“What do you want with my sister? Gloria, do you know her?” Anna said as she kept her icy cold stare at Monica.
“At this moment, I have no clue,” Gloria responded. “Monica, you said I am irritating. What irritates me is you holding us up instead of getting to your point on why you have kidnapped me and have a pistol pointing at us at this moment. It seems you have something important to say.”
“Nothing happens quickly. I know you want me to break down, sob, get distracted, and then have Anna steal the gun and put me in jail,” Monica said.
Gloria and Anna kept silent.
Monica subtly waved the pistol side to side, pointing it at Anna. “Leave now, I will take it from here.”
“Are you mad? You think I will leave my sister despite your threats?” Anna said.
Monica turned the pistol against Gloria. “Fine. Watch Gloria die. Once I am through with her, it makes things more interesting for all of us.”
Anna shifted towards Gloria. Monica then unexpectedly heard a sound. She turned quickly to Anna, and saw a small pointed object hidden inside Anna’s pants pocket.
“There are two pointed figures in your pants pocket,” Monica said.
“It’s not a weapon, my pockets are too small,” Anna replied.
“When I said to take everything out, I meant every single thing,” Monica said with frustration. “It could be your phone making a speed dial.”
“My phone was in my coat,” Anna answered.
“Stop wasting time,” an irritated Monica replied.
Anna slowly took the object out of her pocket and threw it on the floor.
“No!” Monica shouted.
“What?” Gloria said.
“What did you do?” Monica shouted once more.
“I did what you asked,” Anna said with frustration and confusion.
“The keys,” Gloria said.
“Keys?” Anna questioned.
The sound of keys Anna dropped onto the floor began to reverberate in Monica’s ear. It gradually became louder, and Monica continued to hold the pistol while she pressed her other hand against her ear.
“Things cannot happen to me. Not now,” Monica said.
“What is she talking about?” Anna said loudly to Gloria.
“I am remembering something. The keys are significant. But I am finding it difficult to say exactly how significant it is,” Gloria said in a lower voice. “I don’t really know anything about her.”
“Stop!” Monica yelled as her pistol started to shake in her hand.
“Are you hearing things? The keys are on the floor. Nothing is moving. Wait a minute. Do you have some sort of disability?” Gloria said to Monica in a steady voice.
“I am not blind and crippled,” Monica yelled as she felt on edge.
Gloria was more confused. “I did not mention that. Did I, Anna?”
“No you did not, but she is making me more nervous than before.”
“Ah! Not now,” Monica said to herself out loud.
Anna quickly glanced at the door, and saw Special Agent Sanchez coming closer. “I think it is now time to call for help,” Anna said to Gloria in a low voice as Monica wailed.
“Stop this sound!” Monica said to herself.
“Anna, I’m remembering the flashback I had in the police vehicle. You remember Dad had a first wife?” Gloria asked.
“Yes, he rarely mentions her,” Anna replied.
“You were an infant. You couldn’t remember when her mother came to speak to Mom. That was the second time she was at the house,” Gloria said as she turned her head to Monica.
“I don’t remember that particular time. But I do remember that as I got a little older, a family lawyer usually came over, and Mom always told me to take you outside to the backyard to play,” Anna said to Gloria.
Gloria turned to Monica. “You’re our half-sister, Monica. I remember asking her about that day years ago, but Mom told me she was talking to a friend on the front porch, and I was puzzled by why you did not come into the house and play with me, but instead sat in the car. Years later, Mom and Dad sat us down and told us we had a half-sister, but they were reluctant to give us any more details. I wanted to find you, but they said it was in everyone’s best interest that they found you themselves. I persisted when they warned me.”
“They told us they were treading carefully. I thought that was a silly comment on their part, but became a little afraid as these serious facial expression remained on their faces. I, myself, warned Gloria, and I was right to do so,” Anna said in anger.
“Now I think I know why, after having a pistol pointing at me. I had no idea our reunion would be this way!” Gloria said.
“We listened to their warnings, but still got in the crossfire.” Anna turned to her sister. “Gloria, if our parents had said to us, flat out, that she was crazy, you probably wouldn’t have been so persistent,” she said.
“Don’t you say another word, or I will blow your brains out,” Monica said in anger.
Gloria tuned to Monica again. “Did our parents try to find you as they said they would?”
“Yes, they did.”
“How?” Anna asked.
“Your parents kept finding me through all of these technology searches and social media, but I disowned the birthday letters and went by a dead person’s name,” Monica explained.
Anna and Gloria were silent until Anna spoke again.
“Why didn’t you just live the life you felt comfortable with; a life where you choose who you want around you. Why kidnap Gloria? I don’t get it,” she said in frustration.
“What did I do to you? At least you can tell me this?” Gloria said.
Monica pressed her hand even tighter against her left ear. “The sound of keys is getting louder.” Her voice trembled.
Special Agent Sanchez came nearer to the door, but remained hidden.
“Her pistol is shaking,” Anna said out loud for the agent to hear.
