Ruth sniffled. “I told him not to be silly. But he would not stop. He said that he wanted us to marry if anything happened to him.”
Nicholas bowed his head and studied his shoes. I can hear the pain in her voice, he thought. I know she is hurting. I do not want to hurt her further.
But I cannot marry her.
Nicholas could not stand the thought of touching Ruth. Her cold, moist skin gave him chills. And her black fish eyes repulsed him.
I have to tell her about Rosalyn. Then she will understand. She will never have to know I would not have married her under any circumstances.
She twisted her hands in her lap. “I know you do not love me. I do not love you either.”
Nicholas glanced at her, surprised. Perhaps she did not wish to marry him! He would convince her that her father would never want her to marry without love.
Nicholas felt his entire body relax.
“But we could be good company for each other,” Ruth continued. “I have plenty of money. You would never have to worry about that.” Ruth gazed at him pleadingly.
Nicholas stood and walked to the empty fireplace. Her voice held a deep sadness. He knew it would be lonely for her living in this large house all alone. But that was not his responsibility.
He turned to face Ruth. He decided not to mention Rosalyn. It might only make Ruth feel worse. “I am sorry,” Nicholas said, “but I do not think either one of us would be happy if we married.”
“You are probably right. But I had to ask,” Ruth explained. She sighed. “I owed my father that much.”
Relief flowed through Nicholas. “I will help you any way I can. I owe your father, too. He showed me much kindness.”
Ruth rose to her feet and nodded. When she spoke her voice was calm and even. “You are welcome to stay in my home as my guest as long as you like.”
“I’m not sure that would be proper,” Nicholas began. “You are an unmarried—”
“No,” Ruth interrupted. “My father would want you to stay here. If you will not do it for me, then please do it for him.”
Reluctantly, Nicholas nodded. “Very well.”
A pitiful smile touched her lips. “Thank you. I have a terrible headache. I think I shall go lie down for a while. Make yourself at home.”
Nicholas watched as she slowly shuffled out of the room. She looks so tired and frail, he thought as he sat down. Her father’s death was a horrible blow to her.
And to me, he added. And to me.
Mr. Manning could have thrown me out the day I barged into his home demanding my fortune. Instead he gave me a job.
Nicholas’s stomach cramped. Could Mr. Manning be another victim of the Fears’ bad luck?
Disaster had come to every person who had been kind to Nicholas since he arrived in Shadyside. Ike. Betsy. Mr, Manning.
Wait, Nicholas thought. Slow down. Bad luck is not the only explanation.
No, there was an explanation that made much more sense.
Jason Goode.
Jason hates me. He hated me from the beginning.
No, Nicholas remembered. Not from the very beginning. From the moment he found out I was a Fear.
He was friendly until Betsy arrived with my lunch. I thought he was jealous that she was fussing over me—but he did not know I was a Fear until Betsy used my last name.
Discovering I was a Fear changed his attitude toward me. He hated me from that moment on because of the feud between our families.
Jason knew Mr. Manning liked me and was looking out for me. Jason could not stand that. So he killed Mr. Manning.
But what about Ike and Betsy? Jason cared for them both. Was his hatred of the Fears so great that he could maim his friend and kill his own cousin?
Jason probably planned for me to be running the saw, not Ike, Nicholas decided. I was running it that morning. And I was new. I bet Jason did not think Ike would allow me to switch jobs so soon.
Jason wanted to hurtme—not Ike.
But what about Betsy? Her death was no accident meant for him.
Jason tried to keep her away from me, Nicholas remembered. Every time he saw us together, he sent Betsy away.
Maybe Jason could not stand the thought of Betsy marrying a Fear. Maybe he thought she was better off dead than suffering the bad luck of the Fears.
Jason is not going to get away with it, Nicholas swore. If it is the last thing he does, Jason will admit the truth.
And he will pay for the lives he has taken.
Chapter 25
Nicholas did not knock on Jason’s door. He slammed it open and walked inside.
