by Tampa Tyson
“That’s just it. He is a master builder,” my smile finally faded, “and not a very nice one, either.”
Kayla shivered in fear, which intensified as I headed to the closet to get my coat. “I’ve got to go home, Kayla.”
For a moment, Kayla was quiet. Then she looked up at me, like a puppy begging to go with its master. Inside, I sighed. I hated telling Kayla no, I hated telling her that she couldn’t come with me. She would get so emotional if I told her... “Sorry, Kayla.”
A tear trickled down Kayla’s cheek. I turned away. “I’m sorry, Kayla,” I said again, “but I can’t let him hurt you too.”
Even though she kept crying, I was pretty sure that Kayla understood. Whatever the case, I wasn’t going to let her emotions determine my decision. Not this time anyway.
I quickly wrapped my arms around her. She clenched onto me with all her might, and I didn’t have enough strength to pull away. She kept crying, and soon her mom came racing downstairs to see what the matter. “Honey are you okay?”
“She wants to leave!” Kayla shouted as she pointed at me... “after all....”
Maggie sat on the couch and let Kayla lean against her shoulder as she sobbed. After a few minutes of those tears, Maggie looked at me with disdain. I blushed. Maybe I should stay. That way, I'd keep myself safe.
No, Gabby, I told myself. You’ve got to go home. You’ve got to go confront him. Someday you’ll die. If you don’t go confront him, you’re not living.
“Are you trying to hurt my daughter?”
“What? No!”
“She’s clearly upset because of you.”
Upset because of me? Well, she was the one who came to get me... Great, now I was falling into the Blame Game Trap. I had to stop doing that. “Did she want to come along?”
Kayla looked at me and stopped her tears. For a moment. Maybe it wasn’t so much the fact that I was leaving, but the knowledge of who it was that made her frightened. That kinda freaked me out too. “To be honest, Maggie,” I said, “I never expected the person who’d hurt me to be...” I whispered the name into Maggie’s ear... She reeled back in shock, “I’ve got to confront him.”
“But what...”
“My Mom’s sending Nicholas here,” I said, “tell him to send the cruiser to my house.”
“Can I...”
“Yes, Kayla, you can come then.” Quickly throwing on my coat, I turned and sped out of the house, dashing home as cautiously I could. As soon as I arrived home, Stephen opened the door and let me in with a smile. I asked him to show me where the thermostat control switch was.... and he led me downstairs, down into the basement.
As soon as we got downstairs, I noticed something strange. There was no evidence of fire damage- no charring, no smoky aroma. “There was smoke...” I muttered.
Stephen opened the thermostat cover and reached in. “It was just dry ice,” he said, pulling out a chunk of it, “see?”
I barely glanced at the smoking piece of ice before my glance returned to the thermostat. My suspicions had been confirmed. Stephen had been using magnets. He’d not only fixed the thermostat, he’d also broken it. He hadn’t only saved me from death, he’d also led me to it. Disguising himself as Good Samaritan, Stephen had acted like a selfish idiotic Pharisee. Those rules- the rules he told me would keep me safe- had been nothing more than a ploy to keep me out of the way. So, I couldn’t discover him.
Dad had been right. This wasn’t.... no, it had never been.... an accident... Stephen had planned this. He’d planned to hurt me, pass it off as either an “accident” or an “attempted” murder by an insane man, and planned to pretend to be mine. And Mom, with her protective nature, fell for his “disguise.” The only question I had now- was why?
That was why I’d come.... to find out why Stephen.... who’d seemed to have so much going for him.... be so stupid as to attack me.... and destroy the whole town. I had to pick and choose my words carefully though- if I insulted Stephen, he’d run away, but if I didn’t probe him enough, he wouldn't say anything... I’d get no answers.
“Wow, Stephen,” I said, “you did a great job.”
“Thank you.” Stephen blushed with pride. And embarrassment. Seemed he lacked self-confidence. “My father taught me how to use magnets when I was a youngster.”
