Chapter 5

"Roni! I'm so happy that you're back home!"

"Do I have a choice? I live here, after all." I complain, walking past Nancy, who, as always, is standing at the door.

"Roni, I'm really sorry. Please, I can't stand you being mad at me. I'll do whatever you want, just talk to me!" Nancy begs me but all I can think about is how relieved I am now that I step on the ground after I take off my heels. Stupid stilettos.

"Nancy, leave me in peace, it was a long day." I sigh and crawl half-limping upstairs and to the bathroom.

"Come on, Roni! Please!" Not wanting to hear my prayers to be alone, Nancy drags herself after me.

"Nancy, I beg you. Leave me alone." I take off my clothes and fill the bathtub. Hot bath, here I come.

                             *** 

"Oof, this is more like it." I talk to myself, fully relaxed but regretting that I didn't bring a glass of wine.

"Roni, you better be clothed." Nancy opens the bathroom door and peeks through.

"In what language I must tell you that I need silence for you to understand me?" I sink deeper into the tub. Talk about privacy.

"I bring you wine." She takes her hands from behind her back and shows me two glasses and a bottle of Cabernet.

"Ugh, fine. Come." 

Nancy walks next to the tub and sits on the closed toilet seat. 

"Roni, I'm deeply sorry for what I did. If there's something I can do to compensate for the problems I might have caused, just say and I'll do it." She finishes by pouring wine into the glasses.

I lift my right leg and point to her with my foot, a devious smile on my face.

"What?" She tilts her head.

"Foot massage. Give me one and we're even." 

"Oh, come on! I brought you wine!" She complains and brings me the crystal glass, then sits back in her seat.

"No foot massage, no compensation." I keep twiddling my ankles in the air.

"Ugh, fine." Nancy leaves her glass of wine and kneels next to the bathtub.

"Oh, yes. This feels amazing!"

"Shut up or the neighbours will think we're having sex!" 

Nancy is gifted with miraculous hands and I can't see why she refuses to become a massager. She knows every spot on the body which when pressed releases the pressure. Sore muscles? She's the person. Headache? Not a problem. Back pains? You already guessed it!

"Now the other one." I slip my right foot from her hands and instead shove my left one.

"Veronika, I see your... kitty." Nancy notes and looks me in the eyes. For a moment she remains quiet, then we both laugh!

"As if you have never seen one." I roll my eyes. "Okay, that's enough massage."

"Does it mean we're friends again?" She gets up and squeaks.

"No." I shortly cut and watch her face move through all kinds of emotions. From concussion to sadness, then anger and back to confusion.

"But you said--" She protests.

"We're not friends, Nancy. We're sisters." I finally admit and sigh relaxed, as if a ton of weight was taken off my shoulders. It was so hard to ignore her. 

A frighteningly wide grin appears on Nancy's face. A moment later she throws herself at me, hugging me.

"Jesus, Nancy. I'm wet and soapy."

"Oi, move away. Make some room for me."

"We're not THAT close." I stop her from taking off her clothes and joining my bath. 

"Ugh, buzz killer as always." She rolls her eyes, then we both laugh. "Come on, I can feel how tense you are. What's going on? Troubles at work?"

I sink deeper into the tub, if it was possible, I would've just disappeared in the warm bubbly waters. Remembering today's events, my furrowed brows form a deep and painful wrinkle between which I rub with two fingers.

"That bad?" Nancy tilts her head and looks at me with empathetic wet eyes.

"Yeah. It's just--" I sigh. "It's useless. I don't even know how am I supposed to make this douchebag work with me." 

I fastly blabber everything out, filling Nancy in with the recent events. For a moment the thoughtful, 'I-am-about-to-come-up-with-a-genius-idea' look appears on her face, looking somewhere far in the nothing. 

"So, they are a father and son, huh?" She puts her index finger on her full lips.

"Mhm." I only nod.

"Theeen..." A devious smile forms on her lips and she wiggles her thin brows. I know this look and I don't like it. "Why don't you blackmail him? Obviously, he doesn't want his relation to the Police Chief to be known. Use it to your advantage. Threaten him!"

