Eternal Oath

by Jewel Quinlan

  She turned to stalk a few steps away. “Neither of you are worthy of inheriting Hartmann Lumber. Of taking over all this family has cultivated over so many years.” She turned to face them. “But you know who is?” She lifted her hands and gestured at Andrew and Jensen and then patted herself on the chest. “Us.” The S came out in a long exaggerated breath like the hissing of a snake. “We’ve made your father’s life comfortable all these years, waiting on him hand and foot. Much longer than either of you two brats. We deserve to be rewarded!”

  Linda felt separated from reality—almost the same feeling she had when Grace had pulled her into the visions. This person, this monster, was the true Sarah. It came upon her with shocking clarity. Truth had an aura all its own that could not be mistaken.

  She understood now why her dad had always held Sarah at arm’s length. Always treated her like an employee. It wasn’t Sarah who had maintained the boundary, she realized. It had been her dad. Sarah had been doing her best all these years to ingratiate herself to him. Probably thinking, if she did a good job, she could grow the connection with her him and instill a sense of obligation.

  Linda shot a look at Falk. Had he reached the same conclusion?

  “If it’s money you want, we can work something out. Dad has always been generous. You know he’ll take care of you. But if you kill us, then you’ll get nothing.” Falk spoke in a serious tone, his face set. He wasn’t about to beg for either of their lives, and Linda was glad. They both had too much pride. Instead, he tried to appeal to Sarah’s logical side and her desire for money.

  Sarah’s gaze fixed on him and then she laughed. “My dear boy, I am going to get everything! What do you think this is about? I am the rightful heir to the fortune. I am the next oldest living relative after your father passes, and it all belongs to me.” She slapped her chest in punctuation of the last three words. “Besides, how dumb do you think I am? The second I take you back, you’ll call the police. We can’t risk it. We’ve been planning this for a long time.”

  Andrew and Jensen muttered in agreement.

  “It’s too bad your father is a freakishly strong man. Or this would have been over by now. For some reason, he has yet to succumb to the poison I’ve been infusing into his favorite mushrooms, even though I’ve tripled the dose.”

  Linda gasped. “You’ve been poisoning him?”

  Sarah shrugged as though it were a matter of course. “As soon as he started talking about putting a will together at last and making you and Falk the heirs, I knew we had to work fast. Finding a way not completely obvious turned out to be difficult. But, thanks to Andrew, we found it. As you’ve seen, the poison doesn’t show up on any test.”

  “Well, if you’ve gone through all this time and trouble to keep from being implicated, it’s going to be wasted. Killing us will be obvious. Dead bodies always turn up, or don’t you watch the news?” Falk jerked his arms, trying to pull his hands free.

  Jensen moved closer to him and glared.

  “It’s unfortunate it’s taken this turn, yes. But it’s your father’s fault. He called his attorney and instructed him to begin drafting the will. Besides, Andrew knows what to do. We won’t get caught.” The frown left Sarah’s face, replaced with eagerness. “Now then, who shall we kill first?”

  Fear sent a chill throughout Linda’s body.

  “Let’s do them both at the same time.” Jensen gestured with his knife.

  Andrew reached toward the small of his back and pulled out a gun tucked in his waistband. “Works for me.”

  Sarah frowned at Andrew. “Where’s your knife?”

  “Dropped it in the woods,” he said. “I’ll go back and find it later.” He raised his gun toward Linda’s head, but Sarah grabbed his arm and jerked it down.

  “That’s too loud. Someone’s bound to hear.” She frowned at him.

  “No one’s around,” he retorted. “Plus, people hunt back here all the time.”

  “Still, there’s no reason to take a risk now that we’re almost finished. Jensen has a knife.”

  Andrew shrugged. “Fine by me. But we should do them over in the water. I for one don’t want to have to clean up any blood.”

  “All right,” Sarah said.

