Fairy Tale: Winter's Bite

Chapter 14: House Guests (Part 4)

After Gretchen returned to her neighborhood from the airport, she parked the Mercedes back in Linda's garage and spent the rest of the day drinking herbal tea and nibbling on this and that at her neighbor's house. Linda had accepted the untrue version of the story, which Gretchen continued to spin out and mix with other tales and bits of neighborly gossip.

After the winter sun had set, Gretchen wished Linda a "Happy New Year" and left the house out the back door.

For most of the day, Gretchen had been considering her nephews' advice and changing it to suit her needs. She could have disappeared from the airport, as they'd suggested, but she wouldn't have gotten very far without some of her personal belongings. Her best idea was to sneak into her house and get a few necessities—like her coat, purse, and cellphone—all of which were located in the hallway connecting her garage to her kitchen.

She would be careful to avoid law enforcement, still lingering in her neighborhood but not at full capacity anymore. If they spotted her, she would make up a good excuse, call her top-of-the-line lawyer, and would be free to do as she pleased by morning. As for the vaguely described "enemies" of her dead sister's absent husband, how threatening could they be, especially with the police still on guard at her house?

She speed-walked along the water's edge and put her hood over her head. The evening sky was clear, though the weather was far from calm. The icy wind swirled off the Long Island Sound and pierced right through her sweatshirt. With the frequent, powerful gusts, she had difficulty walking in a straight line.

Gretchen passed the dock at the edge of her property and turned away from the water. Her frigid extremities, the uneven sand beneath her feet, and a burst of wind suddenly brought her to the ground. Her ankle twisted with a crunch.

"Great," she mumbled to herself. "A trip to the emergency room is just what I need right now."

She maneuvered herself into a sitting position and tried to rotate her foot in a circle to assess the damage. The pain made her wince, but her violent fits of shivering compelled her to get up anyway.

Gretchen hobbled in a circle. With her head down, she concentrated on careful foot placement. And that's when she noticed a shadow pass through the glow of moonlight on the sand. She glanced higher and saw two legs. Startled, she brought her head all the way up with a snap. She gasped and collapsed again.

"Officer, I can explain," she said before she took in the figure's strange attire.

Three other figures stepped into her line of sight. They all wore helmets and long gray coats, and did not change course when she spoke to them.

"Stay back. Or . . . or . . . I'll scream!"

Their progress toward her remained constant.

"Please, I—"

She pushed onto her feet and tried to run, but she was grabbed from behind. There was a hand over her mouth before she had enough air in her lungs to scream.

While kicking and thrashing in vain, Gretchen was carried to the outer edge of the dock. They tossed her like she was insubstantial and pinned her down by her throat. It was high tide and a storm was coming in. Frigid water seeped into her hair. The pressure on her windpipe was strong enough to fog her vision. Her whole body began to tingle.

"That's quite enough. . . ."

The pressure on her throat eased enough for her to gasp for air.

"We don't want to kill her prematurely," a tiny but proud voice scolded. "I'd like to introduce myself. I am Prince Canis Major. And this is Lieutenant-General Crux Chavalier."

After pointing out his associate, the winged fairy hovered into the palm of a gray-clad figure, one of the four human-sized monsters keeping her head and limbs contained. "You don't seem surprised to see me, so I'm sure you know why we're here," the prince said. "Did you help the MacRaes escape?"

"No. I called the police, but they escaped on their own."

"You're lying! Make her cooperate!" the fairy ordered.

The behemoth at Gretchen's throat picked her up by the ankles and propped her body over the water.

"Wait! You're right. I did help them escape."

Gretchen was dropped back onto the dock, close to the edge. And the timing was ominous. A larger-than-ordinary wave crashed over the dock and saturated her clothes, right down to her socks.

She coughed and sputtered to bring up the saltwater and was shaking even more uncontrollably. Her body temperature was dropping dangerously low.

"Where did they go?" the other winged fairy yelled.

"I don't know exactly," she whispered between chattering teeth.

The fairy called Crux, brawnier and scarier than even the prince, came right to her face, so close her eyes crossed. His snake-like tongue flicked into the moonlight. "Do you realize your life is at stake and the lives of your children? Victoria and Anne Marie . . . am I correct? We already know they're in France."

"Don't you dare lay a finger on them!" Gretchen wanted to protect her nephews, but she wasn't willing to risk the lives of her own children. She also felt she'd acted beyond what was required of her and that Chris and Joe had a significant head start thanks to her. She convinced herself not to feel guilty. "If I tell you the truth, will you let me go?"

"You have my word," the prince replied upon Crux's slight retreat.

"Your word," Gretchen said with a bemused grin. "Well, I took them to the airport. They're trying to find their father in Hawaii."

"Where in Hawaii?"

"I don't know." Gretchen looked frantically from one angry little face to another. "Really, I don't! You have to believe me!"

"Kill her," the scary one ordered.

"Wait! I had your word! I told you what I knew! Please!"

"You had his word," Crux snarled, pointing at the prince, "not mine."

The figures in gray lifted her off the dock. With her mouth tightly covered, her scream was barely more audible than a breaking wave. She attempted to kick and flail, but she was too numb. They slit her throat and threw her into the Long Island Sound. After a few strong surges, her body was adrift.

And the only solace was that Gretchen had been so cold that she hadn't felt the pain of her own death.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

END OF PART II

Thank you for reading!