Richard couldn't be more delighted. He knew he had just landed the opportunity of a lifetime.
* 2 *
Following up on an advertisement he had spotted in the newspaper several weeks earlier, Trent purchased a quaint beach house situated just outside of town. It was summertime and he could not think of a better way to invest some 'spare change'.
The beach house bore a dynamic sea view from the inside and a couple of miles down the way, through the eyes of binoculars, another could be clearly seen which didn't possess either the size or charm of the one Trent had acquired.
Trent took Tina there for the first time and she was instantly amazed by its grace and life. "This is so wonderful," she gushed, kicking off her slippers in the sand.
Trent tossed his arm around her neck. "This is where we'll come to relax and enjoy the beauty of nature - you, me, and our baby."
"And this is where we'll spend our honeymoon," Tina added.
Trent beamed with gladness when he heard the words and kissed her on the forehead as they walked inside together.
He headed straight to the kitchen and grabbed a chilled bottle of apple cider from the small cooler and two glasses from the cupboard. "Let's celebrate," he said.
Tina threw down their towels and they both sat on the floor next to each other.
This place is really neat, honey." She took a sip of her drink. "I like it here."
"I thought you would. I figured it would be good for us to get away sometimes and spend some vacations here."
"Well, you made the right choice." Smiling, she leaned over and kissed him. "I just know we're going to have a wonderful life together, honey. I'm really looking forward to being a good wife and mother. "
"I'm sure you'll be both," He gently assured her.
"And you'll be a great father too."
"Thanks, my love. Let's raise our glasses for a toast to our beautiful baby that's on the way and our new life together," Trent said.
When the bottle of apple cider had dwindled to half-full, they spread their towels outside on the beach and lay there for hours watching the waves softly crash against the sand.
* 3 *
Although her neck ached terribly as a result of a bad sleeping position she had the night before, Solange went about doing chores as usual. While polishing the furniture, she looked outside and observed a postal worker inserting letters into the mailbox. She hurried outside and collected them as soon as the man had left. Rummaging through the envelopes on her way inside, she noticed there was one from Victor.
She sat on the couch and tore open the only envelope that was of any interest to her. The letter was quite lengthy and she felt that Victor might have some distressing news for her. Her old friend started by informing her of his complete recovery from the stomach virus, then provided her with some shocking information that would change her life forever. He stated that, Solange's natural mother who had resided in America before she died, had given birth to another child - a boy - two years after Solange was given up for adoption in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Shocked and excited by the news, Solange rested the letter on her lap, pausing for a moment to consider the gravity of what she had just read. But how could that be, she wondered, when she had given me up for adoption just a couple of years prior to that? How could she keep the other child and not keep me? Then she remembered that up to the point she had read, Victor hadn't mentioned that her mother actually kept the other child. She picked up the letter and continued reading.
As she quickly perused, Solange soon discovered that her mother had, in fact, kept the other child and Victor apologized for not informing Solange of the news prior to her departure to America. He added that her adoptive parents never wanted her to know about the other child for some reason that was not shared with him. However, his conscience had now prevailed and he had to reveal the truth.
Solange sat back trying to digest the news that now made her seriously wonder who she was in relation to her biological family. There was a link to her that she could not ignore - a sibling that she had never met. Knowing that she could not share with Greg her newly-found knowledge if she wanted to protect her true identity, she decided to go on her own to the place Victor had mentioned in his letter and try to find her brother.
Now feeling energized with hopes of a good future before her, she decided to rearrange the entire living room. So, chair by chair and table by table, she slid to the sides of the room. She started to roll up the large carpet that partially covered the tiled floor when about midway, she noticed a rectangular board filling about a six foot area in the center of the floor. She knelt down beside it, lifted it slowly and peered down into the dark space that extended beneath the house. It was a cellar.
Curious that Greg had never shown it to her before nor even mentioned it, Solange decided to explore. She positioned her feet carefully on the top step, then slowly descended to the bottom. The room was pitch-dark and she almost tumbled down the last few steps when she noticed a silver spark dangling from the ceiling. She immediately figured it was a light switch. Advancing across the room towards it, she happened to bump into what she thought were a few boxes. She reached up and pulled the string. The light flashed on, but barely brightened the room. However, Solange could clearly see boxes everywhere as well as old furniture. In a corner were two matching bureaus with lamps, teddy bears and various other items on top. Solange pulled out several drawers one by one and found clothing inside. The clothing had a musty smell to them as if they had been stuffed inside the drawers for a long time. Moving across the room, she spotted a toy train sitting on a night-stand, an alarm clock, pots and pans, and a rusty ironing board stood in the corner. Everything seemed usable and she wondered why they were locked away down there.
Solange soon noticed a door behind the stairway. It was barely noticeable as it blended in well with the color of the room. Wondering what might be behind the door, she carefully made her way over to it. Twisting the handle, she discovered that it was locked. There must be a key around here somewhere, she thought.
