by Jill Patten
He came walking out from his office with his arms held out waiting for a hug. “Wow. What brings this impromptu visit?” He kissed my cheek then hugged me tight.
Backing away he raised an eyebrow. “Are you in trouble or something?”
“No,” I answered, giggling nervously. “What would make you think that? You know I don’t get into trouble.”
“Well usually when you pop up out of the blue you want money, but you’re not sweet-talking me already so I know that can be the reason.” Damn. He knew me better than I’d thought.
I breathed in deeply through my nose then released in a shaky breath. “Actually, I have something very important I need to talk to you about. Can we go somewhere comfortable?” I asked, nodding my head toward the family room.
His eyebrow lowered and both were now pulled tightly together. A deep wrinkle formed between his eyes. “Sure. Are you okay? What’s going on?” he asked with a worried voice. His worry was for me, not himself. He was oblivious of what was about to happen.
I didn’t want to lie to him because in all reality, I really wasn’t okay. “Just come in here and I’ll explain everything to you.”
“I don’t like the way this sounds, Lennox.” His voice was low and stern. My father hated surprises. This was going to be one surprise that would take him over the edge.
“Dad, just come in here,” I said walking into the family room. Sitting down on the sofa, I motioned for him to sit in his favorite recliner.
He was reluctant, but he did as I asked him. Mom perched herself beside side of him. “Aaron is right outside the room in case he loses his cool and does something harsh,” said Mom. “We know what he’s capable of, and I can’t take any chances on him hurting you.” I gave a single nod so I wouldn’t make Dad suspicious of her presence.
He had a glass of scotch in hand and swirled it around before taking a sip. “Okay, what’s going on? You’re making me uneasy and I don’t like being in the dark.”
“I know you’ve told me before but how exactly did Mom die?”
An unbalanced laugh fell from his mouth. “Lennox, we’ve been through this a million times, why are you asking?”
“Because I’ve been thinking about her a lot lately. A little more than normal and I feel like I can’t remember anything.” Tears pooled in the corners of my eyes. They were ninety percent fake and ten percent real. I was the best fake crier in the entire state of Virginia.
The corners of Dad’s mouth fell down into a frown. “Oh, Lennox baby, please don’t do this to yourself. I know it’s been so hard on you, but thinking about it only depresses you. You have so many other wonderful memories of your life to fulfill your happiness.”
“I know, it’s just the holidays are getting close, and it’s always the toughest time for me. That and my birthday,” I said, trying to smile but it only came out to a slight crooked pull to one side of my mouth.
He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “She died from a brain injury. It was so unexpected…the saddest day of my life.” His head hung low. He kept it down and I wondered if he was unable to look me in the eye as he lied to my face.
My heart raced in my chest and my nerves were like a livewire causing my fingertips to go numb. “Dad, you’re lying to me and I know it. You had a hand in her death and covered it up.” I was a mess inside and I hoped he couldn’t see through me.
I jerked when I felt a hand on my shoulder. “You’re fine. Stay strong. Don’t let him manipulate you because he will,” Mom said from behind me. Nodding once, I agreed.
A high-pitched laugh jolted me. “That’s the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard, Lennox. You should be ashamed of yourself. I’m not going to sit here and listen to whatever crazy accusations you have,” he said, speeding through his words. His knee bounced, and his nervousness was making me nervous more than I already was.
Remaining calm on the outside, I pushed forward. “Dad, I’m not accusing you of her death, but I do want to question you about dumping her body into Beckford River.”
Closely gaging his reaction, I knew I was spot on. His eyes widened before he quickly gained self-control. He cleared his throat numerous times then stood up. “Lennox, you’re not going to come into my house and accuse me of killing your mother. I don’t know what has brought this on, but I’m not staying around to listen to this shit,” he said walking out of the family room.
Following him as he walked into his study, I questioned him further. “Then you wouldn’t know about the death of a homeless guy, Aaron, who watched you toss mom into the trunk of your car?” He stopped mid-step, then proceeded on to his desk.
