OLD MAN MALONE RETURNS

by Marianne Spitzer

  “I believe anything that’s said about him. He was evil personified. It seems Morgan wasn’t any better. If you ever see any of his traits in me, please get me help immediately,” Kellie’s eyes pleaded as she looked at her best friend.

  “You’re a gentle soul. Your DNA comes from your mother and Peter, and you learned love and compassion from your mom. You don’t have an ounce of evil in your body.” Taylor’s soft voice helped comfort Kellie.

  Kellie wiped a tear from her eye, “Thanks, Taylor. You always know what to say.”

  Hunter strolled into the library whistling, “Hi everyone, there are two by fours and drywall in the back of my truck. You’re helping me put up the wall in the secret room tonight aren’t you, Drew?”

  “Yeah, I planned on it, but read this first,” Drew rolled his eyes as he handed Hunter the letter.

  Hunter took the letter. He stood, read it, let his hand drop to his side, and said, “Will there ever be an end?”

  “Maybe the last letter will tell us,” Kellie offered. “I’m also going to the library tomorrow to gather information.”

  “Great idea, but let’s forget this for a while. I’m hungry, and Drew and I have a wall to build.”

  “Super, then Hunter and I can move back into our apartment. We’ll all have more privacy.”

  The four walked to the dining room and met Andrea coming out of the kitchen. They were all talking at once. The aroma of dinner wafted toward them. They smiled at Andrea, welcoming her home.

  “Hi, looks as if I’m in time. Cole’s doing so much better. He called me this afternoon and said he might be released in a couple of days,” She bounced a bit up and down as she told her news.

  Everyone was excited about Cole. They enjoyed a lovely dinner and warm cherry cobbler for dessert. After dinner Andrea went back to the hospital. The four friends decided she had enough to worry about, and would tell her everything after the final letter arrived. Hunter and Drew worked on the wall. Taylor settled in reading, and Kellie tried to work on a research paper, but her mind kept wandering to Austern’s letter. She wondered what the third letter would reveal, plus whatever else would be included.

  ########

  Kellie woke to a quiet house. She stretched, rolled over, and glanced at the clock. Nine twenty two, it’s late, she thought. Without a class to attend, she was happy to remain curled up under the blanket. Austern’s letter popped into her mind. She could smell coffee. Dressing quickly, she found a pot of hot coffee on the dining room table. As she poured a cup, Mrs. K. brought in a plate of scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, and whole wheat toast.

  After breakfast, Kellie found Claude in the kitchen. She told him, “I’ll be at either the public or university library. If Austern’s lawyer calls or drops by, would you please text me. I want to be sure to get the papers Austern mentioned, but I need to do some research first.”

  “Certainly, I’ll let you know immediately.” He bowed slightly and took her plate from the table.

  ########

  Kellie’s first stop was the public library. She had done some research on her computer about the turn-of-the-century asylum. All she found was basic information and a few pictures. Hoping to find more in-depth articles, the librarian suggested she should search the microfilm archive. Kellie settled in the microfiche room with several rolls of microfilm.

  After an hour, she didn’t find anything useful. Most of the articles explained the good the hospital was doing. A newspaper picture of the asylum in mid-summer explained why the hospital was named “Petal Gate Rest.” A huge arched black wrought iron gate met guests and patients. The arch, more than a foot wide, curved downward on either side and met a fence that ran across the front of the property, and then turned to run along both sides. Climbing roses covered the arch and fence in both directions to the extent that very little of the wrought iron could be seen. The wind had blown the roses and petals covered the ground, as if they were fall leaves after a storm. Kellie couldn’t find any color photos, but she could tell the roses were light in color—perhaps white or soft pink. It must have been a calming welcome to the ill that were coming to the hospital for treatment. She wondered what it looked like after her grandfather and Mr. Morgan took over.

  Kellie was excited about the information she had found at the public library. Hoping her visit to the university library would add to the information, she was upset that they had even less. She noticed Claude had not texted her. Disappointed, she called Taylor to see if she wanted to join her for lunch, and left to meet her friend at the diner.

