Forbidden love for a Barkley
Part Forty One:
"Jarrod's Plan, part 9: La stretta di mano di Barkley"
Francesca Mangano revealed that while she, her brother Carmine Jr, and her sister-in-law Simonetta (Vincent's wife) went to the church to pick up Cara and Mariah from sunday school, they found that the church had been ransacked, the padre Father Margolis was shot, Audra was unconscious with bruises, and the little girls were missing. Alarmed, Jarrod went to make his way out of his private office, but was stopped when Carmine Sr held his hand up gesturing "stop" and declared that the eldest Barkley son pulled a form of trickery, insinuating that he (Jarrod) planned the whole thing; lure Paulie and Carmine to his office in order to distract them while secretly plotting what happened at the church, so that way they couldn't get to Cara and Mariah in time. Jarrod would tell him that, that was not true and Paulie would back him up much to Carmine's chagrin. This would be followed by Francesca and the Austrian blonde woman. Speaking of which, the mysterious Austrian blonde woman turned out to be Eugene's old love, Daphne Gubenheimer which was revealed by Jarrod as soon as he recognized her. Following Francesca's attempt of defending Jarrod, Daphne would try to do the same thing, even starting to tell Carmine about how she could relate to bigotry and intolerance as she was dealt the same things when she first arrived to Stockton. True to nature, Carmine was going to hear none of it and continued on with his usual narrative of Jarrod tricking Paulie and him & Nick not stopping what happened to Stefania until the eldest Barkley son would pull a list out of his desk drawer and lay it onto his desk. Paulie, Eugene, and Carmine skimmed over the list and mouthed what it had written on it. Eugene would point out Nick's angry writing & Paulie would finally say out loud that Nick was indeed being truthful while Carmine continued to look it over, claiming to be a slow reader. Back at Barkley Ranch, while searching for his list, Nick would be shouting all through the house like a madman much to the chagrin of his mother and his girlfriend. Once he explained that he was looking for the list he left on the desk in the study, both women would suggest he make a back up one until he found the original to which he ended up reluctantly agreeing to do it. As if on cue, Silas came back from town and by the look on his face, one could tell there was trouble. He would inform Victoria, Nick, and Stefania that something happened at the church and it involved Audra, Cara, and Mariah. Not liking the sound of it and having a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, Stefania would attempt to rush to the church only to be stopped by Nick who would insist on going with her, stating that if God forbid McMahon & his buddies were involved, he (Nick) doesn't want Stefania harmed, because once was enough. This would be followed by a noise being heard from outside, Nick instructing Stefania, Silas, and Victoria to grab shotguns & stay back, Stefania refusing to stay back, and the couple communicating in Italian. Back at Jarrod's office, Francesca would inform Jarrod once more that Audra and the padre Father Margolis were at Dr. Merar's being treated to which Jarrod instructed Julissa, Francesca, Daphne, and Violet to stay back at the office while he , Eugene, Paulie, and Carmine were gone and to close up if he wasn't back by a certain time. As of now, Nick was about to investigate the noise and hopefully find the source while Jarrod and the other guys were going to head to Dr. Merar's office. The questions that remain are as follows: Who or what is outside making all of that noise?, Who harmed Audra and Father Margolis?, Where are Cara and Mariah?, Will Jarrod reveal more of his plan?, Will the deep dive begin?, What happened to Esther?, Will Nick get his list back?, and most importantly, will Carmine eventually come to both accept Nick & Stefania's relationship and that the Barkleys are honorable people? Stay tuned and find out!
Author's Note: I do NOT own The Big Valley or its characters. I ONLY own this fic and the characters of: Stefania Mangano, Carmine Mangano Sr, Carmine's friends, Paulie Mangano, Italia Mangano, Emilio Mangano, Serafina Mangano, Santo Mangano, Francesca Mangano, Cara & Mariah Mangano, Chet and the men Heath rounded up, Jess and Mavis Chaney, the Animal Team, Leonard Barkley, Seth & his gang, Violet Pascucci, Julissa Kurilenko, Daphne Gubenheimer, and the Mangano family. Also too, as you can very well see, this is the ninth and final part to this multi part chapter saga. Full disclosure, I'm not a legal expert or lawyer by any means, so please, bear with me during the parts involving Jarrod putting on his lawyer hat. Oh and as I previously stated in the second author's note (see Chapter 38), I'm modeling the relationship between Jarrod and Violet after the one of James Bond/007 and Miss Moneypenny & Marshal Matt Dillon and Kitty Russell which by the way, those characters, the James Bond franchise, and Gunsmoke rightfully belong to their owners. Enjoy and happy reading! :D
Warning: There will be an intense flashback sequence of a kidnapping that took place and the church being desecrated + two characters will be hurt; one from a violent attack and the other from a possible sneak attack in this chapter. You have been warned. If it makes you uncomfortable, I understand completely and urge you to bypass this chapter.
(Flashback to part 40)
"Daphne? Daphne Gubenheimer?" Jarrod asked with a smile.
"Yes, it iz me. Jarrod Barkley?" Daphne nodded.
"Daphne, how have you been? What brings you to Stockton?" Jarrod asked.
