Chapter 8

I walked outside, leaving him in the basement.

“ Mr. Garcia?” I yelled out into the crowd of people.

I watched him as he walked over.

“ Yes, Ms. Allison?”

“ I need you to gather all of the families. We need to sit down, and I want everyone to be quiet as I and the culprit inform you of what has been happening.”

“ You…. Have you caught them already?”

“ Please just gather all of the families and have them meet in the middle.”

I walked away. I went to the basement, grabbed a rag, wet it with warm water, and wiped his face. His face wasn’t swollen, all but his eyes. They were swollen from all the crying he had done.

“ Where is my wife? Is she going to be there? Will she witness this?”

“ That is entirely up to you.”

I walked him up the stairs and out the door.

Maria Martinez was amongst the families in the center, awaiting us to come and deliver the news. When he caught sight of her, he burst into tears.

We continued to walk. We reached the middle of all the families, and I began.

“ Good afternoon, everyone. I have some news I would like to share.

I was informed about a month ago that Mr. Davis had gone missing, following him, his wife was killed, then a child. When I made this place, I created this place with the intention that I would retire here. Instead, I have created a safe place for you. With that, I have brought family after family for you all to grow together and feel safe together.

In all of this, I have failed you. For that, I apologize.”

I pulled Thomas Martinez front and center.

“ Thomas Martinez here has been here under the guise of a fellow victim. He has been here month after month with you, gaining your trust, becoming your friend, your family. Then, I chose a time before my arrival to make his move. This man has taken your friends, your family, away from you. He started with Mr. Davis, Mr. Davis went on a hunting trip and never came back. After this, I came here, I went with Mrs. Davis, and put her to bed after talking with her, I left and started my investigation. Once morning hit, I came out and saw everyone, but Mrs. Davis. I went to the house and noticed she, too, had been killed. Mr. Martinez here, made sure that no one would be the wiser, and cleaned up after himself very well. However, I saw something different.”

I watched very closely, as all family members grabbed their loved ones and pulled them closer. I watched as their faces changed from shock to horror to anger to disbelief. It didn’t seem like any of them could come up with a feeling fast enough.

Maria was first. We both watched as she sat there, her head down, then stood up and walked to us slowly.

“ Til death do us apart, sickness in health. Yada yada…. You…”

She looked up and I saw red. Her face was like a red bulb just lit up her whole face. She started slowly, and then this woman, who had a heart disease, who you'd never imagine picked up so much pace. Quickened her steps and punched him square in the jaw. My face mirrored everyone. Pure shock. No one was ready.

She took a step back, turned around, and looked at everyone.

“ Everyone, I am terribly sorry for each and every one of your losses. I didn't realize what my husband had been doing… If I had… I would have killed him myself the first time.”

The first time?

3 months later

I walked up to Mrs. Martinez's bed helped her sip her water. She had become so weak since that night. I left for a month to gather more materials and prepare for the families who had started to decide if they wanted to leave or stay. Setting up accounts in their names, bought them houses, cars, and established jobs for once they returned.

“ Ms. Snow, Allison.” She coughed a few times. Everything seemed to be taking a toll on her. Even speaking. I had to get medical supplies just to ensure she could use the bathroom from the bed. She couldn't walk.

“ Yeah?”

“ I have to admit something to you.

My time is almost up, and I want to be buried next to my husband.”

I sat her up in the bed and dabbed her chin from where water hadn't been swallowed.

“ I'm listening.”

“ You may want to record this. No one will believe you.”

I sat there for a minute. Thinking what could she possibly want to say that needs to be recorded?

She cleared her throat and stared at me for what felt like a long time.

“ You might wanna press that record button.

So you see. Thomas was one of the best body guards you could have asked for. Thomas, however, was no killer. The man could hunt for days and get all the game you wanted. Fish, rabbit, deer, etc. But he was no man killer. You see, Mr. Davis had gone out hours before Thomas had, and before my heart started to let me down, I used to be the best runner there was. This will be important for later. Anyway, I had already been set up outside with my rifle, you know, the one everyone thought he'd used to kill Mr. Davis. Except what he didn't know was that Blaine was already dead, I had killed him long before he'd even arrived those 200 meters away from him. You see, another thing is wind. You should know this. Wind from a greater distance can mess up even the best of shooters doing long range, by even a centimeter. I made it look like Blaine was sitting in one position, however, in reality he was laying on some piles of leaves and sticks that I had placed under him to make it seem like he was still sitting there. When Thomas took that shot, I was there. I watched as he got into position and waited. I had a gun with me and let off a shot. So when my shot went off, I pulled the pile, Blaine went down an inch, and so did the game that Thomas didn't realize he himself had put down. It was almost… too perfect. You know he almost caught me, but I was able to wiggle my way around without being seen. Once he went for the game, I took off. I was back home, stirring tea in clean clothes and none the wiser to my outside doings.

Mrs. Davis, that poor girl. She was so heart broken, all I did was knock on her door and ask if she wanted to sit and have some tea she was barely awake, so I offered to make the tea, I got everything ready, and slipped some good old poison in her glass, talked with her and watched as she drank her tea, til she just. Fell over. I picked it up, cleaned it, dried it, put it back, put my cup away, of course, and left her there as she lay there, taking her last breath.

The kid was too easy. Need I go into detail??

I didn't think so,”

I almost couldn't believe what I was hearing. I had all but beat Thomas to a pulp before taking him to the crowd of families… she stood up… made a scene, and walked away… I had left his fate to the families, believing he was a child nodded killer…. He let me believe it.. I should have known something was off. He would tell me how things happened, and I didn't question it, even though sirens had been going off in my head. The inconsistencies, the way some of the deaths didn't fully match what had happened.

Here she was. Spilling everything to me. Telling me like we had been old friends who did this together for a living.

And she. Was. Already. Dying.

“ You let everyone believe Thomas was the killer.”

“ I did, and no one would think to suspect me. I have heart failure. I look weak. I look like if the wind blew hard enough, I'd fall right over.”

I turned off the recorder and stared at her for a second.

“ Why? Why do all of this, then, come clean?”

“ Because you brought all these families here, to believe that they could be left untouched, hidden. I needed to prove that it wasn't that easy, especially after Thomas had revealed it to me, that you were the one to get him fired from the Lombartti family. I lived a perfectly good life. We had been planning ahead, a baby, maybe, or a dog. Possibly a new house. He certainly got paid enough. Then you happened. Everything changed after that. I knew then that I'd have to find a way to you. I convinced Thomas we needed to get to you somehow somehow, and the rest of the story is history.”

I sat there and processed everything she'd told me. I got up and walked out.

“ I need some air.”

“ I'll still be here. I can't go anywhere.”

“ Obviously.”

I walked outside and walked through the west forest, playing with the recorder in my hands.

I was calculating my next steps. I had questions that needed answered, and there wasn't much time left with her condition. I worked my way back to the house.

" Maria, I have some questions for you."