by Terri Reid
Angela was silent for a few moments, tapping her foot impatiently. “Well, Daddy says Jeannine is dead,” she said. “So there’s no problem with me marrying you.”
“Jeannine is not dead,” Bradley said. “I would know.”
Angela waited again.
“Daddy says you know, in your heart, but you just don’t want to give her up.”
“Well, not only is your Daddy dead, he’s wrong,” Bradley insisted. “Besides, I just told you that I love Mary. You don’t want to marry someone who loves someone else.”
“Well, Mary will be dead pretty soon too,” she said casually, “So that won’t be an issue either.”
Bradley pulled against the straps on the chairs, rocking it violently back and forth. “What have you done to Mary?”
Angela smiled sweetly. “Oh, I haven’t done a thing,” she grinned. “It’s that Doctor Thompson who’s going to take care of her. Did you know he killed his sister-in-law? Daddy told me. So, I told Doctor Thompson all about Mary and looking for Jane Does and driving her little Roadster. He was very interested. He was going to call her out to the farm today and surprise her.”
“Angela,” he said desperately, “You’ve got to let me call and get her help. You’ve got to stop him. I’ll marry you, but you have to save Mary.”
Angela shrugged and looked down at her tiny jeweled watch on her wrist. “Well, look at the time,” she exclaimed. “She’s probably already dead, Bradley. Too bad you slept so long.”
“No,” he yelled, rocking the chair against the wall, trying to break it. “No, she can’t be dead.”
“Bradley, you behave yourself,” Angela said. “If you’re damaged, tonight won’t be as much fun as I hoped.”
“There isn’t going to be a tonight, Angela,” he said. “Do you think I would marry you after you killed Mary? Do you think I could live with you after you arranged it?”
Angela cocked her head to the side and smiled at him. “But, Bradley, you don’t understand,” she said. “You’re not going to have to live with it. Before we get married, you have to die. You’re going to live down here, with Daddy. That way I don’t have to share you with anyone else.”
He began to argue with her, when his stomach began to cramp again. Pain was etched on his face as his muscles contracted and shook his entire body. After a few minutes of contractions, he fell back into the chair, exhausted.
Angela ran her hand over his forehead. “See, soon you won’t hurt anymore,” she said softly. “And I can take care of you, like I take care of Daddy.”
“People will search,” he whispered. “They’ll find me.”
She ran a fingertip down the side of his face and across his lips. “Darling,” she whispered. “The moving van is coming tomorrow morning. I’ve decided that Freeport is getting too dangerous for me. And since I’m a funeral director, no one will think it’s odd that I travel with a couple of caskets. One for you and one for Daddy.”
“No,” he whispered, his breath coming in shallow gasps.
“Yes, darling,” she said, kissing him on the forehead. “Now, you just sit there and die while I get ready for the wedding.”
Chapter 39
“What the hell happened to you?”
Mary was fairly pleased with herself that she didn’t even jump when Mike appeared in the passenger’s seat beside her.
“I went a couple of rounds with a bad guy,” she said.
“How come I wasn’t there?” he asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been trying to contact you all morning and there was this, I don’t know, block,” he said. “How come I couldn’t be there?”
“I don’t know,” she answered, turning onto Galena and heading towards Angela’s house, “Maybe because it didn’t have anything to do with you or your case.”
“So, we’re going to Angela’s house?” he asked.
“She’s got Bradley,” Mary answered.
“What’s the plan?”
“I haven’t got one.”
“I’m good with that,” he said.
Mary’s voice shook. “He’s really sick.”
“So, you love this guy?”
She nodded and sniffed back a couple of tears. “Yeah, I really do.”
“So, it’s over between us,” Mike sighed dramatically.
She couldn’t believe that he could actually make her smile, even though the effort was painful. “Mike, there never was an ‘us’ to be over.”
“Way to break a dead guy’s heart,” he responded, with a grin. “Okay, if you really like him, how about if I slip in under the radar at Crazy Angie’s and see what’s going on.”
