ECHOES OF DECEIT PROLOGUE
PROLOGUE
Eris Lockland and Brandon Patterson neared Adelaide’s Chapel, a former church that had been converted into a bed and breakfast just outside of Somerset, and Eris couldn’t believe that her dreams of having a gorgeous wedding might become a reality.
She looked at the bell tower in the distance. “I’ve always wanted to be married in a place like this. I just didn’t think it was possible. It is so charming and perfect. Thank you again for bringing me here.”
She wasn’t sure if they would book the place or not, but she liked having the time to spend with him regardless.
“You’re welcome,” he said, smiling back at her.
She reached for Brandon’s hand. He was always full of surprises. It was hard to keep up. She wasn’t used to being spoiled, but looking around at the beautiful bed and breakfast, she was sure she could get used to it.
“I told you that I want you to have the best,” said Brandon. “You deserve to have the wedding you want. And well, with so much going on, I know you’ve been worried that it wouldn’t go off the way you wanted.”
Everything she had planned within their budget had fallen through when not just one but two venues canceled due to problems and double-booking. Without a father or family to help pay for the event, she had tried to make the most of what she and Brandon could afford and, most importantly, had done her best to keep the spending equal. She saw her and Brandon as a team, and she wanted to make sure and do her part.
“I just know it’s way more than we can afford. I called them early on just to see, and it was way out of our budget.” She wasn’t sure if he realized how much some places went for.
“You just let me worry about that,” he said. “I have already told you I have a little money tucked back. Besides, we are learning that we’ll get what we pay for. Those others have been too wishy-washy from the start. The people I spoke to here were very nice.”
“But we agreed that we would split the cost down the middle. If it is too much, we can think of something else.” She was willing to compromise if need be and had already had to rein in her plans a bit.
He gave her a broad grin. “That was before our other plans started falling apart. Besides, look around. This place is amazing. That bell tower is really something, too.”
Brandon pulled into the parking lot and parked just out front of the old chapel.
As soon as Eris stepped out of the car, the delicate scent of gardenias hit her nose, making her smile. “Wow, do you smell that?”
“Yeah, their landscaping must cost a small fortune. No wonder they charge so much. See? It will be worth the extra money just for that smell.”
“The Magnolia Room certainly didn’t smell like magnolias. And the Belle Vista Ballroom had a terrible view. But this? Wow. It’s like a lovely dream.”
A woman stepped out of the main entrance to greet them. “Hello,” she called out, waving them over. “Can I help you?”
“I’m Brandon Patterson,” he said, offering his hand. “I called you about the place.”
She took it and smiled warmly at Eris. “Ah, you’re the bride and groom.”
“Yes,” he said. “We wanted to take a look around and see what you have to offer us.”
“Well, that sounds easy enough. I’m Sandy, by the way.”
“Brandon,” he said again. “This is my fiancée, Eris.”
“Eris. Beautiful name.”
“Thank you,” she said, smiling even though she got the compliment often.
“Well, why don’t you two come on in, and I’ll show you the space we have?” She led them inside the building where the room opened up much more than Eris had expected. While it could still be considered small, the high ceilings did wonders to make it more open.
“Wow,” she said, tugging Brandon’s arm. “This is amazing in person.”
Brandon nodded. “I think this would more than accommodate our friends.”
“It’s perfect,” she agreed, imagining her big day playing out there.
“How many are you planning for?” asked the woman.
“I’m thinking about seventy-five.” Without much family on either side, she wouldn’t have a large crowd but wanted to celebrate with friends and coworkers. “We’re a small group.”
The woman smiled. “Oh, well, you’ll have no trouble with that here. And I tell you, some of the nicest weddings I’ve ever been to are ones with smaller families and friend groups.”
“That’s good to hear,” said Eris.
“Well, I think you’ll find we have everything you need. We even have rooms available if anyone wants to stay overnight, including a honeymoon suite. There is a bridal suite and a groom’s room for the day of so you can get ready. You can see those through that door.” She gestured to their left across the room.
Eris couldn’t wait to see it. “It’s really pretty here,” she told Brandon. She turned her attention back to Sandy. “I think that we’ll want to take it all in before we decide.”
Sandy nodded. “It’s a lot to take in. You’re free to roam around and have a look. Have a talk and decide. We take half up front and the rest payable at least two days before the event.” She walked over, got a brochure off of the table, and handed it to Eris. “Enjoy your time. I’ll be around here if you have any questions.”
