Secrets and Lies | ✔️

Chapter 33 - Conrad

Ch.33 - Conrad

"A prominent Seattle business man is dead tonight after his involvement in a bizarre story that could have been pulled straight from the pages of a best-selling novel.

Steven Austin was shot and killed after he was found attacking his estranged wife, who has been missing for several months after a suspicious house fire.

It's an abusive game of cat and mouse you'll see here first on America Daily."

Conrad turned away from the smiling reporter on his television screen, white hot fury sliding along his veins. How that journalist bitch could grin at a time like this--with her red-stained lips and knowing eyes--only angered him further. She didn't know shit.

He'd read about what happened on the front page of the newspaper and now this. Hell--the story was everywhere! Every time he turned around someone was talking about what happened or consoling him with their pathetic displays of empathy and regret.

What an idiot his son had been. He'd gone and gotten himself killed...and because of a woman, no less. Hadn't he told him over and over growing up that women were good for nothing? Hadn't he painstakingly explained that all they ever did was want and take and lie and use men?

Sure, in the beginning they played a good game. They'd take the time to look pretty and they'd say all the right things. They would cook wonderful meals and gaze adoringly and initiate sex and then BAM! You married them and everything changed. And when a child came along it all changed again. It was "baby this" and "baby that", no longer about the husband, the way it should have been.

Elizabeth was no different and he was positive Steven's wife had been the same way. They were all the same. Every woman he had ever known turned into a miserable selfish shrew who thought only of themselves and what they wanted.

Steven's wife probably made him fall in love with her and then dropped the act as soon as they said "I do". Not that he'd been invited to the wedding. Not that Steven had bothered to call him even once since Elizabeth's funeral. His college graduation had passed and holidays and birthdays went by with no phone call, no visit. No,"Hey, Dad. How are you? Sorry for sleeping with your wife."

Nothing.

Sarah Carter...that was her name. The woman his son had settled down with. The newspaper told the whole sordid story. Their suburban Seattle house burning down to the ground with Sarah inside, only they never found her body. And why in the world would an adoring wife disappear from an upscale neighborhood and an easy life without a trace? She hadn't been kidnapped, that theory had been thrown out. There was no ransom note or mysterious late-night phone call informing Steven of his pretty wife's whereabouts. It was all one big fucking mystery.

And she was pretty. Too pretty. And everyone knew the pretty ones were the women men needed to avoid most. Sure, they were tempting, with their flowing hair and pouty lips and sashaying hips and perfect breasts and intimate murmurs. Women were calculating and manipulative, he'd learned that the hard way. And he'd tried to warn Steven, but his son never listened to a goddamn thing he had to say.

He was just like his mother.

Conrad wondered if Sarah Carter knew Steven's story. His real story. He wondered if his son had confessed to what he'd done, not only once but for years. And with the woman who gave birth to him! How many times had Elizabeth performed her wifely duties in bed after sleeping with... 

The thought made him shudder, it made him physically ill, and Conrad pushed it out of his mind before the sting of bile rose in his throat. If Hell did exist his wife and son were certainly rotting there. Not that he believed in God or the Devil. He'd said it before and he'd say it again: they were just made up fairy tales meant to scare children into behaving. His own father had taught him that. His father had taught him a lot of things, in hindsight. Conrad had never appreciated the insight his father shared, but as he grew older he came to understand and believe him. He wondered if Steven had ever reconsidered all the things he'd tried to teach him throughout the years. Maybe after he'd gotten married he discovered Conrad had been right all along, but it was too fucking late. 

Oh, well. Serves him right. Anyone that stupid didn't deserve to breath.

At least there was no child involved. Thankfully, his son hadn't been a father. With Steven dead and Sarah a murderer, who would have ended up raising the kid? Not him, that was for sure. No way.

What would happen to Sarah Carter? The newspaper reported she hadn't actually pulled the trigger. It had been a man named Charlie Wilson. What the hell kind of name was that, anyway? Charlie Fucking Wilson. He was obviously her boyfriend. The only question was...how long had they been together? How long had they been plotting? Had this Charlie also helped Sarah burn down Steven's house? Had he helped her escape Seattle? No way could a woman have been smart enough to pull off all that on her own. Charlie had been the mastermind behind the crimes. He had to have been. And then he killed his son while Sarah egged him on. They were both murderers.

Charlie would pay. Sarah would, too. So would anyone else involved.

Conrad made a promise right then to learn every last thing he could about Charlie Wilson and Sarah Carter-Austin. No matter how long it took or what the expense, he would know them both like the back of his hand. And when the timing was right he would go to Florida and the tiny, redneck town they called home. He would hunt them down and he would make them pay. He would make them suffer--just like what they had done to Steven. He would make sure to hit them where it hurt, then he would sit back and watch as their worlds crumbled down around them. And only after he'd had enough, he would take them both out. Maybe Charlie first, so Sarah could watch. Oh, how he would enjoy the look of horror on her face when the man she'd conspired with took his last breath. Or maybe he would take care of Sarah first? The possibilities were endless, really. However it went, it would be satisfying. He'd make sure of it.

Conrad picked up the newspaper folded on his desk and straightened it out, staring at the headline once again. He cringed as another bout of anger rolled through him.

Seattle Woman Sarah Carter-Austin Found Alive

The way it was worded--as if she was the victim. What about the person who'd been killed, for fuck's sake? What about his son and "innocent until proven guilty"? How convenient to have Steven out of the picture, no longer around to defend himself. Charlie and Sarah could say whatever the hell they wanted and who would know any different? They could drag Steven's name through the mud and the world would be none the wiser.

A muscle twitched in his jaw as he reread the article. "Sarah, if you think you've gotten away with killing Steven, you'd better think again. There is no way I'm letting you walk away after murdering my son. Someday, I'll make you pay.

I promise you that..."

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Hello! 

I just wanted to take a moment to thank each and every of you for reading Secrets and Lies! I appreciate every read, vote and comment and I do try to respond back when I am able to, but it's really difficult with so many stories now posted. But I want you know how grateful I am for your time and support.

Do you remember this excerpt? It was the sneak peek I posted at the end of The Secret. Just out of curiosity, have all of you read The Secret? I'd love to know if you have or have not. For those who have not, have you been able to follow along with this story easily?

The next chapter will be out Friday and it will be from Charlie's POV. Hopefully we'll find out more about Enid! ;)