“Of course, I’m sure. You two, my brother, and I were close back then. So, yes, I know exactly who I’m talking about.”
There was a moment of silence. Garrett waved his hand away from himself. “But anyway, not even she could stop him from killing himself. He just hated being in prison. Their little trysts weren’t enough. When Charlie died, she moved here, and then sometime later contacted me. We started talking. One thing led to another and I eventually moved, too. Being a doctor makes it easy to find work.”
Laura suddenly realized something. “So, you were the one Marissa was dating!”
Garrett got up to wash his hands. “Yep! It was weird at first. I thought she was just with me because I looked like Charlie. But I couldn’t resist.” Chuckling, “Did she really not tell you about any of this?”
Laura felt a little funny by his smile. It wasn’t normal. There was almost a sense of mischief behind it. But maybe it was just because she was still having a hard time getting Charlie out of her mind. Or maybe she just didn’t like all this new information that was piled on her.
She looked around the room. Someone had just walked past the doorway. She could hear the hustle and bustle of computers, machines, and nurses outside the walls. Everything was typical. But in her room, she felt like it was anything but.
Laying her head back, Laura thought for a moment. How did she not know that Marissa had feelings for Charlie, her once fiancé? And how could she even be with him after knowing that he raped her? And then there was Garrett. How was it that Marissa dated him for so long and yet she didn’t know it? Apparently, there were many things she was good at hiding. It was like she never knew her.
Laura wasn’t sure how she should feel about everything, but she could at least answer Garrett’s question. “Well, she did mention she was dating a Garrett. I guess I just didn’t think it was you.”
The two of them looked at one another. “Well, it was.”
Suddenly, Laura remembered Marissa was dead. Did Garrett know yet? She’d hate to break the news to him. But maybe she should. She cleared her throat. “Did you hear what happened?”
He moved toward the side of her bed, asking, “What’s that?”
Swallowing the large lump in her throat, she said, “Marissa was The Margaret Killer.”
At the very words, she saw the doctor’s face twist. His eyes turned colder.
“I found out this morning. She began to chase me and…”
“And what?” he urged her on.
Tears pooled in her eyes. “Well, she…um…she got hit by a car.” Quietly, she whispered, “She didn’t make it, Garrett. I’m so sorry.” She tried to reach out her hand to touch him, to offer some sort of comfort. But for some reason she couldn’t. It felt too awkward.
Garrett squinted, looking away. His lips pursed.
Because he didn’t say anything, Laura felt she should. “I’m not sure how long –”
Turning back toward her, he interrupted. “You know what? It’s really too bad.”
Too bad? That’s all he had to say about his girlfriend’s death? Something didn’t seem right.
“I mean, I was going to break up with her anyway. It was good while it lasted, but there were flaws in the relationship. I had already gotten everything out of it I wanted.”
Laura’s insides started to knot up. There was something off about this.
“And if she was The Margaret Killer, I’m definitely glad it’s over.” He gave her a sly smile.
“Yeah, I’m, uh, glad it’s over, too,” Laura said cautiously. “The killing that is.” She kept an eye on the doctor as he started to slowly pace back and forth. The uneasy feeling in her stomach grew bigger and bigger, the longer he did so. Something was monstrously wrong. But she couldn’t pinpoint what.
Garrett finally stopped to put on some latex gloves. One hand went in the pocket of his white coat, tinkering with its contents. Out came a small syringe.
It made Laura catch her breath. She had a feeling it was going to be a long time before she got used to seeing needles again. Or least a while before she’d associate them with their intended use and not for murder.
He showed it to her. “I’m going to give you some medication through your IV. I can see you’re still anxious, and we need you calm for your surgery.”
Laura kept her eyes on Garrett as he filled the syringe. “What is it that you’re giving me exactly?”
“This is just something that will take care of you.” Something else was mumbled under his breath.
She could have sworn it was something along the lines of ‘for good’. Confused, she asked for clarity. “What was that again?”
Garrett paused, sighing.
Alarms started going off in Laura’s mind. She moved her hand away from him, not trusting him.
“I guess it won’t hurt to tell you now,” he stated. It was a simple phrase but sounded like he was going to share some really bad news.
“Tell me what?” She could feel her heartbeat rising.
He took a seat beside her, facing her. Nonchalantly, he admitted, “I knew all along what Mar was doing.”
There he went saying her name like that again. Laura would never get used to it, and frankly, didn’t like it. She was surprised Marissa even liked him calling her that. Unless she didn’t know. Maybe he never called her that to her face. “You mean, you knew she was killing everyone?”
He nodded, smiling.
“Then…then…then why didn’t you say anything?”
Chuckling, he answered, “Like I said. I got everything I wanted out of her. Her relationship with my brother really worked out well for me.”
What did that even mean? Laura’s nerves rose.
“She was really good at it, too.” Garrett looked at the wall as if it held all his memories. A smile spread on his lips.
“Good at what?” Laura asked, voice on the shaky side.
“The whole thing.” Looking at her, he added, “You had to pay somehow. She worked on framing you, making sure every single person was tied to you.” Slapping his knee as if excited, he said, “Oh, and you should have seen the way she killed. I even let her get a little dirty with some of them.” His eyebrows raised and lowered quickly. “She really enjoyed that. Especially with your neighbor, Sammy. Oh!” he exclaimed. He raised a finger and wagged it. “That was another person you both slept with.”
Laura’s eyebrows raised. How could this be? Her mind was going in a hundred different directions.
“She was simply brilliant. Brilliant! All because of me.”
It was hard for Laura to breathe. None of this could be happening right now. It just couldn’t be! It sounded like he was not only also blaming her but was admitting a part in this nightmare. Just what exactly was going on? Opening her mouth to speak, she was quickly stopped by Garrett’s continued rambling.
