A month later
26th of April, 1970
A month has passed since Elsa Mars's show that took its place in Boston and she was being encircled by an immense crowd of admirers and people, who like her, at least. Not only the audience were doted with her, moreover after the show ended as she was back in her dressing room, her keen fans entered in her dressing room for a couple of minutes to talk with her, being photographed if they have gathered their cameras and ask for a personal autograph. Valerie, Shona and Howards' children had their opportunity to meet in person the German emigrant as they were photographed, collecting it as a piece of memory, besides receiving an autograph from her and talk along in a matter of a few minutes. Factly, they have limited time to keep in touch with the middle-aged woman, because there was a sea of impatient fans and admirers of her, who wanted to see her as she spends her final minutes in Boston with her fans as well. It was such a spectacular night for them.
Today was Valerie's birthday as she had invited only people of her inner circle to celebrate with her 30th anniversary. In the wee hours of the morning, she, Shona as Lana and Johnny helped her with tidying and sorting her one story house since the guests' should arrive in 4 o'clock.
Lana and her son were in Boston essentially, because of the redhead's birthday and marking a remarkable anniversary. They arrived in the small city of Massachusetts the day before.
After they concluded with cleaning and tidying, subsequently they took a break.
As Shona was teaching Johnny to read more fluently as he struggled to read, due to the fact, his mother didn't have enough leisure time to spend every valuable, golden moment with him, Valerie and Lana were drinking lemonades in the yard, relishing the spring ambience since the weather improved, factly, the days were warmer and emerged to be sunnier than the past weeks even months.
Bright sunrays dropped down, bathing below in saturating daylight its surroundings and ground. The sky, itself, was sufficiently lucid. No trace of whether solid or misty clouds, overcrowding the sky, concealing the scintillating sun. The both women seated on wooden chairs.
"It's so beautiful and breathtaking." The Russian-American confessed, inhaling the fresh air that cleansed her tender nostrils, closing her eyes as she sipped the lukewarm lemonade.
"Not as much as you, birthday gal!" The journalist evoked, seconds before sipping the cool beverage, resuscitating her body from the remorseless dryness. She momentarily glanced at her girlfriend.
"Lana!" She burst out, chuckling raspily.
"What's it, darling?"
"Thank you!" The younger woman couldn't suppress a growing wicked grin across her lips as the both women giggled inwardly. "But you are more beautiful," In the interim, the reporter cut her off curtly.
"Shu, shu! It's not true."
"Come on, sweetie! You are but it seems it's invisible to you."
"Not gonna lie, Lana! I am already 30. I am not young anymore."
"It doesn't matter how old are you, but the women once they age, they become like the wine." The aspiring journalist gulped in a single sip her lukewarm, sticky lemonade, leaving the glass on the grass aside, wiping with the back of her petite, smooth hand her drenched lips. "They are better." She concluded her exclaimation with a lisp.
***
"Happy Birthday, Val!" Her invited guests cried out loud euphorically in unison as she couldn't help but chuckle uneasily as she blushed, incapable of hiding it.
As the afternoon hours dawned quicker than before, the guests arrived eventually in the maid's house as the first guests were Frank and his children. Shortly after their arrival, it was the Howards, Sally, Charlotte and Ramona too.
"Thank you very much for making my 30th anniversary so special everybody!" The housekeeper expressed her gratitude from the bottom of her heart, wearing felicity on her face, exposing its genuine hues of her current emotions and feelings.
"You don't need to thank us! We are mainly here because of you." Charlotte said as she was sitting on the sofa with Ramona and Sally.
"Don't you realize how much do you respect me, thanks to your presence here?" Valerie enquired enthusiatically as she clasped an arm around Lana's shoulder as the both women's hands were occupied with glasses of champagne. "I truly cherish and appreciate it." She carried on with her utterance.
"Val?" All of a sudden, the middle-aged mother stood behind the redhead as initally she startled, refraining to squeal of the least predictable moment.
"Yes, Judy?" In this moment, the both women turned to the former nun, plainly responding her with a question.
"I don't want to sound too brash but could you please turn on the gramophone and we share a dance?"
