Chapter 5
As Brad made his way to the Mitchem home he couldn’t understand why Sarah would do this, especially when she knew Meghan was giving her the house. It just didn’t make sense. Something just wasn’t right.
Back at the hotel Mark tries to calm Meghan down he had never seen her so angry. “Megs, at least give Brad a chance to find out who place the announcement.”
“Oh come on Mark, do you think anyone but Sarah would do it?”
“Well, now I have been going things in my head and when I left your grandmother that evening, she was resting comfortably. There was no sign she would go in cardiac arrest three hours later.”
Meghan looked at him, “what are you saying Mark?”
“I’m just saying there was no reason for your grandmother to have died that night.”
“What are you saying Mark?”
“I’m not sure it’s just I never thought much about it until now. Yes, Lucille was in her late ninety’s and yes she had a heart attack a few year back that left her with some damage but with her meds she was doing well. I left her and she was resting comfortably… ”
Meghan looked at him, ”so you think...”
“That’s just its Megs, when I walked into her room the monitor read flatline. There was no one there. So, the article in the paper was wrong. There was no family by her side and because we knew she had a heart condition the family requested no autopsy.”
She looked at him,” Mark, do you think …”
He puts his arms around her and holds her close,” Megs, don’t let your imagination run away with common scene. You’re a smart girl but I think it’s best I handle it. I promise I’ll get the bottom of this and find the truth.”
At the Mitchem home Brad was met at the door by Sarah, “Brad I was expecting you a bit later, we were about to eat supper.”
Brad looked at her, “well Sarah there seems to be a slight problem with the signing of the documents.”
“A problem?”
Not knowing just how to say it, without accusing Sarah. “Well Meghan saw the article in the newspaper today on Lucille’s obituary.”
“I thought it was rather nice Katherine wrote it up.”
“But she didn’t mention your late brother Thomas.”
Sarah just looked at him, “what does that have to do with anything? Thomas has been gone over twenty years…”
Brad looks at her, “but his daughter still feels he should have been mentioned.”
The remark angered Sarah, “oh I suppose she now refuses to sign the papers!” “She is making arrangements to have the house put on the market as soon as today.”
“Put on the market? Why she can’t do that!”
Brad shakes his head,” I’m afraid she can Sarah, you see she owns the house and the grounds around it.”
Sarah turns and walks in the living room as Brad follows.
She stops abruptly and turns to him, “you’re enjoying all this aren’t you? You never wanted me to have this. You made sure my father left something for Thomas. Poor little Thomas, left this earth too soon it’s a shame he didn’t take along that little brat of his that night with the both of them.”
Brad looks at her, “how could you say such a thing? I know your mother had it against Tom but why wish something like that to an innocent child!”
Sarah looks at him, “innocent child, why she’s as crafty as her mother Roisin. She sneaked her way into our family by tricking my brother into marrying her and then insisting they go to that party ending both their lives. She killed my brother!”
“Sarah, that’s just crazy talk the roads were icy there was no way of knowing how bad the conditions were, I was at the same party with my wife, we left only ten minutes after them, we got to the crash only minutes after it happened. There was nothing anyone could have done.”
“How would you know?”
“Because Tom was my friend, and when I saw the extent of his injuries, I knew he was dead along with Roisin. I can’t believe how you all treated that child so badly all those years. If you could you’d feed her on the back porch like a stray dog you would have.”
With both their voices raised Katherine comes into the room. “What’s all the yelling, good Lord what’s wrong now?”
Sarah sits down on the closest chair,” oh it’s Meghan. She’s upset about the piece you wrote for the paper.”
Kathrine sits on the sofa and smiles. “Oh, what is she so upset about?”
“Not mentioning her father.”
A smile comes to Katherine’s face,” well I didn’t any point to it after all he was gone.”
Sarah nods her head,’ “true, but you still could have mentioned him.”
“But mother how was I to know grandfather had made a clause in his will to give Meghan something?”
“Not something almost everything. She was going to just hand it over to me until she saw the article.”
“So now it’s my fault?”
