“Whitmore?” Ruth was nearly speechless.
His confession also stunned Mira and Wade.
“Larry, get my gun!” Whitmore yelled.
“Sir?” Larry appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, unsure if he had heard right.
“Bring my gun now or you’re fired!”
“Whitmore...” Ruth said again. The unfolding of events did not seem real to her.
Larry arrived moments later with the semi-automatic pistol. After handing it over, he quickly dashed back into the kitchen.
“Whitmore! Have you lost your damn mind? Put that gun down. Now!”
“Stay out of it, Ruth! I’m going to take care of this problem, just like I’ve taken care of all the others.”
“He was your own brother,” Mira said boldly. She had seen dark shadows dashing in all corners of the room, just as Whitmore was handed the gun. “Abby and Trevor were your niece and nephew, your own flesh and blood. You staged the scene to make it look like a murder-suicide, thus placing the stain forever on your own brother, that he killed his wife and children. You are the scum of the earth! And you’re responsible for the deaths of all those people who went down when the bridge collapsed and those who died as a result of the contaminated water supply.”
“What’re you talking about, you idiot? How can I be responsible for any of that?” He was still aiming the gun at Mira and Wade.
“Because Abby’s angry,” Mira replied. “She’s angry at you and at everyone in this town who knew what had happened to her and ignored or covered it up. People heard about it through the grapevine and still said and did nothing. The family you killed are not dead, Doctor Whitmore… they’re very much alive and they want justice.”
In that instant, they found themselves in complete, blinding darkness. Immediately reaching for their cells for use of the light, they quickly discovered that none of them worked. The pitch blackness of the house had a weightiness to it unlike anything any of them ever experienced. And within that preternatural weight of darkness was an immense wave of emotions which yearned for relief, vindication… and blood.
Suddenly, they heard a thump to the floor, then what sounded like tussling. Ruth was crying out to her husband, but for some reason, he didn’t answer her. Larry somehow found his way over to the panic-stricken woman when instantly, a light appeared very brightly behind and around Whitmore. He was on the floor seemingly engaged in fierce struggle with himself, when, as if fighting against gravity, or demons, he positioned the barrel of the pistol directly under his chin. Ruth pleaded with Whitmore to put the gun down, but as much as he clearly attempted to pull it away from his chin and even tried to drop it, his hands would not let go of it, but held it firmly in place. Seconds later, everyone watched as his finger slowly pulled back the trigger and with the loud blast, Whitmore’s blood painted the floor and he fell lifelessly to a slump.
Ruth was screaming her lungs out until she too, collapsed nearby - unconscious. Larry tried frantically to revive her. In that moment, the light surrounding Whitmore’s body faded and the room was in complete darkness again, but only for a few moments until the power supply clicked on.
Wade and Mira heard the sound of sirens in the distance. They later learned that Larry had quietly phoned the police after handing Whitmore the gun, although his conscience told him he never should have given it to him.
Standing around Whitmore’s body were four figures: The boy, Trevor; his sister, Abby; their mother, Tara, and their father, Don. This was the first time Don had appeared alongside his family and Mira wondered why. Perhaps, something prevented him from reaching out before, she thought. Maybe the feeling of unworthiness — that he had let his entire family down, especially his daughter. Whatever it was, Don appeared to have gotten past it. Justice had finally prevailed and they could now rest in peace – everyone, that is, except Whitmore.
12
_________________
Within the hour, it was discovered that the water supply had returned to normal. The governing department was never able to identify the source of the problem, but by further testing, they found that there was no longer any threat of contamination in the main water line nor via the pumping station. Residents of Matthew Town were free to use their water again.
The Cullens piled into the van early the next morning. Mira stood at the reception counter and handed Doris the keys to their rooms.
“Thank you for doing the right thing, Doris,” she said. “I truly appreciate that.”
“Thank you for caring, Miss Cullen, even though you are not a member of this community,” Doris replied. “It’s strange how Doctor Whitmore killed himself in the exact, same manner he killed his brother. What a shame.”
Mira nodded.
