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Chapter 112 — Secret of The Great Valley
Everyone was silent while driving. Mason was deep in thought, Mary anxiously glancing at him, and Theda did the same at Mary. Larry was in concentration of driving.
Just entering the house, Mary rushed to the phone to learn about children.
Mason sat on the windowsill, leaned against the window frame and watched her. It is not the first time when he noticed that as coming in the house of her childhood as Mary subtly changed. Her movement became a little sharper, and she did many things simply out of habit. Mason liked to catch the way with she habitually throws the keys on the coffee table, leaning back against the wall when she's talking on the phone... and just runs on the first floor the stairs at one point jumping over the step.
He has the chance to see different Mary, the grown-up girl in the red bathing suit whom he painfully wanted to know.
"All right," Mary said putting down the receiver. "Christy and Jimmy babysitting." She chuckled and shook her head. "What is the screaming! Chip and Sammy are ecstatic!
"Are you sure that they're OK?" Theda frowned.
"Absolutely. When Chip displeased, he bawls, no screams. And the screams of displeased Sammy bring up air waves. They are both having excellent lungs. The main thing that they must not wake up Mickey overwise they will not calm down him. Well, I guess that my younger sister knows what she is doing."
"You know better," her mother pursed her lips.
There was a pause. Mason met Mary's gaze and clearly said: "I did not kill anyone."
"I know," Mary instantly replied, experienced the strong desire to sit with him, showing that she never doubts in him.
Mason smiled faintly, but his eyes remained cautious.
"So what was happened?" Theda could not stand. "Why the boy accused you for murder?"
But Mason did not answer; he did not take his eyes off Mary.
"Why do you doubt that McLean may be McCormick's brother?" He asked.
Mary shrugged her shoulders. "I cannot to collect it together."
"What is it?" Mason insisted.
"Well... First, his age. He is around twenties, so he should be born when Mark and I were close friends..." At the word "close" Mason gave a barely visible frown. "He claims that his father knew of his existence. I well remember Mark's parents and confident that no scandals with the illegitimate child of his family."
"May be he did not want to tell--"
"May be, but I saw the relationships of his parents. They were quiet and calm couple who were lived in absolutely harmony."
"Maybe after you left for the convent--"
"No," Mary shook her head. "They were killed the car accident for the month after our graduation."
"Was his father's name actually Gerhard?"
"Yes. And his mother's Myurel. Mason, why do you asking? Do you think that he is Mark's brother, do you?"
"No," Mason smiled. "Just... I accept it as possible until I saw him today at the cemetery."
"I do not understand--"
"You'll understand soon. Because now the turn of story with The Great Valley School. Though I'm afraid that you'll all be disappointed about it. I do not really know what was happened there."
"Do not you know??" Theda exclaimed she actually waited for the answer to the detective puzzle.
Mason just sighed.
"This was my first boarding school," he said. "But I attended there for very small time, just a few months."
"Do you still have pleasant memories for it?" Theda asked with a certain amount of envy.
"No," Mason's response sounded too harsh, and he tried to smooth over the impression. "Just there were strict rules. My father wanted me to learn discipline."
"Boys are useful discipline," Larry said. Mason gave him a look, but said nothing.
"How you been?" Mary asked.
"Nine."
"Nine years?? You were just a little boy!"
Mason shrugged his shoulders. "The boarding school it's not so bad thing."
"But not the Great Valley, right?"
"Right.
"Because you were bad treated?" Theda asked.
"N-no," Mason said after a pause. "But the atmosphere was no nice."
"Do you not have along with children?"
"Rather I just missed home. But there was the boy... indeed he is the point. His name was Colin Stewart."
"Were you and him in the same grade?"
"No, he was couple of years older. The most popular boy in school. One half of the boys praised him and the other one were afraid."
Mason spoke calmly, even detached. Like telling not about myself, but about someone else.
"And you?" Mary asked and immediately caught herself. "May not answer. And probably we actually must to stop the subject. It's talking is too painful for you... whatever was happened."
"No," Mason shook his head. "It's unpleasant, but... I'm afraid that all of its will become public soon."
"Why?" Theda was surprised.
But Mason did not answer her question, but did at Mary's question.
"First Colin was my best friend. But then for some reason he grew angry and hated me. I never knew why."
"Did you something hurt to him?"
"No... We even never fought. Maybe he was said something bad about me by someone... I do not know. But the fact is in the day when it happened, he tripped me greatly. Just openly slandered. And I got the punishment canning."
