13.
Alice didn't know what to do, or what to say. There would be no way to convince Mark that she wasn't going to tell anyone, or even that she didn't know anything, since he had confessed it all to her! She realised then, that this could be her last few minutes on earth.
"Please, if you do kill me-" She began.
"-there are no ifs! I am going to kill you." Mark interrupted.
"Please be good to Mom. Don't hurt her. Make her happy!" Alice pleaded.
A strange look came over Mark's face. "You're about to die, and your concern is for your Mom not for yourself?" He asked incredulously.
"Yes." Alice admitted, a little surprised herself.
"I told you that I love your Mom. I would never hurt her." Mark assured her.
"But you hurt your first wife." Alice argued.
"Alicia was lying to me. I know she was having an affair. Your Mom would never do that to me." Mark replied. "And I didn't like to hurt Alicia. Every time I hurt her I felt bad about it afterwards. I asked her to please not make me hurt her, but she always did."
'Is that the sound of a car parking nearby?' Alice wondered suddenly. 'If a neighbour has parked outside their house and she screamed loud enough would they hear?'
"Let's go and get this over with. I don't like having to do this you know." Mark said, and he grabbed her arm roughly. "And don't think about screaming for a second." He added, as he then showed her the gun he had been holding in his pocket.
Alice's spirit's crumbled. It looked like there was nothing she could do to save herself. The only thing she knew was that she wasn't going to go quietly. She was going to struggle and fight for her life.
Outside there was no signs of anyone, there was no way that Alice could get someone's attention.
"Where's your car?" Alice asked.
"Around the corner." Mark replied. "And don't try and run. If you scream, run, or do anything to attract anyone's attention you wont be the only one dying tonight."
Alice assumed he meant that he would also kill the person who responded to her, until he added "Not that killing your Mom would give me any pleasure."
It was her love for her Mom which made her silent with dread. This man was going to kill her, and he was going to marry her Mom. And no matter what he said about caring for her and not hurting her, he was still a cold-blooded killer!
They started to walk along the path, Mark's hand still gripping Alice's arm so tightly that it hurt. From the other direction she saw someone walking his or her dog. They may, or may not, have glanced at them, but they disappeared into a house, and Alice felt tears begin to roll down her cheeks. She was really going to be killed! And then suddenly from in the shadows men began to pop up everywhere, and spotlights were on them. One of them stepped closer and said loudly "Let the girl go Wyatt. It's over!" Alice felt her heart jump. The police! Somehow they'd rescued her! She wasn't going to die!
"I don't know what you're talking about." Mark said, whining.
"We're pretty sure you're responsible for the death of your wife, and for that of Katy Simmons. And you're not going to hurt the girl. Come quietly if you know what's good for you." The police officer replied, and he leveled his gun at Mark, along with others.
Mark let go of her arm, and Alice turned and ran from him towards the police. A woman police officer put her arm around her, and asked whether she was all right? Although she was shaking Alice managed to tell her that she was fine. "But how did you know?" she asked.
"We got a call from your brother.." The policewoman replied. "He'll explain it all to you. And we have enough evidence to charge him with trying to kill you and I think we have enough to at least make a case for him killing the other two."
"He told me it all." Alice replied shivering. "He did it. He killed them both!"
The policewoman couldn't contain her delight. Hard evidence!
*****
"I'm fine Mom, stop fussing!" Alice said impatiently, as her Mom tried to push another mug of hot chocolate into her hands, later that night at the police station. "I just want to know how Chad knew?"
"Cloe called me to say goodbye, and she told me all that you learnt. It was enough for me to call the police!" Chad explained.
"And enough for me when he told me he'd called the police!" Her Mom replied, shaking her head. "I can't believe I was going to marry that man."
"I'm sorry Mom." Alice said. "I always thought there was something strange about him, but I was sure if I told you that you'd say it was just because I didn't want you to be with him!"
"I probably would have." Her Mom said, looking sick. "And of course I feel sorry for James."
"Me too." Alice admitted. "I wonder what will happen to him?"
"I believe he is going to live with his Mom's Mother." Alice's Mom replied.
"Well that's something good for him." Alice replied. She was still shaky from her close escape, but she was relieved it was all over and that Mark would get what he deserved! And she was also grateful that Cloe and Chad had worked it out!
THE END!
