Those 70ish Girls

“Why would those two be here? And why would they be together?” Annette wondered.

It was already 4:00 a.m. so Annette decided to shower and do a little investigating before she met Jack and Kat in the lobby at 8:00. The plan was for them to compare notes before meeting with the detective at 9:00 at the Roadside Cafe.

When she first heard and then saw the couple by the pool near her patio, her first instinct was to quickly move to a corner of the patio where she couldn’t be seen by the two. She could no longer see the couple, but she could hear them.

“I want to see her. I need to see her,” Annette heard. “I should have made it happen a long time ago.”

“I’m really afraid this is going to end badly,” the other voice answered. “I hope you have a plan to get us out of here. “

“I have told you!!” The other one said angrily. “We aren’t going anywhere. Now go home. You have to be at work in a couple of hours. I’m going to my room. I’ll be in touch later.”

Annette watched as the man walked to his room. She had moved closer to the front of the patio with the goal of getting his room number. He put his key in the lock, but before going inside, he turned around and looked in the direction of Annette. Did he see her? Did she have reason to be afraid?

“We’ll wait another five minutes,” Jack said. “That will barely give us time to get to the Cafe to meet the detective at 9:00. You go to her room and knock on the door and I’ll check with the front desk to see if they have seen her.”

“Excuse me. I’m concerned about my co-worker. She was supposed to meet her cousin and I in the lobby at 8:00. Her name is Annette Morris and she’s in room 114,” Jack said.

“And your name is?” The desk clerk asked.

“My name is Jack Stein. I’m also registered here.”

“As a matter of fact, Mr. Stein, she was here about an hour ago and left you a note. Yes…here it is.”

Jack opened the envelope and began to read the note just as Kat returned. When he finished reading it, he handed the note to her.”

Jack,

I saw Paul and I’m going to find out why he’s here. Don’t wait for me, I will get to the cafe as soon as I can.

Annette

“Do you have any idea who Paul is?” Jack asked Kat.

“Not a clue.”

“I probably shouldn’t share this information,” the desk clerk said, but we have a guest registered here by the name of Paul Morris. I wonder if they’re related… Paul and Annette I mean… They have the same last name.”

Kat and Jack decided to go on to the cafe. This was something they thought the detective should know about.

When they arrived at the Roadside Cafe, the detective was already there. They showed him Annette’s note and told him they didn’t know Paul Morris, but he must in some way be related to Annette.

Sandy, the waitress came over to fill their coffee cups.

“I’m not sure if you know this,” she said. “But Annette and I have become friends and we’ve talked a lot since all of this began. Edith Morris was an evil person who deserved to die.”

“It appears so,” Kat said. “How long have you worked here, miss.. ?” Kat asked as she added cream to her coffee.

“My name is Sandy…I’ ve been here a long ten years,” Sandy answered.

“Do you know who Paul Morris is?” The detective asked.

Sandy hesitated a moment before answering. “Yes,” she said…he’s Annette’s stepfather,”

The detective quickly figured out that Jack was trying to cover for someone and he had an idea who that might be.

“Mr. Stein, did your daughter tell you that she was very overwrought when she paid Mrs. Morris a visit last evening?”

Annette overheard the conversation between Jack and the detective and interrupted.

“I was with Vanessa in my mother’s room. We were both upset. We had just learned of all the evil things she had done and we were trying to confront her about them.”

“Did she respond to you?” The detective asked.

“She was sleeping. We were about to wake her up when a nurse came in to check her vital signs.”

By this time, Kat had joined them. “I saw them both leave Mrs. Morris’ room around 7:45. I was waiting to see Vanessa. I stayed with her until after 10:00.

Jack breathed an audible sigh of relief which didn’t go unnoticed by the detective.

“Well, the nurse reported that Mrs. Morris was alive when she checked on her.” Listen…it’s late… or early depending on how you look at it. Why don’t you all go get some rest. We’ll continue with the questioning tomorrow.

This brought an objection from Jack.

“My daughter is being released tomorrow and I was planning to take her home. My other daughter is still in a hospital in Boston. They’ve both been through enough.”

“I’m sorry Mr. Stein. None of your alibis are complete…at least not until the coroner has established the time of death.”

“Detective…do I need to get a lawyer?” Jack asked.

