Return To Hill House
Disclaimers: I don't own the story or the characters, the plot line belongs to me, everything else belongs to Shirley Jackson and Jan De Bont.
Warnings: for this chapter and the next, there's going to be a legal discussion for the project in Eleanor's POV. Before it return's to Marrow's POV, so from here the story starts heating up as he does the story for the added members in group. Before they settle now as he reflects on the day after and his latest notes.
Just before the trouble starts the next night when they barely survive the attack. And before they return to the house a second time, after this 18 day long trip in the house, before the summer program. And Crane gets out of the doors for real now and things change directions from there. While the quartet have their counterparts joining in, but it's a clashing of the movie.
And from real life to art imitating life from here as things change directions now for them. But this story finishes the movie off as it goes to her views for the pieces that the trio didn't see after they went looking for her the first time. And leading into the first view of the true paranormal as her gift activates completely.
Chapter 21: Legal Documents, Emotional Truths And Dinner Preparations II
Book Self Memory Flashback Continued-Marrow's POV:
"She's probably been holding it in too long with Rebecca dead and if we just slammed into the wall emotionally with learning this truth about her now. But it's enough that the ones who caused it are in deep shit when we get back, and this could be the venting. And release she needs to get her anger out of her when we get back to Boston later. They walk in and she's really going to let them have it for this, we made it out in one piece."
"But she's going to blame Webster for nearly killing us as her new family and if he was the reason for the final heart attack. She's going to let it out on him next finally." she added and I nodded in agreement to that. "He tries to argue over us remaining together as a sextet, it's not going to work here, as a psychiatrist. But in total truth now, is I have legal rights to my patients, we develop close bonds with our patients now."
"Malcolm told me if she needed him, he was going to be there, as she had both versions, you guys, Carol, Janet, Peter and Tony. Though this time we met, not as that, but as friends and soulmates and with that, with her being in Riverside, Eric, Malcolm and I have the final say here in her condition, both physically and emotionally. And with that fact in mind, he comes in drunk and it's not getting evaluated here as an attempt."
"Just to separate us, if he was trying something else illegal, because an arrest in a hospital is tantamount to being arrested by the cops for a DUI once too often. He's tries that and it's going to be viewed by the courts and law firm as assault and battery. And DUI arrest by a psychiatrist, when said psychiatrist is her husband and I'm getting it. And that set up legally right when we get back, so to the judge, jury and his law firm."
"I'm legally her husband and I was protecting my wife when her brother-in-law attacked us and our friends helped me arrest him, when he picked a fight. And started an altercation in a psychiatric hospital during her recovery when he's drunk at the time. Legally I'm her husband and trying to provoke a fight with the husband and psychiatrist of said patient is really not going to fly when I get Rick and Jefferson there for this."
"What's also not going to fly is that officially, is that she's making her own decisions and if she's not letting go, it's just that, and he. If he tries to grab her at all like that, is getting arrested when I get my hands on him." I told her and she nodded as I looked at her, before I shifted position and crouched on the floor so I could check. "That's it honey, it's alright, you're going to be fine, it's going to be okay." I whispered to her gently then.
As I gently checked her side and she jerked at that as she quickly grabbed her legs. "That's not normal, something else is wrong. Aside from what we just saw, she's hurt." Theo said and I looked at her. " Are you alright enough to get that blanket upstairs?" I asked and she nodded and she headed up to her room, and grabbed it, brought it in and I carefully tucked it into the cushions of the couch and across her legs gently at that.
And then checked her over carefully, before I looked at her as I looked at her side then. "Damn it, why didn't I add a doctor to this, so we didn't have Luke freaking out over her if she was tossing and turning, before the attack in the bedroom. Theo, get the bag that was sitting on top of the china hutch, is there is a set of information in the bag. I need it so I can riun my report and before we give it to Jared in the morning here."
"Go get a set of scissors, I need to check her side to see what caused that jolt." I said and she nodded and ran into the kitchen as I ran my hand through her hair and then felt her forehead and felt my heart fall. ' Cardiac arrest, and now high fever, what is going on here?' I thought as she passed me the scissors and I cut a hole into her nightgown and then pushed it aside and so I could see it, and then saw the reason for her collapse.
'It's been five hours since the shock gave out, stay awake, stay awake.' I heard her voice echo as Theo said what I thinking in shock. "My god, who the hell would do this to her." she snapped as we saw a blue and black bruise covering her entire side and across her lower abdomen. 'My god, she was tossing and turning and collapsed twice, five hours, five hours, oh shit she took these injuries, just before she walked in here.'