Sarah looks at her,” We’re not saying that dear, it’s just well…”
Brad decided to step in, “It was a simple mistake you didn’t know what was in your grandfather’s will, right?”
Katherine looks at him, “oh but I did. I knew what was in the will I wrote the obituary two days ago.”
Brad looked at her astonished, “you knew this, and you sent that story in anyway?” Katherine gives him an arrogant look, “Oh Mr. Roberts, you do get excited easily. Meghan will get over it. She always does.”
Brad looks at her, “I have never in my life seen such a cold person. I thought your grandmother was cold. You are colder and vindictive as her maybe even worse. What could you possibly hope to gain with all this?”
“I wanted to see her suffer like she’s making you and I suffer.”
Brad just looked at her. “I suppose your mother didn’t tell you Meghan was going to give your mother the house, I was going to her hotel room this evening to have her sign the documents.”
The was a spark in Katherine’s eyes, “and the money is she giving the money to us also?”
Again, Brad was surprised by her greed, “no she’s giving some to the hospital and the rest is going….”
He was about to finish when Katherine stops him,” to the hospital! Why forever for? Why mother and I are to live like peasants and….”
“Well thanks to your little stunt, Meghan has changed her mind and is putting the house up for sale.”
“She can’t do that!”
“I’m afraid she can Katherine, she plans to have it on the market tomorrow.”
Brad looks at Sarah, “I suppose you’ll be hearing from the realtor sometime tomorrow to set up a walk through.”
Sarah looks at her daughter, “well, I hope you’re proud of yourself. She was willing to give us the house. But, no, you wanted to get back at her for taking the doctor. The doctor who has been in love with her since she was 15. You never had chance! I saw the look in his eyes when he saw her after all those years. That look was not just infatuation it was love.”
Katherine looked at her, “he would have wanted me, if she didn’t show up, he would have seen I was perfect for him. I tried to get his attention, but grandma was always taking up his time. He was always with her. I’m glad she’s dead. I wish Meghan were dead too.”
“Katherine Mary Lucille Andrews, how dare you wish something like that on anyone!”
She looked her mother, “oh come off it mother you know it yourself. You often wished she was dead both of them.”
Sarah looked at Brad, “why it was just a figure of speech it was never to actually wish harm to them.”
Katherine looked at her in shock, “you mean you never really meant it? You didn’t want her dead?”
Sarah looked at Katherine, “Katherine, tell me, slowly, what did you do?”
She looked at him, “why, what do you want to say?”
“Just tell me what you did?” Katherine looks at her mother, "I only did it for you, mama, you suffered so much all these years…”
Sarah puts her arms around her daughter, "Katherine, you didn’t do anything to cause grandma’s death did you? Tell me you didn’t!”
Katherine looked at her, “I didn’t mean to…”
“My God, Katherine what did you do?”
“Mama, I did it for you, for us.”
Sarah looked at Brad, “We don’t have to let anyone know. I mean mother is gone and well no one need to know about this.”
Sarah looks at her, “It’s not murder mother is it? I’ve hurt no one else it was just that one incident.”
Brad looks at both of them, “Sarah, it’s still murder.”
Katherine who had remained quiet all this time suddenly starts to giggle; a wild look is in her eyes and she begins laughing out loud, “look at both of you, trying to protect poor little Katherine. Protect me from what? Grandmother died of a heart attack the good doctor even said so, and by tomorrow Meghan will be gone”.
Brad looks at her. “Gone? What do you mean gone?”
She gives them both a wicked laugh. “You’ll see.” Then throws her head back.
Brad quickly grabs his cell phone and calls Mark, “Mark, this is Brad, is Meghan there with you? Good I want you both to get out of that room and wait for me in the lobby. Yes, I’ll explain everything when I get there.”
He ends the call and looks at both of them, “I’ll be back after I see Meghan.”
He leaves and Sarah looks at her daughter, “of all the stupid things. Admitting to a lawyer you caused your grandmother’s death. What were you thinking?”
Katherine looks at her mother, “don’t worry mother nothing will happen to me they made me do it.”
