Headstone: The Curse

by Taylor, Tanya R.

  They all nodded in agreement, even if, in their hearts, they were generally unfazed.

  “With that said, I would suggest you get your father’s headstone. I can see his grave. It’s not well-kept and difficult to find since his name is barely visible on the card,” Mira added.

  “That is what’s behind everything that’s been happening to us, isn’t it?” Belinda’s eyes lit up.

  “It’s certainly where your most recent problems have originated,” Mira replied.

  “I knew it!” Belinda sat back in her chair. “I told you so, John!”

  “You didn’t come right out and say that, Belinda,” John corrected her. “You simply stated that it was Rachelle’s assertion that Dad probably isn’t at rest because of it.”

  “So, this means that Rachelle was actually being haunted by Dad’s ghost?” Belinda asked Mira, choosing to ignore John’s defense.

  “Your sister’s haunted by her own conscience,” Mira replied. “She also feels that you were a bad influence on her when it came to your father.”

  Belinda seemed startled by the revelation. “She’s her own woman. She could’ve seen Dad whenever she wanted to.”

  Toby and John could tell that Belinda was offended.

  “So, who’s gonna buy the headstone?” Mira asked, generally.

  “I was thinking that we all can chip…” Toby started.

  “Who’s going to pay for the headstone?” Mira interjected, focusing solely on John and Belinda.

  Belinda folded her arms and there was a brief pause before John said, “I’ll pay for it. No problem.”

  “Okay—we’re getting somewhere,” Mira replied. “The quicker you can get that arranged, the better.”

  “I’ll be jumping on it first thing in the morning,” John assured her.

  “Good.” She nodded. “Now we can move on to the next part. I’ll start with you, John.”

  John started to feel a bit anxious since he was sure Mira could see what he was hiding, and he was afraid she’d blurt it out in front of everyone.

  “You owe your wife an apology,” she said, bluntly. “She’s really hurting for literally no fault of her own. If you can find it in your heart to render a sincere apology to the woman you once claimed to love, perhaps, although broken, she will forgive you and what you fear the most would not materialize.” Mira knew as far as the break up was concerned, he was worried about his assets more than anything else. “You need to come clean with her about everything even if, in the end, the marriage isn’t saved.”

  “Okay.” John nodded. “I’ll do the right thing.”

  Mira then turned to Belinda who was still sitting with her arms folded. “Belinda… your need to control the people you perceive as weak defines who you really are on the inside: one that is craving attention and needing to be praised, because the truth is that you don’t think so well of yourself. You believe money and fine things cause people to look up to you and you feed off of it, but I know that inside you’re really miserable. What you fail to understand is that being the giver instead of the taker all the time is what would make your existence more meaningful. You—be the bearer of the compliments, the praise and whatever else you can do to brighten someone’s day, as opposed to always wanting to be celebrated and on the receiving end. When you make that shift, you will find true happiness.”

  Toby noticed the tears rolling down Belinda’s cheeks. It was the first time he’d seen her so moved since they were children. All she did was nod slowly.

  Mira then looked at Toby. She sensed his nervousness. “You have a kind heart, Toby, and a humble spirit. Right now, all I have to say to you is… continue making those doghouses and don’t worry about anything. Your wife was right—life is going to get better soon.”

  He smiled and felt a huge weight leave his shoulders. “Thank you, Dr. Cullen.”

  John arched his brow. He and Belinda had no idea their brother was making any doghouses. Belinda wasn’t the least bit interested anyway, as Mira’s admonishment of her was still ringing in her ears.

  “Is Rachelle going to be all right?” Toby asked Mira.

  “Your sister’s getting the counseling she needs where she’s at right now, so she’ll be fine,” she replied.

  Mira then addressed everyone. “I don’t know what you expected when you invited me here, but I gave you what I had and I hope it makes a difference in the direction your lives are going.”

  “Dr. Cullen…” John cleared his throat, “…what you’ve shared with us today has truly been enlightening and I want to thank you sincerely for taking the time to come here and do this for our family.”

  “It’s my pleasure.” Mira smiled. “I guess I’d better be going now, but before I do, I would like to get each of your phone numbers, just in case something else comes to me that I feel you should know.”

  “Certainly!” John replied.

  Mira retrieved a small diary from her purse and wrote down the numbers that each of them provided.

  Afterwards, John walked her to her car.

  “You saw more about me than what you shared, didn’t you?” he said to Mira as she got into the car.

  “Yes, but that’s none of our business. I did tell you though, that you should come clean to your wife. She has a right to know the truth, even if no one else does. Once you do what I suggested, your life will be on a better path.”

