Memories in the Attic by J S Chapman

Author:J S Chapman [Chapman, J S]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Weatherly Books
Published: 2019-03-15T22:00:00+00:00

Part II - Deception

Who can find a virtuous woman?

for her price is far above rubies.

Proverbs 31:10

King James Translation

Chapter 1

SOMETIMES THERE ARE lies that must be said. Other times there are truths that should never be spoken.

Over tea one afternoon on a pleasant day in spring, Emily McSweeney made two confessions in the presence of her daughter Kendra and her caretaker Birdie. The first: Emily had poisoned her husband. The second: Kendra had a twin sister.

Both claims could have been truths or lies or a combination of fact and fantasy. Who knew what went on in the mind of a madwoman? Neither claim spoken with such sincerity could be brushed aside.

Emily was full of secrets. Bottled up with secrets. Over the years, the secrets spilled out.

She lost a child to miscarriage.

She had several abortions before Kendra came along.

Her husband had affairs with other women.

She had an affair of her own. A lovely man, she told Kendra. A man already married with children of his own. A man rich beyond compare. But a man who would never leave his family, even if Emily were to leave hers.

And now her latest bombshells. She poisoned her husband. And Kendra had a twin sister.

Since Emily’s previous confessions had been told repeatedly, varying only slightly in their retellings, Kendra believed her then, which meant she had to believe her now. She and Birdie tried to draw her out, but Emily was tired and said she wanted to take a nap. She climbed upstairs with her caretaker in tow, and Kendra left the house shaken up and bewildered.

In the days to follow, she sought out her father’s physician and asked her whether Alan had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. The doctor was kind. She was caring. She reached for Kendra’s hands. She held them gently. She looked into her eyes as she spoke. She told her the hard truth with soft words. Mac was suffering from pancreatic cancer. It was caught too late, but even had the disease been diagnosed earlier, the prognosis would not have been good. She had given him the choice of a surgery that could have extended his life for six months to a year, perhaps longer, who knew. He was the only one who could make the decision. She told him this and everything else he ought to know. He needed time, he told her, to talk it over with his wife and put his affairs in order. He never returned. She read about his death in the obituaries. His demise had come quicker than anticipated, but sometimes it happened that way. A fast death, she told Kendra, was better than a lingering one. Did Kendra have a chance to say goodbye? Soulfully she shook her head and left the doctor’s office dry-eyed. She went home feeling empty. Then she felt guilty. Guilty that her father did not love her enough to confide in her. Or possibly, loved her too much. Or didn’t think she could handle the truth. Then she was angry.

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