Grace turned from checking the dinner that Mrs. Richardson had left to see Joan coming into the house. She was swinging her arms and puffing. Concerned she asked “Are you okay?” How odd that she hadn’t seen her on the road. How strange that she hadn’t taken the dog who now was greeting her exuberantly. Joan bent over to wrestle the dog to a sitting position but looked up to answer “Fine.” The dog calmed down and Joan straightened up meeting Graces eyes. Grace could see something was upsetting her but Joan didn’t say anything about what it was. Instead she said that she needed the steam room, she was cold this evening. Grace watched as she headed downstairs, she was puzzled.
Joan sat in the steamroom thinking for a long time. Finally the steam seemed to penetrate her bones and warm her up. Obviously Beth had a routine going. She’d spied on them enough to know what they did when. Now what was she going to do with that information Joan wondered. The police weren’t going to do anything. They’d posted the land. She’d even taken to keeping a journal of when she saw the car parked there as well as her thoughts about it. Whenever she had that creepy feeling or was feeling paranoid she’d jotted it down. Grace said keeping a journal helped people sort things out in their lives but instead to Joan it only served as a reminder of something she couldn’t do anything about. It was frustrating and it made her mad.
She didn’t know how long she’d sat in the steamroom until Grace looked through the glass stuck her head around the door and spotting her through the mist asked if she was going to eat. Turning off the steam and grabbing a terry cloth robe she followed Grace upstairs. Strangely she was starving. They had pork chops, mashed potatoes, steamed carrots, and boiled corn. On the side was a dish of applesauce. Accompanying the meal was a nice red wine that they had come to enjoy immensely. The wine that they had in Venice at the restaurant had made such an impression that Joan had purchased a case of it and they kept it on hand for their own consumption.
Grace shared her day with Joan but Joan was a bit quiet. Used to her artistic distraction Grace thought that was the reason but she wasn’t sure, there may be something else. Also, Joan was never without D.O.G. on her jogs these days. Why hadn’t she seen her? Why did she come in so late after she had come home?
They finished dinner and cleaned up the mess, putting their used dishes in the dishwasher. Joan went upstairs to put some clothes on and Grace grabbed her briefcase to do some of the work she had brought home. She was sitting at the desk working when Joan returned and put on some light music. Starting the fire she sat drinking some wine and staring into the flames. D.O.G. tried to join her on the couch but she pushed him down and petted him. Finished with her work Grace joined her and they sat staring into the fire and idly chatting until bedtime. They did this a lot thought Grace. It was so nice, so quiet and companionable.
The next day while Grace was at work Joan walked about the property. She took D.O.G. along with her as she climbed the stairs to the rarely used apartment above the carriage house. You couldn’t see down the road from the carriage house and it wasn’t visible until you were in their circular drive. You could see into the windows of the carriage house easily because of the angle of the chalet to it. You could also see into the chalet from the carriage house. Joan found evidence that someone had been in here. They kept the apartment furnished for guests to stay in but they had only used it a few times. Mrs. Richardson cleaned it when they needed it. Mostly when someone came for an extended stay and the guest room was already in use. Someone though had been here. Someone had sat at the windows for extended periods of time as the angle of the moved furniture and the dusty smudges indicated. After leaving and locking the door, she made sure it WAS locked, she set the alarm which they never used on the chalet. Their key activator’s for the carriage house roll up doors would allow the cars to come and go but the alarm would protect the apartment and the cars separately.
By late afternoon she was hidden again in the spot behind where Beth would park her car. She waited until Beth parked it and had gotten out of her car after Mrs. Richardson had left. She watched as Beth watched Grace come home. As Beth walked back to get in her car Joan stepped out of hiding and confronted her. She told her that she knew she’d been on the property and stolen things from them. She said the police were now involved and she’d better stop coming around. She told her everyone was on to her and if she didn’t stop harassing Grace that she, Joan would make sure that she did. She didn’t give Beth specifics on what was stolen, who knew what, or what she would do to her but her threats did the job. Beth was thoroughly cowed. Frightened she stammered an apology and sped out of there. Joan was shooken up about it all, she was very upset. She hadn’t known what to do and she hoped this would be the end of it. She jogged down the road to home.
