His demeanor and voice were a great deal more cheerful than I expected from someone with the last name Moody who owned a funeral home. I guessed that was his job, though. Putting people at ease was a necessity in his business, and everything about Edward Moody radiated comfort and peace. Quirky comfort and peace, but it was none the less. I liked him right away.
“I’m Lara Tyler. I’m trying to sort out the Frankie Horowitz estate and I’ve received a lead that you might have records I need. Someone told me there was a reference to her will in Frankie’s funeral records.”
He poked his head out the door and looked around quickly. Satisfied that we were alone, he beckoned me in. “Yes, yes. Please come in. You weren’t followed, were you?”
“I don’t think so. Not in a vehicle anyway. If someone were following me on foot, they wouldn’t have caught up yet,” I responded.
“You don’t seem the least bit taken aback that I think you might have been followed. You’re deeper into this than I hoped you’d get. I’m sorry. I should have come forward sooner,” he said sheepishly.
“I’ve heard that a lot lately,” I lamented.
“It’s the small town,” he admitted. “We’re in our own little world out here. We forget how things are supposed to work. We let little boogeymen turn into big boogeymen in our minds.”
“You’re afraid of what Mayor O’Malley will do,” I said matter-of-factly.
“I think of all the people who live in Ash Road, I’m probably the least afraid of him, but he’s leveled more than one serious threat against me. I didn’t think he would kill for the money, though. I’m sorry about your friend.”
“So you think he killed Ellie?”
Edward nodded his head. “If he didn’t do it himself, I’d be willing to bet my right leg that he had a hand in it. Most people don’t know how much debt Gordon and the town of Ash Road are in. He’s been extorting money for a while,” he said.
“How do you know that?”
“I don’t like the man much. Everybody knows that. Our great-grandfathers were rivals too; some family feud nonsense. While I was ready to let all of that go, Gordon would rather have enemies than friends,” he said and led me to a parlor. “Why don’t we sit?”
A young housekeeper came in and Edward asked her to bring us some sweet tea. It was then I realized that he must live in the house as well as conduct business there.
“So, when Gordon came to me the last time with threats of having my funeral home licenses revoked, I had my hacker nephew look into the mayor’s affairs,” he began. “You’d like my nephew, Keith. Though these days he insists we call him Razor. He’s a hacktivist and only uses his talents for good. Have you heard of hacktivists?”
“I have,” I said with a smile. I got the feeling that the Moody family was pretty cool.
“Anyway, if you stick around Ash Road, you’ll get to meet Razor. He likes to spend his winter breaks here. It’s warmer than where he lives the rest of the year. Wait, what was I talking about? Oh right. Razor Keith found a bunch of information about the mayor’s various extortions. I let the mayor know that I knew things about him. It’s been tense between us since then. I expected him to show up here, but I don’t think he knows that I have any record of Frankie’s will.”
“How far were you going to let it go?” I asked, more out of curiosity than accusation. “Were you going to hang onto the information and let Ash Road and Gordon get Frankie’s estate?”
“No, I don’t think I could live with myself. I was going to go to the next court hearing at the very least. I’m sorry.”
“I do have another question,” I said, and Edward nodded to me. “If Frankie didn’t have any family, who planned her funeral?”
“She didn’t have a funeral. Frankie wanted her body donated to science when she died. There was paperwork she had to fill out. The will is referenced in that.”
I didn’t like Edward Moody as much anymore. “The whole time. You knew the whole time. I never even needed to bring Ellie here. You people are all nuts,” I murmured and got up.
I let myself out without saying another word. It dawned on me as I parked in front of the county courthouse that I should have gotten a copy of Frankie’s paperwork from the funeral home so I at least had proof there was a will.
I’d checked with the court clerks before about Frankie’s will and no one had it. But I was determined. At one point, her will had been filed at this courthouse. It had to have been. I didn’t care how far under Gordon’s thumb these people were, someone was going to give me that piece of paper.
I would stage a sit-in if I had to. Bring in the National Guard. Somebody knew something and I was so tired of “I should have come forward sooner.”
I’d had enough.
Chapter Twenty-One
Lara
I was on my way up the courthouse steps when Brody’s car pulled up to the curb. My first thought was that I’d gotten too close and he was there to stop me.
What if he’d been playing me the whole time?
“What do you want, Brody? Don’t think you can stop me. We’re in public in broad daylight,” I called to him, and it stopped him in his tracks.
“What?” he asked. “No, I’m not here to stop you. I’m here to redeem myself.”
