Strangulation & Strawberry Cake Read online

  Uncle Sidney nodded. "And then, one by one, piece by piece, you came in and started taking the evidence apart. Congratulations, my girl. You solved the mystery."

  “And lucky for you I did,” Rachel said, “since you didn’t realize the headphones actually belonged to your own son and you actually implicated him instead of your brother. I’d like to believe that, unlike your mother, you actually care about your son. Care about him enough to not want him take the fall for your own crime.”

  Uncle Jordan was fuming. "You won't be so arrogant when the police throw you in jail!" he yelled. "How dare you, Sidney! You tried to frame me! Your own brother!"

  "Brother?" Uncle Sidney sneered. "What brother? All you and Mama have ever done is sneer and look down upon me. Florence was smart to get away, but I wasn't. I tried to raise Tyler as far away from you as possible. But you always yanked me back by my leash, Mama. Yes, that's right. You used your money like a leash, tying me to this family. Love was never part of the equation. I blame you. You and only you — your need for control pushed me to do this! I didn't care when you were controlling me. But why Tyler? You started in on him, too, and I knew I had to escape. I knew I had to steal from you, to even kill if necessary."

  "Dad..." Tyler looked heartbroken. "You didn't need to. I didn't need the money. We could have done just fine on our own."

  His father sighed. "No, Tyler. Once you get used to a certain lifestyle, money really does become a drug. I couldn't live without my drug, strange as it sounds."

  "Call the police!" Uncle Jordan exploded. "Get this cowardly murderer out of the house at—“

  "I'm leaving anyway,” Uncle Sidney said, a gun suddenly appearing in his hand. "But not without that painting. And not without my son."

  A scream came from one corner of the room. Rachel looked around and saw that Zizka had fainted. Uncle Sidney looked away for a second, distracted. In that second, Tyler pounced upon his father and knocked him to the ground. Scott leapt into action, too, wresting the gun away from Uncle Sidney.

  "No! No! Tyler, you fool! We could have escaped! We could have started a new life abroad!" Uncle Sidney screamed.

  "Sorry, Father." Tyler blinked tears out of his eyes. "But you raised me to be a better man than that."

  *****

  Epilogue

  Two Weeks Later

  Emily bustled around the house, cleaning it up as thoroughly as she could. Rachel, who had promised to help her, shook her head in sympathy. She understood exactly how nervous Emily was feeling. But it didn't stop her from thinking her friend was overdoing it a bit.

  "I can't help it, Rachel. They're family, and they're coming to my house for the first time. And I'm freaking out!” Emily exclaimed. "What if they don't like me? What if they think the food is terrible? What if they think I'm boring?"

  "They're not going to think anything of the sort." Rachel grabbed the duster from Emily and caught her friend by the shoulders. "Deep breaths, Em. Deep breaths."

  Em took three deep breaths and calmed down a little. "Ok."

  The doorbell rang.

  "Oh, my God! There's dust above the fridge! I forgot to dust above the fridge!” Emily exclaimed.

  Rachel opened the door, peeked out and smiled. "Relax,” she said. "It's only Scott."

  "Good. Buy me some time if the others come." Emily rushed off into the kitchen, leaving Scott and Rachel alone.

  Rachel gulped. Being alone with Scott was the last thing she really wanted. Since the day that Uncle Sidney had been arrested, she'd done her best to avoid him. She'd even taken a week-long vacation out of town, claiming that her nerves needed the rest. It was half true. The other half of it was that her nerves needed to avoid any conversation with Scott. After all, if the two of them just never had the conversation, he could never break up with her. Even when in town she'd avoided him as much as possible. Now, her luck had run out. Here he was, face to face with her. Seeing him now, her heart twisted. He'd shaved and smoothed his floppy hair back in a slick hairdo. He looked excessively handsome in his leather jacket and light blue jeans. She wished he'd at least had the decency to look horrible so her heart wouldn't break twice over when he broke up with her.

  No such luck.

  Scott grasped her hands and pulled her to one side of the room. "You're not escaping me this time,” he said. "We need to talk, Rachel."

  “Sure,” Rachel said brightly. "How is everyone? Have they recovered from the shock yet?"

  "Rach, I meant talk about—“

  "I never got to ask you. Poor Tyler, he must have taken it hard."

  Scott sighed. "Fine. We'll play it your way. Yes, Tyler took it hard. I've taken him under my wing, sort of. The poor kid just needed some direction. He's not over his heartbreak yet. I don't think he'll ever be. But he's made some changes to his life. He's given up smoking, and he told me he's finally thought about what career he wants to pursue."

  "What's that?"

  "He wants to join the Army,” Scott said. "I told him it's an excellent idea. He's young, fit and strong. And the army will teach him the discipline he sorely needs. He's already looking into it seriously and hopes to start camp in a few months."

  A soft smile came upon Rachel's lips. "I'm glad to hear that."

  "Aunt Bethany has moved out of Mulberry Mansion and started divorce proceedings against Uncle Jordan,” Scott added. "The Bertford Police supplied proof of his fraudulent behavior to the shareholders of their landscaping company. They've agreed to put Aunt Bethany in charge. And they’re suing both Uncle Jordan and Grandma Mallory."

  "Good!" Rachel said, a little viciously. "I hope they're bled dry of every penny."

  "Oh, they'll come out alright,” Scott said. "Both Uncle Jordan and Grandma Mallory escaped jail despite proof of their obvious fraud. I suppose they'll pay hefty fines, though."

  Rachel sighed. "True."

  "Don't feel too bad,” Scott said. "They'll face their punishment in other ways. You know Aunt Paris moved out, too? She and Rafael are planning on getting married next Spring."

  "That's brilliant!" Rachel said. "So Aunt Paris finally grew a spine."

