Jana Nolan
Earth Star Publications
www.earthstarpublications.com
FIRST EDITION
All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 1998 Jana Nolan
ISBN 0-944851-13-4
CONTENTS
PART I: VENGEANCE
1. Remembering . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2. A Different Place . . . . . . . . 14
3. An Experience to Remember . . . . 27
4. Learning a Lesson . . . . . . . . 34
5. Whatever Happened to Tommy . . . 42
6. What's Next . . . . . . . . . . . 50
7. The Search . . . . . . . . . . . 62
8. Dreams . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
9. Needing Shelter and Help . . . . 76
10. Trouble . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
11. Something Kept Hidden . . . . . . 91
PART II: DEPRIVATION
1. The New Arrival . . . . . . . . . 98
2. Days of Beth . . . . . . . . . . 105
3. A New Friend . . . . . . . . . . 112
4. Return to Newman . . . . . . . . 117
5. Danger is the Game . . . . . . . 122
6. Visitors . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
7. Accidents Happen . . . . . . . . 136
8. Poison Can Hurt of Kill? . . . . 144
9. Certain Things Should Go Unsaid . 153
10. Plan in Action . . . . . . . . . 159
11. The End of the Beginning . . . . 165
PART III: PAYABLE IN FULL
1. Here One Day, Gone the Next . . . 174
2. The Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . 179
3. Revenge and Delivery . . . . . . 184
PART TWO
Chapter 1
The time was 6:03 a.m. in Newman, Georgia, on a hot summer day in July. A tall, middle-aged man by the name of Allen Wellington sat down at a long oak table with his wife of twenty-five years. She, too, was tall with brown hair and some graying around the temples of her narrow face. Her name was Sally Wellington.
The table where they sat was surrounded by a dozen oak chairs with material that Sally had bought in Paris, France. The entire mansion was filled with expensive furniture that only the rich could afford to buy.
Allen sat there sipping a cup of tea while Sally neatly covered her lap with a lace napkin and tapped ever so lightly on her crystal glass. She wanted the servant to fill it with just a touch of white wine. Allen looked at Sally and slowly raised his right eyebrow. He thought it wasn't the time of day to partake of such spirits. She, on the other hand, believed that wine would help her to cope with the many things that needed to be taken care of.
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Allen and Sally were childless and getting on in years. They had tried for several years to have a child, but for some unknown reason found that it was useless to keep trying. They had learned to accept the reality that they would never be blessed with an heir to their fortune. They were filthy rich in material things, but not rich in the love that they knew they could never give to their own flesh and blood.
Their lives were filled with meaningless pleasures, and each day that passed before them was spent wanting something they couldn't buy. They had spent a small fortune on attorney fees, trying to find just the right child to take into their lives as one of their own. Each time they thought that their attorney had found the perfect one to adopt, they would be disappointed. Either the child would be too old and untrustworthy, or small and troublesome. After several times trying, they were ready to accept their unfortunate loss.
As Sally tapped on her glass, a younger woman name Marie came into the room. She was the maid. She had heard Sally tapping and came to see what it was that her mistress needed. Marie bowed slightly and asked what she could do for her. She said, "Madam, is there something I can get for you?"
"Yes, Marie. I would like a small glass of white wind," Sally replied.
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"Yes, madam," Marie answered as she walked toward the wine cabinet to obey the request of her mistress.
"Sally, don't you think it's a little early for the spirits?" Allen asked.
"I don't think that my morning habits are any of your business, Allen. You know that wine relaxes me and helps me get through the day," Sally said in disgust.
Allen shook the newspaper slightly and looked over the top of it briefly at Sally. He knew that there was nothing he could do to change her, and that there was no way he would win an argument against her. Inside he knew the real reason why Sally drank wine. She had a sad inner unhappiness because of being childless. Allen watched Marie enter the room with the glass of wine for Sally. Marie asked if there was something else she could do for them, and Sally replied that there was nothing else at the moment that they needed. Marie bowed and left the room.
Sally saw the quick look that Allen gave her from the top of his newspaper as she frowned back at him. Then she sat there sipping her wine.
