Deadly Hallows [Complete]

Chapter 27: Quick Thinking

Mr. Miller had taken the time to explain how he discovered Sophie was my half sister. He had stalked my mother while trying to get her to admit what she did, and how she killed his wife. He had seen her go to the hospital and then return two days later with a new child. He had even seen Charles and her exchange the child a few months later when he assumed the baby would have been weaned off the mother's milk. I gagged at the thought, but it had unaffected him and he continued on.

When he had given my mom a final chance to come clean she came back to Shady Hallows. He spent a long time tracking her down again. It had taken so long because he didn't want to alert her to his search, so he couldn't have asked my grandmother to tell him straight-out where my mother lived. It took a few years, but he soon found her thanks to a local newspaper article. He didn't elaborate on what the article had been about, but instead on how soon after he followed her here. He had laid low for a while, and then picked up a job at the school. He had watched us grow up, and he was mad because his child didn't even have a chance at life while her children were out experiencing all that the world has to offer.

He thought about giving my mom another chance, but decided she didn't deserve it since she didn't do anything with the previous chances he had given her. Though he couldn't go after her right away at first either. He had seen Sophie be given to Charles, and knew that she had another daughter. Just eliminating the two children from her marriage wasn't enough of a punishment, all of her children would need to be killed for her to suffer the same as he did. So he spent time tracking down Charles and Sophie. It took him a while, and he didn't find them until Sophie made a social media page. It listed her home town of Nantucket, and some of her family members.

Mr. Miller clarified that he had been the one to get Charles moved here for work, and how he had put in an application for him after the previous person in the position mysteriously disappeared. Suddenly it didn't seem so mysterious.

He went on explaining everything to me, even how he had been watching Mason and I grow close. He had hoped that it was the relationship as everyone else thought it was, but he quickly learned that neither Mason nor I had thought Sophie's death was an accident. He had hoped to divert us, and he had heard Mason say he was ready to give up. He had hope that I would too, but he knew he'd still have to get rid of me. At least Mason would live. He'd know I didn't kill myself, and he'd investigate. I just wasn't sure what he would find if Mr. Miller had sent the text message and taken the phone.

Mason may never know what happened and he'd lose someone else close to him; me.

After he finished explaining why I had to die, he had gone into the other room to do something. Probably to get everything ready to inject me with the drugs. As soon as he had left I started to struggle with the restraints again. I knew when Mr. Miller came back I'd be given the same concoction that Sophie had and no matter what I went through the result would all be the same. I'd end up dead just as she had. I needed to get out. I needed to tell someone, anyone who would listen. Everyone had to be warned, and I needed a way to make sure he admitted what he had done to someone else. I wasn't going to let him get away with this, he was going to pay.

With a hard yank on the left wrist restraint I heard it snap. I paused momentarily, hoping Mr. Miller hadn't heard it, but also in shock at actually breaking through. I inspected the strap that had snapped against my struggling. There were a few stray cuts as if the knife had slipped and he had cut most of the way through and allowed me to break free. Something fell in the other room that caused me to break out of the trance. I didn't waste anymore time as I fiddled with the buckle on the other strap to release my other hand. Once my injured wrist was released I took a moment to hold it to make sure the gauze stayed on, and prayed the bleeding had stopped.