She told him about her mom and dad. Then she moved on to her first neighbors, the Jeffersons, and finally the Weeks. That was where she’d had the most fun and where she’d been caught. Ordering a pizza had been her downfall, or she might have been out all this time.
“One of the boys, Bart, let me in. I told him that I needed to talk to his mom and he just rolled his eyes at me. He was dead before he hit the floor, his blood spraying all over the walls of the staircase. I entered the den and was surprised to see a party going on. And they’d not invited little old me.” Ellen laughed then. “Mrs. Weeks just stared at me for several long seconds. It never occurred to me that she was seeing the blood of her son. But Mr. Weeks came at me, asking me if I was all right. Were my parents all right?”
“And what did you tell him?” She looked away from Joel. This was her memory, and she wanted to tell him in her own way. He told her to go on and she told him to shut up.
“The knife was still in my hand and I used it on his forehead. I never realized how much power you needed to put one of them things in a person’s head before. Anyway, when he hit the floor I could see that everyone was shocked, and I moved into the room, picking up the poker as I went. Mrs. Weeks started screaming and I hit her with it. Not enough to kill her, but to shut her up.”
The older woman sitting on the couch just fainted. Ellen had never actually seen anyone do that before and thought perhaps she’d killed her by all this. But as soon as she told the kids, the birthday girl and two more, as well as one of the other sons, to stand by the wall, the old woman woke up.
“Now, we’re going to have some fun.” The older woman started screaming, and Ellen lifted the poker and told her to shut up. “I don’t like that sound. It goes through my head like a nail. Stop it.”
Ellen moved around the room then and looked at all the gifts. There was a doll that she’d wanted when she’d had her party, but no one had bothered to get it for her. Her mom had said things were too expensive and that she’d have to save her money and get it on her own. But here little Lily had one, and they were poorer than her family was.
Picking up the doll and noticing that she had gotten blood on it, she handed it to Lily. When she wouldn’t take it, Ellen hit her with it. When she fell to the floor, Ellen tossed the doll at her and beat her head in with the poker. The wailing started again. Just a look from her had the woman stopping.
The old man was little to no help in getting everyone tied up. She’d just about killed him quickly twice when he’d begged her to let them go. Tying everyone to their beds had been okay, but now the fun work was going to start.
“I started on the old woman. She had to go first because she was driving me insane. But she proved in the long run to be the most enjoyable. I was able to cut out her heart while it was still beating. Have you ever seen such a sight as that?”
“No.” Ellen didn’t look at Joel again. He looked like he was disgusted with her. Not that she really cared, but he’d asked for a story and she was going to give him one. “How long did you work on them?”
“Three days there. Two at the Jefferson’s house, and not long at all at my parents’ house. Do you suppose that they’re around? Oh, I’d so love to talk to them now. Ask them if they ever thought of me when I was locked away. How could that have happened to me? I didn’t really do that much wrong, did I?” She was kidding him. Ellen knew exactly what she’d done, and what else she was going to do too. “I killed another family as soon as I was out. They lived here too. The Hicks family. They were not as much fun as I’d hoped. I guess I had a lot of pent up anger by then. I pretended to really like the oldest son. He was such a drip. But he led me right to his family, and who was I to turn them down?”
“What are you going to do to my fiancée when she gets here? I mean, I can’t help you that much, but I’d really like to be here when you’re working on her.” Ellen looked at Joel and could see something in his eyes, but was not sure what it was. Anger? Sickness? She had no idea but asked him why. “Because I told her that I never give up on something once I’ve made up my mind. And my mind was made up to have her. She’s mine. Now and forever.”
Ellen got up and got her a glass of water. She could hardly contain herself over this news. It was as if they were meant to be together. When she told him that she’d let him watch her, she was happy to see him smile. Such a pretty man to be frowning all the time. But when Dane came into the room with a pizza and a delivery person, she decided that they all might have their uses, and told the man to set the box on the table. The kid was dead before he even pulled out the ticket.