The clock read 6:30 a.m. and there was a chime from the front door. Both Sally and Allen wondered who would be bothering them at that time of the morning. They sat still at the table until Marie once again entered the room to tell them there was a young woman at the door. She had said that it was urgent to speak with them.
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Sally and Allen rose from their chairs and walked into the parlor to greet the young woman. "What can we do for you?" Allen asked.
"I am really sorry to bother you at this time of the day. I was happy to hear that someone was awake. As you can see, I am going to have a baby. As I was driving into town to the hospital, my car broke down. I have been in labor for a while and my pains are getting closer each minute! I have no way of getting to the hospital. Could I trouble you for a ride?" the young woman asked.
"Certainly you may," Sally said. "I will have Justin bring the car around. He can drive you there right away."
With all the kindness that Sally extended to the strange woman, it made her feel grateful, but suspicious of the jealous expression that appeared on Sally's face. When Sally left the room to summon Justin, the young woman felt faint and started to drop to the floor. Allen saw her falling and held out his arms to catch her when she fell forward. He carried the woman to the sofa and called Sally back into the room to help.
Meanwhile, Marie had gone to the phone to call the Wellington family doctor, who happened to be in another town close by, seeing a patient that couldn't make it into town. The doctor assured her that he would come as quickly as he could to the mansion to see to the young woman.
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The labor pains had become shorter, and both Sally and Allen knew that there was no way that the doctor would make it there in time to deliver the baby. So they did what needed to be done. They sent Marie to fetch a clean sheet from the linen closet. Sally placed the sheet over the woman and helped her take off her lower garments.
As the pains became more intense, Allen sat next to the woman, holding her hand. Before long, Sally could see that it was time for the woman to push hard. It was time for the baby to be born.
The young woman squeezed Allen's hand. He could tell that she was weak and tired. She pushed and beared down as hard as she could, and Allen and Sally watched as the baby entered the world. Sally caught it in her arms. Tears ran down her face as the newborn baby cried and the screams of the young woman stopped. Sally and Allen were happy that they were able to help this poor young woman.
As everyone sat there watching the new baby, the woman stared to cry and scream once again. She was having more pain.
"Why am I still hurting?" the woman screamed.
"It looks to me like you are having another baby, my dear," Sally said in amazement.
"The doctor never told me I was having two babies!" the woman screamed.
"Well, you are!" replied Allen.
"It will be easy this time. Just do what you did before," Sally told the woman.
"I don't know if I can. I am so tired and weak," the woman said as sweat ran off her forehead.
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"You will be fine. Don't give up now!" Sally said.
The young woman kept pushing until the second child was born. After giving birth a second time, the young woman fell asleep, and lying there in Sally's and Allen's arms were two of the most beautiful baby girls they had ever seen. Even though they were happy for the young woman, they felt cheated and angry because the woman had been blessed with two healthy babies and they couldn't have the one child that they had desperately longed for.
Jealousy had taken over their souls and there was only one thing they wanted to do.
Marie had seen the one baby being born and they knew that when the woman woke up, she wouldn't remember the other baby that she had given birth to. This was their opportunity to take what they felt rightfully belonged to them.
Allen loved Sally. He knew that this was what she needed to make her feel complete. He would do anything for her, even steal another woman's child!
Allen watched as Sally cut the umbilical cord which connected the mother and her two daughters. She tied it and smiled connivingly at Allen. She wrapped the babies in blankets and put the firstborn in her mother's arms. Then she turned to Allen and made him promise her that no one would ever know the truth!
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When Allen gave Sally his word, she took the precious bundle of joy out of the parlor. She shut the door behind her and carried it close to her heart as she walked slowly up the stairs to the master bedroom. She took a wet washcloth from the bathroom and gently washed the newborn baby. She put the baby in the crib that stood in the middle of the room. Sally stood there until the baby went to sleep. She no longer felt the emptiness that had been inside of her.
When Sally walked back down the stairs to go into the kitchen, she noticed that Marie was acting peculiarly. Sally realize that Marie had heard the other baby cry, or saw her carry it up the stairs. Feeling that Marie might betray her and Allen, Sally told her that she must never reveal to anyone anything about that day. Before the day was done, the baby would be named Beth Wellington. Beth would someday be the new heir of Wellington Industries. From this day on, Sally and Allen would give her everything she ever dreamed about. The only thing that she would never know would be the face of her real mother.