When he turned around to look at me, his face was expressionless. He was good. He was damn good. “Where is all of this coming from? It’s false information, you know? These rumors have been floating around for years. Honestly, I’m really surprised you’re just now hearing about it,” he said with exasperation and flailing arms.
“Dad,” I said pleadingly, “it’s not rumors. I know what happened. I know what you did. You and Mom fought on the steps. She saw you kissing your secretary, Pam, and left.” I proceeded to tell him step by step what Mom and Aaron had told me about the events that unfolded that night.
Carefully, I kept my eyes on him as the story unfolded. Trying to catch a hint of guilt, I then brought up the fact he hired someone to murder Aaron. “He was homeless Dad. Who was he going to tell? Who would’ve believed him? If he’d gone to the cops they would’ve blown him off thinking he was crazy or something,” I said, pressing on.
Dad balled his hands up tight. “Stop. Stop, dammit! Just stop!” He bursted out, slamming his fist on the wooden desk.
“Why, Dad? Why did you murder an innocent man and cover up Mom’s death? You’re a monster.” Tears streamed down my cheeks. His tough exterior was slowly cracking. The more I pushed, the more he was losing it. “You took my mother from me,” I cried. “Was she not good enough? Could she not feed your sexual desire?” I spat at him. Sobs wracked my body. Mom was by my side hugging me. “If Pam was the one you wanted then why didn’t you just leave mom? Why did you have to ruin her life and mine?” I shouted.
“Yes, she was enough but I was a selfish bastard,” he screamed. “Is that what you want to hear? I betrayed your mother and she didn’t deserve what happened to her. I’ve replayed that day a million times over in my head wishing I’d done things differently,” he said, his voice cracking. His head dropped and his shoulders slumped forward. “It was all an accident. I never meant for anything bad to happen. I’m so sorry, Lennox. I’m so sorry for lying to you. If it wasn’t for you needing me, I would’ve taken my life that day when your mother died.” He looked up and our eyes met. His dark lashes clumped together with tears, and his eyes were red. “I loved your mother with all my heart. When she died, she took a large piece of my heart with her. It nearly killed me to put her in the river, but I had to do what I thought best to protect us. If that guy reported me, they would’ve locked me up for life and you would’ve been placed in the system.”
“And that’s why you had him murdered?”
He nodded. “I couldn’t take that chance. The thoughts of losing you too were more than I could bear.” His eyes engaged me for a moment then they widened. He came to the realization of something. “Are you turning me in? Are you going to tell?” There was a silent plea in his voice.
Shaking my head, I told him, “I don’t know. I don’t know what to do. I’m so much in shock, I can’t get my head wrapped around what’s going on.”
Dad’s hands became busy under his desk. “You can’t go to the cops, Lennox. You will ruin us; our family, our homes, my practice.”
“Our family? When you brought Pam into our lives, you did a pretty damn good job of ruining us then. She was the culprit of Mom’s death and instead of kicking her to the curb, you married her money-hungry-ass.” I fired back. I dropped down into my old favorite green chair I used to sit in when I was little. When I got older,
Dad kept the chair in his office even though I never sat in it anymore. “I don’t know what to do, Dad. You killed an innocent man. Your actions led up to Mom’s unruly death. I don’t know if I can ignore this. Everyone has suffered from yours and Pam’s actions and it’s not fair.”
“You think I’ve not suffered? You think it’s been easy for me to live with the guilt all these years? Hell, it’s been torture.” He rubbed his temples. “You know what? I don’t care. I don’t care anymore. I’m not taking the blame for her secret anymore.” She had a secret too? What was she hiding in all of this?
“It hasn’t been easy living with Pam. I know she uses me for my money. I know she’s never cared about me…or you, but I had no choice but to marry her.” He roughly rubbed his thumb and forefinger in his eyes.” She lied to me. Claimed she was pregnant.” He backhanded a picture I’m assuming to be her from his desk, sending it flying across the room. “Lies. They were all lies. She threatened to go to the police over your mother’s death if I didn’t marry her. She was going to turn me in! Can you believe that?” He shook his head with revulsion. “A month after we got married, she claimed to have miscarried, but she was never pregnant. It was all just part of the plan to trap me. God, I was so stupid!” His nose flared and hatred pierced his eyes.
