by Hazel Holmes
She didn’t want to make him more concerned than he already was, he had enough on his mind already. But she wanted him to see the potential problems that could arise with Nathaniel. It’d be safer if they were both aware of his family’s past. She knew she had to tell him about everything. They were potentially in danger, and she couldn’t keep that from him any longer.
It was going to be difficult though. Ezra was beaming as she entered the kitchen. Music was playing and his stance was bouncy and upbeat. He had made his favorite lamb dish for dinner, with roasted potatoes, and a colorful array of veggies on the side. It smelled delicious and it was clear his passion had returned full force.
A dark weight had lifted from him, and it was wonderful to see him glowing again. This was the Ezra she knew and loved. This was the Ezra that had been missing too much lately.
“You seem happy,” Clara said, as she grabbed the dinnerware needed to set the table.
“I am,” he admitted. “Today was a productive day. Nathaniel came in with some great ideas that inspired me as well. We finished up a mockup menu and we’re going to do a menu tasting tomorrow. It’s going to be a long day, but I’m looking forward to it.
“We’ll likely need to make adjustments after the menu tasting, I’m not ready to solidify anything yet. But we’ve got a good start. I’m excited for the menu, and proud of what we’ve done so far. I know things have been a little rough lately, but they’re starting to look up and it’s such a relief to escape some of the stress.”
It was bittersweet. Of course, Clara was grateful Ezra was in a better mood. She didn’t want to be the one to damper that. But Ezra was the one working with Nathaniel every day. He needed to be made aware of everything going on. As unfortunate as it was, he needed to be on guard around him. She just hoped his happiness wouldn’t dim under her dark warning.
“Will you be there for the menu tasting?” Ezra asked as he brought the food into the dining room. “We’ll be making a lot of food; we’ll probably have leftovers for a while. But I want your input while it’s still fresh. I know you’re not big into the cooking aspect of the business, but I want you to be proud of the menu too, and I think you’ll enjoy it.”
Clara was a little unsure if she wanted to be part of it. She wasn’t sure she wanted to try anything Nathaniel cooked. After hearing about the deaths Olivia and Kyle suffered due to arsenic, she wasn’t sure she wanted to eat anything anyone else cooked. But she did want to support her husband.
“I think I can take time out to join you,” she said. “I am excited to see what you’ve come up with.”
“You’ll love it,” he smiled. He paused as he sat across from his wife and noticed her rather dreary disposition. “Is something wrong? You look tired, or down, or…”
“Stressed,” she admitted. “I’ve been a little stressed.”
“There has been a lot to do,” he said. “Is there anything particular on your mind that’s worrying you though?”
She took a moment to try the dinner as she formulated her response. It was delicious as always, and the sensation of warm food in her mouth grounded Clara in the present moment. She followed it up with wine to sweeten the bitter words to come.
“I did some research today,” she said. “As you know, some people believe the house is haunted, and there have been some strange things happening here since we moved in. So, I was curious as to why people might feel that way. I thought it could be helpful to learn the history of the house. Thought it might be good to have that background so we can maybe change the narrative and create the kind of reputation we can be proud of.
“So, I went to the police station and picked up the case file. While I was there, I learned Olivia and Kyle weren’t the first people to be murdered in this house.”
“They weren’t?” Ezra asked, his eyes narrowing as he ignored the creepy feeling that followed Clara’s revelation. He wanted to prove to her he was stable, or at least trying his best to find stability. He couldn’t let learning about more deaths affect him. It was difficult though. It seemed like this place was a magnet for tragedy.
“That makes sense though,” he admitted once the initial surprise wore off. “It explains why people thought it was haunted to begin with, why they suspect spirits influenced Lyla and Richard. Why didn’t the realtor disclose this though?”
“I don’t know,” Clara replied. “Two separate murder cases at the same house are probably daunting roadblocks to consider when trying to sell the property, so maybe she was afraid we wouldn’t buy it if she did tell us.
“However, it did also happen quite some time ago. So, she might not have even known about it. At the very least, it was likely so long ago that she wasn’t legally obliged to tell us. The couple who died here were the ones who built this house.”
“Really?” Ezra sipped his wine, then leaned back as if settling in for a story. “Do tell.”
Clara told him all she read about William and Maggie. She was worried about worrying Ezra, but at this point she couldn’t avoid it and it was a relief to share this burden with him. There was so much darkness and tragedy to untangle, that it was nice to have a hand to hold as she walked through these shadows. She hadn’t realized until then how much she hated doing all this on her own.
“And their son was Billy,” Clara said as she wrapped up the story. “Nathaniel’s father.”
Ezra shook his head, shocked and horrified about the whole situation. He already felt bad that Nathaniel hadn’t been able to buy the bed and breakfast before. Now, it was even worse. He was determined to help Nathaniel as much as he could to find that success he wanted. The poor kid deserved it after everything.
“So, the bed and breakfast was built by Nathaniel’s grandparents,” Ezra stated. “And they were killed here.”
“And his father tried to buy it back after the bank took it from them. He couldn’t though because Lyla and Richard bought it, and he was never able to come up with enough money. He was never able to reclaim the property that, had his parents made different choices, he would’ve inherited. His life would’ve been so differently. Likely much better.”
