Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem

Chapter 1429

Someone had been texting him from a burner number-a bunch of messages, all weird.

"There's a chess set in the coffin. Don't take it out. I put it there."

"If you're worried, check it. The chess set's wooden, totally harmless."

"If you toss it out today, I'll just have to make another one and find a way to slip it in again."

"If you don't want me disturbing their rest, just leave the chess set exactly as it is."

"And one more thing-after you seal the coffin, light a candle for me, okay?"

Tarquin's face was stone cold. He didn't have to guess who sent it. It was the mystery man. Again.

He put his phone away and went to find the chess set.

He opened the box: inside was a hand-carved, wooden chess set. Even the letters on the pieces were scratched in by hand.

The pieces were a little rough, the letters uneven and downright ugly, some even misspelled.

The craftsmanship was nothing to brag about, but the thought behind it was obvious.

Hand-carved-way more meaningful than anything bought off Amazon.

Everyone knew Kendrick loved chess. It was his thing.

in the coffin at the funeral, but Gideon wouldn't allow

money and power. Hobbies like chess? Didn't matter to

there, chess set in hand, silent for a long time. In the end, he put it back in the

dad liked it.

guy coming around

he was right, Kendrick definitely wouldn't want to see that man again. Accepting

took a deep breath, pulled himself together, and started sorting through the

searching for

plastic lunchbox that looked like it was from another

been looking for. Thank God

relief twisted into

the lunchbox, memories he'd tried to bury crashed

once.

managed to

box was an

take apart and put back together, over and over is dad had given it to him, and they'd spent countless afternoons piecing

Tarquin was

remembered begging Gideon to let him put the puzzle in

at the height of his power. Every little thing about the

never accepted Elizabeth as his son's wife, so her things weren't allowed anywhere near

from both his parents, wanting to bury them

wouldn't have

let Tarquin put them in—and he wouldn't give them back, either. Instead, he

front of

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