  “Okay.” He nodded, shutting the door for her.

  “Take care, John.”

  “You too, Dr. Cullen.”

  * * * *

  Ten minutes after Mira left for home, she stopped at the side of the road and dialed Toby Reed’s mobile phone.

  “This is Dr. Cullen,” she said. “Are you alone?”

  “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, th
en?” 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.

  Pre-order your copy here.

  If you enjoyed ‘HEADSTONE: THE CURSE’, please leave your review.

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  See how it all started…

  FREE EXCERPT OF THE #1 BESTSELLER CORNELIUS (Book 1 of The Cornelius Saga)

  FREE EXCERPT

  PROLOGUE

  It was a day and age much like today where every town, generation and household held firmly its secrets—torrid improprieties they would protect to the end of the world. Yet some secrets back then were far too shocking and disturbing to contain—ones entangled with emotions of such intensity that would shock the very life out of ‘innocent’, reserved folk.

  The year was 1861. The town of Mizpah was on the verge of the abolition of slavery. White people with a conscience and black folk alike prayed and fought long and hard for the day when all human beings were considered equal in the eyes of the law.

  Cornelius Ferguson, only the wealthiest planter in all of Mizpah, didn’t support the views of the abolitionist movement in that territory nor in any other for that matter. Negro labor was highly favorable for his pockets and he couldn’t imagine conducting his plantation affairs by any other means.

  June 12th of 1861 was the day his life would forever change. It was the day a colored girl by the name of Karlen Key walked through his door. She was beautiful, literate, well-spoken—a rare breed and long-awaited trade off from another planter across the river. Cornelius had been anticipating her arrival. Germina, a rotund, elderly house slave with a few long strands protruding from her chin, met Karlen at the door and showed her where to put her tattered bag. Cornelius stood thirty feet away in the great room facing the entrance way, highly pleased and mesmerized by the new addition to his household. Karlen’s eyes met his for a brief moment before she quickly lowered her head, made a slight bow and greeted her master. The twenty-one-year-old had no idea that her arrival at the Ferguson plantation would alter the course of her life and those around her in a most uncanny way.

  1

  _________________

  Summer of 1965

  "Wade! Mira!" Sara Cullen called her kids from outside the kitchen door. "Time to come inside and get yourselves cleaned up for dinner!"

  Fourteen-year-old, Wade and thirteen-year-old, Mira were in the road playing ‘bat and ball’ in front of their yard with Monique Constantakis and her cousin Philip. Mira had just swung the bat for her turn to run the bases.

  "Let’s go!" Wade shouted to his sister as she considered one last run before heading inside. "If you don’t come now, I’m leaving you and you’ll be in big trouble with Dad." On that, he took off up to the driveway of their home and Mira, with a tinge of disappointment, handed the bedraggled, semi-splintered bat to Monique who was standing behind her.

  "See you later," Monique said, visibly disappointed that her new friend had to leave.

  "Yeah," Mira said before heading up the driveway behind her brother who had disappeared into the house.

  The table, as usual, had been beautifully set for dinner. Sara Cullen was a true perfectionist and wanted everything to be
just right when her husband of fifteen years, Michael, stepped into the dining room for his meal. She worshipped the dirt the man walked on and kept herself in the finest physical shape she could possibly manage. She was five feet, ten inches tall, and remarkably thin. Her hair was long, black and curly, and her features narrow. Michael Cullen was not the most attractive man in the world, but he carried big, broad shoulders and a six-pack most men would die for. Furthermore, he collected a handsome paycheck at the end of each week, lived in a nice neighborhood, and sported a two-year-old red Jaguar. Nevertheless, Sara—Head Nurse at Freedom Hospital—could not be accused of being with him solely for his money or his executive status at the State-run Gaming Board. They had met fresh out of high school when all they had ahead of them were nothing more than dreams and aspirations.

  Mira sat at the table first though Wade had been the first to wash up.

  "Wade! Where are you?!" Sara cried, as she hurried around placing the remaining items on the table. The boy showed up moments later.

  "Where were you all that time?" Sara asked. "You know I like both of you to be seated before I call your dad out."

  "I had to… brush my hair." Wade lowered his head slightly.

  "That’s a lie!" Mira blurted with a wide smile. "He had to use the toilet!"

  "Liar!" Wade rebutted.

  "You had to use the toilet! You had to use the toilet!" Mira sang.

  "Now stop it - both of you!" Sara barked. "This is no time for games... and wipe that smile off your face Mira; I’m not playing!"

  "Yes, Mother," Mira softly replied.