“While you were in prison, you know, she stopped. If you were still there, like you should be, she would have still been done with it all.” Shrugging, he stated, “But obviously you’re out and now look what’s happened.” He glanced around the whole room. “Look where we all are.”
Her hand tried reaching over for the remote. The call button needed to be pressed immediately. But she was failing. Her fingers wouldn’t move the way she wanted them to. As she continued trying, she kept her eyes on the syringe in the doctor’s hand. She knew it wasn’t medication in there. “Why are you doing this?” she whispered.
Garrett’s eyebrows furrowed. “Doing what?”
“You’re acting like you’re out to –”
“Out to what, Laura?” he blurted crudely.
She turned her head aside. Looking at him was hard. “Get me.”
He chuckled first. Then completely did a one eighty. His eyes turned black; his tone serious and harsh. Getting right up to her face, he said, “You put my brother in jail. And now he’s dead. We had – I have no choice.”
Laura shook her head side to side, not wanting to believe any of this.
However, many questions were suddenly answered. Marissa had been referring to Charlie when she mentioned Laura killed someone. Both she and Garrett blamed her for killing him even though he took his own life. And it appeared the two of them worked together to get her in jail just so she’d know what it was like and to know how Charlie felt.
The words Cassie shared about Marissa’s final words came to the forefront of Laura’s mind. “Not the only one,” must have referred to Garrett.
A knock on the door startled them, their heads turning to where the noise came from. Garrett quickly put the hand holding the syringe into his pocket.
The nurse walked in. With eyes focused on the doctor, she smiled. She was completely oblivious to anything going on. “We’re ready when you are, Mr. Richards.”
“Great. It’ll be just a moment.”
“Perfect.” She whistled her way out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Laura wanted to say something or to scream, but nothing came out of her mouth.
Garrett got up, pulling out his hand. “I’ve got to get going, but there’s one more thing you need to know.” Again, the syringe was back in sight.
Laura swallowed what felt like a golf ball in her throat. Her heart palpitated, her body gearing up for whatever trauma was about to come her way. “Wh…wh…wh…what?”
He leaned in real close, practically brushing her lips against her face. “I’m going to seal this with a kiss.” He then did so softly on the cheek.
She froze. Those were the same words spoken to her the night she was raped. Had she been wrong all along? Was it not Charlie? Did Garrett actually rape her? She remembered he was there that night. But why would he do that? All memories of that night flooded through her mind. Her body started shaking. Her breathing became shallow. She was in full-time panic mode.
Taking the syringe, he inserted the contents into Laura’s IV line, laughing a devil’s laugh. He swaggered out of the room, whistling, as if he didn’t just kill someone.
Laura rushed to remove her IV, although, being her luck, it was probably already too late. Her eyes were misting up, afraid this was going to be the end. She was too young. She didn’t want to die! Her fingers again tried pushing the call button. This time she managed to get them to work. However, she decided not to wait. She had to get up and out to the hall. As she tried, she started feeling weak and sick.
This was how her life was going to end? After all she had been through and all she had accomplished, she was going to die because of some revenge? Never in a million years did she think Marissa and Garrett would join forces to become the infamous serial killer known as The Margaret Killer. What a lucky coincidence that their names combined equaled the middle name she was given at birth. But if the truth had been known all along, that Garrett was responsible for her rape and not Charlie, none of this would have happened in the first place. How she wished she could go back in time and change the course of history!
She fell to the floor in pain. Not only did her foot throb, but her heart hurt as it palpitated and pounded against her chest. Her breathing became labored. She started to feel dizzy, black spots showing up around her line of vision. This must have been how all the victims felt before they died. It was unfair. It should not have come to this.
With all the strength she had left, she pulled herself along the floor. There wasn’t much further to go. She just had to get someone’s attention. Anyone’s!
Laura’s arm was reached out. She took in a deep breath and tried to move, but no longer could. Her body shook with fear. Every second that passed, the more she couldn’t see, or breathe, or move.
She hurt. She was scared. She lay her head on the floor and tried to scream, but her voice was stolen from her. No! This can’t be it!
And then it was over.
Dear Reader,
If you enjoyed this novel, please consider leaving a review! Reviews help indie authors, such as myself, a great deal, and that in turn allows us to write more stories for you.
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Respectfully Yours,
Frances Hoelsema
OTHER TITLES BY FRANCES
Crime/Thriller
A Kiss with Death: Sealed with A Kiss Book 1
Young Adult
Growing Up Neighbors
Contemporary Romance
Next Door Neighbors
Long Lost Neighbors
Non-Fiction
What to Expect When You’re NOT Expecting: Navigating Infertility
Short Stories
Unfortunate Events: 31 Short Stories
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Frances Hoelsema is a wife and mother residing in Michigan where she gets to enjoy all four seasons, autumn being her favorite. After earning a degree in business and transcription, she now gets the best of both worlds by working from home as a real-time writing manager for an international transcription firm.
In her spare time, Frances thoroughly enjoys traveling, kayaking, hiking, shopping, and loving on her cats. She is also an avid reader and writer who loves to engage with others through social media.
Some concepts Frances stands for are positive parenting, homeschooling, clean eating, and pursuing a relationship with Christ instead of pursuing religion. She also believes in never giving up; that everyone should keep pursuing their dreams.
Frances loves to imagine a good story and write it to life so she’s always busy working on her next novel. If you would like to find out the latest news from her or to contact her, please visit her website: www.franceshoelsema.com
You may also connect with her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/frances.hoelsema.author or on Twitter: @FrancesHoelsema
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