Chapter 11:
A few days later, Liz, Beth, Antonio and Luis finally arrived at Harmony. They were tired, and
grieving. The last thing they wanted to do was to tell family members the bad news, but they knew they
had to do it. And on top of that, since Luis was a cop and also the one who uncovered the mystery of
his papa's death, he had to discuss this murder case with his Chief of Police, who was probably going
to make HIM arrest the murderer - Sheridan.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Liz and Beth asked the Lopez-Fitzgerald brothers.
"No, it's ok. You've done more than enough. We have to face this on our own." Luis answered
gratefully, looking at his brother.
Antonio was still in an array of shock. He hadn't said much on the trip home. He had not really
been a member of this family ever since he had left ten years ago. But they still were top priority in his
book. He just wished he had been there for them when they were suffering.But at least he was here
now. And he realized what mattered. The moment he arrived in Harmony, he seemed to have been at
his brother's throat. They both wanted Sheridan. Now, well, that was the last thing they wanted or
needed in their lives.
"Ok," Beth and Liz said relucantly. "We'll call you later."
They nodded, hugging and thanking them for all their help. Inhaling a breath of air, they both
walked up the driveway to their mama's house.
"Mama?" Luis called as he let himself in. Antonio followed him like a shadow.
"Luis? Antonio?" Pilar called back, stepping out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish
towel. "You're back! I'm so glad you returned, we were beginning to miss -" She looked at their
distraught faces and paused talking. She could tell something bad happened. Luis and Antonio were
strong and they wouldn't put up faces like this in front of her or their siblings if something was not
VERY wrong.
What could be wrong? Deep down she knew. They had gone trying to locate her husband's
whereabouts. And obviously they had found something, and she knew just what it was. The truth was
evident on her son's faces.
"No, NO!" she said, tears coming to her eyes, as she backed away from their touch.
"Mama!" Luis pleaded, trying his best to console her. He knew he was defenseless in
comforting her but he didn't want to see her like this.
"NO!" she shouted loudly. She fell to the floor, the tears making her shoulders heave up and
down.
"I'm so sorry, mama," Luis coaxed, trying to help her stand up.
She pushed his extended hand away. She stared up at her oldest son, who had yet to speak.
His eyes were glassy, but the tears hadn't fallen from his eyes.
"Antonio, tell me it's not true!" she begged. "Tell Luis to stop LYING!" she screamed, throwing
the nearest thing she could find, a vase, towards the wall. Once the vase connected with the wall, they
heard a piercing, shattering noise, which is was the exact way their heart's felt at the moment. Pierced.
Shattered. Pilar turned to stare at her oldest son, who, despite his lack of presence this past decade,
had been her rock. She waited for an answer.
He didn't have any answers, or solutions. He stared back at her with an emotionless face. He
couldn't take this anymore. It was bad enough that he was grieving, but to see his mama going through it
now was like another ache in his heart. He ran upstairs, not answering his mama's question.
He stayed there in his old room for a while. Poor mama! I hate to see her this way. But then
again, I'm not helping. No, not at all. In fact, I'm making things worse - dumping all of the responsibility
on Luis again. He opened the door to the room, and trying his best to be strong, headed back
downstairs.
______________________________________________________________________________
Meanwhile, Beth and Liz were driving through town. They decided to go to Sheridan's cottage.
Liz had one of her suitcases there which she wanted to pick up. They were hoping they wouldn't run
into Sheridan. They didn't. But they weren't able to avoid her father - Alastair.
"Hello ladies," he said suavely as Liz opened the door. He was sitting on one of the Lazy Boy's
and smoking a cigar. He looked like he had been anticipating their arrival. Putting his cigar aside, he
stood up.
They didn't answer him. Liz trudged right past him and went to find her suitcase. Beth stared
there glaring at him, her hands folded.
"Did you have a nice trip in New Mexico?" Alastair asked politely. Beth traced a small tone of
sarcasm in his voice.
"You son of a -" Beth began to say, but was interrupted.
"Hey, is that any way to talk to the man that gave you everything you wanted?"
Beth thought it over. "I do want Luis," she said indignantly, "but I don't want to see him
SUFFERING like this!"