"I have been good. Zhank you for asking." Daphne smiled.
"Eugene, why didn't you say anything?" Jarrod turned to Eugene.
"Oh, he vas probably nervous. Let alone surprised to see me after these years." Daphne replied.
"I guess he still does get nervous around girls." Jarrod chuckled and shook his head, "Well, this is another pleasant surprise and who is this young lady?"
"Oh, pardon me. This is my friend Julissa Kurilenko. She is from Russia. We met while I was on vacation in Helsinki, Finland. Friendly territory, if you will. I told her all about Stockton and she wanted to see it one day. Well, here we are." Daphne explained.
"Well, it is nice to meet both of you. Anyways, not to change the subject, but you asked if you could speak up, so go on ahead." Jarrod gestured for her to do just that.
"Ja." Daphne nodded before turning to Carmine, "Carmine, is it?"
"That's my name. Don't wear it out or say it for too long." Carmine replied in a snide way.
"Carmine, I take it that you and your family have fallen victim to bigotry, ja?" Daphne asked.
"That is correct. Yes." Carmine said.
"Well, for starters, I am deeply sorry for all that you have had to experience and I know how it feels. I know what it is like to fall victim to other people being bigoted and downright stupid plus small minded." Daphne started.
"No, you don't. You're white!" Carmine shook his head.
"I am white, ja. However, in some people's eyes, I am the wrong type of white." Daphne added.
"How dare you?!" Carmine growled.
"Please, listen to me, good sir. I know what intolerance is like. I have experienced it first hand. You see, years ago, I arrived to Stockton after leaving my Austrian community in Bloomington, Illinois which I came to after emigrating to the United States from Thal, Styria, Austria. Well, upon arrival, unlike in Bloomington, in Stockton, I vas like fish out of vater (water). I did not fit in. People laughed whenever I spoke due to my accent, threw tomatoes at me, the likes. That is until I met Eugene Barkley who seems to still be nervous around me. However, when he iz not nervous, he is a charming gentleman. I quickly found zhat out vhen ve (we) took a stroll around town and he started to come out of his shell. Little by little of course. Zhen, he introduced me to his family and zhey couldn't have been nicer. In fact, zhey vere a breath of fresh air compared to the idiots I first encountered. It vas like night and day." Daphne's smile grew brighter as she fondly recalled meeting Eugene and the Barkleys.
Paulie could be heard sniffling and was even dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief.
"Zio Paulie, what is wrong?" Francesca asked.
"I'm sorry. I always cry when I hear these type of stories. I don't have ice in my veins like a certain somebody here." Paulie dabbed his eyes some more.
"What kind of crack is that?" Carmine gave him a look.
"How do you know I was talking about you?" Paulie raised an eyebrow, "I could be referring to anybody."
"That's all nice, but how come you left if everything was so good?!" Carmine put his hands on his hips.
"Well, you see, we ummmmm...we started a slowly growing relationship and pretty soon, after a month or so, we got engaged. Everything went well until...until..." Eugene either got too nervous or too awe struck by Daphne's beauty to finish the last part.
"Until our uncle Leonard found out." Jarrod started to pick up where Eugene was leaving off.
"I heard of this uncle Leonard of yours. He tried to scare my precious Stefania away and Nick didn't stop him!" Carmine's ears perked up after hearing Leonard's name.
"That's not true, Carmine. Nick stood up for her immediately and was even on the brink of getting into a fist fight with him. As of now, he knows Leonard may have masterminded what happened to Stefania. Besides McMahon & his bunch, he wants to make Leonard pay dearly, too. He even has a list which I have had in my possession for a good time now. Look." Jarrod opened his desk drawer, pulled out the list Nick made, and laid it on his desk for everyone to see, "He doesn't know I took it."
Paulie, Eugene, and Carmine looked the list over, mouthing what it had written on it.
"Well?" Jarrod folded his arms.
"Little hard to read. Looks like Nick wrote it in rage." Eugene finished looking the list over and looked up at his older brother.
"Whoa." Paulie finished looking at the list, "That kid was telling the truth the whole time."
"Thank you, Paulie. Finally!" Jarrod said with a hint of relief in his voice before turning to Carmine, "Well, Carmine, are you convinced?"
"He can't read." Paulie interjected while making a move to pick the list up.
"I can, too!" Carmine smacked his brother's hand away, "I'm just slow at it."
*Meanwhile, at Barkley Ranch*
"MOTHER! MOTHER! HEATH! MOTHER!" Nick was heard shouting all through the house.
"Nick, must you-" Victoria was cut off.
"Make all of this noise?" Stefania finished Victoria's question.
"I'm sorry, but I can't find it! I just can't find it!" Nick was clearly irritated.
"What is it are you trying to find?" Victoria asked.
"And whatever it is, must you be so loud that all of California can hear you?" Stefania folded her arms.
"Thank you, Stefania." Victoria smiled at her.
"Look, I made a very important list and-" Nick was cut off.
"A list? Nicholas Barkley, what's gotten into you?" Stefania gave him a look.
Nick and Victoria were caught off guard, even a little taken aback by Stefania's question.
