I spun around.
Chapter Fifty-nine
It was Lisa.
She was standing near the door to the basement with one arm around Victoria’s shoulder.
In her right hand was a bloodied kitchen knife, which she was holding to her daughter’s throat.
Lisa cackled when she saw me look.
How did I not hear her come in?
Lisa’s grip was so strong, Victoria’s bare arm had turned white where her mother was digging her fingers into her skin.
Victoria had turned a ghostly white, and she wasn’t even trying to fight back. It was like she’d become a scared little nine-year-old girl again.
Now that I was seeing Lisa fully, I noticed she looked like she’d been in a fight. There were scratch marks on her face and her forehead. I’d thought her hair standing in clumps was from her jumping out of bed half-asleep. But now, it looked like someone had pulled at it.
Good. Katy had put up a fight.
I felt a chill as I remembered the fresh bruises on Barry.
I stared at the bloodied knife.
Whose blood is it? Katy’s?
Did they both drag Katy down here? We left her all alone, handicapped by a sprained ankle, while these two crazies snatched her.
That was when I noticed the thin red line on Victoria’s neck. Lisa was cutting into her.
Oh, my god.
Suddenly everything clicked into place.
How could I have been so stupid?
“It was you!” I said. “You’re the one who killed Mrs. Robinson. You’re the letter writer.”
“Clever girl,” said Lisa.
Her voice was timid and soft, just like it had been when she spoke to me in the dining room upstairs. But there was an ugly glint in her eyes, one I could see even through the dim light from the lone naked bulb above us.
How did she get out of her room?
I was the one who’d locked Lisa’s door. I still had her room key in my pocket. I wondered if this entire family had Houdini skills I hadn’t known about.
I stepped in front of Katy to shield her, a sinking feeling in my stomach. I kicked myself for not checking the basement before running in.
That was when I realized my second dumb mistake.
My gun was lying on the floor next to Katy’s chair.
I would have to move at lightning speed to pick it up, but that could endanger Victoria’s life.
I felt my entire body shake. I wanted to shout at Lisa, but my throat had gone dry. I swallowed hard. I cursed myself.
Lisa smiled a satisfied smile, like she knew my dilemma.
I had to think fast.
“How did you get out of your room?” I asked, keeping my voice steady.
Lisa smiled again, that sickly smile.
“Don’t you think I have a master key set in my room? This is my house after all.”
Damn. Damn. Damn.
I’d slipped badly.
Another chill went through me as I realized what Katy had on her.
Where’s the codicil? Is it still on her? Does Lisa know about it?
My eyes swept the room, but there was no letter or paper anywhere to be seen.
“I knew you girls were hatching something,” said Lisa, seemingly amused at my expression. “I waited for you and that tall one to leave your room.” Lisa gave a look behind me at Katy. “Found that spitting cat all by herself, but when she put up a fight, I had to get Barry to help. A few smacks to the head and she stumbled out of bed dragging that ankle. Didn’t you now?”
I felt angry goose bumps on my arms.
Oh, my goodness. What did I get you into, Katy? I’m so sorry.
Behind me, Katy remained silent.
“You let Barry out too?” I asked, keeping my eyes on Lisa.
I wasn’t sure what her next move would be, and I wanted to be prepared.
“Poor man,” she said, “he was going mad locked up in his room like that. I had to let him out.” She gave another glance behind me. “Plus, I needed help to bring that caterwauling thing down here.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“Why did you take Katy? She has done nothing to you.”
“She was in the way. You all were. You didn’t listen to me the first time I told you to leave, so I had to send you a stronger message.”
“So it was you who vandalized our car?”
“You mean, that message I left for you?”
I nodded.
“Why didn’t you listen to me?”
I looked away, trying to collect my thoughts.
I wondered how Tetyana was faring with Barry upstairs. I wondered if Officer Jensen had come, with or without reinforcement. And I wondered if Jim had made good on his promise and not turned on us for whatever reason.
That was when it dawned on me.
No one knew we were down here. No one knew of this secret entrance. Victoria had said they boarded the hidden entrance on the second floor a long time ago.
Barry knew of it, but he’d never betray his own sister. They were in this together. She was the mastermind, I was sure now. He was just her flunkey.
My only hope was they would start checking the servants’ quarters first and discover the gaping hole in the floor of Mrs. Robinson’s room. Either way, our rescue was going to take a while.
I turned to Lisa.
“Do you know who this is?” I said, keeping my voice steady, despite my heart hammering inside of me. “This is Victoria, your daughter.”
Lisa laughed.
“Do you think I’m that stupid? I knew it was her the moment I set my eyes on her, even with those ugly dark glasses. A mother always knows her children.”
So she knew?
Victoria’s face was so white now, I worried she might faint.
“I used to love her at one time,” said Lisa softly.
Half my brain was furiously thinking of how to keep her occupied till the others found us, while the other half was racing, trying to figure out how to pick up my Glock.
Lisa brushed the knife against her daughter’s neck like she had a feather in her hand, not a deadly weapon that could easily decapitate her own child.
Victoria’s chest heaved up and down, and tears streamed down her face.