“Can we go anywhere?” he asked the woman before she got too far away from them. “I was hoping to go up and see the view from the bell tower.”
“Oh, be my guest. The door is marked. You’ll see it.” She gave a confident nod.
“Thank you,” he said, taking Eris’s hand.
“We’re not going up there,” said Eris, shaking her head. She gave the woman a sideward look. “I’m afraid of heights.”
“Oh, come on. It’s perfectly safe,” said Brandon. “Isn’t it?”
“It is very safe,” Sandy said. “You should go up and have a look. It’s the best view of the area you’ll find around here.”
“We’ll go. She’ll be fine.”
Sandy gave Eris a sympathetic look as Brandon took her hand.
“I’ll take care of you,” he told her, patting her hand. “You know that nothing is going to happen. And you’ll miss out on so much in life if you don’t have these kinds of experiences.”
Sandy walked away. Brandon started to the door with Eris hesitantly walking behind him.
“I just don’t like how lightheaded I get. You know this. You know I panicked on the bridge the day we did the photoshoot.”
They had gone on an old wooden bridge as one of their shots and instead opted for a shot of the bridge in the background when she had a panic attack.
“This is not like that,” he said. “Come on. We’ll go look around, and you’ll love it. You’ll see.”
Eris continued to the door to look in the bridal suite and change the subject with hopes that he would drop the idea.
The room was decorated with a glammed, shabby chic design with a row of vanities as well as two large full-length mirrors.
“This is amazing,” she said. “Look at that dressing screen. It’s so beautiful.”
“That looks really neat,” he said. “Let’s take a look at the groom’s room.”
He led her to the groom’s dressing room on the opposite side and it was just as nice. Instead of the glam shabby chic, it was set up more like an old cigar lounge, with mirrors around the room for getting ready, a few high-back chairs, a leather sofa, a bench, and a wet bar. There was also a big screen TV hanging high on the wall.
“They really thought of everything,” she said, looking at Brandon, who was barely checking the room over. “Don’t you like it?”
“I love it,” he said. “What’s not to love? I already looked at all of this online, though.”
“Oh. Well, what do you think? I’m falling in love with it but look at this price list. If we do this, it’s going to cost way more than we wanted.” She was already trying to think of ways to cut corners but didn’t see how they could swing it.
“I know, but it’s worth it. And I’ll be really happy if we can go see that bell tower now.”
“You can go on up without me,” she said.
“Eris, can’t you just let me have one romantic moment?”
“You think it’s romantic to be up there while I’m scared to death?” She shook her head. “No thanks.”
“It’s like you don’t even trust me to protect you. Do you really think that I’d let something happen to you? People do it all the time. It’s perfectly safe. I thought it would make a great shot for the photo wall you talked about.”
She shook her head. “I might have to scrap that to afford this place.”
“I said I’d take care of it. I like it here. I want to have our wedding here. Now, let’s go up and take a damn photo to share. Think of how amazing that will be.”
“Fine, if it means that much to you, I’ll do it.”
Brandon smiled. “Really? That’s my girl. You don’t have to ever be afraid of anything. I’ve told you that.”
“I know. It’s just a phobia. My dad used to pick me up and throw me. It was fun until he threw me into the water and I couldn’t swim. I’ve been afraid of falling ever since. Anytime I’m up high, I’m right back there again, tumbling into the dark water.”
“You’re not going to fall. You’d have to be the clumsiest person on earth to fall. They have kids go up there, for heaven’s sake. You’ll see.”
“Okay. Fine, you sold me. Let’s go take a look around outside, and we’ll tell the woman that we’re going to take it. I don’t want to look too eager by doing it now.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” he said.
As they headed outside, Eris noticed a lovely lawn that was set up for a reception area. “Oh, this is lovely. And with the weather we usually have, it should be perfect for the day of.” Her shoes clicked on the cobblestone at her feet.
“I agree. And I’m willing to cover the entire cost. You can worry about decorating it and all of that other stuff.”
“I can’t match this cost,” she said. There was no doubt that Brandon had a considerable amount of money. She wasn’t sure how much, but it was common knowledge between them that his parents had left him with money.
“I don’t care. Soon, it will be your money, too. It’s about time you start spending it.”