'Okay she said when a drunken stupor, a man who's drinking constantly takes in one too many and can't hold his liquor. That he gets completely violent and attacks a woman this brutally...' Son of a bitch, Webster. Lou, if this was you who did this to her and I'm killing you for this.' I thought as I answered her question with a dangerous growl in my tone. "My thoughts are turning to Lou at the moment, hold at the moment right now."
"Mom dad, if you can hear me, what's the record on Lou exactly?" I asked and a file landed on the table and I opened it and read it carefully then. "Mom was this why Malcolm was ready to put him in rehab and have Rick run him through the ringer?" I asked and a message wrote itself out at that. "Yeah son, it was, you're a psychiatrist he's a lawyer, but you're the best friend of my son in law, David, I chose you.'."
"You and Malcolm are psychiatrists with a love for the supernatural, I chose you, but you're my primary idea for a suitor. As only you guys can protect her if she survives this, Jared's cousin is Jefferson himself. He's the chief of police in our branch and Ricky is my age, he would do a lot of damage. And when he hears this, what you heard through her is she just did tight case now.'."
"To get you off and him charged for attempted murder.'." she read out and we nodded. "Some asshole who is a deranged psychopath and a chronic drunk, but beatings like this are common for controlling men. In where the spouses maternal family is concerned and it better not be what I'm thinking here. Because if it is and I'm killing the bastard who did this." I told her and her eyes narrowed as she answered me at that.
"Webster, you think it was Webster who did this to her?" she asked and I nodded. "Yes, and with that fact in mind, I'm hauling his ass up on charges for this, he comes near her when we get back and I'm throwing him in the tank if he's drunk when they come in. Try to hold her legs still, I need to check the damage here, we got them restrained with what I just did, but keep them from moving, we got her on the couch, there's no where off it."
"And she's asleep, so just try to keep her from moving too much here when I do this." I told her and she nodded as she wrapped her arm across her legs with what I did just now, I knew the physical pain was likely going to cause her to start moving around, but with the fact her legs were restrained and with her on the couch there was no room to move around, so with us in the only way off it, and with her unconscious."
So it insured she wasn't getting off the couch while I did this then as I carefully checked her stomach and and saw a distended section there. And knew one or both organs had either took damage or were ruptured then as I checked her side next, she shifted position again. 'Shh, easy, just rest.' I thought to her as I checked her shoulder next and she shifted position a second time and nodded as Theo checked the manual then.
'Okay severe blows to her side and abdomen, high body temperature, cold sweat, pale skin, shock, collapse, dear god, why didn't I see this earlier, she's bleeding internally. Those blows severed a vein and probably an artery.' I thought as I looked at Theo to explain my diagnosis. "My thoughts are he hit the organ that could kill us if it ruptured." Theo saud and I nodded as I confirmed that thought as I explained it to her then.
"Found it, this is why she collapsed, whatever or whoever did this to her, severed a vein or artery in the attack, and this is why her heart stopped beating as well. To sum this up, those blows were savage enough to do a lot of damage. And knowing I was going to kill the little shit for this she was waiting till after she did that for me. To find them knowing I was going to be furious at this, because our relationship is a soulmate connection."
"That catches it here, the cardiac arrest, her heart was pumping even harder to keep her going and the final jolt caused that heart attack earlier. So to name off the symptoms: internal bleeding, whatever damage done, she's bleeding to death. So we got maybe fifteen hours to get her in the emergency room, or we're going to lose her." I said and she nodded as she answered me as we exchanged looks at this as she answered me.
"Okay, time to catalogue this: sore shoulder, pale skin, she's drenched in sweat, high fever, shock, collapse, dilated eyes, blows to areas that have distended slightly. All signs of internal injuries and if we hadn't been fighting over that when you told us the truth. So we would have seen this sooner too, this explains why she was soaked in sweat earlier as well. The shocks from figuring things out kept coming and she just barely misses here.
"In passing out in the argument, before she let him have it as she made it clear to us then and she was tossing and turning. And when we got her back into bed earlier, before he caved the room in on her. I'm cleaning up the kitchen, you investigating what the latest bombshell is and then comes the attack. And after Luke falls asleep on the job, before it turbs into this right now." she said and I nodded as I answered her at that.
"Yes precisely, she was shaking when she told us and collapsed, before we could get her on the couch. The shock wasn't from telling the truth if I'm right, it's from these injuries, she was shaking so hard when I got her off the platform, I knew something was wrong, but this answers that question now. She took several severe blows to her internal organ, and probably has internal bleeding as well and with that we got to look into this."
