Chase's POV
Mrs McKinsey had more composure than I'd have given her credit for. She didn't even shake where she was seated on Gray's bed.
His previously nonchalant facade he had on had cleared, leaving the Gray I truly knew.
I hated to do that, but it was equally a very important task.
"Why?" She asked.
"That's what I want to find out." I replied. Gray was shook, but that was no opportunity to disrespect his mom, so I stayed as respectful as I could be.
"Can I ask how you got your information?" She asked.
"He'd been picked up by the police, three times in the past week, with his new wife, Emma's mom." I said, even though Mrs McKinsey probably didn't know who I was referring to.
"Alright." She said, following the story.
"He was picked up this morning too by the way." I added. "I had a conversation with him last night," I started the story, "it actually started with me eavesdropping on him and I heard things I shouldn't have."
"What are those?" She asked, cautiously.
"I'm getting there." I replied. I was thinking of the easiest way to say it, and she probably saw through me, which is why she put me out of my misery.
"I'd love to hear it in his own words." She said, smiling.
Gray kept looking from me to her and back. He was shocked and I could understand.
I had seriously begun to reconsider asking him to sit in, but he was gonna know either way.
"We were all classmates in high school." His mom explained, scratching the surface. "I know how he could be."
"Alright." I said, swallowing my saliva. "He said to 'kill that bitch immediately'," unsaid, relaying a message I wasn't sent. "Gray was getting lax about the whole thing, that's the only reason I'm bringing it before you all." I explained.
We both looked at her, and she, in turn, stared at the blank wall opposite.
"County used to be such a small city," She started the story Gray and I were itching to hear. I knew bits and pieces off it, but it wouldn't hurt to know it all.
"It was just a big school, right at the heart of town, and we all streamed to it. We were children of the farmers that occupied here. My dad owned a poultry farm, and some cows behind the house, and my mom farmed vegetables." She said,
"The soil was good, so the crops were good. But that didn't stop either of them from getting formal education as they both doubled as nurses in the biggest hospital in town. Seeing the love they had for people, they wanted to help them so badly, they did a lot of overtime shifts in the hospital. My parents had only Mike and I." Mrs McKinsey's story was flowing, but it was obvious she wasn't with us. She was somewhere else, gone, lost in her mind.
"Mike and Mark, who later became my high school heartthrob," at that point, she looked at both of us. I had no trouble digesting the news, but Gray did, "They were friends, inseparable, always talking. Stuff happened, and they grew apart. It didn't stop me from loving him though," She continued the story rather shamelessly, "They couldn't see eye to eye on anything, and Mike, my elder brother, did all he could, and more, to get in our way." She continued.
"I got accepted into nursing school abroad, rather, Mike sent my papers there, and they wanted me, so I flew, and that is where I met my husband, the son of a farmer too. Mark and I fell out of correspondence, as it was called at the time, he soon moved on, and so did I. Mike relocated to Starry, only after spending all my dead parents money, he never let me know they had passed, and made me convince my husband to buy up our parents lot from him as they willed it to him. And that's how I got back to County, with my small son," She paused, and looked at Gray, "and my husband. We settled in quickly and my husband got a job, so did I, as I had started to work as a clinical researcher."
She paused, and I knew she had gotten to the part of the story where she wished Gray not to hear.
"I lost my son, Jason, in 2012," She said, sniffing, "my husband wasn't available at the time, and had started keeping women outside. We had both agreed I stayed home for the kids, so I had to find my happiness in doing that. Your dad and I reconnected, it was fast, the flames were already there, but needed a little bit of fanning. He'd visit me every day at the house, but my husband couldn't know, as that would only destroy his reputation. I got tired of it all one day, and packed my things off to County, where Mike had invited me, promising to give me half the money McKinsey paid him, since I never properly divorced. That was his plan at setting me up. I wrote to Mark, telling him all about it, everything that had happened, things I never even told my own husband." She paused, craning her neck for the sound of footsteps, but there were none, so she licked her lips, and continued the story,
"Next thing I knew, Mark set up a mall in County, begging me to run it. I was proud, in my own rights, I was a clinical researcher and I was looking to work as one, and the fact that Mark was just as possessive as McKinsey, even more, I wasn't looking to get with a man like that anymore. I told him we had to end it, he refused, so I had to involve Mike, and that did it." She looked back down.
"I remarried because I was fast running out of money and Mike started avoiding me, he relocated to some other part of town and never informed me." She looked hurt.
"I'm sorry, I'm saying too much." She apologized, "long story short, he got together with whoever's it is you talked about, but she was already seeing Mike. Rumor, back there in County, had it that she had a husband who cheated her, and so she was out on a revenge mission. But she actually did get together with Mark, Mike wouldn't take he'd, and he kept seeing her. Next I heard, my brothers dead." She smiled, sadly. "The woman left town…"
"Linda," I corrected.
"Linda left town with her daughter. Gray was hell bent on finding out what happened, wouldn't back down, your dad got involved…we all know how this ends, Chase." She said, looking at me sadly. "He pays them off, the case dies, one more person is killed. Just this time, neither of us who are victims are innocent. You must hate me for breaking up your parents." She looked at my feet.
Gray's mouth was hanging so low.
"You've gotta be careful, boys." She added. "That all?" She asked, looking at me.
We were both so dumbfounded.
I could hardly believe what I was hearing.
"None." I croaked.
"I'll be with your dad." She said, looking at Gray.
"One last one." Gray said, finally.
"What is it, love?" I could see both their hearts breaking, and I hated to be that guy.
"Why are you back?" He asked, looking at her feet. He's the kinda guy who wants clarity, knowing full well that he can't stand it.
"I wanted to." She said, weakly
"Doesn't seem like that to me. It's too coincidental." He said, looking her straight in the eye.
"I needed protection too." She added, looking away.
"I'll see you later man." Gray said, looking at me. His eyes were reddened and glistening with unshed tears, that was my cue to leave.