“Well, that’s up to you, Mr. Stein. I’m a small town guy and I like to think of myself as a fair man. At this point, I’m just gathering some information. I’ll be at the Roadside Cafe at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow in case any of you would like to join me for coffee.

After they checked on Vanessa one more time, Jack, Kat and Annette drove back to the hotel. It was now 3:00 o’clock in the morning and after agreeing to meet in the lobby at 8:00 a.m., they all went to their rooms to try and get some sleep.

After tossing and turning for a few minutes, Kat finally went to sleep. Jack was sitting at the desk in his room. He was jotting down notes to share with the detective in the morning.

Annette decided she needed some air. She opened the sliding glass door and walked out onto the small patio facing the pool area. The cool air was refreshing. She was surprised when she heard what sounded like two people in a rather heated conversation. It was dark, but she was able to spot them sitting at a small table.

Though she couldn’t hear what they were saying well enough to understand what they were arguing about, she could tell it was getting very contentious. And there was something else… Annette moved back into the shadows. She recognized those voices. “Could it be?” She thought. Could it really be?”

“I don’t want to be here,” Annette said as she and Kat drove up to the hospital. “What’s the big emergency that caused Jack to want us to come here at 1:00 o’clock in the morning?”

Kat pulled into a parking spot and turned to look at Annette. She was her cousin and she had been through so much. “Annette…your mother died sometime last night. Jack doesn’t know what caused her death, but he said the police are here.”

Annette looked straight ahead. She said nothing and showed no emotion at all.

“Are you ready to go in?” Kat asked. When Annette didn’t answer, Kat got out of the car and walked around to open the passenger door. “Come on, honey,” she said. “I’ll be right there with you.”

Inside the hospital, Jack was in the waiting room hoping Kat would get there soon. He had just checked on Vanessa who had been sleeping since he had arrived at the hospital around 11:30. Thinking how grateful he was the hospital had no set visiting hours, he got up to pour himself a cup of coffee.

“Kat!…thank God you’re here. Hello Annette. Has Kat told you?”

Annette nodded, but she was looking toward the hallway. Two policemen were walking toward the waiting room.

“We’re looking for Annette Morris,” one of them said. “She’s listed as the daughter and contact person on the paperwork for a Mrs. Edith Morris.”

“Yes…I’m her daughter. I’ve just been told my mother is dead.”

“Ms. Morris…are you aware that your mother’s death was not from natural causes or an accident?”

Annette glared at the policeman speaking to her. “Of course not,” she said in a calm and measured voice. “I told you. I just learned she’s dead.”

“What was the cause of death, officer?” Kat asked.

“It appears she was suffocated. The coroner is with her now. We’re trying to establish the time of death.”

“Two of our investigators are on their way here and they’ll need to speak with you, but in the meantime, I believe there is some paper work for you to sign.”

“Can I have my cousin come with me?”

“Of course said the officer. We’ll accompany you.”

After Kat and Annette left the waiting room, the two detectives got there and introduced themselves to Jack.

“May we ask you a few questions, Mr. Stein?”

“Do you mind if I check on my daughter before we begin?” Jack asked.

When he walked into Vanessa’s room, he found that she was awake. “Hi sweetheart, did you have a good rest?”

Vanessa, who had been standing by the window, ran into her dad’s arms.

“Daddy, I’m so happy you’re here. Mrs. Morris is dead. She pushed Mom into the fire, and now she’s dead, too.”

“Honey, I’m so sorry I wasn’t here to help you when you remembered that terrible day. What she did to your mother was unimaginable. If I had known maybe I could have protected you and Alice from what she just put you through.”

“At least we know that she can’t hurt anyone ever again.” Vanessa said. “I told her, Dad. I told her I remembered everything. Annette was there, too.”

“When did you talk to Mrs. Morris, Vanessa?”

“I don’t know, about 7:00 I guess. I waited until the day nurses left.”

“What did she say when you told her, honey?”

“Nothing…she couldn’t.” Vanessa answered.

Later, when the detectives came back to talk with him, Annette, and Kat, Jack asked to talk with them privately.

“Detectives…I would like to confess. I killed Mrs. Morris.”

“I see.” The head detective pushed his hat back and scratched his head.

“She killed my wife and harmed my children. She deserved to die.”

“Mr. Stein, we’ll need to get a few details from you. Can you tell us approximately what time this occured?”

