‘Tell me the fucking truth,’ she demanded, ‘or so help me…’
Michael realised that she was in bitter conflict with her demons, those extreme alter personalities that shaped her volatile character. She was literally on a knife edge. So was Kara.
‘Lauren, you were not responsible for your father’s killing. Yes, you hit him. Yes, you meant to hurt him. But it was your sister who actually did the deed. When she was alone with him, she discovered he was still breathing. This made her pick up the poker and finally smash him to death. She finished the job you started. This she did with vengeance in mind, for all the years of torture that he inflicted on both of you. He was still alive after you attacked him. ’
‘No! No! ’ Lauren’s voice reached a pitiful crescendo.
Michael held out a comforting hand for her to take. ‘Don’t you get it, Lauren? Listen to my words. I repeat: your father was still alive when you called Maggie for help. It was she who murdered him, but it was you who paid the ultimate sacrifice. And for what? ’
From behind him, a voice boomed, ‘Liar! ! ’
Michael turned abruptly and saw the hobbling bulk of Maggie stagger into the interior of the barn. In her hand, she carried the bloodied scissors that he had embedded in her leg just moments before.
Maggie seethed. ‘What has he been telling you? It’s all lies. He’s just trying to poison your brain against me. ’
Lauren stayed silent, alternating her glare between the two of them, as if unsure of whom to believe. Big sister had the upper hand, Michael felt.
He spoke hurriedly. ‘Ask her, Lauren. Ask her why she found it necessary for you to go to prison for a crime you didn’t actually commit. ’
‘He’s lying,’ Maggie snarled. ‘He’s just trying to get the girl released. Kill her, as you should have killed Antonia. ’
Michael thought desperately. His position was considerably weakened, flanked on both sides by two unstable and violent women, and a dog hell-bent on sinking its teeth into anything that moved. He had to get them to squabble and doubt each other in order to draw attention away from Kara. Then he would make his move.
‘If I’m the liar,’ he said, staring directly into Lauren’s eyes ‘then how come your dear sister was also instrumental in the death of your brother, Patrick. ’ He was at the last chance saloon.
‘Whaaat? ’ Lauren screamed.
‘Do not believe him. Can’t you see what he is doing to us? ’ Maggie countered.
Michael became aware that Maggie had gained ground, stealthily closing in on him. He tried again, punching below the belt. ‘You don’t necessarily need to believe me, Lauren. I only learnt the truth from someone who you can truly rely on. Your mother. ’
Maggie laughed hysterically. ‘This man is evil, a monster. Release the dog, and that will be the end of it. We can still get away. ’
‘No! Leave him alone! ’ Kara’s voice suddenly pierced the air. She stumbled to her feet, despite Lauren’s struggle to control her. She spat blood. ‘He’s trying to help you. ’
‘The cunt…slit her throat! ’ Maggie yelled. ‘Now! Do it now! Listen to your sister, before it is too late. ’
‘Listen to your mother,’ Michael retaliated. ‘Listen to your conscience. Above all, listen to your heart. You’re not a killer, Lauren. I implore you, don’t become one now. ’
For the first time, Michael detected a whiff of victory.
‘Did you kill our father? Did you kill Patrick? ’ Lauren asked, her voice trembling. Her eyes appeared cemented to those of Maggie, who visibly began to wilt from the cross-examination. Then she recovered.
‘I finished him off; he was already half-dead,’ she said. Did you want him to survive, and live to rape you again? Is that what you wanted? ’ Maggie stood like a stone statue. ‘It was a pleasure to see him dead. I’d waited years to get retribution for what happened to our brother. ’
‘I…I thought he died in an accident,’ Lauren said pitifully.
