Murder at a Funeral

Six Hours Earlier

Six Hours Earlier

Gabriel Yates was standing in his bedroom with the towel wrapped around his waist. He had just gotten out of the shower and his hair was still damp. His phone was pressed tightly to his ear as he dug through his closet, trying to decide on what he was going to wear. He knew he should have figured this out earlier – he had the past few days to figure it out. Why had he waited until the last minute to choose an outfit? Laurel would scold him if she knew he wasn't even ready yet. She was downstairs, eating breakfast, waiting for him to come down any minute and be ready to go. Not that she was looking forward to attending his mother's funeral, but Laurel had a schedule, as well as respect for the dead. She would insist they arrive on time.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he spoke quietly into the phone. "Okay. Just... be patient. I won't be able to talk to you today, but I'll call you as soon as it's finished."
Just then, Laurel walked into the room, black dress on, make-up done, holding a plate containing two pieces of toast. Gabriel spun around, quickly taking in his fiancé's presence. "Listen, I gotta go," pause. "Okay, talk later. Bye." He ended the call and tossed the phone onto the bed.
"Who was that?" Laurel asked as she walked towards him.
"Adeline," he fabricated the first name that came to his head. "Wondering when we're leaving."
"I brought you some toast," she held out the plate.
"Thanks," he took it from her.
"You're still not dressed..."
Gabriel chewed the food quickly then swallowed. "I'm an idiot. I don't know what to wear."
Laurel walked over to the closet. "You're terrible at preparing for important events."
"That's what I have you for," Gabriel countered, adjusting the towel around his waist.
"Do this on our wedding and I'll kill you."

Laurel and Gabriel met during their first year at Harvard. He was studying bioengineering, she was studying law. They wanted to wait until they were both finished school before they got married, but after years of waiting, along with the knowledge that both of their programs were quite lengthy, they decided to push the wedding to next year, when both of them would be twenty-six. Gabriel was hoping they could start a family soon after. That would complete his picture-perfect life.

Gabriel was very fortunate to grow up being a Yates man. His father attended Harvard as well, so it was expected that Gabriel would follow in his father's footsteps. However, as useful as the Yates name proved to be, growing up wasn't easy for Gabriel. With his parent's separation at such a young age, then having his mother absent for such an important stage of his life, Gabriel behaved in the only way he knew how: rebellion.

He held a grudge against his mother for leaving, then returning whenever she pleased. Once the Yates children moved back in with Olenna, they still managed to see their father a few days a week. But as Gabriel got older, he noticed that his father was getting busier and having less time to spend with the children. Gabriel felt a special bond with his father. They were the only two men in the house, accompanied by three women. He always relied on his father to be there for him to talk and interact with. But Richard would often leave his son stranded for a better option if there ever was one. This often left Gabriel feeling alone and rejected, causing him to act out.

When Gabriel was seventeen, he experienced just how much privilege his family name would benefit him. It was his best friend's birthday weekend, and they decided to go to a party. For quite a while, Gabriel had his eye on a girl in his class named Crystal. After showing up to the party and having a couple of drinks, Gabriel spotted Carmen and went over to talk to her. While Adeline had always been confident, and Briar shy, Gabriel seemed to be an amalgamation of the two. He always tried to be as confident as Adeline, but there was always something deep inside of him that made him second guess himself, question whether he was ever truly good enough.

After finally building up the courage to speak with Crystal, it became painstakingly apparent that she wasn't interested in him. This left Gabriel reeling with anger after the rejection. He went back to the kitchen and consumed far too many beers and vodka shots than he should have. When the night came to an end, Gabriel, being too intoxicated to think properly, thought it would be a good idea to drive.

Olenna and Richard got the call around 1:00 a.m. stating that there had been a car accident and a critical injury. The car he hit contained two other girls from the party. The driver – her name was Melissa – had opted out of drinking because she had planned to be the designated driver. Unfortunately, Melissa's injuries were critical and she died in the ambulance before it reached the hospital.

Gabriel surely would have been charged with manslaughter – if he was any other teenage boy, that is. But because he was a Yates, his parents miraculously made the whole thing disappear. What couldn't be wiped clean, however, was the guilty conscious that Gabriel would carry with him for years to come, never able to forgive himself for the terrible decision he made all those years ago.

Her face still haunts him when he goes to sleep at night. Tossing and turning in between bouts of slumber, he sees her eyes, staring up at him, yelling at him for not making a smarter decision that night. If only he could turn back time, he would change everything. But he couldn't. What's done is done, forever engraved in his soul.

Melissa's death wasn't the only thing that Gabriel's parents assisted him with over the years. Even his acceptance letter from Harvard must have been the result of a few strings pulled by his father. They say money can't buy happiness, but it sure as hell can buy you anything else you need.

His sister, Briar, would argue otherwise. Briar was the minimalist of the family, always insisting on having less, as if that somehow made her existence on this planet better in some way. Gabriel wouldn't have considered himself spoiled, but he did always get whatever he asked for, including the BMW he received on his sixteenth birthday, the same car which curated the deadly fate the night of the accident.

Adeline also possessed the gift of getting whatever she desired, however, she did not abuse this power. Adeline was kind and modest, and most of the time, ended up giving her things away to other people. Gabriel would never admit this, but he often envied how effortlessly care-free and altruistic Adeline was. If Gabriel wanted to do something nice, it took so much effort to try to please and impress other people. And often times when he did do a good deed, it was to boost his own ego or aid his conscious rather than to actual help someone.

Briar on the other hand, didn't ask for much from Richard and Olenna. Her requirements were minimal, only asking for things that she truly felt she needed, such as food and shelter. One thing that Briar always made an exception for though, was books. That girl would spend all her allowance on books if she could. Even when she got her first job working at a cashier at their local grocery store – which was completely unnecessary considering their wealth, said Olenna – she put aside a certain amount of money each month to purchase books.

Gabriel wished he could live as selflessly as his sisters. It was something he had always longed for. He was hoping now that he was engaged and ready to settle down and start a family that he could finally start thinking of other people for once in his life. He knew that everything would change the moment he was blessed with a child. They say that sort of thing happens. Your life changes before your eyes and your priorities align. All of his attention would go to the child, giving them anything and everything they wanted. Is that how Richard and Olenna felt when Adeline was born? He couldn't help but think so.

Laurel pulled out a dark grey suit from the closet and held it up against his body, still damp from the shower. "This will do," she said. "Now hurry up and get dressed. We're going to be late."