Merciless Legacy: Merciless Murder - A Thrilling Closed Circle Mystery Series

by Tikiri Herath

  “Are you kidding me?”

  “Saw it just in time and cut it in two. Whoever knocked on our door wanted us out and walking around.” She shook her head and gave me a stern look. “I’m no longer playing the polite guest.”

  “I agree,” I said. “This just leveled the game up.”

  Once we got to the kitchen, Tetyana switched the light on and we glanced around us.

  Thankfully Nancy had left the room after a cursory tidy up. There was still a pile of dirty dishes in the sink and dirty glasses on the counter.

  But now it was hard to say which glass belonged to whom. I reached over to the wine goblets, trying to recall which ones had been Doctor Fulton’s, but realized any one of them could be laced with poison.

  I walked over to the freezer, opened the door and fished out the ice tray. While I twisted the tray to pop out the cubes, Tetyana waited by the window, intermittently scanning the entrances.

  “Done,” I said, picking up the two ice packs I’d made using plastic bags. “Let’s go—”

  That was when the kitchen lights turned off.

  “Hey!” I said, twirling around. “What’s going on?”

  “Shh...,” said Tetyana from near the window.

  I stared at her silhouette, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness. She was standing next to the window, peering out.

  “What are you looking at?” I whispered.

  “Just like last night,” she replied.

  I flattened myself against the wall and inched toward her.

  “Someone’s walking across the grounds toward the barn,” she said in a low voice. “They’re not looking this way, but I can’t say they didn’t notice the kitchen light.”

  I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

  I tiptoed closer and peered out.

  She was right.

  It was the same image we saw the night before from our room upstairs. A lone male was walking toward the barn. A sliver of yellow light fell on the ground when he opened the barn door.

  “It’s a man, that’s for sure,” I said, “is it Jim? The Pastor? Barry?”

  “Walking too straight to be Barry,” said Tetyana, “he stayed the course. Didn’t even look back.”

  Within seconds, he slipped in and closed the door.

  “Look, there’s someone else,” said Tetyana.

  We watched as a second person walked over to the barn, opened the door and stepped inside.

  Just like the night before, the lights inside the barn switched off, and the grounds plunged into darkness.

  Chapter Forty-three

  “I bet you that second man was Pastor Graham,” whispered Tetyana.

  “What’s he doing there at this crazy hour?” I whispered back. “And who’s he with?”

  We stayed still, watching the barn for any more signs of life, but things had gone silent. A winter owl swooped by the window, swishing through the air, startling us. But other than the bird, things had quietened on the grounds again.

  The ice packets in my hand were sticking to my skin now, and Katy was still waiting for us upstairs in a locked room.

  “We need to go,” I said. “Katy’s still in pain.”

  “Roger that,” said Tetyana, stepping away from the window. “Then, we’re going to find out what’s going on in that darn barn tonight.”

  We climbed up the stairwell, walked through the corridor and got back into our room. The trip took longer than usual as we stopped every few feet to make sure someone hadn’t followed us down and was lying in wait to ambush us.

  “Do you think this barn has anything to do with the murders?” asked Katy when we told her what we’d seen.

  She still looked in pain, but she was at least comfortably snuggled against the pillows with ice on her ankle.

  “To tell the truth, I don’t know what to think right now,” I said.

  So many strings had unraveled in the short time we’d been in this house. Things had happened so fast, I wasn’t sure if these strings even belonged to the same piece of cloth.

  I sat at the edge of the bed.

  “Here’s what we know so far,” I said, trying to sort it out in my head. “Two people have died within hours of each other, and they both happened under mysterious circumstances.”

  Katy and Tetyana nodded.

  “There’s a weird dynamic here. The owners act like they’re children. They don’t seem to have much agency and may even be mentally and physically unwell. Meanwhile, the pastor who has no ownership of the house, acts like he’s the master of this place.”

  “And everyone in this house seems to have secrets they’re not ready to tell,” said Katy. “That includes Mrs. Robinson and Doctor Fulton.”

  “Not to speak of losing Internet and phone connections just as Mrs. Robinson died,” said Tetyana, “and the sudden arrival of the Natural Born Killers doppelgangers.”

  “Don’t forget the argument we saw in the woods,” said Katy. “That could have something to do with what’s going on here too.”

  “As if that’s not enough,” I said, “we have the codicil from Madame Bouchard saying we inherit this estate.”

  Tetyana nodded.

  “Then, someone tries to either hurt or murder one of us with a tripwire.”

  I sat back and massaged my temple.

  “Too many questions and not one answer.”

  I looked up at my friends.

  “Don’t you find it strange no one came out of their rooms to check when Nancy yelled last night? Then tonight, they must have heard Katy stumble down the stairs. So, either they’re hiding in their rooms, too afraid to come out or....”

  “They planned it,” said Katy, sitting up quickly and wincing as her ankle moved.

  “What do you mean?”

  “They’re in this together. They all wanted to get rid of Mrs. Robinson for some reason. They did it successfully, but then we showed up. Remember how the pastor wasn’t too keen to call the official emergency line but sent Jim to get Doctor Fulton? The doctor came, saw something suspicious, and now he’s dead.” She paused. “We’re next.”

