Legacy of Lies- The Haunting of Hilda

by Netta Newbound

  “Ignore him, Neil.” I shook my head.

  “Dad. Just leave, why don’t you? We won’t call the police, I swear on Mum’s grave. You’ll be able to get out of the country just as you planned.”

  “What about the gold? Do you think I’d get it on the plane, you stupid man?”

  “I don’t know, and I don’t care to be honest.” He pulled himself to his knees and then slowly upright.

  I also got to my feet, but he steered me over to Mum and Neil.

  I took Theo’s lead from Neil’s outstretched hand, and he turned to put his arm around Mum’s shoulders.

  “What about your share of the money?” Fergie asked Pete.

  “You know I don’t want any part of this. I never have.”

  “Whatever! You spent that money a thousand times over in your head.”

  “When I was a kid, maybe. You sold the dream to me. Although back then I didn’t know anyone had died because of it.”

  “Whose side are you on?” Fergie snarled, squaring his shoulders and pulling himself up to his full height. Although tall, Pete wasn’t as well built as his Dad, who was clearly still fit for his age and built like the proverbial brick shithouse. I knew Pete wouldn’t stand a chance against him in a fist fight.

  “Seeing as you ask, I’m on the side of my wife, thank you very much. Putting my family first is paramount to me, a quality I didn’t inherit from you, I might add.”

  “Well, you cheeky…” Fergie stepped forward, the gun raised once again.

  Pete ducked and body slammed into him.

  Mum screamed.

  Theo began struggling frantically and it took all my strength to hold him back. I wasn’t paying attention to what was happening on the other side of the room until an almighty crack almost deafened me.

  Chapter 38

  Time stood still.

  I couldn’t breathe.

  Mum huddled into Neil’s chest. He protectively covered her head.

  Pete and Fergie stood close together, both staring into one another’s eyes. Neither moving.

  Fergie eventually pushed away, gun raised, pointing it at us. A wild expression filled his eyes.

  Pete clutched his stomach.

  Then he folded before sliding to the floor.

  My instincts screamed at me to run, hide, to protect myself at all costs. But instead, without a second thought for my own safety, I ran to Pete’s side once again.

  Theo barked, and Fergie yelled from somewhere in the distance. I didn’t care as I frantically assessed the situation, the horror of which became overwhelming. From some hidden place in my mind I felt a darkness, a dread, something huge and unimaginable as I watched the life flow from my beloved husband.

  Silent screams filled my mind as I fought to stem the flow of blood. My fingers slippery and plunging into the deep gaping wound, all to no avail.

  Pulling off my T-shirt, I pressed the wadded up the cotton against him, screaming at the top of my lungs for someone—anyone to help me.

  The room was empty.

  Where the hell had they all gone?

  Pete was trying to speak, a garbled mouthful that made no sense to me.

  “Save your strength, love. Someone will be here to help soon.” I hoped so anyway. I didn’t have a clue where everyone had gone—apart from a series of thuds a few minutes earlier, there was nothing but silence.

  “I need to call an ambulance. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Pete gripped my hand, shaking his head rapidly.

  “Listen, love,” I said, firmly. “We need help. I’ll just grab my phone.”

  Another shake of the head, but weaker this time. He was losing a lot of blood and I didn’t want to take the pressure off, but what choice did I have?

  I felt my chest tighten into a knot-like cramp, and a white hot rage pumped through my veins. “Hang in there, babe. I’ll be back in a sec.” I sped across the room and grabbed the handset from the coffee table. I had a mental block—what was the emergency number? It wasn’t 999—that was the UK. And I knew 911 was the States. My heart thundered in my chest. “Come on, come on, what is it?” I heard sirens in the distance and I prayed they were coming for us.

  Pete made a gurgling sound and I dropped the phone to the carpet and returned to his side. I froze, knowing the ambulance wouldn’t make it in time.

  As Pete took his last breath, I let out a bloodcurdling scream.