“My mother shielded me, so that I would not feel less of a sibling after you came along. She told me Dad loved you more because you could not take care of yourself. You were too precious, too sensitive, and needed both of your parents all the time,” Monica said. “My mother said she was taking me far away because you were loved more than me and even Anna.”
“That is so childish,” Anna said. “You’re going to kill her because of what your mother said years ago?”
“No, Anna, I get it,” Gloria said to her. “I don’t know the relationship between your mother and our father, but I’m independent because I did not consider myself crippled, and neither did my parents for the most part. My mother loved you like you were her own flesh and blood. I remember my mother, your stepmother, trying to talk to your mother, even threatening to take her to court to have you in our lives.”
“Enough!” Monica interrupted.
“She also did it to…”
“That is enough!” Monica shouted. “My mother said on her deathbed that she was sorry. She should not have felt this way.”
“She was schizophrenic,” Gloria said.
There was silence amongst all three for a moment until Anna spoke.
“How do you know?” she said to Gloria.
“My ears are very sharp. Mom heard me listening to the radio when I overheard her talk to a lawyer,” Gloria replied, then turned toward Monica again.
“You are upset because you have schizophrenia from the genes through your mother. I believe you always wondered why your sister who cannot see received more attention than one who has a mental illness, who needed family, but was prevented by your sick mother,” Gloria told Monica.
Monica interrupted. “I will shoot, I swear. My mother gave me the best love she could give, even with her disability. She told me she was sorry on her deathbed.”
“What does that mean to you?”
“Don’t counsel me, Gloria,” Monica said.
“Are you trying to provoke her?” Anna nervously questioned Gloria.
“I want to know before you shoot. You are going to kill me, aren’t you?” Gloria said calmly.
“She was sorry that my sisters, father, and stepmother disowned me,” Monica said.
“What did she say beforehand?” Gloria asked. “You’re not going to shoot me, are you?” Gloria then added as she noticed her heart pumping faster than usual.
“I came this far with kidnapping you, haven’t I?”
“It looks like you want me alive to figure something out. If that was not the case, you would have killed me as soon as you kidnapped and forced me into this building, before Anna came.”
“Gloria, don’t take any chances,” Special Agent Sanchez said.
“What did she say beforehand?” Gloria repeated as she tried hard not to show fear through her slightly trembling voice.
Monica did not speak for a few seconds. Her gun continued to shake in her hands.
“There was something else,” she then said.
“What was that?” Gloria wanted to know.
“She wished she did not allow her sickness to take over my life,” Monica said and suddenly noticed herself becoming speechless. She frowned in search of clarity of thought. “She said I was her life?”
Gloria noticed that Monica’s voice trembled as tears rolled down her face. Nonetheless, Monica continued.
“She stated that she was sorry. Sorry that she passed it to me? To me? Schizophrenia to me? Auditory hallucination, a psychiatrist diagnosed me with a few years back,” Monica said as more tears ran down her face.
“When we are angry, we listen to what we want to hear and ignore everything else that was said. Your doctor is correct. You suffer from auditory hallucination. I learned a little about it from a mental health psychologist after doing a segment on schizophrenia. It is when a person who suffers from a form of schizophrenia hears perceptible sounds that mimic the actual sound that is not really there. I am sure your doctor explained this mental disease to you,” Gloria said.
Monica thought for a second about the last statement Gloria made, and lowered her arm with the pistol still in her hand. Special Agent Sanchez grabbed one of her arms, and took the gun away from her with his other hand. He handed it to Officer Patterson, and then pulled out his handcuffs. “You have the right to remain silent...”
Gloria heard Monica’s rights and felt relieved that it was all over, yet a feeling of compassion was slowly sinking in.
“Are you both all right?” Sanchez asked.
“Yes,” Gloria responded.
“Now we’re fine,” Anna answered.
“Anna,” Gloria called.
“Yes.”
“Take me to Monica.”
Anna took Gloria’s hand, and they walked towards Monica.
“Did you take your medicine?” Gloria asked.
“Not since I began searching for you,” Monica replied.
“She has to receive psych evaluations to make sure she won’t hurt you two again,” Special Agent Sanchez said as he handcuffed her.
“We understand,” Gloria said.
Sanchez’s phone message alert rang, and he glanced at it. “Mid-Town North Precinct sent me her real full name. It is Monica Rank.”
He started to move Monica towards the door.
“I just want to say one more thing,” Monica said, and Special Agent Sanchez stopped moving. “I remembered you. I was in the car, and you stepped outside with your cane. It was a minute before my mom came out of your house and drove me far away.” Monica turned to Anna. “You could not remember well.”
Anna remained reserved with an unchanged expression.
“You took a long while to shoot me. You just wanted to know the brutal truth, didn’t you, what you needed to hear,” Gloria said.
Monica nodded.
“Go back to your medication,” Gloria said.
“I’m better with my medicine. My auditory schizophrenia stops.”