"Oh no! I said something that offended you!" Stefania got a remorseful look on her face.
"Oh no no, honey. Not at all. In fact, I never thought I would hear that question from anybody, but myself." Victoria tried to reassure her while stifling any laughter.
"I do not understand." Stefania was confused.
"Stefania, you asked the same question I would ask Tom whenever he would be either shouting like Nick was, making a mess of the study while looking for a pencil and paper, or well, anything he did that I either found ridiculous or simply didn't agree with." Victoria put her arm around Stefania, "I found it both funny and heart touching to hear that question again after so long."
"You used to do the same with Signor Barkley?" Stefania was surprised.
"That's what I said." Victoria nodded before getting a funny look on her face, "Why?"
"My mama says something very similar to my papa, even calling him by his full name much to his surprise." Stefania chuckled, "Now, that I think about it, I never thought I would ask the question to a significant other. Let alone have a significant other."
"Honey, if things go right with you and Nick to the point of marriage, you'll be saying a lot of things to each other." Victoria told her before turning her attention to Nick, "Speaking of which..."
"Yes?" Nick asked.
"You still haven't answered the question." Stefania reminded him.
"What question is that?" Nick nervously chuckled.
"You said the reason you shouted was, because you were looking for a list and Stefania asked what has gotten into you. Now, how about? Why the noise over a list, Nicholas?" Victoria added, as she joined Stefania in folding her arms.
"Why the noise over a list? It happens to be a very very important list!" Nick slightly raised his voice.
"Nick!" Stefania exclaimed.
"What?" Nick slightly jolted.
"You can simply tell us the reason without raising your voice. Suppose the neighbors heard you. I'm sure they love hearing tons of shouting." Stefania gently told him.
"It happens to be a very very important list. Very very important." Nick lowered his voice, "In fact, I had it on the desk in the study. Folded neatly and underneath the jar of pencils. I left it there for a while and when I went into the study to grab it, well, by gosh, it was gone!"
"Nick, is there any chance you may have grabbed it without knowing?" Victoria asked.
"Or may have misplaced it?" Stefania asked.
"No, no, I remember leaving it there. Right there where I can see it." Nick replied.
"Nick, we're sure it'll show up eventually, but maybe you can make another one in the meantime. You know, just to have as a backup." Victoria suggested.
"But...But..." Nick was cut off.
"Nick, it won't hurt you to have a backup list. Now, if I were you, I'd do just that and let your mama get back to what she was doing without interruptions." Stefania gave him another look.
"Why, thank you, Stefania." Victoria said.
Nick went to say something, but ended up stammering a bit.
"Nick, if I were you, I would listen to mama and make that backup list. Meanwhile, I'm going to go back upstairs to what I was doing and Stefania, please make sure he doesn't stay on that leg for too long." Victoria said.
The front door flew open and Silas came running in.
"Silas, what's wrong? You look as if the devil is on your tail." Victoria was surprised.
"Mrs. Barkley, Mr. Nick, Miss Mangano, there's-there's-" Silas paused to catch his breath.
"Easy, Silas, easy. Easy does it." Nick told him.
"Silas, what has happened?" Stefania asked.
"I was in town going to Dieter's bakery for those pies he makes plus the fresh bread when I heard through the walls of Mr. Jarrod's office that something happened at the church where Miss Audra teaches sunday school. I decided-" Silas was cut off.
"Whoa! Wait a minute!" Nick held his hand up, "What do you mean something happened?"
"Something happened in regards to Miss Audra and two little girls named Mariah and Cara." Silas replied.
"My nieces! I gotta get to th-" Stefania went to run downstairs towards the door only to be stopped.
"Now, Stefania, wait a minute-" Nick was cut off.
"Nick, something's wrong! Something's...wrong! I just know it and-and I can feel it, too! Oh, if-" Stefania paused and got bug eyed.
"What? What is it?" Nick asked.
"What if...What if Seth McMahon and his gang-" Stefania was cut off.
"Stefania, I'm starting to have the same suspicion and if that's the case...I'm going with you." Nick told her.
"But Nick, you should be resting." Stefania insisted.
"I know, but not this time!" Nick shook his head before grabbing his gunbelt, hat, and gloves.
"But Nick-" Stefania was cut off, again.
"No, buts. McMahon and his buddies harmed you once. I will not have a repeat." Nick put on his gloves, gunbelt, and hat then loaded his gun.
"Nick, I'll go and get-" Victoria was cut off.
"No, mother. You, Stefania, and Silas stay here. It may get dangerous and broken leg or not, I'd rather suffer more injuries than risk any of you getting hurt." Nick finished loading his gun then looked around, "Where's Heath?"
"Out fixing the fence." Victoria told him.
"Well, I'll-" Nick paused when he heard a noise from outside.
"What was that?" Stefania asked.
"I don't know. You three get back. I'll go investigate." Nick cocked his gun.
Another noise was heard, this time louder than before.
"Mother, Silas, Stefania, grab a shot gun and get back." Nick instructed.
Victoria and Silas did what they were told whereas Stefania did not.
"Stefania, cosa stai facendo? Torna! (Stefania, what are you doing? Get back!)" Nick said in Italian.