Jason stood near the hearth, jabbing the fire with a poker. He spun around.
“What are you doing here?” Jason demanded. His lips twisted into a sneer.
“I came to get some answers,” Nicholas shot back. “I want to know how you felt when you saw Ike’s hand spurting blood—thanks to you.”
Jason’s eyes turned dark with anger and hatred. His body went rigid. “That was your fault!” Jason yelled. “You—”
“I want to know how it felt to kill Betsy,” Nicholas interrupted. “Your own cousin.”
“Nooooo!” Jason howled. “You killed Betsy.” He lunged at Nicholas, the poker out in front of him.
Nicholas dove at Jason’s knees. He knocked Jason to the floor.
Jason’s head hit the hearthstone with a thud.
But the blow did not stop him. Jason rolled over and straddled Nicholas, pinning him to the floor.
Jason raised the poker high over his head. Aiming it at Nicholas’s face.
He is going to kill me, Nicholas thought. He twisted his body with all his might. He knocked Jason offbalance.
The poker slid across the room and landed near the door.
Nicholas rolled free and jabbed his knee into Jason’s stomach. He grabbed Jason by the throat.
“Confess!” Nicholas yelled.
Jason wheezed, trying to speak.
Nicholas relaxed his grip on Jason’s neck. But kept his hands in position.
“Confess what?” Jason demanded.
“You killed Mr. Manning and Betsy! You set up the accident at the mill that maimed Ike. You wanted me out of Shadyside. So you attacked everyone who was kind to me.”
“I wanted you out of Shadyside,” Jason shot back. “And I threw the rock at your head—I wish now it had killed you. But that is all I did.”
“You are a liar.” Nicholas dug his knee deeper into Jason’s stomach. Jason grunted in pain. “Tell me the truth!” Nicholas demanded.
“That is the truth. I would not kill innocent people—even to hurt you. Especially Betsy.” Jason’s eyes filled with tears. “I loved Betsy. She never harmed anyone. Someone killed her. But it was not me.”
Nicholas stared down at Jason. Could he be telling the truth?
“Who killed her, then?” Nicholas asked. He released Jason. They both climbed to their feet, watching each other warily.
“You did!” Jason insisted.
“No! You are blinded by your hatred. Why would I kill Mr. Manning or Betsy?”
“You killed Betsy because she was a Goode.” Jason glared at Nicholas. “The Fears never needed a reason to kill the Goodes.”
“My mother was a Goode,” Nicholas protested. “A Goode who married a Fear.”
“I do not believe you,” Jason said. But the anger had gone out of his voice.
“I am going to find out who killed Betsy,” Jason vowed. “If you lied to me, if I find out you killed her, then I will come after you.”
“Fine,” Nicholas agreed. “And if I find out that you are the murderer, I will kill you.”
Nicholas and Jason stared at each other for a long moment. Then Nicholas turned to go.
Someone sprang out of the shadows beside the door and dashed toward Nicholas.
Chapter 26
Ruth! What was Ruth doing here?
Ruth ran past Nicholas.
With a screech, she grabbed the poker of
f the floor.
“Stop!” Nicholas yelled.
But Ruth did not hesitate. She reared back and plunged the poker into Jason’s throat.
Blood spattered across the wall.
Jason fell backward onto the wooden floor.
He gasped for breath. A wet, sucking sound.
Nicholas rushed over and grabbed Ruth’s shoulder. She twisted away from him with a snarl.
Nicholas watched in horror as Ruth turned the poker back and forth. Nicholas could hear it grinding into the floor below Jason’s neck.
Ruth had stabbed Jason so hard the poker had popped through the back of his throat.
She was insane. Completely insane.
Ruth did not appear anything like the shy, awkward girl Nicholas had come to know. Had her father’s death driven her to madness? Or had she kept it hidden away inside her always?
Bright red blood bubbled from Jason’s mouth.
He stared blankly up at Nicholas. A surprised expression frozen on his face.
