Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven          

When Grace got to the hospital, the doctor was there when she pushed open the door to Adrienne’s room; examining her still slumbering cousin. She was astonished to see that he had removed the breathing tube and she reportedly had been breathing just fine on her own for more than half of the day. Adrienne definitely looked more like herself without the undoubtedly uncomfortable apparatus crudely attached to her; actually wearing a hint of the pink that normally was the color of her perfectly sculpted cheeks and the red that was her full lips. She spoke briefly with the doctor; him explaining that her condition had improved drastically sometime over the course of the night. Obviously she was breathing on her own and the swelling putting pressure on her brain had decreased so much that the accomplished doctor wasn’t even terribly concerned with what remained. At this point, he expected her to experience at least a partial recovery; explaining that it was impossible to tell what everyone would be dealing with when she awoke, but that he did expect her to wake up eventually. It was only a matter of time and very difficult patience.

She was overjoyed to hear the excellent report on Adrienne, yet still longing for her companionship very badly. More than anything, she wished her cousin was returned to just as she was the night before the shootings, awake and vibrant despite the depression that had always seemed to consume her; though now Grace was certain she had a somewhat better understanding of the events in her life that had contributed to this already inherent rollercoaster of ups and downs. Though she didn’t have knowledge of the specific circumstances surrounding her journal entry in which she wrote about keeping such a terrible secret, she understood that it was something that she had had to bear for too long. Ten years is way too long for any awful secret to be kept, especially when it is kept under duress, she mused.

After the doctor was finished with her for the time being, Grace sat down in the chair beside her bed; wishing she would go ahead and open her eyes. Now that she knew that very thing was almost positively going to happen, her patience was waning and she yearned to tell her everything; every crazy, unbelievable thing that had happened over the course of the last week nearly. She wanted to tell her that her father was where he could no longer hurt her – at least for the time being – and that her ‘mother’, for all intents and purposes, disappeared from her side the moment her husband was arrested; all of a sudden not seeming to care in what sort of condition she was…now or in the near future, she thought. Worst of all, she wanted to share with Adrienne how extraordinarily difficult it was for her to watch their Gram being forever cast down into the ground. It was something of which she felt her cousin was robbed, though; that she had deserved as well the chance to say goodbye to Genevieve. She wondered how she would feel about all the happenings when she finally did re-enter the conscious world. One thing was certain…the two of them would need to stick together from now on. Adrienne was probably about to lose her father to prison, had already lost her real mother years ago, and was not going to be able to count on Caroline for anything anymore. Not that she ever could. She kind of understood how those things felt, with the exception of the last one. She had never met her father, so she had never known a stepmother’s influence. And for that matter, she supposed that she had never really lost her father, either. How can you lose something you never had? she asked herself.

Because she could not tell all of these things to an awake and lucid Adrienne, she went ahead and told them to her as she slept. There was more than one time that she noticed a slight stirring from her cousin. Twice she moved the big toe on her left foot a little and three times she could swear that she was trying to squeeze Grace’s hand back. She didn’t bother to run out crazed and report this to anyone this time. Some movement was to be expected from someone who had the distinct possibility of awakening from a coma. Even the doctor believed that she probably could hear every word being said to or around her; she simply wasn’t in the condition to acknowledge that or respond to it. But all that was about to change soon, Grace told herself with gusto. Her Addie would be rejoining her and that was the end of that – to her anyway.

She had neglected to stop by the police station on her way to the hospital and drop off her cousin’s diary. It’s not that she thought it wouldn’t help the case; only that she wasn’t ready to part with her words until she tangibly had the rest of her again. In some strange way, reading Adrienne’s most private thoughts put down on paper had helped her to cope during such a trying time. Perhaps part of her felt a tiny bit guilty helping to throw her own uncle under the bus, but she still couldn’t help but feel that he would have done it to her without blinking. Her opinion of this was that she would find it hard to live with herself if she did even half the shady, cruel, underhanded, self-serving, and dishonest things her Uncle Chris had done. This included stooping to the levels to which she knew he would have no issue stooping. Not that she considered handing over the diary stooping to his level. Keeping the diary had nothing to do with that. Her reasons were selfish and she knew it, but she simply couldn’t let go so easily.

