“Cindy!” Samantha pleaded.
“Does it matter what we tell her now?” Cindy asked softly.
“What about Earnest Covington? How the hell could you butcher him like that?”
“I had to! Don’t you understand? I had to. They had to lock up Malachi!”
“Cindy! Stop it, please. Come on, and move! I’ve got to get her head cracked in and then leave her at the foot of the stairs. You wanted to talk to her-to explain. You’ve done it. We’ve got to get rid of her now, Cindy. Come away!”
Cindy started to rise. It might be Jenna’s last chance.
Jenna knew that she couldn’t tear free from the bonds holding her, but she might be able to use her legs to help her get free. She jerked up with all her might, chair still strapped to her back and arms, desperately finding her balance in split seconds. She had no choice of weapon or flexibility: she head-bashed Cindy, causing her to cry out and fall back.
“Oh, screw this!” Samantha cried, and she reached for the old lamp on the table and started to bring it down on Jenna’s head.
Jenna threw herself down and managed to avoid the first crash by tumbling awkwardly away. Her head was still ringing; it felt like it was a thousand pounds itself, and the wood chair slats and rope hurt her skin.
“Cindy, help!” Samantha raged.
Cindy staggered to her feet.
Samantha picked up one of the heavy candlesticks from the mantel.
She raced toward Jenna; Jenna ducked the blow.
Cindy came up behind her with the remnants of the lamp, striking her hard. She willed herself not to feel the pain. She still had no weapon but the force of her own body.
She threw herself on Cindy, taking her down.
Samantha reached for Jenna, grasping a handful of her hair and viciously pulling her up. She rammed Samantha, but Cindy rose.
And Jenna realized that her strength was failing. She fell to her knees, hunched over, the chair covering her somewhat.
But she didn’t want to die…
“He’s here!” she exclaimed suddenly. “Abraham Smith is here…and all those who have died at the hands of others. They’re all here, watching you!”
Jenna had wanted the exclamation to spook the women, but she found that she wasn’t actually lying-the ghosts of the deceased had gathered in the room to watch them.
As if sensing something herself, Cindy stood still in fear, shaking. “Where, where?”
“Nowhere!” Samantha cried. “Help me, Cindy.”
She had retrieved the candlestick and went at Jenna again.
“Abraham, no!” Jenna called, seeing that the ghost was going to do his best to trip Samantha. “Let the law punish them, and it will be years and years…”
“Stop it!” Samantha shrieked. But coming forward, she tripped and landed inches from Jenna, who pivoted on her knees to hit the woman with the legs of her chair. “Cindy, help, she’ll kill me!”
Cindy cried out herself, lifting the coffee table, ready to hurl it at Jenna.
But, before she could, a whirlwind rushed into the room.
It was Sam. He put his arms around Cindy and threw her to the ground, the table landing with a loud crash. At that moment, Jenna became aware of the sound of sirens coming closer. Samantha rose one more time to come after her.
Jenna felt lightness in her head, and she knew she was going to faint, with darkness and stars bursting before her eyes.
But Sam ran in her direction, and his arm snaked around Samantha before she could strike. He lifted her off her feet, swinging her around to crash land on top of Cindy.
“I always knew you wanted to touch me, honey,” Samantha said, dazed.
Then Jenna saw no more. The stars in front of her eyes burst, and then became blackness.
Waking up, Jenna felt a bit as if she were on display.
There were so many people staring at her.
A doctor in a white uniform and a stethoscope in his hand. A concerned nurse in a pert white hat. Uncle Jamie, Jackson, Angela, Will, John Alden-and Sam.
Sam was seated by her side on the bed, holding her hand. His gray eyes were so misted with concern that it seemed her heart ached, rather than her head.
“Ah, you’re back with us again,” the doctor said. “Well, that was a pretty good wallop you got on your head, and I know you’re an R.N., Miss Duffy, but you’re staying right here tonight, you understand. You should know that a good concussion is definitely something to watch.”
“Don’t you be worrying!” Jamie said. “The lass will be staying right here, till you say that it’s fine for her to leave.”
“Ditto,” Sam said sternly, squeezing her hand.
“May we have just a minute?” John Alden asked.
“A minute!” the doctor said sternly.
“I’m not leaving at all,” Sam said. He looked at the doctor. “I’ll be good, I swear. I’m just going to sit here and make sure she doesn’t try to get up.”
“All right, but not too much stimulation-the rest of you out of here in two minutes!” the doctor said firmly.
When he was gone, John Alden said, “Jenna, I just want to say-well, I just want to say that the women are both locked up, and-” he paused, shaking his head with a smile and looking at Jamie “-and the prosecutor has already gone in to see that the charges against Malachi Smith are dropped. Of course, now he has to press charges against Samantha Yeager and Cindy Yates, and you will be called to testify in court, and God knows, Sam may be defending them-”
“No,” Sam said. “Sam won’t be defending them.”
“Who knew?” Jamie said quietly. “Who knew that a woman like Cindy could go quite so crazy over the perceived injury done a child?”
“Well, we did think that maybe Andy Yates was that furious,” he reminded her. “We didn’t think that a mother would resort to that kind of violence. That’s still the way of the world-we don’t like to think that the female of our species can be so violent and diabolical. And I sure didn’t suspect that the affair was with Cindy Yates, not Andy,” Jackson said apologetically.
“Oh, my God, Angela!” Jenna tried to sit up to address her friend.
“No!” the word was a cacophony from the entire group, and Sam gently pushed her back down.
“I’m fine-absolutely fine,” Angela told her. “I’m embarrassed, frankly. I was armed and everything. The rock came from the trees the minute I turned to watch the house. But, honestly, I was already getting up when Jackson came rushing over for me. So much for my intelligent stakeout.”
“They would have just gotten us both inside,” Jenna said.
“Maybe,” Angela said. “And maybe not.”
“Listen,” Jackson said, “our two minutes are up. We can go through all of it later-when you’re up to it. Come on, everyone out. Jenna, you get your rest, and don’t you dare try to get up again.”
“Wait!” Jenna said. She looked at her uncle. “How is Malachi?”
Jamie smiled. “Malachi is just fine. We had a long talk on the phone, and I’ll go and pick him up when I leave here. I’m making arrangements for him to do his senior year at a boarding school in New Hampshire-one that has an extensive music department. He wants to pursue a career in music. He has the guitar now, and while I’m getting him situated, he’ll have the piano at my house. We’ll see his name in the newspapers again, I’ll warrant. In the entertainment section. He’s going to make it. He’ll have support now, and belief. Music, he told me, is his gift from God. Who knows? Maybe he’ll become the singing priest! A nun made it that way, once!”
Jenna nodded and leaned back, smiling.
Jamie kissed her cheek, then Angela and Jackson. Apparently, John Alden would have felt left out if he hadn’t, so he did, as well.
She caught his hand. “Thanks for being a good cop, John,” she said.
“I didn’t want to believe any of you,” he said. “Me. The man who should have learned the most from the past.”