‘You were too young to remember. Before he ever got his filthy hands on you, I’d been at his mercy for years. That fatal day, you had gone to church with Mother, leaving me to look after Patrick. I knew what was coming. Father returned home drunk, and had me cornered at the top of the stairs. I was petrified and screaming for help, with him ripping at my underclothes. ’ Maggie began to shake uncontrollably. ‘It should not have happened…I had no idea that, bless him, Patrick had climbed the stairs to see what was happening…he witnessed things he should never have seen…but as I fought for my life, our father shoved me angrily onto Patrick. I reached out in desperation, but…it was too late. He fell. I’ve had to live every day of my life with the knowledge that I was responsible for his death. Every day, Holy Mother of God. Not a single day has passed without me praying for his soul. When I had my chance for vengeance, I struck a blow for every one of our brother’s precious lost years. ’
Lauren shook her head in despair. Finally, she spoke with measured words, trying to come to terms with the confession.
‘I truly hated him, despised him; but look at the consequences of that fateful day. My mother has spent her entire life without speaking, and I have spent my entire life imprisoned, either in jail or in the confines of my fucking head. What was your punishment, Maggie? ’
‘You have to understand, I did it for you, I did it to protect us all from a suffering far worse than if he had survived. I had a family, Lauren, a husband and two children, I couldn’t possibly leave them…it was unthinkable. You were alone, damn it. As far as anyone cared, you had struck the fateful blows. He was a dead man, taking his last lingering breath. I just made sure the job was done. ’
Michael took the narrow opportunity afforded him. ‘Lauren, give me the knife, it’s all over. ’
‘Marcus! ’ Kara screamed.
At the far end of the barn, behind where Lauren swayed, still clutching at Bruno and Kara, Marcus appeared silhouetted in an open doorway, at the top of three concrete steps. He had removed the tarpaulin. Now defiant, he stood holding an unidentifiable object in his outstretched hand, above his head.
This turn of events threw Michael’s plans into disarray. It reminded him tantalisingly of the confusion he had experienced on his last visit to the barn. At the time, he was sure that the interior of the building was foreshortened. He was in the process of measuring it out when Maggie first introduced herself. And he now realised, behind the tarpaulin that stretched from the full height to the full width of the interior, was a secret room hidden from view. His notion was proved correct. Now he had to contend with the boy, and his madcap solution, assuming there was one.
‘In case you are all wondering,’ Marcus said, matter-of-factly, ‘this bottle in my hand contains a rag soaked in white spirits. And this,’ he added, equally flat in tone, ‘is a cigarette lighter. ’ He flicked with his finger and a flash of light flared in the semi-darkness. ‘It goes without saying, that when one meets the other, nasty things start to happen. ’
Maggie was the first to react. ‘Burn in hell, be my guest, just don’t expect us to join you. ’
Michael responded by taking a firm grip on the trigger of the shotgun. ‘Marcus, be careful! ’ he shouted. ‘This place would burn to the ground with just one careless spark. It’s all it would take. ’
Panicking, Lauren reinforced her grasp upon Kara, swinging her fully round to face Marcus.
‘Step down,’ Lauren said.
Marcus gasped, seeing the facial injuries to his girlfriend. He had to hold firm and find a way to help her escape. ‘A trade-off is in order, I believe. Let Kara go and the paintings in the studio will survive. ’
‘What paintings? ’ Michael asked.
‘A simple enough solution, Lauren,’ Marcus said, ignoring Michael. He had to keep focused. ‘What do you reckon? Have we a deal? ’
‘Step
down! ’ she repeated.
‘No go. This isn’t negotiable. ’
She implored him. ‘Don’t destroy a lifetime’s work, in honour of my beloved brother. Don’t destroy his memory. ’
‘Just how much is that worth then? Just imagine, a lifetime’s work gone in a puff of smoke, burnt to cinders. ’
As if to highlight his threat, he brought the naked flame closer to the rag that was exposed at the neck of the bottle. ‘It just takes a connection, Lauren, as I found out with the discovery that Patrick Porter and you…are one and the same person. ’
Michael couldn’t speak, his brain amassing a thousand conflicting visions in one almighty revelation. All he knew, and wanted to believe in, was a deceit built upon a foundation of lies from the two sisters: a deception beyond reason. Here was a woman, whom he thought he loved, who sheltered behind the mask of others, to the extent of being convinced that her own true-self was, in fact, worthless. A true curse. Only through the identity of others could Lauren ultimately function. The trauma she experienced as a child was so painful, so destructive, that all she endured throughout her life was a shell-like existence. No more, no less, except until she transformed into her alter ego. Into the special “world” she inhabited as an inspirational character, one which she truly found a heart and soul with: her long lost brother.