“Now you will have to marry me,” Ruth said. She dropped the poker and turned around. A triumphant smile on her face.
“Ruth! Why did you kill him?Why?” Nicholas cried.
Ruth’s eyes bored into his. No more staring shyly at the ground.
“I killed him so that if you do not marry me, you will hang for murder,” she announced, her voice confident. “I will swear you killed Jason. And no one will take your word—the word of a stranger and a Fear—over mine.”
“You killed Jason to force me to marry you?” Nicholas asked. He felt dizzy and sick.
She tilted her chin up defiantly. “I decided I wanted to marry you the day I ran into you on my bicycle. And I always get what I want.”
“Even if it means killing an innocent man? What kind of woman are you?” Nicholas demanded.
His heartbeat pounded in his ears. He could hardly believe what he had seen with his own eyes. Ruth. Weak, mousy Ruth was a brutal killer.
“Jason is not the only one I killed to win you,” Ruth said in a matter-of-fact tone. “I killed Betsy. I poisoned my father. And I arranged Ike’s accident.”
Jason’s knees felt weak. What was she saying? How could she calmly explain that she had killed her own father?
“Why? Why, Ruth?”
“I did not want you to have anyone to turn to—except me. I wanted to make you absolutely powerless and friendless. So you would be forced to depend on me for everything,” Ruth explained. She sounded pleased with herself.
She really sees nothing wrong with what she has done, Nicholas realized. She wanted something—and she did what she had to do to get it. Simple.
She is evil, Nicholas thought. Pure evil.
“You said it was your father’s last wish that I marry you,” Nicholas said weakly. He had actually pitied Ruth. Wondered how she would get along without her father.
She shrugged. “I am certain it would have been his last wish—if he had had the strength to wish for anything at all.”
Ruth sauntered toward the door. “No more questions, Nicholas,” she ordered. “None of the details matter now. What matters is that I want to get married right away.”
“I will not marry you,” Nicholas vowed. The thought of spending his life with Ruth sent a shudder through him.
“Oh, I think you will. The alternative is death,” Ruth said flatly.
To Nicholas’s amazement, tears welled up in Ruth’s eyes and rolled down her cheeks. What was happening?
Ruth smiled up at him sweetly. “I can make myself cry whenever I want to, and I shall cry constantly on the witness stand. I will tell them how good my father was to you and how you repaid his kindness by poisoning him. I will tell the judge you killed Jason because he discovered the truth.”
She wiped the tears away and her eyes were dry instantly.
She would do it, too, Nicholas thought. If I do not do exactly as she wishes, she will have me hanged. How could he get away from her?
“What is your decision?” she asked. “Do you choose to die or do you choose to marry me?”
As Ruth waited for his answer, an idea began to form in his mind.
A powerful idea.
An evil idea.
Chapter 27
“What is your decision?” Ruth repeated coldly.
Die! Nicholas screamed to himself. I would rather die than marry you!
But he did not let his emotions show. He kept his face still, his eyes blank.
Ruth had played her game. She had deceived him, tricked him. She was not the pitiful, shy girl he thought she was.
But Nicholas could play her game, too. Only he had plans to change the rules until they suited him.
Nicholas stared down at Jason’s body, as if considering his options. Then he met Ruth’s gaze and smiled. “I will marry you.”
But then I will kill you and take your money, he silently added. And with your money I will marry Rosalyn and buy her everything she deserves.
* * *
Ruth made all the wedding arrangements. Two days later she and Nicholas stood in the parlor with the minister.
She told the minister she was still grieving over the loss of her father and wanted a quiet ceremony. The minister’s wife and Mrs. Baker were the only witnesses.
The minister began to read the marriage vows. Ruth repeated the vows after the minister in a strong, clear voice.
Nicholas smiled at her blandly. You think you have won, Ruth, Nicholas thought. I cannot wait to see the surprise on your face when you realize how short “till death do us part” really is.
The minister turned to Nicholas. Nicholas repeated the vows, keeping his voice neutral. He did not want Ruth to suspect what he had planned for her.