"Nick, you're starting to sound like one of my relatives. Your Italian is getting a little better." Stefania was impressed.
"Well, after hearing you and your family communicate & listening to the Italians I have met in the past, I'm a fast learner, I guess." Nick nervously shrugged, "Ora, torna! Torna! (Now, get back! Get back!)"
"No. Non lascerò che il danno venga da te. (No. I won't let harm come to you.)" Stefania reverted to Italian.
"Devi tornare! Sarai al sicuro! (You must get back! You'll be safe!)" Nick told her while slowly making his way to the door.
"No, Nick. Vado con te. (No, Nick. I'm going with you.)" Stefania followed him close behind.
"Stefania, sarai più sicuro con mia madre e Silas. Per favore, torna con loro. (Stefania, you'll be safer with my mother and Silas. Please, get back with them.)" Nick gestured "go back" with his hand.
*Back at Jarrod's office*
Carmine was still looking over the list Nick had made much to the annoyance of everybody else, mainly Paulie.
"I hate to interrupt the reading of the list, but I think we best get to the church." Eugene chimed in.
"They're not at the church." Francesca said.
"Pardon?" Jarrod asked.
"They're not at the church. The priest and signora Audra are at Dr. Merar's office being treated." Francesca told him.
"Good. We'll go there right now." Jarrod started to walk out of his private office only to stop in his tracks, "Francesca, is there anybody with Father Margolis and Audra?"
"Yes. Simonetta and Junior." Francesca nodded.
"Good." Jarrod gave a thumbs up before leaving his private office and stopping by Violet's desk, "Violet, I'm heading for Dr. Merar's office. You're in charge and if I am not back in time, you can close up early."
"You got it, Jarrod. However, according to what I couldn't help overhearing, please, be careful." Violet nodded and gave him a peck on the cheek.
"I will, I promise. In fact, Daphne, Francesca, and Julissa, you ladies stay here with Violet. Eugene, you, Paulie, and Carmine come with me." Jarrod instructed.
"Was there any doubt that we were going to go?" Eugene asked.
"Eugene, please, be careful. It sounds dangerous." Daphne turned to Eugene.
"I promise that I will be careful." Eugene told her.
"When you come back, maybe we can catch up on old times, ja?" Daphne asked.
"You bet." Eugene nodded.
"Papa, Zio Paulie, be safe." Francesca hugged her father and uncle.
"Don't worry, kiddo." Paulie kissed her on the head.
"Francesca, I'm tough. Remember?" Carmine told her with confidence in his voice.
"Yes, but please, be safe." Francesca pleaded.
"I will. You better believe it." Carmine gave her a kiss on the forehead before turning to Paulie, Eugene, and Jarrod, "Well, let's go!"
(Now)
With that, Jarrod and the men left and headed straight to Dr. Merar's office. By the way they were walking, one could tell something was truly up. In fact, something was up and while the Barkley & Mangano men knew it, they still had more questions than answers and needed to hear from Audra & Father Margolis on what happened that led up to them being at Dr. Merar's and Cara & Mariah missing.
Also too, Jarrod needed to reveal more of his plan in regards to Santo Mangano. The part involving Emilio was already revealed. It was the part involving Santo that was the missing piece of the puzzle.
"Jarrod." Paulie spoke up as he and the others started to pick up the pace of their walking.
"Yes?" Jarrod asked.
"You know how you revealed your plan on getting Halloran, Sturgis, and that bunch subpoenaed then possibly taking the case of our papa's murder to trial?" Paulie started.
"Uh huh." Jarrod said.
"What about Santo?" Paulie added.
"Well, in regards to both Emilio and Santo, I must say that there's no guarantee on Judge Hagerty even beginning a trial after looking the cases over. That's not to say he won't. However, that all being said, once I gather the evidence and everything involved with Emilio and get it to Judge Hagerty, I will gather the evidence regarding Santo. Assuming you all went to the sheriff once again, right?" Jarrod started.
"Yeah, because we thought the regular sheriff might've been back. We were wrong. Halloran still wore that badge which meant he was still in charge. I didn't go to him. After papa and the quick cover up, do you blame me?" Carmine spoke up.
"No, not at all, Carmine. Not at all." Jarrod told him before turning to Paulie, "Paulie, I'm assuming you-"
"It wasn't me either. I was in too much shock. Our niece Italia went to the sheriff. Much to her dismay and ours, Halloran was still in charge like Carmine said. Italia told him what all happened and like with papa, he put on the act of saying he was "sick to his stomach" that our family suffered a tragedy, even going as far as to make it like he was crying, but there were no tears." Paulie shook his head.
"Halloran did that with you too, huh?" Jarrod was not to least bit surprised.
"Yes. Why? Did he do that to you, too?" Paulie asked.
"Uh huh. Months after my father was murdered. However, I'll delve into that later, because this isn't about me or my family or our fair share of tragedies. This is about Santo and Emilio." Jarrod reaffirmed.
"Jarrod, you don't have to be modest." Eugene chimed in.
"I know, Gene. However, there's always time to delve into what happened to father or well, any story. That being said, right now is not the appropriate time and do you know what mother always says and what father always said?" Jarrod sounded a bit firm.