Grace was calling her as she came in. D.O.G. had been loose on the property as she drove in and this was unusual. Grace hadn’t been able to find her and as her Mercedes was in the carriage house and there was no note, where was she? Hearing the tone for the gate as Joan came in she was waiting at the front door for her and opened it for her. In her worry her tone wasn’t the best “where have you been?”
Taken aback at Grace’s angry, demanding tone, and already upset, Joan snapped back “what does it matter.” She brushed by an angry Grace and jogged up the stairs with D.O.G. following her.
Grace found her at their little desk in their bedroom writing quickly in a little notebook. D.O.G. was stretched out on their bed, thrilled to have it to himself. Grace automatically ordered him down and he reluctantly obeyed. Joan looked up and covered the notebook with her hand. Grace ignored her and went into the dressing room to change out of her work clothes. Joan resumed her writing and was finished as Grace came out in jeans and a T-shirt that read “taken the plunge?” a reference to swimming in the ocean. Joan was closing up the little desk as Grace grabbed some sneakers from their walk in closet. Joan watched as she sat at the bench and put them on. D.O.G. was trying to get her attention and finally Grace grabbed him and snuggled much to his delight.
Joan asked “did you have a rough day?” As this was the norm the past few weeks it was a pretty common question.
Grace looked up from where she was rubbing her fingers through the dogs soft coat and remembering the short response of downstairs she raised one eyebrow and answered “does it matter?”
Taken aback as she didn’t remember what she had said to Grace she asked what that was supposed to mean. Grace said that she’d come home and Joan was acting strange for the last two days, she was wondering what was going on. Relieved that it wasn’t anything else Joan told her the discoveries she had made in the past two days as well as the confrontation with Beth earlier that evening. Grace was floored that this was all even more serious than they had suspected with Beth even coming onto the property and breaking into the carriage house. She wasn’t certain that confronting her though had been a good idea. She didn’t need this. The stress of the past few weeks was starting to get to her.
They went down to have their dinner and to discuss their options. Both felt kind of helpless against this. So far nothing could or would be done. Perhaps Joan had scared her off but perhaps not, it was up to Beth.
Joan was due to be gone to an exhibit in New York the entire next week. She wanted to get a gallery going there as well. With the success of her other three she thought it was a good spot to do the same. The exhibit itself would be only three days and she planned on having a real estate agent take her around to galleries that were up for sale or that were in dire straights. She’d decide then or in the coming months. Allan was going to be there and would help.
Grace felt so very paranoid that week while Joan was gone. Yes it was only for a week but given the stress at work and the crapola from Beth she felt very uneasy. She even let D.O.G. sleep on the bed with her. He always tried to take his half out of the middle but he was cuddly and otherwise a good bedmate except when he snored. It was nice to wake up in the morning to his furry body and have him kiss her awake
. He must hear the change in her breathing and know she was waking up. At least he was a comfort. She watched Aaron, Jennifer, and Amelia one night so that Craig and Jane could go out for an evening. She felt so like a grandma. Aaron referred to her as Grace but Jennifer called her Grandma Grace and Joan was just Grandma. The baby was so much fun as she was crawling everywhere. D.O.G. was fascinated and protective of the baby. Grace had a blast. With her feelings of paranoia strong she worked longer hours at the hospital. At least that would help her case for the job. She didn’t wish Jason ill and would be happy if he got the position but she wanted it too. She was very happy to see Joan at the end of the week.
Joan was in good spirits. She’d actually found two potential galleries that would meet her needs and she handed them over to Craig to work out the details and so he could play one off the other until they decided on one. Allan had the great idea of having a kind of grand opening after the renovations were done and to include the other galleries in it’s celebration somehow.