“They? They who?” She got up and walked across the room and looked up and the portrait of her
grandparents over the fireplace, “they told me to.” She looked back at her mother, “don’t you believe me? Grandpa said I had to kill grandma because she was evil and grandma said Meghan had to die. Don’t you see it’s the only way we could have everything, the house, the money, and the doctor.” She threw back her head and again had the wicked laugh that frightened Sarah looked in shock at her. “Stop it! Stop it do you hear me?”
Katherine stopped and quietly went to the nearby chair and sat down.”
Sarah couldn’t believe what she had just witnessed. Had her daughter really killed her mother and possibly try to kill Meghan believing she was told to by her dead parents ? No this was too bizarre even for Katherine to imagine. It was as if Katherine had become possessed.
Brad arrived at the hotel driving through every red light to get there. He rushed into the lobby and saw Meghan and Mark in the Dining room, and quickly goes over to them.
It was Mark who got up to get him a chair, “It sounded serious Brad, what’s wrong?”
Brad looked at them both after sitting down, “Katherine admitted to both Sarah and I that she caused her grandmother’s death, then she said something about how Meghan was next.” He looked at Megan, “think Meghan was there anything that seemed different in your room? Anything in your room already there when arrived?”
Meghan thought for moment as they both looked at her.
“Megs, was there anything different?” She looked at him, “the fruit basket, it was on the coffee table I thought it was a complimentary gift from the hotel.”
Mark put his hand on her shoulder, “Megs think carefully did you have any of the fruit?”
She looked at him, “no, I didn’t touch it except to read the card. I thought it was a sweet gesture.”
Brad looked at her, “I’ll be right back Meghan, do not leave here.”
Brad leaves the table and heads to the main desk.
Meghan looks at Mark, “Mark?”
“It’s aright Megs, I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Suddenly Mark’s cell phone begins to ring. He looks down and sees the number is Sarah. “It’s your Aunt Sarah” he answers the call, “yes, Sarah?”
To his surprise it was not Sarah but Katherine’s voice. “No, it’s not mother doctor Gentry, she’s not feeling very well right now.”
“Oh, what seems to be her problem?”
“Well she had an accident in the kitchen”
“An accident?”
“Yes, seems she cut herself slicing bread. She asked if you could come and see what you can do for her.”
Mark looks at Meghan who is shaking her head no,” Well I’m a bit tied up at this time Katherine, can you get her to the hospital?”
An angry Katherine screams into the phone,” I said get over here now, she’s bleeding to death! What do I have to say so you understand? If she dies it will be your fault!”
“Calm down Katherine, apply a cloth on the cut and get her to the hospital.”
“No, doctor you forget that cousin of mine and get in your car and get over here and save my mother’ life. After all that is what you do right, save lives? I suggest you get over here save her life now!”
He looks at Meghan and though he doesn’t want to leave her he can’t very well let Sarah bleed to death.
He looks at Meghan, “Megs.”
Meghan starts to shake her head,” she’ll kill you next Mark! Don’t you understand?”
“I understand very well but I also understand that Sarah may not have much time if she’s Kathrine’s next victim. We are not dealing with a sane woman Megs, she’s killed once and she’ll kill again”
Brad comes back to the table, “well the hotel does not give out fruit baskets, the one in your room was delivered by a young girl from a local florist who said it was selected by another young lady who waited until it was placed on the truck only stopping the driver before he went on the delivery to place a card on the basket.”
Mark looked at him,” do you think it was Katherine?”
“I’m going to check with the diver now.”
He looked at Meghan, “is everything alright Meghan?”
Mark looked at him, “Meghan seems to be worried about me.”
Brad is a bit confused with this remark, “worried about what?”
“Katherine called him on Sarah’s phone stating her mother had cut herself with a knife and wanted him to come over and take of it.”
“Well I hope you told her no!”
Meghan looked at him then to Mark, “it seems the good doctor wants to go over there to help.”
Brad looks at Mark like he’s lost his mind, “Mark, need I remind you this girl has already… she killed her grandmother and that she was planning to kill Meghan. With Meghan alive she could easily kill Sarah and to hurt you kill Mark.”
“I thought of that already, but I have to make sure Sarah is still alive.”
