Status: This is only gonna be three-chapters, so don't expect anything long.
Prevention
Chapter 3: Discovery
30 years later
“Here lies Judith Melissa Baker. Loving wife, mother and loyal friend.”
Zack cried. He knew the attic was not the best place to be for a man his age, but it was the only quiet place he could go. He did not want his children seeing their father cry like a baby. They would have fully understood he was sure, but he could still not let them. Daddy was a rock. Daddy was going to get everyone through this because he had to. Judie wasn’t around to help anymore, so he must go through this tragedy alone.
Looking around at the boxes, Zack decided to look. James had put away some of his mother’s things after she had left for the hospital. Perhaps he could find them again. He needed to see something that would remind him of his beautiful, loving Jude. Zack wanted to keep at least a piece of the woman that had comforted him through his hardest times, and loved him when he was wrong. Standing up, he walked to the nearest box and began his search.
He did not find anything of Jude’s he wanted to keep. Zack knew he was being picky, but he wanted whatever he chose to be special. He wanted something that he can look at and smile, because it brought back such a happy memory. After scanning through several boxes, Zack finally came to the last one. It was a box whose lid had a small dent in the middle of it near the corner. Zack assumed, at some point, Judie had stuck her tiny foot on it to grab for something at the top.
‘But for what?’ He wondered. There was nothing up there except wall.
Taking a clear look at the top, he noticed a very peculiar trace of lines in the old, blue wallpaper. They were in the shape of a square and looked as if it had been cut in there precisely. Zack guessed it was some kind of secret space where Judie might have kept some things. She always did have her little secrets, but Zack found out about them eventually. Perhaps he would find his special keepsake in there that he could take.
He stood on a nearby stool he had stacked there a few months ago, and became at level with the lines. The wallpaper had small yellow ducks on it that were now peeling off, and the lines looked as if they had been chewed into by termites. Holding onto a railing above him, Zack imagined, for a moment, Judie yelling at him about him being up there so high. She had always been overly-concerned about his health and well-being, which he appreciated. Gena, his first fiancé, had never been such a way. Judie would tell him that a man at his age could fall and break his neck like a toothpick.
Zack would just tell her, ‘I’m as strong as an ox, baby.”
Carefully, Zack slipped his fingernails in between the cracks, and pulled out the small square block. He took a glance at the wood, feeling how light it was and seeing small holes it the sides, then he took a peek inside. There was not much there except a stack of old papers and a few cobwebs. Grinning to himself, Zack removed the papers from their holding place and climbed down from the stool. He took a seat; unfolded the papers and began to read:
“June 15th, 2010,
I finally did it. I finally killed that little bitch, Gena. All it took was a small shove and some good acting. Now Zacky’s all mine-“
Thump!
Zack dropped the wooden block, staring at the paper but not really reading it. Shock spread throughout his entire body and down into the pit of his stomach. He could not believe it. It could not be true. Jude had always been so honest with him. She told him, that night, that Gena had jumped off herself. She had said that Gena had been talking about it. She had apologized and comforted him all those seven months Gena had been gone. It had all been an act. Jude killed Gena-from what it said in further entries-because it was to prevent Zack and her from getting married. Jude had wanted Zack from the moment she met him; she planned on marrying him and having children with them. Gena had gotten in the way of that.
Jude had to stop it.
What was worse was Zack had been the one that initiated the plan. He had told Jude to go talk to Gena for him, because the girl wouldn’t talk to him. If he had not done that, perhaps Gena would be alive.
No. She wouldn’t be. Jude would have found another way. She always found a way.
This obsession she had for him was insane. All she wrote about was him. Some pages even had cut up pictures of them together, with small hearts around it. ‘Mrs. Judith Baker’ was written everywhere in all kinds of colors; lists of baby names were on a page, and a picture of Gena with red X’s on her eyes was there. It was no wonder now why Judie had always been so caring and loving. She had always been so willing to please him. She would bend over backwards to do whatever he wanted her to. He remembered once, how angry she had gotten when she had accidentally made pork for dinner instead of chicken, like he wanted. She cried for hours about it.
Looking away from the papers in his hand, tears came to Zack’s eyes. Gena was dead because of him. He had been the object of Jude’s crazy obsession, and if he had not dated Gena, she would be alive. Her dating him-being engaged to him-had made her a target. He had put that big X on her back; the bull’s-eye on her face, sentenced her to death because some crazy psycho loved him.
Zack dragged himself across the room, tears welling in his eyes, and climbed down the ladder into the hallway. All three of his children stood there, worried expressions on their faces as they watched their father walk down the stairs. He said nothing to them. Zack looked into the living room to see all his friends and his family sitting there. They were all crying or staring off sadly into space. The atmosphere in the room changed, however, when they saw Zack standing in the doorway.
He felt one of his twin daughters, Melody, come up from behind him, putting her hand on his shoulder. “Daddy-“
“She did it.”
Zack was not looking at her. He was looking at the group of people in front of him. These were the people Jude had lied to also. She had made them all believe she was such a wonderful woman, when really she was a murderer.
“What are you talking about?” Leana asked, sniffling with Valary’s arm around her.