“Fat chance,” I said and started back toward the courthouse entrance.
“Wait, Lara. Please. I tried to drop hints. You just thought I was a killer so you didn’t pick up on them. The thing about the funeral home, and there was more.”
I thought about what he said for a moment. Then I remembered what he said about all of Frankie’s records probably being tossed in a box next to some random copy machine.
“What copy machine, Brody?” I asked. “Tell me where the records are and maybe we can talk about forgiveness at some point.”
“It’s too late,” he said with slumped shoulders. “I thought I knew where he’d hidden the records in plain sight. I could never check for sure because he had a camera pointed at them. I knew he’d hurt my sister if I even looked in the box. But that doesn’t matter now. I had to stand up to him. Letting my father get away with crimes wasn’t actually protecting Madeline. If I can get him locked up, I can get her out. I couldn’t see the forest for the trees. I went to go get that box, and it was gone,” he said in defeat.
That was the first time that I noticed that Brody’s hair and clothing were disheveled. His face and neck were red and swollen, like someone had punched him too.
“Brody, what happened?” I walked down the steps to him as quickly as I could.
“I went to my father’s office and demanded the will. I told him that he couldn’t hide any of this anymore and that I knew he was responsible. I said that I’d testify against him in any way that I could, even if it meant I would go to jail too.”
“What happened?” I reached up and touched the angry red blotch on his cheek and he winced.
“He hit me. My father punched me in the face and neck several times, and then he made the call.”
“Made the call?”
“He called the hospital where Madeline is being held and told them to cancel his account and transfer her to the state hospital immediately.” Brody’s voice shook with anger and anxiety. “Now we have to bring him down. It’s the only way to save Madeline, get justice for Ellie, and protect you. Who knows how dangerous he is. He’s like a cornered animal.”
“But you didn’t get the will.”
“I didn’t have to. Frankie had to file her will in any state where she owned property. Most people assume that she only owned the mansion and land here. But that’s not the case.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Lara
Since Gordon didn’t know that Frankie had inherited a cabin in the hills of Kentucky from her grandmother, he hadn’t been able to take any steps to prevent me from getting a copy of her will from the State of Kentucky.
As soon as Brody revealed that she had property there, we jumped in his car a
nd drove straight to the closest courthouse on the other side of the border. With the court order from the judge presiding over Frankie’s estate, I was able to secure a copy of her will from the clerk for a mere ten dollars cash.
“How did no one but you know about her cabin in Kentucky?” I asked as we drove back. “And why didn’t you say something sooner?” That was a question I’d grown tired of asking.
“I didn’t remember until my father hit me. My head rang like a bell and it jostled something loose,” he said. “She made an offhand comment about the cabin to her husband. I was hiding in her yard from my dad. It was the only other time he’d ever physically hit me. When he punched me today, it brought the memory back to the surface.”
Thinking about everything Brody had been through at the hands of his father made me soften toward him a little. He must have spent his entire life in fear. After being raised by a monster like Gordon, I was actually surprised that he’d found the courage to stand up to his father.
“I’m proud of you,” I said and took his hand.
“That’s the first time anyone has ever said that to me,” he said.
I was about to say something else, but I’m not sure what. I heard a loud popping and a rushing of air. Brody’s car swerved to the side and spun off the road.
The airbag knocked me out for a moment. When I came to, Brody was rubbing his face and trying to snap himself out of the stupor the blows to our head had caused.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
Before I had a chance to answer, I saw a large, black SUV approaching us. It slowed down as it approached us, and then came to stop a hundred feet from where Brody and I had skidded off the road.
My heart sank when Gordon got out of the driver’s side and Sylvie emerged from the passenger seat. I noticed right away that she had a gun in her hand.
“Get out of the car. Keep your hands where I can see them,” Sylvie called in a voice that was very different from the sing- song bubble gum lilt I’d become accustomed to hearing from her.
“Sylvie, you know as well as I do that I don’t have a gun,” Brody barked and rubbed his temples trying to dispel the pain. “Stay in the car,” he said to me. “No matter what happens, just remain in the car.”
“Brody, they have a gun.”
“And if they’re going to shoot you, they’ll do it whether you get out of the car or not,” he said and switched from rubbing his temples to massaging the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “If I get the chance, I’m going to go for the gun. If something goes wrong, you’ll have more protection in here.”
“Get out of the car!” Gordon boomed. “Sylvie, get over there and get them out.”
“I’m coming,” Brody said as he opened his car door.
“Her too,” Gordon yelled.