"We can't always think of ourselves?" Eugene asked.
"Well, that and what else?" Jarrod asked.
"There's a time to tell your story, but wait until others are finished and said time presents itself to you?" Eugene asked.
"Thank you." Jarrod replied before getting back on the subject at hand and turning his attention to the Mangano men, "Now, Halloran did the fake crying and saying how it made him sick to his stomach routine. What else did he do?"
"He repeated a lie and had our hopes up high." Paulie replied.
"Let me guess, he said he would "find those who are responsible and hold them accountable", right?" Jarrod made air quotes with his fingers.
"Uh huh. However, as we all know, that didn't happen!" Carmine added.
"Which means that like with Emilio, he took a report on Santo and hid it in the sheriff's office." Jarrod started to put two and two together.
"What do you mean?" Carmine asked.
"Like I was telling Paulie yesterday, the regular sheriff Fred Madden has tons of dirt on Frank Halloran. He is not the gold standard for anything including the human race. He has ties to Hiram and Jessica Ballinger; Financial with Hiram and...intimate with Jessica. Yet he is a married man, but that's besides the point which is that he is known for hiding evidence and reports filed by those who are not white. Henceforth, he's a bigot among other things." Jarrod explained.
"So, he's a bigot, a cheater, and a crook among other things. Interesting. I fail to see what this has to do with your plan." Carmine sounded a bit huffy.
"My plan is to first get Sheriff Madden to agree on searching everywhere in his office for the stuff Halloran has hidden. Once we find it, I'll have my secretary Violet Pascucci get it to Judge Hagerty. Then, once I get a response from Judge Hagerty, we'll all go from there." Jarrod added.
"Uh huh. Then, what?" Carmine asked.
"Well, I cannot guarantee that Hagerty will even reopen both cases and start a trial. It all depends on him. If he does, then there'll be subpoenas sent out to Hiram & Jessica Ballinger, Jack Clevenger, Tim Bodine, Stan Reardon, Matthew Sturgis, Frank Halloran, and Robert T. McIntosh. Once they are subpoenaed, the trial will start and each one will stand trial for their involvement." Jarrod told him.
"How come Jessica needs to stand trial?" Eugene asked.
"She's just as guilty as Hiram and the others, Eugene." Jarrod replied.
Eugene nodded in response.
"Now, while all of that sounds good and promising, I cannot promise that this will happen. I would be a liar if I said it would and the opposite happened." Jarrod affirmed.
"And if it doesn't happen, Carmine, as painful as it is to hear that, at least we know that Jarrod here tried his best and cared enough to do something. Right?" Paulie turned to his brother.
"I guess. I just don't like hearing that, but the truth hurts at times." Carmine sighed and looked at the ground, "I just want Santo's name to be cleared and people to know who papa and Santo were versus what may have been said by wagging tongues."
"Carmine, that's what we all want." Paulie replied.
"Oh yes. That's something I forgot to reveal as part of my plan. You see, if the trial begins and I get the chance to cross examine Jessica Ballinger, I'll get her to admit under oath that she lied about Santo. That there was no crime committed. The only thing that happened was that the two bumped into each other by accident. If Judge Hagerty doesn't take the case, I'll take it to the appeals court, and if that fails, I'll go to the appellate court and if that fails, I'll do my best to take it to the highest court. The supreme court. That being said, I must admit I never ever had to go to the appeals, appellate, or supreme court before and quite frankly, I hope I do not have to agitate the gravel to that extreme. However, it is all a wait and see type of thing." Jarrod sighed.
"And I trust you." Paulie put his arm around Jarrod.
"It all sounds promising and I must admit that nobody has ever promised anything like this which leads me to ask..." Carmine took a deep breath, "Do you really mean this? Do you really mean it and intend to fight to get justice for our papa and brother Santo?"
"Carmine, if I didn't mean it, I wouldn't have even said I had a plan. Now, would I?" Jarrod stopped walking and looked him right in the eye.
"No, I suppose not." Carmine replied.
"Exactly. Now, none of us makes a promise without..." Jarrod finished the last part by extending his hand for a handshake.
"What's this?" Carmine looked at Jarrod's hand then back at Jarrod.
"The Barkley Handshake or in Italian, La stretta di mano di Barkley." Jarrod smiled.
"Ohhh. You know the Italian language, too?" Paulie was impressed.
"Yes indeed. I learned from Italians I have met in the past and my secretary Violet teaches me some words and sentences at times." Jarrod nodded before turning his attention to Carmine, "Now, Carmine, when I make a deal or promise or as so much as give my head, I officiate it with the handshake."
"Well, that I can accept as I have had to do the same in the past." Carmine shook Jarrod's hand.
"Just as long as you don't get a kiss on the lips." Paulie smirked.
"Huh?" Jarrod raised an eyebrow.
"In our culture, it means something else besides being affectionate or romantic." Carmine added.
"Oh? Well, what does it mean?" Jarrod was a bit curious.
Paulie started to say something only to bump into a wall.
"Hai camminato a lungo? (Been walking long?)" Carmine sarcastically asked his brother before shaking his head.
