The Marriage of Nathan West

The New Witness

The tux Chelsea provided was a good fit but he found the whole thing uncomfortable and chafing. Turning slightly, he caught an image of himself in the mirror. He looked as terrible as he felt. If he knew where Maxie was he'd feel a lot better. Marinelli seemed to think she would show up and here and, unfortunately, Nathan knew he was right. Maxie never took things lying down. She was a woman of action and harebrained plots. She was planning something; he just hoped whatever it was worked. For both their sakes.

Eric poked his head back into the room. "Hey. you look pretty good. You ready to face the old crowd?"

"No. Any sign of Maxie out there?" Nathan asked turning away from the mirror.

"Nope. Come on." Eric pushed the door open wider. "Let's go circulate before the ceremony. You won't find her hiding in here."

He was right. Nathan exhaled slowly and followed Eric out of the room. He kept his eyes moving, searching for any sign of Maxie, as they descended the stairs into a sea of over dressed snobs. He spotted Marinelli deep in conversation with Peter Kirkland. Josh was off to the side watching a hallway. If he could manage it, he would have to get clear of Eric to see if Josh had seen Maxie yet. Eric led him into the library, pausing to snag a glass of champagne from a passing waiter.

"Chelsea really planned this thing fast," Eric remarked with a jerk of his head towards the open terrace doors. "I'll bet she started the minute she saw you at the wedding," he added with a laugh. "Took one look at you and called a caterer."

Nathan turned a narrow gaze on Eric Holt. He was right, of course. All of this was too elaborate for just a day or two. He went back over the timeline in his head as he followed Eric out to the garden where the ceremony was to take place. The invitation to the wedding had shown up almost two weeks ago and Eric's wedding was last weekend. If Chelsea had begun planning this from the moment she learned he would be attending, all of this would be possible. Even if she had begun the day after Eric's wedding when news of Scott's death had hit, it would be possible. The accusations against Maxie were far too convenient too. Scott's death might not have been a part of her original plan, but Chelsea certainly benefitted from it. She definitely knew who killed him and was using it to trap Nathan.

Eric took a seat in the front row in front of an arbor covered in pink flowers. There was a chill in the air and a light breeze ruffled the flowers. Eric gave him a serious look as Nathan stayed on his feet. "You're sure you're going to do this Jay?"

"What choice do I have?" Nathan scowled. "If I don't marry her, she'll use her connections to railroad Maxie into prison. And whatever connections won't help, she's got others to fall back on. There's a NYPD detective out there salivating at the idea of making my life a living hell."

"You're in a tough spot all right." Eric looked away, watching a bird pause on stone bath. "But marriage isn't the worst thing in the world. You might be happy. You never know."

"Married to Chelsea? Eric, I appreciate the pep talk but I won't be happy with her. Trust me." He turned away from Eric with the thought of a lifetime married to someone who wasn't Maxie Jones weighing him down. He heard Eric get to his feet but remained with his back turned. "You can go tell Chelsea I'm ready. I'm not backing out."

He could hear Eric get to his feet and walk away. Nathan let out a heavy sigh trying to release some tension. Something was up with Eric for sure. He was playing Chelsea's lackey for some reason. His phone pinged, letting him know he had a text.

"Be Maxie," he muttered. It wasn't. It was Dante asking for an update. He sighed and responded with a bleak assessment of what was happening. He hit send and stopped, a memory drifting to the surface. Eric, at his own wedding, had lost track of Alicia for a while.

"Are you so bored at my wedding that you're texting people?"

Nathan gave his old friend a wry smile. "There's never a dull moment around here. What are you doing without your new bride?"

"Actually, I was just looking for her. You haven't seen Ali anywhere have you?"

And then she reappeared claiming to have come from the restroom. But that was where he found Maxie and she had never mentioned seeing Alicia there. And she would have too, considering how rude Alicia had been to them earlier that night. It dawned on him suddenly. Alicia and Eric were in it up to their necks in Scott's murder. He spun around, heading for the house when a small voice called out to him.

"Nathan?"

He turned and spotted Alicia Kirkland-Holt hovering near the edge of the yard. She motioned to him before disappearing through a path between two hedges. What the hell, he decided and followed. She was waiting for him on the other in a secluded area. Looking around, he could tell they were protected from prying eyes. She had picked this spot purposely.

"Alicia? What is it?" He asked as he drew near. Her face was pale and she held herself with a shuddering tension that put him on edge.

"Jay- I mean, Nathan. I'm trying to remember you go by that now." She tried to smile, but a tear slipped down her cheek.

"Alicia, what's wrong?"

"I'm so sorry about all of this. It's all my fault. You shouldn't be marrying Chelsea."

His eyes narrowed. "Do you know who killed Scott Chambers?"

She lifted a watery gaze at him. "Yes," she replied with a trembling voice. "I know who it was. But Chelsea..." She stopped suddenly and clamped her mouth shut with a shake of her head. "No. I can't tell you. I only wanted to apologize." She started to leave but Nathan snaked a hand and held her in place.

"Alicia. Maxie's freedom, her life, is at stake. Don't do this. Tell me who killed Scott."