"One thing though is that this was no attempt at suicide she was beaten savagely to cause these injuries and as to how I know that. These blows are of only two kinds here, he either viciously attacked her or Webster did this to her, but whichever one it is I'm finding out later, but altogether this answers why her heart stopped beating, her heart was pumping even harder, because a vein or artery got slashed, torn or cut.
"And she got hit in two areas that could kill a woman if they ruptured that also explains the collapse, the shock had worn off. So either Craine or Webster did this to her, but if it was Webster and I'm killing him for this, he wants to get rough. Then he doesn't know just who the hell he is screwing with here, because I'm not a man. That you want on your bad side, the reason being I deal with a ton of men dealing with substance abuse."
"And at times both versions, at work and the job results in getting physical a lot and I'm also the type. Said who will get overly territorial with my mate if some asshole touches her like this." I said and she smiled at that as she answered me. "Than I think she chose the right one then here Dave, everything that happened tonight. This had nothing to do with you, that shock had to do with one too many jolts and whatever right now."
"In what her maternal family ability is, if we got half of it, then the other half was exposed to us today. So this is explains why none of us could see what she could, till he goes all out an hour ago." she said and I nodded. "Yeah precisely and at the moment I'm looking at internal injuries though, those blows though. They are directly to the spleen and uterus and she's got a concussion from that blow and impact to the door."
"And a serious blow to the heart." I said and she sighed. "How is it you can see that, without an X-ray?" she asked and I explained that. "I'm a psychiatrist, medical training is covered in the job and I studied the immune system, he hit her here and here, and the blunt force traumas are enough they probably severed a vein and an artery. Along with doing damage to her heart and a third degree concussion, we're taking her
"And right to the hospital first thing in the morning and they can confirm this." I said and she nodded. "You think she's suffering internal bleeding from this?" she asked and I nodded. "Yes, if we'd waited longer than two days that would kill her, but within ten to eleven hours of discovering these injuries. Then she's going to make it, if they clamp off the leak and the artery or vein that got torn in the surgery, but what I do know."
"Now is that till she's completely stabilized she's going to be in critical condition till we take her to the hospital in the morning." I said and she nodded as she answered me at that, while looking at her watch and then looked at me. "Is she going to make it through the night though David? Because it's 10o'clock?" she asked and I sighed. "As long as we keep her like this, yes, but we're taking her to the hospital in the morning."
"She's probably bleeding internally, if that's why she's in this much pain right now and she needs serious medical attention from these injuries. If you want to sue me go ahead, because at this rate I'm never forgiving myself for this. But at the moment, alk the bases are covered, Rebecca set up that catch 22 for this reason exactly. So that covers damages and bills." I told her and she shook her head as she answered me at that.
"Don't worry I'm not, we just took care of your report, but let's just consider this a major blow to the asshole. As we just got rid of him and decontaminated the house finally after eighty years, though if this turns into an annual thing we return." she said and I nodded as I checked her side gently and she shifted position. And I gently pressed down on her stomach and felt there and felt a slight bulge and nodded as I looked at her gently.
"Get my notebook, I got to write down everything, these symptoms are a classic case of internal injuries: pale skin, shock, high temperature, she's too weak to get out of bed. I'm looking at a serious surgery as well, because that's probably why she was shaking when we got her to lay down earlier. The bastard probably nailed an artery in the attack, but that explains everything we need to know." I said and she nodded to that.
As she got up and left the room, I felt my medical training kick in then as I thought over everything I saw that night. 'This entire time that bastard was terrorizing her, well he's gone for the time being, but one thing is for sure. Now, that is that we're staying here for a while now, for a few weeks until she is strong enough to return.' I thought gently as I stroked my hand through her hair and she laid her head against my chest gently.
'They're safe finally, don't worry baby, I just need to sleep than we can leave in the morning.' I heard her think softly and hid a smile. 'This doesn't change things between us my darling, I'm not leaving you and I never will.' I thought back to her as I pressed my forehead to hers gently as Theo walked back in and gave it to me. And I got to work in writing down the medical information I was giving the surgeon.
The orderly and MD that was treating her in the morning, as she passed my medical kit to me and I dug through it as I found what I needed. And I gave her a small dose of epinephrine to keep her heart steady then. "Small dose is going to help, just a few hours and then we take her to the hospital." I said and Theo nodded to me. "What are we looking at Dave?" she asked and I sighed as I answered her question then gently.
"Third degree concussion, severe blows to the spleen and uterus, internal bleeding and a post cardiovascular trauma. But she probably had a minor artery cut when he attacked her, which explains why she collapsed, before we could get her on the couch. Just to rest and if I'm right, then she's going to need surgery if he nailed a chamber in that stand off. But there is enough damage we're here for 3 weeks to a month before going back."
