Number Eight {The Umbrella Academy} -- [On Hold]

Five

"This can't- this couldn't have happened."

On the screen, Mom handed my father a cup of tea, and removed his monocle. A few moments later, she walked away from the bed as he spasmed, then came to be still. It was like she hadn't even noticed anything was wrong.

"Play it again," Luther demanded, rubbing his head.

"We've watched it over and over, Luther, it's the same every time," Allison said from behind us.

Luther sighed, and I put my head in my hands, refusing to believe what I had just seen a dozen times.

"Er- what is she doing?" Luther asked. "The tea. Did she poison him?"

"I don't know."

"The- The coroner said heart attack. They would have noticed if he had been poisoned, right?" I desperately tried to prove that Mom hadn't killed him.

"She's got practically endless knowledge, Viv. I'm sure there's something out there that causes heart attacks that a coroner wouldn't find," Allison said.

Luther, who had been staring at the static-filled screen, spoke up.

"Where did you find this?"

"I was looking at old footage of us as kids, and I saw the tape just sitting there." Allison moved to lean against the back of the chair I was slumped in.

"Yeah, Dad must have started using the security system again. He was getting more and more paranoid."

"He was anxious as hell, yeah, but I don't think the cameras were back on." I ran through my memories over the past few weeks, and none had the cameras blinking green in them. "At least, I haven't noticed them on."

"Does that go for much though?"

"Fair point, Alli."

"They must have been. He thought people were out to get him. I guess he was right." Luther looked sadly at Allison.

"But Mom? I mean she's not capable of..." She waved a hand towards the screen, then sighed. "Is she?"

"Why don't we just ask her?" I said, standing from my seat and heading towards the door.

~~~

We found her in the kitchen, cooking eggs on the stove. Three places were already set at the table, with glasses of orange juice for each of us. She, as always, had known we were coming.

"Mom?" I announced our presence, and she spun to face us, her dress flowing around her like one from the old films we had watched as a child. I had a suspicion that our father had based her wardrobe off of them.

"Hello dears. Why don't you have a seat, I'm making some nice breakfast for you three."

We obliged, sending troubled looks each other's way.

"Um, Mom? We need to ask you some questions about the night Dad died. Do you remember anything?" Luther asked.

Grace turned towards us, looking confused.

"Of course. Sunset, 7:33 pm, moon was waxing crescent, dinner was Cornish hen, wild rice and carrots." I smiled weakly at her, and she grinned back at me.

"No. No, uh... later that night. In his bedroom. Did you go and see him?"

"I don't recall." She turned back to the stove, humming as she moved the eggs around in their pan.

Luther and Allison had a silent argument over my head as to who would speak next. I smacked both of them, then pointed to Allison. She sighed, rolled her eyes, then spoke up.