Of all my twenty four years, I’d never seen this side of him. It frightened me. It terrified me more to know Pam was a bigger monster than I’d thought. When Aaron had described the woman there when Dad put Mom in the trunk of his car, I should’ve known it was Pam and that she had a hand in all of it. She probably orchestrated the whole thing from the beginning. I looked at Mom and she nodded. She knew what was going through my mind. “I know what you’re thinking. I can tell by the look on your face. The scuffle Aaron thought he witnessed wasn’t between your father and I, it was between me and Pam. He tried to break it up, but it made matters worse. In the midst of our confrontation, I lost my footing and…well, you know how it all ended.”
His voice grew loud and he stood from his desk. “You can’t tell, Lennox. I’m begging you. Please! She’ll frame me. It will all come back on me.”
“I’m sorry, Dad. I need time to let all of this sink in.” It wasn’t just what he told me, it was what mom just told me too. “I just need some time alone. You ca—”
“You spineless bastard.”
We all turned and looked when we heard her voice in the doorway. Pam was standing there holding a pistol. She alternated between me and my father, contemplating which one of us she wanted to take out first.
Aaron stood behind her waiting for the opportunity to take her down. She had no idea he was there.
“You just couldn’t keep your mouth shut could you, Martin?” Her eyes were open wide like someone who abused meth. She was mad. Crazy out of her fucking mind. It took all the strength I could muster to not beat the shit out of her. There was so much anger flowing through me, I could kill her and not feel an ounce of remorse. My body was buzzing with rage and it scared me. Aaron saw the battle I was having and nodded. He mouthed the words ‘not yet.’
“I’m done, Pam. You win.” He plopped back down into his office chair with a loud thud. “I’m sorry, Len, I’m so sorry it all ended up this way.” That’s when I saw the end of the pistol peeping out from the top of the desk.
Everything happened so fast, I wasn’t sure how it all went down, but as soon as I saw my father bring the pistol up to his temple, I lunged for him with all the strength my muscles had. Right as I fell into him, the gun fired.
“Lennox!” I heard Aaron and my mom scream.
Then everything went black.
Chapter 24
“Lennox, honey, wake up.”
The sweet voice was distant.
“You have to wake up. They need you.”
The voice grew a little louder.
“It’s time to wake up.”
Her voice was the sound of a thousand angels.
“You’re not ready yet. Honey, you’ve been given a gift and you can’t give it up so quickly. There is someone else who needs you more. Someone who loves you beyond measure. You have to go back, and I need to cross over.”
“Mom?” I struggled to say. Something was in my throat, blocking me from talking.
“Lennox?”
This time the voice was deeper. Aaron?
My eyelids opened to a small slit, but the light was too much so I closed them.
“Lennox! Oh my God! She’s waking up!”
I didn’t know who he was talking to but he was frantic. From what, I wasn’t sure.
Suddenly, my ears exploded with a variation of sounds. An annoying beep, the shuffling of feet, doors opening and closing, and muffled voices surrounded me. Somebody squeezed my hand before releasing, then I had hands on my face, my arms, my chest, and then the warm hand was back in mine.
“Lennox, can you hear me?” This voice I didn’t recognize.
Giving it another try, I attempted to open my eyes again. The light was still bright, but I tried harder. I turned my head to escape the brightness. “Too. Bright,” I tried saying. It was no use. Whatever was in my throat wasn’t allowing me to speak at all.
“Dim the light.” I heard someone say.
The brightness suddenly fell dull and I was able to open my eyes wider.
“She’s awake. Oh thank God, she’s awake.” It was Aaron’s voice again. It was filled with extreme apprehension. “Lennox, baby, you’re okay. You’re going to be okay.” Slowly his handsome face came into focus. He brushed my hair away from my face as he kissed my forehead.
