The In-Laws: A psychological thriller with a nerve-shredding ending by James Caine

Author:James Caine [Caine, James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-06-25T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

Chelsea tossed and turned for what felt like an eternity that night. As usual, Henry passed out, breathing heavily. She watched him lovingly.

She wondered what would it have been like if she’d met his family before they got married? She realized now Henry had his reasons to not have her meet his parents after all. This weekend would be enough to scare off most women.

Martha was on a different level of motherhood. Arthur – she couldn't figure out if she was afraid of him or enjoy his presence. Out of the two, she would rather be in his presence than Martha’s.

Henry had managed to survive his parents his whole life though, and she would too. In the future she would have to visit them again, she knew. She would talk to Henry about not leaving her again, though. She would bring her own reading materials. She would avoid being alone with either of her in-laws.

She knew she would have to visit again, but it would be a long time from now that it would happen thanks to her starting school. With Chelsea gone for semesters, Henry would have more free time, and in turn might use some of that time to visit them. Martha would be happy about that at least.

Maybe art school was the answer to everyone’s problems.

She felt the urge to relieve herself but did not want to leave the bedroom. When she couldn't resist any longer, she slipped out of bed and tried to make as little noise on the floor as possible. She opened the door with some fanfare, though.

A ringing sound like metal hitting metal made her stop in her tracks. She tried to look around the home for the source of the consistent thumping, but it appeared to be coming from outside.

Chelsea walked quietly down the hallway. When she passed the living room, she looked at Arthur’s chair, but he wasn’t there. From outside she heard a drilling sound. She peeked out into the dark from the front window. Light shone around the frame of the barn door.

Arthur opened the barn door and came into the garden. Chelsea quickly hid from the window. If he came into the cabin, she would pretend to be about to grab some water. Thankfully, Arthur he headed back into the barn. The light from the barn illuminated the hammer in his hand.

What was he doing so late at night? she wondered. The red light indicating the alarm was set was not on. Soon after Arthur passed out of sight, the clinking sound continued.

“Can’t sleep?” Chelsea turned and saw Martha standing in the hallway. The darkness inside the home made her barely visible, except for her thick eyebrows and a smile on her face. Her long white nightgown flowed when she took a step towards her. Somehow, she had managed to not make a peep on the floorboards. Chelsea wondered if she floated down the hallway.

Chelsea nodded. “Just thirsty – and had to go to the bathroom.” She looked out the front window and back at Martha.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.