"Of course, Judy! You mustn't blame yourself. You aren't brash." Valerie unclasped her arm from Lana's shoulder by strolling up to the gramophone, putting the needle in the wee hole of the disc, consequently music started playing in the background.
Shona and Johnny were playing outside on hide and seek with Kaitlyn and the twins, while Agnes was in Frank's arms as he was supervising her by seating on the left leather armchair, smiling to her as he admired her ethereal facial features which she has inherited from her both adorable parents. Timothy was sipping his champagne as he stood beside the coffee table.
The recent song that played on the gramophone was actually I'm Gonna Make You Mine as the instrumental commenced to play in the beginning until the main vocalist's voice dawned on the horizon:
"I'll try every trick in the book. With every step that you take, everywhere that you look. Just look and you'll find. I'll try to get to your soul, I'll try to get to your mind."
Jude ambled up to Timothy as her heels clicked against the carpeted floor, snaking arms around his shoulders as he assaulted her waist with both colossal hands, whereas Valerie and Lana were dancing with their glasses of champagne in their hands and thrumming to themselves in tipsy manner.
In this moment, Ramona, Charlotte and Sally were talking to each other as they still seated on the sofa.
"I am wondering why Frank is with Jude and Tim's youngest daughter." Charlotte whispered in Ramona's ear, eyeing the middle-aged man with silver hair skeptically.
"What's wrong with that, Charlotte?" Ramona asked her friend, glimpsing at the infant and the security guard as she couldn't contain a content smile, spread across her lips, hence, returning her gaze to the young blonde. Sally stared suspiciously at Charlotte, holding her glass of champagne. "He loves children and has a paternal instinct.
"It's not okay to throw a random, nonsensial leery comment about something which seems perfectly normal." Sally added, arching an eyebrow, sipping her champagne.
"What? I am just expressing my opinion." The young waitress retorted.
"It's alright to express yourself and your opinion but let's not get in bland discussions, Charlotte." The chubby young woman suggested.
"I'm gonna make you mine. I know I'll never give up, I'm at the end of my rope. From the morning till suppertime, you'll find. I'll be waiting in line, I'll be waiting in line."
"You are such a pretty little angel, Agnes!" Frank complimented the infant as the youngest child couldn't help but giggle in her uncle's arms, looking up at his adoring sapphire blue eyes, fueled with warmness, platonic love and effulgence.
***
A few weeks later
15th of May, 1970
Almost a month has passed since Valerie's birthday.
Today it was the youngest Howard's heir. Little did Jude and Timothy know how much bigger was Agnes Jude though her siblings weren't exceptional as well. They were mortified due to their youngest sister's rapid growth for 3 years.
While Jude was gathered with Ellie, Tristan and Agnes in the living room, sitting on the leather goth sofa, Timothy was being hard-pressed in the police station, due to the fact, he was urgently called to arrive in no time and inquire him over Briarcliff and some of his deeds, during his priesthood. He hasn't arrived at home yet. Factly, he was for a half an hour and being questioned by the police officers.
Flashback
A handful of hours ago
The late morning hours were passing peacefully with no ados at all. While Jude and Timothy were spending their time with the twins and Agnes as the entire family was gathered altogether in the living room, the both former pious members of the clergy were narrating their little rays of sunshines about their jaw-dropping youth and childhood memories, sitting on the goth couch.
"I remember, when I was around first grade, I started reading the Bible for first time." Timothy rocked the birthday girl as she laid safely in his affectionate, secure arms as Ellie was on Timothy's right side while Tristan- Jude's left side. "And when I begun reading the Bible for first time at such brittle age, I somewhat understood it though I was just," He shrugged as if he shook like a leaf. "I was just a child then."
"You were destined to be a genius, Timothy!" Jude clarified, pitching teasingly his nose as the both adults released titter from the top of their throat. "Almost no child won't dare to read the Bible at age 7."
"Mommy and Daddy?" The three-year-old future kindergartener addressed her parents.
"Yes, baby girl?" The both former pious members of the clergy turned to the youngest child, looking down at her cute, rotund face as the blonde caressed Tristan and Agnes's hairs, running her long, fine fingers through their silky scalps.
"What's the Bible and what's about?" She has heard via her parents' conversation the word Bible though little did she know what kind of script contained the thick ecclesiastical book.