He gets up and Meghan grabs his arm, and he takes her hand in his hands, “I promise you I will come back to you, and when this is over, I plan to marry you.”
“Mark, please,”
He gently kisses her hand, “I love you.” He was about to leave when she gets up and puts her arm in his.
“You don’t get it do you? I’m going with you Whatever you face I will face it with you. We’re in this together remember that.”
He looks at Brad,” Brad?”
“Don’t look at me, she’s a lot like her father and stubborn as he was.”
“You knew my father?”
“Go with your white knight I’ll be here when you two get back. Do you need back up?”
He looks down at Meghan and then to Brad, “I’ve got my six covered.” With that they walk to the lobby and out the front door. Brad looked as they left then phone his wife telling he wouldn’t be home for dinner.
As Mark drove to the Mitchem home he held on to Meghan’s hand. Only once did he look at her but her eyes focused on the road ahead. Meghan only knew whatever happens they would be together. She would gladly walk to hell and back as long as Mark was by her side. Although she seemed calm. Meghan had no idea was waiting at the house. Would they find Sarah alive or were they walking into a trap that would end both their lives?
She felt the gentle squeeze of Mark’s hand in hers and she smiled at him.
“Hey beautiful, I meant what I said, when this is over, we are getting married.”
“I know. I…”
“Hey, you’re not backing out on me. “
“No way Megs you are marrying me!”
She knew he was trying to keep her mind off what they may be walking into.
They finally turned into the driveway of the house. It would take few more minutes to get to the front door.
Slowly Mark brought the car to a full stop and shut off the engine. The light over the front door was on, which meant that Katherine was expecting him. Taking Meghan’s hand, they made their way to the door. Mark noticed that the door was slightly opened and instinctively put Meghan behind him. He moved closer to the door and tried to open it, but there was something blocking it, leaving only a small opening for them to get in one at a time. Mark went in first and saw the lifeless body of Edward slumped against the door. Meghan followed him, saw Edward, and gasped. Mark put his arms around her, “Megs, take a deep breath.”
“Why, Mark, why did she have to kill Edward? He never hurt anyone.”
“I need you be strong right now Megs, just hang on I’ll explain it when this is over.”
She looked at him,” I’ll be alright. I promise.”
“That’s my girl.”
Taking her hand, they walk down the hall, passing the living room there was a faint light over the portrait of Lucille and Adam Mitchem. The dining room was also empty. So far there was no sign of Katherine or Sarah.
Outside a hundred yards from the house, sat Brad and two police officers. He had a feeling Mark was walking into a trap and he wanted to make sure there was some back up. Quietly they waited, as two officers made their way to the front porch and inside the door. Suddenly there was soft humming coming from the kitchen.
Mark called out in a soft voice, “Sarah, Kathrine are you alright?”
Katherine’s voice answered, “Doctor Gentry, we’re in here, please hurry.”
Meghan grabs his hand, “Not this time Mark, I’m coming with you.”
“Megs, I don’t know what’s waiting for me behind that door. I need you to stay here.”
Slowly he opened the door, Sarah was across the room on the floor by the stove, directly across from her sat Katherine holding a knife in her hand. Her smile vanished when she saw Meghan.
“What’s she doing here? I thought she was dead. How did she…I had enough poison in that fruit to kill her … I put the poison in the fruit myself before it left for the hotel.”
Mark started to walk toward Sarah when Kathrine stopped him, “leave her alone!”
“I just want to see how bad she’s hurt.”
“You’re too late, I begged you to come earlier but you took your sweet time and now my mother’s dead.
You let her die just like you let my grandmother die. You could have saved her but you had to
spend time with her and then you top it off by taking her here.” She looked at Meghan,” Oh you must be happy now my dear cousin, you have the house, the money and of course the doctor, why didn’t you die like you were supposed to? Why didn’t you let me have Dr. Gentry? I deserved him not you.”
Meghan stepped beside Mark, “Because it wasn’t my time to go. You couldn’t have something you never had.”
Mark looked at Meghan he always knew she was not one to back down that’s why he loved her.