“That’s awful,” Ezra said. “My heart goes out to Nathaniel and his father. Though on second thought, maybe it’s for the best he couldn’t buy the property. Maybe I’m just trying to make myself feel better, but I could see it being difficult for Nathaniel to be here all the time. Sleeping in the same house his grandparents died in.
“I mean, of course the property is going to mean a lot to him. His grandparents built the place, his father put his heart and soul into it. But it also hosted a lot of tragedy for his family. It seems like it could be better for him to buy his own place and start fresh without the tragic backstory that’s far too personal for anyone to deal with twenty-four seven. I think it’s time for Nathaniel to make a name for himself. I think, I hope, that maybe in the long run he’ll be grateful he wasn’t able to buy the bed and breakfast. Even if it hurts right now.”
Frustration rested at the tip of Clara’s tongue, but she left it there. How could Ezra not see what she was seeing? As she relayed the story, she realized exactly what she was seeing. She understood why all this was getting under her skin.
“Doesn’t his connection to the house’s past make you skeptical?” she asked as gently as she could. She hoped he would come to this conclusion on his own. Instead, frustration tapped his shoulder as well.
“Everyone is always so skeptical of the poor kid,” Ezra said, shaking his head. “I mean, yeah, maybe it’s odd. But his grandparents and parents are dead. It makes sense that he’d want to be here with the memories of his father, while still acknowledging this isn’t the property he should own. We can’t judge Nathaniel based off something his grandfather did.”
“I know that,” she snapped, a bit of bitterness creeping out. She sighed. “I do know that. It’s tragic he had to come from such a chaotic family, and I do only wish the best for him. That’s all got to be difficult.
“
However, we must look out for ourselves too. You see, I don’t think Lyla and Richard killed their children. And their deaths… Well, we might be in danger because of the shadow their murderer has cast.”
33
It was nothing short of ominous and Ezra hated the way the chill settled over him. He was grateful that at least Clara wasn’t trying to be so careful around him anymore. At least she was talking to him, instead of trying to shield him. But it was still unsettling. He didn’t want to even consider it.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Something stuck to me when I read those police reports,” Clara explained. “I wasn’t sure what exactly it was at first, but I’ve been thinking about this further and I kind of wonder if there isn’t more to Kyle and Olivia’s deaths. The police concluded that Lyla and Richard poisoned the children, then ran off. But they have yet to find a motive that would give them reason to do so. They didn’t show any signs of this kind of behavior before the murders, and they didn’t gain anything from killing their children. In fact, if they did kill their children and flee, they lost their business, their house, everything.
“The couple wasn’t having financial problems, and by all accounts their family life was happy. No one recalled anything more than the typical complaints, and even those were far and few in between.
“Furthermore, they weren’t known to lash out in anger, and the children were slowly poisoned. Whoever killed them poisoned them over a period of days at least. There had to be a reason for it. It was thought out, brutal, vindictive. Yet nothing points to Lyla and Richard as being the kind of people who would do something like this, or who would have any reason to do it.”
“Then what do you think happened?” Ezra asked. It made sense. Too much sense. He didn’t know enough about the couple to know for sure either way, but he could see the flaw in assuming they murdered their children.
“Well, I don’t know for sure,” Clara admitted. “No one knows for sure, of course. But the children were kept home as soon as they started showing signs of being sick. This is one reason why the police assumed they killed their children, because they were the ones who cooked for them. They would be able to easily slip poison into their food. However, there was one other person in the house at the time. One other person who was known for cooking for the family occasionally.”
“Billy,” Ezra whispered, recalling what Nathaniel had said earlier about the ice cream.
“Exactly. Billy could’ve easily made poisoned treats that he only gave to the children. It seems he had full access to the house, so he could’ve set Lyla and Richard up. If he killed them too, then they wouldn’t be able to say anything in their defense. He would’ve gotten away with murder. He is the person who would have the easiest time doing so, aside from Lyla and Richard. Plus, he had a pretty good reason to.”
“Except he died too,” Ezra pointed out. “He never benefitted from it.”
“I’m sure he didn’t know his death would follow so soon after theirs,” Clara pointed out. “Unless… unless he did kill them, and the guilt was simply too much to bear. Perhaps it contributed to his death.
“I’m not going to even pretend to have all the answers. I just think it’s all a bit suspicious. Billy does have more motive than Lyla and Richard did. His parents worked hard to build the bed and breakfast, they lost their lives over it, then the bank took the only home he had ever known from them all. He lost his family, his home, and the business he likely would’ve inherited.
“If he started disagreeing with Lyla and Richard, resentment could’ve bred. He cared about the family, sure. But I’m sure he was bitter as well. And with Lyla and Richard out of the way, Billy could finally have a chance to buy back the family business. He could finally reclaim his home.”
It was a horrible, awful thought that made Ezra sick to his stomach. But it was plausible. That was the worst part. It wasn’t too extreme to fathom. In a sick way, it made sense. He still didn’t want to believe it though.
