by A. I. Nasser
When she neared the arcade, the doors and windows boarded and a deputy sitting guard outside, she quickly crossed the street. She didn’t want to be anywhere near the place where her husband had been stabbed to death, knowing that she would never truly be happy in Cafeville as long as that place was there to remind her of what had happened.
When Walter Garland pulled up to the curb next to her, she was eyeing a dress hanging in a boutique window, the same one Sebastian had promised to buy her with his next paycheck. She watched the sheriff climb out of his car, tired and wary, the last few weeks obviously taking a toll on him. He took off his hat as he approached her and attempted a smile.
“Mrs. Fern,” he greeted.
“Sheriff,” Audrey nodded back. “I’m starting to feel like I’m going to be seeing a lot of you from now on.”
Walter sighed and scratched the back of his head. “I’m sorry, Audrey, I really am,” he said, “but there are a few things we need to get settled, and you’re involved in a lot of it.”
Audrey frowned. “How so?”
“You’re going to have to come with me,” Walter said. “Everything’s at the station, and quite honestly, I want to get this whole thing over with as soon as possible.”
Audrey hesitated. “I’m not under arrest, am I?”
“Oh, God no,” Walter said. “It’s just a bunch of paperwork, a few questions, and a box with your name on it.”
“A box?”
Walter gestured to his patrol car. “Please? It won’t take more than an hour.”
Audrey eyed Walter Garland and then reluctantly got into the car.
Bonus Scene Chapter 3
“Sorry about all this.”
Audrey sat uncomfortably in the seat across from Walter Garland, eyeing the papers he was looking through, frowning in confusion as he struggled to find where to start.
“Ana Dean died last night,” Walter suddenly said, pushing a small box towards her, the initials A.D. on the cover. “She slit her wrists after lights out. They found her this morning.”
Audrey’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh my God!”
“The doctor said it was probably because of her husband’s execution. The news must have hit her a bit too hard.”
Audrey tried to shake away the images of Samuel Dean writhing in the electric chair. She grabbed the small box, running her fingers over the wood and the carvings, trying to wrap her head around the news of Ana’s death.
“She left a message on the wall of her cell, written in what we can only assume was her own blood,” Walter said, leaning in. “It said ‘Fern knew’. Does that mean anything to you?”
Audrey frowned, a chill running down her spine as she avoided Garland’s eyes. “I don’t understand.”
“Well, I know you worked for both families for a while,” Walter said.
Audrey finally looked up, squinting at Walter. “I thought I wasn’t under arrest,” she said.
“You’re not,” Walter said. “It’s just follow-up, really. It was a strange thing to do, and I’m a little curious as to what the message meant.”
“Just curious, Sheriff?”
“Come on, Audrey,” Walter said, leaning back in his chair as he folded his hands over his belly. “Humor me.”
Audrey didn’t answer, her concentration quickly shifting back to the box in her hands as she turned it about in her hands. The truth was, she had an idea of what Walter was talking about, but she wasn’t sure if it would make any sense. Cafeville was a town that had its secrets, and she was just as guilty as everyone else when it came to those.
“What is this?” she asked, holding up the box.
“According to her will, Ana left that to you.”
“Why?”
Walter shrugged. “I was hoping you could tell me. I haven’t opened it, of course, but would appreciate it if you did that right now.”
Audrey looked at him for a moment, and then looked back at the box. She had no idea what Ana could have left her, and a part of her didn’t want to know. She began to wonder if maybe there were a way she could just give it back.
“Audrey?”
Audrey flipped the box over, looking at her former employer’s initials on the cover as she slid it off. There was a note inside, and a key, and Audrey took one look at both before dropping the box on Garland’s desk and getting up, quickly backing away.
Walter got up in an instant, worried.
“Keep that away from me!” Audrey screamed.
Walter turned the box around, looking inside. He frowned and looked up at Audrey questioningly.
“I don’t want it,” she said. “You can’t make me take it!”
Walter grabbed the paper and began to read, his eyes widening as he looked at the woman cowering away. He held the paper toward her. “This is the deed to the house,” he said. “Why did she leave you the deed to the house?”
“I don’t want it!” Audrey screamed out again.
Walter hurried around his desk as the woman collapsed onto the chair by his door, visibly shaking, her eyes fixated on the box and its contents. He sat down next to her and grabbed her hands, squeezing tight as they shook uncontrollably.
Audrey suddenly began to cry, leaning against Walter as he held her, muttering something incomprehensible as he strained to understand what she was saying.
“Audrey, you have to tell me what happened,” Walter whispered, and as he held her, as she shook in his arms and cried, she began to speak.
