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Chapter 158 - The Lake House - Part 2
"I think it's time for all of us to go back to Santa Barbara," CC said, sipping coffee. "All searches are deadlocked."
Sophia said nothing and looked at Mary.
"I'll stay if you want me to," Mary said firmly.
"Mary, you are not obliged," the patriarch said. "We have no right to risk your peace of mind."
"My mind is alright, CC. Beside I want to find out it too."
"If you don't remember your stay in this house it may means that the memories are too heavy for you," Mason said quietly but gravely.
"I am sure it's not that. But in any case I want to know the truth," Mary insisted.
"And I do," Sophia supported her. "I feel like it's my last chance."
"Yes, I feel the same," Mary said. "I need to know. I have that right."
She and Sophia gave equally implacable looks at the men. CC sighed. Mason shrugged his shoulders and then nodded. "So we must act," he said reluctantly.
"And how?" CC looked at him ironically. "Do you have a plan?"
"I think we need to inspect the house in details. May be we would find something interesting."
"You do not mind, Sophia?" Mary asked.
"Of course, I'm all for it. Although I even cannot imagine what you're suppose to find, Mason."
"We find it, we see it, Sophia," Mason responded, and four of them started to act.
And after a couple of hours of the searching they have met with some success.
"I think I found something," Mason appeared in the living room doorway having in his hand the bundle of old magazines.
"What exactly?" Mary looked up from bookshelves, and then she came to Mason.
"Look," He pointed to the top magazine. "The issue of 1969. It's released after Sophia visited here."
Mary picked up the magazine, flipped through it slowly. Then she turned it over and frozen. "Mason! It's our address!"
"Where?" Mason looked over her shoulder and saw the mailing label with the familiar address of Ventura on the back of the magazine. "Actually it is," he surprised.
"You found something?" he heard Sophia's voice. She stood in the doorway.
"Yes, I found..." Mason began, but at that moment the magazine slipped out from Mary's hands. She became very pale and then quickly looked around the living room as if she had seen it at first time.
"Mary? What's wrong?" Mason squeezed her hand and felt her flinch.
"Mary!" Sophia ran to her. "Are you alright?
"Y-yes, it's okay. I just... I'm not expected this."
Mary's reeling from the shock and feeling dizzy, her knees weak. Mason led her to the couch and gave some water.
"Feeling better?" Sophia looked into Mary's face. "God if I had known I'll never..."
"Do not worry, I'm fine." Mary took a deep breath. Her color slowly returned to normal. "I'm sorry to scare you. I'm alright," she straightened up and smiled weakly. "It's just a surprise."
"Do you remember now?" Mason asked.
"Yes. But it was not like... actually I never forgot it. Just never connected it in my memory with that place. I still do not believe."
"Can you tell us? Or it's too private thing?" Sophia asked.
"Yes, I can. I'm only afraid it's not quite what you expect..." Mary recovered from the shock, alternately looked at both of them and then at CC who just came here. "No any terrible secrets, abductions or something like that."
"It's even the better," Mason said. He sat down next to Mary and put his arm around her waist. "We're listening to you."
"Yes, we do." CC suddenly backed him. "Tell us if you can, Mary."
"Who brought you here then?" Sophia asked. "Your father?"
"No, it's happened already after his death. My mother brought me. If I may say so."
"If you may say so?" Mason raised his eyebrow.
"Yes. It's undercover in some way."
"From California?" Mason amazed.
"Yeah," Mary blushed slightly. "But I better start from the very beginning. I remember that I was terrified. Mom announced that she had to leave and I and Christy must remain under the supervision of our old neighbor. I begged her not leave us but she kept to say that she will be back soon but she's must go because it's very important for her. And I... I somehow decided that she wants to meet with my dad. I thought that he was alive but just can not return for a reason."
"Oh," escaped from Sophia. "Poor thing."