“Sorry, sir. We need you to leave while we run some tests.” No, I don’t want him to leave. My eyes widened and I looked around for Mom. All I saw were two women and a man dressed in blue scrubs. It dawned on me I was in the hospital. How did I get here? Why am I here? What happened?
That damn bright light shone back in each of my eyes. “All her vital signs look normal.” The guy in blue scrubs who I assumed to be the doctor was talking to one of the women in the room.
He leaned over me so I could see him better. His hair was a spray of salt and pepper, and there was very little of it. The little rectangular glasses he wore sat on the edge of his nose. “Hello, Miss Collins. It’s nice of you to join us. You had everyone scared for a few days.” His demeanor was light and friendly. “Are you in any pain?” Until he mentioned it, I hadn’t noticed the soreness in my chest and upper back.
I tried to speak, but, again, something was blocking my throat, making it difficult to talk or swallow. Reaching up, I felt for my mouth and found a large hose in it. Just the slight movement of lifting my arm caused excruciating pain to radiate throughout my chest. I winced.
“We’ll give you something to help you relax. In case you’re wondering, you’re hooked up to a ventilator. If you continue to breathe well on your own, we will remove it by tomorrow.” All I could do was nod in response. “In the meantime, try to rest as much as possible.” He didn’t have to tell me twice. Within seconds, I was in dreamland again.
I didn’t know what day or hour it was when I awoke. The room was dark and quiet. The first thing I did was feel to see if the ventilator was still attached to my face. It was gone. I opened my eyes to assess my surroundings and Aaron was sitting in a chair with his head resting on the side of my bed. He looked so gorgeous and peaceful, and most importantly, alive. When I lifted my hand, his fingers were laced through mine. Sliding them very carefully from his grasp, I reached up and scanted my fingers through his hair. His head popped up and a lazy smile appeared on his face. “Hi, beautiful.” He took my hand and kissed the tip of every finger, then pressed it against his face. “God, it’s so good to have you back. I thought we had lost you.” He closed his eyes, squeezing them tight as if the thoughts of it brought him agony. When he opened his eyes, all traces of worry disappeared. He was trying to be strong in front of me. My gut told me he was hiding something from me.
Aaron stood up from the chair and per
ched his butt on the edge of my bed. “How are you feeling?”
“Good.” My throat was sore and scratchy leaving my voice sounding like a ninety year old smoker. He was making small talk. I wanted to know what happened. Where was my mom and dad?
“Are you hungry? They still have you hooked up to an IV but I can see if the nurse could bring you some jello or broth. That should be easy enough on your throat.” He was babbling. Simply avoiding the elephant in the room.
“No,” I said shaking my head. “Mom?”
He grimaced. My heart sank.
“I’m sorry, Lennox.” He dropped his head and examined my fingers. “I’ve not seen any sign of her since the…accident.” He said accident like it was poison on his tongue.
My brows furrowed with confusion.
“Do you remember anything?”
I nodded then shook my head. That night came back to me in bits and pieces, but I couldn’t put it together.
Aaron sighed. “Do you want to know or do you want to forget it all and move forward? I’d prefer we start over from here.”
“Tell me.”
He shook his head with disappointment. “Lennox, if you don’t remember, it’s best you leave it that way. You’ve endured so much already, baby.”
I was scared to know more, but I needed to know where my mom and dad were. “Tell me,” I asked again.
He bent down and kissed me lightly on the lips. “I love you,” he whispered. Taking my hand, he cupped it between both of his. “Do you remember going to your father’s house?”
I nodded.
“Do you remember talking to your father about the death of your mother’s and mine?”
I nodded.
Unconsciously, he rubbed my hand repeatedly. It was a nervous gesture. “Do you remember Pam showing up?”
I nodded. “With a gun,” I said forcefully.
“Yes and your father had one as well. Do you remember what happened after that?”