“Good for him. He gave you some skills. Skills you’ll need in the future.”
Stephen shrugged. He probably didn’t agree with me I wondered why.
“Stephen, you’re the best builder in this town.... maybe the whole world. You’ve got to find some way to share your talents.... help people instead of hurting them.”
Stephen scoffed. I’d taken a wrong turn... I needed to take a few paces back. “I heard you had a twin brother,”
Stephen crossed his arms.
“I heard he died.”
Stephen scoffed.
“I’d like to know how it happened.”
Stephen scoffed. I should have expected it. He wasn’t interested in sharing his life story, why would he? He only cared about himself. I had no choice now but to manipulate him into telling me about himself. I had to get this information before Nicholas came to arrest Stephen.... if only for peace of mind. “Do you want to continue to be my protector, or not?”
Stephen was quiet.... and still. Still as a statue. “Look, Stephen,” I said sitting down on the couch, “if you’re going to continue to be my protection, I need to know some.... things.... about you. Otherwise, I don’t think I’ll be able to trust you anymore.”
Stephen was quiet. Maybe he was testing me, see if I’d follow through... I got up and started to make my way upstairs. Then I heard Stephen. “It really doesn't make any difference, what happened to my brother.”
Curious, I turned around. “He had it coming to him, that kid.”
I watched Stephen, wondering if he had killed his brother.
“He was sick with Ebola.... gonna die anyway.”
Stephen wasn’t being direct. But why would he? Especially when it could get him into serious trouble? “My question is, why would you kill him?”
“Because I’m sick.”
Reeling back in shock, I clenched onto the stairwells to keep myself from falling down the stairs. How could Stephen be sick? I wondered, he’d seemed so healthy.
“I know, I know, it’s a shock,” Stephen said flatly, “but that’s the point. My parents don’t know... I never bothered telling them.”
The shock had begun to still, but my ears began buzzing, my vision started blurring, and my legs felt unsteady. “They wouldn’t believe me, you know.”
His voice sounded strange, with the buzzing, but I got the gist of it. “They don’t believe in AIDS or HIV, for that matter.”
I wished desperately that the buzzing would stop. That my body would feel normal, if only for just a little bit.... so, I could talk to Stephen more properly. As It was... I felt like a seesaw.... trembling back and forth. Letting go of the railing would just cause me to fall backward.... but I couldn’t keep hold of it much longer. “You should probably sit down.”
Still clenching onto the railing with all my mind, I lowered myself to the steps. A few seconds of sitting there. There, the dizziness started to subside.... but I didn’t dare move. Yet. “When....” I coughed and sputtered, “when did you get AIDS?”
“I found out about it when I was 5, just before my brother had this stupid Ebola Crisis and spent weeks being sick. Parents never took him to the doctor, stupid idiots. They don’t believe in yearly appointments and they think the immune system can cure everything.”
Wow, Stephen, I thought, your parents sound terrible. In fact, they kinda reminded me of Dad’s previous girlfriend- the one who’d gotten pregnant and then disappeared off the face of the earth. I suddenly gasped. “Stephen, I know you were at the crime scene.”
“What I want to know is why you went to the ski lodge sick.”
“I also know you’re the one who hurt me, and I want to know why.”
“Why? Cause you made me,” Stephen grinned, “you shouldn’t have been there sick.”
“That’s not a good enough –” I coughed, “–excuse.”
“If you think I’m an idiot stupid, you should be talking to my parents. They’re the real idiots
“I’ve got to sit on the ouch.”
“Yeah, go ahead, whatever." Though I figured Stephen was probably being sarcastic, I got up and walked to the couch anyway- I didn't have the strength for the stairs. “So, Stephen,” I said, “tell me about your parents.”
“What?”
“Tell me how they’re idiots."
“They just are.”
"Do you really expect me to believe you without proof?"
“Nothing’s good for you, is it? Should have expected... A girl like you can’t liken herself to me....”
“Actually...”