  We stared at each other, mulling over this possibility.

  “A scary thought,” I said. “If they find out about the codicil, they’ll definitely want to eliminate us.”

  Katy patted her pocket. “I have it right here. Nobody has seen it except for us.”

  Tetyana had been shuffling her feet for a while now like this talk was driving her up the wall.

  “Our next step is to check the barn,” she said. “We’ll either learn something or eliminate someone as a potential killer.” She turned to me. “You coming?”

  I put a hand on Katy’s shoulder.

  “You going to be okay, hun?”

  Katy nodded and gave a rueful smile.

  “I want to come with you, but I guess I’ll hang out here.” She turned toward the bookshelf and scanned the shelves. “Can you pass me the girl’s diary, please? There might be more clues inside.”

  Tetyana walked over and picked up the book and handed it to her.

  “Be careful, you two,” said Katy, as she took it.

  “We’re both armed and trained,” said Tetyana to her. “I don’t want you worrying about us.”

  Katy nodded.

  I placed her mobile phone on the bedside table. “Monitor it, in case the network comes on again.”

  “Thanks,” said Katy, taking the phone and tucking it under her pillow.

  Tetyana walked over to the windows to check the locks.

  “Don’t open the door if anyone knocks, okay?”

  “Won’t even get out of bed,” replied Katy, making a face. “Promise.”

  “Don’t leave the room even if they pretend to be us or say we need help.”

  “Aye, aye, Captain.”

  After saying goodbye to Katy, Tetyana and I slipped out, bolting the door behind us and taking the key with us.

  I felt bad locking our friend up like this, but it
was for her own safety. My only consolation was Katy’s fighting Irish blood.

  Anyone who put her in the corner found out swiftly not to mess with a redheaded woman like her.

  Chapter Forty-four

  Tetyana and I walked toward the stairwell at the back.

  We were getting to know this route well now, but we moved deliberately, checking the floor, the walls, the light fixtures, and even the ceiling.

  There was no one in the kitchen when we got down there. We slipped out of the side door and walked toward the barn, keeping to the shadows. We had no idea if anyone was watching the grounds from their bedroom window.

  The barn was dark. We circled the structure, trying the windows and doors. Everything was fastened tight, and it seemed like no one was inside.

  “You think they left?” I whispered to Tetyana.

  She shook her head, frowning.

  “Someone or some people are still inside.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Gut feel.”

  The barn was on slightly elevated grounds, which backed on to the woodlands. We positioned ourselves behind the pile of lumber beside it, as it kept us hidden, and also gave a good vantage point to the house and the driveway.

  We squatted on a log and kept watch, waiting, wondering what would happen next.

  “This might be a long wait,” I whispered as I tried to get settled on the uncomfortable tree trunk, its sharp bark pricking my thighs.

  “We can barge in now and make them talk,” said Tetyana, holding up her Glock. “What happened to Katy gives us just cause.”

  “That’s our last resort,” I said in warning.

  We sat still for about half an hour, though it felt like an eternity. My imagination ran wild, wondering what was going on inside the barn.

  Were they having a party in there? Or was this where a cult held their rituals and seances? Maybe a ritualistic killing?

  That last thought sent a shudder through me.

  The night air was cooling. Staying motionless with our backs to the woods wasn’t the most pleasant way to spend the night. I wiggled my toes and warmed my hands by blowing warm air into them. It took effort to keep my teeth from chattering.

  Tetyana, on the other hand, was sitting on the log as calm as a yogi at a meditation retreat. Her eyes were focused on the manor, but I knew all her senses were on full alert.

  I wondered why she was so adamant about us inheriting the house. It was unusual for her. Tetyana wasn’t the materialistic type.

  I nudged her. She turned, a questioning look on her face.

  “Why is it so important to you that we get the house?”

  She stared at me for a while, then looked down at the ground.

  “I’ve lost everything in life. My brother, my mother, my village, my country.” She paused and looked up at the sky as if she was seeing her dead family members up there. Somewhere.

  “You have us,” I whispered. “We’ll always be here for you. We’re family now.”

  “I know that.” She gave me a playful nudge with her elbow, but I saw her other hand go up to her face and wipe her eyes. I’d only seen her cry once, and that had been the first time she’d told us about her violent past.

  “I’ve dedicated my entire life so other kids wouldn’t end up like we did,” she said.

  Stolen. Beaten. Tortured. Trafficked. I wouldn’t wish our past on anyone, not even my worst enemy.

  “We fought back and got out,” said Tetyana. “We were the lucky ones.”

  “We turned out all right, didn’t we?” I said. “Sure, we cope in our own ways, but we keep ourselves busy and stay sane.”

  That much was true.

  Luc was obsessed with his cakes, David with his Krav Maga training, Peace with his high-powered job, Katy with her daughter, Chanda with running the orphanages, Win with her computers, Tetyana with her guns and me with my baking business.

  David called it post-traumatic growth.

  I gave Tetyana a nudge back.

  “A bunch of weirdos, but we’re normal, if you ask me,” I said.