“Yes…it was around 7:00 o’clock. I came here when I got back from Brewster…before I checked into the hotel.”

“Well, the detective said. We have the notes from the nurse who checked her vital signs at 8:30. She was alive then.”

“I don’t think it’s necessary for you to go to the hospital now, Jack,” Kat said. “Vanessa was sleeping when I left her. She was so exhausted, I’m sure she’s out for the night.”

“That poor girl.” Jack was trying hard to absorb what Kat had just told him. “I made a terrible mistake when I didn’t get help for the girls after I realized they had blocked out any memory they had of that day. I was so caught up in my own grief, I didn’t think about what was best for them. They were so young.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Jack. You’re daughters adore you. I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that Edith Morris is my mother’s sister. She must have deeply resented mother for taking Jennifer away.”

“It sounds like Edith Morris was a very disturbed woman long before her Alzheimers diagnosis. I can’t believe my little girls watched her throw gasoline at their mother and push her into a fire.

I’ve got to go to the hospital, Kat. I have to be there when Vanessa wakes up.”

“I understand, Jack. I’m going to check on Annette. Regardless of the part she played in kidnapping the girls, I feel sorry for what she has had to endure. In a way, I believe her mother brainwashed her.”

Kat went to her room and thought about calling Annette. It was after 11:00 so she decided it was too late. Around 1:00 a.m. Kat’s phone rang. It was Jack.

“Kat,” he said. “Edith Morris is dead.”

“What happened? Was it something related to her injuries?”

“I don’t know, but the police are here. Can you come to the hospital right away?”

Kat quickly dressed and headed for her car. As she was about to back out, she saw Annette’s car pull in. Kat was able to catch her attention and Annette parked next to her.

“Have you talked to anyone at the hospital?” Kat asked. Since she knew very little, she didn’t know how much to say to Annette.

“No…I’ve been at the Roadside Cafe. Why do you ask?”

“I’m not quite sure what’s going on, but Jack just called and said there was an emergency. We need to get over there. Come with me.”

Annette hesitated a moment and Kat tried without success to read her expression. She was wondering if Annette already knew her mother was dead.

On the drive to the hospital, Annette looked at her phone. There were two messages…both were from her mother.

“It looks like Mother has been trying to reach me. I was at the cafe talking with Sandy. I waited until after she closed up and we had a long talk. I needed someone to listen to me.”

“You know, don’t you, Annette? You know that Vanessa remembers everything that happened the day her mother died.”

“You mean the day she was murdered, don’t you?”

“Yes…I was about to go into Mother’s room today and I overheard Vanessa telling her the the whole story. I wanted so badly to see Mother’s reaction, but she was sleeping…or pretending to be. I couldn’t believe what Vanessa was saying. I have been living a lie all these years, but that’s over now.”

“Was your mother awake before you and Vanessa left?”

“No…a nurse came in just as we were about to get her to wake up, so we left.”

Tomorrow…the timeline!

“

(Be sure you have read part 40, first)

Kat felt uneasy about what she had just witnessed. Annette and Vanessa had left Edith Morris’ room together. Vanessa was Edith’s granddaughter and Annette was her daughter…

Still…it made sense that Annette would go to see her mother and inform her of the arrangements she had made to take her home the next day. But why did Annette stand outside the room while Vanessa was obviously talking to a grandmother she didn’t know or at least hadn’t remembered?

Kat was exhausted and wanted to go back to her room and get some sleep before the long trip home the next day with Vanessa and Jack, who would be there later that night to drive them back. She decided to look in on Vanessa before leaving the hospital and see if she had packed her things and was ready to go.

Vanessa was standing by the window and she was sobbing.

“What brought this on?” Kat asked.

“I remembered everything, Kat. That woman, my grandmother, killed my mother.”

Kat stood there not knowing what to do as Vanessa told her the whole gruesome story. When asked by Kat how Jennifer’s tragic accident happened, Annette had said she only knew what her mother had told her. Vanessa had blocked it all out…until now.

Vanessa was so distraught, Kat stayed with her until she was able to calm down and fall asleep. She couldn’t believe it was after ten before she was able to leave the hospital and she was stunned by what Vanessa had just told her.

Jack had arrived earlier and was able to get a room for the night at the same hotel where Annette and Kat were staying. He had driven straight through without eating and decided to go to the restaurant off the lobby and grab a bite to eat. He spotted Kat on his way and invited her to join him. As exhausted as she was, she decided to tell him that his daughter now remembered everything about the day her mother died.