"All that together, she's going to be in the hospital for two months recovering from this, but one thing is for sure. Said is I'm taking on her case and screw detachment, she's the only thing keeping me going. Though her bedroom was destroyed along with the stairs in the greenhouse everything else. It needs to be swept so with that, we just try to get things cleaned before they get back." I told her and she nodded to that in agreement.
"If Rebecca heard this, I doubt she'd care that you're her chosen now, because evidently this was rigged in advance. Especially if she said someone phoned her about your ad, Dave." she said and I nodded. "That's the problem, I never called her, before she got in touch with me and Mary last week, because the first time we laid eyes on each other was here when we met in Monday." I told me and she nodded to that as she answered me.
"Yeah I'd say this entire situation was rigged to ensure we not only meet, or that she falls in love with you, but to get rid of him while doing it." she said and I nodded as I answered her. "Well if it is, than its just brought her into my life and she's my future wife, though the next asshole who touches her, had better watch it. Or I'm the one killing them, because for the men in my country, we find our mates we go alpha male."
"And when some jackass chooses not to take that hint, but at the moment he is going to try and muscle his way in when she made her choice. She's changed in more ways then one since she met us and what they see next. Is going to shock the hell out of them, as she is making it clear I'm her husband, and I call the shots. So try and I'm caling security to arrest him if he even lays a hand on her." I said and she nodded in agreement gently.
"Luke is going to have one hell of a headache from this, but the car has the rack of the gate buried into the roof of it. So it's going to take a blow torch to get it off the car so we can make room so they can get in. And we can get out in the morning, because with the fact she's probably spending a month in recovery and another at your hospital. We're not going anywhere till she's fully recovered from this." she said to me and I nodded to her.
"You guys are going to have to deal with the minor damage he did to the house, when he wakes up, but she needs someone sitting with her for the time being. Alright stay here, I'm getting him on the sofa in the library." I told her and she nodded as I went to the fireplace and got him out of range of the grate. As I got him in a fireman's hold and carried him to the library and laid him on the couch and covered him then gently.
And with the blanket sitting there on the top of it, as I was getting up to leave I heard a groan as his eyes opened. "God what a headache, you alright man?" he asked weakly and I nodded. "I am and so is Theo, but Eleanor took a beating earlier." I said and he quickly sat up at that. "Never mind my staying in here, where's Nell exactly?" he asked and I sighed as I told him the truth, knowing he was going to kill right then.
"She risked killing herself to save us, by getting him in front of the doors, you better get a look at this." I said and he stood up and we headed for the foyer and he looked around the hall. "Jesus Christ what a mess, man he trashed the place here, alright the doors. Wait the message was 'All ye who stand before the doors shall be judged.'. Yeah nice touch Nell, you got him to float himself in front of them, but we were clean."
"And got judged inocent, he gets in front of them and he'd been judged guilty and got yanked into them, nice thinking Sis, that was a great idea." he said and I nodded. "Yeah that's what happened actually, but better tell me now, you thinking more clearly. Here though, because you just made it even worse, and you're lucky you ducked the swing. Or he could have killed you, Luke." I said and he nodded to answer me as he said it then.
"Yeah, way clearer now, I don't know what the hell I was thinking, but she was right, I shouldn't have done that. Alright where is she exactly?" he asked and I lead him into the sitting room we chose as I answered him. "Found the reason she collapsed though and you're not going to like it at all." I said and he nodded as he followed me into the sitting room and Theo looked up and gave him a hug and he tightened his arms around her.
"Don't worry Theo I'm fine." he said to her gently and she pressed her forehead to his and I knew she chose him. "With what we've been through it goes without saying I think we just found each other finally." Theo said and he smiled and gave her a hug at that "Yeah, that's my thought on you too Theo, alright how serious is she exactly?" he asked and then his eyes landed on her side and abdomen and his eyes narrowed in anger.
"Whatever asshole did this to her I'm killing them when I see them." he growled as he ran his hand through her hair gently as she leaned into his hand at that. "Well tonight's one for the record books, if any parapsychologist who was a skeptic needed proof. That there was really life after death all he needs to do is to come here for it. And he gets the shock of his life." he said and she nodded in agreement as she took the chair next to her.
And in exhaustion. "God what a night, Dave I'm starting to think this was not a coincidence if he decided to come after her. And just as we're getting settled here, I mean simply scaring us by use of strange noises and poltergeist intrusions. That is one thing, but then he goes all out once whatever ability she has kicks in completely. But this took the acts of our conversation from Goosebumps and right to Freddy Krueger now."
