Chapter 30 #2
“I loved your mother very much,” Charles began with a sigh.
“We shared everything. Including her family’s secrets.
I knew about Nathaniel, and I knew where and how he had been trapped.
When the murders started back then, we knew someone was trying to raise the demon.
I’d discussed it with both Evie and Alice, but we couldn’t figure out who was responsible for the killings.
I noticed your mother behaving strangely, pulling away from me.
Then Jimmy was killed, and your mother became quieter and more withdrawn.
The night of the fire, I came home earlier than expected.
I wanted to surprise her. I brought her favorite flowers to try and cheer her up, but when I walked into the kitchen, she was in there with Alice.
They were fighting. I saw her kill your grandmother and I couldn’t believe what was happening.
It was then that I realized it was your mother all along.
She was trying to raise the demon. I dropped the flowers and wrestled with her for the knife.
In the struggle, she was stabbed in the chest. When I looked up, the house was on fire.
I grabbed you and ran as far and as fast as I could.
I just knew I had to get you as far away from Mercy as possible. I was trying to protect you.”
“She was the killer all along?” She shook her head, blinking back the tears she wouldn’t allow to fall. “She did all those terrible things to those men?”
“Yes,” he replied flatly.
“Why? I don’t understand. I’ve seen the spell Hester used, and she didn’t need to kill those men.”
“She did,” Theo told her. “We already know that if you raise a demon in its true form, it can’t be controlled.
It will just spread death and destruction because that’s its nature.
If your mother hoped to have any control over it, she needed to exchange one prison for another, only this time a prison of living flesh.
By creating a body for him and forcing him into it, he would be bound to her by magic. ”
Charles looked at Theo, grudgingly impressed. “He’s right. Isabel isn’t stupid enough to raise a demon in its true form.”
“Why didn’t you come to me?” She turned to her father.
“I wanted to, Jellybean.” His voice softened. “I wanted to tell you the truth, but you wouldn’t have believed me. You had to find out for yourself.”
“That’s such bullshit,” she snapped bitterly.
“So, it was alright for me to get blindsided again because you didn’t want to take a chance I would reject you?
” Her eyes flashed dangerously. “You should’ve come to me.
You should’ve told me the truth from the beginning.
I might not have believed you, but then again, you’ll never know, will you?
Because you didn’t give me that chance. We could’ve tried to rebuild the trust that was lost between us, but now you’re just another person who’s lied to me my whole life. ”
“Olivia…” he began.
“Get out.” Her voice was barely above a whisper now. She could feel the tears rising in her throat, burning to get out, but she wouldn’t fall apart in front of everyone. “Just... all of you, go.”
She turned to Theo. “Get them out of the house,” she breathed heavily.
He watched helplessly from the library door as she slowly climbed the stairs, disappearing from view.
“I’ll go clean up the medical supplies.” Louisa headed back to the kitchen. Her gaze filled with sympathy.
“God, I need a cigarette.” Mac blew out a breath, heading out of the room.
“I’ll come with you.” Jake followed him.
Charles turned to Theo and handed him a card. It was a plain white business card with nothing but a phone number on it.
“Take this. If she needs me, call the number on the card. Let it ring twice and hang up, then wait for me to contact you.”
“I don’t think I’ll be calling you,” Theo replied coolly.
“Don’t be so quick to judge, Theodore. This is only the beginning. Once the shock has worn off, Olivia and I need to talk. There are many things she needs to know.”
“Why did Isabel set Nathaniel free? What is it she wants?” Theo frowned.
“What she’s always wanted,” Charles replied. “Infernum.”
“Infernum?” Theo jolted at the reference, his eyes snapping back from the card in his hand to Charles, his gaze narrowing in suspicion. “You know what it is, don’t you?”
Charles regarded him for a moment, his expression giving nothing away. “Call me when she’s ready to talk.”
He turned and walked out of the room, closely followed by the twins. He stepped out onto the porch and into the cold night air. Fortuitously, it had begun snowing again, which would cover a lot of the evidence in the clearing.
He turned to Mac who was watching him with sharp eyes. “Thomas’s body?”
“I’ll take care of it,” Mac replied after a moment. “You know, I should be arresting you.”
“But you won’t, will you?” Charles’s mouth curved in amusement.
“No.” Mac scowled. “Not this time, but I can’t make any promises about next time.”
Charles nodded and jogged comfortably down the steps.
“What are you going to do now?” Mac called after him.
Charles paused and turned back briefly. “I’m going to find my wife.”
“And then?”
“And then…” His smile was cold and dangerous. “I’m going to kill her.”
“And I thought my family was messed up,” Mac murmured under his breath as he watched Charles and the twins disappear into the darkness, amid the wild, swirling snow.
“Are you going to stick around?” Jake asked. “Looks like we need a new chief.”
Mac took a long drag on his cigarette. “I suppose there are worse jobs, and I have a feeling I’ll never be bored around here.”
Louisa opened the door and stepped out, pulling her coat tighter against the cold air.
“I’m going to leave the medical supplies here,” she sighed. “Something tells me we’ll be needing them again.”
“That’s probably a safe bet,” Jake replied. “You alright driving back in this?”
“Oh please,” she replied indignantly. “I’ll be fine.”
He held his hands up in mock surrender.
“What about you, Mac?” Jake asked.
“I’m parked about half a mile down the road.”
“Want me to drop you at your car?” Jake offered.
“I’d appreciate it.” He flicked the butt of his cigarette into the darkness. The three of them stepped down the porch and set off companionably into the snow flurry.
* * *
Theo slowly opened the door to the bedroom and found Olivia sitting on the side of the bed staring blankly at the rapid fall of snowflakes outside the window while Beau lay curled up sleeping peacefully.
He rounded the bed as she looked up at him, and everything inside him churned at the absolute devastation in her eyes.
He handed her a glass of water and dropped a couple of pills in her hand.
“Louisa says to take these. They will help the pain in your shoulder.”
She did as she was told, too numb to do anything else.
Theo leaned down, unlaced her boots, and tugged them off, helping her to lie down without putting too much pressure on her wound.
When she was finally settled, he kicked his boots off and climbed onto the bed, spooning in behind her and wrapping his arm around her gently.
“Theo?” she whispered.
“Yes?”
“We let a demon loose and it’s my fault.” She swallowed hard.
“It’s not your fault,” he tried to soothe her.
“I hesitated. I should have stopped my mom while I had the chance.”
“Of course you hesitated, it was your mother. Anyone else would have done exactly the same thing,” he murmured.
They lay there in silence for a while watching the flurry of snow drifting down on ghostly wings.
“What are we going to do?” Olivia finally asked quietly.
“We’re going to find them both, and we’re going to make it right. Whatever it takes,” he replied softly.
She fell silent again, and he thought she’d finally fallen asleep until she spoke again, her voice barely audible in the stillness of the room.
“Theo?”
“Yes?” he whispered.
“My mom’s a murderer.” Her breath caught on the hot ball of misery burning the back of her throat.
“I know.” His arms tightened around her, unable to stand her pain. “It will be alright.”
“My mom tried to kill me, Theo,” she whispered brokenly as the first tears fell. “How is that ever going to be alright?”