Family Inheritance (29 page)

“He's sick, Mom,” Sarah had said. So their social worker had set up an appointment
with an attorney and they had started the ball rolling. And everything had been okay.
Until today.

“Mom, we saw Dad.” Sam smiled, but then he looked at Sarah and his smile disappeared.
“He scared Sarah and made her cry.”

“You saw your dad?” Panic gripped Alice's throat. “Where? How did he know where you
were?”

“He was on the corner by Sam's school when I walked to pick him up.”

“But how did he know?” Alice's panic was growing into fear. Jake hadn't contacted
them or bothered them since they had been in Minneapolis. They were safe. He couldn't
find them. That was why she had felt safe enough to press charges. It had never occurred
to her that he hadn't tried to find them before now.

“What did he do?” Alice was trying to keep the fear and panic out of her voice. “Did
he try to hurt you?”

Sarah's eyes were huge moons in her pale face. Sam was oblivious to the trauma encircling
him. “He didn't do nothing, Mom. He gave me some money—five dollars!” Sam's freckled
face beamed with amazement.

Alice drew him to her and stroked his cheek. “That's a lot of money, Sam.”
How do
I explain to you that your father didn't give you that money to be good to you or
to make you happy? How do I tell you that your father is a bastard?

As these thoughts ran through Alice's mind, she kept her eyes on Sarah, who was standing
very still. The color had still not returned to her face.

“Sam, have you got homework?” Alice's attention turned to her young son and how to
get him out of the room so she could talk with Sarah.

“Yeah.” Disappointment filled his face. “Do I have to do it now? I wanna call Jimmy
and tell him about my five dollars.”

Alice didn't have the strength to enforce the homework rule right now. “Okay, Sam,
call Jimmy, but don't talk too long. Then get right to your homework, okay?”

“Sure, Mom.” He grinned as he walked away.

Alice gently placed her hands on Sarah's shoulders. “What did he say, Sarah? What
did your dad say that's got you so scared?”

“He's gonna hurt us, Mom,” Sarah whispered.

“I won't let him do that.” Alice stepped close to her daughter, determination flaring
in her eyes. “I won't.”

Sarah shook her head and her shoulders fell as though the burden of the world rested
on them. Her lips trembled and chills shook her body. “He grabbed my breast, Mom,
and said I wasn't going to get rid of him. He said we'd better drop those charges
and that he could do whatever he wanted with us whenever he wanted.”

Fury mounted in Alice. “The courts will protect us, Sarah. The courts and the law.”

Sarah shook her head. “That isn't true, Mom; they can't. Remember what that policeman
said when he took us to the house?” Sobs of fear escaped her. “We'll never get away
from him. Never.”

Alice put her arms around Sarah as she tried to bring her voice down to a soothing
tone. “I won't let him hurt you ever again. I promise.”

Sarah quickly pulled away. “He said he'd kill you. Do you hear me? He said he'd kill
you if we didn't drop the charges. And he will too. We know him. We can't win, Mom.
He's got us; we can't win!” Sarah turned and ran to her room.

Alice stood helplessly in the middle of her kitchen. She reached into a drawer and
pulled out a huge knife, holding it in her hand as if she was going to plunge it
into someone or something. “I'll kill him before he can hurt us again. I swear I
will.”

“Sarah?” Alice tapped gently on her daughter's bedroom door. Sarah had been in her
room all night. Alice had often listened at the door to make sure she was okay. For
several hours, all Alice had heard was sobbing. She wanted to go to her, but Alice
couldn't—not until she didn't feel so scared. She couldn't let her kids see her fear.
For too long she hadn't taken care of them. She would now take care of them, somehow.
Over the last months, Alice and her sisters had learned they could do something about
their problems. They didn't have to be victims. They didn't have to stay helpless.

Alice's first instinct was to call Helene. She always seemed to have ideas or answers.
But Alice wasn't going to do that this time. And she wasn't going to call the social
worker either. She was going to fix this one herself—somehow.

“Sarah?” she called again.

“What?” a weak, small voice answered.

“I want to come in, okay?” Sarah didn't answer, but she didn't protest as Alice opened
the door and walked toward the bed. The room was lit only from the streetlight shining
in through the window.

The bedspring groaned as Alice sat down beside Sarah. Disgust at her weight and herself
folded over Alice.
I'm fat, but I'm okay.
She grabbed at an affirmation the counselor
had given her to say.
I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay. I can take care of us. I can,
I can, I can.

Alice gently stroked Sarah's face. “I know I haven't done very good in the past at
being a mom. I feel so bad about that.” Her voice was low and soothing. “But I'm
gonna take care of us now, Sarah. I promise.”

“But how?” Sarah's voice was filled with despair.

“I don't know yet. I haven't figured it out, but I will.” Alice had no idea what
she was going to do. Jake had controlled her life for so long. How could she get
him to go away and leave them alone?

“Are we gonna press charges?”

Alice took a deep breath. “I don't know. I just don't know.”

“I'm just so scared, Mom. I don't want him to hurt me no more. Yet I want him to
love me like a daughter. And he doesn't. Today I saw that. He doesn't. It's like
he thinks I belong to him, like I owe him instead of him being responsible for taking
care of me. I need a father, but mine just wants to hurt me.”

Fresh sobs quaked through Sarah as pain swept across Alice's chest. “I know, baby.
I know, and I'm so sorry.” Alice laid her cheek against Sarah's as their tears pooled
together.