"Oh, no. I can't do that, Nancy." I shake my head in denial.

"But why? So far he was nothing but a major ass, give him a taste of his own medicine!" Nancy stomps with her foot, her voice squeaking and her gesticulating with hands results in some spilt wine.

"I can't do that. There must be a reason for him to want this to be a secret and I will respect that. He might be an ass, but I don't want to fall to his level."

"What if he keeps it a secret because he has some shady past? What if he was in rehab?! Or he committed some serious crime and his father pulled some strings to save him?!" Nancy keeps insisting while rubbing the white carpet in a doomed attempt to get the red liquid out.

"I don't know, Nancy. But whatever it is, he wants to stay a secret so I won't dig it."

"Ugh, you're too good for this world. And this stupid wine doesn't want to come out!"

"Well, what did you expect? Red wine on the white carpet--" Something like an idea comes to my mind, interrupting my speaking. Officer Smith said that whatever happened to Christopher's mother was a horrible accident, marking the whole community. Meaning, there might be something on the internet or the local newspaper about it! I can dig for some information, hopefully helping me to understand Mr. Cold Ass better!

I fastly unplug the tub and rinse my body with clean water, then jump out of the bath and wrap myself in a towel. Everything happens in the span of a minute and I almost trip over Nancy, knocking myself out.

"Jesus, Veronika! What got over you?!"

"I'll tell you later!" I shout at her, already outside of the bathroom and running to my room. So there might be some light at the end of the tunnel, after all.

                          ***

Well, there's no light at the end and the tunnel is as dark as a hellhole. Except for traumatising my own self, I didn't get any result. Oh, and I started actually sympathising with Christopher. In fact, I feel sorry for him, no wonder he just flipped out when I mentioned his mother.

"Midnight horror. Mother of two charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder." Reads the title of an article I managed to dig out after one long and exhausting research. 

"This is horrible." Nancy clicks with her tongue in a denial. "This is so, so awful. It makes me sick."

"Mhm." I keep reading, eyes widened in pure shock.

"Agatha Montgomery is facing fast trial after she was caught trying to run away with this inhuman act of violence against her own kids. The mother was put behind the bars by her own husband and a stepfather of her kids after he came back home earlier that horrendous night and caught the momster red-handed while trying to drown the older son in the bathtub. Sadly, the man was late, as the lifeless body of his stepdaughter was lying on the floor.

'I have no regrets. These kids were devils.' With these blood-freezing words, Agatha faces our reporter on her way to the court. 

Our team offers our deepest condolences to the mourning family."

"Nancy... Go change into something comfortable." I manage to sigh after a few minutes of silence.

"Huh? Why?!"

"We'll have a little trip to the state's prison."

"But it's 7 PM already!"

"I'm going anyway. You have 10 minutes to get ready."

                        ***

"Remind me again, why are we going?" Nancy mutes the sound of the radio and asks, getting me out of my silence.

"I need to talk to this woman. I need to know who is capable of murdering their own kids. I need to know what's going on inside her head. Perhaps, it may help me with my university paper." 

"You're doing this for your paper or to find a way for Mr. Hotpants to warm up to you?" I see Nancy from the corner of my eye, watching me teasingly and playfully wiggling her shoulders. I expect her to start singing "Roni and Chris sit on a tree" any moment now.

"I'm doing this for my paper." I shortly cut, but my burning cheeks say otherwise. Maybe I'm doing it so I can find a way to talk to him as well. I just don't fancy the idea of bickering with him for a whole year.

"Ookay, but I know you're lying. And anyways, I checked the maps and you're driving to the opposite of the prison. If you plan to murder me in the forests, you better tell me so I can get myself prepared."

"I'm not going to murder you." I roll my eyes at her pretended humour. "It's just that Christopher's mother was transferred to the mental health hospital three years ago after attacking her inmate and luckily for us, it's closer than the prison." 

"Well, we'll arrive late anyway, why do you think they'll let us visit the woman?"

"Because I'm a police investigator." 