  “Normal?” said Tetyana, shaking her head. “What’s normal, anyway?”

  “But what does this house have to do with us?”

  She sighed.

  “This is going to sound merciless, but I hate to see rich, entitled, privileged folk not appreciate what they have. I don’t know what these people have gone through, but they live in a safe country with opportunities we could only dream about. I’d have killed to grow up here. But they’ve all ended up bitter, drunk, and so ungrateful.”

  It was a brutal thing to say, but I couldn’t disagree with her.

  “Imagine how many stolen children there are in America?” she said, suddenly getting animated. “We can renovate this place, get some help to run it, hire teachers and nurses, and give those kids a better life. They’ll have all this space to run free and learn to be kids again.”

  She looked at the house, a dark monolithic shadow on the grounds now. “It’s such a waste,” she said, shaking her head. “Such a bloody waste.”

  “You’re still angry, aren’t you?” I said, putting a hand on her arm.

  “Guess I am,” said Tetyana, looking away. “Maybe I haven’t gotten over it all.”

  I sat back to think. I didn’t think any of us had.

  We let our obsessions keep our minds occupied, away from our dark memories, but nothing could erase our pasts. They’d always be with us whether we liked them or not. Without them, we wouldn’t be where we were today, anyway.

  My mind wandered to the inhabitants of Cedar Cottage. We didn’t know anyone’s history in this house. I couldn’t help but think their secrets were deep, perhaps even darker than ours. I just wished I knew what they were.

  What we needed was to find a way to have them open up to us, one by one.

  Tetyana and I sat quietly after that. It was like we’d said everything we had wanted to say.

  After another hour, and another painful prick of the tree bark on my thigh, I stirred, desperately wanting to get up and stretch my limbs. I was wondering if walking in a small circle behind the logs to let the blood flow again would be a bad idea, when I spotted the flicker of light in the woods.

  I turned to Tetyana.

  She nodded.

  “Someone’s in the cabin again,” she whispered.

  “What are all these people doing outside at this time of night?”

  “The question is,” said Tetyana, “is it someone from the house, or is it someone we haven’t met yet.”

  A chill went through me.

  How many more strangers are hiding in the shadows of this estate?

  I was just about to suggest that we walk over to check the cabin when the barn door creaked open.

  Tetyana and I whipped around and peeked out from behind the lumber stack.

  The barn door had opened halfway.

  There was no party going on inside, or a seance, or a killing ritual. It was just one lone man. He turned around, wished someone goodnight in a quiet voice, and walked out. We watched him navigate his way through the darkness.

  This was a man familiar with the grounds.

  “Graham,” whispered Tetyana when he was partway up the driveway.

  Yes, it was him all right. I’d recognize his figure now. He had the confident walk of a man who knew his position in this house.

  Pastor Graham strode back to the manor, heading toward the side door. He didn’t look back or even appear concerned if he was being seen out and about like this.

  The house was dark and silent, except for the faint light from our bedroom window. Katy was in bed, still reading, I supposed.

  The pastor walked up to the side door, opened it, and disappeared inside.

  Like the last time, no lights went on inside the house. It was like he was feeling his way to his room in the dark.

  “There’s one more person inside the barn,” I whispered.

  Tetyana nodded.

  �
��We could wait for them to come out, which could be tomorrow morning, or we can go in and ask them what they’re doing here.”

  We slipped out from our hiding spot and walked to the barn.

  Tetyana brought her gun out of the holster and pointed it at the door.

  “Put that away,” I whispered, turning to my friend, “we’re not going in guns blazing.”

  She gave me a surprised look. “They could be armed.”

  “I doubt it,” I said. “Besides, we can’t threaten them. We need them to open up to us and talk.”

  She didn’t change her posture.

  “You forget there’s a serial murderer running around here,” she said, gritting her teeth. She motioned me toward the door.

  “You knock. I’m standing right here and won’t hesitate to blow their heads off if they make the wrong move.”

  With a sigh, I turned around and rapped on the door, knowing whoever came out was bound to see her standing behind me, her sidearm aimed at their face.

  But there was no sound from inside the barn.

  I knocked again, louder this time.

  A noise came, like someone was scraping back a chair. Then, footsteps near the door.

  I stepped back.

  The barn door flew open, and a surprised face popped out.

  Chapter Forty-five

  “Jim?”

  He stood at the doorway with no shirt on, his hair tussled, like he’d just woken up.

  “What in goodness’s sake are you doing here?” I asked.

  He rubbed his eyes. “What’s going on?”

  “That’s what we’d like to find out,” growled Tetyana from behind me.

  Jim stepped back in alarm as he spotted her and jerked his hands up. He stared, open-mouthed, at the end of the gun barrel pointing at him.

  He was fully awake now.

  “May we come in?” said Tetyana, stepping around me and walking inside, making Jim stumble backward.

  I caught a movement near my feet. It was the feral cat slinking in between my legs and disappearing into the barn.

  I closed the door behind me and turned on the switch next to the door. The barn flooded with light, making us all blink.

  “Stand still,” commanded Tetyana.