Bonus Scene Chapter 4
Audrey
When I first met Samuel Dean, Ana Dean had been visiting the Greens. I had always found it strange that the feud between the two families stopped at the men, the two women closer than anyone I had ever known, as if their husbands were acting like a bunch of children. I didn’t give it too much thought, though, and soon enough I was helping at the Dean household as well.
It was more than I could have ever hoped for, the extra bit of money a blessing really, and soon I was managing my time between both families as if it were nothing at all. The women were civil enough to manage their expectations and time the hours perfectly so that I was able to be of help to both.
To be honest, I loved the work. Many people would find it demeaning, but I liked that I was being of use. Sebastian’s job wasn’t enough, and we both knew how important this was. Besides, the children were wonderful, and both Martha and Ana treated me like one of their own. They even let me bring Derrick along, which was more than I could ask for.
Alexander Green was a harsh man, and I did my best to stray clear of him. I never liked how he treated his children, and he definitely was quick to use his hands on Martha. I never said anything, obviously. Maybe I was scared he’d lash out at me if I opened my mouth, and I didn’t want to put Sebastian in a tight position with the one man who was providing him with steady work. The men had been working together for years, and I didn’t want to get in the middle of that.
So, I kept my mouth shut. About everything. Whatever happened at the Green household while Alexander was away was none of my business. But, that didn’t mean I didn’t see things. I was there most of the time, after all, and soon enough Martha was comfortable enough around me that she sometimes forgot I was even in the house.
I had seen Samuel Dean only a few times. The man was the complete opposite of Alexander. He was charming, quick with a smile, and those eyes could easily make any woman melt. He treated Ana like a queen, and she cherished him like a king. Benjamin was their pride and joy, and it wasn’t hard to see that the child only brought them closer.
I don’t know how it started, or how long the affair had been going on, but it had definitely started well before I had started working for the Greens.
The first time I noticed it was when Samuel would pick up Ana. There was something in the way he looked at Martha, and the way she looked back. I didn’t give it much thought at first, but the more it happened, the more I felt something was going on between them.
I nev
er brought it up with her, and I didn’t think that Ana had any idea. Alexander was definitely in the dark. A man like that wouldn’t let something like this slide, his wife bedding the one man in Cafeville he hated the most.
Soon I started to hear them. I’m telling you, Martha Green had gotten so comfortable, she didn’t even notice whether or not I was still in the house. There were days at a time when her husband would be out of town, and usually mine had been with him. During days like that, I spent the entire day there. I would hear them down the hall from the room she’d let me stay in, and I don’t know if she knew I heard them, but it didn’t stop her if she did.
Samuel knew, though. One night when Ana was visiting Martha, he confronted me, asked me a lot of questions, cornered me until I gave in and admitted that I had an idea. I’m telling you Walter, something was wrong with that man a long time before Benjamin died. He smiled at me when I told him I knew about the affair. The smile scared me more than anything, and he just stood there, looking at me, his eyes moving up and down my body like he was undressing me with them.
I stopped going to both houses after that. I made up some stupid excuse so Sebastian would stop berating me, and I locked myself in my home. I didn’t go out for a week, scared I might bump into any of them in the street. I ignored their calls, Sebastian usually answering and making up an excuse like I was sick or tired, or that Derrick had come down with the flu.
I could only escape them for so long, though, and soon I was working the Green household again. Ana had stopped coming over, and Martha had changed completely. She was angrier, more stressed and frustrated, once even throwing a glass at my head when I had spilled some wine on the floor. I’m telling you, something had happened, and I was finding it harder and harder to work there. I begged Sebastian to not make me go, but he had been insistent, reminding me how much we needed the money.
I remember the last night I worked at the Dean house clearly. It was a Monday, and Samuel was out of the house, probably down the street, and Ana had been drinking heavily. I had a feeling that she had found out about the affair but was keeping her mouth shut. The house had changed, too. It was getting harder to clean. It seemed like every time I went over, it was like I had to start from scratch. And that smell! Oh God, the stench! It was like the entire house was dying, rotting away from the foundations. It was intoxicating!
That night, Ana Dean had asked me to stay with her because Benjamin was feeling under the weather. I agreed, but to this day I have no idea why. I had never felt so uncomfortable before. The only thing on my mind had been how bad I wanted to go home. I wanted to get out of my clothes, take a shower, and scrub away the smell of the place.
I slept in the bed next to Benjamin’s. Well, not really slept. The smell and the cold made it hard for anyone to fall asleep, and the boy was tossing and turning in his bed. That’s when I started hearing the rats.
They were everywhere above my head, running back and forth, their little legs scurrying across the floor above me. I had never heard it before, and never in my life had I heard that many at once. It scared me to death, and I began to worry about Ana. I quickly wore my robe and stepped out onto the second-floor landing, with every intention of checking on her.