“You know I don’t like doing that.”
“I’m aware, but get over it. You are going to be a very wealthy woman. You need to look to the future with me and be my wife. That means leaving the old ways behind as well as the old fears. I’m here now. I love you, and I’m going to take care of you.”
Eris got a warm and fuzzy feeling in her heart. So many times in her life, she had wanted to have this kind of romance and for someone to love her as much as he did. But it had never seemed possible with so many challenges in her life and all of the times she had her heart broken. But now, it was like everything she ever wanted was falling into place.
“You’re right,” she said. “New day. New woman.” She was ready to move forward with a man who thought she was worth it.
“That’s my girl,” he said, giving her a big grin. “Come on. Let’s go see it.”
She didn’t see the hurry, but Brandon had always had an adventurous spirit. “Fine, you’re just like a little kid. You’re not going to stop until you get to see it.” She took his hand when offered and they went toward the bell tower, which was connected to the side of the building through a little breezeway.
“Here’s the door,” he said. “Are you ready?”
“Yeah, I’m ready. I’m just going to pretend that I’m not in a tower. And don’t even try to tell me how high it is.”
“It’s not going to be as bad as you think. Trust me.” Brandon headed up first, holding on to her hand as they took one step at a time. “You’ll probably want to take out your phone,” he said. “I want to get a photo of this.”
“Is yours still acting up?” she asked. That had been going on for months now.
“Yeah, I think the camera is completely broken.”
“Why haven’t you had it fixed?” she asked.
“I don’t take photos,” he said. “That’s kind of a girl thing.”
Eris chuckled. “A girl thing?”
She shook her head as they continued up, and when they reached the top, he stopped while she was still down in the stairwell.
“Wow,” he said. “You’ve got to see this.”
She hesitated a bit. “If you say so.”
“Get up here,” he said, waving her up. His excitement was growing. “You can see everything. I didn’t even realize the lake was visible from up here. Take a look.”
She walked up where she could see without getting too close.
“We have to take a photo together. And I want one of you. Look how you can see the trees.”
“It’s really gorgeous. But also really high up.” She had no idea how to estimate, but she knew they had to be at least forty feet up from the ground. She could see most of the tree tops, and there was a nice view of the water in the distance.
“It’s amazing. I can’t tell you how much I like being up here. Let’s take that photo.” He glanced at her as she took her phone out and handed it to him.
“Do you want to take it?” she asked.
“Sure,” he said, holding the phone out as he put his arm around her. “Come on, let’s turn our backs to the view.”
The walls stopped at her waist and she had to admit it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. “Let’s just hurry.”
“Hurry? Listen to you. Let’s just enjoy this. Breathe. And smile.” He snapped the photo and stepped away. “Go on, honey. Let’s get a photo.”
“Of me?”
“Yeah, how else is your sister ever going to believe you were really up here?”
“I guess so. She’ll be surprised to see it for sure.”
“Just try and look happy,” he said. He held up the camera and snapped the photo when she smiled. “Get a little closer to the rail. You know it’s not going anywhere.”
“Why?” she asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
“Come on, I want to see the tree tops. I’ll go up on my toes.”
“Okay.” She backed up against the rail. “Hurry,” she said through her fake smile.
But as soon as she thought he’d take the photo, he stopped. “Why don’t you sit on it a bit and lift yourself up so I can get more in the shot?”
“Are you nuts?” she asked.
“Just do it. Let’s hurry up and get it over with. I’m going to rent this place for our wedding. I wouldn’t ask you to do something I thought was dangerous.” He rolled his eyes, and Eris could tell he was growing a bit aggravated.
That was the last thing she wanted. “I’ll just prop up on it a bit. But hurry up.”
She forced a smile, and Brandon asked her to hold her pose. She put on a fake smile, and he lunged forward and pushed against her shoulder so hard she lost her balance.
Eris screamed and teetered for a split moment, flailing her arms as she tried to catch hold of the nearest corner, only to find it out of reach.
Brandon pushed her again, this time causing her to fall. He watched wide-eyed as she slipped away toward the cobblestone below.
As thoughts came rushing through her mind like the wind through her hair, she realized that Brandon wasn’t the man she thought he was. He hadn’t wanted to see the bell tower. He had wanted to kill her. But why?
She felt a sudden stop and nothing more.
