Ondrea: The Wheeler Triplets, #1

ONDREA

Book 1

The Wheeler Triplets

By

Marti Talbott

© 2017

After two years, feuding triplets, Ondrea, Adison, and Yvette, reunited to mourn the loss of their wealthy grandfather, game manufacturer, Justin Wheeler. His Last Will and Testament stipulated that in order to inherit his company, they had to agree to elect one of them the company president. What were quarreling sisters supposed to do – play a game? Indeed, a game sounded like a good idea, and soon it became an elaborate game involving five single and very handsome lawyers, a reporter, and an uninvited player with murder on his mind.

Their game was about to become even more complicated when two of the three sisters fell in love with the same man.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21 -  LET THE GAME BEGIN

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 28

CHAPTER 29

CHAPTER 30

CHAPTER 31

CHAPTER 32

CHAPTER 33

CHAPTER 34

CHAPTER 35

CHAPTER 36

CHAPTER 37

YVETTE:

The Wheeler Triplets Book 2

CHAPTER 1

More Marti Talbott Books

CHAPTER 1

THE DAY MATTHIAS BOWDEN got fired was the day he vowed to get his revenge.

A stocky man with a receding hairline, Matthias was accused that very morning of stealing, and then was told his services would no longer be required.

Prove it! he shouted, but his demand fell on deaf ears as his boss escorted him to the door.

He wasn’t a thief – he was taught better than that and his boss should have listened. Hadn’t he worked there for a whole year without a single blemish on his record? Yes, he had, and with two excellent work reviews and two matching raises. Oh, he’d had a few conflicts with coworkers from time to time, mostly because they insisted on calling him Matt instead of Matthias, but stealing? It was the kind of insult he just wasn’t able to comprehend, let alone accept, when they had no proof.

Someone set him up, and as far as he was concerned, the whole company was guilty.

Matthias was a loner, lived a frugal life, and saved half his paycheck every week. He was taught that too. He lived in a cheap basement apartment, but he didn’t mind – it was good enough for just him. He had a girlfriend for a while, until he saw her out with another guy. It crushed him, seriously crushed him, and he still had not recovered. He should have killed her. He thought about it, but back then, he had a good job and a reputation to protect. All that was gone now too.

Losing his job was the last straw.

Three jobs in two years, gone and for reasons that were not his fault. He was a good guy, who didn’t deserve to have to explain why he got fired from his last three jobs. How does a guy overcome that? He simply can’t. His old familiar depression was about to set in, and this time he wasn’t sure he could overcome it. Some mornings, depression made him too tired to even get out of bed, let alone look for a job. Just now, his heart literally felt heavy, his eyes drooped, and his mind kept repeating his ex-boss’s condemning words over and over, making it nearly impossible to think of anything else. Yet, he was convinced.

This time – people had to die.

CHAPTER 2

IN THE BACK SEAT OF a long, black, funeral limousine, on the day after the world celebrated the beginning of a new year, triplets, Adison, Yvette, and Ondrea, stared through tinted windows at the horde of reporters and photographers waiting at the gate. A ten-foot-high wall extended all the way around their five-acre property, in the middle of which sat the sprawling two-story mansion their grandfather built years before. It was the home they were raised in, and when they were teenagers, they called the walls prison walls, but just now they were glad to have them.

Before the wide gate could automatically slide open, reporters began knocking on the limousine windows and beating on the side of the car, hoping to get a response – any response at all. Yet, the twenty-year-old triplets hardly flinched. Being sought after by the press was nothing new, except that now they did not have their grandfather to protect them.

Each wore a black hat with netted veils that completely covered their faces. Even so, photographers attempted to take pictures, while their counterparts shouted questions the girls would not now, nor did they ever intend to answer. At last, the gate fully opened, the limo moved through, and the gate slid closed behind them.

The drive to the house took exactly one minute and thirty-six seconds. They should know for they had timed it often enough, waiting until the last moment to get in the house before their curfew. On this day it was taking longer. The driver carefully kept his speed at an even, respectful pace, as he drove up the paved lane. In spring, they would have been greeted by an array of bushes, trees, and flowers that lined both sides of the lane. Instead, there was nearly a foot of snow on the ground.

Seated between her two older sisters, Ondrea asked, Did you see the newspaper this morning?

I did, Adison answered.

