“Yes. I’m on my way home,” he replied, curious about her call.
“I’d like to speak with you privately at my house, if it’s okay. It’s about a twenty minute drive from your brother’s place.”
“Sure.”
She gave him the directions and in fifteen minutes, he was there.
12
_________________
“Please, come in,” Mira said to Toby at the front door of her house. She’d arrived just five minutes before he did.
Toby followed her into the living room where she invited him to sit down. She then sat directly across from him.
“This is rather awkward,” she started, “but I needed to speak with you privately.”
“Okay…” Toby was puzzled.
She looked at him intently. “Now that we’re not in the company of your siblings, it’s time that you came clean with me, Toby.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think you know.”
She waited a few moments.
“No. I don’t, Doc. You have me in the dark here,” he said.
“Because of you, Toby, this is the first time I felt compelled to hold back vital information from a client,” she asserted. “The truth is that I never sensed any paranormal activity where your Dad is concerned. It brings me to the conclusion that his soul is at peace. Nothing that happened to any of your siblings lately was the result of anything paranormal. You know that, don’t you?”
He was silent.
“It was all your handiwork, wasn’t it? You desperately wanted your Dad’s grave to have that headstone and your brother and sisters didn’t seem to care, so you thought you’d get them to care someway—somehow.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, nervously.
“But you do!” Mira insisted. “It’s because of you that your sister is in a psychiatric hospital; it’s you who planted the snakes and other creatures in Belinda’s car and home. It’s you who sabotaged your brother’s presentation by hacking into his computer and sending the wrong file to his assistant; it was you who secretly recorded him in the arms of another man. You did all those things.”
She could see the overwhelming guilt on his face.
“Why didn’t you expose me, then?” he asked softly.
“I didn’t because I could see your heart. You’re not a bad person, but you made some bad judgments because you felt your siblings were cruel toward your father.”
“Everything you said is true,” he finally admitted. “I despised them for how carelessly they treated Dad, who didn’t deserve any of that. I didn’t have the money for the headstone or I would’ve paid for it myself, but I’m barely making ends meet now.”
“I know, Toby… I know. I realized if I came out with the truth about what you did, they’d never forgive you and God knows what else they might’ve done.”
“I appreciate that, Dr. Cullen. I’m really sorry I resorted to such means to an end.” He sighed. “I feel terrible that Rachelle is where she’s at and that she actually tried to kill herself. I never intended for that to happen. Since I’m a carpenter, I was able to get into her place easily without breaking the locks and make sounds that caught her attention. I had kept a recording I’d made of Dad when we were having a conversation about the family and I used the part of that tape where he’d mentioned Rachelle’s name to make her believe he was actually calling her, when of course, it was all just an old recording. Whatever else she claimed to hear or see, I guess, was just in her mind—maybe her conscience, like you said.”
Mira nodded.
“I put the snakes in Belinda’s car and all those creatures in her bed while she was asleep. Every time I left any of their homes, I locked the door again, so nothing would appear disturbed. And as for John…” he paused, “…everything you said was true. I didn’t think he’d lose his job, but to be honest, I didn’t care when I heard about it. Figured it served him right. I also sent his wife, Pam, a copy of the file from a private email address. She was too nice a lady for John to treat her the way he did.”
“Thanks for coming clean with me, Toby.” Mira said. “But you have to promise me you won’t resort to taking revenge anymore when things don’t go your way. You could’ve been arrested for all those things you did!”
“I know. And I promise, I’ve learned my lesson,” he assured her. “I see that getting back at them could’ve caused me to hurt myself and my family. If I go to jail, how would Jonie and the baby manage?”
“I thought about all of that,” Mira replied. “I’m glad you realize it too.”
Toby left there that day with a new mindset, thanks to Dr. Mira Cullen who never revealed his secret.
* * * *
Seven months later…
Toby Reed walked across the cemetery to where his parents were buried. He was holding his two-month-old son, whom he and Jonie named Harvey.
He looked down at the beautiful headstone on his father’s grave and smiled. “Little Harvey…meet your Granddad. Dad, meet your grandson—your namesake.”
The baby was smiling.
“I told you I’d get you that headstone, Dad,” Toby said; his eyes brimming with tears. “I love you. I love you and Mom.”
