Our Sick Inheritance (editing)

Ch 117 Colin - (Time to Run Faster))

A sudden rush of weakness overtook Colin and he felt dizzy. He felt worse than he had ever. His soul was carrying a heavier load than what he was able to handle, and his body was paying the price. Colin felt so frozen inside, that not even a shower couldn't wash away his sins.

Thoroughly he cleaned out and vacuumed Tessa's old room. He didn't necessarily feel free because her ghost was still wandering the property, but he felt free from the addiction now that someone besides him knew about his doll. To not need it made him feel sad and happy at the same time. At least getting rid of his Tessa doll would be easier for it would free him completely. The memory of the look on Nate's face when he found his Tessa doll now made Colin laugh a little too hard.

A fresh flow of nausea ripped through him. The constant urgency to get away was overwhelming. Fighting the clock was harder than not being Superman. Now he just needed to retire from it all, the drama, the deceptions, and the secrets. If he didn't take care of this situation now, he wasn't going to have secrets to keep. Colin was too tired, too sick, and too old. This all had to stop.

Worried that anything could be tied to Nate, Colin thought of the Idaho cabin where Dana was buried. He remembered how fast Tessa had wanted to sell it, which pissed Colin off. He could never had sold it because that was where Dana was buried. At least Nate would be able to go there whenever he wanted to be close to his biological mother, even if her resting place was in the ground.

The hope that the police wouldn't need to ever visit the cabin was almost too much to wish for. It was bad enough that Colin had brought up Daryl. The inside of his head was screaming at every word Kyle was letting out of his mouth. Colin felt so scared and guilty over Stacy that he almost confessed it all. Only the images of Anna and Nate that he was able to push down every confessional thought.

For the millionth time, Colin ran an outline of events of Tessa's and Dana's murder though his head just to be sure there wasn't anything that could be led back to him or his family. There wasn't anything that Daryl could say to counter Colin's statements. It was just uncomfortable that Tessa's story even popped back up. All because of Anna.

Damnit Anna, Colin repeated.

It would have been fine had it all looked like a serial killer did it. Now that he knew his son was responsible for what they are calling The Westcoast Runaways, Colin knew his job wasn't done. New technology made hiding anything was impossible. There had to be a better way to cover everything up. He needed to talk to Nate. With a glance at his phone, no other messages registered. He wondered if Nate was sleeping or with Kayleen.

It was risky to throw the police off Anna's trail for a few days knowing that she was going to be home tomorrow and they were going to head out immediately. By then Colin would have come with a good reason for the sudden departure.

Colin knew that Kyle was looking for his daughter because she didn't show up where she was supposed to be. He hoped the distraction would give them time to escape without interviews. Kyle seemed to be a worried father which could buy them time or push for justice depending how fast his daughter was found.

Alone in Colin's room, he made sure he had out the instructions stating what was in the packed boxes against the wall and what was to happen to them. The boxes that were leaving with them when they boarded the boat for Anna and Harmony were clothes of Tessa's for them to do what they wanted. Nate would handle the instructions of the rest of the boxes to get to their destinations.

Colin was fully packed and ready to leave the moment Anna got home.

Except for Tessa. It was time to prepare his Tessa for her cremation.

All that was left to do was wait for midnight to arrive.

Colin sat in the lowly lit room just watching the snow fall in flakes the size of tea saucers with a glass of wine in his hand. Immediately the feeling of anger started to build so he took another swallow of his wine to force himself to relax. He felt like a scientist's toy, controlled by pushed buttons to test emotional reactions reaching just to a boiling point then doused in ice cold water. He wondered if this is what menopause felt like for women. He was having a hard time controlling his thoughts, actions, and sweat glands. Both the worrying and waiting were getting ridiculous.

So close to freedom. Anna's Diamond Island. Her very own island that Colin constructed a miracle on. Everything was set up for them. Doctors and a large medical staff were waiting also for Colin to arrive. That group included a psychiatric team because Colin knew he wasn't going to be around long, and he needed them to take care of Anna. He didn't have much time left and his control was dropping. He felt like he had split personalities at times. There was only one role he wanted to settle into while he was still alive. Colin had pictured life with Anna in her forties with her family and he would retire from traveling so he could settle down and be the grandfather he had always wanted to be. That just wasn't the plan that was to be. Colin felt cheated. He didn't want Anna to feel cheated. No matter what, she was still his daughter and Nate was his son.

With a last check of his phone, Colin decided he had time for a nap and went up to his room. He set his alarm for twelve o'clock at night.

It was the first he slept soundly in a long time, which is what he figured was a gift from the Devil.