“Why kill the children though?” Ezra argued. “If there was resentment, it would’ve been towards Lyla and Richard, not the children. With Lyla and Richard gone, Billy could have the chance to buy back the bed and breakfast, so why not just kill them? Why kill the children instead?”
“Because it was the only way to get rid of them all,” Clara explained. “If Billy would’ve just killed Lyla and Richard, the children likely would’ve inherited the property. They’d outlive Billy for sure, and he’d never get his hands on the bed and breakfast.
“By killing Kyle and Olivia, he was able to make Lyla and Richard look guilty, covering his own tracks, because if he killed them, they’d never come back, and the police would just assume it was them and move on. By killing the children, he also ensured that they wouldn’t be able to inherit the bed and breakfast, and the property would go up for sale. Finally, by hiding Lyla and Richard’s bodies like I suspect he did, and only allowing Kyle and Olivia to be found, heat was taken off him. If all four bodies were discovered at the house, he’d likely be the first suspect. He was questioned as is.
“It’s the perfect crime, really. All the pieces fit together and make sense. It’s clear that Billy did this. I don’t know how everyone else doesn’t see it. Though I suppose probably a few people considered it. I think it’s probably been a little less scrutinized because he’s dead now. So, if he did kill them, he’s no longer a danger to anyone.”
Ezra finished his wine, then poured himself another glass. He couldn’t argue with her reasoning. It made too much sense to ignore. He suspected if Billy were alive, he would be questioned further. But Clara was right. With him being dead, the police were less likely to take such a close look at him. It was possible they’d never know what happened to the family.
“Seems very suspicious,” Ezra admitted. He shook his head. “You’re probably right, honestly. The pieces do form a compelling picture.”
Clara was thankful she didn’t have to try to convince Ezra to agree with her. It’d be much easier this way. It was nice to feel justified in her suspicions. Yet it was also unsettling. Billy’s son was working for them. Surely now Ezra had to see why that was a bad idea.
Ezra debated it. He weighed his interactions with Nathaniel so far against what Clara was telling him. If Billy had killed the family, what did that say about Nathaniel? Did that mean he was a danger to them?
“I don’t know what to think,” Ezra said, shaking his head. “We do have to take this seriously but… I still don’t think it proves Nathaniel has ill intentions by working for us. I don’t see how this information means we’re at risk. Everyone who was involved in all this are dead now. They’re not going to come back for us.”
Clara took a moment to take a breath and control her frustration. She was shocked Ezra still couldn’t see the danger in this. She was worried he might never see the danger in this. She suspected it had something to do with his unhealthy relationship with his father.
Clara worried that because Ezra’s father was unsupportive and cruel, he was rewriting the script by taking Nathaniel under his wing. He was trying to be a father figure to Nathaniel, a young man without a father who reminded Ezra too much of himself. He was trying to be the fatherly mentor he always wanted.
If this was the case, it was going to be much more difficult to get Ezra to take a critical look at Nathaniel. That was a bond that was deeper than the typical employer and employee, it touched Ezra differently. Clara wasn’t sure how to go about challenging that without hurting her husband, but she had to make him see before it was too late.
“If you can admit Billy might’ve killed the family, then you have to see how this might motivate Nathaniel to do the same,” Clara said as gently as she could. “I’m not saying he is out to get us. I’m not even trying to suggest he’s a bad person or that he has nefarious motives for being here. I’m just saying we must consider it.
“His grandparents built this place; it was their dream and they put their all into it
. His father grew up here and was potentially willing to kill to reclaim this property. After all the work his family did for this bed and breakfast, Nathaniel could very well wish to buy it and rewrite the past. That would put a lot of pressure on anyone to make up for the ways his family failed. To make them proud by successfully running a business that meant so much to all of them.”
Ezra understood her reasoning. It made sense but… “It’s possible,” he admitted. “I just don’t want to condemn someone based off their family’s actions. You know how different I am from my own father. He’s done some awful things too. I wouldn’t want anyone to judge me based off his decisions.”
“I know.” Clara took his hand and looked him in the eyes. “But you’re not Nathaniel, okay? You must realize that. You don’t owe him anything and you don’t know his motives. So, you must be careful.”
“I know. No matter what, I care about our safety over everything else. I care about you over everything else.” He paused as he tried to come up with the best solution that might take all their fears and feelings into consideration. “How about I talk to him about it?
“I don’t want to fire him based off fears and a past that he couldn’t control. But I can at least talk to him about it. Maybe if I do, I can get a sense of if he’s lying or not. Hopefully, I can figure out where he stands with all this. I’ll pay attention to his reaction and then decide what to do.”
“Are you sure that’s safe?” Clara asked, a bit skeptical. She didn’t want Ezra to take a risk like this, though she honestly didn’t know a better way to approach it. She didn’t know what to do.
“It is,” Ezra assured her. “Even if Nathaniel isn’t being quite honest about everything, he’s not going to lunge and attack me simply for talking to him. I’ll bring it up at the menu tasting and go from there.”
“Okay…” She felt bad for putting this on him, but she would’ve felt worse if she hadn’t said anything and something terrible happened. “How do you bring something like that up to someone though? How are you going to ask him about it?”