Katherine looks at her, “well your time is almost up dear cousin. Grandmother doesn’t want you to have the house. She didn’t even want mother to have it. She considered her a weak woman. After all, if she was strong she would have been able to hold on to my father, even though he only married her for her money. You know my grandmother paid him to leave mother. She would have done the same to your mother only the accident happened, and she was left with you. Oh, she tried to send you to your other grandparents only they didn’t want you either. Did you ever wonder why they didn’t want you? Oh well it’s not important. You know at first Martha and Edward wanted to take you, but grandfather wouldn’t hear of it. You were at Mitchem and here was where you would stay. When he died, grandma made sure she found a way to get you out of the house. That’s why you ended up at Willard and far enough away from us as possible.”
Meghan looked at her,” did she hate me that much?”
“You don’t understand. Grandmother didn’t want your mother in the family. She felt she wasn’t good enough for her son.”
The words stabbed her like a knife as Meghan watched Katherine played with the knife in her hands giving her an uneasy feeling as she looked toward Mark and then back to her.
“Why did you have to kill Edward?”
“That old fool wanted to warn you. I couldn’t have that. I waited too long for this. His wife made the mistake of telling our uncles about being at your graduation. Even after grandmother gave orders your name was not to be said anywhere in the house. She had to be silenced and then with Edward notifying you about the will well he had to be punished.”
Mark made another attempt to get closer to Sarah, as Katherine sees this she flings her knife it misses him and shatters the window. With that Meghan leaps across and knocks Katherine down. There is a crash as Brad and two officers break in through the back door and the two officers on the front porch come into the kitchen. The officers separated the girls as Mark checks on Sarah. He looks up at Brad and shakes his head. He walks over to Meghan and puts his arms around her.
“She was gone before we got here. The three stab wounds were to the heart she bled internally there was nothing anyone could have done.”
He looked over to Brad, “would it be alright if I take Megs into the other room?”
Brad nodded and they turn to walk out when Katherine tries to get up from the chair to follow them. “Wait for me, you have to let me come.”
She looks at Meghan,” tell them Meghan, tell them their wrong, tell them doctor Gentry and I are to be married. Grandmother said it was so. He never wanted you, he’s in love with me. Tell them Meghan.”
The officer gently places his hands on her shoulders and puts her slowly back down on the chair.
She looks at Brad, “why are you looking at me like that?”
She points to Sarah’s lifeless body on the floor, “I didn’t do that Mr. Roberts, you have to believe me. I would never hurt my mother. It was grandmother, grandmother said she was weak and had to be removed.”
She leans her head back and lets out an evil laugh. “You can’t hurt me I did nothing it was grandmother, she did it, she’s standing right there, tell them grandmother. Tell them you did all of this.” Brad walks over to her s the officer is cuffing her, “Katherine, when did your grandmother tell you to do all these things?”
Katherine looks at him whatever caused her outburst a few moments ago was gone, she was back to the same Katherine. “Why it was this afternoon, we were all siting in the living room and she told me I had to do this for her.”
Brad nods to the officer as they lead her out the back door and go to the squad car. The bodies were the next to be removed when the coroner arrived. It was in the living room sitting across from the portrait of Adam and Lucille sat Meghan and Mark.
It was Mark who smiled at Brad,” I’m glad you got the hint when I said I didn’t need back up
back at the hotel. I didn’t want to startle Megs.”
“To tell you the truth Mark, I honestly didn’t. But the more I thought about it the more I was sure that something was not right. I also didn’t like Katherine’s behavior earlier in the day and she did admit she did kill her grandmother and had attempted to kill you. I didn’t know Edward would be the next victim. I’m truly sorry about Edward, Meghan.”
Meghan looks at him, “Please have the arrangements taken care of and have him laid to rest beside his Martha.”
“I’ll handle it personally my dear. And you? Is there anything I can do for you?”
She looks at Mark who puts his hand in her shoulder, “I’ll take care of her Brad, not to worry.’’
It was a long ride back to town giving Meghan that time to grieve for the loss of Edward and Sarah. Mark only looked over to her once and saw the tears rolling down have cheeks. Gently he takes her hand and squeezes it, as she looks at him he whispers,” I love you.”