Becky's Doll

Chapter 15

"WHAT!" I EXCLAIMED, in shock. Ezra looked equally surprised but recovered soon enough.

"Elizabeth's alive?" I mumbled before turning my attention to Mr Monner who was watching my expressions with fascination.

"Yes," He answered. I was starting to think I had made a huge mistake. My body felt weak due to the sudden revelation.

"So, where is she? Didn't you say she left?" Ezra enquired.

"I don't know what came over her. But for days, I noticed her strange behaviour but chose to ignore it. I regretted my ignorance, when she got arrested-" He sighed sadly.

"Arrested?" I asked.

"Mmm," Mr Monner nodded. "Yes, arrested. Imagine my shock when the police came here and took away my only child, saying that she had murdered a woman. A woman she had never known in her life before."

"Legal proceedings took place. But there was no better evidence than my own daughter who declared plenty of times that she was the one who killed that woman. She was questioned of why she had killed a stranger woman. The police said she kept on giving unbelievable replies to their questions. Finally, they declared her as a psychopath. She spent a year in a mental asylum before she was sent to prison."

"I don't understand," I said as I rubbed the sides of my forehead in frustration.

"Who was this woman she killed?" Ezra asked, solemnly.

"A lady named, Jill Garner. She was a harmless middle aged housewife. I don't know what came over Elizabeth when she killed that woman," Mr Monner's voice broke and his eyes filled with tears.

"Jill Garner," I repeated. The name did ring a bell somewhere.

It was late in the noon when we finally stepped out of the cabinet. The sky had already acquired an orange red hue and the thrashing waves had calmed down. I spent rest of my time consoling poor, broken Mr Monner. I promised to visit again especially Wonder, the grey horse.

"So Elizabeth's not the one troubling me. Do you think I made a huge mistake by assuming that?" I asked Ezra as we walked along the beach.

"No, James. We will soon come to a conclusion. I feel that everything is connected. But now I think we have to visit this Elizabeth in prison," He answered.

"Where is the nearby prison?" I asked.

"I think it's in the next town," He wondered loudly.

"We should go there as soon as possible. And we should do some research on Jill Garner," I spoke and he agreed immediately. Engrossed in my confusing thoughts, I stumbled into the car.

**********

"My parents died in an car accident last year. I never really had any relatives. My mom had eloped from home with dad when she was eighteen. So when the social services informed me that my maternal grandmother- a person I have never met before, wanted to adopt me, I was shocked," Esther stopped to take a deep breath. She sat up more higher on her hospital bed. I shifted uncomfortably in the creaky old stool.

She was healing quickly, though she still took sedatives to relieve herself from pain. Surprisingly, the repeated smashes didn't do any damage to her brain. Dr Davis decided to release her from hospital soon enough, on seeing her fast recovery. Esther and I was alone in the hospital room and a comfortable silence had reigned between us until she decided to give me the real reason of why she ran away. I listened politely.