  "Not only that. I heard she also took Zizka with her!" Scott said. "So Uncle Jordan and Grandma Mallory are alone in Mulberry Mansion now, with no family and lots of money troubles."

  "Do you think they regret anything they ever did?" Rachel asked.

  Scott shook his head. "I doubt it. Last I saw Grandma, she was still insisting that she'd done nothing wrong in helping Uncle Jordan cover up his fraud. She didn't even bother mentioning Uncle Sidney or any of her other children."

  Rachel sighed and shrugged. "It's a pity."

  "It's a blessing,” Scott said. "It made me realize that she'd never change. And so, you see, I never have to bother with her or Uncle Jordan ever again. I tried my very hardest to reconnect with them, and they spurned me. Now they've made their bed, and they can lie in it."

  "At least you have new family in your life now." Rachel smiled.

  "That's right,” Scott agreed. "Aunt Paris, Aunt Bethany, Tyler and I all agreed we'd start our own new traditions. We'd define what family really means to us. But the best part is Emily agreed ,too."

  "Of course, she did." Rachel smiled. "Aunt Paris and the rest never did anything to your mother. She has no reason to hate them. Especially now that they've broken free of Grandma Mallory's clutches."

  Scott nodded. “I…I just want to thank you, Rachel. I mean, I couldn't have done it without you. Any of it."

  Rachel felt her heart twisting further. "That's alright,” she said. Leaning over, she kissed him gently on the cheek. "It's what friends are for, right?"

  "Friends?" She couldn't read the expression in Scott's eyes. Silence stretched between them. She tried to pull away from him but he held her hands firmly, not allowing her to escape.

  "You've been avoiding me,” Scott said. "It's because you regret telling me you love me, correct?"

  "Right." Rachel sighed. "Look, Scott, I'm sorry
I ever said it. I know we’ve hardly been dating a few months, and I know that you were in a vulnerable spot. Your emotions were raw and the more I think of the situation we were in when I said it, I feel like I kind of tried to pressure you into saying it back, and you really don't need to. We can just be friends, or we can just keep dating casually. Or we can even break up if you like." Rachel tried her hardest not to stumble on this last sentence but, despite her best intentions, her eyes teared up anyway.

  Scott leaned his forehead against hers. "Friends? You want to be just friends?"

  "If that's what you want,” Rachel said, her voice trembling. "I didn't mean to—“

  "You,” Scott said, with wonder in his voice, “are a terrific idiot sometimes, Rachel Rowan."

  "Hey,” she snapped back and saw that he was laughing. "You're laughing?"

  "Of course, I'm laughing. I admit I was taken aback when you said you loved me. I don't know how to put it. I felt raw and weak and less-than-a-man at the time, and you gave me your unconditional love at my most vulnerable moment. I couldn't breathe, Rachel. By the time I had the brains to say anything back, I'd messed it up. Then, afterwards, I didn't want to…I don't know. I wanted to do it right. I wanted to be back home, just you and me, not in that horrible house. We just didn't get the time."

  "Wait." Rachel hesitated. "So you liked it when I said the words to you?"

  "Liked it? I was caught in the glow of it. I was caught in the glow of you. You're everything to me, Rachel. Since you've come into my life, I've found a best friend and a partner in crime and the person I can actually see myself spending the rest of my life with."

  "Whoa,” Rachel said. "Are you saying…“

  "I'm saying I love you,” Scott said. "I'm saying I'm sorry I was too dumb and too raw to say it back to you immediately."

  A smile spread across Rachel's face, its warmth spreading like hot cocoa throughout her entire body. He loved her. He. Loved. Her.

  "You hear me?" Scott said. "I love you, Rachel. I think you're pretty much the cutest, smartest, sweetest—“

  "Oh, shut up and kiss me." Rachel smiled. "I love you too, Scott."

  Happily, he leaned down and obliged, kissing her so intensely that both lost track of the world around them, melting into a perfect place where only the two of them existed.

  They were brought back to reality when Emily cleared her throat.

  "You're blocking the doorway,” Emily said.

  Rachel turned around and blushed, seeing Aunt Paris, Rafael, Aunt Bethany and Tyler all crowded at the doorway, their arms filled with champagne, pastries and wine. Scott's ears turned red, especially when Tyler gave him a big wink and Rafael made a comment about enjoying the show.

  Later, settled around the dinner table, chomping on roast beef with carrots and mushrooms, Rachel took her time scrutinizing each person from over her wine glass. Emily was swapping stories with Aunt Paris about running a business. Even from across the table, Rachel could see the family resemblance — that same delicate jawbone, that same stubborn but warm glance. Next to them, Tyler sat joking with Scott. Both were talking about cars, with Scott boasting about how fast his could go. Rafael and Aunt Paris were holding hands and, although they were deep in conversation with Rachel, they couldn't go a second without looking at each other.

  Jay was seated with an arm around Emily and Ollie dozing off on his lap. Rachel suddenly remembered Scott telling her about his parents. About his mother and father dancing to "Hungry Like The Wolf" on an ordinary weekday morning. There was always magic in these little moments and, looking at Ollie now, who was the same age Scott had been then, Rachel wondered if this one moment would linger in his memory, long after all the rest of them were gone.

  She rather hoped so. There was love here. And family. It was everything that anybody ever needed really. Well, almost everything. Dessert was next, after all, and Rachel knew there was a strawberry cake in the kitchen just waiting to be sliced and served.

  The End

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  Rights & Disclaimer

  This is entirely a work of fiction. All people, places and events contained have been completely fabricated by the author. Any similarities to real people, places, or events are completely coincidental.

  Strangulation & Strawberry Cake Copyright © 2018 Nancy McGovern

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced in any manner or used in any way without advanced written permission by the author.