“No wonder you’re so dumb. You think life’s a piece of cake, don’t you? You think I could wish upon a star and all my wildest dreams would magically come true. Well, I got news for you... You don’t know my parents.”
“You’re right, Stephen,” I said, “I don’t know your parents...”
“They’re exercise junkies,” Stephen interrupted me, “they love sports. Obsessed with them.... actually,” he hung his head, “that’s why they loved my brother... He loved his sports. My family spent so many hours watching him play... Everybody considered him a born superstar... He was that good.”
“And you?”
“You could call me a smarty-pants,” Stephen said, “as I prefer the library.”
“Alright, Smarty-pants,” I said, “have you ever told your parents you prefer the library over the stadium?”
“Yeah, I have,” Stephen said, “and they called me stupid.”
“Excuse me?”
“They told me that books were for dummies who didn’t know anything about the world and because smart people like me didn’t need them- I had no reason not to support my brother. To them, anyway.”
“Stephen...”
"Then my brother went to Africa, got sick with Ebola and died, and my parents moved here and demanded that I pick some kinda sport." Stephen said, "ended up picking skiing; thought it'd be the best option... "
“Why didn’t you just tell them?”
“Are you kidding? If they ever knew my condition- they’d try everything in their power to cure it. Heck, maybe they’d even make me spend hours in their house just to see if my immune system could get rid of it... I’d frigging die.”
So, for a boy who never really wanted to ski, getting on the ski team was simply a means of survival. But then I showed up- and I looked like an opponent, an opponent who’d thrown Stephen into the game of the Survival of the Fittest. As he came in with AIDS he struck me by injuring my arm the arm... How could I ever blame him?
“I’m sorry, Stephen.”
"It's too late for an apology," Stephen said, "coming barreling in the lodge, sneezing, and coughing, not caring about being well....”
“I care now, Stephen.”
“It’s too late now,” Stephen said. “Time for you to die.”
Chapter 24
Stephen went in the bathroom and when he came out, I started laughing. Really hard. “You must think I’m stupid using this,” he said, showing me the object. “After all, aren’t generators good things?”
While I knew he was being sarcastic, I wasn’t sure what he meant. Not until he turned it on anyway. The machine whirled up a bit. “Ahh.” Stephen kicked the generator. “There’s the problem with the generator, the carbon monoxide. In an enclosed space, it becomes really dangerous.”
Right of course. Many things otherwise harmless could become dangerous in enclosed spaces – like metal or popcorn in the microwave. But those things usually wouldn't kill you directly- except for grapes or hot dogs, and that would be if you were a toddler. I wasn't a toddler. Not anymore, anyway.
The carbon monoxide made me gasp for breath again. My mind flashed to when I had speeded down the hill to the construction site- and then I remembered Sage accusing me of contaminating her gas pipeline. "So that's what you'd given me..." I couldn't control my breathing long enough to get the full sentence out.
"Yes," Stephen seemed proud of his evil accomplishment, "but back then, it was just enough to make you pass out, not kill you. Of course, I hoped you'd simply stay away- but after what you've done... You've proven I can't trust you anymore."
There was nothing I could do or say, nothing to convince Stephen that I had his best interests at heart. I tried apologizing again, but I don't think Stephen really believed that I was truly sorry. He'd probably seen me blaming so many other people so many other times, he took their words at face value. Why wouldn't he, though?
I gasped for breath again. "Looks like the carbon monoxide has gotten you good,” Stephen said, "soon, you'll be dead, and I'll go out of here and say that I saw Robert hurting you and I couldn't save you..."
"You're mistaken!" I shouted.
Stephen laughed. Clearly, he thought I was a dummy, heck, maybe even a baby. Good thing I kinda looked like one, he had no idea of my secret strength.
"I have friends,” I said.
"Excuse me?"
"Robert and Kayla are my friends,” I gasped, "I told them to send Nicholas here to arrest you..."
"You do realize I sealed off the secret passageway, didn't you?"
