𝕊𝕥𝕦𝕡𝕚𝕕 ℂ𝕦𝕡𝕚𝕕 ➶

𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕣𝕥𝕪-𝔽𝕚𝕧𝕖: 𝕆𝕟𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕌𝕤

The three of them never made it to dinner. Why? Because there was a crowd of police officers waiting for them in the lobby. And, in the middle of them, was Vincent Thorpe.

He wasn't looking his best: his face was pale and his clothes were crumpled, like he'd fished out the outfit from the very bottom of his suitcase. He reminded her of a tread-on rattlesnake, teeth exposed in a snarl and body coiled in defense. There was an accusation in his gaze the second he laid eyes on Gomez and Morticia.

"There are the culprits, sergeant," he hissed, pointing at the boy and girl on either side of Valentina. She glanced nervously at them out of the corners of her eyes, only to find them wearing near-identical poker faces. "Arrest them at once!"

"Just a minute there, boy," one of the officers said as he stepped out of the bunch, striding quickly and efficiently towards them. "Which one of you young ladies is Miss Frump?"

Tish stepped forward. "That would be me. What seems to be the problem, Sergeant...?"

"Sergeant Howie. We were called here by Mr Thorpe over there. He claims a boy by the name of Gomez Addams," here he glanced at her boyfriend before continuing, "assaulted him and you, Miss Frump, slashed his tires. Is there any truth to these accusations?"

"None at all! We haven't so much as left our room all day. Our girlfriend, as well as the hotel staff, can attest to that," she answered.

"All day?"

"We're a fairly new throuple. We still have a lot of... Getting acquainted... To do." Morticia said, reaching back to hold Val's hand. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment.

His expression was one of obvious disapproval, but she wasn't precisely aware of what aspect. Was it the polygamy, or the implication of underage sex? Either way, he didn't comment. At least not yet. That's when his gaze shifted to Valentina. "Is that so?" He asked.

"She's lying!" Vincent interjected. "Of course the staff is going to back up her story. She owns the goddamn hotel."

"Quiet!" Sergeant Howie snapped, before turning back to her, clearly awaiting an answer.

She didn't exactly have one for him, though. "I don't know for sure where Gomez and Morticia were all day. I was all but dead to the world. But they say they were with me the whole time, and I believe them."

"You're telling me you slept all day?" His tone was an incredulous and exasperated one.

"I had a lot to drink last night," she admitted with a half-shrug, then immediately regretted it. "Um, I mean-- I, uh, stayed up all night. Late night. Yeah."

It was too late, though. The damage was done. Implied underage sex was one thing, but admitted underage drinking was apparently another one altogether.

His whole face twisted like he'd just sucked on a lemon. "Okay, that's it! I want to talk to the adult in charge here. Miss Frump, where are your parents? They've got to be around here somewhere!"

If Morticia was mad at Valentina for her slip of the tongue, her expression didn't show it. She wore the same serene smile that she always did. It was like a winter pond, without a single ripple. "I'm afraid not, Sergeant. My parents are staying at our main estate. They trust the staff not to let us get in too much trouble."

The policeman arched a bushy brown brow at her. "It seems to me like they're letting the inmates run the asylum. This hotel may be your private property, but that doesn't mean you're above the law... I'm gonna have to have a stern talking-to with each of your parents."

That's when Gomez stepped forward and snaked his arms around his girlfriends. "Is that really necessary?"

Valentina knew he likely wasn't afraid of getting in trouble with his folks. If anything, her mother was the one he'd have to worry about. He should have thought about that before he kidnapped her, though.

He wasn't the only one dissatisfied, either. Vincent all but howled, "Are you forgetting the real reason I called you here?! I was shot! I don't think underage drinking is the true evil here."

Sergeant Howie scowled something awful. "No, Mr Thorpe, I haven't forgotten your assault allegation. We'll be bringing everyone in for questioning." That's when he passed a suspicious eye over Morticia, Valentina, and Gomez. "Starting with you three. Let's go."