  Jensen grabbed Falk by the arm and pulled him to his feet, and Andrew did the same with Linda. As they walked, tears ran down her cheeks, her mind trying to reject the horror of what was about to happen.

  “Please, Sarah,” she begged, her pride slipping. “Please don’t do this.”

  They came to the lake’s edge near the pier, and Andrew and Jensen forced them to walk several feet into the icy-cold water. Sarah stood on the shore and watched.

  “That’s good,” Andrew said, and they all halted.

  Jensen raised his knife in Falk’s direction, and the edge glinted in the sun. A scream rose in Linda’s throat.

  “No,” Sarah said. “Do her first. He deserves to have to watch her die.”

  Jensen shrugged and then turned to move in her direction. Time seemed to slow down. Linda could feel every breath moving into her chest and see the fine wrinkles on Jensen’s face. Even the small beads of sweat on his forehead stood out in detail.

  Her eyes moved to Falk, the love of her life. She fastened her gaze on the beauty of his face, remembering the gentle look when he’d made love to her. The way his lips had felt against her skin. And most of all, how safe she felt when he held her in his arms.

  The water sloshed as Jensen came closer and lifted his knife, but she focused on Falk. If she was going to die, she wanted him to be the last thing she saw.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Falk couldn’t remember ever being filled with more terror than this very moment as he watched Jensen move closer to Linda. He’d been lost and alone and thought he would die once in the woods of Hartmann Lumber. But even with all those things combined, they weren’t a fraction of what he felt now.

  Eyes locked with Linda’s, he sent a silent prayer to God for help with the goddamned bindings on his wrists! The scissors worked. First one band and then the other had been severed, and he worked on the last. He pumped the scissors harder against the last zip tie. Damn, the sucker was tough! But, even with his hands still bound, he couldn’t stand here and do nothing to protect Linda. Couldn’t let her be slaughtered like an animal.

  Fury rose within him. He was not going to let this happen. They would fight! With a roar he charged at Jensen, hoping he could ram him away from Linda at the least. The butler turned at the noise.

  But Andrew caught him as he took his second step. The wiry Irishman grabbed his arm and then swung the butt of his gun at Falk’s head. Falk dodged, and the gun grazed the side of his head. At that exact moment, his last, desperate hack with the scissors succeeded. The band came apart and blood rushed to his palms.

  Falk didn’t hesitate. As he rose from his dodge, his hand with the scissors came up and toward Andrew’s face. The scissors were tiny but better than nothing. Maybe if he could take out one of his eyes, at least then they would have a chance.

  But Andrew leveled the gun at him again, and his arm got in the way. Falk’s rising arm struck his wrist, and the gun flew out of his hand.

  The wiry Irishman was fast. Ignoring the loss of the gun, he struck out, his fist clipping Falk on the side of the head.

  Falk calculated how to take him out.

  Behind him, Linda screamed. But he didn’t have time to look. All his attention focused on his opponent.

  Andrew, however, glanced over, and Falk struck out with a speed he didn’t know he had. The scissors plunged into the man’s neck.

  For a second, Falk thought maybe he’d just scratched him, but then blood gushed from Andrew’s jugular. The man clapped a hand to his neck, and Falk turned away from him. He would be out of commission for the time being with his life literally in his own hands.

  Linda struggled with Jensen. She’d sprung onto his back, and her hands scratched at his
face while Jensen waved the knife behind him, trying to stab her. It made contact with her leg, and she cried out, slipping from Jensen’s back.

  Falk grabbed Jensen’s arm and tried to pry the knife from his hand when a shot rang out. Jensen jerked and shock registered on his face. A spot of blood blossomed on his shirt over his stomach, growing larger within seconds. He let go of the knife and pressed his hands to his abdomen.

  At the same time, all three of them turned to look toward the shore.

  There stood Sarah with the gun, preparing to take another shot.

  Falk didn’t hesitate. He grabbed Linda’s hand and pulled her toward the pier. They climbed onto it, and another shot cracked the morning stillness. The wood of the planks near them erupted into splinters.

