Twisted Paths (21 page)

“So it was just an accident,” Mary said.

“Well, if Hope hadn’t slammed out of the room, Faith would still be alive,” Gloria said sternly. “I told her so that evening. Faith was just teasing her. She didn’t need to go overboard like that.”

“You told Hope that she killed her sister,” Ian asked.

“Yes, I did,” Gloria replied. “And I told her that no one would believe Faith had died, but everyone would believe Hope had died. So she would just have to change places with her sister.”

“You sent her away?” Mary asked.

“Of course I did,” she said brightly. “No one would look at Hope and think it was Faith. She needed to lose some of her fat and learn how to take care of herself.”

“And she didn’t argue with you?” Ian asked. “She didn’t think it was unfair?”

Shaking her head, Gloria eyed Ian with confusion. “Well, no, of course not,” she said. “What girl wouldn’t want to have the opportunity to be Faith instead of Hope.  I gave her the chance of a lifetime.”

“Does she ever visit you?” Mary asked.

Gloria smiled. “Yes, once every four years she comes and visits.  She always tells me that she’s just done what Faith would want her to do on the anniversary of her death. Every four years, just like clockwork.”

“And would this be the year for the visit?” Ian asked.

Nodding, Gloria pulled out a small card. “See, she sent me this earlier in the week,” she said. “She will be visiting me later this afternoon.”

Chapter Forty-eight

Faith pulled her car up to the front of the house and turned to Katie. “I really appreciate you doing this for me,” she said. “This is going to be such a special memorial service with you here.”

“I didn’t know Hope very well,” Katie said. “But I’m glad you do this for her. No one should die the way she did.”

Faith paused for a moment. “Well, she did make that choice. It was her fault.”

“Who knows what she was thinking that day?” Katie said. “Who knows what happened to her in school or on the way home that caused her to feel so lost and so alone that she made a choice that would change her life and the lives of all those who loved her.”

“She didn’t want to die,” Faith said. “She struggled.”

“I’m sure she didn’t,” Katie said. “Once she realized what was happening, really happening, I’m sure she wanted to live. It must have been a horrible way to die.”

“Well, let’s go upstairs and we can talk about it more up there,” Faith suggested.

Faith unlocked the house and the two women went upstairs.

“I’ve never been here,” Katie said. “You had a lovely home.”

“Yes, my mother insisted on the best,” she replied. “And my mother always got what she wanted.”

“She must have been devastated when Hope died,” Katie said. “I can’t even imagine what I’d do if one of my children died.”

“My mother was fairly level-headed about the whole situation,” Faith said. “She was the one to make all the arrangements so we could go back to being the perfect family once again.”

“It would never be the same,” Katie said. “No matter how hard you tried, it could never be the same.”

They entered the bedroom and Katie saw there were two chairs in one corner of the room and a cord with a noose hanging down from the ceiling fan.

“This is where it happened,” Faith said. “I hope it doesn’t bother you that I hung up the cord. It helps me to remember the tragedy.”

“Well, it’s a little weird,” Katie admitted. “But if that’s what you need…”

Faith took Katie by the hand and pulled her over to the chairs. “Let’s sit down and start the service,” she said. “I’ll say something about Hope and then you repeat it, like a chant. Okay?”

Katie was beginning to feel very uncomfortable about the whole situation. But the sooner she did what Faith wanted, the sooner she could go home. “Sure, that’s sound good.”

Faith jumped up and walked over to the noose.  She hung a strand of crystals from it and lifted one end and let them go so they were slowly rocking back and forth. “We should watch the crystals,” she said, “Because they will remind us of Hope, so clear and pure.”

Katie nodded and turned to the crystals.

“Hope is missed,” Faith said.

“Hope is missed,” Katie repeated.

“Hope is loved,” Faith said.

“Hope is loved,” Katie repeated.

“Hope is pure,” Faith said.

“Hope is pure,” Katie repeated.

Faith continued often repeating other key phrases and having Katie repeat them over and over again. Katie found herself losing focus in the crystals and nearly falling asleep several times. She jerked herself back to attention and continued to repeat the phrases Faith was slowly, rhythmically saying.  Finally, the crystals faded to black and Katie fell asleep.