When Sarah finally fell asleep, Alice retreated to her own room and crawled into
bed, but sleep wouldn't come. Her mind had been circling. The television had been
playing in the background without her paying any attention to what was on. But she
suddenly tuned in to the movie on TV. A woman with a hat pulled down over her face
was having coffee with a rough-looking man. As Alice became absorbed in the scene,
she realized that the woman was hiring a hit man to kill her rich, abusive husband.
Sirens went off in her head.
That's it!
They could get rid of Jake. She didn't have
to kill Jake; somebody else could! Excitement pulsed through her body before common
sense and reality took over.
No, that won't work. What if I get caught? What would
happen to the kids?
The dumb woman in the movie kept a journal. Dumb! You never put
something in writing you didn't want somebody else to see!

She turned away from the television set, disgusted with herself.
Now you sound like
Jake . . . mean and stupid, and you're not, but . . .
Suddenly a flash of brilliance
flickered through her mind as a smile played on her lips.
He'll never believe it.
Yes, he will. He's sick enough to understand being crazy.

Alice grabbed a sheet of paper from her notebook and started to write out her plan.
It was three in the morning by the time her plan was firmly set in her mind.

She planned to call Jake first thing in the morning, and she tried getting
some sleep
during the few remaining hours of the night, but sleep wouldn't come.

Finally, daylight arrived. Taking a deep breath, Alice reached for the phone and
dialed Jake's number.

Alice expected to be scared when she heard his voice, but she wasn't. He had pushed
her too far.
He's not going to hurt my kids. Not ever again.

“Jake, it's Alice.”

Silence, and then, “What do you want, bitch? Did you get my message?”

“I did, Jake.” Alice's voice was calm and firm. “I'm dropping the charges.”

“Now you've come to your senses.”

“I'm also hiring someone to kill you.”
There, I said it. I can do this.
She had never
taken an acting lesson in her life, but at that moment Alice felt like she deserved
the Academy Award for her performance.

“You what?” Silence. “You crazy bitch. Do you know who you're dealing with? If anybody's
going to kill anyone, it will be me killing your fat ass.”

Alice took a deep breath to keep herself from shaking and keep her voice calm.
Breathe.
Just breathe. You can do this. Don't be his victim any longer.
A wicked grin flashed
over her face as she remembered the scenario she had written out last night. “Oh,
he's not going to kill you right away, Jake.” Alice paused to let the silence work
for her. “But if you ever come near the kids or me again, he'll kill you right away.
He'll be watching you and protecting us. He's a mean man, Jake. You understand mean,
don't you?”
Bravo, Alice! That was really good.

She held her breath for a moment and then her voice sped up. “He's been in prison,
and he told me about things they do in prison to men who rape their daughters. That's
what he said he'd do to you, Jake. He said he'd cut off a certain part of your body
and shove it in your mouth, then he'll slice your body with long deep slits and watch
you bleed to death.”

Jake was breathing very hard and Alice could hear him gulp. “You're crazy. You can't
get away with that. You don't know anybody like that.”

She couldn't press charges and fight Jake through the system. She couldn't protect
any other woman or girls he might hurt, but she could protect her kids. And she was
going to do it her way.

Alice's voice was still calm. “If you don't think I know anyone like that, just come
near the kids or me again.”

Jake was quiet.

Alice was beginning to enjoy having power over Jake. “And, oh, Jake, if anything
happens to me, and I mean anything, you're dead.” Her voice dropped to a low, strong
tone. “So, you'd better hope I live a long, healthy life.”

Alarm was edging into Jake's voice. “You can't do that. I'll kill you. I'll kill
the kids. I'll hurt them, Alice, I will.”

Fear for her children pushed Alice back against the wall, but the fierce need to
protect them was raging within her and shoved her back into the path of her enemy.
“Do that, Jake, and you'll die too. I don't think you're hearing me, Jake.” She slowly
enunciated every word. “You've messed with me and my kids long enough. I'm protecting
us the only way I can—I've hired a killer. You're gonna die, Jake. How soon depends
on how close you come to me or either of my kids.”

“Alice, you're bluffing.”

Alice was silent.

“Alice?”

“If you think I'm bluffing, Jake, then test me.” Slowly Alice placed the phone back
in its cradle. After slipping on her robe, Alice padded down the hall to fix breakfast
for her kids.

Chapter 35

Atlanta, Georgia

Helene was sitting in the breakfast nook planning their Thanksgiving menu when Thomas
came home from school. He had been coming right home after classes and spending more
time with her, the way he used to. The counseling sessions were definitely helping
all of them and life was pleasant.

“What are you doing?” Thomas asked as he grabbed a glass of milk and a cookie, then
pulled out a chair near her.

“Putting together our Thanksgiving menu. Is there anything particular you want besides
turkey, and a lot of it?” Helene always enjoyed putting together the menu for their
Thanksgiving dinner. She and Lily always made the meal together and Bill's parents
joined them each year. His parents now lived in Arizona and didn't travel back to
Georgia much, but Thanksgiving was always an exception.

“Make sure we have lots of pumpkin pie as well, and that pretty much takes care of
it for me.”

Thomas had always loved pumpkin pie. Even as a small child. “Remember when you were
about six and you took one of the pies from the kitchen when Lily and I weren't looking,
and you ate the whole thing in your room? I found you sitting on your bed, pumpkin
pie all over your face, and the empty pie tin in front of you.” They both chuckled
at the memory. “I thought you would be
sick, but when Thanksgiving dinner was ready,
you ate your fill of turkey and all the trimmings, plus another piece of pumpkin
pie.”

“Guess I've always had a good appetite.”

“That you have.”

“Mom?” Thomas said in a serious tone. “Would you tell me about my grandmother? We've
talked a little bit about her in counseling, but I'd like to know more.”