Mary vaguely shook her head and continued. "I asked mom to take me with her but she refused. I remember how she already sat behind the wheel but then she remembered something and went back into the house. And I saw this magazine in her car," Mary nodded to the old magazine on the floor. "Dad was looking forward it, seems he waited to read some interview but he did not live up to. I thought my mother wanted to take it to dad so I quietly climbed into the back seat of her car."
Mason whistled. "I had no idea that you're able to make stunts like this when you were a child."
"My mother had no such idea too therefore she's not checked her car before leaving. And when she finally found me it's too late. She had to take me with her... I remember we drove for a long time and ended up at a house.
"That?" Mason asked.
"Yes. Although it was saved in my memory not like that... May be the house became older now or it's my disappointment that I could not see my father again. Back them we were met by the man - perhaps he's Mr. Wayne, although I almost do not remember his face. And he was not happy to see us. I remember they almost immediately started to fight; my mother yelling at him and then she began to cry. She was not crying since dad's funeral... We spent here a few days and then drove home. And most of my time here I spent in the room on the second floor," she showed by her head toward the stairs. "And yes, I was drawing pictures just to keep myself busy. I was trying to learn to live with the idea that I never see my father again. In those days I really believed in his death and had no doubts anymore."
"Yes, I would assume a lot thing but nothing like this," Sophia said. "Your mother and my father! I just can not believe..."
Mary suddenly realized what Sophia's thinking.
"Oh, no-no, they had not the affair."
"Are you sure?" Mason asked softly. "You were a child."
"I absolutely sure. I did then, I do now. Although I cannot imagine how they were connected."
"Perhaps my parent's photo got in your family album by that way," Sophia said. "No, wait. Mary, I remember you're asked your mother about the photo. And Theda said that she does not remember how it got in your family album."
"I believe that it's already evident now," Mason said. "Theda Duvall lied for some reason."
"Perhaps," Mary was forced to accept. "Frankly I understand now even less than before."
"No, some things became clearer," Mason said. "Do you remember what your mother was talking to Mr. Wayne?"
"No... Just an adult conversation. I think mom had accused him for something..." Mary broke off. "The reel-to-reel player!"
"They had listened music, are they?" Sophia was surprised.
"No! But I may be recorded their conversation on the reel!"
"Recorded?!"
"Yes!" Mary excitedly straightened up. "I was bored, and I was hanging around the house while my mother and Mr. Wayne had argued, not paying attention to me. There was the large reel-to-reel recorder. I quietly sneaked to it and began to press buttons. I remember that I was able to make the reels spin but without any sound. Later I was trying to turn on it again but reels just very quickly spin and then stopped. I was afraid that I broke it somehow and did not dare to touch anymore."
"We must find it!" Sophia jumped to her feet. "If there is even any the smallest chance of finding the record..."
"Yes, we need to continue the search," Mason said. "Although we still no idea if there's any recording made or even if it did, it could be erased later."
"We must try!"
But even when they searched almost the entire house, they found out nothing.
"Perhaps Mr. Wayne placed it in the trash," Mason said after dinner when they gathered in the living room in the evening. "Notice, we're found no reels."
"Yeah, maybe," Sophia said sadly.
"I think there's nothing we could have done now," CC Capwell summed up. "Let's go to Santa Barbara so you can ask your questions to Mrs. Duvall."
"If she agrees to answer," Mason said. "Something tells me she has reasons to disown the photo. Perhaps she has something to hide."
"I think we should stay here for one day more," Mary said. "Maybe I can remember something in the morning."
Sophia looked at her gratefully. The men reluctantly agreed to stay for another day. Mason offered Mary to spend the night in the hotel but she refused. "I'm not afraid of the house, Mason. Beside I hope that my staying here would stir my memory."
"Fine," Mason conceded, although deep down he would prefer to take a hotel's room. Any other place is better then this house and nearby the silvery lake. Unlike Mary's feeling, he was tormented by unpleasant foreboding.
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