When I noticed the open attic, I ran to Ana’s room. I wanted to warn her about the rats, about the open attic door, but she wasn’t in her room. I looked in Samuel’s office, but she wasn’t there either. That’s when I heard her. It took me a while to notice it, but it was definitely her, and she was in the attic. With the rats, and whoever it was she was talking to. She wasn’t alone. I knew that, but for the life of me, I couldn’t tell who was up there with her. I doubt it was Samuel, but I wasn’t going to wait and see.
Walter, the darkness! I have never felt darkness that heavy before. It was everywhere, claustrophobic, as if it were a living, breathing thing that was swallowing up the light. I thought my eyes would adjust, but they didn’t. I tried to find Ana, but it was hopeless, and her voice had disappeared completely, as if she knew I was there and she didn’t want me to hear her.
I climbed the ladder, quickly, praying she was ok. I got to the top, and before I could pull all the way up, Ana fell to the attic floor in front of me. She was barely visible in the light, on all fours, screaming at me to get out, her eyes bleach white. My hands let go of the ladder immediately, my head hitting the side of the opening, and I fell. I landed hard on the floor, my eyes still locked on the face looking down at me, my pain forgotten as what I thought was Ana screamed at me again and again to get out.
I ran, Walter. I ran like I had never run in my life. I didn’t stop until I reached Gale Street. I staggered into Denny’s, screaming for help, out of breath, my feet bleeding.
I stayed there until Sebastian came to take me home. I never went back to that house. I had nightmares for weeks. In each of them Ana was screaming at me, those dead eyes digging into me, her mouth open in an endless scream as she chased me. Get out, she would scream, over and over again.
Two weeks later, Benjamin Dean died in that fire, and a few days afterward, Samuel started killing people.
Bonus Scene Chapter 5
Walter sat quietly next to Audrey Fern as she finished her story.
The woman had her arms wrapped around her shoulders, rocking back and forth, and he found himself wondering how much truth was actually behind her story. He had known that Martha Green had her moments, and it was understandable when you actually got to know Alexander. But, Samuel Dean, now that explained a lot.
“Was Alexander Green responsible for that fire?” Walter finally asked.
Audrey didn’t answer, just continued to rock as she stared out into space. He decided that was answer enough.
Walter sighed and stood up, trudging to his desk as he sat down heavily behind it. His eye caught the back of the deed, and he pulled it closer to see what was written there.
You’ll know what to do with it.
He compared the handwriting to the signatures and realized it was Ana’s. Whatever had happened in that house, whatever had pushed her to try and set fire to the Greens, she knew that Audrey knew about it. Why burden her with it?
Walter looked up at Audrey and saw that she was aware of what his next question would be. She shook her head, her eyes begging him not to ask her, but he couldn’t.
“That night that Samuel confronted you –”
“Please, Walter,” Audrey begged him. “Please don’t.”
Walter nodded, understanding that more than just a talk had gone on between the two, and folded the deed neatly. He replaced it with the key in the box and closed it. He got up, walked to Audrey and handed the box to her. She looked at it, and then shook her head quickly, turning away.
“It’s yours now,” Walter said. “I can’t use a crazy woman’s blood painted words to prove anything. I won’t even admit to having heard your story, but you can’t stay in Cafeville, Audrey.”
The woman began to cry again, but she nodded. She knew he was right.
“Take it,” Walter said, placing the box gently in her hands. “This is yours now. Deal with it as you see fit. Sell it if you have to.”
“No,” Audrey said. “I couldn’t do that to anyone.”
Walter shrugged, sighing as he scratched the back of his head. “Then tear it down. If your story is true, then that place needs to go.”
Audrey looked up at him, her eyes red with tears, her body shaking again. “Alexander knew about the affair,” she said. “They all did.”
“That can’t be helped anymore,” Walter said. “We’re all going to have to live with what happened. God help us all.”
He walked Audrey out of the station, his hand on her arm to steady her. As soon as they were outside, the sun in their faces and the light breeze rustling her hair, he gave her a hug and sent her on her way.
It was the last time anyone saw Audrey Fern in Cafeville.
***
Derrick Fern sat silently at his desk, looking at the sma
ll box that had been hidden under his mother’s bed.
For most of his life, she had been a quiet woman, her secrets many and kept well. He had cleaned out her room a few days after her funeral, and finding that small space hiding under the floorboards had been quite a surprise, even to him. He had hidden under that bed several times as a child, playing hide and seek, and had never noticed that the floorboards weren’t even.
Derrick opened the box and unfolded the sheet of paper inside, the key within sliding out onto John Krik’s manuscript. He scanned the deed, frowning as he saw the handwritten message on the back.
Shrugging, he folded it back into the box and dropped the key inside.
Cafeville could wait.
* * *
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See you in the shadows,
A.I. Nasser
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