Then the minister asked Nicholas to present Ruth with a token of his love. Ruth told him she did not want a ring. She wanted the amulet.
Nicholas hated the thought of Rosalyn’s most prized possession hanging around Ruth’s neck. Touching her cold skin.
She will only wear the amulet a short time, he reminded himself. I will reclaim it when I kill her. Rosalyn will never know I used it to gain our legacy.
He took a deep breath and draped the silver chain around Ruth’s neck.
“You may now kiss the bride,” the minister said jovially.
Nicholas leaned toward Ruth. Then he jerked back.
Something was wrong with her face. The skin seemed tomove.
Maggots. Nicholas realized tiny white maggots were swarming in and out of her nose and mouth. Crawling everywhere.
Ruth reached out for him and pulled his head down to hers.
Chapter 28
Ruth smiled, and her teeth turned black with decay. They fell to the floor with littleping sounds.
The flesh ripped away from her face in chunks. He could see her cheekbones and part of her skull. One of her eyes dangled from a bloody string.
Ruth puckered her lips.
I cannot kiss her, Nicholas thought. I cannot.
The vision faded. Ruth’s appearance returned to normal.
“Kiss me, Nicholas.” She said it sweetly. But Nicholas knew it was an order.
Just get through the ceremony. You will be through with her tonight, Nicholas told himself. She will be dead tonight.
Nicholas quickly brushed his lips over hers. Ruth’s lips were cold—like the rest of her.
But they will be colder before tomorrow morning, Nicholas thought. And I will never again have to kiss them.
“I suppose you will let people know of your marriage,” the minister said after he wished them well.
“Yes, we will,” Ruth assured him. “I know we should have waited, but it was my father’s last request that we marry.”
Nicholas took her hand, forcing himself to play his role. “Yes,” he added. “And we both felt it was important to honor his dying wish.”
The minister nodded approvingly. “I am sure you two want to be alone,” he said. He ushered his wife and Mrs. Baker to the door. br />
Nicholas felt relieved when they had all given their best wishes and he could shut the door behind him.
He turned to Ruth. “I brought a bottle of champagne up from your father’s wine cellar. I thought we could make a toast.”
“Oh, Nicky! That is wonderful!” Ruth gushed. “I will change my clothes and be right back.” She hurried across the room to the stairs.
Nicky. I hate that name, Nicholas thought as he made his way to the kitchen. I hate the way Ruth is smiling and acting like a silly little girl.
She knows I saw her grind the poker into Jason’s throat. She knows I saw the horrible way she killed Betsy. Why is she bothering to pretend?
He glanced out the kitchen window. It was going to storm soon, he noticed.
Nicholas grabbed two glasses. He pulled a packet of rat poison out of his pocket and emptied it into one of them. Then he filled the glass with champagne and stirred until the poison dissolved.
The clerk at the feed store in Waynesbridge had assured him the packet was more than enough to handle all his rodent problems.
If the poison could kill all the rats in a barn, it could kill Ruth.
Nicholas filled his own glass, picked up Ruth’s, and carried them to the study. Then he settled himself in one of the leather chairs to wait for Ruth.
The sky grew dark as more thunderclouds rolled in. Then it started to pour.
“You look so serious, Nicky,” Ruth scolded. “What are you thinking about?”
Nicholas turned his head and found her standing in the doorway. She held a small wedding cake in her hands.
Lightning flashed, and the blue gems of the amulet around Ruth’s throat glittered.
Time to play the game, Nicholas told himself.
He forced a bright smile. “I was just thinking how fortunate it was that I came to Shadyside.”
Smiling, Ruth placed the cake on the desk. Then she circled behind his chair and rested her hands on his shoulders. “How sweet of you to realize so early in our marriage that you will be happy with me.”
Nicholas tilted his head back and forced himself to gaze into those dead black eyes of hers. “You were right, Ruth. We are friends. We will be good company for each other.”