I didn’t have time to pick one up at the airport, Yvette admitted. Bad news?

Adison leaned forward so she could see around Ondrea, and sneered, Not unless you consider an article about us bad news.

Oh noooo, Yvette moaned. She bowed her head and drew in a heavy breath.

Oh yes, said Adison. They interviewed Miss Moss, upon whom the moss still grows, our high school principal. She said we were a delight. However, her good opinion of us was the only one. Fellow classmates, who shall remain anonymous according to the reporter, said all of us were lousy in sports, and that you were inattentive in class. Marsha Brooks told the reporter all about how I got kicked out of debate club.

Yvette’s giggle was too soft for anyone to hear but the sister who sat between she and Adison, I’m surprised that’s all Marsha Brooks had to say about you.

Ondrea grinned, although her sisters could not see her expression through her veil. They must have looked long and hard, and still only found that awful picture of us when we were ten.

Thanks to Cooper. Adison said.

Good old Cooper, our personal photographer, occasional stalker, and most fascinating of all classmates, Yvette said. I remember him well.

Adison finally leaned back in her seat. You should, you dated him twice.

Only twice? Yvette mumbled as the limo driver turned onto the circular part of the lane, pulled around the curve and stopped in front of the house. He took his time getting out before he walked around the front of the vehicle and opened the back door.

They were about to get out when Adison recognized an approaching noise, Chopper.

Oh great, Yvette moaned.

Oh great is right, Ondrea agreed. It’s been hovering overhead on and off for three days, making all of us crazy.

As soon as the mansion’s front door opened, Butler Leland, and two women stepped out, each holding a large, open umbrella, under which they could conceal the girls from a photographer that was sure to be in the helicopter above. As soon as the driver opened the door, each triplet got under an umbrella, hurried beside her particular domestic helper through the front door, and disappeared inside.

As soon as the butler closed the door, the help released the hold buttons on the umbrellas, and then put them in a stand. Next, they helped the young women off with their heavy winter coats, collected their black leather gloves, and then the women went to put them away. At the same time, the girls pulled the long pins out of their veiled hats, took them off, and then set them side by side on a receiving table.

The feuding sisters were home and together for the first time in two years, something only their grandfather’s passing could have accomplished. The young women were not just triplets, they were identical in every way, right down to their dark eyes and waist length black hair. In honor of Justin Wheeler, the only parent they had ever known, each wore a black outfit. They were alike in physical appearance, yet in manner of dress they were quite different. Adison chose an expensive pantsuit, Yvette wore a skirt, a black silk blouse, matching vest and jacket, while Ondrea had on a simple black, floor-length dress. During the funeral, Yvette didn’t cry because Adison didn’t, and Ondrea certainly wasn’t going to be the only one to break down, even after the funeral when the three of them were the only ones in attendance at the private graveside service.

How the butler managed to tell them apart amazed even their grandfather, who on many occasions could not. You made it, Miss Yvette, Leland said when she came to give him a hug.

Barely, Adison said. She was late as usual, forcing everyone to wait for her – as usual.

Yvette pointed at Adison, "How long has she been here?"

Two days, Adison answered, before the butler had a chance to speak.

Leland’s smile indicated that he was happy to once more enjoy the bickering he’d not heard in two years. His position as butler, and being called such, was his idea, although he hardly looked the prim and proper type. He only wore a suit when company was expected and a uniform was completely out of the question. Otherwise, he dressed in slacks, a nice shirt, and a vest with a watch chain hanging from the small pocket, the way men had exhibited their finery for many years in the past. Leland thought it made him look just important enough. In actuality, he was much more than the man who kept the household running smoothly. He was confidant to both his boss and the girls, who always called him instead of their grandfather when they were in trouble. I put your luggage in your room, Miss Yvette, and Carolyn saw to the unpacking.

Yvette said, She shouldn’t have bothered; I don’t intend to be here long.

Carolyn is happy to have something to do besides cleaning," he assured her.

Thank you, Yvette said. It was kind of you and the others to come to the funeral.

We couldn’t imagine not being there. He gave his usual slight nod, and then left the room.

When the grandfather clock chimed the half hour, each triplet automatically turned to look at it. The grandfather clock, although it was antique, had no great value except to the three of them. For a moment, each listened to the familiar ticking as it marked the passing of the seconds. Only twice, that any of them could remember, had the ticking stopped, and that was because the clock needed cleaning and the gears needed oil. While it was out for repair, home just wasn’t home, and the girls and their grandfather, celebrated with cake and ice cream when the clock was returned.