"I bumped into this silly wall here." Paulie rubbed his forehead.
"Hey! We're at Dr. Merar's." Eugene looked up and saw the sign.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go." Jarrod said before walking up to the door and knocking on it.
The door opened and out came Dr. Merar.
"Hello, Jarrod." Dr. Merar greeted.
"Hello, Dr. Merar. I heard Audra is here. Is she still here?" Jarrod asked.
"Yes. However, the poor girl has had quite a horrifying experience and bruises to prove it. She's in there with two others plus Father Margolis." Dr. Merar had a solemn look on his face.
"I heard about Father Margolis. Will he be alright?" Jarrod asked.
"He'll pull through. However, it's Audra who has the case of self guilt. She wouldn't go home and neither would the other two, but seeing that you, Eugene, and these other gentlemen are here, they might budge." Dr. Merar told him before doing a double take, "Wait a minute! Eugene is home? When did he return?"
"Weeks ago. In fact, on what would've been my father's birthday. However, may we all go in and see Audra and everyone else?" Jarrod replied.
"Sure, but two at a time." Dr. Merar nodded.
"Alright." Jarrod said before turning to the others, "Okay. Dr. Merar says we can see them, but only two at a time. Now, I am going in. Which one of-"
"Let's go inside." Carmine walked up to the door and turned to Dr. Merar, "The two others, are they a young man and a young ladies?"
"That's right, mister...I'm sorry. I didn't get your name." Dr. Merar said.
"Mangano. Carmine Mangano." Carmine introduced himself.
"Mr. Mangano. Nice to meet you. Hey, your name sounds familiar. In fact, are you related to a young lady named Stefania?" Dr. Merar recognized the Mangano name.
"Yes. I am her father. Now, may I-may we go in?" Carmine asked.
"Of course." Dr. Merar moved aside.
Jarrod and Carmine went inside and ran right over to where Audra, Carmine Jr, and Simonetta were sitting. By the looks of it, Audra was sobbing and Simonetta was holding her close, trying her best to console her, Carmine Jr standing to Audra's right with his hand on her shoulder, rubbing it.
"Audra?" Jarrod spoke up.
Audra slowly lifted her head and looked up at Jarrod.
"Oh...my...stars!" Jarrod's eyes got big when he saw Audra's bruised and bloodied face plus her tattered shirt.
"Oh, Jarrod!" Audra slowly broke away from Simonetta's hug, walked up to Jarrod, and immediately threw her arms around him, sobbing some more into his shoulder, "Pappy!"
"It's okay, honey. It's okay. I'm here now." Jarrod went into full "Pappy mode", hugging his sister tightly before turning his attention to Simonetta and Carmine Jr, "Are you two okay?"
"We're...We're here. Shocked, horrified, angry, sad, but here. Let's just say that." Carmine Jr sighed, Simonetta nodding in agreement.
"It's all my fault!" Audra sobbed.
"Signora Audra, it's not your fault. You had no-" Carmine Jr was cut off.
"It should've been me!" Audra replied.
"It shouldn't have been anybody, Audra. You know that, I know that, we all know that." Jarrod rubbed her back, "Now, I must ask, what happened?"
"It all...It all happened...so fast!" Audra sniffed, "I mean here we were going about the usual routine of Sunday school. Father Margolis came by to observe and everything seemed fine. Then, there was a knock at the door. I started to make my way to the door, but Father Margolis insisted he would get it and I should carry on with today's lesson which I did."
"Then, what happened after that?" Jarrod asked.
"I continued on with the lesson, figuring Father Margolis was either talking with somebody, doing a confessional, or anything of the sort. A few minutes passed and he didn't return. I didn't think anything of it, but after a while, I started to grow concerned. So much so that I planned on ending Sunday school earlier than usual. To keep things on a positive note, I told the children that we would go outside to the playground and look at nature. Just as the children were getting lined up, I heard a gunshot. That's when I-I knew something was truly wrong, because a church is supposed to be a sacred safe place. You know, provide sanctuary and in a sanctuary safe sacred place, one is supposed to feel...well, safe. Hearing the gunshot, I knew all of that went out the door and the safe sacred place was no longer safe. I instructed the children to stay put while I went to see what was the matter." Audra took a few deep breaths and had fresh tears streaming down her face, "Much to my horror, not only did I see that the stained glass window and all of the other windows were broken, rocks were everywhere, the baptismal father had built was knocked over, bibles were desecrated, the organ covered in smashed tomatoes, vials of holy water broken, and the cross mother had donated hung upside down, but I saw Father Margolis on the ground with blood around him and his hand on his stomach. I knew he had been...he had been...he had been...shot!"
Jarrod, disgusted by such horrible actions and at a loss for words, shook his head.
"Such blasphemy!" Simonetta spoke up, "And that puts it lightly."
"Ungodly and sacrilegious more like it!" Carmine Jr also spoke up.
"What else happened, Audra?" Carmine asked.
"Well, I-Mr. Mangano!" Audra gasped when she looked up and locked eyes with the Mangano patriarch, "Mr. Mangano, I am so sorry! I am so sorry! I didn't mean for this to happen to your grandchildren! I didn't honest! I-I-"
"Take it easy, young lady. Take it easy and-" Carmine was cut off.
