I ignored her pleading for the moment. “Lloyd, did you ever tell anyone that you'd locked Prudence in the library basement?” I knew my theory was quickly becoming a fact. How could I prove it?
“I didn't. What does this have to do with anything?” He moved closer to Belinda to protect his sister from my accusations, one hand on her shoulder and the other keeping me further away.
“Please confirm that you refused to see any visitors once they put you in prison.”
While he hesitantly nodded, Belinda's eyes opened wide. She realized the vital mistake that'd given away the truth. She was trapped, forced to fabricate an excuse or escape without being caught.
“Lloyd, you confessed to Sheriff Montague what you did fifty years ago, but no one else had the opportunity to find out until she released that information days later.” I paced the room, bobbing my head to clarify the order of prior events. “The morning after your confession, Belinda and I met at the high school to discuss my cousin's punishment. She made a point of saying how she couldn't believe you'd locked Prudence in the library basement. But I'd never told her that part. Nor had you.”
Nana D huffed. “Which means unless Belinda was present the day Lloyd locked up Prudence, she couldn't have known what he'd done nor been able to tell Kellan what he'd confessed to.”
Lloyd flushed an even deeper red. “I never told her what I did. Not even before confessing.”
“Bingo! Belinda must've followed you downstairs that day, waiting to see what you would do about Prudence. She lit a fire that burned the old wing of the library to the ground.”
Lara interrupted. “That's why Belinda fought the recent plans to renovate the library. She knew Ian was buried underneath the building and feared we would discover her secret.”
I smiled. “Thanks for the reminder. I'd suspected her motives the whole time, just never connected it to the murder until recently. She claimed Hiram offered to pay for her to rent a house elsewhere, but at St. Mary's, he swore there'd be no more money or consideration for her welfare.”
Constance replied, “Money that Hiram stole from my family. The two of them tried to have all the Garibaldis permanently erased from existence.”
Belinda lunged toward Constance, pushing her brother out of the way, and scratched at her arms with malicious tenacity. “I would've killed you if O'Malley hadn't shown up to surprise his wife.”
Minnie gasped. “What did you do to my Ian?”
After I trapped Belinda, restricting her from further hurting Constance, she rustled and groaned. “He was there with a picnic basket for you, Minnie. I caught him trying to access the room where my brother had locked Prudence. Ian told me about his unexpected return and that he'd just called you to reveal the wonderful surprise.”
“I knew it wasn't just a dream.” Minnie softly croaked, then turned to Father Elijah for comfort.
“Ian realized I'd just started the fire. We struggled, and I hit him with a piece of wood. I had to stop him from saving Prudence. Somehow, he rescued that awful woman, if she's still alive and standing before us now.” Belinda glowered at Constance, still under the impression that she was Prudence. “How do you keep escaping death? You've always taken everything away from me.”
Belinda explained that she'd always loved Hiram, but when Prudence and the Garibaldi money lured Hiram away from her, she was furious. She hovered on the sidelines, hopeful that Hiram would come to his senses. Then, her moment had arrived. Prudence was crazy and losing touch with reality. Hiram wanted to divorce her. When she discovered that Lloyd had locked Prudence in the library, Belinda decided her only way to ensure Prudence wouldn't be a problem anymore was if she died. Belinda had learned she couldn't bear her own children. Prudence's death presented an opportunity for her to raise the baby. Fear and jealousy had compelled her to murder Prudence, only Ian had gotten in the way. “I'd always thought Prudence died in the fire and that no one had discovered her body.”
Constance painfully revealed she wasn't Prudence, lamenting the murder of her sister several days earlier. “We were going to punish Hiram for his past sins and get all our money back. Now, my baby sister is dead because of you, Belinda. You're a wicked devil woman.”
Damien stooped to the ground, stopping himself from getting sick. “She killed my birthmother. I'll never get to meet the woman who left me.” No one knew what to do at that moment for the man.
Lloyd cleared this throat. “Minnie, I'm so sorry for everything. Please forgive me.”