The two-story mansion had ten bedrooms and as babies and then toddlers, they shared a room. As they grew and their individual personalities blossomed, the girls chose rooms, farther and farther away from the other two. They were, after all, different in as many ways as they were alike. Even so, their voices sounded similar, and their smiles were identical, although at age fourteen, two of them unsuccessfully tried to alter their smiles.

Their grandfather swore he could tell them apart, but they were able to trick him on more than a few occasions. It was his idea for them to call him Justin instead of Grandfather. He said ‘grandfather’ reminded him of how old he was, and his wish, at least on that point, was his command. On many other points, they simply charmed him into changing his mind, or completely ignored him, especially when they got older. In the end, Justin simply could not keep them from fighting, and all it took was one big blowup right after they graduated from high school, to make two of them pack their bags and move out. Ondrea, the youngest, might have fled too, but she could not bear to leave her aging grandfather all alone.

The house had four game rooms on the bottom floor, in keeping with Justin’s game manufacturing business ventures. He often brought home new board games, video games, cellphone games, and even big-screen internet games for them to play. The girls were his little testers, and since they were the same age with only slightly different abilities, he could discover the proper age range for each new game. They were quick to tell him if a game was stupid, and if not, he let them play for hours to see if the game got old or too complicated for them.

The girls had not been in any of the game rooms since their first year of high school, when their grandfather retired.

During their teenage years, the triplets and their much needed domestic help, lived in a house they both loved and hated at the same time. Ondrea said it was too big; Yvette claimed it was not big enough; and Adison swore the walls were too thin, which always enticed the other two to see what secrets they could hear with their ears pressed against her thin walls.

At twenty, Ondrea was unmarried, though not by design. So were Adison and Yvette. The problem was money – they had more than any of them could spend in a lifetime, and the kind of men they managed to attract, didn’t. By the time they were sixteen, Justin hired a detective, whose job it was to see that the girls didn’t marry gold-diggers. That was before the detective proposed to sixteen-year-old Yvette. Justin threw a fit, Yvette cried for days, and the detective lost the girl and his lucrative account. The girls then threw a fit of their own, and Justin promised not to hire anyone else to watch over them. He kept his word – at least as far as they knew.

CHAPTER 3

BENEATH THE BEAUTY of the ornate, gold trimmed foyer ceiling, were vases of fresh flowers, Italian statues, an enormous crystal chandelier, and three magnificent French paintings. As well, there were three small square tables, but only two upright chairs. Upon each table sat a uniquely different, handmade chess set. It was while playing chess that the girls got, and greatly valued, their precious one-on-one time with their grandfather – thus only two chairs in the room, which meant the other two triplets were not invited to watch.

Justin meticulously taught them the strategies of the game as well as strategies in life, giving them precise sayings easy to remember. Furthermore, the game manufacturer created a unique set of chess pieces for each triplet. The fox set was Ondrea’s, the bear set was Adison’s, the oldest of the three, and for Yvette, the middle child, he chose a lion. Each of them spent hours learning chess, increasing their skills, and trying to out-wit Justin – all to the sound of a grandfather clock that ticked away the minutes and the hours of their unusual lives.

Sounds like the helicopter is giving up, Ondrea said. Located against the foyer wall between twin staircases, the ticking of the clock seemed to soothe her troubled soul, especially now that Justin was gone. Like a magnet, she felt drawn to it, and moved closer to watch as the golden second hand marked the passing seconds.

Good news indeed, said Adison. She joined her sister at the clock, and soon Yvette did the same, albeit on the other side of their little sister.

Yvette sighed. How many nights, do you suppose, that the three of us changed the time so Justin wouldn’t know we were coming in late?

Thousands, Adison guessed.

Well, I never did, Ondrea said.

Yvette scoffed, Because, Miss Punctuality, you were never late.

That’s what you think, Ondrea said. I was the early riser, remember. Who do you think set the clock back so grandfather wouldn’t find out?

Really? Adison and Yvette asked at the same time. It was a curse the three of them shared – saying the same thing at the same time.

No, not really, Ondrea admitted with a sly grin. I used to hide at the top of the stairs, and watch to see which one of you would sneak down and fix it before Justin woke up.