It’s not Barry who’s mad. Lisa’s the one who’s completely gone in the head.
“I loved her so much when she was a wee little one,” cooed Lisa, making me want to vomit.
A little color came to Victoria’s face at those words. It was like her fear was slowly being churned into anger. I watched her closely. Maybe, just maybe Victoria had a fighting spirit inside of her.
Good, I thought in relief. Summon your inner warrior, Victoria. Now is the time. Don’t succumb to this madwoman.
“You never loved me!” shouted Victoria, startling me. “You bitch!”
Lisa drew back as if in shock. “How dare you!” she screeched.
Then, to my horror, she brandished the knife in the air.
“No!” I yelled. “Stop! Put that down!”
“I loved you once,” said Lisa to Victoria, ignoring me. But her arm raised high with that knife didn’t lower. “But then, you became the daughter I never wanted. Everyone doted on you. Even my own mother. She hated me. So why should I love you?”
I was just about to drop and pick up my weapon when Lisa turned to me, her hand still in the air.
I stopped breathing.
One swift swipe and Victoria’s life would be over.
“I hated that woman,” said Lisa, an ugly fire flashing in her eyes. “She didn’t like how my father and Barry paid attention to me. My father treated me like a princess. So, she goes and abandons me. What a righteous, nasty witch!”
I waited for her to stop hyperventilating and lowered my voice.
“Lisa, your mother is dead. Is all this worth it now? Why don’t you let Victoria go? We can go upstairs and have a chat over a cup of tea. You can tell me all about your mother and your childhood.”
My eyes went to Victoria. I wondered how I could signal to her to keep her mother occupied while I reached for my gun.
“I know exactly how you feel,” I said. “I knew your mother well. She had a dark side to her. Everybody feared her and what she could do if you crossed her. I feel bad for you, to have a mother like that.”
Lisa smiled.
“You understand me better than my own family.”
Despite her soft voice, I knew this woman had sharp claws. Her nerves were wound so tightly, she could spring out and cut us to pieces at any moment.
Victoria’s face was slowly turning purple now and I could see her hands clench and unclench, like she was gearing up to fight. But she was weaponless and vulnerable, while Lisa wouldn’t hesitate to slash her in an instant.
“I hate you!” yelled Victoria.
Lisa turned to her daughter.
“How can you speak to me like that?” she said. “After all I did for you?”
“For all you did to me?” shouted Victoria, her voice echoing across the empty chamber. “I was just a little girl. What did I do to deserve that?”
Lisa turned to me.
“What an ungrateful child, isn’t she?”
“You tied me to that chair and beat me every Sunday!” cried Victoria. “You left me here for days without food, alone. You said you hated me! You punished me because Grandmother and Uncle Barry loved me. He tried to protect me from you. You call yourself a mother? How dare you?”
I wondered how long Victoria had waited for this confrontation with Lisa. She was frothing at the mouth and struggling, but Lisa’s grip was strong.
“Uncle Barry tried to stop you, but—”
“That man isn’t your uncle.”
Victoria stopped moving. She turned to Lisa, stunned.
“What do you mean?”
“He is your father, my child.”
Chapter Sixty
I took a startled step back.
“What are you saying?” stammered Victoria.
Her voice was hollow, and her face was crumpled. She’d gone limp in her mother’s clutches, like her spirit had vanished from her.
“You told me my father was from town—”
Lisa let out another cackle.
“You know so little.”
“Tell me!” screeched Victoria. “How is Uncle Barry my father?” Her high-pitched voice echoed across the room and up the stairwell.
Good. I crossed my fingers behind my back. Hopefully, someone heard that.
Shout some more, Victoria. Louder.
“Do you really want to know?” said Lisa.
“Yes!” cried Victoria.
“Pastor Graham liked to play with us when we were little. He was no pastor then, just a little boy who... let’s just say he was very friendly.”
I felt a nudge on my leg. Was it Katy? But the story unraveling in front of me was so morbidly fascinating, I didn’t turn back.
Lisa smirked. “He made Barry and me play together whenever he came over.”
Play?
I braced myself for the sick story she was about to divulge.
Victoria’s brow knotted. “What do you mean?”
“You don’t need the details, honey. Let’s just say, we didn’t know any better. What Graham told us to do, we did. He loved to take pictures with his old-fashioned camera.”
My stomach turned.
“No!” asked Victoria, her face a picture of confusion and distress. “That’s not true. Don’t tell me!”
“One day,” continued Lisa, impervious to her daughter’s agony, “Barry and I were pretend-playing in my bedroom, your old room, and your grandmother caught us in the act.”
I looked at her in shock.
“I was only eleven and Barry was nine, but your grandmother ran screaming and never talked to us after that again.”
So, that’s why Madame Bouchard had abandoned them and eventually disinherited them. That’s what she meant in the codicil, when she’d said Only God can help them for the sins they have committed.
“But I was a better mother to you than my mother ever was,” said Lisa, a sad look in her eyes. “She dumped me. So ashamed of me, she was. Pretended I didn’t exist. And I was just a little girl. Compared to her, I treated you like a princess.”
“You’re sick!” said Victoria, almost choking on her anger.