Sally believed that this wasn't important. Beth's mother couldn't love or take care of her the way that she and Allen could. At last their hopes and dreams had come true. They had their very own baby.
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Chapter 2
Marie swore with her life that she would never tell anyone the truth about baby Beth. She also told Sally that she would never tell Beth who her real mother was. As far as everyone knew at that time, the news of her arrival into the home of Sally and Allen Wellington would remain a secret all the days of her remaining life.
Sally wanted to believe Marie, so she took the baby bottle of warm milk from Marie's hand and walked back up the stairs to feed her baby. She held Beth close to her and smiled at all the little yawns and noises that she made. When Beth fell asleep, Sally laid her back down in the crib and left the bedroom. She went downstairs to see if the young woman had awakened.
After the conversation in the kitchen with Sally, Marie took a pan of warm water to the parlor to wash the other baby. Sally entered the room as there was a knock on the front door. Marie went to answer it. The doctor had arrived and the young woman was awake.
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The doctor checked to make sure that everything was right with the new mother and her baby. Sally and Allen looked at one another, waiting to see if the woman remembered her second child. She was tired, weak and confused about everything. There was no remembrance of Beth. The doctor helped the woman to her feet and made sure that Marie carried the baby out to his car. Feeling that he had helped commit an awful crime of stealing another woman's baby, Allen told Sally that he felt guilty for being a partner in her sin and crime. He said that if the day came where the woman remembered the birth of her second child, they would return her to the authorities and beg for forgiveness and hope that the young woman would forgive them.
Even though Allen had spoken these words to Sally, she could see that he was just as proud and happy to have this child that they had chosen to be their own at their side for the rest of their lives. He held Beth in his arms and close to his face. He kissed her tiny body and told her that she was his daughter now and that he would make sure that she wanted for nothing all the days of her life.
Sally and Allen stood at the head of Beth's crib, holding one another and crying with joy. Sally's dreams had been fulfilled.
Days passed and seasons changed. Sally and Allen felt safe from the sin that they had committed. They had not heard from the young woman and felt that she didn't know that she had given birth to two babies.
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One day Sally took Beth into town with her. She was approached by several ladies, one of whom was the biggest gossip in town. Her name was Margaret Sterling. The ladies and Margaret wouldn't be satisfied until they interfered with Sally's life. They wanted to find out everything about Sally and Allen's personal life. The ladies asked Sally when she gave birth to her baby. They said that no one knew that she was expecting a child. Sally was prepared for talk amongst the townspeople. She told them that she gave birth to Beth at home and that the baby was born early. The gossipy women agreed that this would explain why she never looked pregnant.
Sally had told so many lies to to so many people, she was starting to believe each untruthful word that came out of her mouth. She walked away.
Sally and Allen had done everything that they promised Beth they would do. They bought her everything that money could buy and gave her more love than any child could ever want.
Everyone in the mansion, including the servants, had watched her grow from an infant to a crawler and then to a toddler. She was adored by everyone.
Sally and Allen had their will changed so that Beth would be their sole heir of all of their possessions, including the Wellington Industries. Their loving daughter had everything a girl could want, except for one thing. The truth.
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Years passed and it was the day of Beth's sixteenth birthday party. She had a pool party and several of her friends from the private school that she attended had come to the mansion to help her celebrate.
Beth had grown into a tall, beautiful brunette with eyes as blue as the sky. She had the figure of a magazine model and her smile lit up a room. Even though she had all the luxuries of life, she remained an unselfish young woman without a spoiled bone in her body. People couldn't help but notice how different she was from Sally and Allen. They wanted the best of everything. Beth was satisfied with the simplest of things. Some people even made bad jokes about how Sally must have been getting more than eggs and butter from the milkman. This only hurt Beth when word of it got back to her. She, too, could tell that there was something very different between her parents and herself.
Beth went to Sally and asked questions. She said, "Mama, why are people saying things bad about you and me?"
