Chapter81 Vivian's Account

After Martin and the deputy were introduced to Vivian; they all explained to her how they were hearing different versions of what supposedly happened over the years. Vivian explains… "That doesn't really surprise me. Our father missed his true calling…the man was a master story teller…that's how he managed to manipulate people. I'll tell you what though; as much of an asshole and crook that our father was; you have to give him credit…he did it with style and finesse with his words; unlike Jack. Our father was skilled in the art of manipulation; Jack just scares people into fearing him…not much skill involved there. Jack's a bully, plain and simple; he has no style. You either do what he wants; or, you get hurt. He's a true extortionist; nothing more, nothing less. I guess it's pretty easy to get your way when you threaten people. Christ, he even strong-arms our own brother, Robert; and, keeps him as one of his little lap dogs." The deputy tells Vivian, "Well, I guess your brother hasn't scared you; being how you showed up to help us." "Let me tell you something, Deputy Hopkins;" Vivian replies, as she lights up another cigarette, "I'm not afraid of my brother. Why; because in my opinion, if you fear something, that means you must have some sort of respect for it. I have no respect for any of the Steinman men; so, I don't fear them." "And; this house?" Beth asks. "Aren't you afraid of it? Being a Steinman?" Vivian laughs. "Please, Beth, dear; why should I be afraid of this house? I have nothing to do with what happened between my father and what occurred at this place." "And; just what exactly did happen between your father and this place, Ms. Vivian?" Sheriff Faulkner asks. "Now, now, now, Lloyd; let's not get ahead of ourselves. Why don't I start from the beginning, and work our way up to what's been going on here with Beth and her family; if that's okay with all of you?" She glances around the room…watching as they nod… then continues. "Part of your dilemma in finding the truth is that you're focusing too much on our dad; when you should be focusing on his wife…Helene." "What do you mean, Vivian?" Cindy inquires. "I mean, my dear Cindy; the curse of the Hawthorne legacy." Beth's shocked. "What are you talking about, Vivian? What curse? You can't be serious." "Oh, I'm afraid it's true; Beth darling. I know this must be difficult for you to hear…it being your bloodline, and all…but, there was a curse put on the Hawthorne family; so they say." "Pardon me, Ms. Vivian;" the sheriff asks, "what's the Hawthorne's family curse; exactly? And, why were they cursed?" Vivian takes one last drag on her cigarette before putting it out. "Well, Lloyd; to answer your second question first…as to the why…the Hawthorne family…like the Steinman family…was infamous around these parts. Their notoriety began in the late seventeen hundreds, when Jebediah Hawthorne…along with several other prominent leaders of the town…had every monk in the monastery located on the outskirts of the town arrested and charged with practicing witchcraft. They were all found guilty and sentenced to death." "Well, now; I reckon you're going to tell us that these were false allegations made by this Jebediah Hawthorne?" "Sorry, Lloyd, but you reckoned wrong; these monks actually were performing satanic rituals involving live sacrifices." The professor, while cleaning his glasses, starts to ask, "These sacrifices…they didn't happen to involve …" Vivian answers before he can finish. "Mostly animals, Wilhelm; but, there were a few cases where people were sacrificed…and, that's when Jebediah decided to take action. It was Jebediah himself who prosecuted the monks in court. That's where the curse comes into play. The head monk, Brother Francisco Dominguez…a self-proclaimed master warlock… cursed Jebediah's family; claiming that his future heirs will become afflicted with some kind of mental disorder and disease. So, whether it's because of the curse placed on Jebediah, or, by some strange coincidence; after that day, insanity started to run in the Hawthorne line." "Are you saying Helene was insane?" Cindy asks. Vivian lights another cigarette, takes a drag and blows out a puff of smoke before replying, "Yes; but our dad wasn't aware of it until after she gave birth to Charles and Chelsea; that's when it became evident. Helene went from what the doctors first called an extreme case of post-partum syndrome to full blown dementia. Dear old dad had her committed to an out of state institute before she had a chance to ruin his political career. And, that's when he started that rumor about Helene getting angry with him for supposedly switching babies at birth in the hospital and her mysteriously vanishing soon afterwards." Cindy solemnly shakes her head. "You mean he was so embarrassed that his wife was suffering from a mental disease, that he'd rather have people believe he arranged for her disappearance?" "Yes. You have to understand something about my father, Cindy; his whole life was politically motivated. If anything in his personal life looked like it could jeopardize his political career; he'd