FREDDY PRINCE

Chapter three

Kalani and her father, Mayor Corbin Montgomery, developed a terrible relationship long before her mom was killed. She felt like she knew her dad had a hand in what happened and that he had help covering it up. She just didn't know how. Or why?

Her goal as a journalist–and loving daughter- was to figure it out. It was her only reason for ever going back to Virginia. She hated it there. Especially, since her father was the mayor, their family home was there, and it was the place her mother was killed.

Shonnie saw her approaching the entrance to their office building a mile away. She remembered her as the woman Freddy shared a drink with on their date the night before. But she also knew Kalani as the mayor's daughter, and someone who knew all about his affair with her.

They never liked each other from day one. Even before Shonnie and her father started messing around behind her mother's back. There wasn't any real reason on Kalani's end, other than the affair, but Shonnie held a grudge against her for something that happened years before her dad ever became the mayor.

"I see you're still here." Kalani shot her an antagonizing smile. "Where is he?"

"Of course, I'm still here, silly." Shonnie shot back in a nice but nasty tone. "I plan on being here longer than the last one."

Kalani got the urge to slap Shonnie across the face for throwing shots at her mother, but Mayor Montgomery emerged from his office before either of them could cross the line.

"Ah!" he clapped like he was excited to see his daughter. "Kalani, good morning. I see you made it to Virginia just fine."

"Yeah," Kalani scoffed as she headed for his office. "I do everything just fine."

Mayor Montgomery's eyes rolled as Kalani brushed past him. He let out a sigh and shared a look of annoyance with Shonnie before he turned around to follow suit. They both knew why Kalani returned to Virginia. They also knew it was only a matter of time before she found out the truth. So, they had to do everything in their power to stay on her good side to keep their secret from hitting the public.

"How are you, Kalani?"

Montgomery grunted as he took a seat in his large red office chair.

To Kalani, the inside of her father's office reeked of a violent murder scene. It was as if she could feel her mother's presence pointing out where everything took place. Everywhere she turned she felt agony and grief. Pain and torture. She didn't even take a seat anywhere because the feeling was so overwhelming she thought she might throw up.

"We can cut the small talk, Dad," she sighed. "You know why I'm here."

Montgomery leaned back in his chair, folded his hands together, and squinted at his daughter.

"I do?"

"Mom's murder?" she scoffs.

Kalani tossed her purse onto his desk and removed an envelope. An envelope that contained all the threatening letters she knew were coming from her him, or someone he worked with. She didn't understand why the letters started to come before she spoke out about her mom's murder. The only explanation she could think of was that someone wanted to cover their tracks; and keep things quiet. But who?

"Someone's been sending me threatening letters. Telling me to stop investigating and to watch my back. You know anything about that?"

Kalani stood in front of her father's desk with her arms folded across her chest waiting for his reply. They hadn't had an actual conversation about what happened to her mom, or what he was doing to solve her murder. But when she got back to Virginia, she made a promise to herself that all of that would change.