Minnie reached a hand to him, and Father Elijah let his sister-in-law walk toward Lloyd. He had something more important to address. “Damien, we have so much to discuss. Constance is your aunt, my child. Jane is your cousin. You have other family who want to be here for you.”
Bartleby and Constance embraced, exhausted from months of emotional pain and secrecy. “It's finally over. You can come out of hiding, my love,” he said, then scowled at Belinda and nodded at me.
Belinda accepted that we had tricked her. April and Connor entered the room, separating the guests. While April questioned Belinda, I thought through everything that'd happened in the last two weeks. Belinda had told me about a nightmare where she thought Prudence was alive and standing at her bedside. Prudence had actually been sneaking into Belinda's house.
Then, when Belinda went to the Fall Festival to ask Madam Zenya about vanquishing a ghost, Belinda must've realized something funny was going on. Prudence also dressed as Madam Zenya at St Mary's, dropping her cell phone in the commotion. Belinda picked it up and orchestrated Hiram and Madam Zenya meeting at the haunted hayride. She disguised her voice when she called Chip to keep him away from the carriage. She needed to ensure no one else was around when she confronted the pair. Unexpectedly, Minnie had shown up and wielded the pitchfork with her bare hands, prompting Belinda to discover an opportunity to solve all her problems in one fell swoop.
Belinda confessed to attacking Hiram and Madam Zenya for several reasons. Hiram had learned from Raelynn that Hope was his daughter and Damien was Father Elijah's son. Elijah and Raelynn had confided in one another, which was why she'd been talking to him at the church recently. Once Hiram had learned the news, he'd taunted Belinda that he was leaving the Grey money to Hope. She was his eldest child, and Damien wasn't even his son. Hiram also knew Damien had been the one to pour kerosene on the carriage, intending to hurt Lloyd for locking his biological mother in the library. Hiram wanted to teach Damien a lesson, but Belinda struck first.
Belinda knew she had to kill Hiram before anyone else discovered the news about his biological children, not realizing he'd already changed his will. She'd also discovered that Prudence must still be alive, as there was no other reason for Madam Zenya to know the truth about the past. Her only other explanation was that Madam Zenya could truly communicate with the dead, but Belinda couldn't risk it. She'd never known that Constance Garibaldi was alive.
Belinda had intended to make Hiram's death look like an accident. In the ensuing struggle, her aim was off and caused the carriage to jolt forward. The horses got spooked and broke free. She took a second successful aim at Madam Zenya with the pitchfork, then jumped off the carriage when the horses freaked out and galloped away. She never had the chance to kill Hiram. She followed the coach toward the old grain silo, but my father and I had stumbled upon it first, forcing her to abandon the plan. Belinda had been waiting for the most opportune time to finish killing Hiram before they awoke him from his coma. She wanted to ensure Damien would inherit the money and that no one could reveal the truth about her actions fifty years ago. “This cursed house was my downfall,” Belinda wailed.
Bartleby grunted. “Belinda must've followed me here after engineering the hayride incident. She attacked me when I went down to the basement, only I didn't realize it was her.”
“You should've stayed out of the situation, Grosvalet. You were getting too close. I wouldn't have had to stop you. I was still downstairs when Kellan found you on the ground. If he hadn't
run back upstairs to get his phone, I wouldn't have had time to sneak out the back. I barely had time to push the door shut to delay him from getting you medical help. I watched him through the window, and when that cop showed up, I took off.” Belinda hissed, fighting Connor as he escorted her off the property.
Xavier left to check on Hiram at the hospital. Damien begged Finnigan to help keep his mother out of prison. Finnigan refused to get involved, citing a conflict of interest as Hiram's attorney. When Finnigan wouldn't yield, Damien turned to Lara and asked his ex-wife to find an attorney for his mother. She agreed, casting a sorrowful gaze at Damien, and avowed, “You're letting me have the exclusive on this entire escapade for my newscast tomorrow morning.”
Damien complied, then turned to his biological father, Elijah O'Malley, and his aunt, Constance Garibaldi. “I need to help my mother, but we will discuss what all this means.” Damien approached Father Elijah and promised to visit the following day to address the discovery that they were father and son. Damien rushed to the sheriff's office with his mother after Father Elijah agreed to meet. The priest shook his head disapprovingly at me and ushered Minnie toward the door. “What an awful evening!”
