Unhealthy Attraction

Chapter 9: Murderer!

A/N: Dedicated to the loving memory of Mage. I will admit one tiny little thing before I start this chapter. Somebody has guessed the correct murderer, but I'm not telling who or when the review was posted. I will reveal the identity of the murderer in the final chapter. Yeah, that's right. I'm ending this fic after this chapter. I don't really want to kill anyone else. I think that I've killed enough people and messed with people's heads for long enough. It's a little abrupt for an ending, but I feel that this is a good place to end it. Don't worry; I'll be coming out with another great fic in the near future.

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"Where can Popuri be?" Thomas demanded. His face was mere inches away from Lillia's. She had just been released from the Clinic just an hour ago and the Mayor was already on her about the whereabouts of her missing daughter. At least she was at home, where she felt safe in her own little world.

"I don't know. I honestly don't know." Lillia admitted, nearly bursting into tears. Thomas had been so rude during this meeting. He had even accused Lillia of being an accomplice to Popuri for all of the murders. She had told him where to go, roughly translating as "Travel to a place where the devil likes to make his stay, tormenting tortured souls for all of eternity."

Thomas was nowhere near sanity, obviously as a result of hearing the news that his own son was the latest victim of the murderer. Thomas figured that he could only point to one person, Popuri, who conveniently had gone missing. Things definitely didn't look good for Lillia's daughter. It was still unsure if the girl had even managed to survive the storm.

There they were, standing on either side of the doorway to the Poultry Farm. Tim had been kind enough to arrange for Lillia to be taken home before he dealt with the tedious task of the autopsy. "Look, you were warned. You were responsible for Popuri until the authorities came for her. So, this is your entire fault for letting her loose." Thomas soon found himself talking to a locked door as Lillia slammed it shut in his face.

"Poor Popuri, why did you run?" Lillia asked herself, slowly making her way across the room towards the stairs. Maybe she could find a clue in Popuri's room. She shook her head, still in disbelief that her own daughter had injured her. There was even a dent in the wall where her head had hit.

The door to Popuri's room was still gaping wide open, just as it had been left. Lillia stood in the doorway, looking over the room, remembering all of the fond memories of Popuri growing up. At the moment, the room was a complete disaster. Clothes were strewn all across the floor, the bed was unmade, and the window was ajar… "Wait, if the window was open, then why did Popuri wait for me to open the door to escape?" Lillia soon figured out what had happened. Popuri had come back home at some point over the last few days.

Lillia quickly went to work searching the room for some sort of note or message left behind by Popuri when she returned. It was almost a guarantee that Popuri would have left something to reassure her mother that she was safe. It didn't take long for Lillia to find the letter, tucked safely away in a pillowcase, which was nowhere near the pillow that it belonged to. Lillia's hands were shaking as she unfolded the paper and began reading Popuri's handwriting.
Mom, I'm sorry for what I did to you. I didn't mean to hurt you, but I just had to get out of here. Don't worry about me, I found a safe place to stay until the storm ends. I will come back the day after the storm ends to say goodbye to you. I will be leaving Mineral Town forever. Nobody here trusts me anymore. I can't take a step outside without receiving angry stares from the entire village. I'm sure you understand.

"Yes, I do, dear." Lillia whispered, a tear threatening to fall from Lillia's eye as she finished reading the letter. All that she had ever wanted in life was for Popuri to be happy, but she hadn't been able to give even that simple gift to her. Everyone that she had loved had left her. She had failed as both a mother and as a wife. The thing she needed most was to get some sleep. Maybe then she would be able to comprehend everything.

(-)

Lillia awoke the next morning with a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. She felt like her gut had twisted itself into a crude pretzel. The sleep hadn't done a thing for Lillia except make her more upset over the entire matter. She kept having these nightmares where she was a little kid again, but her own parents had abandoned her. But the longer the dream went the more she began to look and act like Popuri. Every time, she awoke in a pool of sweat. She would fall asleep again in a few minutes only to have the same nightmare over and over again.