"In the intrusions, it's bad enough we got and had minor paranormal activity, before, but whatever ability she had started going crazy, before this situation started tonight. I see why she told us and I got the point, if we ever decide to come back up here. And he breaks out for a third time, stay calm and don't piss him off if he gets out." Theo said and Luke looked at at her at that as he stroked his hand through her hair at that remark.
"Whatever it was she saw earlier scared her enough, because she looked like she saw a ghost when she walked in here, but there's more to it than that. I mean think it over: the fireplace, the painting, what you told me this afternoon. And when you said she saw bloody footprints all over the floor leading to some secret passage way. And when she took off on us and before she collapsed just as we were getting her to lay down."
"Then it's all connected, next question is what the hell is going on here exactly, I mean each paranormal situation. Said that we had the previous two days was enough, but the last twenty four are the topper here and she gives up and we find out he's the one who was doing it. The bastard hijacked the house, just as things started getting better between us, why would he try to kill us though." he asked and she nodded in agreement.
"Yeah he's right, I mean he tries to kill him twice, you twice, and nearly kills her through a heart attack and near fatal injuries, so why go after us when she's his target?" she asked and I answered that as I looked at them. "There is onely one person who can answer that question, mom, I need everything. Just to know why the heck he would attack us when she's his target?" I said and message was written out at that request
As the pencil sat itself down and she picked it up. "It's because you're the ones protecting the doors, his determination is to destroy the doors. So long as they're right there, he can't get passed the perimeter of the house. This is hollow ground, heaven and hell, so long as good has the house, he's trapped and the house is in the center of a pentagram, my daughter now though."
"She controls the doors, as you just saw how we do it now too, if he breaks out, she's going to have to do it again. But it's like being stuck in limbo for all eternity, but what she told you the day you arrived and last night. Before the trio left was true, we control the doors, he had to get her out of the house. And before the pieces all came together, but this was to tear her attention off it.'."
"Keep you focused on getting out of the house, and before she realized her connection to him, or that her powers came from Caroline. The key laid in her necklace, it's a family heirloom, passed from one member to another in the girls. My father was also a priest, so it became the Exorcist meets Poltergeist for you guys the last three days.'." she said for her and I nodded to the news gently.
"To prevent us from realizing she was who he was after, she said he was after her, just before she collapsed. So whatever her family ability is has to do with what just happened earlier. Those hallucinations have to be more than we thought, it's probably the ability she mentioned, but if her lawyer can tell us this. Or her mother explains things in the will that answers every question we need right now with her." I said to him and he nodded.
"What aren't you telling me here exactly guys, what's wrong ?" he asked and she sighed as she answered him. "Caroline was her great grandmother like she said, but Craine is her grandfather and she just figured this out a bit ago. The part that wasn't in the stories her mother used to tell her just came forward when she collapsed earlier. But something else got her attention, before we found her in the greenhouse early as well to."
"She's hit the wall of everything her life threw at her the last ten weeks and she's finally reached the point. And of an emotional breakdown, the shock was because of these injuries, but we just hit the wall in her condition. We just barely managed to get her heart going again." she said and he looked at her with a concerned look. "Just who's fault is this exactly?" he asked and she answered that with a growl as we exchanged looks.
"Webster did of course, whatever else they did to her we got to get her to tell us when she's a few weeks into her recovery though, but this was way too close baby." she said and he nodded to that. "She thinks we're going to leave her, because of that son of a bitch and everything we just learned, not going to happen. So we're not going anywhere here, and I know Todd and Mary are going to say the same when they hear now."
"In what the hell caused this." he said with a growl and she nodded in agreement. "We're alive, because of her, but now she's beyond emotionally spent thanks to this. And it's thanks to both situations tied together, well if it means we're all in the same town. And together we make sure she understands that maternal last name or no. We're not giving her up no matter what." she said and he nodded in agreement to that remark gently.
"Great if the Dudleys take the stories seriously, than just learning that you selected their boss and the owner of the house. Then this is going to get their attention and with that fact in mind Dave. The amount of damage he did they're going to notice, I mean the painting in the dining room and on the stairs, after he defaced the painting earlier. But the bedroom, the ash and bones all over the floor in the main hall, the windows."
"And the greenhouse stairs when he collapsed them on you at the time, and the dent in the wall he did when we were at dinner when the duo were here. We're looking at $500,000 in repairs and maybe more once I inspect the house. So he and my team and I can fix things." he said and I looked at him. "What do you think of the damage he did here exactly, what's the going cost for this?" I asked him gently and he sighed gently.