Slipping from her chair, Faith walked over to Katie.  She smiled as Katie softly snored, her head bent forward in slumber. “Katie,” she whispered. “I want you to listen to me. Don’t wake up, just listen. Okay?”

Katie nodded.

“Good. That’s perfect,” she said. “Just before she died, Hope whispered a name. The name of the person who killed her. Are you listening Katie?”

Katie nodded again.

“Just before she died, Hope said your name,” Faith said.

Katie shook her head.

“Yes, she said Katie,” Faith insisted. “You killed her. You killed my sister.”

“No,” Katie slurred.

“Yes, Katie,” Faith said. “You killed Faith…I mean Hope…and now you need to kill yourself.”

“My children,” Katie whispered.

“Do you think they deserve a mother who is a killer?” Faith asked. “They deserve better.”

“No, I didn’t do it,” Katie protested, her eyes still closed.

“You need to die, Katie,” Faith said.

Tears rolled down Katie’s cheeks. “I can’t die,” she said. “My children.”

“Don’t worry, Katie,” Faith said. “I’ll have someone help you, so it will be easier.”

Faith stepped away from the chairs and opened the door to the hallway. “Come in,” she invited.

Nick walked through the door and stopped in front of Faith.

“Nick, Katie killed Hope,” Faith said. “I need you to put that noose around her neck and then pull her up towards the ceiling. Do you understand?”

Nick nodded. “Katie killed Hope,” he repeated.

“Yes, so you need to put the noose around Katie’s neck,” Faith repeated. “Then walk over to the closet door and pull on the cord until Katie is up in the air and not breathing any more. Hope would want that.”

Nick smiled. “Hope would want that.”

“And then she will forgive you for kissing me,” she repeated.

“I’m so sorry, Hope,” he said. “I didn’t mean to kiss Faith.”

“And once you’re done you need to jump out this window,” Faith said, walking to the window and opening it up. “Then Hope will finally be at peace.”

Chapter Forty-nine

Mary pulled the Roadster into the Brennan driveway, just behind Katie’s van. “Oh, good, at least she hasn’t left her house,” Mary yelled, as she and Ian dashed towards the door.

Ian pounded on the front door. “Katie, it’s Ian,” he shouted. “Open the door.”

He pounded again. “Katie, open the door.”

“She has to be home,” Mary said. “She promised me she’d stay home or call.”

Ian ran across the porch and peered into the window. “The house looks empty,” he said. “Are you sure you didn’t miss any calls when you were inside the nursing home?”

Mary checked her phone. “Crap, I got a text,” she said. “I never look at texts.”

She read the text aloud. “They’re at the house,” she said, running down the stairs toward the car. “I’ll drive and you call Bradley for backup.”

Moments later, the Roadster spun out of the driveway and headed toward the highway.

“Bradley, it’s Ian,” he said once Bradley had answered. “Faith has Katie at her old house. Katie’s in trouble. Send backup. We’re on our way there.”

“We’re only a few minutes away,” Mary said.

“Let’s pray that’s soon enough,” Ian said.

He took Mary’s phone and dialed a number.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Calling Katie,” he said.

“Do you really think she has her phone?” Mary asked.

“Aye, I’m sure of it,” he said. “At the funeral I took her aside and gave her a post-hypnotic suggestion that she was always to have her phone on her person if she left the house.”

“But what if she’s already hypnotized?” Mary asked.

“Well, I gave her a secondary suggestion,” Ian said, “I told her the phone’s ring will wake her from any trance.”

Mary shook her head. “How did you know?”

He shrugged. “If it wasn’t suicide, it had to be hypnosis,” he said. “Hypnosis that led to death.”

Chapter Fifty

The phone in Katie’s pocket began to ring and she opened her eyes to find Nick standing in front of her. “What the…” she began when Nick placed the noose over her head.

“You have to die because you killed Hope,” Nick said pleasantly.

“Like hell I do,” Katie said, lifting both of her feet and kicking Nick in the groin, sending him staggering back into the room, screaming in pain.

Katie slipped the noose off her neck and stood up, shaking the weariness from her. She glanced out the window and saw Faith exiting the house.  But Nick’s screams were loud enough to reach Faith’s ears.  She turned, looked up and saw Katie.

Running to her car, Faith pulled a handgun from the glove compartment and rushed back into the house. “Katie,” she yelled, from the front hall. “Katie, it’s your fault and you have to die.”