  “Run!” Falk yelled.

  Sarah stepped onto the end of the dock, so they had no choice but to sprint toward the end where two long, skinny, wooden poles stuck out like a goal. Falk stayed behind Linda so as to provide her with some protection, and their footsteps pounded the wood as they fled. Falk’s back itched with the exposure. They were out in the open, and he prayed the distance they put between themselves and Sarah would make it harder for her to hit them.

  Falk prepared to dive into the water when they reached the edge, but Linda stopped and grabbed his arm. “Wait!”

  Behind them Sarah came closer and closer. Waddling down the length of the pier as fast as she could go but not looking to be in any special hurry.

  “We’re going to have to swim,” Falk said. “She’s coming!”

  “The water’s too cold,” Linda said, hopelessness making her tone go flat.

  Falk estimated the distance to the shore on the other side. She was right. The water from this lake was fed by snowmelt from the mountains. In water so cold, they would die of hypothermia before they reached the other side.

  “Shit!” He glanced around, desperate for a weapon of any kind. He’d dropped the Swiss Army knife during the fight, not that it would have done much against a gun. He considered having them both jump in the water and make their way back to shore under the pier. But Sarah would be able to pick them off with the gun once they got there.

  A feeling of helplessness swept over him, and he faced Linda and cupped her cheek with one of his hands. His heart beat with the need to protect her. “All right then. Time for Plan B. I’ll tackle her, and you run for the shore. There’s no way she’ll be able to kill both of us. She is an old lady, after all.”

  Linda shook her head, fear rising in her eyes. “No!”

  “Yes,” he insisted. “We don’t have any other alternatives.” He leaned his head down and kissed her then wrapped his arms around her in a hug. His gaze lingered on her dark hair, and he smoothed his hand over the length of it, memorizing the feel beneath his fingers.

  She clutched at him and sniffled as her head lay against his chest. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” Then he added, “It will be all right.” It was lie. But he had nothing else to offer her.

  Behind him, Sarah let out a cackling laugh. “You two saved me a lot of trouble,” she said. “I was going to have to figure out how to get rid of those two, but it looks like I’ll have you all taken care of before the night is over.”

  She laughed again, and the sound triggered fury within Falk once again, and all Linda had told him about her visions flooded into his mind. This same thing had been happening over and over throughout time. Today, it would happen again; they were both going to die. But the thought made rebellion spike in his soul. He wouldn’t let Sarah do it again. They wouldn’t be robbed of their future and happiness in one more life. It had to stop here, somehow.

  He found himself staring at one of the poles at the end of the dock and an idea flared through him. He glanced behind him. Sarah was a few feet away.

  “I have an idea,” he whispered to Linda before letting her go. Then, with every ounce of strength he had, he grabbed the wooden pole and yanked it down. It snapped free at the base and he whirled to face Sarah with his new weapon.

  As Falk spun to face Sarah, Linda sucked in a breath to scream but then ended up holding it in, her tension and fear making her freeze up. It seemed like a scene from a nightmare. In the backdrop rose a broad green expanse of forest and a lonely road. In front of them on the pier stretching over the still blue water stood a friend turned enemy who pointed a gun at them and prepared to fire.

  Sarah had flinched when Falk had snapped the wooden pole free and then turned to meet her. But then the steel of hatred came back into her face. She stood her ground, a sneer on her lips and took aim with both hands.

  “Go!” Falk shouted over his should to her before advancing on Sarah.

  All of her muscles prepared to run, but her first step was cut short by a vision taking hold of her. It was different this time, falling like a veil over her sight. She could still see Falk charge Sarah, see him start to take the first swing, but at the same time, the vision stood like a thick mist in front of it.

  “Linda!” Grace’s voice broke into her mind with startling clarity.

  “Grace? I thought you died….”