"With a crazed ghost, I'm looking at 9.5 million, because those painting are worth several thousand, the bedroom is trashed. So the Windows he broke thirty panes of glass and the stairs which are going to take another twenty thousand. And because the gear needed to fix them is a welder, a blowtorch and it's a 130 years old. In order to prevent anyone else from getting hurt, I'd have to take it down and recreate the layout."
"The way Craine had the place set up in there was a tetanus shot waiting to happen, so it's a matter of tightening up the bolts on the staircase. And turn it into a normal spriral staircase, or just get it modernized, by getting a fifty foot pole bolted to the roof. And to the floor bolt the top of the stairs to the ramps and with it getting two of these set up so opposite sides of the platforms, one staircase goes to it and the other to the second."
"And then getting the stairs carefully welded to the pole to ensure its safely stable this time. But while we can't prevent them from checking out things upstairs, we can clean up the mess he did to the foyer and clean up the glass in the dining room as well here. As for the car we got to get it out of range of the gate, so they can get in later, altogether though, the total is going to be 10 million dollars." Luke said and we nodded to that.
"Great, in total we're looking at ten million dollars in repairs to the amount of damage he did to the house, including the car smashing into the fence, and I smelt gas when we were trying to get you out of the damn car." she said to him and I quickly nodded. "The damn lock on the engine had kept it in gear, when I said to turn off the engine." I told him and he nodded as his eyes narrowed as he answered me at that news.
"Damn it, he did that on purpose, if killing me by explosions doesn't work he goes for decapitations. He did that on purpose, so the gas tank is leaking, the spark plugs are loose. And the engine is on, and I'm trapped in the car till you break the window to get me out." he said and I nodded to him. "That was a dumb idea Luke, that fence is so strong, it would a tank or a bulldozer to break it down, not a Yugo or pick up, honey."
"As that car wasn't made for that, then again, just why would her mother have a car like that anyway." Theo said to him and he sighed. "With the amount of funds they have, they were trying to remain inconspicuous about it. And decided to not flaunt that amount of money in the way that the Websters do, she's beyond humble." he said and she nodded. "Makes perfect sense right now." she said as I finished her sentence at that.
"And I parked my car thirty feet away from the fence, when you did that, but if the gas tank explodes. And my car is going to go with it, chain reaction, though I don't have the car on, here." I said, giving him my keys as I said it to him. "That tank is going to explode from both the crash, the engine being on and the leaking gas tank, and we need to get mine out of range, to prevent that, so we can leave in the morning and with that."
"Get my car out of range, in case the damn thing does goes off now, that car wasn't built to handle anything like the gates here. And with that, they're going to get it, because that car is twenty years old and has been pushed to its breaking point." I said and he nodded and fifteen minutes later he came back in. "Alright it's on the west side of the driveway and out of range David. She and I'll deal with the mess, stay with her."
"Alright, in fact, while we deal with the clean up you better stay with her, I'm going to have to use a torch to get the rack off the top of the car, but if the gas tank has a hole in it I'm not bothering to turn it on. Because I don't doubt he was flooding the engine till a spark lit up the damn car to kill me." he said though just as he finished saying that we heard an explosion and I nodded as he said it for me at that response bemused.
"If Jack or the townspeople heard that, they know, if they told Walters, Jefferson and the mayor that Nell figured it out and completed Becky's mission to lock him back up again." he said and I nodded as she said it for me as a smiley face apeated on the paper in green ink and I nodded with a bemused chuckle at that. "One jolt too many and that's like a bigger version to the rifle reports we heard the first night after getting here right now."
"Guys was that you or did the gas tank finally go?" I asked and a message was written out. "That was the car, David, but I just left a message at the precinct to let them know you're meeting Jack and his team at the E.R..'." Luke read out to me and I nodded. "The damn thing blew up just now, and those bars are made of iron, alright well that kills their shots of getting insurance back though here."
"I'm lucky your car was off and out of range of it now or it could have gone up next, but this is enough of a jolt tonight after what happened tonight." Theo said and I nodded in agreement to that. "We got to wait for the fire to give out, but we better go check on that honey." Luke added to her and she nodded as I decided to stay put next to her, before they came back fifteen minutes later with irritated looks on their faces.
" The car has been turned into a trash heap Dave, there's pieces of it all over the drive way, alright I'm moving the pieces to the side of the courtyard and then chain the top of the fence back on to it after the bars have cooled off, so that makes room for them to get in." Luke said and I nodded, as after three hours of cleaning up the amount of damage he did to the house downstairs we were all settled in the sitting room to relax then.
