Double Trouble 45: Another dream, another morning...
 by Cariad
 
 

Double Trouble
~Forty Five~
Holly leveled her sword at the cowering man before her. “I have no desire to kill you,” she snarled, tossing her hair over her shoulder, “but if you do not leave me alone, I will have no choice.”

Jonathan Hotchkiss looked up at her, his eyes pleading. “I swear, mistress, I will do whatever you desire of me!”

“Then leave me!” she said, turning on him and striding to the end of the castle hall, which turned into a parapet as she reached a window. On the plain before, a knight rode up, his banner snapping in the wind. She could not make out the features of his face, but she knew who he was.

“I have come to slay the dragon, fair maiden!” the knight called.

Holly laughed. “He has already been slain!”

The knight reached to take off his helmet.

“Hollis wake up, you have to see the news!” Julia’s voice cried, interrupting Holly’s dream. Holly struggled up on her elbows.

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“Hollis,” Julia’s voice was quiet and worried. “I don’t know what else to think,” she said.

Holly bounded out of bed and followed her sister into Julia’s room.

“In breaking news,” the TV anchor blared, “another murder has been discovered just outside of Harmony. Like the murder of Mrs. Rebecca Hotchkiss, the victim was discovered naked, her throat slit and violated with a knife.” A picture flashed of a cordoned-off police scene. It was a relatively small house in an expensive development outside of Harmony. The neatly plowed driveway and entryway was covered in police barriers. Inside, the chandelier could be seen from the window above the door in the foyer. “Julian Crane, alleged murderer of Mrs. Hotchkiss, was in his jail cell all night. Authorities say there is no possible way that Mr. Crane could be responsible for this murder. Please be on the lookout for strange persons, and do not walk alone at night until the suspect is apprehended.”

Holly slumped back onto Julia’s bed. “Oh my God,” she said as the newscaster spoke on about the new victim. “Jonathan wasn’t here last night. He wouldn’t tell us what he was about! He had access to Father’s knife on New Year’s. Could he have killed his own mother?”

Julia’s pale reflection mirrored Holly’s. “I don’t want to think about that!” Julia said. “Daddy’s not a murderer and neither is Johnny! Need I remind you that this is the same man that carried you upstairs at the Ball?”

Holly stiffened. “I don’t count public humiliation as a kind point.”

“You wept in his arms, Hollis! I saw you! I was there!”

Holly’s shoulders slumped. “Please don’t remind me of my moment of weakness. Jonathan is also the same person who last night ordered me to speak with him this morning. Was he planning this the whole time, or did the moment just strike him!”

“I’m not going to talk to you in this mood, Hollis,” Julia warned. “Take your black mood someplace else.”

Holly closed her eyes. When she opened them, her sister was still standing there, her hands on her hips and a look of disapproval on her face. “I’m sorry,” Holly said finally. “I just don’t think he’s as wonderful as you’re making him out to be. After breakfast, I’ll be in the conservatory, calming down.”

Snow piled up against the insulated glass of the conservatory. Tropical flowers bloomed oblivious to the chill outside. Holly took a deep breath. The air always seemed cleaner in the conservatory. She crossed the bridge over the small indoor koi pond, water lilies floating near the edges, and sat on a bench, her back to the winter, and stared at the swimming fish.

“I guess you’ve found out about the latest murder,” a dark voice said from the entryway. Holly looked up to see her brother Aidan coming in. She sighed and nodded. “Interesting, isn’t it,” Aidan commented, “that the girl who was killed this time was one of Johnny’s ex-girlfriends.”

“What?” Holly asked, her head snapping up.

“I recognized the house,” Aidan said, sitting next to her on the bench. “After Johnny dumped her, she got married. But she and Johnny dated in High School. Interesting isn’t it.”

Holly felt the color drain from her face.

“I don’t trust him,” Aidan said. “He disappears in the middle of the night. And last night wasn’t the first time. I’m scared for you, Holly,” he whispered.

Holly fought back her fear. “I’m sure he had a good reason,” she mumbled.

“Just warning you, Holly,” Aidan said as he rose, dusted himself off, and picked a rose from a flowering bush nearby.
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Julia waited in the foyer for Jonathan to come home. Holly had not emerged from the conservatory. Julia shrugged and waited some more, her breathing the only sound in the open space. Unexpectedly, her mind drifted back to Christmas morning and the old woman at the hospital.
Julia set the mum down on the window ledge and opened the curtains a bit so it could get sunlight. “Merry Christmas,” Julia told the old woman.

“Bah. Just go and leave me in peace.”

“Certainly,” Julia said pleasantly, and turned to leave.

“Just because it’s Christmas, people are nice,” the woman muttered. “What about the other 364 days?”

“I’m not sure, ma’am. I only just got in here a few days ago myself, but I’ve noticed that there are many kind people in this town.”

“Bah,” the old woman said and turned her shoulder to Julia.

Perhaps she should go and visit her again. After all, who wants to die alone and unloved? She could call Noah and they could go back to the hospital and visit some of the patients there. She jumped up, happy to have an activity at last.

Jonathan stormed through the front door, shucking his long winter coat and gloves. “The press has tripled outside the gates,” he said angrily. “Where’s Holly?”

Julia cocked her head. “You hadn’t heard then?”

“What?” he demanded.

“There was another murder, just like the one that…” Julia’s voice trailed off.

“Damn!” Jonathan swore, running his hand through his hair. “Do we know who?”

