Page 88 of A Haunting at Keystone Manor

“Keep his name out of your fucking mouth!” I yell. “I am not going to allow you to come into my home and tell me the abuse I suffered at his hands didn’t happen, or that it didn’t matter, or that it was to teach me a lesson. I don’t want to hear it.”

She scoffs. “Your father did say you were dramatic these days. Andrei didn’t abuse you, honey.”

“He used to beat me with a belt until I couldn’t walk. What do you call that?”

“Discipline, which you were sorely lacking. I know that’s my fault.”

“And when he held me down on my bed and raped me while I begged him to stop? What was that?”

She pales at that. “What are you talking about?”

I run a hand through my hair, about to have a nervous breakdown, when Brandon walks in.

“Hey Jake, sorry I’m late, I had a thing—” Brandon stops in his tracks when he sees my mother, taking in the expression on my face. “Is everything okay?” he asks cautiously.

“No, it’s not. Can you please escort her out? She’s not welcome here.”

He nods and turns to my mother. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave the property, ma’am,” he says and motions her towards the door.

“Please, Jacob, I have nothing left. If you don’t help me, I’ll tell the police that you killed my husband,” she threatens.

“Go ahead, tell them. They can dig up this whole property again; they’ll never find any evidence he was ever here. You want to know what’s truly ironic, mom? He brought himself down. Kayla actually did kill Andrei. If your husband hadn’t tried so hard to frame her for killing me by using his police connections to tamper with evidence, she’d probably still be in jail right now, and you wouldn’t be in hot water with the authorities. She got a plea deal and told them everything. Turns out there’s at least one detective on the force that wasn’t in his pocket who decided to listen to what Kayla had to say and investigate. You both made your bed, you can lay in it. Now please leave.”

“You will regret this, Jacob.”

“No, I won’t.”

She gives me one last glare before turning on her heel and walking out the door, hopefully for good. Tears form in my eyes, but I keep them from falling. I have a new mom and dad; I don’t have any use for the old ones.

“You okay, man?” Brandon asks.

“Yeah, I think I’m good,” I tell him honestly, and smile.

I can finally close this chapter of my life and look forward to the next. Things are good. He gives me a pat on the back before heading to his desk. Back to work. I head outside to my vegetable garden and sit in the grass, letting the soil rejuvenate me. This is the closest I can get to feeling alive again. I lean my head back and let my mind clear.

“Meow!” The sound of a cat startles me out of my meditation. I look around and see it. A tiny, black kitten has made its way into the far side of my garden and is scratching in the dirt.

“No! Bad kitty, that’s not a litter box!” I tell it.

I walk over to the kitten and lean down, slowly placing a hand down by its nose so it can scent me. The kitten pays no attention, so I scoop it up and cradle it in the crook my elbow, like a baby.

“You’re a boy kitty, I see. Where did you come from?” Seeing cats around here is not typical. The cat doesn’t answer, just lays in my arm purring.

“Alex is going to love you,” I tell him. “You can help me keep pests out of my garden.” Judging by the size of his paws, he’s going to be a big cat when he grows up. I walk back to the house to show Alex the newest member of our family.

***

“Oh my god! That’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen! He just appeared in the garden?” Alex asks, and I nod. He scratches the kitten on the head. “You were meant to be ours I guess. Can we name him Shadow? Is that too on the nose?”

I shrug and look down at the kitten snoozing in my arms. “What do you think, little guy? Is that a good name? What about Hunter? I’m going to teach him how to guard my vegetables. Someone has to handle security around here.”

“Hunter. I love it. Welcome to the family, Hunter,” Alex says with a look of glee still on his face.

Chapter forty-four

Preparations

Alex