"No pain, no gain!" he answered nonchalantly.
"How could you expose your own daughter as the killer?" Beth hissed. She didn't like Sheridan
all too much, but it was just beyond her how someone could do that to another family member.
"Hey, if she married one of the Lopez-Fitzgerald brothers, for sure the family secrets would be
revealed."
"What secrets?" Beth demanded to find out.
"How Martin really died," he answered, sitting down.
"But... the evidence proves that... that Sheridan killed him!" Beth sputtered. "She didn't really
kill him did she?!"
"She did!" he roared. He was getting angry. He didn't want anyone to believe that someone
other than Sheridan had killed Martin. "She was given the letter opener and told that if any man seemed
scary or suspicious, that she should push the letter opener into his body."
"And you just so convienently made it that Martin was the first suspicious person, huh? But
wasn't he working for your family then? Wouldn't Sheridan have recognized him?"
Damn, Alastair thought. She's good. She asks too many questions, though. "She was six years
old, then, Ms. Wallace. And he had been working there for only two years. She hadn't really seen him."
"Why did you want Martin dead?" Beth exploded. "Why? He was innocent in all of this!"
"He found out some familyt secrets that should never have been revealed. That's why."
"May God rot your soul." she answered, grabbing her purse. Liz came out of the room just then
and they walked out.
Alastair looked on after them, half amused, half worried. No one had ever spoken to him that
way before. It was weird. Maybe I told her too much, he thought to himself. He stared at their retreating
forms. Naahhh, they can't do anything to spite me.......
Meanwhile outside, Liz asked Beth what had just happened.
"Don't worry," Beth answered. "You and everyone else will soon find out."
Liz gave her a confused look.
Beth pulled out something from her jean pocket.
"A tape recorder?!" Liz exclaimed, proud of her friend's intelligence.
"Yup," Beth replied. "I'm gonna make that sucker pay for what he did to the
Lopez-Fitzgerald's.
They grinned at each other.
{a/n: ooooh, im loving this. i hope u r too. beth has recorded every last one of alastair's words.
the question is - what is she gonna do with it? read on.}
A few days later, Liz, Beth, Antonio and Luis finally arrived at Harmony. They were tired, and
grieving. The last thing they wanted to do was to tell family members the bad news, but they knew they
had to do it. And on top of that, since Luis was a cop and also the one who uncovered the mystery of
his papa's death, he had to discuss this murder case with his Chief of Police, who was probably going
to make HIM arrest the murderer - Sheridan.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Liz and Beth asked the Lopez-Fitzgerald brothers.
"No, it's ok. You've done more than enough. We have to face this on our own." Luis answered
gratefully, looking at his brother.
Antonio was still in an array of shock. He hadn't said much on the trip home. He had not really
been a member of this family ever since he had left ten years ago. But they still were top priority in his
book. He just wished he had been there for them when they were suffering.But at least he was here
now. And he realized what mattered. The moment he arrived in Harmony, he seemed to have been at
his brother's throat. They both wanted Sheridan. Now, well, that was the last thing they wanted or
needed in their lives.
"Ok," Beth and Liz said relucantly. "We'll call you later."
They nodded, hugging and thanking them for all their help. Inhaling a breath of air, they both
walked up the driveway to their mama's house.
"Mama?" Luis called as he let himself in. Antonio followed him like a shadow.
"Luis? Antonio?" Pilar called back, stepping out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish
towel. "You're back! I'm so glad you returned, we were beginning to miss -" She looked at their
distraught faces and paused talking. She could tell something bad happened. Luis and Antonio were
strong and they wouldn't put up faces like this in front of her or their siblings if something was not
VERY wrong.
What could be wrong? Deep down she knew. They had gone trying to locate her husband's
whereabouts. And obviously they had found something, and she knew just what it was. The truth was
evident on her son's faces.
"No, NO!" she said, tears coming to her eyes, as she backed away from their touch.
"Mama!" Luis pleaded, trying his best to console her. He knew he was defenseless in
comforting her but he didn't want to see her like this.
"NO!" she shouted loudly. She fell to the floor, the tears making her shoulders heave up and
down.