I can’t think why you bothered, said Adison. I was always the one to fix it. Why? Because Yvette never could drag herself out of bed.

Yvette was amazed. You still hold that against me?

That and a few other absurd faults, which you pretend are not faults at all.

Already, a discouraged Ondrea muttered. She wondered how long it would take for the two of them to return to their old habit of bickering. She guessed not long, and apparently she was right. As was her practice, Ondrea quickly changed the subject. It couldn’t have been easy for Justin to keep us after Mom and Dad died.

Adison turned around, crossed the foyer, and then started up one of the curved staircases. She stopped half way up and turned to look back. What else could he do? He was all we had, and we were all he had left. Besides, three babies at once must have been more than a handful, and he could afford to hire an army to take care of us. She turned back around, thought of something else, and said it with her back to her sisters. Too bad he didn’t give Yvette away though. Surely someone would have taken her. With that, she continued up the stairs, turned right at the top, and disappeared down the hallway.

She doesn’t really mean that, Ondrea quickly assured Yvette.

Yvette started up the opposite flight of stairs. Adison is wrong anyway. Justin greatly loved his daughter, and couldn’t imagine not doing right by us for her sake. At the top of the stairs, she turned left and disappeared down the opposite hallway.

Alone on the bottom floor, Ondrea muttered, He did hire an army, Cursed with being the youngest, she made sure the other two couldn’t see her, before she opened the round glass that covered the timepiece, checked her cellphone, and then moved the gold second hand forward five seconds. She closed the glass, put her phone back in her pocket, blew the clock a kiss, and then clasped her hands behind her back. She had no doubt whatsoever that Justin left the house and everything in it, including the clock, to her.

AT PRECISELY FOUR O’CLOCK that afternoon, Justin Wheeler’s attorney, Garrick Davis, entered the foyer of the Wheeler Mansion. It had begun to snow again, adding to the foot already on the ground, and he was a meticulous man who cared about being punctual no matter how bad the weather was. Raised in a single parent household, his father had strict rules, for which Garrick’s appreciation grew as he matured. His manners were impeccable, he highly respected both men and women, particularly in the business world, and for the most part, he held his anger in check. Yet, he certainly was not opposed to a little fun and excitement. It’s just that his work for Justin Wheeler had not allowed time for such pleasures lately.

All that was about to change.

Garrick glanced at the grandfather clock and was relieved to see he still had two minutes to spare. He set his briefcase on the floor while the butler helped him off with his coat.

Slick out there? Leland asked.

Very, Garrick answered. Collisions everywhere. Makes me sorry I’m not an ambulance chaser.

Leland glanced up one empty staircase and then the other, leaned a little closer to the attorney, and whispered, Tell Ondrea I said to give you a raise.

Garrick chuckled. From what Justin said of her generosity, she’d do it too. Where are they?

In Mr. Wheeler’s office.

Garrick had been to that office many times and could have found it by himself, but after he picked up his briefcase, he let the butler lead the way, and then open the door for him.

Three chairs with end tables between them were arranged in a semi-circle facing a desk. All four walls, except where the windows extended from floor to ceiling, held bookcases filled to the brim with maps, books, memory albums, and framed pictures of the daughter and son-in-law Justin lost in the automobile accident. Justin also displayed pictures of the girls at various ages on different shelves. The last one was taken at their graduation. Only one of Justin’s favorite pictures had been hung on the wall behind his desk, and that one was of his mother and father.

Standing at a large window with her hands clasped behind her back, Ondrea quickly turned to see who it was. As soon as her eyes met those of the handsome attorney, she felt her heart skip a beat. She soon remembered herself and said, Mr. Davis, allow me to introduce my sister, Adison. Dressed in a green skirt, white blouse, and a jacket and heels that exactly matched the color of the skirt, Ondrea thought Adison looked like she was there for a job interview rather than the reading of the will. Adison is an accountant and loves to work. Are you hiring?

Garrick chuckled, went to Adison and extended his hand. Miss Wheeler, you are welcome to come to the office and look at the books any time you like.

Seated in a chair at the end of the curved seating arrangement, Adison didn’t bother to stand up to greet him, but she did shake hands. I just might do that, if I’m here long enough. With just a hint of sarcasm she added, Yvette is late, as usual.

Garrick ignored the remark and when he looked