“Please let me touch your face,” Gloria said.
Monica nodded. “Sure.”
Gloria put her hand on Monica’s cheeks, moved to each area of her face, and then smiled. “The traffic police officer was right when he saw there was a resemblance between us.”
“She has to go in,” FBI Special Agent Sanchez said.
Monica finally broke down.
CHAPTER 31—RESOLVED
Gloria was back on her regular schedule at her job. Her enthusiasm was awakened as she put her earphones on. She was excited to be back at her seat and discussing events with John. The morning radio show theme song played, and the producer’s countdown behind the glass was heard amongst everyone in the on-air room. Her complete attention was centered on a new topic being discussed with John and a doctor they were interviewing.
“You’re telling us there is arsenic in rice. It shouldn’t be an amount large enough to harm people,” Gloria said.
“Correct. There is arsenic in rice, but only a small amount,” the interviewee replied.
“Dr. Fitzgerald, a small amount in the rice should be safe to eat,” John said.
“I want listeners to know that it is safe. FDA has not regulated it, but it is pretty safe after scientific research,” the doctor said.
“Well, that is all the time we have for today,” John said to the listeners.
“Thank you, Dr. Fitzgerald,” Gloria said.
“Thank you for having me on your show,” the doctor responded.
“Before we go to commercials, here are the news highlights,” Gloria said.
“There is a meeting with several world leaders at the White House today to discuss preventing North Korea from developing their nuclear weapons. There was a tornado in Kansas. Five lost their lives, and three people are in critical condition. As for good news, the FBI stopped cyber thieves from completing their mission of hacking millions of tourists participating in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade,” John said. “And that is all for this hour. Stay tuned for the afternoon segment in the next hour.”
“Same time,” Gloria said.
“Same place at WCOK 32.9 AM. Have a great day, everyone,” John said.
Gloria took her earphones off, and John removed his headset. Gloria reached out for her cane, which was leaning on the wall beside her, and got up. She walked out from the on-air room, and found Anna waiting in the lobby.
“Hi, Gloria. It was great. I have to finish up work for the boss tomorrow. I think the advertisement pitch will sell.”
“What is it?”
“A perfume advertisement,” Anna replied.
Gloria moved her cane until it touched the exit door, and began walking down the stairs. She held the rail tightly until she felt there were no more stairs going forward. Anna also opened the door and walked after her.
“What eatery are we trying?” Gloria asked.
“A new place around here.”
Gloria reached the stairs to the first floor, and took a few seconds to find the doorknob, which she then turned. The woman stopped for a moment when a cool breeze surprised her.
“Spring in the fall,” Gloria said.
“Whatever you do, don’t jinx it,” Anna said.
“Don’t be silly.”
“These few weeks have been a roller-coaster ride, haven’t they? Philip murdered several people, and Monica manipulated us through hacking my account, yet she couldn’t manipulate us by using the collection of keys due to her mental disability,” Anna said.
“It was Philip who manipulated us by using the collection of keys,” Gloria replied. “He somehow must have known about me through her in the years of their marriage. He somehow knew she was ready to complete her task of hurting me, and also knew she could not successfully execute it because of frequent triggers.”
“Right. Pursuing me only triggered memories in her past that were more prevalent than before.”
“She said she stopped taking her pills, which made it worse.”
“In a sick way, Philip was only helping her to prevent her
from causing any more harm to herself. He cared too much to see her become self-destructive,” Anna said. “It was scary at times. Bittersweet at the end.”
“Oh, I would not call it that,” Gloria said.
“Our half-sister was about to kill you, and instead you both became friends,” Anna said.
Gloria was in deep thought for a moment. “I wonder how she is feeling. She got evaluated. They believe she is not harmful, but she has to go to prison for a while on hacking charges. With good behavior, she could be out fairly soon.”
Anna breathed in deeply, and Gloria shifted her body in response to this unexpected breathing.
“Despite not seeing, I will always be the oldest by giving you wisdom, and will protect you no matter what,” Gloria said.
“I now understand. Hopefully not this way again. I apologize if I am sounding harsh.”
“You’re very protective of me. I know this, but she is family,” Gloria responded.
“Speaking of being protective of you, I find that now I cannot help being protective of her. It catches me by surprise after everything. Special Agent Sanchez said that Monica will not receive life in prison, considering that her ex-husband committed the murders.” Anna was silent for a second and spoke again. “Well, two good things came out of this fiasco.”
Gloria seemed confused and her eyebrows were lowered. “What good came out of this except being alive?”
Anna nudged her sister’s arm, and Gloria laughed.
“You received a civilian award for helping the police arrest the hacking suspects, and you are now in a relationship with Benjamin.”
“Oh,” Gloria said as she became shy.
“Oh?” Anna noticed her sister’s expression. “Well, I will pick out what you are going to wear on your date this weekend. Our family will grill him.”
“Oh boy, I can’t wait,” Gloria said sarcastically and laughed.
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