“Jude killed Gena.”
There was silence…
“Here lies Judith Melissa Baker. Loving wife, mother and loyal friend.”
Zack cried. He knew the attic was not the best place to be for a man his age, but it was the only quiet place he could go. He did not want his children seeing their father cry like a baby. They would have fully understood he was sure, but he could still not let them. Daddy was a rock. Daddy was going to get everyone through this because he had to. Judie wasn’t around to help anymore, so he must go through this tragedy alone.
Looking around at the boxes, Zack decided to look. James had put away some of his mother’s things after she had left for the hospital. Perhaps he could find them again. He needed to see something that would remind him of his beautiful, loving Jude. Zack wanted to keep at least a piece of the woman that had comforted him through his hardest times, and loved him when he was wrong. Standing up, he walked to the nearest box and began his search.
He did not find anything of Jude’s he wanted to keep. Zack knew he was being picky, but he wanted whatever he chose to be special. He wanted something that he can look at and smile, because it brought back such a happy memory. After scanning through several boxes, Zack finally came to the last one. It was a box whose lid had a small dent in the middle of it near the corner. Zack assumed, at some point, Judie had stuck her tiny foot on it to grab for something at the top.
‘But for what?’ He wondered. There was nothing up there except wall.
Taking a clear look at the top, he noticed a very peculiar trace of lines in the old, blue wallpaper. They were in the shape of a square and looked as if it had been cut in there precisely. Zack guessed it was some kind of secret space where Judie might have kept some things. She always did have her little secrets, but Zack found out about them eventually. Perhaps he would find his special keepsake in there that he could take.
He stood on a nearby stool he had stacked there a few months ago, and became at level with the lines. The wallpaper had small yellow ducks on it that were now peeling off, and the lines looked as if they had been chewed into by termites. Holding onto a railing above him, Zack imagined, for a moment, Judie yelling at him about him being up there so high. She had always been overly-concerned about his health and well-being, which he appreciated. Gena, his first fiancé, had never been such a way. Judie would tell him that a man at his age could fall and break his neck like a toothpick.
Zack would just tell her, ‘I’m as strong as an ox, baby.”
Carefully, Zack slipped his fingernails in between the cracks, and pulled out the small square block. He took a glance at the wood, feeling how light it was and seeing small holes it the sides, then he took a peek inside. There was not much there except a stack of old papers and a few cobwebs. Grinning to himself, Zack removed the papers from their holding place and climbed down from the stool. He took a seat; unfolded the papers and began to read:
“June 15th, 2010,
I finally did it. I finally killed that little bitch, Gena. All it took was a small shove and some good acting. Now Zacky’s all mine-“
Thump!
Zack dropped the wooden block, staring at the paper but not really reading it. Shock spread throughout his entire body and down into the pit of his stomach. He could not believe it. It could not be true. Jude had always been so honest with him. She told him, that night, that Gena had jumped off herself. She had said that Gena had been talking about it. She had apologized and comforted him all those seven months Gena had been gone. It had all been an act. Jude killed Gena-from what it said in further entries-because it was to prevent Zack and her from getting married. Jude had wanted Zack from the moment she met him; she planned on marrying him and having children with them. Gena had gotten in the way of that.
Jude had to stop it.
What was worse was Zack had been the one that initiated the plan. He had told Jude to go talk to Gena for him, because the girl wouldn’t talk to him. If he had not done that, perhaps Gena would be alive.
No. She wouldn’t be. Jude would have found another way. She always found a way.
This obsession she had for him was insane. All she wrote about was him. Some pages even had cut up pictures of them together, with small hearts around it. ‘Mrs. Judith Baker’ was written everywhere in all kinds of colors; lists of baby names were on a page, and a picture of Gena with red X’s on her eyes was there. It was no wonder now why Judie had always been so caring and loving. She had always been so willing to please him. She would bend over backwards to do whatever he wanted her to. He remembered once, how angry she had gotten when she had accidentally made pork for dinner instead of chicken, like he wanted. She cried for hours about it.
Looking away from the papers in his hand, tears came to Zack’s eyes. Gena was dead because of him. He had been the object of Jude’s crazy obsession, and if he had not dated Gena, she would be alive. Her dating him-being engaged to him-had made her a target. He had put that big X on her back; the bull’s-eye on her face, sentenced her to death because some crazy psycho loved him.
Zack dragged himself across the room, tears welling in his eyes, and climbed down the ladder into the hallway. All three of his children stood there, worried expressions on their faces as they watched their father walk down the stairs. He said nothing to them. Zack looked into the living room to see all his friends and his family sitting there. They were all crying or staring off sadly into space. The atmosphere in the room changed, however, when they saw Zack standing in the doorway.
He felt one of his twin daughters, Melody, come up from behind him, putting her hand on his shoulder. “Daddy-“
“She did it.”
Zack was not looking at her. He was looking at the group of people in front of him. These were the people Jude had lied to also. She had made them all believe she was such a wonderful woman, when really she was a murderer.
“What are you talking about?” Leana asked, sniffling with Valary’s arm around her.
“Jude killed Gena.”
There was silence…