After visiting with Adrienne for a long time, it was getting late and Grace was exhausted due to all the work she had been putting in at Geneveive’s house. She knew it was technically no longer her grandmother’s house – and she was upset thinking about it being handed down to Chris, but to her it still felt like her Gram’s house and probably always would. It was too soon for her to even begin pondering what in the world she was going to do when she had to leave; being fairly certain she would no longer be welcome when the house and property changed hands. Sadness crept over her when she thought about her mother not being here anymore to fight for or with her over some of the issues about which she knew were plausibly going to come up. If her mother were here, she imagined she would help her daughter go up against her uncle and contest his ownership of ‘Devereaux Downs’ if it were at all possible. Her mother had detested her cruel brother most of their lives and would fight tooth and nail against him; if for only one reason. He didn’t deserve to reap the benefits his father’s broken back produced for them all. He wouldn’t do right by the last wishes of his deceased mother, either, if he disagreed with her choices; if the division of assets didn’t meet his approval.

At the moment, more than ever, Grace felt totally alone. She knew she could count on Jesse to be there if she needed help; or if she simply desired companionship. That she had known as far back as she could remember, but it couldn’t replace any of the things she had lost; or any of the people she had lost. Maybe it was time she learned how to stand on her own two feet; provide a happy life for herself, she thought. If there were any lessen to learn from all of this, it might possibly be that lessen. But did the only person in the whole universe who could make her feel safe and encourage her confidence truly have to die for this message to be delivered? she asked; not sure if she were asking herself or asking God, though which didn’t really matter.

The moon was already visible in the darkening sky; a brightly glowing crescent amidst a virtual sea of stars once she arrived back at home, away from the town lights that drowned them out. It was quite late, so she decided to give Jesse a call the next morning; to let him know she was all right and to deliver the happy news about Adrienne. She was tired and hungry and all she wanted to do was eat a light dinner and go to sleep; hoping that tomorrow would be the day her cousin woke up. She had already experienced what she believed to be a small miracle when she first squeezed Grace’s hand. Why not have faith in witnessing another small one the next day? she asked silently. Why not believe that tomorrow she would watch her cousin open her eyes?

She dined on a very late supper of salad; vegetables being almost all she could find in the bare kitchen. She made a mental note to find time to do a little grocery shopping soon; before the cupboards and refrigerator were completely empty. Though she knew she would most likely have to leave the house soon, she still had to eat in the meantime. This had never been one of her favorite chores, but it was necessary. She was running low on dog food for Casey, also; and she would sooner starve herself than allow her sweet dog to go hungry.

After washing the few dishes she used, she let Casey out the back door for the last time tonight; walking outside with her and having a seat on the back steps; just enjoying the cool breeze the evening had brought along with it. She had not noticed until now, but there had been no storms for the past few nights; unusual for the area at this time of year. Honestly, she would probably have happily sat outside in the rain. A shiver ran down her spine every time she entered the big, empty house and she would rationalize to herself any excuse not to be inside alone; even a temporary diversion like letting her dog out to do her business. Though she was exhausted and yearned for sleep, she was happy to be outside for a while. She just sat there with her chin resting in her hand, thinking and staring at the old barn beyond the yard; reminiscing about the many times as children that she and Jesse had pretended to run away, but got no further than the relative safety of the barn; sometimes actually spending entire nights in there. Now she couldn’t imagine spending five minutes in there; it being the place her mother chose to hang herself. It certainly never felt like a safe haven after that happened.

Grace returned from her trip down memory lane when Casey came bounding out of the shadows; stopping to sniff one of the larger footprints, oddly enough. Her owner had to give her collar a tug to stop her so they could go back in the house and retire to the comfort of the big bed in her room and try to get some sleep for a change. When they climbed the few steps and reached the back door, the dog behaved as she had the night before and tried to pull her mistress in the opposite direction; away from the house. She let out a short, low growl, then finally Grace was able to coax her inside. She had never seen her dog act the way she had been acting since the pair moved back into Genevieve’s house. Perhaps she was sensing the presence of something or someone not visible to the naked eye; or simply not visible to someone who didn’t possess a sensitivity toward this type of thing. She actually did possess the ability to see and feel things others could not, but she wasn’t sensing anything like that in the house now– not really, it was only her overactive imagination occasionally playing tricks on her. If her grandmother’s spirit were indeed roaming the house, she was certain she would be able to feel her there. But she didn’t. Genevieve was only revealing herself to Grace in her dreams; not during the hours she was awake.