“The news hadn’t said. Perhaps it will eventually. Or maybe the paper.”

“I’ll have to call Alistair,” he sighed. “I guess this proves that your father is innocent. Do you know where Holly is?”

“Conservatory,” Julia said. “And she’s in a foul a mood as you are!”

“I’m beginning to think that she has nothing but foul moods when she’s around me!”

Julia laughed. “Maybe she finds something unpleasant about you.”

“She’ll learn,” he said darkly.

“Or you will!” Julia laughed, and ran up the stairs, ready to put her plan in action. She had the phone in her hand when it occurred to her that her mother probably would not want her leaving unannounced. Sighing, Julia replaced the receiver and went in search of her mother’s office.
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Holly put down her clippers and looked at her latest victim. The gardeners would be terribly upset, but some of the plants just needed pruning. Passing through the conservatory, she left a pile of dead flowers, dried branches, too long vines and other plant refuse in her wake.
“Am I next, Miss Machete?” she heard Jonathan’s voice drawl from the doorway. He looked as if he hadn’t slept the night before.

“Depends,” Holly shot back. “Am I next?”

“What do you mean?” He asked slowly. “I didn’t come here to fight.”

“So you want me to just lay still while you slit my throat, cave words into my stomach and then take my virginity with your knife? I don’t think so.”

“I didn’t kill anyone, Holly,” he explained patiently. “I didn’t even know about it until I got in this morning, please listen Holly!” He took a step forward, his arms held out in peace.

Holly grabbed the clippers and wielded them as a weapon. “Stay away from me.”

“I won’t hurt you, Holly,” he explained.

“Is that what you said to your mother?” she shot back.

Rage blossomed in his eyes. Holly ducked around a row of plants, darting towards the exit. Jonathan caught her wrist, twisting it until she dropped the clippers. The other hand snaked around and grabbed her mouth to prevent a scream. “For the sake of our families,” he growled, “I will forget the comment you made about my mother. I will understand that we are all on edge after being here all week in a tense situation, so I will forgive you for your actions, which were based on lies.”

Holly bit his hand, succeeding in her intention to free her mouth, if not her body. She writhed against his grasp, only earning herself a warning squeeze. “It was your ex-girlfriend, you sadist!” she screamed. Surprise loosened his arms for a moment, but not long enough for Holly to escape completely.

“Where did you hear that?” he demanded. “Julia said they hadn’t disclosed who it was yet.” Holly clamped her lips shut. Jonathan turned her around in his arms so her face was inches from his own. “Where did you hear that!”

“Aidan recognized the house!” she spat finally.

Jonathan’s grip loosened as he slumped to a bench, rubbing his temples. Holly danced away and raced to the door, noticing as she got there, he had not pursued. She turned, watching his slumped form sitting on the bench. She bit the inside of her lip in indecision. “God help me,” she whispered to herself, and turned around.

She sat next to him on the bench. “All right, you wanted to talk,” she said in a quiet tone, “well, I’m here.”
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Julia stepped out of the limousine at the visitor’s entrance to the hospital. The driver would pick her up in two hours. Two hours of freedom from the stifling confines of the Crane Mansion. At the gift shop, she bought a balloon and a small stuffed doll. Taking the elevator up to the fifth floor, she quickly found the room where the old woman stayed. Knocking quietly, she opened the door and, to her relief, found the woman still alive.
“I know it’s late, but Happy New Year,” Julia ventured.

“You again!” the woman snapped.

There were more tubes and machines now. An oxygen line was attached to her nose, and IV dripped into her arm.

“I brought you something else,” Julia said, putting the doll on the shelf, the balloon tied around her waist. “I see the mum is still alive.”

“Bah!” the old woman said. “I’m sure a young snip like you has better things to do than visit a sick old woman.”

Julia sat by the bedside. “Actually, I don’t,” Julia confessed.

“Bah!”

Julia gave the invalid a small smile. “Truthfully, I would rather be doing other things, but I can’t. The only reason why I could get out of my house today was because it would be good PR. That’s the reason I gave my mother.”

“You must be a Crane then,” the old woman said. “I know all about your kind.”

“I didn’t come for the PR,” Julia said. “I needed to get out of the house, and well, I got to thinking about what you said last time, about getting visitors only at Christmas. And I made up my mind. And yes, I’m a Crane. I’m Julia.”

The old woman chuckled until it turned into a cough. “Imagine, a Crane talking to me,” she mused. “At least I know you’re not going to do to me what was done to my daughter.”

“What happened?” Julia asked.

“She got involved with one of your kind. It wasn’t a Crane, but some other family I can’t remember at the moment. Oh, he promised he would marry her. He promised he would leave his wife. He even gave her some money and a little cabin up in the woods. She had his brat, and I never heard from her again!”

“I’m so sorry,” Julia whispered.

“Well, I can’t have your brat. I’m too old, and we’re both women.” She chuckled again. Julia laughed along with her. “Call me Adele,” she said.

“You still have your sense of humor in there, Adele,” Julia remarked.

“No one cared to find out before.”

There was a wrap on the door. Julia leapt up to answer it, figuring who it would be. She was right as Noah stood smiling on the other side of the door. “Adele,” Julia called, “this is my friend Noah Bennett. He wanted to come by and meet you as well.”

“Ha!” Adele replied, her surly exterior once again emerging. “It wasn’t me he came here to meet.”

Julia blushed.