Esther and Mercy

Part 19

The officers that came to the Coleman house don't believe what Kate tells them. They can't get the body out of the pond until it thaws out. (Hopefully the fish don't get to it when they wake up from hibernation.) and neither of them understand sign language. 

Furthermore, Mrs. Coleman has a record of her recently worsening mental health. It's a much more likely scenario is that she killed her husband and daughter. Then she came up with a ridiculous story about her adoptive daughters being serial killer con artists.

One officer looks for the other daughter, who's unaccounted for at the moment. He hears light sobs coming from one room. He slowly opens the door to reveal a little blonde girl standing in front of the window. She hears him come in and turns as if to run. She looks like a deer caught in headlights. "It's ok Sweetie. I'm not gonna hurt you. I just need to ask you some questions. Is that ok?"

She nods and sits on her bed. "Can you tell me what happened, Mercy?" 

"We got home from the hospital and Daddy sent us upstairs. I wasn't ready to go to sleep, so I read." The officer notes  the copy of "Caddie Woodlawn" on the nightstand. "Esther was worried about Daddy, so she went downstairs to see if he was ok. Then she came back crying."

"Why was she crying?"

"She didn't say much. Just that Daddy was mad at her. I think it was because he told us to leave him alone. After she calmed down, she went to apologize. She didn't come back." 

"Mm-hmm."

"I heard screaming, but I was too scared to see what was going on. Then I heard yelling outside. Mommy was back. But she was still sick."

"How was she sick." 

"She was trying to hurt Esther." Mercy wipes away a tear. "Esther tried to get away, but Mommy pushed her onto the ice. It broke and she fell in." She broke into sobs and grabbed a stuffed snow leopard, hugging it like it was a life line. 

The officer decides that was enough questions for now. "Pack a bag ok? A few outfits, toothbrush, maybe a few toys."

"Where are we going?" 

"Your grandmother's for now."

"Ok. Just give me a few minutes to change." 

By that spring, Viktoria had been sent to another orphanage. Yep, she got away with everything by the time the authorities were able to get her sister's body out of the pond, the body was waterlogged and deformed. So there was no real way to prove Kate's claims. 

Kate was arrested and Barbara took the two other kids. She claimed it's because she couldn't handle all three since Danny has brain damage now and needs to be taken to appointments for rehab. And St. Mariana's was out of the question because "Mercy" said it brought back too many memories. So she is now living at the  Penmark Home For Girls. "Mercy! There's someone here to see you." Someone was interested in adopting her. 

The couple watched as a little blonde girl descends down the stairs. She wears the standard uniform of a black jumper and white blouse. She also wears white gloves and a black ribbon with a diamond locket. She gives a shy smile. 

Inside though, Viktoria is already planning how she'll take her new mother's place. Leena's death has given her even stronger motivation to get what she wants. Maybe her preferred methods of subtle manipulation would work.