  “I did,” Grace said. “But you have to listen to me right now—”

  The crack of the gun split the air at the same time Falk reached Sarah and his pole impacted her on the shoulder.

  “Sarah has to die. It’s the only way to break the cycle!”

  Sarah flew through the air over the water. Her gun spun away from her off to the side. She landed with a great splash several feet out from the dock.

  “Did you hear me, Linda?” Grace’s voice was urgent.

  Falk turned back to look at Linda, and his chest heaved with his breaths. “Are you hurt?”

  She shook her head, stunned at the sequence of events. The vision was fading, and Grace spoke once more before she disappeared. “Don’t save her, Linda. It’s the only way.”

  The blood soaking through the sleeve of Falk’s shirt caught her eye, and Linda moved to his side right away. “You’re hit!”

  She tried to expose the wounded area but failed as his long-sleeve shirt and sweater were in the way. “We have to get you to the hospital.”

  In the water, Sarah flailed around with awkward splashes, her head barely staying above the surface. “Help me!” she screamed. “I can’t swim!”

  They both turned to look at her.

  “Please!” Sarah wailed.

  Falk still held the pole, and he began to extend it toward her.

  As Linda watched, Grace’s words whispered in her mind once again, and she could not ignore the one last warning from Grace in her afterlife. They were one after all. Grace was an incarnation of herself from an earlier time. How could she not trust herself? How much had Grace sacrificed to speak to her across time and in death? Reaching out to someone in the future, the last kind of desperate attempt she could see herself making when all other hope was lost.

  She touched Falk’s shoulder. He glanced at her in question.

  “Don’t,” she said.

  He hesitated, but then his expression changed to understanding. “Grace?”

  Linda nodded. “It’s the only way.”

  Falk’s jaw set grimly, but he pulled the pole back then threw it in the water on the opposite side of the dock. “Let’s go.” He held his hand out to her.

  She took it, and together they walked down the dock, both cringing at the fading sounds of Sarah’s cries and splashing. By the time they had passed the bodies of Jensen and Andrew floating in the water and stepped off the end, the noises were no more than a gurgle.

  And then there was silence.

  Epilogue

  Linda sat on the hospital bed, facing her father. He sat up eating the food the nurse had brought him, and the sight filled her with joy. His color had returned, along with his strength, and the doctors had said he could go home in the morning.

  “Where is Falk?” He lifted a forkful of m
ashed potatoes to his mouth.

  “He’s on his way. He just texted me.”

  “Can you turn the TV on?” he asked. “I want to catch up on the news.”

  Linda picked up the remote and pushed the Power button, flipping through channels until she found one showing the news. It had been a month since Sarah’s death, and Linda still had nightmares about it, but they were less frequent and intense compared to what they had been right after the incident. As life moved forward, new memories added up to replace the horror and betrayal of the past. One blissful memory in particular overshadowed all the rest.

  She hadn’t had a single vision in all this time, which made her think those were finally over. With each passing day, her relief grew. It hadn’t been fun to have someone else take control of her mind, though it had been a necessary evil for Grace to save their lives.

  As soon as she and Falk had reached a phone, they had called the police who’d had no difficulty collecting evidence confirming her and Falk’s recounting of events. They had even found the poison Sarah had been feeding Dad. From there, the doctors had been able to provide the correct supportive care to detoxify him and restore him to health.

  In the last month, Falk had gone into overdrive taking care of the business, providing the police access to the house and any other details they needed, and running full background checks on every single staff member employed by Hartmann Lumber, including those in the house. He’d let a few of them go, but the vast majority had been retained. Of course, before Falk did anything, he always consulted their father.

  Linda secretly felt those decision-making meetings had been a key ingredient in restoring her father’s health. He had missed both her and Falk while they’d been away at school. His long convalescence had dampened his spirits and will to live. With all the action going on, he felt needed once again, and his drive had returned. He even talked about going to one of the mills tomorrow after his release.