“You know, we’re all guilty of failing Abby, not just Doctor Whitmore. We protected him instead of an innocent child and discriminated against that poor family because they weren’t quite like us. We let those precious children down — Trevor and Abby. They were too young to die.” Doris’ eyes brimmed with tears.
“Talk to them about it,” Mira said. “I’m sure they can hear you. Tell them you’re sorry. Come together as a community and hold a special vigil right in front of the house where they used to live. Get together and clean their yard, mow the lawn, shine the windows. Do something for them now that you never did when they were here. Treat them special and with respect for the first time, and maybe, they’ll forgive you.” Mira smiled slightly, then walked away.
During the drive home, the family talked about the horrendous experience they had in Matthew Town and where they’d want to go next on vacation.
“I never wanna go back there as long as I live!” Rosie’s arms flew into the air.
“Me neither!” said Tommy.
“Me neither!” said Mira, then Norma, then Sara, and lastly Wade.
They managed to crack jokes along the way and likely had the most fun coming home from Sogog than at any other time during the trip.
By five o’clock, they were back in Mizpah. It would be another forty minutes before they arrived home.
“I wanna see the Ferguson house,” Norma said as they got closer to home.
Wade pulled slowly into the yard, minutes later.
“So, this is it?” Norma asked eagerly.
“Yep. Still looks the same to me,” Wade answered, after coming to a stop at the head of the driveway. “The owners are doing a great job maintaining the property, although they refuse to live here.”
“Surely brings back memories, doesn’t it?” Sara inserted.
“Yes, it does,” Mira replied.
Rosie’s eyes veered over to the well in the front yard – the well her grandfather had rescued her from. The thought of him saving her brought tears to her eyes. “Can we go now?” she said solemnly.
“Sure thing, sweetheart,” Wade replied. He quickly pulled out of the yard and proceeded with the one minute drive to his mother’s house.
* * *
“Home sweet home!” Mira exclaimed, when they got home.
As they brought in the luggage and Tommy ran to the refrigerator for Kool Aid, Rosie sauntered to her bedroom, still feeling a bit melancholy since seeing the Ferguson house again.
On entering the room, she saw a man seated at the foot of her bed. He was wearing light grey dress pants and a matching shirt. His head was slightly lowered, but she recognized him instantly.
Feeling the floodgates of emotions escape, she ran into his arms and held him ever so tightly. A cascade of tears were flowing as she inhaled his masculine scent that had never left their home.
“How’s my Pumpkin?” he asked tenderly.
“I’m good, Pops.” She buried her face in his bosom. “I miss you so much!”
“No need, Pumpkin. I’m always with you.” He smiled, rubbing her back for what felt like hours to Rosie. However, only seconds had passed before he was no longer there.
*** The End ***
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Other Fiction Titles by Tanya R. Taylor
INFESTATION: A Small Town Nightmare (The Complete Series)
Real Illusions: The Awakening
Real Illusions II: REBIRTH
Real Illusions III: BONE OF MY BONE
Real Illusions IV: WAR ZONE
Cornelius (Book 1 in the Cornelius saga.)
Revenge of Cornelius (Book 2 in the Cornelius saga.
Each book in this series is a stand-alone.)
CARA: Some Children Keep Terrible Secrets (Book 3 in the Cornelius saga.)
Haunted Cruise: The Shakedown (A Stand-alone HAUNTED SERIES, Book 1)
The Haunting of MERCI HOSPITAL (HAUNTED SERIES, Book 2
Hidden Sins Revealed (A Shocking Serial Killer Thriller)
10 Minutes before Sleeping (A Story of Abandonment, Domestic Terror & Bitter Revenge)
This is going to be one unforgettable journey across the deep, blue sea!
Dellie Hayworth has landed a job at one of the largest shipbuilding companies after years of unemployment. She is sent off to sea with her marriage in shambles and seemingly beyond repair. For two weeks, she will reside in the luxury vessel, The Caesar, in anticipation of what awaits her when she returns home. However, neither she, nor any other member of the crew, can fathom what awaits them in the middle of the ocean.
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A terrifying cruise with unlikely passengers. Who would have thought that a simple shakedown could have turned out like this?
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We See No Evil (The Cornelius Saga Book 4) Page 7