Shadows of Deceit

Chapter 9: Jacqueline Morris

Carter sat on the ground, his body trembling like a leaf in a strong wind. His breath came out in ragged gasps, his chest heaving with the effort to calm himself, Mary sat next to him trying to calm him down. His eyes were wide with fear, the pupils dilated in shock. A sheen of sweat covered his forehead, and his hands trembled uncontrollably. His body was hunched over, as if trying to protect itself from an unseen threat. His voice was barely a whisper, hoarse from the struggle, as he struggled to articulate what had happened. He felt as if the very air around him was weighted with the malicious intent of his attacker, leaving him feeling vulnerable and defenseless. “YOU!” now it was Mary's turn to attack Joseph.

“I didn't do it! Your nasty brother is the one to blame!” Joseph defend himself. As the situation escalated Scott and Mathew tried to calm Joseph down trying to defuse the fight, he dragged Joseph to another room, Cooper checked on Carter and the girls tried to calm Mary who was still yelling incoherent words.

After a while, Scott walked downstairs along with Mathew and a few policeman who took care of Jacqueline's body. Cooper had his arm around his wife both seemed concerned about their fate, Barbara was sitting on the couch clutching her dress as her unfocused eyes gazed upon the window, Carter and Mary remained seated on the ground, slowly rubbing a reassuring hand on Carter's shoulder as she laid her head on his shoulder. Scott approached Carter with a concerned yet a curious look, Mary scrunched her eyes in annoyance at him “is this really the time?”

“it's fine” Carter said giving Mary a reassuring look. As Scott and Carter stood by the entrance, the palpable tension weighed heavily in the air. "What the hell happened upstairs?" Scott demanded, his brow furrowed with concern.

Carter took a deep breath, his voice strained with a mixture of fear and determination. "Last night, Joseph came to my room," he began, his words tinged with the lingering echo of vulnerability. "He was threatening me, Scott. I knew I had to confront him about his behavior this morning, so I went to his room." Carter's mind wandered back to the haunting moments of discovery, the memories flashing before his eyes like a jarring sequence of images.

As Carter recounted the events, the scene shifted to a disorienting blur of vibrant colors and fragmented recollections. The memory of Joseph's menacing words echoed with chilling clarity, juxtaposed against the chilling sight of Jacqueline's lifeless form huddled on the bed, her once-vibrant spirit now forever stilled. Carter's heart hammered in his chest as he struggled to make sense of the devastating tableau that had unfolded before him, the weight of anguish etched deep within his weary eyes.

Back in the present, the weight of Carter's words hung heavily in the air, each syllable bearing the burden of an unspeakable truth. Scott's gaze softened with empathy as he absorbed the gravity of Carter's account, a solemn acknowledgment of the turbulent storm that had engulfed their once tranquil existence. “he said, he'll hurt anyone who dare stands in his way”

"stand in his way? In the way of what?" Rose asked for clarification as everyone gathered to understand more of the situation.

Carter, shocked at the fact that he held the key to a shocking revelation. "You don't know?" he taunted the others, who were clearly clueless. "Charles owns the house, everything in it, and the will makes that abundantly clear. But if he were to relinquish anything, it all goes straight to Joseph."

"But Charles didn't give anything to Joseph, did he?" Cooper's inquiry hung in the air.

Barbara interjected, her tone conveying a sense of certainty. "He did not. Unless, of course, Charles were to meet an untimely demise..."

Scott, his keen mind piecing together the implications, nodded in solemn understanding. "Everything falls into Joseph's lap if Charles kicks the bucket. Where's this will? I need to see it." His gaze locked onto Barbara, who responded with a nod and swift instructions to lead the way. As the group followed her, she led them to Charles' old and dimly lit study. A heavy curtain was drawn across the only window, allowing only a slight and pathetic slant of balmy sunlight to slip in. Deftly unlocking a small safe. "Here," she declared as she handed Scott a sealed envelope.

Carefully, Scott opened the envelope, his eyes scanning the paper before him as he cleared his throat as he started

"I bequeath all my assets, both liquid and otherwise, in their entirety to Charles Palmer. Furthermore, I leave my entire ownership of 'Blood Like Wine' in its entirety to Charles Palmer.
In the event of Charles' untimely demise, the entirety of my estate shall rightfully pass to his legal brother, Joseph Palmer.”

The revelation sent shockwaves through the room. The implications were clear - Joseph had a strong motive to eliminate Charles. The tension in the air grew as everyone processed this new information, realizing the gravity of the situation. It became evident that they were dealing with a complex web of family dynamics, betrayal, and the desperate desire for power and control.

“No it can't be.” Rose suddenly spoke up almost chocking on her words “Joseph would never hurt Charles, he's an asshole but he wouldn't”

“maybe he's a coward” Cooper added “But apparently he's brave enough to go beyond bullying his own brother.”

“I think we need to consider all possibilities here,” Scott said, his voice filled with a mix of concern and determination. “The evidence is pointing towards Joseph as a strong suspect, and we can't ignore it.”

“how is this related to Jacqueline anyway?” Rose asked “are we even safe here?”

“No”Carter immediately replied “might I remind you that he tried to kill me a few minutes ago, right infront of your eyes?” Carter replied still feeling Joseph's hand around his neck as if he was still chocking the life out of him.

Scott stood up, his voice filled with concern. "I can arrest him for now if it makes you feel safer, but the evidence isn't strong enough to assume that Joseph killed Charles and Jacqueline. We need to gather more information and investigate further before making any conclusions." The room fell silent as the weight of the situation hung in the air, everyone realizing that they were dealing with a complex and dangerous mystery that needed to be unraveled.

“we can't take the risk” Carter worriedly added “if he killed Jacqueline and Charles, we can't ignore that he tried to do the same with me”

At that moment, a sense of finality hung in the air. Scott, unwavering, descended the staircase and promptly informed his fellow officers from the police department about the unfolding situation.

As Joseph was escorted out of the mansion, there was a palpable shift in his demeanor. No longer the defiant figure he had once been, his eyes now bore a tumultuous mix of simmering resentment and intense loathing towards his family. Scott had a feeling that this was not over but instead, the real mystery has just began.