  Chapter 39

  Within minutes, the house was crawling with police and paramedics. Someone wrapped me in a blanket and moved me away from Pete.

  A team of professionals surrounded him and set about trying to resuscitate him. But what was the point?

  He was dead.

  My husband was dead.

  I couldn’t believe it.

  With my head in a spin, I threw on a clean shirt and ran from the house, wanting to put as much space between myself and Pete’s unresponsive body as possible.

  As I exited the house, I almost tripped over Fergie who was lying handcuffed to the railing of the veranda, howling like a baby and cradling his bleeding arm. I ran at him—incensed. Wanting to rip his head off his shoulders.

  Two police officers standing either side of him lunged forward, stopping me in my tracks.

  “Hilly!”

  I spun around and spotted my mum seated in a police car on the drive. She got out and ran to me.

  I began trembling and crying at the sight of her. “Are you okay?” I rushed into her outstretched arms.

  “I am but Neil was shot.”

  My heart stopped. “Oh, no. Is he alright?”

  “He’s gone in an ambulance. We got him though, Hilly. Although Theo hurt his leg again. I thought he was going to kill Fergie. You should’ve seen him. I was so proud of him.”

  Tears spilled from my eyes as two male plain-clothed detectives approached me. Both appeared to be in their thirties. “Can we have a word, Mrs Shaw?”

  I wiped my eyes on my sleeve and nodded, smiling weakly at Mum. “Go and sit back in the car. I’ll come and find you as soon as we’re done.”

  She looked at us suspiciously before turning and strolling back to the police car.

  “Sorry, I haven’t told her about Pete, yet.”

  The man with the fairest hair and freckles showed me his ID. “I’m DS Wetherall and this is my colleague, DC Milo Curtis.”

  I nodded. “Do you mind if I sit down?” Totally exhausted, I headed to the broken staircase and sat on the bottom step.

  “We’ve had a brief chat with Neil Thomas,” the detective continued. “He’s told us an outrageous tale. Can we see if your story matches his at all?”

  “I know it probably sounds unbelievable, but I can assure you it’s all true.”

  “And the gold?”

  “In the back of the van.” I pointed at the scruffy white van that was still parked where it had been earlier.

  “And who’s Pete?”

  “My husband. That crazy bastard’s son.” I nodded at Fergie, who was being led down the side steps and into a police van. “He’s dead.” A sob escaped me. It seemed surreal. My entire body ached with an intensity I didn’t know was possible.

  A puzzled expression passed between them.

  “Dead?” The fair-haired detective nodded towards the front door.

  “Excuse me a second.” His partner ran past me, up the steps and inside the house.

  “Is Neil okay? I don’t know what happened after they left the house. I was worried he’d killed them too.”

  “No, Miss. Apparently they chased Mr Ferguson down the driveway. He turned and shot Mr Thomas, but your mum and dog continued the pursuit. When our guys arrived he’d been apprehended by them.”

  I shook my head, blown away by their bravery. “And who called you?”

  “Mr Thomas. He pocket dialled us. The call was patched through to our unit so we were able to listen in while en route from Paeroa.”

  “Wow. I’m amazed. But they could’ve been killed
too. Fergie didn’t seem to care who he hurt. If he can kill his own son, he can kill anyone.”

  Chapter 40

  Two weeks later…

  I stood in the middle of the street while the contractor shot the final nails into the for sale sign. Emblazoned across the centre was another, smaller sign.

  Open home - Sat 12-1pm

  Unexpected anxiety flooded my belly. Was I doing the right thing? I knew Pete wouldn’t want me to hang around. There was nothing tying me to the house anymore.

  I turned and walked up the driveway and, by the time I got to the top, I felt as though my limbs were filled with wet sand. Thunder rumbled in the distance and dark clouds gathered over the valley. I made it onto the veranda before the first raindrops fell.

  Taking a seat on the bench beside the front door, I watched the storm for a few minutes, marvelling at the beauty of the place. Even in the worst weather, it was still stunning—I’d certainly miss it.