"My precious Beth, don't let the talk upset you. You got most of your values from a great-aunt that no longer is alive." Sally knew that this was a horrible lie, but refused to tell Beth the truth! This answer would calm her down until talk in town started back up again.
While Beth and her friends played tag in the pool, Allen told Sally some bad news. He told her that he had learned from a private source that Beth's real mother had been killed in an automobile accident.
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He said that a young woman was also killed and that he believe that this woman was Beth's twin sister. Sally swallowed and wiped sweat away that had formed on her brow. The thought of Beth's real mother and sister being killed made her very ill. All she could think about was the awful thought that her precious Beth could also have been in the accident. This horrible thought only made the Wellingtons more protective and wanting to give her more material things to show their deep love for her.
After the party was over, Beth climbed the stairs in the mansion to go to her room. She had found out that a certain boy whom she had liked for quite some time felt the same way that she did. They had shared their first kiss. Beth imagined how wonderful it would be if someday the two of them could be together forever. She tried to share her feelings with Sally. Very seldom did Sally and Allen raise their voice at Beth, but they were both afraid that things were getting too serious with this boy and their beloved daughter, and they weren't ready for her to grow up and move away with another person other than themselves. They even talked about moving to another town, or maybe a different state, to keep this from happening. They weren't ready to share Beth with anyone else! It was odd how possessive they were with this young girl.
The next day Allen found out that it was true about Beth's mother being killed. The talk around town was that the young girl who was with her was so messed up that the authorities couldn't tell if it was her daughter or a stranger who was riding with her in the car.
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Two more years passed and the Wellington' worst nightmare came true. Their little girl was eighteen years old and a graduate from the private school that she had attended. She was getting ready to leave and go away to a university. She was very excited about the prospect of leaving her hometown and parents. She couldn't wait to be out on her own! The servants had packed some things for her to take with her and put them in the back of her expensive car. Beth was ready to partake of a new life for herself and a new home in a new town.
Sally and Allen were old and fragile. They had spent the best part of their lives raising Beth to be the kind, sweet person that she was today. Sure, they had problems and acted weird and possessive. Marie would go to Beth and tell her not to be so critical of them, that they loved her more than anything they had or ever could have. Sally didn't like it when Marie talked to Beth. The one person who knew the truth about their precious daughter was talking too much. She was afraid that Marie might make a mistake and tell Beth the wrong thing. At times, Sally felt relieved because Beth's real mother was dead, and she knew that the link that was between her real mother and her sister would never happen. She knew that it was time for her to tell Marie how she felt. She went to her and told her that if she didn't stop her interfering, it would be the end of her employment with them.
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Marie wasn't a young woman any longer and she had been a servant at the Wellington house for most of her life. This was the only real job she had done. She knew that if Sally fired her, it would be hard for her to find another job. The next time Beth came to her to talk, Marie told her that she would miss her sweet smile and miss having her around. Then she left Beth standing all alone in the room.
When Beth was telling Sally and Allen goodbye, she could see the pain that her parents felt. Their glowing faces that expressed their deep love for her was now a sad look that she would see in her mind forever.
Nevertheless, she was a grown woman and ready to start her new life.
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Chapter 3
The moment that I had been waiting for finally came. It was time for me to leave the mansion and be on my way to a new and different lifestyle than what I was accustomed to.
I said goodbye to my parents and noticed Marie, Justin and the other servants standing by an upstairs window, waving and smiling down at me. The day of my departure had been on everyone's lips for several days. I was ready for this to happen. I felt like I needed the independence and freedom of a young adult. Also, it would be nice not to have the influence of my parents looking over my shoulder at everything I said and did.
As I turned the key to start my car, I waved one last time at my parents, who continued to wave back at me, even when I had left their sight.
It was going to be a long drive to Birmingham, Alabama, and I had made up my mind that I was going to keep driving until I reached my destination. While driving on the highway, I noticed that a small, black car was following me.
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I had seen it in my rear-view mirror several miles back, but thought that maybe the person driving it was going to the same city I was going to. So, I just shrugged my shoulders and kept driving down the highway. Many times I would glance in the mirror to see if the car was still behind me. For a brief moment I wondered if my parents had hired someone to tail me. I knew how overly protective they were of me. They found it hard to believe that I, their precious Beth, was a grown woman who could take care of herself.