Annette was back at the Roadside Cafe. She and Sandy, the waitress, had become friends and Annette wanted to see her and get something to eat. Suddenly, she was hungry. She hadn’t had an appetite for days, but even though it was after 9:00 p.m., a burger and fries sounded good.

Around midnight, the nurse went to check on Mrs. Morris and take her vitals. The first thing she noticed was that her patient’s pillow was on the floor and Mrs. Morris was lying flat on the bed. The second thing the nurse discovered was that her patient was not breathing.

Vanessa would wait until the night nurses came on. Things were quieter then and she would more likely be able to carry out her plan. “I can do this,” she thought. “I can do it for my mother, and for Alice.”

It was hard to be patient, but Vanessa forced herself to remain in her bed and pretend she was sleeping each time someone checked on her. Since she was being discharged the next day, she doubted the night shift would pay close attention to her.

Annette left the Roadside Cafe and drove to the motel where she had been staying since returning from Brewster. “I’ll go to the hospital, later and take care of things,” She decided. “I have been beaten down by my mother for the last time. It’s over. She won’t be able to do this to me or anyone else ever again.”

Later, Kat was sitting in the waiting room when she saw Annette walking down the corridor. She assumed she was going to see Mrs. Morris and finalize plans for her release the next day. Annette was carrying a large cargo bag which probably had some clothes in it for her mother to wear home.

But Annette didn’t go into the room. She stopped just outside and listened to a conversation between her mother and someone who seemed extremely upset.

“I remember everything. I remember what you said to my mom after Annette left to get the marshmallows. I remember that you grabbed me and walked backwards toward the fire. Mom was afraid to try and get me away from you because you were holding the red can. The one that made the fire burn high. I remember what you said.”

Vanessa told her grandmother what she remembered hearing her say to her mom. “You should know how it feels to lose your oldest daughter to your own sister. Do you know what it did to me when you begged to go and live with her? You said you hated me and never wanted to see me again.”

And then you said, “Vanessa…would you like to come and live with Grandma Morris? You’re the oldest, just like your mother. Give Vanessa to me, Jennifer. She looks just like you did when you were her age.”

Annette recognized the voice that was recounting what happened that day. It was Vanessa. She couldn’t move. She was finally hearing the truth.

Vanessa continued. “My mom said you were out of  your mind and she was going to take Annette. She said you had forced her to stay with you long after she should have been out on her own living her own life. We were all going to leave. That’s when mom ran to grab me, but you picked up the red can and threw the gas on her. And then you pushed her. I remember the look of horror on my mother’s face when she fell into the fire.”

Vanessa walked closer to the bed. Mrs. Morris had her eyes closed. “Did you hear me?” She asked.

Annette had heard enough and entered the room.

“It should have been you who died in that fire,” she said to her sleeping mother.

“She’s not awake,” Vanessa said. “Look…her pillow is on the floor. Help me lift her head and put her pillow under it. I want her to see us when she wakes up.”

Several minutes later, Kat saw Annette and Vanessa come out of Mrs. Morris’ room. Vanessa went to her room and Annette left the hospital. She was still carrying the bag.

I haven’t been to a reunion since 2016, but I still remember all the things I have to do to get ready. You might want to take notes if you have a reunion of any kind coming up. Well, not any kind…only where you’ll be seeing people who haven’t seen you in a while.

Rule #1: Be sure and give yourself enough time.

Don’t set goals that are impossible to reach. For example…I’m meeting Billy, Gus, and Cousin Valerie at the gathering of people who are from Jones County, which is held in Mesa, Arizona every year. We went in 2018 and had a great time. This year it’s on February 6th, so I started getting ready several hours ago.

Rule #2: Gain ten pounds.

I usually need to lose some weight or at least keep from adding el-bees. It’s amazing how quickly those pounds I lost when I was having all those surgeries showed up again. My goal this time was to lose five of them. Instead, like always, I’m on my way to gaining five more. Yesterday, I made Joyce Hurst’s chocolate fudge cream pie from the Jones County Bicentennial Cookbook. I might have time to make it again before the reunion, or I might make Fern Penticoff’s yummy chocolate cake. Both are good for one to two pounds.