"I'm so sorry, mama," Luis coaxed, trying to help her stand up.
She pushed his extended hand away. She stared up at her oldest son, who had yet to speak.
His eyes were glassy, but the tears hadn't fallen from his eyes.
"Antonio, tell me it's not true!" she begged. "Tell Luis to stop LYING!" she screamed, throwing
the nearest thing she could find, a vase, towards the wall. Once the vase connected with the wall, they
heard a piercing, shattering noise, which is was the exact way their heart's felt at the moment. Pierced.
Shattered. Pilar turned to stare at her oldest son, who, despite his lack of presence this past decade,
had been her rock. She waited for an answer.
He didn't have any answers, or solutions. He stared back at her with an emotionless face. He
couldn't take this anymore. It was bad enough that he was grieving, but to see his mama going through it
now was like another ache in his heart. He ran upstairs, not answering his mama's question.
He stayed there in his old room for a while. Poor mama! I hate to see her this way. But then
again, I'm not helping. No, not at all. In fact, I'm making things worse - dumping all of the responsibility
on Luis again. He opened the door to the room, and trying his best to be strong, headed back
downstairs.
______________________________________________________________________________
Meanwhile, Beth and Liz were driving through town. They decided to go to Sheridan's cottage.
Liz had one of her suitcases there which she wanted to pick up. They were hoping they wouldn't run
into Sheridan. They didn't. But they weren't able to avoid her father - Alastair.
"Hello ladies," he said suavely as Liz opened the door. He was sitting on one of the Lazy Boy's
and smoking a cigar. He looked like he had been anticipating their arrival. Putting his cigar aside, he
stood up.
They didn't answer him. Liz trudged right past him and went to find her suitcase. Beth stared
there glaring at him, her hands folded.
"Did you have a nice trip in New Mexico?" Alastair asked politely. Beth traced a small tone of
sarcasm in his voice.
"You son of a -" Beth began to say, but was interrupted.
"Hey, is that any way to talk to the man that gave you everything you wanted?"
Beth thought it over. "I do want Luis," she said indignantly, "but I don't want to see him
SUFFERING like this!"
"No pain, no gain!" he answered nonchalantly.
"How could you expose your own daughter as the killer?" Beth hissed. She didn't like Sheridan
all too much, but it was just beyond her how someone could do that to another family member.
"Hey, if she married one of the Lopez-Fitzgerald brothers, for sure the family secrets would be
revealed."
"What secrets?" Beth demanded to find out.
"How Martin really died," he answered, sitting down.
"But... the evidence proves that... that Sheridan killed him!" Beth sputtered. "She didn't really
kill him did she?!"
"She did!" he roared. He was getting angry. He didn't want anyone to believe that someone
other than Sheridan had killed Martin. "She was given the letter opener and told that if any man seemed
scary or suspicious, that she should push the letter opener into his body."
"And you just so convienently made it that Martin was the first suspicious person, huh? But
wasn't he working for your family then? Wouldn't Sheridan have recognized him?"
Damn, Alastair thought. She's good. She asks too many questions, though. "She was six years
old, then, Ms. Wallace. And he had been working there for only two years. She hadn't really seen him."
"Why did you want Martin dead?" Beth exploded. "Why? He was innocent in all of this!"
"He found out some familyt secrets that should never have been revealed. That's why."
"May God rot your soul." she answered, grabbing her purse. Liz came out of the room just then
and they walked out.
Alastair looked on after them, half amused, half worried. No one had ever spoken to him that
way before. It was weird. Maybe I told her too much, he thought to himself. He stared at their retreating
forms. Naahhh, they can't do anything to spite me.......
Meanwhile outside, Liz asked Beth what had just happened.
"Don't worry," Beth answered. "You and everyone else will soon find out."
Liz gave her a confused look.
Beth pulled out something from her jean pocket.
"A tape recorder?!" Liz exclaimed, proud of her friend's intelligence.
"Yup," Beth replied. "I'm gonna make that sucker pay for what he did to the
Lopez-Fitzgerald's.
They grinned at each other.
{a/n: ooooh, im loving this. i hope u r too. beth has recorded every last one of alastair's words.
the question is - what is she gonna do with it? read on.}