"Wha-a-at!" Mary looked fearfully at him. "Canning? How it can be? Did anyone dare you--?"
"Well, first of all I never say that I was canned. Fortunately, there was no time for getting the punishment. And secondly, yes, it was quite possible for me. I was learnt about the point of school rules in my very first day. And week later, I already knew about the beaten to death student whose ghost appears on the second floor for each full moon and ghost of Terrible Mrs. Clarence who was on guard is for hundred years and was appearing in the toilet at night, ready to caught little boys--"
"Do you're kidding, right?" Theda asked in weak voice.
But Mason's face remained serious. He shook his head. "Alas, no. However I never saw anyone of these ghosts... although I guess that it would be better I saw them."
"So what did you see?" Mary could not stand. For a moment she hesitated, then stood up, walked over to Mason and sat down next to the windowsill. She doesn't touch him, just a quick glance at him and lowered her head.
And Mason start to tell.
"That day apparently was not the best day of my life," he glanced at Mary. "Firstly Colin without any reason said the teacher that I stole the antique desk set from the office teacher. I did not even aware about the theft, and I was sure that the set is on its place until the teacher unlocked the office and found out that it's missing. The teacher informed the school director, and he ordered to canning me. I do remember that he said that he could exclude me, but because of respect for his father, he replaces the exclude by the canning."
Mary, not raising her head, finds Mason's palm and squeezes.
"But I was lucky. The teacher who supposed to canning me was away. And the punishment was postponed for the day. And I was locked in one of the empty rooms of the school building for the rest of the day. At the evening I was released and sent to bed in the dormitory. One of the boys of my group talked the terrible story about Timmy "who was canned to death, and he was bleeding like a stuck pig" for long time."
Mary shuddered because the feeling that she was sitting in the huge dark dormitory and waiting for the punishment. Mason's warm hand gently wrapped her shoulders.
"I could not sleep for long time," Mason continued. "With every minute my hope to be protected by father was melted. Earlier I managed to get climb out through the window of the locked room (thanks, it's was on the first floor), and make to phone call in my father's office. I recorded the message on the answering machine because my father was not in here."
"CC probably just missed your message," Mary said.
"No, he did not... Finally I fell asleep. I woke in the night... I do not know why. I got up and looked out the window and... screamed in horror," Mason paused. "I saw the face behind the window glass."
"Oh my God," escaped from Theda.
"Who it was?" Mary asked.
"At that moment I thought that it's was the ghost boy. And screamed. The face immediately disappeared. The teacher coming in, the boys jump out of bed. I tried to explain about the face in the window, but they became to convince me that it was just a nightmare. Well, all of us was sent to beds and told to sleep. And I could not. I waited until all went silent and looked out the window."
Mason paused and then admitted: "Then I thought that it's cannot to be worse then it's now. It turned out I was wrong. I saw the crouched body that was lying on the ground."
There was the tense silence.
"I see," Larry thoughtfully said. "And who was that guy? If he survived?"
"He was Colin," Mason said. "But I do not know if he survived or not. I did not to scream again but ran to the teacher who was on duty. As you might guess firstly he did not believe me but then went to check out, just to calm me... When he's look at where I was showing, he ordered me to stay here while he ran to Colin. I heard he was calling Colin's name. Then he came back — pale, with trembling lips — and pushed me back into the school building. He said me to go back in the dormitory and say nothing nobody."
Mary got up, poured brandy for Mason and put the glass in his hand. He sipped with enjoying and looked gratefully at her.
"I returned to the bedroom and tried to sleep. But no avail. I kept thinking that I could cause of Colin's fall if he hung on his hands from the outside, he could be afraid by my screaming and falling."
"Nonsense," Theda protested.
"I did not think so. I did think that in the morning the police will come to take me in jail..." Mason meanfully looked at each of them and suddenly weakly smiled. "And then there was happened the miracle. In midnight I was awakened by the teacher. I sleepily thought that I was going to be arrested now. But when I went out into the corridor, I saw Sophia. "Boys do not cry", but... at that moment I'd weeping. Just cannot to keep up more after events of last hours. Sophia was terrified; she took me into the room and heard my confused explanations. When I finished, she told me to go into the dormitory for my belonging and then waited for her in the car. Of course I was just happy to get rid of this nightmare. I returned to the dark dormitory to take my stuff. When I almost packed up my bag, suddenly something fell out of my bedside table and rang on the floor. I raised it and saw it's was the key. I had no time to found out about the key, so I put it in the pocket and walked out. I wanted to go directly in Sophia's car, but was stopped by the teacher. I was said to wait. I had to stay... Then I heard the talking with raised voices in the director's office. I went closer and realized that they don't want to give up me to Sophia. But she finally won over and took me home."
