
Thomas leaned back in his lawn chair as he carefully lit his cigar. Cuban cigars. There was nothing better, but he thought that part of its appeal was its illegality. It was the same when he was a schoolboy, too. He had never really liked chewing gum, but the strict "no gum chewing" policy his private school had adhered to, made it all the more tempting and all the more suave to be covert enough to chew without getting caught. It was a game he had played with his friends, and he had been well known at being the sliest.
His eyes got a faraway look to them as he thought back on his school days, oh so many years ago. Could he really be so old now? He turned his face to the glass window that separated the deck from his study. He gazed impassively at his salt-n-pepper hair with his gradually receding hairline, the faint wrinkles that emphasized his eyes and mouth, probably from years of keeping up a stoic demeanor in the face of society. He sighed as he turned away from the reflection. The years had been kinder to him then they had been to many of his colleagues, but they were still catching up to him. Of course, it made perfect sense. His oldest daughter, Shea, had been married these twelve years and had a daughter of her own, Madison. His baby girl, Trish, was now getting married to the man of her dreams. While every father wants to make his daughter the happiest woman on earth, Thomas had to admit to some reservations regarding his future son-in-law. There was something...off...about him.
He had tried to talk to Trish about it before, and, while she always listened patiently, she refused to give in. She was bound and determined to marry Henry, if it was the last thing she did. So, Thomas had given up...at least to all outward appearances he had. He had one last string to pull, the string that could unravel the entire wedding. Thinking of such, Thomas picked up his phone off of the table that was near the side of his chair. He scrolled through the contacts and his thumb hovered over the call button when a specific name was highlighted. Changing his mind, he shut the phone and put it back on the table. He would attend to that particular business transaction later.
Clamping his cigar firmly between his teeth, he laid back in the chair in an attempt to relax. Pretty soon his life was going to be quite lively as Trish Wellington was planning on marrying Henry Dunn in just over two weeks' time.