Thinking that Greg would not keep a key in close proximity to a place he had secured, she rushed upstairs to his bedroom. She hurriedly searched all of the drawers and under Greg's mattress, but found nothing. Unsure where to look next, she flopped onto the bed still filled with raging curiosity. Then her eyes met the closet. Jumping to her feet, she grabbed the small chair nearby and stood on it. There were a couple of new shoes still in boxes on the top shelf. As she grabbed one of the boxes to check inside, something fell! She looked down--it was a key. Hoping she had found the right key, she put the box back in place, then hurried down to the cellar.
At the bottom of the stairs, her rush adjusted to a slow, careful motion. She advanced to the left - toward the door behind the stairs and pushed the key inside the knob. She twisted it and the door immediately cracked open. Inside was a tiny compartment with another silver string hanging from the ceiling. Suspecting that it was another light switch, Solange reached up and pulled the string. The room instantly lit up and to her horror, she found herself looking down into the hollow eye-sockets of a human skeleton on the floor.
She quickly backed away, stumbling over a soda crate that sat directly behind her. Her heart was racing and with trembling hands, she switched off the light, exited the tiny room and locked the door behind her. Having the frame of mind to do all that and not just run out screaming to the top of her lungs bewildered her, but she knew that Greg couldn't possibly find out that she was down there nor that she was on to his secret. She bumped into the main cellar wall suddenly feeling nauseous, then made her way over to the main light and switched it off. She rushed upstairs and collapsed onto the living room floor. Just then, she remembered Laurie's words: "She saw the whole thing", and Hazel's admonition that she should promptly leave the house. They knew all along.
Her eyes veered over to the door of the room she had slept in for months. Rising from the floor and feeling sicker by the moment
, Solange walked over to the door. She pushed it all the way open and just stood there appraising the room. She now seriously wondered why it was decorated the way it was: The blue wall paint, the childish paintings and twin beds. It had to have been the children's room. Only, Greg never said that he had children.
Solange wanted to know who the person was in that cellar. The cracked skull was a tell-tale sign to her that this was most likely no natural death. This was a murder. Yet, she knew she couldn't involve herself in any such investigation since technically, she was a murderer herself. It would be too risky. So, with a multitude of troubling thoughts and crippling fear, she gently pulled the door shut again.
* 4 *
Richard was making a good impression on the job. He needed very little training and was exceptional in his ability to suggest rational methods of getting things done quickly and meticulously. Naturally, Trent and Peter were pleased with the new addition to their corporate family.
Richard's office was commodious and beautiful. It offered a great view of the city, yet he was seldom in there. He had made a daily habit of quickly doing the bulk of his paperwork, then going out and lending assistance to his colleagues who were trying to meet their deadlines. Mostly everyone liked him. When everyone in his department had left the office for the day, he would remain behind, exploring the huge edifice with great interest. This happened for the first couple of days.
Welly Windslow, a security guard stationed in the foyer who often worked the night-shift, was hardly ever awake at his booth after hours. Sneaking past him was easy for Richard to do. Welly was still a bachelor in his early sixties and considered a 'sweet talker' by most of the ladies in the building. He was harmless, nonetheless, and as Richard walked past him, he was confident that Welly would not get in his way.
* 5 *
Solange didn't bother to knock. She pushed the screen door wide open and stormed inside the house.
"Hazel! Laurie! Where are you?!"
Hazel emerged in the hallway. "I guess you've found them, right?"
Solange's jaw dropped. "I found something…but how did you know?"
Hazel walked over to the couch and sat down. "I told you to leave and you didn't listen so now you have exposed yourself to this horrible thing."
Solange sat next to her. "Hazel, when you said you saw the whole thing, you meant that you actually saw someone die with your own eyes?"
"I saw those people murdered, but not with the eyes you're referring to. I saw them with the eyes of my mind. They are my true eyes, my dear, and they have seen further than I could ever see with my natural eyes."
"Those people?"
"Yes. His family; his wife and children," Hazel replied.
"Wife? Children?" Solange was perplexed. "But I only saw one skeleton in the cellar."
"That's all you saw. She was such a wonderful girl that Mary Ann. She would've done anything for Gregory and their sons. The boys were twins, you know. I saw what happened to them in my dream; watched him murder them one by one. Then I woke up and I knew he had hidden them somewhere on that property. He told the police that Mary Ann had long since threatened to leave him and that she must've finally upped and did so while he was out working. But I knew from day one that they never left that property. Since the authorities found no clues, they couldn't charge Gregory with anything. He even put up flyers with his wife and sons' pictures everywhere; he worked it like a genius."
"Did you tell the police what you knew?" Solange asked.
Hazel nodded. "I tried to tell them, but they wouldn't listen. They thought I was just an old lady talking out of my head. There was nothing else I could do. Tell me, did the skeleton you find look like an adult frame or that of a child?"
"Definitely an adult," Solange answered.
"Then it's most likely Mary Ann and he put the boys somewhere else - maybe buried them in the yard."
"Why would he do that? I mean…why wouldn't he just bury all of them instead of leaving one of them in the house?"
Hazel thought for a moment. "It could be that he wanted to be able to see Mary Ann from time to time. He never did have much use for those boys. Mary Ann once told me after the twins were born Gregory changed; he started to accuse her of being all into the boys and neglecting him. I always thought something was wrong with him mentally, but Mary Ann had no clue until after those kids were born."