  ########

  Kellie arrived home early. At about four o’clock, the doorbell chimed. Austern’s attorney stood on the porch, and asked if he could speak with Kellie. Claude welcomed him into the parlor, offered him coffee or tea, which Mr. Blunde declined.

  I’ll get Miss Kellie,” Claude smiled as he left the room.

  Kellie’s heart was racing when she walked into the parlor. She had anticipated this meeting with anxiety and excitement. Soon she’d learn answers, but wasn’t sure if she wanted to know them. A short, balding man with a bright smile greeted her. He held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Adamson. I’m Robert Blunde, Austern’s attorney. I have some papers and a package for you.”

  “Please sit, Mr. Blunde and call me Kellie.” She returned his smile.

  “Kellie, okay. Austern left these items with me for safe keeping. His instructions were clear. If he died of natural causes, I could destroy them. However, if there was any indication that he didn’t die of natural causes, I was to deliver them to you in person. Since Austern’s death has been ruled suspicious, I’m passing these on to you. I don’t know what they are. I only know they were important to Austern.” He handed Kellie a large manila envelope, a smaller manila envelope, and a wooden box. He leaned back and sighed, as if he was free of an obligation that weighed on his mind.

  “Thank you. Would you like some coffee or tea before you leave?”

  “No, I must be going. I have court tomorrow and some preparations to finish.”

  They shook hands and Kellie walked Mr. Blunde to the front door.

  Kellie carried the items to the dining room table. Opening the large envelope first, she found it contained a leather journal and a letter. The smaller envelope contained a key. Kellie held the key in her hand. She began to shake knowing it most likely opened the box. What would be in the box? Did she want to know? Maybe she would wait for the others to arrive home before she opened it, or read the journal, but she needed to read the letter.

  Dear Kellie, I hope you read this letter first before you look through the journal, or open the box. Those items are related to the asylum and your grandfather’s involvement in the illegal commitments of “patients.”

  Your grandfather kept a record of his “patients,” but the records seem incomplete. I could never find more in the house. It is possible Mr. Morgan kept more records, or they are hidden in the asylum. You will understand when you read the journal.

  The wooden box is confusing. I am not sure why he would keep the contents. My guess would be they are souvenirs of some sort. Your grandfather always wanted to keep some sort of souvenir—a picture, animal pelts, or art object he would purchase on a trip. What the items in the box represent, I can only guess. My concern is that they may have belonged to “patients” or removed from bodies since the final page of the journal list partial names or initials of those who died at the asylum. I am hoping you can find out, and perhaps find justice for the victims.

  It was an honor to be in your employ. I wish the best for you and Mr. Drew.

  Sincerely, Austern

  Kellie placed the letter on the table, and picked up the journal. Inside the front cover she noticed the double M logo identical to the one fading on her wrist. None of the entries made sense. There were dates, initials, a medical diagnosis, and a sum of money listed. A large sum of money considering it was the 1950s.

  She knew a bit of the mystery—how the old man made
a lot of his money. Then he must have made some smart investments, and he became extremely wealthy. Kellie shuddered realizing she now had half that money. She decided she was going to investigate this fully. When she found out how much money the old man made from the asylum, she’d give it all to a charity helping the emotionally ill. Kellie didn’t want anything to do with it.

  She picked up the key and turned it over and over in her hand before she garnered the courage to open the wooden box. Fearing what she’d find, Kellie slowly slid the key into the lock and turned it. She heard a slight click and the box unlocked. Curiosity made her reach out to open the lid. Fear caused her to pull her hand back. She remembered Austern wrote that the old man loved souvenirs. What if there were fingers of his enemies or worse. What could be worse? Her mind raced. There was only one way to find out. She leaned back in her chair, reached her hand toward the box, and flipped up the lid. It was full of gold wedding bands. She dumped them out on the table, and counted twenty. Why would he have these? Her mind contemplated all sorts of possibilities until she remembered Austern wrote there was a list of the dead at the end of the journal. She flipped the journal open to the last page. Another list of dates and initials. Also some strange letters: “NE back,” “NW back,” “Side,” written beside each of the initials. There were twenty entries. One to match each ring.