Lisa drew back like Victoria had stung her.
Victoria was shouting through her tears now. “You beat me every week. You tortured me and you sent me away because you hated me. You killed Mrs. Robinson because she knew what you did to me. Maybe she knew about you and Barry too.
“Did she? Did she?” screeched Victoria.
“She was a busybody, that nosy old woman,” said Lisa, her soft voice laced with venom. “It was time for her to go.”
“You killed Doctor Fulton too, didn’t you?” cried Victoria. “He found out what you did to Mrs. Robinson, and he was going to tell everyone. That was your work, wasn’t it?”
Lisa didn’t answer. But her murderously calm face told me everything.
Victoria had hit all the right notes, one after the other. But she was playing a dangerous game. I had been wrong. Lisa wasn’t insane. She had all her faculties about her.
She knew exactly what she had done. And what she was about to do.
“What about Pastor Graham?” I said, speaking fast, hoping to deflect Lisa away from Victoria. “Do you know what happened to him?”
Lisa didn’t even look at me.
“That was Barry,” she said with a smug smile, her eyes still on her daughter. “It was your father who did that.”
I felt another nudge on my leg and noticed a movement on the floor. I looked down.
With her free foot, Katy had kicked my gun closer to me. All I had to do was bend down and pick it up.
Thank you, Katy.
This was my chance. I had one split second.
I bent down and yanked the weapon from the floor.
Chapter Sixty-one
I gripped my gun behind my back.
My heart was hammering so loudly, I was sure the entire world could hear it. If Lisa had noticed my sudden movement, she didn’t show it.
I knew what I had to do, but it seemed like something stronger than me was restraining my hand.
I’d killed enough men before I hit twenty. I knew what it was like to watch the ugly, contorted face of a dying man as he took his last breath. However evil that man had been, those images haunted me at night.
Now, faced with another death on my conscious, my hands felt like lead.
My heart was racing a thousand miles a minute. My hands were shaking and my palms were sweating.
Lisa doesn’t deserve to live. She doesn’t. She doesn’t.
“Why did Barry kill Pastor Graham?” I asked, my heart pounding.
“Because I told him to,” said Lisa with another laugh. “He always listens to me. Ever since we were little.” She paused. “Besides, it was time for that old man to go too. He was always pulling on our strings and I was getting tired of it.”
“You’re mad,” said Victoria.
She looked like she didn’t care what her mother said anymore. I’d probably feel that way too, if my estranged mother was holding me at knifepoint, sharing such vile secrets.
A faint thumping sound came from somewhere. I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination, but it sounded like footsteps running above us.
Is that the police? Is it Tetyana? Jim? Did they find us?
But Lisa didn’t seem to notice, engrossed in a mad conversation with her daughter.
Tears rolled down Victoria’s dejected face.
“Uncle Barry drank to forget what happened to him,” she said.
“Don’t be silly, child. Barry needed little encouragement. He did the drinking all on his own. He’s a bit thick in the head.”
I gripped my gun tighter. I couldn’t have it slip and fall on the floor now.
All
I had to do was make sure Victoria wasn’t in the line of fire.
You can do this. So what if Lisa dies? The world doesn’t deserve her kind. Take the shot. End her now.
There was a rustle near the door. I thought I saw a shadow fall across the threshold.
Tetyana?
“Lisa,” I said, “please put that knife down. Mrs. Robinson and Doctor Fulton are both gone. Pastor Graham is also gone. What else do you want? What do you hope to get from hurting Victoria?”
“She wants attention,” cried Victoria, “that’s what she always wanted!”
“Really, child. You hardly know me.”
“I’m not a child anymore!”
“You got your stubborn streak from your father’s side, didn’t you?” said Lisa, smiling at her own sick joke. “Should have locked him up at the hospital, like I did you, a long time ago. I’ll cut his throat after yours. You’re both useless to me now.”
“Lisa, please—” I said, stepping forward.
“You narcissistic bitch!” screeched Victoria. “I hate you!”
Lisa leaned away, like the words were physical blows. With a bloodcurdling scream, she raised her knife in the air.
I whipped out my gun and fired.
The sound of my weapon echoed across the chamber, deafening my ears.
Lisa crumpled to the ground, her knife falling with a clatter to the cold stone floor.
I hit her!
That was when all hell broke loose.
Suddenly Tetyana, Jim, and Officer Jensen were all inside the basement.
Tetyana ran up to us.
“Katy!” she shouted. “You okay?”
I turned around to untie Katy’s gag while Tetyana worked on the knots on her hands. I pulled the gag off, bent down and threw my arms around Katy’s shoulders.
“Oh, my god, Katy,” I said, as I held my friend tightly. “Are you okay?”
I don’t know how long we were in that awkward position, when I felt Tetyana’s hands on my shoulder. She pulled Katy to her feet and looked her over with a critical eye.
“No bones broken?”
“I’m good. I’m fine,” babbled Katy, wincing as Tetyana bent down to examine the cut on her arm.
I turned around to see what was happening with Lisa.
Merciless Legacy: Merciless Murder - A Thrilling Closed Circle Mystery Series Page 27
