Some new leads

The following morning was weird. Your Mom certainly seemed ok, but as she prepared for work you couldn’t help but note that her clothing was a little more revealing, her perfume different, she moved with a bit more enthusiasm and confidence. The implications unsettled you.

But she was cheery when the two of you sat down for breakfast and the sound of her upbeat humming filled the kitchen. Truthfully, you weren’t brave enough to ask her anything about Rebecca and you felt a good deal of guilt for having used the ring. Your brain would try and rationalise it, but you couldn’t shake the sense of unease at having used unknown, potentially dangerous magic on the person you cared about the most.

“Something wrong, sweetie?”

You startled back into the present. “Huh?”

“You’ve got a really pensive look on your face,” she poured herself a cup of coffee and laughed a little. “You look just like your Grandpa when you do that.”

“It’s nothing,” you said. “Just…just random thoughts.”

“Sure?” She probed, her expression turning tender. “You know you can tell me anything. Whatever it is, whether you’re still having trouble after the funeral, school troubles, or that girl you’re seeing…I just want to know you’re ok.”

That hurt. Your mom loved you, had always loved you. She was a kindhearted person and you felt dirty for having tainted that last night. Forcing a smile you looked at her and said, “it’s nothing major, promise.”

She didn’t seem entirely convinced, but didn’t press the matter.

Feeling obligated to say something else, you pivoted to another topic. “Hey, so I’ve been wracking my brains trying to remember, but who were the founding families of Silent Oaks again?”

“Well, obviously there’s our family, going back to your however many times great grandfather. The Chapmans, too. The Smiths, but of course there’s just old Pete left now, spending his days down at the nursing home. The Halbert twins, Don and Maddy, who are just waiting for their poor mother to pass away so they can fight over who gets the inheritance…”

She was about to go on a tangent, so you redirected her. “But who was the sixth family, I can never remember.”

“Well, it’s the Van Hart family, but most of them moved away. Old Doc Van Hart used to run the hospital, he taught your Grandpa quite a bit,” she made a face, “but he was a really hard man. Not very pleasant. It almost broke him after the first hospital burnt down and he was mean for the rest of his life.”

You recalled the photo of the hospital. “Did he have any family?”

“Oh yeah, a bunch. But they all hated him and moved away except for his eldest daughter. Sally looked after him until he died and now she just lives alone in that big old house on Koontz street. Poor old thing. She used to babysit me a lot when I was little.”

Chewing on that information, you thanked your mom and made for school.

—————-

“So you think all of these families might be in on the cult?” Marcus asked at recess, your group sitting at their usual spot.

“ I think there’s a chance they have some info we could look into.”

Tina didn’t like that. “Or they could be completely out of the loop. You and your mom are from one of those families, but you didn’t know shit about the cult until it crept up and bit you on the ass.”

“Still, it’s worth looking into,” you argued. “Any bit of information we can get, any hint or lead can help out. And it’s only a matter of time before they kill again.”

None of them seemed happy about that, and for a long moment they sat in brooding silence. Guilt was written upon all their faces, and genuine concern too. Marcus finally chimed in. “So what’s the plan, then?”

“ Well, I’ve looked into it a little bit and I think we can pay a visit to some of these people. Old man Smith might be a bit hard to talk with because he’s got end stage dementia, but it might be worth a shot to pay him a visit. And the Halbert twins are both public figures. Maddy owns the clothing store, wouldn’t be hard to speak to her.”

“And the Van Hart spinster?” Marcus inquired. “You think you can get a meeting with an old cat lady?”

Tina smacked him upside the head for the cat lady remark, but you paid it no mind. There was a family connection, you supposed. You might be able to meet with her if you mentioned who your mother and grandfather were. “I think I can set that up.”

“Alright,” Tina said, “so we’ll split up. one goes to Smith, one to Halberts, one to Van Hart.”