Grace received the news on a Friday that she had indeed been given the promotion. Jason was thrilled for her even though he had wanted it for himself. She came home with a bottle of champagne and celebrated with Joan. They had a wonderful dinner and D.O.G. amused them. They were cleaning up the mess when they heard a knocking at their front door. D.O.G. started barking as if they didn’t know there was someone at the door. It was odd though, they hadn’t heard the tone of the gate, the boys knew the entrance code and usually they came right in. There was a useless doorchime button at the door and why they didn’t use that Joan didn’t know. How had the person gotten past the gate? Mrs. Richardson had left a little late this evening for cooking their celebratory dinner, perhaps she had left it open?
Joan opened the front door to find a gun shoved into her face. Beth Chappel stood there smiling evilly. Joan backed away into the foyer, being careful to walk sideways away from the steps down into the living room. They stood there a minute while they looked at each other. Beth had a strange sort of triumphant look in her face. Joan was trying to stay calm, her heart was about to leap out of her throat. D.O.G. was growling but standing down in the living room, he wasn’t sure what to do, he was too young. Grace came around from the dining room where she had been putting away the candle sticks. Open mouthed she halted as she saw who had come through the door and what she was holding on Joan. Distracted at her entrance Beth turned the gun on her. Joan took a moment to back up even more and ran into the paneling surrounding their front window. Reaching behind her she silently pressed a button hidden in the wood, not once, not twice, but three quick presses. By the time Beth swung back to her she had put up her hands.
“I guess I’m not expected eh?” Beth asked. Her voice was malicious.
“What are you doing here Beth?” Grace asked. She had never been so frightened in her life seeing the gun pointed at Joan. She knew though as a psychiatrist that she must remain calm.
“I’m here so you and I can be together.” Beth looked quickly over at Grace but kept the gun pointing at Joan.
“What do you mean you and I can be together?”
Joan was thinking fast. What could she do? Her arms were tiring and she slowly lowered them.
“I figured it all out Grace. You were willing to be with me last year when SHE wasn’t around.” She gestured with the gun at Joan. Grace could see her finger on the trigger, it was already cocked back and ready to fire. She told how she had watched them and realized how unhappy Grace was living here with Joan. She went on for quite awhile in her recitation, all of it was Joan’s fault. She told how she had figured out that the only reason Grace had married Joan was for the power she wielded, hadn’t she gotten Beth fired? “I realized it was all a front so you could stay here. With her out of the way we can live here, together.” With that she threw a smile at Grace. Her body turned ever so slightly and Joan lunged.
A shot rang out and then another. Joan had Beth’s arm up above her head. She tripped Beth with her leg and they both fell. Joan wouldn’t release her grip on Beth’s wrist and the gun went off the second time. Smacking her hand on the slate floor Joan got her to release it. Beth swung at Joan and caught her off balance hitting her strongly on the jaw Joan went flying towards the wall. Beth crawled over, got up and was about to kick Joan when Joan used one of her kickboxing high kicks from her reclined position. Beth was screaming “I’m going to kill you! You’ve ruined it all for me! She loves me! She loves me!” over and over as they fought. Beth went down from the kick and Joan straddled her. D.O.G. was barking frantically in the background. Beth tried to buck her off and then tried to scratch at her eyes scratching her face instead but Joan hung on and began to systematically pound Beth’s head on the slate. She continued until Beth was unconscious unable to stop herself. Finally, Grace grabbed her by the arms and pulled her up and off the prone unconscious body.
Joan stood there heaving from her exertions she leaned over grasping her knees to get her breath back. Just then cops entered with their guns drawn. D.O.G. was frantic and Grace let go of Joan to pull the inexperienced dog back. Joan stood up as the cops looked at the body in front of them on the slate. She put out her hands to the side as one cop trained a gun on her. One cop leaned over to see if Beth had a pulse. Another cop reached over to pick up the gun and Joan said “don’t!” Startled he stopped and looked at her in question. “It’s evidence, use a bag” she offered. He nodded. The cops, seeing that neither Joan nor Grace were armed asked what was going on. Joan said she’d give her statement only to Lieutenant Gillespie, she wouldn’t keep repeating what had happened and that they’d better get him out here. Strangely, they complied.