Once it became dark it was harder for me to see the car that was trailing me. There were so many cars on the highway, it was impossible for me to be able to tell which car was which.
As I reached across my car to turn on the radio, I noticed that the gas gauge was moving toward the empty mark. There was no way that I would make it to Birmingham without stopping for fuel. It wasn't long before I saw an exit for food, lodging and gas. I took the exit and watched to see if a car turned off shortly after I did. Instead, I saw nothing. Apparently the car that had been following me had stopped or didn't see me leave the highway. In any case, this made me feel safe again.
While a man pumped gas into my car, I went inside to buy a bottle of pop. As I stepped up to the counter, a young woman like myself stepped forward at the same time. She had in her hand the same brand of pop I had. Of course, I apologized to her for stepping in front of her.
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She told me that it was her fault and that she would pay for my drink to make up for her rudeness. This gesture impressed me, so I told her that she could pay.
I noticed that there was something familiar, yet strange, about this woman. Whenever I started to say something, the strange young woman would say and do things at the same time that I did them. We both found this amusing and so we stood inside the store and laughed at one another. After we had talked for several minutes, I discovered that my new friend was also going to the university in Birmingham. This was great! I hadn't even gotten to my destination and I had already found my first new friend!
I asked her what her name was and she replied, "My name is Alice." I told her what my name was, and we promised to find each other at school. I could see that the girl was dressed more casually than I was. She was wearing a pair of torn Levis and a plaid shirt. I knew from the way she was dressed that she had come from a poor family.
I watched her walk out the front door. By the time I had gotten outside, there was no sight of my new friend.
As I drove on to Birmingham, I listened to the radio and thought about all the things that Alice and I could do in between classes and boys. I glanced to the side of the highway and saw the sign, YOU ARE NOW ENTERING BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA. PLEASE DRIVE SAFELY!
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It was too late for me to go to the dorm. I checked into a motel room that wasn't far from the university. As I walked back to my car, I saw a small black car in the parking lot. It looked like the exact one I had seen for several hours on the highway following me. Once again I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Oh well. It's probably just a coincidence." If only I would have raised my head upward at that moment, I would have seen the person who was watching my every move from the motel room across from mine. Instead I kept walking back to my room to sleep.
The next day, when I left the one place that may have given me sanctuary, I saw that the black car was gone.
After returning the motel key to the office, I left and drove to the university. Slowly I pulled into the parking lot and stopped my car. I put the top up on my convertible and straightened my collar on my dress coat. I stood there in amazement, watching the school and staring as students walked past me with their books. As I looked around, I kept hoping that I would see Alice from the gas station. For some unexplainable reason, I felt some kind of connection with her, even though we had just met.
I walked away from my car and crossed the grass to take a shortcut to the university. I climbed each step and went inside the huge building. By the doorway there was a list of numbers for each room. I walked the hall until I found the office.
After entering the room, the woman at the counter asked who I was. On her desk was a list of names. She found my name and had a girl take me to my dorm room.
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As the young woman and I walked down the hall, we talked. "That woman never introduced us," I said.
"My name is Becky. I work in the office helping out from time to time. This helps them and it also helps me. I get to meet a lot of nice people that way," Becky said.
"The day that I received my letter from the university, telling me that I had been accepted, was one of the best days of my life. I never thought I was smart enough to get into a big university like this one!" I said.
"This is my second year here and I love it," Becky replied. "The professors are real good, and the boys get cuter each year."
We giggled as we talked and then Becky told me that we had arrived at my dorm room. She wished me luck with everything and then gave me the key to the door. Becky turned and walked away.
I unlocked the door and went into the room. I looked around at each new surrounding. Everything was different from the mansion I had grown up in. It was time for me to set my bag down on the floor. I sighed and smiled with contentment. I had reached my destination and knew exactly what I wanted out of it. I knew that my parents were lonely once again without me, but soon I would be returning home for the holidays.
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Chapter 4
Several days passed and I had ...
...
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