“Just wait,” John said.
“Wait for what? She hasn’t even let Mark sleep in the bed for days now!” Mary sounded frantic. “Is that stuff from your friend even working? We’ve been giving it to Sarah for over three years now, and she’s still perfectly healthy. When is she going to…you know?”
My blood ran cold. What “stuff“? Mary wanted me dead. Suddenly, everything clicked into
–
place the constant colds, the nosebleeds, the
hair loss. Before moving back in with John and
Mary, I’d rarely gotten sick.
“Of course, it’s working,” John said, revealing another horrifying secret. “How do you think
her parents died? Same way.”
I felt dizzy. So that’s why my parents had died
so suddenly, even though their vitals had been
stable.
Mary sighed. “Should we increase the dosage?”
John thought for a moment. “We could. It took
a year and a half for her parents to die, and it’s
been three years already. No one would suspect
anything.”
く
11:38
“I still say we should have just arranged a car accident. This is taking too long. She’s almost
spent all of her parents‘ inheritance.”
“Don’t worry. It’ll all be ours eventually.”
I stumbled down the stairs, my mind reeling.
John’s kindness had all been an act. They were
poisoning me. My parents hadn’t died naturally. As I passed the living room, Jessica called out
to me, unusually friendly.
“Sarah!”
“What is it, Jessica?”
“Mark and I talked it over. It wouldn’t be right
to kick you out now that you just started your
job.”
What was this? I couldn’t figure out her angle.
“But,” she continued, “we’re not really family,
and Mark works hard to support everyone. Now
that you’re earning, you should contribute. Rent
is expensive these days. We think $1,500 a
month for living expenses is reasonable.”
So that was it.
I laughed. “Reasonable? Perfectly reasonable.
But there’s something you don’t know, Jessica.
<
This house? It’s mine.”
Jessica’s jaw dropped. “You’re lying! That’s…
that’s impossible!”
“It’s true,” I said. “And not just the house. I’ve
been paying for all of your living expenses, too.” Before I moved back in, I paid John a salary,
plus whatever he claimed he needed for house
maintenance. New lawnmower, repairs… I was
a student; I had no idea what things cost, so I
paid whatever he asked. And since I’d returned,
I’d been covering all the household bills. I
realized I needed to check the accounts.
“You’re making this up! How could you, a broke
student, have that kind of money?” Jessica’s
shriek brought John and Mary downstairs. They
looked surprised to see me.
“Sarah, what are you doing home so early?”
Mary asked.
Before I could answer, Jessica rushed to her
side and pointed at me. “Mom, she said the
house is hers! Is that true?”
Their faces paled. Mary recovered first. “No,
no, of course not, dear. Sarah’s joking.” She
<
frantically winked at me.
I ignored her and pulled the deed to the house out of my bag, tossing it onto the coffee table.
“Is that a joke?” I asked, holding out the deed. “Take a good look.”
Jessica’s hands trembled as she grabbed it. The blood drained from her face. “You lied to me!” she shrieked at Mary. “You promised to put the house in my name after the baby was born! How were you planning on doing that?” John, his feigned affection gone, turned on me. “Sarah, I was going to tell her! Why’d you have to blow this up?”
In the past, guilt would have gnawed at me.
Now?
I laughed. “Jessica’s right. We’re not family.
Even friends draw the line somewhere.”
“She wants $1,500 a month? Fine. I’ll be
generous. $750 each from you two. For the
past three years. Pay up.”
“$750 each? That’s $54,000!” John exploded.
“Sarah, I’m your uncle!”
“Even grandpas pay their debts,” I retorted, my
0230
smile razor sharp. “Oh, and Jessica, remember that $50,000 for your wedding? John promised
to pay me back. Three years. Pay up.”
The blows landed one after another. Jessica
crumpled to the floor.
I didn’t go to the hospital. I called movers to
clear Jessica’s stuff from my room. John arrived
as they finished.
“Sarah, what the hell?”
“I’m taking my room back.”
“Of course, of course! I already told Jessica to
move.” He was back to his oily, two–faced self.
I just smiled.
“As your uncle, I gotta say, you were harsh on
Jessica. We’re family. What’s with the nickel-
and–diming?”
“I treated her like family. She didn’t
reciprocate.”
“I talked to her. It’s just… Mark’s been away on
business. No one to, you know, keep her calm.”
He fidgeted.
“Spit it out, John.”
“Jessica’s… not well. She’s talking about an