Nana D joined them as they left. “Don't be upset with my brilliant grandson. He's the hero who solved the mystery of your brother's death.”
Eleanor was the first to notice that Hope and Raelynn had snuck out of the house during all the commotion. After letting me know that she saw them drive away, Eleanor dashed to the diner to relieve Manny from the dinner crowd. Since Raelynn and Hope were innocent of any involvement in the murder or attempted murders, I let them go. I could secure a visit through Brad to Hiram's hospital room the following day. Hope needed to meet her father, assuming he'd awaken from the coma with all his memories and other necessary functions intact. Would he remember what Belinda had done?
As the rain settled down, Bartleby and Constance were the last two remaining in my house. “I can't begin to understand what you two have been going through the last few weeks.”
Constance smiled. “It hasn't been easy. We have you to thank for setting everyone free. I'll miss my sister but having a few weeks together before Belinda took her away again was a blessing.”
“And you have me too.” Bartleby pulled her close against him in comfort.
“Yes,” Constance replied, leaning against him and inhaling deeply. “We have a busy weekend ahead. It's Halloween soon, and I have tons of things to accomplish before we celebrate. I need to meet my nephew, Damien, and I want to reconnect with Prudence.”
“Huh,” I said bemusedly, shaking my head and feeling a chill surround me.
“Now that Prudence is truly gone, it'll be easier for me to contact her spirit.” Constance cupped Bartleby's hand and sauntered out of the home she'd adored as a child. “I've already spoken with her once, Kellan… in the last few minutes while you chatted with the sheriff.”
“What did she say?”
“Prudence wants you to keep the house and wind chimes. No matter that Hiram stole it from us, she's gone, and I have my life outside Braxton. So… it's yours, permanently. I won't fight the sale.”
I graciously thanked Constance and watched as she and Bartleby exited. It was well into the middle of the night and time for me to return to the cottage. Luckily, the kids were with my parents and I could get a full night's sleep before my birthday descended. Then I realized, it was after midnight, which meant it already was my birthday.
I turned off the kitchen lights and walked through the hallway, shaking my head at the unexpected news and madness that'd occurred throughout the evening. As I passed the closed basement door, a gentle knock tapped against it. I didn't feel the need to check who was on the other side. When I stepped onto the porch, the wind chimes dangled for what seemed an eternity. This time, it was a pleasant and comforting sound. I knew Prudence was simply saying goodnight.
Chapter 19
A disturbing, haunting sound floated through the thin crack between the bottom of my bedroom door and its wooden sill. I lay in my bed, mostly still asleep, trying to decide if it were a dream or an unfortunate reality about to start all over again. Then, the eerie creak of the door hinges wafted across the room like smoke curling around a firepit. Only two things set my mind at ease. One, freshly brewed coffee percolated nearby. Two, Baxter leapt through the air, landing on two paws and tumbling into my face. It was time for me to jump out of bed and accept the arrival of my birthday.
“What is that infernal racket?” I shouted to no one save a dog who tilted his head and yelped. Who was making coffee in the cottage? What year was it? Why me? We weren't moving into the new house until the following day, and everything was mostly packed. The whole situation confounded me.
Emma ran into the bedroom, dressed in her adorable costume, singing a Halloween song about cartoon pumpkins coming to life. “Nana D brought Baxter a costume. Can I put it on him?”
With one eye slanted open, I yawned and reached for my glasses. Baxter had already burrowed under the covers and began whimpering. “I don't think he wants to wear one, honey. What time is it?”
“Auntie Eleanor said it was time to wake you up because it's your birthday and the rest of the world has been up for hours.” Emma cocked her head and shrugged, her tongue partially sticking out of her mouth as she threw herself on top of me. “I've been up hours waiting for you, Daddy.”
“That's nice, sweetheart. Since it's my birthday, how about I get to sleep for another hour?”
