The Beautifully Damned and the Eternally Blessed (SAMPLE)

Chapter Nine: The Suspects (Wendy and Ariah)

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Ariah Gannett-Monroe, Derrick's first and only true love.

South Boston, Massachusetts...

Ariah Destiny Gannett-Monroe was one heartbroken soul.

It was decades ago when she would meet Derrick Booker when she and her family were staying with relatives in Tribeca. She had noticed him move into a small apartment and she knew that they had met beforehand when he was in high school while she was with another relative in Atlanta. It only took a small cup of coffee at a small delicatessen nearby for their love affair to blossom and flow.

It was because of her that Derrick was able to share his personal secrets and desires with her, talk about his dysfunctional family back in Atlanta while wanting to connect with his youngest sister Jana, and even help him with his college papers and exams while he attended the Art Institutes of New York. She became his muse for his premiere fashion line known as Solaris Couture when it was only a start-up business located in the rough part of Brooklyn. But most of all, she was the reason that he soon found himself being able to fall in love...with her.

It lasted for seven and a half good years since his fashion line took off and she even became a model for a few of his shows. Unfortunately for her, their romance wasn't meant to be thanks to her parents disapproving her relationship with Derrick since he wasn't a man from the military and was seen as a starving artist with no backup plan. So the couple had no choice but to end things when the time came for her and her family to move to another city because of her brothers being part of the army and her living at home with them. "At least we could still savor the memories that we once had together," she said on her last night in New York when she shared his bed. "I'll be forever grateful to you, Derrick Booker."

"And I'll always be grateful to you, Ariah," Derrick replied. "It's because of you that I'm able to heal once again."

They shared one more fiery night of sensual bliss before he saw her off to the airport, keeping a distance from her tough and athletic older brothers and their father to avoid a physical altercation.

She kept in contact with him over the years, learning of his greatest accomplishments and helping him through the toughest moments of his life- betrayal by Wendy, the Deathly Glamour stalker, and his recent contacts with Jana Booker and her encouraging him to set up a date for the two to meet each other for the first time. "You owe it to yourself to see Jana," she had explained to him one week before his death. "Your parents and older  sister have no power over you anymore."

And now, here she was weeping as she cleaned up her bedroom that she shared with her loving husband Adrian (a bear of a former drill sergeant and a current owner of a auto repair shop) while her three-month-old son Wesley snoozed on. Dexter knew of her relationship with Derrick and often supported him because he felt like he could trust Derrick should anything happen to him. He and his family even met the designer as the latter gifted Ebony (Adrian's baby sister) a custom-designed dress for her school's homecoming festivities. They too were devastated to hear of Derrick's death and hoped that whoever was behind Deathly Glamour's identity was exposed.

Snapping back to reality as she finished her morning chores, Ariah soon heard her cellphone buzz from her pocket. "Hello?" she answered, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Mrs. Gannett-Monroe, this is Diana Yeun, the personal attourney of the late Derrick Booker," she heard a female's voice that sounded Asian reply in a formal tone. "You may have heard of my client's death in the past few weeks."

Ariah sighed. "It's a bit much to handle since he was my first boyfriend," she admitted. "I'm now married and all, but I can never forget my first love and best friend."

"That's understandable, given how he talked about you, Mrs. Monroe. Which is why Derrick had arranged a small gathering of sorts that includes the reading of his will and a month-long celebration featuring his last fashion show that'll take place during Fashion Week in New York. It'll take place in two weeks' time and you and the other esteemed guests will be staying at his old condominium complex in Manhattan."

Ariah gasped. "Ms. Yeun, my husband and I have a small infant to raise and we can't possibly afford to find a sitter," she said. "If anything, my husband Adrian and I are trying to stay afloat with his store being closed for renovations. We're basically trying to pay the bills on time."

"I assure you, Mrs. Gannett-Monroe, that this month-long vacation is all-expenses paid and you'll be compensated should you accept."

Just then, Adrian arrived dressed in his coveralls. "Who's that?" he asked, greeting his wife with a kiss.

Ariah gave him a quick recap of what happened so far with the offer and a cash compensation. "It's sounds so surreal and yet I know that Derrick was planning for the future if anything happened to him," Diana finished. "But with the baby and your job-"

"Take it," Adrian replied urgently. "You said that you needed answers regarding Derrick's death and he was cool people around me and my family. Plus, we can use the money to make sure that our bills are paid and we could have a little nest egg in case of emergencies. Not only that, I'm sure that he left you with a nice share of his estate. You owe it to yourself to go to New York. If anything, you might help out with solving his murder."

Ariah nodded, taking her husband's words to heart. Turning back to her phone call, her decision was made. "I'll be there," she said firmly to Miss Yeun. "My husband's joining me as well as his sister Ebony who's a police officer. But our son will be with his grandparents."

"Understandable," the lawyer replied from the other end. "Your compensation of one hundred thousand dollars will be deposited to you shortly."

"Thank you."

They disconnected as Adrian wrapped his wife in a hug. "We're going to make sure that whoever killed Derrick gets what he, she, or they deserve," he vowed. "And I'll call up Ebony to let her know what's going down. She could help us."

"Right," Ariah replied. "I guess we should make sure that we're fully prepared with this month-long stay in New York. We gotta get new clothes and wash our current ones as well as clean up the house and get caught up with our bills. We don't have much time to waste."

"Then let's get started."

From outside, a photographer monitored every move with the camera.

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Seven suspects.

Seven different motives.

One month of surprises and dramatic tensions as what was kept in the dark would soon be brought to light. And by the time they all arrived in New York City and be greeted by Jana who would officiate the planned activities, nothing would ever be the same from there.

And just like that, folks, all the invites have been sent out and we've gotten to know our suspects a little better. Now, I want you to make sure to reread this and the last two chapters and give me your thoughts on who Deathly Glamour might be among these suspects. Because I have a STRONG feeling that this mystery is going to be one for the books!

Anyway, folks, it's time to wrap up act one of this story as Jana gets ready for her trip to New York and gets the first of many shockers regarding Derrick's past that he wrote in his journal.  Just so you know, Derrick's life in Atlanta is full of complications and surprises that will blow your mind!

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