She had moved downstairs to the couch at one point in the night, thinking that it would be better if she was closer to the door, just in case Popuri showed up during the middle of the night. Lillia didn't know what she would do if she missed Popuri's visit. Today might be the last time she saw her daughter.

Lillia made herself a cup of tea and settled herself into a chair. Her eyes were glued to the door, waiting for it to crack open and her daughter to sneak in. She had to brace herself for the flood of emotions that was sure to burst through her barrier as soon as she saw Popuri. There were so many things that she wanted to tell Popuri, and yet she knew there wouldn't be enough time. Thomas was sure to stop by again today to harass Lillia.

The hours ticked by, morning turned to afternoon and afternoon turned to night. Lillia was almost at the point of giving up her vigilance, getting up out of her seat when the door creaked open. A cloaked figure quickly darted inside, holding the door open and waving someone else inside. A second person rushed inside and the first one locked the door behind them.

The second figure was much taller than the first and had more meat on their bones. The first cloaked figure approached Lillia, slowly raising their hands to pull down the hood that covered their face. As soon as the first strand of pink hair fell into view, Lillia was embracing her daughter. "I've been so worried about you, dear." Lillia was almost ready to burst into tears of joy at the happy reunion, even if it was only going to be temporary.

"Mom, if you're happy to see me, wait till you find out who this guy is." Popuri wriggled her way out of her mother's arms and pointed to the second person who had snuck in with her. Lillia looked over at the other cloaked person, wondering who it could possibly be.

The second figure stepped forward, hands rising up to the edges of his hood. Lillia's anticipation was almost at an unbearable point. The man dramatically lowered his hood and Lillia was left stunned. "Hey, Lillia." Lillia's husband smiled.

Lillia took a few seconds to get over the initial shock of seeing her husband. It had been several years since she had last seen Bill and now she was staring at him face to face. Bill held his arms open, expecting receive a hug from his wife. Instead, what he got left him doubled over in pain on the ground.

"What was that for?" Bill demanded thru gritted teeth.

Lillia stood over her husband staring down at the man she had once loved. "You don't remember that little incident? Let me refresh your memory. You cheated on me you bastard!"
Popuri was in just as much shock as Lillia had been a few moments ago. She couldn't believe that her mother had just kneed her father in the crotch. Maybe, what Rick had told her about the relationship between her parents was true after all. "Define cheating." Bill dared.
"Do you really want me to?" Lillia spat back.

Bill hung his head in shame. "No."

"Then tell me what you are doing here and how long you've been back for." Lillia demanded.

"I've been in Mineral Town for a good couple of seasons. Shortly before the New Year. I've been staying in the Winter Mine." Bill admitted with a smirk on his face.

"Wait… New Year! You told me that you just got into town the day of the storm when I ran into you on Mother's Hill!" Popuri whimpered. Her father had just lied to her. Great way to regain the trust of your family.

Lillia was slowly creeping towards her daughter, gently grabbing hold of Popuri's arm. Lillia leaned close to the young girl and whispered, "The murders started after your father came to town."

Bill laughed at the mention of murders. He reached inside his cloak and produced a tiny dagger. "Guess you figured it out what I've been up to since I got to town. Shame that I can't let you live with that secret." Bill advanced on the pair of women, twirling the blade on his fingertip.

Popuri and Lillia backed away from the advancing madman who began chuckling. He was trying to figure out which of the two to kill first. Bill stopped and reached back under his cloak. This time he produced a coin. He really had a sadistic mind when it came to murder. "Maybe there was a way to take advantage of that," Popuri thought before speaking to her father, "I'd bet that you would love to tell us how and why you killed everyone else."

Bill stopped and thought about Popuri's suggestion. "What kind of evil genius would I be without giving in to a victim's last request? Ok, so where do I begin." Bill motioned for Lillia and Popuri to take a seat on the couch as he got ready to tell his tale.

"Thank you Popuri, for always being there to take the blame for the murders. I did all of this to make sure that you and Jack would end up together. I overheard your little meeting by the hot springs, so that's when I decided to help you along. First off was that little brunette, Elli. You did most of that one Popuri. You knocked the poor girl out when she walked in on you at the stable. I decided to test her strength by tying her underneath the dock down at the beach. I guess that she couldn't undo the know."