Rule #3: Get a really bad haircut

Even though I know from past experience that I’ll be unhappy with the outcome, I have to do it anyway. It always, always, turns out too short and it in no way resembles the ten pictures I have shown the beautician…or stylist, or whatever you call them now.

I just got the too short haircut a week ago, so no matter how much I pull on it, I won’t be able to get it the right length in time.

That’s pretty much it. Sometimes I throw in no sleep the night before, which will happen this time because I have to get up at 4:00 a.m. to make it to the airport on time.

I shared my “before reunion” routine with Judy Dykstra-Brown, who plans to attend the Jones County gathering. She informed me that she’s gone through the steps and she’s ready to go. She’s such an overachiever.

Cousin Valerie never follows the rules. I try not to be in too many pictures with her.

Thinking Vanessa was sleeping comfortably, Kat decided to take Annette to the hospital cafeteria and get them both something to eat. She had a lot of questions for Annette, but now was not the time.

“I know it must have hurt when your mother asked to see Jennifer instead of you. You have to remember, she has been very confused and it’s likely to get worse. Especially with the trauma of the fire.”

“I know, Kat. Her mind has gone back to before Jennifer died. You know, I have spent all these years trying to be everything my mother needed in a daughter, but it was always Jennifer she wanted.”

“How did it happen, Annette?” How did Jennifer get so badly burned? I would have thought the fire would have been contained in a small fire pit?”

I wasn’t there when it happened. I had returned to the house to get marshmallows. I was almost back to the picnic spot when I heard a scream. As I got closer, I could see Mother was just standing there. The little girls were hystetical. Jennifer was lying on the ground, motionless. I grabbed the girls and ran to the house to get my stepfather. He put a light blanket around Jennifer and carried her to the car. Then shoved Mother in and took off for the hospital. I stayed behind with Vanessa and Alice. They asked if they could color. They acted as if nothing had happened. They were in shock.

My stepfather came back for the girls, and when it was all over, Jack took them home. We never saw them again until now.

Mother stayed in her room for weeks afterward. I took meals to her and tried to get her to come out of her depression.

“But how did the fire get out of hand? Do you know?”

“I only know what Mother told me. To get the fire started, we poured some gasoline on a couple of logs. Apparently, Alice, who was only four, saw us and decided to do what we had done. She started to pour gas on the fire. Jennifer reached out to grab her, but Alice started to run. Jennifer tripped and fell, knocking the gas can over. Gas spilled out into the fire. Her dress caught fire and she wasn’t able to get up and out of the fire. Jennifer didn’t have a chance.”

“Mother found a way to blame me. She said I had left the gas can too close to the fire, though I know I didn’t.”

Annette hadn’t even taken a bite of her food. “Mother doesn’t want to see me and the cabin is gone. I have my car here so I think I’ll go home. The doctors can call me if they need me.”

Kat didn’t argue with Annette. Maybe it was best for her to get away.

Kat was on her way to check on Vanessa when a nurse caught up with her. “We had to sedate her,” she said. “She was crying uncontrollaby, and we weren’t able to calm her down any other way.”

Kat sat in Vanessa’s room for hours until she finally woke up. When she saw Kat, she immediately dissolved into tears. “Where’s my daddy?” She asked. “I have to tell him.”

“Your daddy is with Alice. They flew her to a hospital in Boston where they’ll be able to make her well, faster.”

Vanessa looked stunned. As the news that Alice didn’t die sunk in, her thoughts turned back to Mrs. Morris. It was her fault, Vanessa thought. Mrs. Morris was responsible for her mother’s death and she was the reason Alice almost died.

It looked like it might be a few days before Vanessa would be released so Kat made arrangements at a nearby motel and she was able to pick up a few things at a shopping center close to the hospital.

Edith Morris’ body, if not her mind, was healing as well and a couple of days later, Annette came back. Her mother would need a nurse to care for her at (Annette’s) home and she had to make the arrangements.

A week passed and things were looking better. Jack called and said Alice had turned the corner and she was getting stronger each day. Vanessa was to be discharged the next day and Mrs Morris would be going to Annette’s home.

Vanessa was in her hospital bed. This would be the last night she would be under the same roof as Mrs. Morris. She couldn’t bear to think of that evil woman as her grandmother. “I’m going to pay her a visit,” Vanessa whispered. “And then, I’ll never see her again.”