create a story to cover it up." "But; to make people think he was involved with some sort of foul play behind Helene's disappearance? Wouldn't that be detrimental to his career? Ruin his reputation?" "Yes, Cindy, it would; had it actually occurred and he was found guilty of it. But, since the whole story was fabricated, not only didn't it hinder his political life; but, quite the contrary…it actually enhanced it. Now that people thought he was able to get away with having his wife disappear; they looked at him in a whole different light. From then on, the ‘Great Phillip Montgomery Steinman' was a powerfully influential man who was capable of easily disposing whoever gave him grief in his life. Those who weren't aware of what really happened started to fear what fate they may come to if they were to anger him." "And, Charles and Chelsea; did they suffer from any kind of mental illness?" Cindy inquires. "I'm afraid so; but, Charles seemed to be affected most. Ever since infancy, Chelsea was obviously withdrawn and non-responsive to her surroundings most of the time. If she were alive today, she'd probably be diagnosed as being autistic. Charles, on the other hand, wasn't; he always responded to his surroundings. Unfortunately, he responded very violently and maliciously." Beth's still in shock from hearing all this. "How can a baby be violent and malicious? What could he have possibly done to have people view him that way?" "Beth…at three-years-old…Charles Steinman killed his nanny." Deputy Hopkins blurts out, "How in the hell does a three-year-old kill his nanny?" "She made the deadly mistake of falling asleep." "Now, Ms. Vivian; do you think you might elaborate on that for us?" "Certainly, Lloyd. When their nanny fell asleep…ironically enough, after putting them down for their naps…Charles managed to get out of his crib, got a hold of dear old dad's straight edge razor, and proceeded to slit her throat open; while she slept in the rocking chair in their nursery." Beth gasps, quickly putting her hand over her mouth as she jumps off the couch, and runs to the kitchen. Martin follows her. Vivian continues. "So, Charles is put into another institute; and, his obituary's placed in the papers the next day…Charles Steinman ‘dies' from pneumonia at age three. How sad; isn't it?" The deputy rationalizes, "Then; its possible Charles Steinman was the Woodland Falls killer. But, wait a minute; you said Mary killed Chelsea out in the barn that night?" Vivian extinguishes her cigarette. "Hold on, Deputy; take it easy. Let's not get ahead of ourselves…we'll get there. Besides; Charles couldn't have been the killer." "And, why's that; Ms. Vivian?" Sheriff Faulkner inquires. "Because he was raped and murdered by another patient at the asylum when he was seven." "Oh my God!" Cindy grabs her hair while lowering her head, shaking it back and forth, and cries. Her uncle stands behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders; trying to comfort her. "What about Chelsea; Vivian?" Professor Rhyies continues the conversation. "In time, Wilhelm; we're almost there. Anyhow; Charles was killed in the institute…and, somehow word got back to Helene." "Well, I reckon news of her son being killed sure put a damper on her day." "To say the least, Lloyd." "So; she took it kind of hard?" The deputy asks as he continues to hold on to his niece's shoulders. "What happened?" "Helene escaped, came back to Rhode Island, and smashed Tommy's head in with a hammer." Vivian watches as everyone's jaws seem to drop at the same time. "To Helene, Charles' death was our father's fault; being he sent him there. So, as payback, the child conceived by Phillip and Lillian had to die. This was justice in Helene's eyes." When Beth and Martin return to the living room, Cindy, noticing that Beth's been crying, walks over and asks, "Are you okay, Beth?" Beth nods; then asks, "Okay…so, what did we miss?" Sheriff Faulkner answers, "Well, Beth; so far, Charles was killed when he was seven at the asylum…and, it turns out Helene was the one who smashed Tommy's head in after hearing about it." Beth's knees buckle; and, Cindy and Martin grab her to keep her from falling to the floor. After regaining her balance, Beth stands back up and gently pushes Martin and Cindy away. "I'm fine…thanks. Vivian; if Helene killed Tommy, why did people think Chelsea did it? And, why say Chelsea committed suicide? And, why's there no record that Tommy ever existed?" "Beth, dear; calm down and allow me to explain. Part of dad's strategy was to keep people guessing as to what was true; and what wasn't. Needless to say, most of it wasn't. Chelsea was a liability to his career once she started showing signs of having schizophrenia. She suffered from paranoia; and, would have frequent panic attacks. Since Helene was already supposedly out of the picture, dad couldn't allow the public to know she was the one who killed Tommy; so, he saw this as an opportunity to get rid of Chelsea. The bastard had Chelsea committed to the state asylum…which if you didn't know already, was located here at the time…for murdering Tommy." "I'm in a bit of a