"I have to get to the bottom of this," Solange sighed. "Perhaps Greg just snapped and wasn't aware of what he was doing. Maybe he was possessed by something evil. Whatever his reasons were for doing this can't be justified and I have to find out the story behind this - one way or the other. The corpse in that cellar has to be identified and given the proper burial and those boys must be found and granted the same decency."
"I strongly suggest you let the police know what you found and leave the rest to them. Get away from that house and that horrible man, and move on," Hazel said. "What's done is done. Gregory will receive his due punishment in a way the law can never issue it."
"I can't. I can't just leave like that. He owes me an explanation for all this."
"And what if you don't get one?" Hazel asked with an intense gaze.
Solange was speechless.
Hazel stood up. "If that's what you want, dear girl, then it's your life and your risk." She turned to leave. "Shut the door on your way out; will you?"
As Solange was leaving, Laurie was making her way up the porch steps with a bag of groceries.
"Liza, what are you doing here?" Laurie asked.
"You'll never believe what I've found. Your Aunt Hazel was right," Solange answered.
"You found Mary Ann, Jason and Justin?"
"Someone. I don't know who it is. Your aunt thinks it might be Mary Ann."
"Wait for me. Show me where she is." Laurie rushed the grocery bag into the kitchen, then hurried back outside to join her friend.
Solange slid the large area rug away from the cellar entrance and lifted the board.
Laurie peered inside the dark room. "She's down there?"
"I'll go in first. Follow me closely."
As they slowly descended the stairs, Laurie strained her eyes to avoid tripping or stumbling.
"Don't worry. There's nothing obstructing our way. But stay at the end of the stairs 'till I switch on the light," Solange said.
At the bottom, Solange walked over and switched on the light. Then she thought of something. "Stay here. I'm going up to get the key."
"The key?" Laurie asked puzzled.
"Yeah…for the other room."
"What other room?"
"Just wait till I return." Solange rushed upstairs to the living room when suddenly, she remembered that she never returned the key to Greg's room. She felt inside her skirt pocket and there it was. Anxious and nervous, she hurried back downstairs to Laurie and showed her the key. "The room's over there."
"Let's go then. What are we waiting for?" Laurie said eagerly.
"Hold on, little lady. I really thought a girl your age would have been terrified to see a creepy skeleton in a closet."
"Liza, get a grip. I'm not a wimp, you know."
"Let's go then," Solange replied.
They arrived at the door of the tiny room where Solange inserted the key. Before opening it, she looked at Laurie and asked: "Are you sure you're up to this?"
"Sure, I'm sure. Now open the door!" Laurie exclaimed as if she were embarking upon one of Sherlock Holmes' mysteries.
Solange twisted the knob and slowly pushed the door open. "Stay there," she said. "I'm going to switch on the light." She proceeded inside and pulled the silver string and when the light flashed on, Laurie screamed in terror!
Stunned by the girl's reaction who had just moments before seemed fearless, Solange ran over to Laurie and covered her mouth. "Calm down," she insisted. "It's all right. We're getting out of here now."
Laurie managed to compose herself while Solange switched off the light and quickly locked the door behind them, then
they dashed upstairs to the living room.
"Liza, you have to get outta here!" Laurie exclaimed. "Greg is a real lunatic!"
"I will leave, Laurie. I assure you of that."
"But when?"
"Don't worry. I can take care of myself," Solange said. "You must go now. I'll see you tomorrow morning after Greg leaves for work."
"After he leaves for work? You mean, you're not leaving now?!" Laurie was flabbergasted by how lightly Solange seemed to be taking the whole matter.
"No. I have a plan and I think the best time to work it would be tomorrow after he leaves." Solange glanced at her watch. "Now go, before he gets here!"
Laurie started to leave, then looked back. "I'm really sorry I screamed, Liza."
"That's okay. No harm done. Just don't spread this thing around, okay?"
"I won't... promise."
Solange watched Laurie run all the way home and did not close the door until she had seen her safely inside.
* 6 *
It didn't take Richard long to learn that Janice Moore and Tina Sheffield did not get along. He relished the adversity between them, especially now that it was public knowledge that Tina was pregnant for Trent Matheson.
Knowing that Janice was infatuated with Trent, Richard decided to take her under his wing, so to speak, and before long, she was swept in by his charm and her interest in Trent quickly diminished.
Richard decided to play a little game with her--to make life more exciting and fun. They started going out on lunch and dinner dates, and soon their colleagues knew that they were 'an item'. Tina was especially pleased.
It was a Thursday evening. Richard and Janice both decided to put in a couple of extra hours at work. By 7:00p.m., mostly everyone had left the building, but Welly Windslow, as usual, was seated at his station.
While at the proofing machine, Janice thought fondly of her new love. She was sending through general ledger entries caring very little about scrutinizing any of them beforehand. She had never felt so captivated by one man as she was by Richard Hillard. Her feelings for Trent didn't come close.
Immortals- The Complete Real Illusions Series Page 12