End Of Flashback Eleanor's POV:
"So you see, nothing you say to us changes the fact that the amount of damage done nearly destroyed what was left of my family line, Jane Emily." Frederick told her and Jared finished that remark then sternly. "You committed several felonies yesterday, before they left, and now you break your parole. We gave you a chance, and you still attempted it, well there is no getting out of that trial period now."
"Until you do your trading places period, you're not getting your side of your inheritance, a period of five years, that was non negotiable, we all knew this." he said and she swallowed. "We warned you, young lady, but you're not staying for the night either, but you are under arrest for breaking your parole right now. Boys, take her back to town and get a hotel room for the night." Peter said, as I passed $500 to the trio for that set up.
"Open the gate." I said and and they nodded as Rick undid the chains and pushed one of the doors open. "This is what the prize was, for the house and the entirely family fortune, all this time, this is what caused you to change, it was because of this?" she said in shock and I nodded. "Yeah that's right, I decided to stay here till December, until you met my friends at the hospital and you no longer had a say in my life now finally."
"But life is really hard out there, you have no idea how hard it is out there, you don't have a real job, you can't afford to pay the bills. Mom arranged it in the months leading into her death and we did the fake will reading. But Malcolm was part of the family, but you deciding to sell the apartment sealed your fate now. All there in the will, everyone knows my truth and it's in black and white, so I get everything and you get nothing."
"Nothing but 10% of what you deserve for your decisions and behavior, but it's all there black and white, clear as crystal, Jane." I said and Fred passed the paper to me and I read it out loud then for the benefit of my friends. Them and Richie, who was in shock at the size of the area surrounding the house. Knowing, if they just not bothered with selling the apartment, then it was an equal share to the house finally for them.
"The Craine family has over billions piled away, and only a true Craine can read between the lines and know the will is a fake. Or the people connected to the Craines, but listen to this everyone, this was the notation that mom left to me. That was telling me that the will she left us was a fake, before the test results came back from the bank." I said and the entire team, Rick, Tom and the other crossed their arms as I read it out loud.
"And these are her words to, 'As the writer of the first will this will is to state that the first was a test to see how my daughters would respond to it. This will was a Craine family test of integrity to see if once the writer had passed away they'd act civil and be kind to the family living with the writer or start harvesting the entire living quarters for anything that was worth a lot of money."
"Had the heirs passed the test they split the amount down the middle, but had one of the heirs passed it and the other flunked it, the entire family fortune goes to the heir that passed the test, while only a tenth of the amount went to the heir who flunked the test. So if my youngest has found this letter and my necklace and knows her true family history it is time to activate this will."
"As to that I hereby leave our family manor and all of my jewelry, my account, and the box of gold and silver in the savings bond box that this will was found in to my rightful heir Eleanor Caroline Vance, my daughter is the owner of Hill House and all properties that are owned by my great, great grandfather Hugh Craine. My darling Eleanor, our family history I never told you about till now, because it explains the necklace you always saw me with."
"But there is more to your name than you think baby, back when the house was created Hugh had been collecting children from the mills and though he loved children he and his wife couldn't have them and it turned him into a possessive maniac till it kills his first wife Renee and your great, grandmother died as she was fighting him, we were waiting for you to find that necklace."
"Because you were meant to finish what she started and if you've done that, you're the true heir of the house and every property he owned, you showed what you remember since you discovered your true lineage and fix our family home to make it a nice place to have children. There's more money from these properties than you'll ever know, because Hugh Craine has the savings bonds and textile modules in his study, buried in a trunk in the house."
"My daughter, there's trillions in gold and silver buried with this money and everything you learned about yourself, if you learned the true history of the house, it's time to return it to its beauty and magestic states again. I hereby leave the house to you, every property owned by Hugh Craine and the money that I was setting aside, in case I didn't survive to tell you this myself."
"If you find your future it's going to be connected to the house and everything I never told you my darling, you're my daughter, my heir and it's time to return you to what rightfully belongs to you. I'm sorry my baby, I was hard on you, because you weren't ready, till now for the burden you face. Our family is one of the powerful and rich families when he created the house, everything that is worth billions is at the family manor, and I'll give you the map to it soon."
"What you showed is the heart of your station that night you met him face to face, it's time to finish the job, if he's still hanging out in the manor it's time to get rid of him forever. The message on the doors was all 'ye who stands before these doors shall be judged.', and you and your friends had been judged innocent and spiritually strong, you showed everything you needed to."
"That's the act of true member of the Craine family, we were philanthropists once Hugh died, we showed compassion and helped people. You showed all that and more and you did exactly what you were supposed to do when you found Grandma's necklace. To destroy the evil you had to get him in front of the doors and let the demons judge him, that door was like the waying of the souls ritual of the Ancient Egyptians, that's what it was meant for."