  The ringing of the phone tore me away. I ran down the hallway into the snug.

  “Hello-o?” I said, breathlessly, into the handset.

  “Mrs Shaw? It’s Cindy.” The nasally twang of the Real Estate Agent made my stomach flip.

  “Oh, hi, Cindy.”

  “You’re not going to believe this, but I have an offer on the house.”

  “Already?” I plonked down heavily onto the sofa. “Nobody’s even been through yet. The sign’s only just gone up!”

  “I know, I know. But the buyer has been in the property before and wants to make a very generous offer.”

  “Okay. How much?”

  “Full asking price.”

  My heartbeat quickened. “Are you serious?”

  “Deadly. I’ll tell you all about it when I get there. Within the hour okay with you?”

  I shrugged. “I guess so.”

  Theo barked from his cage as I entered the lounge a few minutes later.

  “It’s only me, boy,” I called, going into the fridge to get him a treat. He was under strict vet’s orders to stay calm and out of harm’s way since he arrived home. They warned he was in danger of losing his leg if we didn’t heed their warning. So we only allowed him out of the cage when one of us was home to sit with him, and at night he slept on Mum’s bed with her—something Pete would’ve definitely complained about but we figured it was the least we could do since he’d put his life on the line for us all. And the nightly barking had stopped. In fact, there had been no unexplained activity since the shooting.

  I poked the ham through the bars of the cage. “I’m sorry, boy, but you’ll have to stay there a while longer. I promise I’ll take you outside soon.”

  Theo whined and cocked his head to one side as though he understood. I was shocked his owners hadn’t come forward—he was a great dog. The thought of leaving him behind without first seeing him settled in a loving home tore my heart out and I know Mum felt the same.

  I wandered back through the house.

  Was I actually prepared to sell it?

  I reached the top of the hallway and paused before opening the door to the room that had fuelled many nightmares over the years. I felt no fear as I sat on the edge of the bed.

  Crazy as it sounded, since the shooting, I was no longer scared of the place. At all. In fact, the top two rooms felt the most tranquil part of the entire house and I often found myself up there, soaking in the atmosphere.

  At the sound of a car on the driveway, a nervous knot tightened in my stomach.

  Taking a deep, bracing breath, I fixed a smile on my face and hurried back into the hallway. At the sound of approaching footsteps on the veranda, I opened the door wide.

  Mum and Neil suddenly filled the doorway, rushing to get in out of the storm.

  “Oh, hi,” I said, looking over their shoulders. “I thought you were… Oh, never mind, come on in.”

  Neil took Mum’s hand and guided her inside. They’d been inseparable since Neil’s close call with a bullet. Apart from a nasty graze to his bicep, he’d been relatively unscathed, but it had brought them closer together.

  “I’m expecting the Real Estate woman any second now,” I waffled. “She’s got an offer already.”

  “That must be her now, then.”

  The sound of crunching tyres on the gravel once again had me heading for the door.

  Cindy stood on the veranda this time. I welcomed her and led her through to the snug.

  “Okay,” she said, once settled on the sofa. “This is highly irregular, but the buyers said they’d meet us here to sign the contract. I hope you don’t mind?”

  “No. Not at all. Although, I can’t sign any contract without taking legal advice. You know the situation with my husband...”

  “Of course. But a signed offer is worth more to us than a verbal one. At least you’ll have something solid to show your solicitor.”

  “Yes, of course. What time are they coming?”

  She glanced at her watch. “They should be here now.”

  “Can I get you a drink while we wait? Tea? Coffee?”

  “I wouldn’t mind a coffee.” She smiled.

  Neil and Mum suddenly appeared in the doorway.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, guys,” I said. “Can you give me a few minutes, I have a meeting.”

  “So do we.” Neil’s face flushed and his brows drew together in a heavy line.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”

  “Your mother and I want to make an offer on the house.”

  The room began to spin. “Why are you doing this? You know Mum’s coming back to England with me.”