"No, you're not yet." Nancy scoffs. "I swear, if you dragging me out of home was for nothing, I won't speak to you for a month." 

"Should that be a threat or a reward? You don't stop blabbering, a month in peace sounds more like a long-awaited vacation." 

"Ugh, you're the worst." Nancy crosses her arms on her chest and pretends to be mad.

                         ***

"Aaand this must be it." I note, pulling over in front of the big iron portal, the place giving more 60's horror asylum vibes than a nowadays mental health institution.

"Good evening, what may be bringing you here?" A quite tall man suddenly stands on my left side, leaning on the car and peeking inside through the rolled down window.

"Hello, I am Junior Inspector Hughes and this is my friend, Miss Cooper. I was sent here as a part of an investigation that I am working on. May we come in?" I flutter with lashes and smile at the man, hoping for him to not ask for my documents.

"I will call the director, you can go." He sighs.

I start the engine and drive further to the actual building and Nancy faces me with a "what the heck" look.

"I can't believe he just let us in." She cocks an eyebrow.

"Why wouldn't he?" 

"Um helloooo? It's almost 9 PM and you just lied about your job position."

"I didn't lie! I do have a badge! Only it says I'm a trainee." I mumble the last sentence and park the car in front of the building.

Tall trees surround the place and the air carries the smell of freshly cut grass. An owl can be heard somewhere in the distance, squeaking in perfect sync, not missing a whistle. Never too early, never too late.

"Roni, this place gives me some chill vibes." Nancy complains, shifting closer to me and catching a grip of my arm.

"Come on, Nancy. It's just another hospital." I try to reassure her, but I won't lie I'm getting a little creeped out myself.

"It looks like it'll rain." She keeps complaining, deep inhaling the fresh air and pointing to the quick shaking of the trees. 

"It looks like it." I agree.

"Good evening... ladies? How can I help?" The situation becomes scarier and scarier as an older man in a doctor's uniform opens the door. 

He's tall but a little stooped, his face is sucked out, his cheekbones popping up. I can dare to say he's even skinny. His tired hazel eyes stare at us in surprise and a minute later half a smirk forms on his lips. It is indeed creepy.

"Roni, there's still time to go. In fact, let's go." Nancy whispers in my ear and tries to pull me away.

"Hello, sir. I am Junior Inspector Hughes and this is Miss Cooper. We were sent here as a part of an investigation I am working on and I would want to speak with one of your patients." I hastily blurt out the few lines I kept repeating in my head on our way here.

"Hmmm." The man stands in a questioning pose with half-crossed arms, one holding his propped up chin. "May you show your badge?" 

"Sure." I nod and start digging into my bag, "accidentally" giving a glimpse of the gun I am carrying with me, then I finally find my purse and quickly show my documents. Luckily for us, the man probably has a bad sight as he narrows his eyes, trying to see better my badge, then he sighs and opens the entrance door wide for us.

"Please, come in." He gestures with a hand.

Stepping inside feels like walking through the door to Narnia, you're taken to a whole different place, a place that seems out of the picture. It feel like time-traveling, except it's much much worse than Narnia and you're brought back to Medieval times. A nauseous smell fills my nostrils and makes my stomach turn in a knot. The place itself is dark, a few yellow lamps hung on the walls but are clearly not enough to lighten up the big place.

"We're here to talk to Agatha Montgomery from Waterfall Bridge." I shortly announce.

"Oh, this way." The man walks in front of us, holding his hands locked on his back. "May I know why, though? And why are you here so late? Two young girls should not wander around such places at night." 

"Roni, let's get out of here. Please." Nancy begs me whispering and I hear the fear in her breaking voice.

"Relax, Nancy." I try to calm her down. I have a gun with me, after all. "Well, sir--"

"Call me Rich or doctor Conwell." The doctor interrupts me.

"Okay, doctor Conwell. The case was opened again as some people believe the woman was unfairly charged. I'm here to talk to her and take some notes, so I can evaluate her mental stability." I blurt out another lie I thought of. Actually, the first one that came to my mind.