"No, no! It's all my fault! Blame me! If anybody is to blame, it is me!" Audra said in between sobs.
"Audra-" Carmine was cut off, again.
"Mr. Mangano, I know how much you disapprove of Nick and Stefania's slow growing relationship & how much you hate Nick, but please, please, do not blame him for this! Please!" Audra pleaded.
"Audra, what all happened after you discovered Father Margolis shot and part of the church ransacked? What happened to Cara and Mariah? Did you see who did all of it?" Jarrod spoke up.
"After I saw Father Margolis shot & bleeding out and part of the church completely desecrated, I went to go get something to put pressure on the wound, but that came to a halt when I felt a hand pulling my hair and heard a voice say: "I don't think so.". I asked who was behind me and for an answer, I got tossed against the wall very hard. As I looked up, I saw a masked man standing over me, laughing maniacally & holding me at gunpoint while other masked men were walking up and down both the hallway & the church grounds." Audra sniffed, again and cringed as her mind slipped back into that moment.
*Flashback to that horrifying moment*
Part of the church had been completely ransacked, Father Margolis had been shot, and now, Audra was at the mercy not to mention at the end of a gun barrel of a masked man who was standing over her and laughing maniacally while other masked men were seen walking up and down the hallway & basically, the church grounds. It was obvious they were there for something or someone, but who? What? Why?
"Why are you here?" Audra asked.
The masked man responded by backhanding her very hard in the face. So hard that her nose started to bleed.
"Mmmmm!" Audra groaned.
"You'll speak when you're spoken to, girl!" the masked man barked.
"What gives the right to just come in, ransack the church, and shoot Father Margolis?!" Audra wiped the blood away and got a look of defiance in her eyes.
The masked man punched her in the face before picking her up via pulling her by the hair and throwing her into a nearby statue of the Virgin Mary. Seeing it was about to fall and break, Audra acted quick and caught it just in time, preventing it from going into a million pieces the same way Nick caught the plant after getting into a pushing match with a servant the night he visited the home of Michelle De Lacaise during that ghastly forest fire.
"Miss Audra?" a child was heard calling out.
"Oh, there are children here?" the masked man asked.
"Yes, there are children here and you will leave them be." Audra stood up and put the statue of the Virgin Mary back in its spot.
The masked man backhanded her in the face, yet again.
"Miss Audra?" the same child was heard, only this time much closer.
"Signora Audra?" another child was heard.
"Caleb, Mariah, go back! Go back!" Audra instructed.
"Mariah, what's happening? Does Signora Audra need help?" a third child came onto the scene.
"Cara, Caleb, and Mariah, please go to the playground." Audra urgently told them.
"Three kids. Just perfect for the boss!" the masked man chortled before going to a door and peaking out, "Oh, boys!"
"No, don't!" Audra tried to run to the door only to be stopped.
"You're not going anywhere!" the masked man grabbed her by her shirt, tearing it.
"You let me go!" Audra fought against the guy.
"Ooh! I love a feisty gal!" the masked man taunted as ripped another part of her shirt.
"I won't let you harm those children or further desecrate this church!" Audra slapped him with both of her hands.
"Go ahead, girlie! Hit me harder! I just love me a woman who gets all aggressive!" the masked man picked her up off her feet.
"Let me go! Let me go! I won't (slap!) let you (slap, slap, slap!) harm those children (slap, slap, slap, slap!) and further desecrate this (slap!) church!" Audra continued to fight against the masked man before grabbing his mask.
"Hey, let go of my mask! Let go!" the masked man raised his voice.
"Never!" Audra grabbed onto the mask tighter than before and a tearing sound could be heard.
"If you rip this mask, you'll regret the day you came into this world!" the masked man was getting angrier.
"I don't care! You're not going to hurt...those...children or further...desecrate...the church!" Audra managed to rip a small hole in the mask. Hooray or Uh Oh!
"I feel somewhat of a draft in this mask! Why you little puke! You foolish little puke!" the masked man, now infuriated, violently threw Audra into a few church pews, causing her to land face first.
"Miss Audra!" Caleb along with Cara and Mariah rushed over to her aid.
Just then, two more masked men grabbed Cara and Mariah.
"Signora Audra! Help!" Cara and Mariah were heard screaming.
"No! Let them go!" Audra looked up to see Cara and Mariah struggling against the grip of the other two masked men.
"Leave them alone!" Caleb yelled before grabbing a candle and throwing it at one of the masked men.
"Hey! Somebody get this boy!" shouted one of the masked men.
"Run, Caleb, run!" Mariah said.
"But, I can't leave-" Caleb was cut off.
"Just go!" Mariah told him.
Caleb gave Mariah and Cara one final look before running for the hills.
"Somebody get after that little Colt while we take these two little Heifers back to the boss." said the masked man who was holding a wriggling Cara, "Oh now, don't fight, little one. We're your friends!"
Cara ignored him and continued to fight against the man. Mariah did the same with her captor.
"Hey, these youngsters are bucking like a couple of Broncos that just can't be broken!" the third masked man said.