Casey went and laid down on the bed while her owner went to the bathroom down the hall to wash her face and brush her teeth. She was drying her face with the blue hand towel she had used the night she arrived in town when she heard a very loud groan; sounding like the creak of an old, wooden floor board. Then she could have sworn she heard what sounded distinctly like footsteps; only she was having trouble figuring out what direction from which the sound was coming. Again she heard a creak; this time hearing her dog let out another growl from the bedroom. She left the bathroom light on when she was finished; not wanting to admit to herself that she was scared of the darkness in this house; irrationally afraid that something or someone was lurking in the shadows, but would never come out in the light. In the light she felt safer.

It was difficult for her to fall asleep this night; jumping at every sound she heard; afraid that whatever was hiding in this house would be able to get to her when she fell asleep. She laid in the bed – holding her big dog close – listening to see if she would hear any more scary sounds. After what seemed like hours, she finally fell asleep; though this would be of little consolation for she was again visited by the image of her grandmother in her dreams. Even in sleep, she could feel the frustration caused by her inability to understand what Genevieve was trying to say. And again, as the night before, she was awakened several times by the growling of her dog. She really wished that her precious pet could speak so she could tell her what she was feeling; or even possibly what she was seeing that Grace clearly could not. But dogs don’t talk. So another night went by with scary sounds and haunting dreams…and not nearly enough quality sleep.

Dawn seemed to take forever to break; her lying impatiently waiting for morning; too spooked to try to go back to sleep after her last dream, but also too spooked to leave the safety of her bed; with the protection of her big, strong dog if she needed it. So she remained under the covers until she saw the sun coming up; chasing away whatever lurked in the shadows. She was surprised to hear her phone ring so early; before 8:00. Yawning and stretching as she sat up, she retrieved her phone from the nightstand beside her and answered; not even paying attention to the caller ID. The voice on the other end of the line was definitely a shock and the last person she thought would have the guts to call her after practically abandoning her husband and adopted daughter.

“Hello.” Grace said into the receiver; her lack of adequate sleep evident in her voice.

“Grace? It’s Caroline.” began her aunt; pausing for several seconds, nervous about her niece’s response, “Sorry to call so early.” she finally said; sounding anything but sincere.

“What Caroline? What could we possibly have to say to each other right now?” she asked; trying her hardest not to lay into the woman on the other end of the line, “Well?” came out sounding a bit nasty; after a long pause in which she received no reply.

“I’m only calling to tell you that the reading of Genevieve’s will is this morning. Be at the lawyer’s office by 10:30.” Caroline nearly ordered her, “It’s 5905 Montell Drive; behind the old movie theater; in the industrial park.” she spat out before hanging up without a response.

“Nice.” Grace said aloud sarcastically. What a bitch, she thought; scolding herself for taking an attitude she knew was no better than her aunt’s attitude.

With little time to get ready and make it to the lawyer’s office, she decided to forego breakfast and simply downed a couple cups of coffee quickly. She jumped in the shower; noticing that her dog apparently didn’t want to let her out of her sight even that long; lying down on the cool, tiled floor of the bathroom while Grace washed. It worried her – the way Casey had been acting since the move from Jesse’s house back here – and she puzzled over what the cause could be; wondering if she should take her to see the veterinarian in town, Chloe Radcliffe. She had been a good friend of hers back in high school. She thought maybe there was something physically wrong with Casey and that explained the change in behavior she was witnessing. It was just so different than any behavior she had ever seen and she was worried about her loyal pet. She couldn’t imagine what she would do if anything bad happened to her; couldn’t bear the thought. Whatever she decided, it would have to wait until after the reading of Genevieve’s will.

She locked the house up tight; taking Casey with her on the short drive into town. She really had no choice; the dog was not staying in that house without her. It wasn’t that hot of a day and it wouldn’t hurt her to wait in the car; as long as Grace cracked the windows to give her fresh air. So they made the short drive to the lawyer’s office; her being resigned to the fact that the house would now belong to Chris and Caroline; though she didn’t imagine it would do him much good at the moment. When she arrived, she parked in a shady spot; locking Casey in the car. The anxiety she was feeling – having to face Caroline at all – was getting worse by the second. Taking a deep breath, she pulled open the glass door and walked into the office.