  Drew walked in and said, “Hi, hon.”

  Kellie screamed. She jumped off her chair, held her chest and bent over. “You scared the hell out of me.” She slowed her breathing before sitting back down.

  “I’m sorry, Kellie. What’s up?”

  “Drew, look at this! Lists of people kept in the asylum, a list of twenty dead people, twenty wedding rings. What the hell does all of this mean? Austern’s letter suggested they might have kept more information at the asylum. Do we investigate or call Uncle Mike?”

  “Slow down, breathe. We don’t know a crime has been committed. You have three letters from a dead man, even if he’s Austern. You have a journal written in code and twenty wedding bands in a box. None of those are a crime. Maybe we can figure it out. Yes, the old man was evil, but I’m not sure he’s responsible for every crime ever committed.”

  Kellie’s eyes flashed at Drew. “This is creepy. Everything I found out about the asylum today was positive. It was a lovely place that offered exceptional care. Then it closed. Oaklin hospital was large enough to take care of people. No one wanted to purchase an asylum, and it sat deteriorating. It gained the rep of being haunted by the people who died there. If Morgan and the old man did the things Austern suggested, it could be haunted.” She covered her mouth with her hands and shook her head.

  “No more ghosts, Kellie please.” He threw his hands in the air and grabbed his head. “I don’t think I can take it.”

  “Okay, okay, let’s have dinner and then discuss this with the others. Maybe we’ll come up with an idea.” She turned her head away from him, tears forming in the corners. Her long blonde hair fell across her face hiding her tears from him. His attitude was hurting her more each day.

  ########

  After dinner, Andrea visited Cole. The friends sat around the dining room table to discuss what Kellie had learned. Hunter and Taylor read the letter from Austern and glanced through the journal. The four sat in silence until Hunter spoke.

  He scowled as he looked at the journal. “There may be a master list with full names somewhere, but there are 53 sets of initials or nick-names listed here. The dates are all in the 1950s. Most of the diagnoses are depression and the monetary amounts vary from $100,000 to $200,000. If this is the only journal, they made close to three quarters of a million dollars.” Hunter leaned his chin in his hand and looked out the window for a few moments. “Both men would have had to pay their employees and some upkeep. For them to be as rich as they became from this crime, it would have to be a bigger operation. Maybe they kept more journals. I told you we need to take a road trip to the asylum.”

  Kellie wrung her hands but agreed. “I need to find out all I can about what the old man did. They may have hidden more journals in the asylum.”

  “No! I’m sick of this insanity. We’re done with it. The old man is dead, it’s over.” Drew grabbed Austern’s letter and the journal off the table, rushed into the parlor, and tossed them into the fireplace.

  Kellie screamed at Drew to stop. She chased him into the parlor, but it was too late. Grabbing his arm, he switched hands and threw the papers into the flames. The flames leaped and consumed what they had been fed. Drew’s smug expression surprised them all. Kellie noticed the final page of the journal had fallen out and she grabbed it off the floor. Drew took a step forward to retrieve it, and Kellie held it behind her back. Her eyes flashed with anger and her jaw was set tight.

  “You had no right to destroy those papers. They were given to me only,” Kellie yelled. “Austern said we could be in danger. The old man was into something unspeakable, and I want to know what it is. All I have now is this list of twenty people who died. The 53 names are gone forever. We’ll never be able to find their families. I’m sure they’d want to know. I’m grateful Hunter figured out how much money the asylum took in. I’m going to make a donation anonymously.”

  “Why anonymously?” asked Taylor.