"How you manage to remember it with so many details?" Larry asked.
Mason shrugged his shoulders.
"It's was the strong impression. Beside... at home I realized that the key belonged to the room... from Colin fell out. I've been thinking about this, make myself to remember. Sophia and my father had the terrible fight in the first day of my returning."
"If CC was angry that she took you out?" Mary asked.
"No. Sophia scolded him that he did not take me out earlier in the day when I phoned. It turned out that my father received my message, but decided that I just cowardly complaining. Fortunately, he did not erase it and later Sophia accidentally came in the office and heard it. And rushed to save me."
"She was too late in the day," Theda said.
"She's was stuck in traffic somewhere if I remember correctly. No, I cannot reproach her at the point. In the case she fought for me like a tigress. And may be it's the first and last time when my father took in her reproaches. I remember she was still yelling that I just hardly missing the simply barbaric punishment, and only because of the fact that he did not bother to see the school's rules. He tried to say that the school was advised by his good business partner. Sophia said that she was sorry for the children of his partner, and my father should think about something other than its business deals and to pay more attention at me--"
"But they still sent you in another boarding school," Mary said.
"Only in the next year. I actually did not mind, it's found out be the good school. And my father and Sophia visited me for every weekend for the first couple of months and often asked me about school routines and rules." Mason paused. "I blamed myself for Colin's fell for long time. But then I shared it with Sophia, and she had some kind of investigation. She called to The Great Valley and may be to other source — and found out that the point was not my scream. Colin did fall down because the rope was broke when he crawled from the window of the room of the second floor. It's just wearied by the sharp window ledge, and my guilt was not there. She even said that when Colin found he was still clenched the rope in his palm--"
"Wait a minute, but you said that you do not know the details. And do not even don't aware if boy survived or not," Larry said.
"At that time he was in serious condition in hospital. I do not know whether he survived."
"What about police?" Theda asked. "They were supposed to investigate the accident."
"I do not know," Mason repeated. "Sophia took me to the child psychologist, considering that I got the serious psychological trauma. And the psychologist forbade my parents to discuss the subject with me. My father was very glad with such recommendations and began to pretend that there's never The Great Valley School.
There was silence.
"This story is worthy of the pen of Agatha Christie," Larry finally said. "But I do not really know how it's connected to McLean and his murder charges. What makes you think that he knows something about this accident?"
"As far as I know that this school was disbanded in the following year. And the accident never made it public. McLean just could not learn about it. He had told by someone."
"Do you think that behind McLean's back is stayed the unknown person?" Mary looked anxiously at him.
"I am sure it," Mason replied. "McLean is pawn. And whoever is behind this I think he attended The Great Valley in the same time that I did."
"Not necessarily. Maybe this guy is bluffing, and he knows nothing."
Mason shook his head. "Hardly. He was too sure in his impunity."
"But Mason... let's say that someone even knows about this accident. If it might hurt you in any way? Besides the fact that you did not do anything, it was happened 25 years ago! This ancient history already for long time overgrown with moss!" Mary got up and nervously paced the room.
"We'll soon see it," Mason also stands up. "Do not worry, we will survive," he drew her to him. And he them turned to Larry and Theda: "I told it to all of yours since I am sure that this story will be in headlines of all newspapers very soon. It is better you will learn it from me than from journalists."
"I appreciate your confidence," Theda got up and walked over to him. "I promise I'll be totally on your side."
Larry nodded, and then said: "Seems you can make enemies very well, Capwell."
"I guess if I can add you to them?" Mason looked at him.
"It is no longer. I believe his brother. Golden Boy--"
"Do not you dare call me like this," Mason abruptly interrupted. "Let's go, Mary."
They briefly said good byes and went away.
Alone with Theda, Larry muttered some curse.
"It's your own fault," she replied.
"He'll forgive me..." Larry said as if he trying to persuade himself. "He has the big heart."
"But even it's has limits. You need be think about earlier. You wanted to destroy him. And let's go away now. This is my home, and I'm not invited you."
Larry gloomily looked at her and walked to the door.
"Never could understand what Kenny saw in you!" he angry hissed and slammed the door.
"I never could understand how Kenny could have such the terrible brother, and even his own twin!" Theda shouted. "You're not worthy of even his little finger!"
"But I'm still alive, and he already in the grave for long time!" could be heard from behind the door.
Theda sobbed and buried her face in her hands.
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