quandary here, Vivian;" the professor wipes off his lenses, "it's my understanding that female patients weren't allowed in those types of institutions." "You're correct, Wilhelm; except for one thing…dear old daddy had so much pull around this area, that he was able to convince the asylum's director to take her in… unofficially, of course." "Why that no-good-for-nothing, yellow-bellied polecat! How in the tar nations do you do something like that to a little girl…heck; your own daughter!" "Like I said before, Lloyd; our father was politically motivated; nothing else mattered. It was all about staying on top of his political game." "I don't understand;" Beth wonders, "why didn't Chelsea just tell them she didn't kill her brother?" Vivian walks over and places her hand on Beth's cheek. "Beth, dear; it wouldn't have done anything. What Phillip Steinman wanted; Phillip Steinman got. Besides, Chelsea was so messed up; that poor child had no idea what was going on. Those bastards kept her drugged up; telling her over and over again that she killed her brother. In her condition, Beth; it wasn't too long before she started believing it herself. They convinced her that she smashed her brother's head in with a hammer. She would've never done anything like that; but, they made her believe it. And, then there was the abuse." "What abuse, Ms. Vivian?" For the first time since talking about what happened; Vivian starts to tear up, "They beat and raped that little girl; over and over and over again. For nineteen years, Chelsea was physically, sexually, mentally and emotionally tortured and abused." "Did you say nineteen years, Vivian?" "Yes, Lloyd; nineteen years…until she managed to escape." "Escape?" "Yes. It was 1947…does that year happen to ring a bell with anyone yet?" Deputy Hopkins replies, "Shit yeah; that's the year the killings started." Cindy has a puzzled look on her face. "You're not suggesting Chelsea was the Woodland Falls killer…are you?" "Suggesting, my dear Cindy; no…I'm telling you she was." Beth's knees buckle again, but she manages to catch herself this time by holding onto the end of the sofa; then, falls back into the seat and moves closer to edge, leaning forward slightly. "How could she have been the serial killer, Vivian? You yourself said she didn't have it in her to kill Tommy; so, how could she kill all those families?" "You're right, Beth; I did say she didn't have it in her to kill Tommy…the key word being didn't. Nineteen years of being tormented in an asylum can change even the best of us. Besides, she wasn't killing them; Charles was." "Slow down there, Ms. Vivian;" Sheriff Faulkner runs his fingers through his hair as he exhales, "what in the tar nations are you talking about now? You said Charles was dead at seven; and, that Chelsea was the killer. Now you're telling us Chelsea wasn't killing them…that it was Charles?" "That's right, Lloyd." The sheriff throws both arms up in the air and turns away. "Well, I give up; I'm officially lost with this whole mess." Vivian chuckles. "Calm down, Lloyd; let me explain. While in the asylum, Chelsea's schizophrenic behavior worsened; and, she developed several personalities… Charles being one of them. So, when she escaped and went out on her killing spree…in her mind…Charles was killing all those people; not her." "Excuse me, Vivian;" Professor Rhyies cuts in, "you said she developed several personalities. Obviously Charles was one of them; but, what about the others?" "There was Tommy; of course." Vivian takes a moment to think. "Come to think of it; I'm mistaken. Sorry about that, Wilhelm; it was just Charles and Tommy. I must be confusing Chelsea with Helene." The professor removes his glasses to clean. "Helene was schizophrenic as well?" "Yes." "Speaking of Helene…" Deputy Hopkins interrupts, "excuse me, Professor… Vivian; what happened to Helene after she killed Tommy? Evidently they caught her… being how they knew she killed Tommy; right?" "But; they didn't catch her, Deputy." "What do you mean?" "There was no need to catch her; because she never left. Helene sat in Tommy's room the entire night; waiting for them to find him in the morning." "Why in the tar nations would she do that?" "I suppose she wanted to make sure they knew who killed their son, and why." "Then they put her back in the institute?" The professor inquires. "Yes, Wilhelm; but, it wasn't the same one. Instead, dad had her sent to the same asylum Chelsea was in." "Why'd he do that? I thought he sent Helene out of state to prevent people from discovering she didn't disappear; but, was really suffering from a mental illness." "That was the idea, Wilhelm…at first…but, after Helene killed Tommy; dear old dad's agenda changed. This was her punishment now; to see her daughter locked away in that asylum every day. She was forced to watch the staff molest and rape her daughter through a two-way mirror. They would make Helene listen in on an intercom as they convinced Chelsea that she killed her brother. And, sometimes they'd even have Helene listen in on it at nights when Chelsea cried in her sleep. That was dad's payback for Helene's payback."