Popuri and Lillia were appalled by the pure evil that was Bill, but they had to listen to the bragging in order to buy more time. Somebody might walk in on the scene and be able to help them. "Next was Karen. Now, she was a surprise kill. I was expecting to kill Ann, judging from how well she was getting along with Jack at the Inn. Oh, that reminds me, I'll kill her after you two. Soon, this entire hated town will be dead. Well, Karen had gone home with Jack, but she was a little drunk. So, I just guided her towards the waterwheel."

"Rick. My son. I hated that child from the day he was born. So, when I found him alone late at night, I took the opportunity. Just a quick slice across the neck and goodbye, Rick. Good job, Popuri, thinking that Rick was killed by Kai. I was going to kill him in a few days, but you did it for me."

"Last, there was Harris. That one was simple. I knocked him unconscious and tied him to a tree for the length of the storm. It was a mix of the elements and the rabid wolves that did him in. But, I stabbed him a couple of times to make sure he was dead. Now for my family."

Bill smiled as he grabbed Popuri's hair and jerked her head back. He held his knife against her throat, chuckling as he traced tiny lines across his daughter's neck. "Am I interrupting something?" A familiar voice asked from the door. Bill withdrew his knife and turned to face the new arrival, as did Lillia and Popuri.

There was Jack, his hands resting behind his head. He appeared to be completely relaxed. Bill instantly threw his knife at Jack, who surprised everyone by pulling out his sickle and knocking the flying blade aside. Jack smiled as he drew the dagger out of the wall where it had imbedded itself. "So you're the murderer, huh. You killed the woman I loved and it's time for you to pay."

"But, don't you love me?" Popuri asked innocently.

"Popuri, you were a close second to Elli, but that's not the most urgent thing at hand." Jack tossed the dagger at Bill's feet and motioned for the man to pick the weapon up. "I have somebody to avenge. I passed up on one fight to the death and now I challenge you."

Bill picked up the dagger and pointed it at Jack. "Kill number five." He stated. Bill made to run in for an attack, but his first step turned really wobbly. He fell to the ground, his legs giving out on him. The man was completely motionless. Everyone looked up to Lillia and the frying pan in her hand. "That's for breaking my heart."

(-)

The proper authorities came to Mineral Town later that day to arrest Popuri. Even though it was only a misunderstanding, Popuri was still charged with the murder of Kai. Bill was also taken into custody, charged with the murder of four people. Due to the pleading of both Lillia and Jack, Popuri was given a temporary sentence of being restricted to Mineral Town, which was approved by the villagers. It turns out that Kai had actually taken part of helping Bill organize some of the murders, hoping to eliminate his rivals for Popuri's love.

Jack and Popuri found out that they had more in common than originally expected. They agreed to go on a date in a weeks time, after all of this trouble got cleared up. Also, Jack agreed to take care of Stu as sort of a favor to his dear Elli.

Years went by, and eventually the people of Mineral Town were able to return to normal. Popuri got married to Jack a year after the murders. They had a son the year after, naming him Elliot. Ann, after losing Jack, hooked up with Cliff. Grey and Mary stayed together, unaffected by the murders. Poor Tim was the only bachelor left in Mineral Town, but one day he met a traveler named Nami. He's training her to be a nurse.

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A/N: I know that the ending is somewhat abrupt. That's the one major fault with my writing. I come up with good ideas, but I don't have enough material to play the story out for very long. Then, when I'm almost done, I try wrapping it up in a sensible way.

Hopefully, you all enjoyed trying to solve this murder. I'll admit that I was having difficulty deciding who to make the murderer up until the end. I stuck with Mage's original plan, and I think it worked. Our other suspects were Jack, initially we were going to make him have the ability to give people suggestions and kill them after he used his power on them. That explains the plan with the Elli thing. Then, we figured that was going to be too obvious, so we switched it to a mix of Popuri and Lillia. My one regret about this fic is that I made Popuri kill Kai. That honestly messed up some of my plans by having her under house arrest. Well enough blabbering. I have a new fic in the works and it will be coming very soon. Tint out.