"Well, it wouldn't be much fair to do this now too, right?" The man asks and stops in front of one massive metal door. One of the many in this endless corridor.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Well, Miss Montgomery is here for over three years now and it's scientifically proven that the surroundings inflict on the personality, being it improvement or degradation. Agatha was surrounded by violent people for nearly 12 years and it shaped her into a violent person herself. Now she's here she has calmed down, even closed herself but--"

"So what? She killed her own daughter and nearly did so with her son! How did staying in the prison turned her into a violent person?!" I ask, almost shouting. I'm angry at what this man is saying. He's basically suggesting to release criminals because otherwise, they become violent! 

"Miss Hughes, due all respect, let's remain the polite tone. Behind this door is Agatha Montgomery. I can not let you in and your coming here would've been meaningless."

"And I can send you a ton of inspections. The living conditions here do not correspond to the lawful requirements. It's cold, humid, dark and smells like mould." I threaten him back and as an answer, I get only a loud sigh and the clicking of the unlocking door. "Thanks." I snap and step inside.

"Jesus fucking Christ." Nancy steals the words out of my mouth.

Before us, on a dirty bed is sitting a... human thing. What is left from what is supposed to be Agatha Montgomery is a skin skeleton. She is combing what's left of her hairs with fingers, tearing the damaged hairs. Two eyes narrow as she faces us when I turn on the light. The completely white room looks messy and dirty, there's one small window with metal bars on it and under it lies a worn-out small drawer with some scratches on it. 

"Agatha, dear. These two women are here to talk to you." Doctor Conwell speaks behind me and the woman's face curve into a horrible, petrifying smile.

"Come in, come in, come in..." She starts repeating while swinging on the bed.

"Veronika, please, don't!" Nancy orders behind me as I warningly step closer to the woman.

"Hello, Miss Montgomery, I am--"

"You are so beautiful." The woman sighs and reaches with her shaking hand to my face. "So beautiful, so beautiful, so beautiful..." She repeats.

I can't shake off the awful feeling I have in my gut. It tells me to sprint the hell out of here. To burn the car's wheels in flying the fuck out of this place. This turns more and more into one of those horror movies in which the main character dies. And sadly, I'm the main character.

"Miss Montgomery, I need to talk to you about what you did 15 years ago. Do you remember why you are here?" I ask and keep my fingers crossed that she didn't completely lose her sanity.

"So beautiful, so beautiful, so beautiful..." She keeps frantically repeating.

"Agatha, do you remember your kids? You had a son and a daughter, do you remember?"

"Cin-dy..?" The woman stutters and stops the swinging.

"Yes, Cindy and Christopher, do you remember them?" I watch her facial expression change into something far scarier than the smile she showed a few minutes ago. Now she smiles again, but a flame starts dancing in her eyes. Her face shifts to something sinister. It's an expression showing zero regrets, even pleasure. It's blood-freezing.

"Cindy, Cindy, Cindy..." She goes back to the repeating and swinging, getting a tighter grip on the bed's mattress. Her repeating sounding more like a ritual of summoning demons.

"Yes, Cindy. Do you remember her? You drowned her in the bathtub."

Suddenly the woman freezes. Yes, she freezes. She doesn't even breathe or blink. She is completely still. It's like the time stopped for her.

"He told me so. He, he, he..." 

"Who?" 

"He, he, he..." She points to the small window and keeps the hysterical repeating.

"Who?! Tell his name!" I order.

"God. He told me they're devils. Devils, devils, devils..." 

"This is useless, Roni. Come on." Nancy begs me to leave once more and I sigh. It surely is pointless. The woman is just insane.

"They are devils. The water was blessed by God!" Agatha catches my wrist and holds it tight as I was just getting up from the bed. "Devils!" She screams, tightening the grip.

"Agatha, no!" The doctor runs to us and catches Agatha's hand. "Let-off." He orders, loud and clear and she lets off my wrist.

"Jesus." I rub the irritated skin below my palm. 

"Did you get your answers?" The doctor looks at me with a half-disappointed look on his face.

"I think so." I shortly answer and push Nancy outside the room. "Let's go."