  He shook his head. “Your mother wants to keep her home, Hilda, and I want to buy it for her.”

  “How? You don’t have that kind of money, surely.”

  “Oh, yes, I do. I sold the paintings your mum gifted to me. We have enough to buy the property outright and to fund several trips to the UK to visit you and Charlotte.”

  I was astounded. I turned to stare at Cindy and her amber gaze flitted about the room, unable to meet my eyes. “Did you know about this?”

  She nodded, chewing her thumbnail. “Of course, considering the circumstances, we wouldn’t charge you the entire amount we discussed. I spoke to my boss and he’s agreed to knock off the marketing fee.”

  “I should bloody think so. You’ll be getting thousands of dollars for doing bugger all as it is.”

  I turned back to Neil. “Let me get this right. You convinced Mum to give you the paintings knowing how much they were worth, and then you intend to use the money to buy the house. Money that should’ve belonged to us in the first place.”

  “Actually, Hilda, the house will belong to your mum. I never wanted a penny of the proceeds from the paintings. I just didn’t want you to sell them on a random auction site and not get their true value. I told you I had a friend in the business.”

  “Really?” I felt terrible now.

  “Tell her our other news,” Mum said.

  “Oh, erm.” Neil cleared his throat nervously. “I asked your mum to marry me earlier, and she said yes. Don’t worry, I’ll sign a prenup if you’re worried I’m only after her money.”

  I folded my arms around myself and met his gaze. “I’m sorry, Neil, you must think I’m a total bitch.”

  “Not at all. But I want you to know I only have your mother’s interests at heart.”

  The phone rang and, still in a daze, I got to my feet to answer it.

  “Hello?”

  “Mrs Shaw?” a male voice said.

  “Yes.”

  “It’s Stephen, the nurse from ward three, Waikato hospital.”

  “Oh, hi, Stephen.” I spun around and eyeballed everyone in the room, hardly breathing.

  “Just to let you know, your husband is awake and asking for you.”

  Epilogue

  The drive to the hospital seemed to take forever. I was used to the hour-long journey by now, after spending every waking hour at Pete’s bedside for the past two weeks. Sod’s
law guaranteed he’d wake up today of all days, while he was totally alone.

  I entered the ward, feeling spaced out. What state would he be in? He’d been starved of oxygen for a long time before the paramedics had managed to revive him. But Stephen had said he seemed okay and was asking for me, which was a good sign, wasn’t it?

  Stepping from the lift, I felt light-headed and woozy, and I chewed on the side of my mouth so hard that a metallic taste of blood coated my tongue.

  Two nurses standing behind the desk nudged each other, then nodded in my direction and grinned.

  “Hi ladies,” I said, forcing a smile.

  Pausing at the door to Room 12, I took a deep breath before bursting in with a flourish.

  Pete looked no different than he had every single day since he’d been admitted. Feeling deflated, I pulled up a seat and sat beside him, stroking his hand.

  “Hello, you.” His croaky voice startled me.

  Instant tears flooded my eyes and rolled off the end of my chin.

  “Hey. Don’t cry. It’s okay.”

  “I never thought I’d see you again,” I sobbed. “I thought you were dead.”

  “So did I, you can thank your dad for that.”

  “My dad? Don’t you mean your dad? He’s the one who shot you.”

  “No, babe. Your dad saved me. Made me come back.”

  I gasped. Was I hearing right? The nurse had told me Pete was fine, but he seemed far from fine to me--he was delusional. “I’ll get the doctor.”

  “No, wait. It’s true. After I was shot, I drifted from my body. I could see you trying to wake me. You’d taken your T-shirt off and were just in your bra and jeans. But I was no longer in my body. I was standing behind you. Then a man appeared. I recognised him immediately from the photos. It was your dad.”

  I shook my head, unable to say a word.

  “He told me I wasn’t allowed to give up. That you needed me and it wasn’t my time. He was a nice man, which is more than I can say for your Uncle Declan.”

  “You saw him too.” My words were little more than a whisper.