Besides her, Caroline was the only other relative present. Chris was stuck in jail; unable to post his bond. And Adrienne was still not awake, so it was just the two of them. This actually made the meeting that much more uncomfortable for her; not having a buffer between her aunt and her; no other faces to focus on; no other bodies to separate them from each other. Grace tried desperately not to even look at her; instead focusing her attention on the lawyer; the man who was about to inform her of her fate, which she believed would be to have to leave her Gram’s house and never come back. But that is not what happened. A different fate was revealed to her instead.

The lawyer, who introduced himself to the two as Eli Evans, was a portly man of about sixty with greasy blonde hair, red cheeks and an extremely high-pitched voice. Grace and Caroline introduced themselves respectively, then took the seats they were offered at an enormous, round table in what she supposed was a conference room. Both were clearly nervously awaiting whatever it was Mr. Evans was going to tell them; both thinking, though, that they already knew what the answers to their questions would be. Both women were wrong.

“As for the division of assets, it reads: To both of my granddaughters, Grace Walker and Adrienne Devereaux” he began; both women leaning in anxiously, “shall go the house at 305 Oxford Road and the remaining acreage; each of which is to be shared and owned equally.” he read on; both Grace and Caroline actually looking at each other in disbelief; Grace’s a somewhat happier surprise than her aunt’s, “And to my son, Christopher Devereaux, I leave the sum of $25,000 and his late father, Jonathan’s, gold pocket watch. To Caroline Devereaux, I leave the sum of $10,000.” Grace found herself almost surprised that the last word of that sentence wasn’t ‘reluctantly’. Genevieve disliked Caroline as much as everyone else seemed to dislike her.

The women were speechless. This meeting had not gone the way either thought it would; thinking that the exact opposite was going to happen. Caroline had strolled in nervous, but also feeling assured that she would walk away with ownership of the house, because she was married to Chris and that was who would inherit the house and the land. Needless to say, she did not walk out of Mr. Evans office feeling assured of anything. Anyone could plainly see by the disgusted expression she wore that things didn’t go the way she had hoped. She was undoubtedly rethinking her whole marriage to Chris; as he would probably be spending the rest of his years behind bars. The look on her face said to Grace that walking away from this mess with $10,000 in her pocket was a viable option; possibly the best one for her. That was enough money to get settled somewhere else if she decided to do so. Her niece had her already packing her bags.   

There were some documents to sign to make everything legal, but other than that, not much else had to be done except take possession of what was bequeathed them. Grace thought to herself, “It wouldn’t shock me at all if Caroline simply went home, packed her things, and left; without even saying goodbye to Addie”. And, though the thought was more amusing than the reality that is precisely what she did. She didn’t even go visit her husband in jail to tell him she was leaving Aurora. She didn’t tell anyone that Grace knew of; not even Detective Scheffield, who had specifically instructed her not to leave town; certainly without notifying him first and getting permission. She didn’t go by the hospital at any point to check on her adopted daughter or to say goodbye; even though Adrienne was in no position to put up a fight; protest to the only mother she had known from the age of seven on leaving her. That is not what would have happened anyway. Her daughter despised her – for good reason – and would never have objected to her leaving. Her cousin probably would have bought her the bus ticket just to never have to see her again, Grace thought. And she would have been right, too.

She couldn’t wait to tell Jesse the wonderful news. It was probably good of her to call anyway, she thought; not wanting him to worry. After all, she had just spent her first night alone in her grandmother’s house and he knew she was a little frightened to do so. He would have been, too. It was a big, old, empty, creaky house that would make anyone a tad nervous to stay in alone for the first time. He answered the phone after two rings when she called.

“Jesse! Oh my God, you’re not going to believe what just happened!” she gushed.

Hearing the excited tone of her voice, at first he thought she was about to deliver bad news, “What’s wrong? What happened? Is Adrienne all right?” he asked with a worried tone.

“No, no. She’s better than all right, but I’ll get to that in a second.” she replied, “Its good news for a change!”

“Well don’t keep me in suspense any longer. What is it?” he pleaded.