Annette was sitting at a table at the Roadside Cafe. The mother who hated her was going home with her tomorrow. “I can’t do it,” she thought. “There must be some way that I can get her out of my life.”

“There are some things I don’t understand, Kat.” Jack and Kat were sitting in the hospital waiting room while Vanessa slept. Dr. Clark was keeping her well sedated while she recovered from all of those hours in the freezing temperatures.

They were continuing to try to stabilize poor little Alice whose condition was much more critical than Vanessa’s. Her blood pressure had dropped so low from the effects of hours in the snowstorm, the fear was, it had done permanent damage. She needed to be in a larger, more well equipped hospital, but as of yet, it was too dangerous to move her.

“You’re wondering how Annette and her mother could do this aren’t you?” Kat got up and got herself a glass of water.

“Yes and why…why Kat, would Edith Morris take my daughters to the place their mother had been fatally burned while they watched it all happen?”

“We need to find Annette,” Kat said. “I need to know if my mother was Edith Morris’ sister, and if she was, what does that tell me about my past.”

“It tells you she practically abandoned you while she lived in Seattle and raised my sister.” Unbeknownst to Jack and Kat, Annette had arrived and overheard the last part of the conversation. “As far as why? My mother, your aunt, never accepted the fact that after our father died, Jennifer wanted nothing to do with us and was finally allowed to go to Seattle and live with your mother. I was left to deal with the insanity that overcame our mother. I was eight years old when Jennifer left. All this happened because my mother is insane… and violent.”

“I occasionally saw my mother during those years,” Kat said. “But it was my understanding her work took her overseas. If your mother was too sick to care for you, why didn’t my mother take you to raise as well? She was your aunt, too.”

“I had the same question which is why I tracked down Aunt Claire. Jack was already working with her, but I had no idea he had been Jennifer’s husband until your Thanksgiving party.”

“Is that why you left the party so suddenly?” Kat asked.

The doctor came into the room before Annette could answer.

“Mrs. Morris is awake and asking to see her daughter. You can go in, but don’t stay long. She is in a lot of pain and we’re having to constantly treat her burns to avoid infection.” With that, Dr. Clark started to lead Annette to her mother’s room, but she didn’t move.

“Would you like me to go with you?” Kat asked. It didn’t seem real that the woman lying in there so badly injured was her aunt. Annette nodded in response to Kat’s question.

Both were shocked by what they saw when they entered the room. Kat heard Annette gasp and it was her natural instinct to put her arm around her cousin’s shoulders.

“Whose there? I can’t see you.”

“It’s Annette, Mother.”

“I wanted to see Jennifer! I asked them to bring my daughter to me!”

Edith Morris was so upset, she could be heard in the hallway, which prompted a nurse to come and see what was going on.

“I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” the nurse said as she rushed to calm her patient.

Back in the waiting room, Jack was talking with two doctors and another man.

“We’re ready to go as soon as you are, Doctor,” the man said.

Doctor Cark turned to Jack and told him they needed to move Alice while the weather was cooperating. The danger of keeping her at Danfield’s small hospital too much longer, out weighed the risk of moving her.

Jack saw Kat and Annette walk into the room. “Kat, can you stay and look after Vanessa? They’re flying Alice to a Boston hospital and I’m going with them.”

“Of course, Jack. “Please keep me informed.”

Later that night, Vanessa woke up to a quiet hospital. Her thoughts immediately went to her sister, Alice.

She needed to see her. She decided to slip out of her bed and find her sister’s room. Quietly, she walked down the hall looking at the names on the little inserts until she came to the one that said Alice Stein.

All Vanessa saw when she entered the room was an empty hospital bed. Thinking the worst, she immediately began to scream.

Hearing Vanessa’s screams, the nurse who was two rooms down came running.

“Your sister is gone, honey. Let me help you back to your room.”

All Vanessa heard was, “Your sister is gone.”

Vanessa layed in her bed that night and she remembered. She remembered her mother pushing her away from the fire Mrs. Morris had built and her mother’s beautiful dress catching on fire. She remembered another fire Mrs. Morris built when they all went to have a picnic, and she remembered the evil woman who had been badly burned, sitting next to her in the back of the police car.

“Why did you leave me?” She had asked.

“She has to be stopped!” Vanessa whispered. “Mrs. Morris has to be stopped!”