Murder at a Funeral

Two Hours Earlier

Adeline stood near the front of the church, just meters away from the casket, which was piled high with flowers. Bouquets of peonies, chrysanthemums, lilies, and roses, all displayed for the world to see. Briar and Gabriel by her side, the three of them were speaking to family and friends who had come to pay their respects to Olenna. Briar had been choking back tears the last few minutes, and Gabriel had a focused gaze set beyond the faces in front of him, towards the back of the church. Adeline followed his gaze, only to realize that he was not staring at anything in particular, rather, he was simply zoning out. She couldn't blame him.

"It's a lovely service," a gray haired woman said to them. "I'm sure Olenna would have adored it."
Adeline regained focus of the present moment and forced a small smile. "I'm sure she would have. We planned it accordingly, right down to every detail that she wanted."
"Your mother was an astonishing woman," she said. "She will be missed dearly."
Adeline smiled again, partially trying to figure out who this woman was and what her relation to their mother was, partially trying to end the conversation and move onto the next mourner.

Finally, the gray haired woman produced a small smile, squeezed Adeline's hand, and made her departure. Adeline let out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding and turned to her sister. Briar's eyes were red and damp. Adeline gave her a small smile of reassurance, but Briar didn't reciprocate. Instead, she shook her head slightly, almost to rid her face of the tears, took in a deep breath, and headed off towards the garbage bin to dispose of her tissues.

It was then that Adeline sensed an unwanted presence. She turned suddenly to see Arielle approaching at a steady pace. She was wearing a silk black dress, her dark hair pulled back, eyes focused on Adeline. What more could she possibly want?

Arielle Prescott was Ivan Prescott's only daughter, sister to Charles Prescott: heirs to the Prescott estate. When the Yates children were young – five, seven, and nine – Olenna began her affair with Ivan Prescott. His wife had died two years prior, and the two somehow found solace in each other, regardless of the fact that Richard was very much alive and well. Their affair only remained secret for so long. That was, until, Olenna announced one day that she was leaving Richard for Ivan.

The Yates children remained with their father, and Olenna and Ivan found a large property together and moved in with Arielle and Charles. While all seemed like paradise for the time being, much like many things in Olenna's life, she grew tired of it. Six years after their wedding, Olenna Prescott had moved on once again. Though, for reasons that are unknown, the two never legally divorced. She simply packed up and left Ivan and his children, taking his money and surname with her.

Ivan loved Olenna dearly. So much so that even as she was leaving him, he insisted she take a fair amount of his wealth. Not that Olenna needed it – she had enough money of her own. But Ivan was persistent. He loved Olenna and pushed until she took half of his fortune and left. The two had never been on bad terms, regardless of the circumstances. They still spoke at Christmas and Thanksgiving, keeping in touch every now and then. Until Olenna died of a stroke seven days ago. Cause of the stroke? Unknown. But one can only guess, given the amount of pressure and stress the woman was under.

The Prescott's were her second family – her new family. A family to replace the one she already had. Out with the old, in with the new. Were the Yates not good enough for her? Were her three children – incomplete individually but perfect in their own way – somehow not up to par? It was a thought that nearly drove Adeline mad over the years. Perhaps that is how she came to be the woman she is today; always trying to live up to the impossible expectations set by her mother.

No matter what Adeline did, she never felt like she was adequate – not smart enough, pretty enough, well-behaved enough. She wanted to be perfect. She wanted to be Arielle Prescott. Because clearly Arielle and Charles were better children than the Yates could ever be. That must be the reason why Olenna left them. So as Arielle Prescott made her towards Adeline at her own mother's funeral, it took all of the energy and strength inside of her not to scream.

"Addy, Gabe," Arielle smiled coyly once she was standing next to them. Adeline absolutely despised being called Addy, yet still, that was how Arielle chose to address her. Still no sign of Briar making a reappearance. "I'm so sorry I didn't get the chance to say hello sooner," Arielle continued. "Father and I have been bombarded with people and we've just been a little bit distracted." She paused, almost waiting for Adeline to say something. "But, pardon me, I'm so sorry," she leaned forward, wrapping her petite arms around Adeline's neck, giving her a slight pat. A pat. Then she pulled away, gave her a weak smile, and hugged Gabriel.
"What do you want, Arielle?" Adeline finally said. Seeing Arielle was not a common occurrence in their lives. In fact, no one had seen her for years. As far as Adeline was concerned, Arielle was nothing to them. When Olenna left the Prescott's all those years ago, any contact with Charles and Arielle ceased. They weren't her children, after all. Why would Olenna stay in contact with them? The last time Adeline and Gabriel had seen Arielle, however, was just six days ago – last Saturday night, at the hospital.
A look of perplexity crossed Arielle's face. She seemed offended. "I've come to pay my condolences to my step-siblings –"
"We're not your siblings and you know that," Adeline interjected. "Nothing ties us together except for Olenna, and since she's no longer living, that case no longer stands."
Arielle stared at Adeline, her emerald eyes watching in amusement. "Such a shame, Addy. You were always such a sweet girl. I wonder what happened. Perhaps it's just the grief talking. It often gets the best of people. I wouldn't blame you for it. Olenna's death has been hard on all of us."
"Hard?" Adeline gawked. "Like you would know." But as the words left her mouth, she suddenly remembered that Arielle's mother died when she was only two. "I mean, no offence, but this is our mother we're talking about. She gave birth to us. What did she do for you? Marry your father and live with you for a couple of years?" Adeline never behaved in this manner, but there was something unsettling about Arielle that irked her, causing this sudden change in behaviour.
"Addy," she said again. "I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that. Olenna and I had more in common than you'd ever know. More than just our surname."
Adeline rolled her eyes. Curse her mother for keeping the Prescott name. God knows she loved the notoriety.
"You really don't know, do you?" Arielle said, eyeing both Gabriel and Adeline.
"Know what?" Gabriel finally spoke.
Arielle laughed. "I'm not surprised she didn't tell you. She probably didn't want you to feel bad – replaced."
"What are you talking about?"
"My relationship with Olenna didn't end when she left my father and moved out," Arielle spoke graciously, as though her words were not lethal. "We kept in contact. She was like a mother to me. Although she only lived with us until I was ten, she made sure to maintain our relationship after her departure. We were very close. She bought me my first bra. Told me all about the birds-and-the-bees. We went prom dress shopping together. She was there through all the heartache and tragedy I went through in my teen years. We never lost contact, even when I graduated. We had our mummy-daughter dates twice a week. She tried to maintain a relationship with me as best as she could, though we never told anyone, clearly. My father didn't even know. I knew he still loved her. It would have been hard for him to see me so happy with her."
Arielle stopped speaking and Adeline felt as though there was a gaping hole in her chest. Could Arielle be telling the truth? How could their mother keep that sort of thing from them?
Arielle must have read the look on Adeline's face because she began speaking again. "Please, Addy, don't be upset about it. I'm sure she would have told you. It's just, it was our little secret."
And at those words, Adeline was about to break. "Leave."
"Addy –"
"Leave. You're not our sister. And no matter how hard you may have tried to be, you're not Olenna's daughter. So with that being said, please feel free to escort yourself off the premises, or I'll have Dante do it for you."
Arielle looked angry, a look of utter resentment had fallen upon her beautiful face. She turned on her heel and started to walk away. But then she stopped suddenly and turned back around. "You know, Addy," she said slowly. "For someone whose mother just passed away, you don't seem very upset."
Adeline hesitated, analyzing the degree to which she should respond. "I've been crying all day. I wouldn't expect you to understand –"
"No you haven't," Arielle interjected. "I've been watching you. You haven't cried once."