"Hector killed Lucy's father." As soon as the words were out of Eileen's mouth, she couldn't believe that she'd said them. She and Cassandra stared at each other, both shocked at the revelation, neither sure what to say next.
"I'm suddenly feeling really tired," Cassandra said as she held her head with one hand and leaned against the sink with another. "I'm sorry, but I think I have to lay down."
"Yeah, ok," Eileen said and took the cue to leave. She walked out of the house in a daze and took a long walk, trying to clear her mind before it was time to go to her night job.
As she sat at her desk and answered the phones, her mind just wasn't on her work. She couldn't believe the suspicions she had about Hector. It couldn't be true. He couldn't have poisoned Clifford, could he?
If she had just had a feeling that he was guilty, she could have dismissed it, but there were too many facts that led to the same conclusion. Her mind kept drifting back.
"I went by to visit Clifford on the day he died and he seemed like he was feeling better."
"The police found empty pill capsules in the trash in his room and residue on his drinking glass. The staff said he hadn't had any visitors since the night before."
"I met him at the hospital a few weeks ago. I work as a nurse there and he was looking for someone who could answer a few questions."
Eileen didn't know what to do. She needed evidence to prove whether Hector was guilty or innocent, but she didn't know where to find it.
As soon as the next song was over, Sebastian dragged Vanessa off stage. He stopped by the bar to tell the bartender to close early and take the next week off, before leaving the bar with his wife.
"What's going on?" Vanessa asked as she got into their car.
"We're going home to pack. We've got to leave town tonight."
"Why?" she asked in shock. "What's happened?"
Sebastian shook his head and said very little as he sped home.
By the time they made it home and got out of the car Vanessa was tired of Sebastian's evasive responses to her questions and was terrified of what could have caused this sudden panic in her husband. She vowed not to take another step until she had some real answers.
"Sebastian, you have to tell me what's going on. Where are we going to go?" When she looked into his face, she knew without a doubt that they were in serious trouble of some kind. "What are we running from?"
"I don't have time to explain now," he said impatiently and pushed past her, towards the front door. "Just start packing."
When they walked into the house, Zara met them in the living room. "Is everything alright?" she asked.
"Where's Cassie?" he asked, ignoring her question.
"In bed."
"Why didn't you wake her? Tell her to get up and pack."
"I tried, but she's out," Zara shrugged. "I can't wake her."
"You can't wake her?" Vanessa asked with concern. "Is she alright?"
"She's fine," Zara insisted, making light of the situation. "This happens with her all the time. When she gets in a deep sleep like this, nothing can wake her. She'll wake up fine in the morning."
Sebastian was growing increasingly impatient. "We don't have time for this. I want all of you ready to leave in 20 minutes. If you can't get Cassie up, you'll have to pack her things for her and I'll carry her out to the car myself!"
Before either woman could respond, Sebastian was headed upstairs to find his suitcase.
As Sebastian was taking clothes out of the bedroom dresser, Zara stormed into the room with Vanessa close behind her. "Wait a minute," she protested. "What is going on here? You have to tell us something. You can't expect us to completely change our lives with no warning and no explanation."
"Yes I can. I'm your father and if I say we have to go that should be good enough. If that's not, then I'm sorry, but you're on your own. I don't have time to wait for you to make up your minds."
Zara turned to Vanessa with a look of disbelief. Both women were at a loss for words.
Finally Zara spoke up, "I'm not going. I can't just quit school and leave my whole life behind. And I know Cassie would feel the same."
Sebastian looked up from his suitcase and said sternly, "You can't stay in this house. It's not safe."
"She can stay with me in the dorms."
Sebastian looked at his daughter and nodded solemnly. "Ok."
As Zara left the room, Sebastian returned to his packing. When he noticed that Vanessa was standing nearby, watching him, he asked, "Well, what about you?"
"Do you trust me?" Vanessa asked, stepping forward.
"We don't have time for this," Sebastian grumbled.
"I need to know," Vanessa insisted. She wasn't going to back down on this point. "When things settle down are you going to trust me enough to tell me the truth? Are you going tell me everything? If not, I can't go with you."
Sebastian stopped what he was doing long enough to look her eye and promise, "I will."
"Ok," Vanessa said quietly. "That's all I needed to know." She went to get her suitcase and started to pack.
Within a half an hour, Sebastian and Vanessa were packed and ready to leave. Zara met them at the door to say goodbye.
"Where are you going? How long are you going to be gone?" Zara asked.
Sebastian shrugged, "I'm not sure."
"You will call, won't you?"
"Of course," Vanessa answered right away, but Sebastian didn't seem as sure.
"If we can." He gave Zara a quick hug. "You and Cassie take care of yourselves."
Vanessa stepped up to say goodbye next. "And promise me you'll get Cassandra to go to the doctor if she's not feeling better in the morning."
Zara nodded dumbly and followed her father and Vanessa to the door as they said goodbye. She stood in the doorway as they drove away. She knew their lives had changed, but she wasn't sure what to make of what was happening.
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