“I just came from Gram’s lawyer’s office. Caroline and I went to the reading of her will. She left the house to Addie and me!” she almost screamed into the phone, “Can you believe it? ‘Devereaux Downs’ is mine! Hell, I can’t even believe it!” she exclaimed excitedly.

“Grace, that’s terrific!” he said; sounding genuinely happy for her, “I can’t believe it, either. I would have paid good money to see the look on Caroline’s face!” joked Jesse.

“It was priceless.” she replied; feeling just the least little bit guilty; something with which she was willing to live.

After telling him the good news about the house and land, she proceeded to tell him the even better news; Adrienne was out of the woods and on her way to waking up. She explained in detail what the doctor had told her about her cousin’s condition; him saying how great the news was and how thrilled he was for the both of them. Adrienne faced a lot of painful, emotional realizations when she finally decided to wake up, though, she thought. Her adoptive mother was gone, her father was in jail awaiting trial – charged with his mother’s murder and with the attempt on her own life, and she was now the new co-owner of the house that had always been her safe haven as well. It was a great deal for anyone to deal with; even without the physical difficulties the poor girl could be facing. Now she had only to wake up.

Detective Scheffield was not faring quite as well as Grace was today. He still had much work ahead of him if the prosecution was to have any hope of obtaining a conviction; this work even more difficult because he still felt like everyone was wrong about Chris Devereaux being the shooter. Of course, he wasn’t aware of what had just happened across town at the office of Eli Evans. If he thought Chris somehow found out about his mother’s will and the division of assets that would certainly have angered him, it may have changed his opinion about his innocence or guilt…maybe. Chris didn’t know what had just taken place, either; or that his wife was already on her way out of town for good. Not that there was much he could do about any of it from behind his locked cell door.

The detective had spent his morning collecting hair samples from anyone close to the victims; anyone who agreed to it; which turned out to be many more than he imagined. He wanted to have the samples tested against the one human hair that was found on Genevieve’s body; on the outside of her robe, near her shoulder. While this was simply a method of proving that certain people could be ruled out – just one more thing for the prosecution to throw out during the trial – he was almost hoping it would tell them something altogether different. He was hoping it would show them who the real killer was; validate his feeling that something was still amiss. So he collected voluntary samples from Mr. Mullins, Jesse, Grace, and six of Genevieve’s closest neighbors, as well as from Chris himself, surprisingly enough, and sent them to the lab for testing. Caroline’s was the one sample he failed to obtain; unable to reach her by phone. Grace told the detective of what had happened regarding the reading of Genevieve’s will when she answered his call to come by the station, but still neglected to tell him about Adrienne’s diary, though she knew eventually she had to – and the longer she waited – the more suspicious it had the potential to appear.

Grace ran into Mr. Mullins at the police station and was astonished when he approached her to speak with her. He had done a lot of soul searching since he told Detective Scheffield the truth about his daughter, Vivienne…Grace’s mother. And his heart told him that he had been keeping his secret for much too long; living alone just waiting to die because of all the sadness he felt. Grace Walker was his granddaughter – by blood – and he desperately wanted her to know this. Maybe they would be able to help each other through such heartbreaking times; come together as they should. As family. Isn’t that what family was supposed to do? the lonely, sad, old man thought to himself. He knew enough about Grace’s life to know that she had been alone too long as well. Friends were one thing, but family was something different; family was important; especially when one has so few people he or she can call family.

Mr. Mullins walked over to Grace when she was on her way out and said, “Miss Grace. How are you doing? Are you all right?”

“Oh…Mr. Mullins. I’m taking it one day at a time. I wanted to thank you again for taking my dog in like you did. You didn’t have to do that and I just wanted you to know that meant very much to me.” Grace answered, “How are you?”

“I’m just fine. Just fine.” he replied nervously, “I was actually wantin’ to talk to you about somethin’ if I could, Miss Grace.”

“Please, just call me Grace. What can I do for you?” she asked of him.

“Do you maybe have time to get some lunch?” inquired the old man; taking note of Grace’s shocked expression; not having a clue what he could possibly have to say to her.

She looked at the time on her cell phone, having no idea why the time would matter, then looked back at him oddly and stammered, “Um…sure…of course. Yes.”