"Not mine! Mine is squirming like a Fish!" said the second masked man.
"Well, take them out to the wagon and tie them good!" the first masked man told them.
The other masked men nodded and started to shove Cara and Mariah out a door.
"No, don't!" Audra started to stand up and run towards the door only to be stopped, yet again.
"Now, where are you in a hurry to?" the first masked man grabbed her by her hair.
"Don't take the girls, please! They're just little girls!" Audra raised her voice.
"They're just little girls!" the first masked man mocked her before twisting her arms behind her back, "They're also good labor!"
"And the boss needs good labor." the third masked man added.
"No! No! No!" Audra struggled against the first masked man harder than before.
Cara and Mariah continued their fight against the men who were trying to shove them out the door, but the men were quickly overpowering the little girls.
"Let them go! For heaven's sake, let them go!" Audra pleaded.
"Sorry." the second masked man said before leaving with Cara.
"Let us, signore! Please! Our mama and papa will be coming soon and we want to go home!" Mariah pleaded.
"You and that other little one will never see your family again!" the third masked man barked before making his way out the door with Mariah in his arms.
"No! No! No! Take me instead! Please...take me...instead! Take me! Take me!" Audra yelled.
"Shut up, blondie!" the first masked man growled before he started an extremely vicious attack on Audra that consisted of merciless beating and kicks to match.
*Back to the present day*
"The attack just went on and on and on. I felt as though it wouldn't stop. Finally, it did stop, because everything went black and the next thing I remember is finding the church completely destroyed inside, Simonetta looking for her daughters, Carmine Jr tending to Father Margolis, and Francesca tending to me." Audra shuddered as more fresh tears poured down her face, "I'm such a failure!"
"Audra, nobody's a failure. Nobody expected such a violent near massacre to happen nor could anyone prevent it." Jarrod tried to sooth his sister, "Unfortunately, it is a way of life for vile awful people. People who are a disgrace to the human race."
"Audra, neither you nor the padre could overpower those cowards even if you tried and you did your darndest to try, but sadly, evil won." Simonetta added before wiping away tears, "And took my little girls! Vincent is gonna blame me for this!"
"Simonetta, I'll go with you and reason with Vincent. I'll tell him to put all the fault on me. In fact, right now, let's go!" Audra insisted.
"Whoa, whoa, easy, young lady. I wouldn't be doing too much moving around after the beating you took and the only people who are to blame are those masked cowards. That being said, I'll inform Sheriff Madden and have him form a posse. These masked cowards could be anywhere." Jarrod told her.
"But, But-" Audra was cut off.
"Audra, Simonetta, Vincent will not put blame on either of you and neither will the rest of my family or me, myself, and I. In fact, I won't blame Nick as I usually would." Carmine spoke up.
"Carmine, did I hear you correctly?" Jarrod was surprised.
*Meanwhile, at Barkley Ranch*
"Nick, non ti lascerò fare tutto questo da solo. Usciamo insieme! (Nick, I won't let you do this alone. We're going outside together!)" Stefania grabbed Nick's arm.
"No, Stefania. Devi stare indietro. (No, Stefania. You need to stay back.)" Nick put his hand on the doorknob.
"Nick, se ti fai male o vieni ucciso, non me lo perdonerò mai! (Nick, if you get hurt or killed, I'll never forgive myself!)" Stefania tightened her grip on Nick's arm.
Nick ignored her, opened the door, and slowly made his way out.
"Nick..." Stefania whispered.
"Shhhh." Nick shushed her before getting a little more outside, looking around, and gasping.
"What is it?" Stefania reverted back to English and whispered the question.
"It's Heath." Nick also reverted back to English and whispered back before going over to his unconscious brother and kneeling down beside him, "Heath!"
No answer.
"He-Oh, Heath!" Nick got a worried look when he spotted blood in Heath's hair which indicated that he had been struck in the back of the head.
Before anything else could happen, the noise was heard once again, this time louder and closer. This drew Nick's attention to the barn.
"Nick?" Stefania whispered, again.
"Get Heath inside then close the door." Nick whispered back as he stood up and drew his gun.
Stefania came outside, picked Heath up by his waist, and pulled him away from where he was laying.
"Tell Silas to get Dr. Merar once you get him inside." Nick whispered once more.
"Okay, but what about you?" Stefania whispered for a third time as she managed to get Heath into the house.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I'm tough." Nick whispered back before making his way to the barn.
The noise became louder inside the barn and just as soon as Stefania shut the door, Nick limped into the barn. Upon looking around with what light he had coming from the outside, Nick spotted a dark figure right in the far corner.
"Aha! There you are!" Nick ran over to the figure and pounced on them.
To Be Continued...
Jarrod: Carmine, did I or did I not hear you say what you said?
Paulie: We all-
Eugene: Shhhh! Don't spoil it!
Francesca: Yeah, wait for the next chapter.
Victoria: Heath! Heath, what's happened to you?
Nick: I got you right where I want you!
Jarrod: Huh?
Silas: Is Mr. Nick alright? What's happened to Mr. Heath?
Stefania: R&R, everybody. R&R!