“Who are you?” she asked as she struggled to pull her arm free.
“I’m the man you are trying to steal this house from!” he shouted angrily. “All of this, this belongs to my family, to me! It should have gone to my grandfather years ago when his brother died! But that whore of a daughter just couldn’t stay where she belonged. Now she’s stayed holed up in this house all these years, just holding onto it so we couldn’t have it! Well, I’m tired of waiting. It’s mine and I’m taking it!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Maggie cried. “I’m not trying to take anything from you.”
“You don’t think I know about all the snooping you’ve been doing?” he screamed as he twisted her wrist even farther and she felt the bones crack. “When she first told me that the crazy old woman had brought Aaron here I knew they were trying to steal my inheritance, trying to keep from me what was rightfully mine! I couldn’t let that happen, but then I realized he didn’t even know. I could take my time, figure this out. But you just couldn’t leave it alone could you? First with the picture and then that damn journal, I barely got that away from you before you showed it to him. I really wanted to leave you out of this.” His voice softened and he stroked her cheek gently. She flinched away from his touch.
“You’re the one who took those things?” Maggie realized.
“I could have done it that night, you know? I watched the two of you sleeping. I stood there and held your fate in my hands. But I still wanted to spare you. You believe me, don’t you? I didn’t want to have to hurt you. I tried to get you to leave, both of you. He took the job in Savannah, why couldn’t you just go home with your mother like you were supposed to?”
“You sent those letters?” Maggie realized with a sinking feeling, like the floor was dropping out from under her.
“You should have just left. That’s all you had to do. And I just needed to find all of the evidence. I needed to make sure there wasn’t a trace left behind. No more loose ends.” His tone sounded pleading, as if he wanted Maggie to understand. “I just needed the file. She said I had to find the file. But you just kept snooping! Couldn’t mind your own business. You have it don’t you? Where is it? Where’s the file?” His face contorted with rage as he twisted her arm even farther bringing her to her knees.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Maggie cried.
“Don’t lie to me! If you would have just left it alone I could have kept you out of this!” he screamed at her as tears streamed down her face from the pain. “But you just couldn’t mind your own business,” he sounded genuinely distraught as his mood drastically shifted once again. “If you’ll just tell me where the file is, then maybe I could let you go,” he suggested hopefully.
“I don’t know what you mean. I don’t have any file,” Maggie insisted.
“You’re lying! I know you were in the East wing, I heard you in the next room. I was there! Don’t lie to me. That’s where you found it wasn’t it?” he asked with a crazed look in his eyes. Maggie just shook her head in denial.
“I should have just taken care of you right then, but your mother had to show up at just that moment. I couldn’t get rid of her too. Too many missing persons.” His words were coming faster as his eyes darted around the room manically. “Then Aaron just stormed off and left you all alone. But I needed to get rid of both of you. I couldn’t avoid it. It had to be done, but it needed to be at the same time or it would be too suspicious. So I had to wait, bide my time until you were both together again. He should be here now. Where is he?!” he demanded as his anger flared once again.
“I don’t know,” Maggie cried. “He’s gone, he’s never coming back. You can have the house. I don’t want it. I’ll leave. I’ll never tell anyone,” she promised.
“You’re lying!” he roared.
“I’m not. I believe you. This house should belong to you.” She looked up into his eyes and tried to suppress the revulsion she felt. “I know you don’t want to hurt me. Please, just let me go.”
She saw the conflicting emotions warring on his face. She felt his grip loosen and she took her opportunity while she had it. She pulled her arm from his grasp and spun away from him, sprinting up the stairs. His momentary shock at her quick movements gave her a short lead as she leapt up the stairs two at a time. She just needed to get a locked door between them.
She was fast, but he was faster. He grabbed her by the hair, wrenching it back so hard she saw stars in front of her eyes, and then she was flying, tumbling down the stairs head over heels. She felt several bones crack along the way.