“That would be great, thanks.”
“Hey, no problem, that’s what backups are for.”
She was parked down the block from Angela’s house five minutes later. Once she turned off the ignition, Mike was seated next to her. “I’ve got a way in for you,” he said. “But it’s not going to be easy and your guy is in pretty bad shape.”
“What do I do?”
They drove around the block and up through the alley. Mary parked two houses down from Angela’s. She followed Mike through the alley and into the backyard, using the hedges next door as cover. He stopped in front of a small ground level door. “Coal shoot,” he said. “By the tracks in the snow, this is how she got Bradley into the house. But in her hurry, she forgot to lock it back up.”
Mary looked at the padlock dangling loose from the side of the door and shrugged off her winter coat.
“Are you sure you can do this?” Mike asked. “You look pretty beat up.”
“Is there another way in?” she responded.
“Nope,” he said, “I’ll meet you inside.”
Mike faded away and Mary opened the small door. She debated which way she should slide down and decided head first would at least allow her to know what she was getting into. Just as she started to climb in a voice stopped her.
“You were right. I snuck inside last night and... You were right.”
Mary looked up and saw Angela’s mother standing next to her. “About what?” she asked.
“I was afraid and I let my baby down,” the ghost sobbed.
Mary pulled herself out of the coal shoot and stood up. “Listen, you were abused,” she said. “Your husband is the bad guy here, not you. You were afraid, that’s understandable. And I’m sure you tried to do your best to protect your daughter.”
The ghost nodded, tears glistening on translucent cheeks. “I did, I swear I did.”
“I believe you,” Mary said. “But now, your daughter needs your help again. She’s confused and she’s following direction from an evil man.”
“Evil and jealous,” she said. “He don’t want no man to have Angela.”
“What?” Mary asked, alarmed.
“He’s jealous,” she said. “That’s why he tells her to kill them all. That’s why she’s giving them the same poison I gave him.”
“She’s trying to kill Bradley? On purpose?”
“Yes, she’s gonna let him die today and then marry him.”
“Not if I’m around,” Mary said, turning back to the coal shoot and sliding down.
She grabbed on to the bottom edge and stopped her descent. Looking around, all she saw was an empty basement that had been turned into a weird kind of greenhouse. She climbed out of the shoot.
“What took you so long?” Mike asked, appearing next to her.
“I met her mom outside,” Mary said. “She told me they plan to kill Bradley before the wedding.”
“Okay, that’s just plain creepy,” he said. “But that explains a lot. He’s back there in, in that small room. Mary he’s in really bad shape.”
Mary ran across the basement. She started to pull on the door when Angela’s father stepped through the door to confront her. “You ain’t getting in here,” he yelled, his voice echoing in the basement. “You ain’t gonna hurt my little girl.”
He swung
his arm and Mary was hit with a force that sent her careening back against a table. The table collapsed and Mary fell with it, into a field of mushrooms.
“Mary, I’m on him,” Mike said, flying past.
“No, Mike,” Mary called, seeing the ghost of Angela’s mother out of the corner of her eye. “I need to do this.”
She stood up. “You’re nothing more than a bully,” Mary yelled back at him. “You are a coward and a bully. You destroyed your daughter’s life and you killed her mother. Don’t you dare tell me I’m not getting past you. You can’t stop me.”
He lifted his arm and swung again. This time Mary countered the burst of pressure and whipped her arm forward, bouncing the energy back at him. He was hit by the pressure and fell back into the room. Mary ran forward, opening the door and pulling on the light. Mary saw Bradley, his head lolled to one side, his face ashen. “Bradley,” she cried, moving over to him.
Chapter 40
Bradley thought he could hear Mary’s voice, but it was so far away. He looked around, he obviously wasn’t in Angela’s basement any longer; he was in a tunnel. A long white tunnel. Looking backwards he could see movement far down the tunnel. I wonder what’s going on back there. Maybe I should check things out. Mary’s back there.
