« Why ? » Robert mimicked back.
Kate stared at the phone, her brain not keeping up with the informations it received. There was no way. No way.
June Dylan had killed Kelly. She had done it out of jealousy. In the worst way.
They hadn't sent an innocent teen to prison. They hadn't broken her apart. They hadn't ripped a family apart.
June Dylan had killed Kelly.
« Because I had to, » Robert's voice sounded over the phone and Kate emptied her stomach on her husband's feet.
—
Thomas was geared up and on his way. Sawyer had finally tracked them down using Lizzy's call.
The whole conversation played out in his ears as it was transmitted in real time.
Thomas may have run around the worst warfronts, the most dangerous places, against the most dangerous people. He had been bound, tied, gagged, beaten, waterboarded, whipped, electrocuted, stabbed, burnt… Nothing had ever made him experience a thousandth of the excruciating pain that broke him apart and almost brought him to his knees on the forest's cold, hard ground as the motherfucker's words had.
He ached for June. He needed to get to her. Needed to gather her in his arms, hold her close and never, ever let her go. He had to fix it. He had to kiss every single scar on her body, had to make the pain go away. Had to make up for all the evil he had done by being a blind coward. He'd never make it up to her. A million lifetimes still wouldn't be enough but he had to give her his all in this one.
So he swallowed the guilty tears and marched over to where she was.
—
« Did you have an affair with her too ? » Beatrice forced her voice to remain even though inside, she felt seven years old again.
« As if ! » He scoffed and started pacing.
« I saw you that night, » Beatrice went on. « It was you. You killed Kelly. »
« I did, » he confessed as if talking about the weather.
« Why ? » Her voice cracked as she asked again.
« Let me tell you how it all went, » he whirled around and tilted his head to the side like a maniac. « Sit down, it'll take a while. »
« It- »
« Sit down, » he walked forward, stopped right behind June's daughter, whom was still in shock and slid an arm over her shoulders.
The two women took one look at it and sat down on the floor. He had a gun.
« You too, » he whispered loudly in Lizzy's ear, startling her back to the present.
Beatrice felt immense compassion for the girl as she crossed her mother's eyes and started sobbing loudly.
« Not so loud, » Erting patted her head from above. « Or you won't hear a thing. »
« Don't… » June's expression broke Beatrice's heart.
« Shh, » the mad doctor started pacing again behind Elizabeth. « Sooo where to start ? »
—
Julian's vision was all blurry, the tears never stopped but he heard everything loud and clear. It felt even worse with one sense down but he needed to heard it all.
The whole trailer was silent except for Mrs Benson's muffled sobs.
« It all started when I realised Vera was cheating on me. »
—
« I turned a blind eye to it because after all the trouble I took to marry her… There was no way I was letting her go, » he gave a lopsided grin. « You know how hard it is to marry into these old, wealthy families ? It's hell. But it's worth it if only for all the connections you get afterward. Anyways ! Vera was cheating but it was alright as long as she kept it discreet. Then one day… » He frowned at Beatrice who struggled to keep her breathing under control next to June. « One day, I noticed that she was slowly slipping away. It started with nothing. She forgot my birthday. Then she missed out on important dinners. Then she stopped acting like a wife… I knew I couldn't let it go on. Couldn't let her slip through my fingers.
« So I followed her one night. I saw where she parked and drove further, left my car in a busier street fifteen minutes away by foot. I seethed as I made my way over the huge house she had slid in. I knew this house. Its owner wasn't much older than me but he was richer. His blood was nobler. He had a better job, a better circle… he had it all. Even a wife and kids. I walked over. Ready to rip into Georges Benson. When a sobbing mess appeared, » he paused and smiled gently at June who only had eyes for her daughter. « June Dylan appeared. »
Lizzy trembled under the hand gently scratching her scalp.
« I hid right outside, behind a tall bush while Kelly ripped poor June a new one, » he laughed. « She was so mean ! June was telling her about her pregnancy, about all the love she had for Thomas, about how she couldn't be left alone. Not in her state. Not now. And Kelly mocked her. It was pretty harsh. What did she say again ? » Dr Erting asked June.
« I- I don't remember, » June's eyes were fixed on the hand that rested on Lizzy's head and in that one look, Lizzy regretted every word she had ever thrown at her mother. She was so loved. And didn't deserve the last bit of it. Lizzy felt a sob wreck through her body at the full realisation of what was happening. Her mother was innocent. Had always been.