The two of them walked outside; her telling him that she would follow in her car and to lead the way. He nodded and they both got into their respective vehicles; her following him out of the parking lot and taking a left. It was only a ten minute drive or so until they reached the restaurant he had chosen, O’Hara’s; a nice quiet place with red and white checked plastic tablecloths and few patrons when they arrived. This suited Herbert Mullins, as he thought she might not want everyone in town to hear the conversation they were about to have.

The two sat down at a square table near the front windows; where they could see the world pass by on the street as they ate and talked. The waiter came over to their table and politely introduced himself, then took their drink orders and turned on his heels to go retrieve the water and soda they ordered. Herbert remained quiet until after putting in their food orders; Grace staring intently at him wondering what her grandmother’s closest neighbor could have to say to her. They didn’t know each other except in passing, but all that was about to change for both of them.

The old man took a deep breath and began, “I’m sure you’re probably wonderin’ what we could possibly have to talk about. I don’t know a better way of tellin’ you than just tellin’ you, so here goes.” he blurted out; her curiosity heightened, “Me and your grandmother, Genevieve…well a long time ago somethin’ happened between us. Now we both knew it was a mistake and we never let it happen again…but it…well…our union resulted in the birth of your Momma, honey. I…I’m your…well I’m your real granddaddy.” the poor man finally managed to get out; bracing himself for her response to this huge admission.

Grace sat quietly for a minute or two; allowing the information she was just given to sink in a little before she spoke, “Are…I mean…are you sure? Are you sure you were my mother’s father? I don’t…I don’t have the slightest idea what to say, to be honest.”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but I thought you deserved to know the truth. And frankly…it was eatin’ me up knowing my girl was so close…and she’s gone so I got no chance of makin’ things right with her. But it don’t have to be that way anymore. I can never change what happened to your Momma; would’ve given my life if I could’ve. But it’s not too late for the two of us. We’re still here and we’re both alone right now and don’t have to be. I’m here for you honey…if you’ll have me.” he said; tears welling up in his blue eyes; eyes that oddly enough did remind her of her mother’s, though her mother’s eyes had become harder and harder to recall in her memory over the years. All of a sudden – if for just a brief moment – it was as if she got to see her again. She got to see her mother again in the kind, old man who had always been a stranger to her. Tears rolled down her cheeks without her even noticing, but making him afraid he had potentially made a mistake in telling her the truth, yet at the same time really hoping he had not.

After the waiter delivered their food and was safely out of earshot again, she finally said, “I believe you’re telling me the truth. I believe you because I could swear a minute ago I was looking at her again. My mother. Your eyes…she had your eyes. I…I’m glad you told me. Really, I am. And you’re right. I do feel very alone right now – through this whole ordeal – and with my cousin still in a coma – I feel lost…and frightened. I’m scared of what the rest of my life holds, “she continued; unsure why it felt so good to tell him these things.

“I don’t want you to feel obligated to me at all and I understand if it’s just too hard for you – right now anyway. Don’t you worry about hurtin’ my feelings if you don’t feel the same way I do. I just thought you deserved to know, that’s all.” Herbert told her honestly.

“No. It’s not that. I mean, I don’t feel obligated. I’m happy you told me, “she explained, “And I do want to get to know my grandfather.”

Grace could tell by the look on his face that he was relieved to have gotten it off his chest, but maybe a bit more relieved when he heard her last words. She was his granddaughter and he wanted to know the offspring of his long deceased daughter. He was so happy that her reaction was a positive one; feeling a new lease on life all of a sudden. He hated more than anything that Genevieve’s death was what it took to bring them together; only glad that something brought them together. He had truly believed that the rest of his life would be spent in solitude; half the townspeople thinking Herbert actually preferred it that way. Now he had hope – a faith that he thought was lost long ago – and he was no longer all alone. Now, he had a granddaughter…a reason to live and something to look forward to for the first time in many years.

The two spent the rest of their lunch getting to know each other a little; learning that they actually had many traits and behaviors in common. They even looked alike if one knew the features to focus on; mainly the big, sapphire blue eyes they both possessed; the only difference being the wrinkles surrounding his striking eyes. Knowing what she knew now, she could easily see herself and her mother in the kind, tired face of Herbert Mullins; her newfound family that had been so close for so many years with her completely unaware