"Aww, sweetheart! This hallowed book called Bible is the Christians' book. A collection of sacred text or to be exact scriptures." Timothy pecked a kiss on Agnes Jude's forehead, seconds before starting to explain to the young girl.
"Should you read it?" The little girl's inquisitiveness was perpetual and escalating, although her parents perfectly comprehended the birthday girl's words.
"Well, it depends but if you aren't a religious person, otherwise it won't be bad to read the Bible once in your life at least." Agnes instantly assimilated her parents words, memorising their rational replies. "Having a basic knowledge won't underestimate the topics you discuss with the others and it will be a big plus for ya." Jude explained this time in wise, simple way.
All of a sudden, somebody rang on the front door, drawing promptly their attention as well as they were all ears for the least predictable moment.
"Who's this?" Ellie questioned, peeping over the sofa.
"I don't have any idea. I think I should check who is it." Timothy was more than determined to check the current uninvited guest, who perturbed the family's serene, composed atmosphere that flooded the Howards two story mansion.
"No, no, my darling! I got it." Jude got from the couch, peppering with kisses on the children's cheeks and Timothy's luscious, mellow lips, persuading him to stay with the children as a better alternative. "Stay with the kids if something happens to me."
"Alright." He affirmed her words as Jude fled the living room, sauntering up to the front door by unlocking the door until a bombshell was thrown right at her as a police officer stood beside the front door.
"Good day, ma'am!" One of the cops stood before the opened front door with grimaced face. Neither exposing any kind of an emotion. The tints were timeless grayish. Face, if the death itself masked the policeman's.
"Oh, hello sir!" Luckily, the authority who was on the front door wasn't Casey. It was a paroxysme for Jude when his presence was the least expected thing which hit her like a bolt. A coy, pragmatic smile honed up in the corner of her lips. Her brutally honest hazelish-brown eyes met his amber brown, locking up his gaze. "With what might I help?"
"I am looking for Mr. Howard especially if he's right there." He cautioned sternly, dryly as he needed urgently to meet in face-to-face the former priest. In the meanwhile, Timothy got from the couch, warning the children to look after one another for a while.
"Urm, he will be right there in a second."
"Excuse me, what's going-" Timothy verged to resume his sentence until he was beyond dumbfound a cop was on the front door, speaking to his wife. "Hello sir!" The former man of the cloth stepped next to the former nun with grimaced face.
"Hello, Mister! Aren't you actually Mr.Howard, are you?"
"Indeed, I'm. What brings you here?"
"We're looking for you to come over the police station and discuss some issues together. Just us!"
"Okay! Is it necessary my wife to come with me and ask her questions?" He didn't blandly protest or question the other man, dressed in a police uniform.
"No for now until we come there for more questions to ask them directly both of you soon."
***
"Mommy, you were so beautiful baby." Agnes indicated with her forefinger the polaroid vintage photo with Jude as a baby, where's she was scarcely 1 year old.
"Thank you, Agnes!" She planted a genial kiss on her temple.
"Agnes is right, Mom! But you are still undeniably charming." Tristan confessed as a sheepish, modest smile waved up in the corner of his lips. "Ellie even thinks that."
"It's true, Tris. Mom is the prettiest woman in the world."
"You are so sweet, sweethearts!" The middle-aged lady accepted the compliments from the bottom of her heart without hesitancy.
"Where's Daddy?" Agnes posed the question desperately as she was fueled with melancholic, bleak thoughts in her mind once she thought of the younger man's absence which was a fragment of the family.
"Daddy's busy. I think he should be back soon at home." Jude tried to find the best lie so that to not upset her children especially the youngest daughter by ruining her birthday.
"If he's not," Tristan was cut off curtly by his mother, unable to resume his sentence. The sole son in the family was wondering yet why his father wasn't home and what he's supposed to do in the police station on such a remarkable day.
"Shu, shu, shu, sweetie!" The former nun shushed in low voice, opting to reassure her children and persuade them the things will be okay even if Timothy's absence endures for longer. "Sooner or later, he's going to be home."