“Not on your life,” a sarcastic voice shouted at the doorway, reminiscent of Ulan but more muffled. “If I had to wake up at this ridiculous hour, you have to get up.” When he wandered into my bedroom, he had the worst bedhead I'd ever seen. I retracted that thought once I saw my reflection in the mirror.
“How bad is it?” I tossed Emma over my shoulders with one arm, grabbed a squirming puppy with the other, and trudged into the hallway. “Is the whole family out there, or do I have a clean getaway path?” My eyes focused downward as I lumbered out of the bedroom, laughing at the ratty flannel lounging pants I'd fallen asleep in. After the séance and confrontation had ended, I stumbled home at four o'clock in the morning. Judging by the sun's persistent rays, it was barely eight now.
“You're trapped. Aunt Violet and Uncle Wesley are directing Eleanor how to pack the moving truck. Nana D is cooking you a birthday breakfast, and… well, I don't know if you want me to tell you the rest.” Ulan rolled his eyes and stomped toward the kitchen. “I value my life too much, cousin.”
I paused in the hallway and dropped a giggling Emma on the floor. Baxter jumped out of my other hand and chased her toward the living room. “It's my birthday, and this is what I wake up to?”
“Yep, and I'm already moving my stuff over from the main farmhouse,” my brother Gabriel shouted, body-checking me as he passed me in the hallway. “Hurry up and get out. I want to move in.”
“When did you return?” I puffed my chest and stammered, unable to recover from my daze.
“Last night. That's when Mom arranged for everything.” Gabriel looked me up and down and snorted. “Dude, you've seen better days. I guess that happens when you get old.”
“I'm thirty-three, not ancient like Nana D,” I mumbled, apparently a little too loudly.
“This is the thanks I get, brilliant one?” Nana D stood in front of me with a spatula and a plate of pancakes that smelled heavenly. “I ought to slap your bottom silly for that rude comment.”
“Are those my favorite kind?” I reached toward her to grab one, but she spanked me with the kitchen tool—once on my hand and then on my rear end when I turned around. “Ouch! I was only kidding. What is going on around here?” I watched a bunch of people moving around the cottage in a flurry, some with boxes and others with brooms and a vacuum. It felt like Mary Poppins and her happy crew of Halloween helpers had descended upon my life.
Nana D tut-tutted. “Long or short version?”
I rolled my
eyes again.
“We decided that you deserve a break. Instead of buying presents, we're all helping you move to the new place today, so you can sleep there for the first night on your birthday.” Nana D walked back toward the kitchen and placed the plate on the table. “We must've been high to be that nice.”
“Did you say no presents?” It was the first response popping into my head, and by the blaze of terror I felt, it was the wrong thing to say. “I mean, that's totally, super, amazing, wonderful awesome.”
“Exactly,” Gabriel replied. “The sooner you move out, the sooner I move in. Did you find your other surprise yet? Well, two of them, if I'm being truthful. Oh, this is not gonna be pretty.”
I shook my head. What was I in for? Maybe I could join Belinda in prison instead.
Ulan handed me a gift-wrapped box. “We got you one present. It's your Halloween costume for later when you take Emma trick-or-treating while we're moving all your stuff to the new place.”
I asked about the second surprise, but they insisted I open the box first. So, I did, and then my stomach plummeted. In it were a pair of tapered orange sweats, the kind I'd been harassing Ulan about, and a neon-green cable-knit sweater vest. “I don't get it. Why am I being punished on my birthday?”
Emma hugged me. “You'll look adorable when we go out later, Daddy.”
“Check the backside of the pants, Kellan,” my mother insisted, a devilish grin occupying her face.
I pulled out the dreaded sweatpants and turned them over to find thirty-three candles sewn onto the rear panel. My face instantly flushed, as if I were experiencing a menopausal hot flash, and I wasn't a woman. If that's what my mother had been dealing with lately, no wonder she complained so fervently. “I'm not wearing this. Not on your life. Why do you all hate me? I told you when I was thirteen that I was done with this type of costume, and now that I'm—”
Haunted House Ghost: Death At The Fall Festival (Braxton Campus Mysteries Book 5) Page 28