Fairchild's 7 Daughters-The 12: Book One

22. Should old aquiantance be forgot

"Dear Miriam I regret to inform you that there has been an accident. Your sisters Astrid, Heloise, Alifair and Hannah have perished. I wish I could tell you this tragic news in person, but I am not able to make the journey. They were out on the lake and fell through the ice. An effort was made to rescue them, but nothing has been recovered. When this letter reaches you, please write back to this address and I will mail you their things. My sincere condolences.

Linda

"How does that sound."

"Like you don't mean a word you just wrote.

Linda shot a cold look at Benedict and wadded up the paper. She pitched it at him and it bounced off his chest. "You write it then!" She sat down at the table and crossed her arms. "No one has seen or heard from them and it's been near a week. They are most likely dead." She picked at a gnarl in the table. "Perhaps I shouldn't have ran my mouth to Kincaid so much back then."

"Regrets?"

Linda smacked the table. "I'm only mean that Miriam confided in me during her respite. I was as wild as the stories she told me about that old house, and I knew Kincaid wouldn't be able to resist them either." She looked toward the lone window. "Have him get that child out the snow. She would have talked by now. Don't you have all the answers yet?"

Benedict slouched in his chair and stretched his legs out.

Linda caught the smirk on his lips and stood up in a rage. "There is something you're not telling me." She marched over to him. "You tell me right now!"

Benedict stood, forcing Linda to step back. "Woman, you are heading down a dead end fast! I warned you once, watch yourself. Your own greed will be your undoing." He took his coat off the back on the chair and shrugging it onto his shoulders; he walked outside the rickety boat house down the high weathered steps.

As usual Kincaid had the girl lying exposed to the unforgiving and merciless North Carolina winter. The salt breeze was blowing off the water tangling in with the cold. Kincaid looked over his shoulder when he heard Benedict coming through the snow. "What now?"

Benedict glanced down at the girl. Before her dark eyes pled for mercy but they were vacant now though to him she always seemed aloof. Yes, he remembered it as well as the blissful summer days which seemed a myth now. He was familiar with Fairchild's daughters. He thought one of the eldest ones was rather attractive, but he couldn't remember which one she was. This one; however, seemed to be frozen in growth both physically and mentally. He had concluded that she was touched in the head.

Unbeknownst to him he wasn't the only who thought so. Most people in town did and contributed it to a complication at birth or an accident soon after. Her parents insisted she had a normal human brain but it was no secret to the town that Astrid was kept home more than the others.

"We have to do something about Linda."

"Like what?"

"Something."

"Do be more specific, Ben. By your opinion you'd like to see her go the way of Pharaoh."

Benedict scoffed. "And you wouldn't? She's a hindrance. A whistle blower just waiting for the right moment and you showed her the scroll."

"The scroll is safe," Kincaid said patting his chest. He always kept it on him. "I had to give her something to keep her quiet."

"I don't even see why we should keep her around." He hugged his body, rubbing his arms. "It's cold out here." He looked down at the girl then back at Kincaid who watched her trembling with a blank face. "You still have feelings for her don't you?"