He started to walk back, but he was drawn the other way.
He turned and looked ahead. It was really bright up ahead. Putting his hand over his eyes to block some of the glare, he tried to see what was there. He thought he could see people, but it was just too bright to tell.
The ache in his stomach was gone, he realized. Wow. He actually felt really good. Better than pretty good, he felt great. Taking a deep breath, he could smell springtime and something else...his mom’s sugar cookies. He quickened his pace.
“Bradley.”
He stopped. Was that Mary again? She’s probably just worried about me. Just wait until I tell her about this trip.
“Bradley, if you keep going, you won’t be able to tell Mary about anything.”
Bradley whipped around. “Jeannine?”
Jeannine stood only a few feet behind him. His heart jumped.
“Jeannine!”
He ran to her and pulled her into his arms, holding her close. “I can’t believe it,” he cried. “I can’t believe I’ve finally found you.”
He slid his hands up and cupped her face. “I missed you so much,” he whispered. He kissed her tenderly on her mouth and then rained kisses on her cheeks, her forehead and her eyelids. “Oh, it feels so good to have you back in my arms again.”
He hugged her again, just holding her close, his head resting on hers.
“I knew I’d find you. Where have you been? How are you?”
“I’ve been great, Bradley,” she said. “I’ve missed seeing you, too.”
He stepped back, sliding his hands down her arms and clasping her hands. He looked into her eyes. “Did I do something to hurt you? Was there something I said that made you leave?”
She shook her head sadly, “No, it was nothing you did,” she assured him. “Things just happen sometimes. Things that neither of us wanted.”
“So, where do you live, now?” he asked, pausing and looking around again. “And where are we?”
“I don’t have a permanent address yet,” she said. “But I’m working on it and I’ll let you know as soon as I do.”
Bradley was confused. Jeannine didn’t seem as happy to see him as he was seeing her. He didn’t quite know how to continue. “Well, great. If you need a place, you could stay with me,” he said, not trying to be pushy.
“How would Mary feel about that?” she asked with a melancholy smile.
Bradley’s heart sank. “Oh, Jeannine, I’m so sorry,” he said. “I fell in love. I waited for the longest time and tried to find you, but then, I met Mary and...”
“And you couldn’t help yourself,” she finished.
“Yes, it just happened.”
She stepped back and let go of his hands. “If you could go back and be with either me or with Mary, which would you choose?”
Bradley ran his hand through his hair and shook his head. “The thing is, Jeannine, there’s no going back.”
She chuckled, a sad melancholy sound. “Actually, Bradley, there is,” she said. “You need to turn around and go the other way down the tunnel.”
“Can’t I see what’s up there, and then go back?”
Shaking her head, she explained. “Once you see what’s up there, you won’t want to leave. Besides, it will always be there and the next time you come, I’ll give you the grand tour.”
“But...”
“Dammit Bradley, get back here,” Mary’s voice echoed in the tunnel.
“Mary’s waiting for you Bradley.”
He nodded, “You’re right, I should go.”
Stepping forward, he hugged her again. “It was so great to see you,” he said.
“You too,” she said. “Now go, hurry, you don’t want to keep Mary waiting.”
Chapter 41
Mary knelt down next to Bradley and felt for a pulse. She thought she felt something, but it was so weak it almost wasn’t there. She started to remove the straps when she heard Mike call out, “Incoming.”
“Get your hands off my fiancé,” Angela cried, running into the room, a large knife in her hands.
“Do you honestly think you are going to kill me with that thing?” Mary asked.
Angela lunged at Mary and Mary feinted to the side, knocking Angela against the wall. Angela screamed and dove again; Mary countered and grabbed her arm, twisting it behind her until the knife dropped to the floor.
“He’s mine,” she screamed. “You can’t have him, he’s mine.”