Two weeks after John Reed was laid off, he was called back to work by managing director, Allen Nolan. Apparently, Allen had received an anonymous call where someone threatened to publicly expose the skeletons in his closet if he didn’t promptly rehire John. Allen quickly complied. Pam never came back, but she and John reached an amicable agreement concerning their marital assets during the divorce.
Rachelle returned home to her son, Steve, a new woman who’d finally forgiven herself for rejecting her father, and acknowledged her own self-worth. After everything that occurred, she decided not to move back to her parents’ house, as planned. She and Belinda drifted apart, much to Steve’s contentment.
Within a year, Belinda’s excessive drinking contributed to her developing a rare disease which caused a permanent deformity to her face. She rarely left her house after that.
Toby was given full-time work again with the construction company three months before little Harvey was born and his custom-built doghouses became quite popular in town. Some stores even decided to purchase them on a regular basis. Toby eventually hired an apprentice to help him out some evenings and on the weekends, and Jonie was able to be a stay-at-home mom with no worries about their finances.
Eventually, the Reed siblings sold their parents’ house.
Life was good.
~ The End ~
*Stay tuned for book 16 in this thrilling series
HERE’S THE BLURB FOR IT:
Mira’s mother, Sara, and daughter, Rosie, are going on a special trip together—just the two of them. However, Mira, thousands of miles away, will soon learn that the vacation has turned into a literal nightmare.
Rosie will be left with a decision to make:
Should she save herself or save her beloved Nana.
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BOOK 1 IN A NEW COZY MYSTERY SERIES!
Lucille Pfiffer sees, but not with her eyes.
She lives with her beloved dog Vanilla (“Nilla” for short) in a cozy neighborhood that is quite “active” due to what occurred in the distant past. Though totally blind, she plays an integral role in helping to solve pressing and puzzling mysteries, one right after the other, which, without her, might remain unsolved.
The question is: How can she do any of that with such a handicap?
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No one knew the hatred he harbored or what extent he could actually go to.
Someone knows something but isn't saying anything - not until they're backed into a corner fearing for their own life. Meanwhile, a psychotic mastermind is pleased with his sinister scheme as each of his hapless victims has played an unwilling role in the twisted puzzle of his existence. A puzzle, which if studied carefully, will reveal how he turned into the beast he has become.
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OTHER FICTION TITLES BY TANYA R. TAYLOR
WEBSITE: TANYA-R-TAYLOR.COM
INFESTATION: A Small Town Nightmare (The Complete Series)
Real Illusions: The Awakening
Real Illusions II: REBIRTH
Real Illusions III: BONE OF MY BONE
Real Illusions IV: WAR ZONE
Cornelius (Book 1 in the Cornelius saga. Each book in this series can stand-alone.)
Cornelius’ Revenge (Book 2 in the Cornelius saga)
CARA: Some Children Keep Terrible Secrets (Book 3 in the Cornelius saga)
We See No Evil (Book 4 in the Cornelius saga)
The Contract: Murder in The Bahamas (Book 5 in the Cornelius saga)
The Lost Children of Atlantis (Book 6 in the Cornelius saga)
Death of an Angel (Book 7 in the Cornelius saga)
The Groundskeeper (Book 8 in the Cornelius saga)
Haunted Cruise: The Shakedown
The Haunting of MERCI HOSPITAL
Hidden Sins Revealed (A Crime Thriller - Nick Myers Series Book 1)
One Dead Politician (Nick Myers Series Book 2)
10 Minutes before Sleeping
About The Author
Tanya R. Taylor is a Readers' Favorite International Award-winning Author and has wowed readers with her riveting plots and compelling themes.
She is the author of several #1 bestsellers on Amazon and published her first book titled: 'A Killing Rage' as a young adult. Having worked in the financial arena, she is also a seasoned ghostwriter. Her book 'Cornelius' climbed to #1 in the Teen & Young-adult Multi-generational Family Fiction category on Amazon and is The Readers' Favorite Silver Medal Award Winner in the Teen & Young-adult Paranormal genre. Her Supernatural, Suspense/Thrillers—'CARA' and 'INFESTATION: A Small Town Nightmare' are multiple times #1 international bestsellers.
Tanya writes in various genres including: Paranormal Romance, Fantasy, Thrillers, Science-fiction, Mystery and Suspense.
Visit Tanya’s website here.
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