The paintings of Patrick Porter were a magnificent testimony to his forgotten and wasted life, re-enacted through his sister, a woman who could not, would not, forget him.
Michael now truly understood the disorder in her mind, and the significance of the deception. It literally encompassed all those who entered into her “alternative” existence. Most notable was Julius, who Michael now believed, against his earlier misjudgement, was probably caught up in this obsession with the resurrection of Patrick Porter. He posed for the official portrait of the artist which Ronald sent to him. Fuelled by excessive drink and drugs (as Antonia had testified) Julius – as a young and impressionable man – was besotted by Lauren and her overpowering nature. And who wouldn’t be?
His motive back then was money and lifestyle. Whilst he struggled with a decent career and income, she, through their deception, brought in massive hordes of cash. Caught in her web, he simply went along for the ride in the beginning. It was glamorous and intoxicating. It was only now, in later life, that he saw and understood the error of his ways. Julius had found salvation in his new family. With the passage of time, and away from this hellhole Michael swore he would endeavour to return Lauren to a semblance of normality, and help her find salvation too. He owed her that much, provided he was given the chance. It was becoming a very slim chance. This was a critically dangerous stand-off.
Terry had provided much more than mere information on the Porter family: in fact, he presented all the clues that ultimately would bring about their downfall. If only Michael had been more astute, instead of charging right in. Little things… Michael recalled his reaction to the data on Patrick Porter: born 1966, near Bunratty Castle. He now knew this to be the actual birth date and place of Lauren’s own origins. Again, Patrick ‘died’ in 1996, the year Julius and Antonia ran away. Lauren was so traumatised by them deserting her that she never painted again, and faked Patrick’s death. For her, it was the end of everything she held dear.
In the following ten years she sustained a living by reluctantly selling one of her cherished “babies”. That’s why, he guessed, she still displayed the twelve paintings of Antonia at the farm, instead of storing them away. They were too precious to part with, this testament to her dead brother and Antonia, a former lover. Yes, Antonia and she were once passionate lovers…perhaps the love never quite died for Lauren. Michael remembered all too clearly his last conversation with Antonia. When he asked if she had ever modelled for Patrick Porter, her answer was an emphatic “No”. She had told the truth, in a manner of speaking: Because in her eyes she had posed for Lauren. Everything else she had told him was a lie, in the hope it would throw him off the trail. Michael had a sudden flashback, visualising once again her evocative pose for ‘A’ on green silk. He now knew the sheer lust Antonia conveyed in that painting was undoubtedly directed toward her lover during those days…Lauren, the artist. Although she was in a love triangle, her devotion to Julius came later. Then the problems came.
Like at this very moment. But the history of these people could not be ignored. It shaped their destiny. Only today, of course, the artist was broke and needed to sell up everything she owned. Julius too was desperate for money to support his family. He came calling, exerting pressure on Lauren, seeking a divorce, which she would never agree to, and threatening to expose her sham. The very idea that Lauren could cash in substantially to his exclusion was unpalatable to him. He knew the game she was playing, and decided to wreck it at all costs. In order to seek retribution undetected, for fear of reprisals, he used an obvious outlet: Michael Strange, a man on the edge. A man who could be manipulated by greed. A greed which, he knew, would always overcome any deep reluctance Michael had to walk away and dump Lauren. It was never going to happen. They were all desperate people. However, Julius had the ultimate control over Michael, knowing the fascination he had for this beguiling woman. He too was imprisoned.
During this few moments of respite, Michael not only understood past lives and present treachery, he was now confronted with a huge dilemma, right here in the barn. He also understood his own weakening hold on making sure there was an escape route for Kara and Marcus. For the rest of them it mattered little.
Michael stared in disbelief, knowing the awful consequences, as Marcus suddenly brought his hands together. Oh, God.