« What did she say ? » Dr Erting tightened his hold on Lizzy's hair and pulled, tearing a cry of pain out of her.
« She told me I had to go ! » June exclaimed and made to reach forward but was stopped by Beatrice.
« Come on ! » The doctor clucked his tongue. « Tell it better ! Your dear daughter is finally listening to you. »
—
June looked in terror at the scene before her.
This man had given her the first bit of warmth she received after Kelly's death. He had been the only one to look at her with anything other than disgust and accusation. He had looked at her with so much compassion.
She felt her lungs run out of air as she realised why.
This hadn't been out of humanity or kindness. He wasn't a great doctor. He wasn't even a good man. No, he was the monster responsible for all her suffering.
And he had his hand on her daughter.
« I begged her to leave Thomas. I knew she didn't love him. At least not like I did, » she told in a broken voice, her body trembling under Beatrice's restraint.
« How you loved that asshole ! » The psychopath pulled a face and his fist tightened in Lizzy's hair.
« Not anymore ! » June rushed to lie, feeling like it was her scalp that was abused upon seeing her daughter's hurting expression. « I don't ! »
« Really ? » He released some of the tension.
« We spent seventeen years apart, » she reminded him, struggling under the bile rising through her throat at the words. « Nothing's the same now. »
« Who are you fucking then ? » The doctor frowned at her in confusion. « I've heard that he- »
« He tried ! » She cut him off in panic. « But I've already settled down with someone else ! »
« Who ? » He tilted his head to the side in confusion.
« Anthony, » the lie easily fell though her lips. « A coworker. »
« Oh, that's great ! I'm happy for you ! » The mad man suddenly beamed at her and June wondered had he had managed to keep the mask from cracking for so long. « You deserve better. »
« I do, » June's rushed to agree, her heart aching.
« Now, go on, your daughter needs to realise how bad of a person she had been, » he smiled.
« Sh-she talked about my mother ! My house ! My smell ! She accused me of infidelity ! I swear I don't remember ! » June cried out, her whole focus on the hand pulling at her daughter's hair.
« Tsk ! » The doctor chuckled. « How is it possible ? I remember ! She really had no business questioning your personal hygiene, I know first hand how clean you are, dear. Anyways, let's just say she tore through your poor mother. I was almost tempted to jump out and stop it, especially when she suggested your mother abort the filth she was carrying in her worthless womb. That was over the top. »
« Please stop- »
« That was the only moment your poor mom got angry, » the mad doctor caressed the cold-looking barrel against her trembling daughter's cheek. « She looked adorable as she wrapped her arms around her abdomen, already so eager to defend her ungrateful offsprings. So, your mother left. Kelly's amused insults accompanied her as she ran out in tears and left into the cold night. At that point, I was pretty confused. I couldn't imagine Georges getting it on with my wife with his daughter under the same roof. »
« Dad would never cheat… » Beatrice chuckled wetly, looking exhausted.
« Lucky Martha… » Dr Erting sighed. « Indeed, it wasn't Georges I found sucking Vera's face on the couch. »
—
Martha Benson felt like she might collapse any second now but whenever someone tried to lead her away, her muscles became firm and her feet were rooted to the floor of June Dylan's modest trailer. She loathed every sound coming from the receiver but needed to hear them. With every word, it was like a part of herself was crumbling to the ground.
« Imagine my disgust ! Just put yourself in my shoes ! Vera with a woman- no, with a girl ! Twenty years her junior ! Kelly could have been her daughter. This faggot couldn't even be moderately perverted… My slutty wife was risking everything we had to fuck an immature cunt ? And then Benson's precious child at that ? She should have just killed me and be more merciful. »
As a traditional mother, learning of her daughter's sexual orientation from Thomas Oswald's statement had been a shock, but she would have gotten over it. She loved Kelly with every fiber of her being and she knew she would have grown to accept it, no matter how hard it was, because she was a mother and her child's happiness was the most important thing for her. When Beatrice had reached the age, Martha had kept an eye open and done her best to make it clear she had no prejudice and would welcome anyone her daughter might decide to introduce to them.
She hadn't hidden that fact because she had been ashamed of her own daughter. No, they had chosen to do it to respect Kelly's memory because their daughter had never felt comfortable sharing it during her life, they only tried to respect her in her death.
However as she realized who her daughter had been involved with… How it had led to destroy an innocent girl's life… A damn pedophile and her husband...For the first time ever, she regretted putting the dead before the livings. Even if it had been her own flesh.