An ambulance came, it’s siren’s blaring. They hadn’t heard ones on the cop cars. Joan, her surge of adrenaline dying went and sat down on the couch. Grace put D.O.G. in his kennel downstairs, a cop following so they could search the house. She came back up and stood by as the paramedics went over the body. She rubbed her arms to warm them. They put a neck brace on Beth and strapped her to a board. They stopped briefly in the doorway as Lieutenant Gillespie came through. The three cops quickly gave him a report. He looked at Grace standing there and Joan sitting on the couch. Joan was so still and looked shaken. He pulled Grace into the kitchen and took her report of what happened.
Grace told him of the past couple weeks when they had discovered that Beth had broken in and then Joan’s subsequent confrontation. He sent for a team to take fingerprints of the carriage house apartment. It had been weeks and they hadn’t seen or heard from Beth so they had both hoped that it was over. Then tonight Beth had come into their home with a gun. She saw things differently than Joan would. She saw Beth determined to kill Joan. Obsessed with Grace. The fight had been intense and scary. She was worried about Joan. Gillespie wouldn’t let her talk to Joan until he had interviewed her. Instead he sent her to let the team into the carriage house and turn off the alarms.
Joan was sitting there shocked on the couch. She had almost killed Beth with her bare hands. Shouldn’t she feel something. She didn’t know. She didn’t feel anything but a kind of numbness. Gillespie sat across from her. She was turned a little staring into the fireplace as she recited what had happened that night. She told that she had triggered the alarm by pushing a hidden button on the framing of the front window. She told what Beth had screamed at them. She told of the fight and the gun going off. She only remembered hearing one shot though. A team of officers were dusting for fingerprints and another team was looking for the bullets. They found one right away over the fireplace near the sketch of The Ring. Gillespie watched Joan as she told him her version. He recorded it for his later report. He asked her if she had been afraid of the gun shooting her. Looking startled she said no, she’d been afraid that Beth would shoot Grace. Why Grace when it was you she wanted? She felt Beth was out of her mind and would kill them all, herself perhaps included. She didn’t remember anything else until the cops were there. She no longer remembered slamming Beth’s hea
d into the slate.
Gillespie determined that what Joan and Grace told him was the truth but it wasn’t up to him to decide that although his report leaned heavily to their favor. The fingerprints would later determine that Beth had indeed been in the apartment. He was asking Joan a few more questions about the confrontation when Grace returned and sat on the couch near Joan. He finished up and thanked them both for their time. He stood up to leave.
Grace and Joan stood to see him out. He reached out to shake each of their hands. Joan winced when he did so. She went to walk around the coffee table to see him out when she lost her balance and fell to the floor hitting her head on the corner of the table. Her head jerked back painfully and she was unconscious before she hit the ground. Where she had been sitting on the couch was a very large pool of blood. She began bleeding from her forehead. There isn’t anything to protect a forehead, no fatty tissue or muscle and the blood poured down her head.
Shouting for an ambulance Gillespie turned the body over. Grace warned him to be careful of her neck from the blow. He reached for her pulse only to have her sigh and stop breathing. Grace pushed him out of the way and started CPR. He stood up to watch, yelling for an ambulance again. He saw the pool of blood and wondered where that came from. Grace had done CPR for about 10 minutes when the ambulance came up. The paramedics rushing in. They pushed Grace aside and hooked Joan up to a mask. She was breathing but faintly. They found on her arm where the first bullet had struck. In sitting on the couch for so long it had bled down her arm and pooled there. Between the gunshot wound and her forehead she’d lost a lot of blood already.
Grace stood by to let them work but she was frantic. Joan was so white and the blood flowed from both her forehead and her arm. The paramedics stopped both. They put a neck brace on her and strapped her to a board. They carried her out to the waiting ambulance and Grace climbed in. At first they objected but the Gillespie pointed out she was a doctor and could help. Grace watched Joan all the way to the hospital. She never moved. Her shallow breathing scared everyone. The paramedics kept taking her blood pressure. They were reporting her stats to the hospital ER via the radio.
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