  “The Malone name was hated in town for quite a while. Since we moved into the mansion, cleaned it up, and revived the graveyard, we appear normal. We attend functions and make donations of time and money. People are accepting the Malone name as normal. If this gets out, I’ll have to leave town. Heaven only knows how people would treat Kyle. He carries the Malone name. At least I can hide behind my married name.”

  “I understand, but do you really have to go to the asylum?” Taylor’s face scrunched.

  “I’m going, and Hunter said he wanted to check it out. You don’t have to come.”

  Taylor looked at Kellie, “Where you go, I go. It can’t be any worse than the time we snuck into the old warehouse and the watchman chased us through the woods.”

  “I forgot about that,” Kellie laughed.

  “Remember, we’re more than friends and less than sisters. We’re our own special family.”

  Drew, in a foul mood, mumbled, “When did you come up with that, kindergarten?”

  “Third grade,” Taylor said.

  Drew thought they had gone insane, and he knew having anything to do with the asylum was crazy, but Kellie was his wife. He couldn’t let her go alone.

  Kellie folded the loose page from the journal and slipped it into her pocket. She had a feeling the wedding bands belonged to the names on the page. She picked up the box of wedding bands, her coat and purse, and headed for the door.

  “Where are you going? It’s getting late,” Drew asked.

  “Out,” she snapped glaring at him.

  She turned her back and walked away. Angry with him, she drove to her old house, the home she grew up in. She hadn’t had the heart to sell it, and now it would hide the journal page and box of rings before Drew destroyed them, too. It took her less than five minutes to hide them in the special place she had found as a child. It had held so many treasures over the years. Now it held one more. Kellie smiled and returned to the mansion.

  No one asked her where she had been.

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Cole was released from the hospital on Friday. Twenty-four hour home health care had been arranged. Claude had a second twin bed moved into a spare bedroom. Andrea wanted the twin beds until she was sure she wouldn’t harm Cole while they were sleeping. The room was directly across from the guest room. It would be accessible to the health care workers.

  Andrea pulled the car around to the back door of the mansion and stopped. Claude met the car and assisted Troy, the health care worker, to position a resistant Cole into a wheel chair.

  “I’m home now, I don’t need the chair.” Cole grumbled.

  Andrea said, “The doctor wants you to use it until you regain your strength. You don’t want to g
o back to the hospital, do you?”

  Frustration showed on his face, although he knew she was right. “Okay, for you.”

  She hugged him, and he finally allowed Troy to wheel him into the house.

  ########

  Kellie had a short day and arrived home a little before three. Cole was sitting in the large chair in the library. She hurried in to hug him and welcome him home. No one had mentioned anything to Andrea about the journal or what they learned about the asylum. They knew she would be busy with Cole and wouldn’t want to visit the asylum. Cole didn’t need more worries.

  “I was wondering if you would ever want to be in this room again,” Kellie said.

  “The old man is gone, and I don’t have to worry about spirits wielding swords. I’ve always liked this room so why not?” He smiled the big grin Kellie had missed.

  “I hope it feels like home again.”

  “It does, but what happened to the sword?” He noticed the empty spot on the wall where it had hung.

  “The police took it after your attack, or what they’re calling a mishap. I told them to give it to the museum.”

  “Great idea.”

  ########

  Bright sunlight woke Drew. He tried to shake off the grogginess he felt. It was Saturday morning. An entire free weekend beckoned. Goofing off, watching sports, taking naps, and making love in the morning were on his agenda. Drew reached for Kellie. She wasn’t in bed. He noticed the faint aroma of coffee. That meant she was already awake, but why so early? The asylum! Did she and Hunter leave without him? The instant panic woke him fully. He grabbed his robe and raced downstairs only to find Kellie, Hunter, and Taylor enjoying a hearty breakfast.

  “Morning, sleepyhead. You better grab some breakfast if you want to go with us. It’s in the mid-30s out, but it might snow later. We won’t get better weather to visit the asylum.”

  “You’re joking. You’re really going? Have you lost your mind?” Drew yanked out a dining room chair, but didn’t sit. He placed his hands on the back of the chair and tightened them until they shook.