Maggie reacted first. Sensing Michael had briefly relaxed, she seized the chance to lunge at him with the scissors. She caught him cleanly, stabbing him in the right shoulder.
Michael endured the full impact of the thrust, which knocked him clean off his feet. As he fell, his last clear recollection was pulling the trigger of the shotgun. The massive bang imploded into his ears, catching everybody off guard. The shell smashed into an overhead beam, propelling razor sharp splinters in every direction. In the confusion, Michael cracked his head as he landed heavily on the hard floor. Scarcely conscious, he involuntarily fired off the second barrel, this time directing the deadly shot across the floor. All hell broke loose.
***
In a split second, Lauren responded by lifting the blade of her knife to Kara’s throat. In the same instance she lost control of Bruno, who pulled clear of his master and charged headlong at the figure on the steps. Immediately, the snarling dog was hit by a hail of gunshot, cutting him down in full flight. Losing concentration, Lauren watched aghast as her beloved dog was ripped apart in front of her eyes. As a result, she loosened her grip on her captive, allowing Kara the precious moment to fight back at long last.
***
Kara took her chance. Seeing the dog unleash itself in a frenzy, she had the presence of mind to fumble for the thin-bladed knife she had stuffed in her trouser pocket. In one swift movement, as the dog fell from the gunshot, she withdrew the knife and forcibly stuck it behind her blindly, piercing flesh and bone in her assailant’s body.
***
Marcus watched in abject terror. From a position of control, suddenly complete mayhem erupted in front of him. Foolishly, he had lit the fuse in the bottle to show Lauren that he was the boss. Bad move. He watched Maggie lunged forward, bringing down Michael. Lauren threatened Kara with the knife, and the raging dog broke free and without warning leapt in his direction. In the ensuing melee, he panicked, tossing the flaming bottle into the studio behind him. Jars of white spirit ignited. He just had time to see the dog collapse at his feet, and Kara stagger away from Lauren, when a massive explosion and fireball erupted, flinging him sideways and down the stairs. Red hot flames and billowing acrid smoke quickly engulfed them all, reducing visibility to a few feet. In seconds, the intolerable
heat began to melt everything in its rolling path. The ancient barn was becoming a tomb for them all.
Marcus felt himself being pulled to his feet by Kara. Dazed, he was aware of blood pouring from a gash on his face.
‘We’ve got to get out, Marcus,’ she shouted, choking back deadly fumes. ‘Help me find Michael, before it’s too late. ’
Marcus cleared his head, and heard the tumultuous roar of the fire. All around, thick black suffocating smoke whirled about them, cutting off their air supply. He knew they had but seconds to survive. The flames were intense, and rapidly began to encircle them. Grabbing Kara by the hand, he pulled her forward and, with every last drop of his strength, ran with her toward the great door for their one chance of freedom. Their mad dash seemed to take an eternity. As they made daylight, he could hear the thudding sound of great ancient timbers falling from the ceiling, and the crackling of firewood. It was impossible for him to imagine anyone else getting out alive from the blaze.
Kara, bloodied and exhausted, screamed hysterically with fear: ‘What about Michael? We can’t just leave him! ’
Marcus swivelled, and saw the flames leaping fifteen feet into the air. ‘Run for the house! ’ he demanded. ‘Call the fire service. I’ll try one last time. ’
She was reluctant to leave him, clinging to his arm.
‘Go, for fuck’s sake! ’ he shouted, forcing her away from him. ‘Every second counts…’
Shielding his face from the inferno, Marcus stared in disbelief. It was hopeless, he knew. Going back in was an act of suicide.
***
Moments earlier, before the torch exploded, Michael had stirred, and felt a searing pain in his shoulder. Worse still, Maggie had reached over, and was attempting to strangle him. She had the strength of a lion. Her rage was an awesome spectacle, and he had no way in which to fight back. She punched and clawed at him, throwing her weight upon him, rendering him defenceless. Her objective was to kill him, and she was succeeding. Fast.
All the Rage Page 28