Chapter 36

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Homecoming

The cascading clashes of the showers ended abruptly with a squeaky turn of the tap. A careful hand ran across the covers as the pounding was assured, ironically, with the feel a hidden gun.

Watchful eyes gazed upon the door to the bathroom. Soon, the inward voice was calm and steady because the mind knew and understood the purpose.

Soon. Get ready.

The door slid open as the man, clad in a towel wrapped around the waist, stepped out, his head facing the ground as he rubbed at his short, wet hair with a smaller towel. A hand slipped under the cover and made contact with the cold, metallic handle of the gun. In a perfect setting, the gun might not be used at all. However, if the need arose, when death of a loved one was on the thin, taut line, there would be no hesitation to use it for defense.

For defense. A prayer went out to God who was barely spoken to that such a situation would not come to pass.

"Darling, can you pass me my spectacles?" Greg Bunhill asked as he walked towards the dressing table without even taking a glimpse at the bed where his wife would be sitting on, waiting for him, "It's on the bedside…"

But the mirror saw and presented the scene behind him into his line of vision. His green eyes blinked once before he stood up from the stool and slowly turned around.

"Hi, dear." Joe drawled, cocking a brow as he threw Greg a mocking half-smile.

***

"No."

"No?" She stopped dead in her tracks to her bedroom and turned around, staring at Joe, "What no?"

"I don't know how dangerous this will get. Ness, take my car. My cell phone is in the glove compartment. I want you to drive as fast as you can to the police station where you'll be safe- in the meantime, call the police and call Frank. I may need backup." He strode up to her quickly and pressed his car keys into her palm. She shook her head vigorously, not liking his stupid idea.

"I'll be your backup… Joe…"

"No, Ness. You'll be a distraction. I may be too busy saving you…" He smiled at her, a little sadly. "Quick, listen to me, all right? I know what I'm doing. Please… don't let me worry about you. He's coming out… Ness… Go!"

"Joe…"

"Just go! I can handle this… by the way, is your mom's gun still in her dresser?"

"Yes… it's unlocked… Joe, please… be careful…"

"Joe! Where are you? Greg's not…"

"I'm Ness, Frank!" Vanessa inhaled in a sigh of relief upon hearing Frank's voice. She merely drove out of the driveway to mollify Joe but parked a little distance away from her house, defying his requests, "Joe's back in my house with Greg!"

"What? And where are you? Ness, I'm coming right over! I want you to go somewhere safe…"

Sheesh! They do think so damn alike!

"I am, Frank. Don't worry about me… hurry over now!" Vanessa almost found herself yelling into Joe's phone before she disconnected the call and threw the phone onto the passenger seat. Reversing the car and maneuvering a three-point turn, the tires kidded as she sped all the way back to the house.

***

I had the upper hand! His mind shrieked like an angry child would as his chin collided painfully with the floor. I had, I had, I had!

"You think a gun is going to stop me, detective? It's not going to work. You could have let it go and let me bring Vanessa and Hallie back to L.A…"

"You're not going to bring them back to L.A. At least not Hallie…"

"Hmm… how did you come to that conclusion, I wonder?"

"Ah…" Joe gasped as he tried to struggle up but Greg's foot pressed torturously on his spine. His half-opened eyes caught sight of the gun which had fallen out of his grip during the scuffle as his arms flailed desperately for it.

"It wasn't difficult. You were coming back for Hallie. I'm her father, I know."

"I'm saving her, you idiot! And now, you just ruined everything."

Greg stood up. Joe took that as a cue and lifted the covers with a flourish, picking up the hidden gun and trained it at Greg.

"It's over, Greg. Give yourself up. You can get help."

"Help? Why not shoot me, detective?" Greg unexpectedly picked up the dressing table stool and flung it in Joe's direction, distracting him. It missed him by an inch but not the punch which Greg landed into his stomach.

"Ooh, look, the gun. Gee, how sweet. You can't get to it." Greg almost cooed as he stormed his foot down onto Joe's back. Joe mouth gaped into a soundless scream before a punch clipped the side of his head- exactly where Richard Thompson had cracked his skull before.

Joe didn't want to seem weak but a sharp, paralyzing spasm of pain shot through his whole body from his gut wound which was already madly throbbing from the punch. At that moment, Joe had a fleeting wonder if he was really created as an afterthought as the Almighty didn't seemed to be looking out for him at all.

"You know something, Hardy? You want to know my plan?" Greg taunted him as he was being rolled over brusquely. Face to face with Greg now, Joe tried to remember seeing an uglier face.

I'll tell you but first, where's Vanessa?"

"She's… in… my…" Joe whispers died off and Greg frowned, unhappy. The man leaned over and Joe, ignoring the pain and aches, brought his hands up and clapped Greg's head in between them vehemently, "Pocket!"

The move annoyed Greg but didn't falter him much. Joe tried to kick Greg away but Greg lunged at him and gripped his neck in a strangulating chokehold.

"I'm going to take Hallie and we are going to die in a fire. Hallie will be burned away and she will become Jenny. I will have saved her from father! Father will be pleased with other kids and he will let me take Jenny but you ruined it! Don't you see? Father will see her and father will take her again! But father will give me, this time, what I want. You put her in danger, you bastard!"

"You're sick! Come on, Justin…" Joe wheezed and Greg's hands relaxed at hearing his old name, "You know you can't do what your dad did. You just need some help…"

"Yes… Justin… I'm… I'm Justin Leigh… my dad's Keith Leigh…" Greg's voice grew a little dreamy when suddenly, the death grip tightened and the maniacal glower were in those green eyes again, "YOU IDIOTS KILLED MY DAD!"

"Justin, I didn't kill your dad…"

"YOU IDIOTS KILLED MY DAD! IT'S MY FAULT! I'M JUST TRYING TO SAVE JENNY! YOU'RE NOT WORTHY OF HAVING JENN…"

The vase came down on Greg's head just when stars were beginning to fill Joe's vision into one big blinding glare. As Greg crumbled down sideways onto the floor, Joe's eyes fluttered as his vision cleared and he could finally breathe again.

"Thanks, Ness…"

But Ness wasn't standing still in place, smiling back at him. Her hands flew to her eyes as she collapsed to her knees on the floor.