She jogged up the stairs, arms outstretched with the gun ready to be fired.  The door to the bedroom stood open.  Nick was on the floor, clutching himself and still squealing like a stuck pig.

“Shut up you wimp,” Faith screamed. “Where is she?  Where is Katie?”

“I can’t breathe,” Nick screamed. “She wounded me permanently.”

“If you couldn’t breathe, you wouldn’t be talking,” Faith said. “So shut up.”

Suddenly the door slammed and Faith whipped around.

“Katie,” Faith screamed. “I know you’re behind the door.”

She shot her gun through the closed door, unloaded the clip into the wood.

Behind her, the fan started to spin and the cord began to twirl around the room.  Suddenly the window slammed shut behind her and Faith jumped.

“What the…” she asked, turning to the window.

The room began to get colder and Faith could see her breath. “What’s going on?” she demanded, her voice shaking. “What the hell is going on?”

“I’m sorry Hope.”

The familiar voice came from behind her. She turned slowly, not wanting to face what she knew she was going to see.

Faith’s ghost stood underneath the fan, her face mottled and purple, her lips blue and her eyes bulging.

“You’re dead,” Hope whispered.

The ghost shook her head.  “No, you’re dead,” she cried. “I’m sorry Hope.”

“I killed you,” Hope cried.

“No, you didn’t,” the ghost replied. “I died because I deserved to die.”

Hope shook her head and dropped the gun on the floor. “No, I wanted to die,” she said. “I should have died that night. No one ever wanted me.”

She climbed onto the chair and caught hold of the cord.  “I want to be with you,” she pleaded.

She placed the cord around her neck and turned to her sister. “Please.”

The fan fell from the ceiling and the blades shattered from the force.  The cord hung, harmlessly, from Hope’s neck.

“You will be with me someday,” Faith said. “But today is not the day.”

Bradley pushed the door open, his gun drawn. “Put your hands in the air, where I can see them,” he demanded.

Hope slowly lifted her hands and stepped down from the chair. “I killed them,” she said. “I killed them all.”

Chapter Fifty-one

Mary looked out of the bedroom window to the scene below. A police car drove down the driveway with Hope in the back seat, her face averted from the small group of people assembled in front of the house. Katie, sitting in the back seat of an open police car, was being questioned by a young officer. 

Mary bit back a smile as she watched the ambulance pull away from the curb.  Nick, the sole passenger, was still screaming about his injuries. And finally, Bradley was speaking with Mr. Foley, and by the look on the older man’s face, it was not a pleasant conversation.

Mary turned away from the window and back to the bedroom.  The fan lay on its side, the wooden blades broken into small pieces and a gaping hole in the ceiling. The cord was still attached to the door knob and the fan, awaiting the forensics team to collect it as evidence.  She slowly walked around the room and finally sat in the chair Katie had occupied. “Faith, are you still here?” she asked.

The temperature of the room dipped slightly and the ghost appeared before her. “Thank you,” she whispered, “for saving Hope.”

“I think you were the one who saved her,” Mary said, looking pointedly at the fan on the ground.

“No, you stopped her,” Faith said. “That’s what saved her.”

“Are you done here now?” Mary asked. “Can you cross over?”

Faith nodded. “I’m finally at peace.”

She slowly faded away and the temperature in the room went back to normal.

Mary pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. “Hello, Faye, this is Mary O’Reilly. You no longer have a ghost in your home. And once the police are finished with their investigation, you can move back in.”

She smiled as the woman stammered on the other end.

“You have a nice day, Faye,” she said. “I’ll send you my invoice in the morning.”

Chapter Fifty-two

“I can’t believe it took us all day to find flower girl dresses,” Katie said, as she drove her van down their street.

“But they are the perfect dresses,” Mary said, looking back at the two girls sound asleep in the back seat. “And we wore both of them out.”

Katie laughed as she pulled into Mary’s driveway and shifted into park. “Well, if I hadn’t been driving I’d be napping too.”

“How are you doing?” Mary asked.

Taking a deep breath, Katie glanced in her rearview mirror just to be sure the girls were asleep before she spoke. “I don’t know which bothers me more,” she admitted. “Waking up with some strange man trying to put a noose over my head or learning what actually happened to Hope. How could parents put their child through something like that?”