I gasped again, more out of fear this time.
"Oh, yes, I knew where it was, all along."
Of course, he'd known, I thought, had he not known, he wouldn't have been able to plant that poisoned cup of hot chocolate at the construction site, right when Robert was there. "There was this map in Sage's house," I said, “is that yours?"
"No. That was Robert's," Stephen said, "but I'll definitely bury you in it..."
Frightened, I tried to jump up and escape, but Stephen caught me. With one hand, he quickly pinned me down, and the other, he grabbed my left wrist, squeezing it so hard, I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from screaming.
"You'll never see your friends again!" With all his might, Stephen threw me to the ground. I nearly screamed as my left shoulder hit the floor first. I heard a pop and freaked out, gasping, and panting for breath faster than I'd done before. All I could think about was my father- how much he’d hate losing me. Maybe I should have stayed with Kayla. I shouldn’t have looked for a while.
“I’m sorry, Stephen.” I tried to say, “Please forgive me.”
He gave me a look, rose his foot, and stepped on my left shoulder. I couldn't help but scream- at the top of my lungs. When my screaming subsided, Stephen backed away. "Really, Gabby?" He crossed his arms, "didn't your parents ever tell you- silence is golden?"
Never, I thought though I didn't say anything. Arguing with Stephen, trying to convince him that 'silence wasn't always golden' would just make him defensive. But saying nothing didn't really work either.
"You're a fool, you know. Trying to scream."
I wanted to respond- say something, but the carbon monoxide made it more difficult to speak. "You should have stayed home. In your house. You'd have been safe there."
Maybe. I thought. But like metal in the microwave or carbon monoxide in the house, I would have destroyed everything and everybody around me. If it hadn't been for Kayla...
"You should have never gotten rid of your brother, Stephen,"
"Excuse me?"
"He was your one saving grace, your brother. If only you'd let him live. Then you wouldn't be in this situation, would you?”
"You do realize he was sick with Ebola, don't you?"
"People get lucky."
Stephen shrugged.
"Look, Stephen, you could really have at least tried to help your brother. If he lived, you’d be in debt to him forever."
"I highly doubt that."
"You weren't willing to take the chance?"
"Why do you think I go and do all this? I'm not
gonna take the chance that my parents try to send me to military school. I'd be rejected, they'd learn I'd have AIDS and they'll try to cure it..."
"You're right," I said, "but Hannah told me she needs your medical records and if she decides you can't ski, your parents will soon figure out that you have AIDS and you'll still be on your way to death.”
Stephen sighed.
"I think I know some way to fix this..."
“Life doesn’t come with a genie, Gabby.”
"Of course not," I said, "but that gives me an idea..." For a few moments, I kept my voice quiet. Stephen was curious, and he sat down, "I want you to plead guilty."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me, Stephen,” I said, "plead guilty."
"You're a fool," Stephen said.
"I know you doubt me, Stephen. Just hear me out... Look, Stephen, if you admit that you’re guilty...."
"I'd be taken to prison, wouldn't I?"
"Yes.... but..."
"I'd have no chance of escaping besides bail- and my parents- do you know what they'd do if they found out I was a criminal?"
"I don't know your parents, Stephen."
"Right...." Stephen scratched this head, "cells are dirty too, you know."
"I can make sure Nicholas gets you a clean cell."
"You can't be that stupid," Stephen said, "thinking that life’s always gonna go your way, thinking it's a piece of cake, that all you gotta do is ask and pray and you'll get your heart’s desire. It's not that simple, Gabby."
"You've taught me very well, Stephen."
"Then why did you ever leave your house?"
"Because I was passionate. About solving this mystery."
Chapter 25
"Passionate?" Stephen raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "I thought you were passionate about skiing.... not...." Though his voice had trailed off, I realized what he was trying to say, and I understood.
"I thought so too, Stephen," I replied, "but as it turns out, skiing was nothing more than a simple obsession, an obsession that threatened to destroy my whole life."