"When you arrived and were standing in front of the door with your new friends, you were judged and passed the tests and you passed every test that the situation gave you. And this will is the deciding factor and you've inherited the entire family fortune now with what you've gone through Eleanor."
"As for you Jane Emily, with the act of marrying Lou out of wedlock and having a child with him, before marrying and you probably removed everything that is worth taking in my apartment all I leave to you is a tenth of what is in the family fortune and the money that you stole from my daughter by selling our apartment and everything that was worth thousands in my property."
"The first will was a test Jane Emily, the will had several key points written into it. 'The executor shall have the right to dispose of any and all person property as he shall see fit.' But whether you did was up to you young lady. It was you leave her the apartment and everything in it, or you liquidate the assets and and you lose everything this will concluded to you, and you flunked the test."
"Your sister showed the compassion of doing what a true member of the Craine clan would and she is exactly what an heir to a true dynasty should be and she, though is quiet, has more strength than you ever will. Her husband, if he was involved in her path has his own rights to the truth and he is my legal executor of the properties I'm leaving to your sister. Whoever she married was meant to be involved as is their friends if they all got chosen to cleanse our family home."
"To my son-in-law, if you met my daughter in her self discovering mission and used the knowledge of your expertise it's time to put it to use if she chose to be involved in what job you have, and you can further your studies by this too. The house has a horror story and haunted house look to it, that you discovered, but the true history lays buried in the walls of it. Every spot that you couldn't see is really a hidden passage if you wound up down stairs for some reason."
"I'm pleased that she found you and you and your family are hereby the legal owners of every property of the Concord mining industries and Hill House. With this will is buried the map to the layout of the house, my grandmother gave me a way to map it out and now I give it to you and my daughter if you plan to run your studies further in what module you created at the time."
"I was hoping for an exact match in my daughter's case and she found it when she found you, you, if I met you, before I passed, I would have approved automatically, she deserves a chance at happiness and you're it. You're the true marital heir to the properties that I'm leaving to my daughter and with that son, you're the legal executor of the family fortune and house now."
" You and Eleanor are the executors of every family property that is owned by the Craine family my dear, and if Hill House is safe now, work at taking care of it, I leave that property to you along with our entire family fortune. Which comes to forty five billion dollars in textile models and seven hundred million in gold and jewelry, while everything in the stocks and bonds comes to three hundred trillion, my darling Eleanor, it's time to finish what you started."
"You became me and my great grandmother by taking on the mantle my dear and with that, if he escapes whatever purgatory or hell you put him in, it's time to finish the job and destroy his soul forever. Whatever clues you gathered when visiting the house, you're correct, it happened in exactly the way you described it to your friends and husband. As to how I know that, my mother, your grandmother, told me the entire story my baby, when I was a few years younger than you are now and I tried to do what you did and it did damage to me, that's why I was on the nitroglycerin all these years."
"Our family is descended from the Craine family and your great grandmother was the initial on the necklace you found, everything she is was duplicated into you, I was really preparing you to face off against him. He's haunted the house for years, if you finished what I started, it's time to return home again and you'll find the family fortune in the lower levels of the house and in the study he had with anything else you found in there."
"If you go to my lawyer you'll learn certain details here, but everything that you found out that week was supposed to play out the way it should and you and your husband connected during that trip as well, I approve of your mate if he's who I was really hoping you'd choose my darling, if your mate is David James, than you found who I was hoping you'd choose baby. I was really preparing you for what you found in your life and if you found it than, I know you're happy."
"David take care of my daughter and make her happy, you can start over and your friends can live close to each other, because this was also meant to help her find true happiness since her father passed. If you and the duo or quartet, or even sextet, have finished what I set out to do for her than you've fulfilled my wishes for her, what amount is with Wilson they too get a piece of it."
"Does that make my point, Jane, you lost everything and the truth was due to come out right after the news came out in the paper. That your financial situation was splattered all over the paper, in Eddie's words, 'The best way to hurt rich people is by turning them into poor people.'. Mom did just that, now I have the billions to live off, and you are living my life of being a hospice now." I said and she looked between mom's circle.
Who were staring back at her with a stern look on their faces. "My job as judge came with financial situations, you did this to yourself, all we had to do was show up for it. But the will is sealed in stone, your grandfather would want you to be judged starting now. And I'm doing that for him, that will is sealed in stone there is no changing it." Peter said and I nodded as I finished his sentence as I left my arms crossed then firmly.