Mary twisted Angela around and pushed her up against the wall. “You’re going to tell me what the antidote is,” she said. “And you’re going to tell me now.”
Angela moved her hands behind her body, feeling around for the small wooden rung between the two by fours. Finding it, she ran her hand over the top and found the small hammer she’d left there.
“Tell me!” Mary shouted, twisting the front of Angela’s dress in her fist.
“It’s too late,” she said with delight. “He’s already dead.”
When Mary turned to look at Bradley, Angela pulled the hammer out and brought it down towards Mary’s head.
“Duck,” Mike screamed, and Mary pulled away, but not fast enough to avoid being hit altogether. The hammer hit her shoulder and dropped her to her knees.
Angela kicked Mary in the chest, sprawling her backwards on the ground. She dashed across the room, picked up the knife and then stood next to Bradley the knife at his throat.
Mary’s blood ran cold. “Angela, don’t do this,” she said. “Don’t hurt Bradley.”
“Daddy says I can have him once he’s dead,” she said. “Don’t matter to me if he’s got a little blood on him.”
“Your Momma would be sad if you killed him,” Mary said. “She would blame herself.”
Angela tightened her grip on the knife and fisted her other hand in Bradley’s hair, yanked his head back, further exposing his neck. “You lie,” she said. “My Momma ain’t been around since she died. She left me.”
“She never left you,” Mary said. “She’s been here all the time; your Daddy wouldn’t let her get close to you. But she thought you were making love potions, not the poison she made to kill your Daddy.”
“How did you know about that?”
“She told me. She told me that she was sorry she wasn’t stronger and she didn’t protect you more,” Mary said. “She said that once she died, your Daddy hurt you. She should have protected you.”
“She didn’t love me,” Angela said. “That’s what Daddy told me, she didn’t want me.”
“He lied to you,” Mary said. “She loved you. She still loves you.”
The door flew open and Angela’s father glided into the room. “You’re lying to my baby,” he said. “You’re just a lying
bitch.”
He lunged forward, his eyes blazing red and his hands outstretched. Mary, with no place to go, prepared for the impact.
“Interception,” Mike shouted as he plowed into the side of Angela’s father and sent them both careening through the wall.
Mary turned to see Angela staring at the corner behind her.
“Momma?” Angela said. “Is that really you?”
Angela’s mother glided forward. “Yes, angel, it’s me,” she said.
“Mary wasn’t lying?” she asked. “You’ve been here all along?”
“Yes, baby, I’ve been here all along,” she said.
“You were never here,” Angela’s father screamed, appearing next to his wife. “You were a lousy mother and wife.”
Angela’s mother started to fade away. The knife was still tight in Angela’s hand and she still had Bradley’s head in her grip.
“You need to be strong,” Mary told the mother. “He can’t hurt you now.”
She solidified and faced him. “I was never a lousy mother or wife,” she said. “You were just never satisfied. You enjoyed being a bully.”
“You were worthless and you raised a worthless daughter too,” he yelled.
“I thought you loved me, Daddy,” Angela sobbed.
He turned on his daughter, his eyes blazing. “Why would I love you?” he asked.
Angela’s mother glided over to face him. “Your daughter was the only thing you did good in your useless life. You are nothing. Not to me, not to Angela. You are worthless. That’s why I killed you.”
He lifted his arm to strike her and she blocked him. “You will never do that to me again.”
She stood up and looked him in the eye. “Leave now; you have no power over us anymore.”
Angela’s father shook his head. “No, you’re afraid of me.”
“Not anymore,” she said. “I see you for what you are. Leave, now.”
He shook his head. “No, I’m powerful,” he cried, his voice diminishing, as he became smaller before their eyes. “I need you to be afraid.”
Then he completely faded away.
“I’m sorry, baby, don’t mind him,” Angela’s mother said.
“I did what you told me to do, Momma,” she said with a sad smile. “I got rid of those worthless men. I gave them your special medicine.”