Alice didn't know what to do, or what to say. There would be no way to convince Mark that she wasn't going to tell anyone, or even that she didn't know anything, since he had confessed it all to her! She realised then, that this could be her last few minutes on earth.
"Please, if you do kill me-" She began.
"-there are no ifs! I am going to kill you." Mark interrupted.
"Please be good to Mom. Don't hurt her. Make her happy!" Alice pleaded.
A strange look came over Mark's face. "You're about to die, and your concern is for your Mom not for yourself?" He asked incredulously.
"Yes." Alice admitted, a little surprised herself.
"I told you that I love your Mom. I would never hurt her." Mark assured her.
"But you hurt your first wife." Alice argued.
"Alicia was lying to me. I know she was having an affair. Your Mom would never do that to me." Mark replied. "And I didn't like to hurt Alicia. Every time I hurt her I felt bad about it afterwards. I asked her to please not make me hurt her, but she always did."
'Is that the sound of a car parking nearby?' Alice wondered suddenly. 'If a neighbour has parked outside their house and she screamed loud enough would they hear?'
"Let's go and get this over with. I don't like having to do this you know." Mark said, and he grabbed her arm roughly. "And don't think about screaming for a second." He added, as he then showed her the gun he had been holding in his pocket.
Alice's spirit's crumbled. It looked like there was nothing she could do to save herself. The only thing she knew was that she wasn't going to go quietly. She was going to struggle and fight for her life.
Outside there was no signs of anyone, there was no way that Alice could get someone's attention.
"Where's your car?" Alice asked.
"Around the corner." Mark replied. "And don't try and run. If you scream, run, or do anything to attract anyone's attention you wont be the only one dying tonight."
Alice assumed he meant that he would also kill the person who responded to her, until he added "Not that killing your Mom would give me any pleasure."
It was her love for her Mom which made her silent with dread. This man was going to kill her, and he was going to marry her Mom. And no matter what he said about caring for her and not hurting her, he was still a cold-blooded killer!
They started to walk along the path, Mark's hand still gripping Alice's arm so tightly that it hurt. From the other direction she saw someone walking his or her dog. They may, or may not, have glanced at them, but they disappeared into a house, and Alice felt tears begin to roll down her cheeks. She was really going to be killed! And then suddenly from in the shadows men began to pop up everywhere, and spotlights were on them. One of them stepped closer and said loudly "Let the girl go Wyatt. It's over!" Alice felt her heart jump. The police! Somehow they'd rescued her! She wasn't going to die!
"I don't know what you're talking about." Mark said, whining.
"We're pretty sure you're responsible for the death of your wife, and for that of Katy Simmons. And you're not going to hurt the girl. Come quietly if you know what's good for you." The police officer replied, and he leveled his gun at Mark, along with others.
Mark let go of her arm, and Alice turned and ran from him towards the police. A woman police officer put her arm around her, and asked whether she was all right? Although she was shaking Alice managed to tell her that she was fine. "But how did you know?" she asked.
"We got a call from your brother.." The policewoman replied. "He'll explain it all to you. And we have enough evidence to charge him with trying to kill you and I think we have enough to at least make a case for him killing the other two."
"He told me it all." Alice replied shivering. "He did it. He killed them both!"
The policewoman couldn't contain her delight. Hard evidence!
*****
"I'm fine Mom, stop fussing!" Alice said impatiently, as her Mom tried to push another mug of hot chocolate into her hands, later that night at the police station. "I just want to know how Chad knew?"
"Cloe called me to say goodbye, and she told me all that you learnt. It was enough for me to call the police!" Chad explained.
"And enough for me when he told me he'd called the police!" Her Mom replied, shaking her head. "I can't believe I was going to marry that man."
"I'm sorry Mom." Alice said. "I always thought there was something strange about him, but I was sure if I told you that you'd say it was just because I didn't want you to be with him!"
"I probably would have." Her Mom said, looking sick. "And of course I feel sorry for James."
"Me too." Alice admitted. "I wonder what will happen to him?"
"I believe he is going to live with his Mom's Mother." Alice's Mom replied.
"Well that's something good for him." Alice replied. She was still shaky from her close escape, but she was relieved it was all over and that Mark would get what he deserved! And she was also grateful that Cloe and Chad had worked it out!
THE END!