***
"Rare bird, I am home!" Timothy was beyond overwhelmed once he arrived at home from the police station two hours, enquiring him in details over Briarcliff, his deeds and the unsigned document for Jude's release, as a result of Father McKenzie's charge. Mystic silence flooded the Howards mansion.
The silence, itself, was neither merciful, nor peaceful. It convinced him somehow the things weren't alright at all. Little did he know what might happen in a matter of minutes as soon as he towers the stairway to the second floor and discover for himself the worst may happen to him as a family man.
"Judy?" He cried out loud her name as he glimpsed like lighting into the other rooms on the first floor, checking either for Jude or the children.
No one was found in the living room, nor in the kitchen. He took off his leather jacket, hanging it on the hangs with the rest of jackets and coats. No traces of any inhabitants were left in the both rooms.
What the former holy man thought was to check upstairs what's wrong as his final hope. When he imposed upstairs to the second floor, he heard sounds of storing up garments, however, he wasn't particularly sure where she exactly stored them up.
Fortunately, the bedroom's door was askew opened, having somewhat the opportunity to peek through it by observing what's going on.
When he saw Ellie, Tristan and Agnes in the middle of the king-sized bed as Jude wasn't dressed domestically as she wore a cotton pale yellow shirt with a handful of undone buttons and short sleeves, hugging her bony torso, followed by ordinary white three-quarter practical trousers, outlining ideally her slender, long like tower legs though they were almost layered in the garment; black sneakers, shielding her feet. She wore a vintage bandana, pushing up her fringe on one side as she was with turned back, packing her and the children's clothes, lingerie and some valuable belongings in her grand leather suitcase.
What the younger man thought was actually distressing him, heartbreaking him to edges. Abundance of questions sailed in his mind, sinking in a bleak, dingy profound sea, full of dangers. He has never expected such despondency and his rare bird to box her luggage and flee within seconds his mansion without warning. Furthermore, he was uncertain what chimed her to do it otherwise.
The truth was Jude was indisputably livid, due to the fact, instead Timothy to spend the rest of the day with her and the children by celebrating and marking 3rd birthday of Agnes Jude, he's being asked by the authorities to inquire him over things where he's involved for almost three hours.
When he faintly pushed the ajar door as he stepped up in the bedroom where he shared with the woman he's doted on for years, he couldn't believe he won't share it anymore whether for a couple of days or remorseless, grim eternity, corrupting his mind with desolation, lack of love and warmness.
"Jude, what are you," He was in the middle of his sentence as she sensed his sudden presence in the room, interrupting her packing process by turning to him, casting a malicious glare on him, crossing her arms as she narrowed her elegant dark eyebrows. Grimaced, palish face was imprinted on his skull, foreboding prejudices thumping him.
"It's over, Mr.Howard! You didn't bother to not spend the entire day with us by celebrating Agne's birthday." She raised a voice as icy, wry tears betrayed to fall down on her cheeks, staining her face in crystal dew. Her frail eyelids were already pooled with invisible liquid. In the interim, the twins were somewhat certain why their parents argued and they genuinely abhorred their scandal that burst out recently, whilst Agnes abstained from peeling a word. "And you just went in the fucking police station."
"They asked me to come urgently, Jude. You don't understand how exceeding it was!" He explained rather calmly which pretty amused the older woman as he ambled up to her, attempting to comfort her and subside her unforeseen anger. "They questioned me over Briarcliff, the unsigned document where the bastard Father McKenzie accused me in unsigning it and most of all, you know."
"Do not act like two-goody shoes, Timothy! I can't believe to whom I am married to." Her hands lifted up to her temple, tipping the silken skin of her head, sighing waxily, incapable of resting for a single second, lowering her head as she was beyond ashamed for marrying a man and dedicating her entire life and heart to him when the least he deserved it. "A murder! A man who hired a former Nazi war criminal, who was the essential reason why there are so many missing and killed innocent patients. He and this poor, fragile," Bursting out weeping, sobbing inwardly as Timothy extended a hand to her chin until she pushed away it aggressively, tilting her head as she glared at him with her puffy, reddish eyes. "Once lovely nun whom I perceived as a daughter figure when the asshat demon dwelled in her body after the exorcism, tried to abdicate me and you just helped them by blindly believing them as Leigh was their team player."
To be continued...