“She’s hurt and needs to stay in the car,” Brody said calmly. “You can deal with me.”
“Do I look like I care if she’s hurt?” Gordon asked. “Lara, get out of the car and bring the will with you. Hand it over.” He turned to Sylvie. “Sylvie, sweetie, shoot my ungrateful son if Lara doesn’t get out of the car and give up the will.”
Sylvie aimed the gun at Brody but her hands began to shake. I could see clearly that she didn’t want to kill him, but the way her hands were shaking could’ve caused her to shoot him accidentally.
“I’m getting out. I’m all right,” I said and swung my door open. “You know, it’s only a matter of time before someone else finds this will. Even if you get the money now, you’re eventually going down, Mayor O’Malley,” I said defiantly.
“How are we going to keep them from getting another copy?” Sylvie asked. She sounded like a frightened child.
“Oh, Sylvie. My son and his meddling girlfriend were never getting out of this alive. We’ve gone too far. I can’t leave any loose ends.” He turned and took a step toward her. “Shoot them both.”
“I can’t... I can’t do that,” she said and shook her head no at the same time. “I won’t kill anyone else.”
“That’s right, Sylvie,” Brody soothed. “You’ll notice he said that he can’t leave any loose ends. You’re a loose end too. He’s using you to kill us, but eventually it will be your turn too.”
“Shut up,” Gordon growled. “Sylvie, sweetie, that’s not true. I’m going to marry you, baby. Killing them is it. After that, you can start planning your dream wedding. Anything you want, sugar. We’ll have so much money.”
Sylvie was still shaking her head no. Tears streaked down her face and soaked into her pink t-shirt. She didn’t see Gordon advancing on her.
“Sylvie, look out,” I cried out.
Without another moment of hesitation, she raised the gun and shot Gordon in the stomach. He moaned like something out of a horror movie and stumbled before falling to the ground.
“I’ll wait in the car,” Sylvie said and handed Brody the gun with her head hung low.
Epilogue
The gunshot wound didn’t kill Gordon. After extensive surgery, he survived and was taken into custody once he was released from the hospital.
I was still living with Nora when the call came in from my agency. They had another job for me and I’d need to be in Colorado in three days if I wanted to take it.
“I think I’m going to take a hiatus,” I said.
For some reason, I had no desire to leave Ash Road. I had plenty of savings to live off of for a while, and the cost of living in a small town is ridiculously low. There was also a lot of unresolved personal business waiting for me to address.
A will surfaced for Ellie a couple of weeks after Gordon and Sylvie were first arrested. She didn’t want a funeral but several of our mutual friends got together in Ash Road for a memorial party. They stayed at the Magnolia and Willow Inn, and Becca made us appetizers for a gathering in the breakfast room and parlor. We stayed up late talking and laughing about good times with our old friend. She left her SUV to our friend, Jack. Fortunately, he let me keep it long enough for my car to get delivered to Ash Road.
One benefit of staying in Ash Road was that I got to attend the annual Library Gala. The party was much larger than usual because of the library’s share of a very generous donation from loving patron. Five different men asked me to be their date, including the mailman. I almost accepted old man Harper’s invitation.
He’s Nora’s and my next-door neighbor, and he made the best homemade meatballs. Antonio Harper shared them with us often too. I was pretty sure that he was sweet on Nora, and in fact, when I turned him down for the gala, he immediately invited Nora. She accepted.
The man whose invitation I eventually accepted was Brody. I wanted to be angry with him, but my heart wouldn’t let me stay mad forever. He was afraid and was trying to protect his sister, Madeline, and me at the same time. I couldn’t say that I would have made better decisions in his place. So I decided to give him another chance.
“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he said when I opened the door to him on the night of the gala.
“You probably say that to all of the girls,” I teased.
“No. Never.” His eyes were wide, and Brody’s mouth was agape. “Where did you even get a dress like that?”
“This old thing?” I said and smoothed the skirt of my red silk gown. “I just had it lying around.”
The truth was that Nora and I had driven into the city and had custom gowns tailored for the event. Nora said that I deserved something luxurious after what I’d been through.
We danced the night away, and when the gala was over and Brody took me home, I let him kiss me again. I even agreed to go on another date. He still made my heart pound like a stampede of raging buffalo, and that wasn’t something I was ready to give up yet. It wasn’t a fairytale ending.
But it was a start.
Copyright© 2017 Sara Bourgeois
All characters in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is coincidental.
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Dark Ends: A Horror Collection Page 48