Excerpt:
“Love is just a four letter word for people who don’t want to say fuck.”
Hearthville Serial 3
What Happened To Victor:
A Paranormal Suspense Gangster Horror
By Charles Peters
Copyright 2019
All Rights Reserved
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Chapter 5
Victor parked his orange mustang. He held flowers in his hand as he walked to the grave of Jossette Ogleby. There were already fresh flowers on the grave. He looked around the cemetery and saw another lot that did not have fresh flowers on it. He noticed the graves of Nette and Artorius Ramsey. Victor put the flowers he had intended to put on the grave of Jossette on the grave of Nette.
The ghost of Artorius appeared at Victor’s side though Victor could not see him or hear him. Artorius said, “You son of a bitch, you stay away from my wife.”
Victor stared at the picture of Artorius and Nette that was embossed on the grave. “A handsome couple,” Victor said.
“You son a bitch, flattery will get you no where. I hated you from the moment I first saw you with Nette.”
Victor turned back to the grave of Jossette. He walked to it and sat down at the headstone. “I love you. I will always love you. Would it be wrong if I met someone new? Would it be wrong if I came to hold someone else in my arms.”
“Yeah. You do that. Move on. And leave my wife the hell alone.”
Victor said, “Sometimes I astral project and I walk among the dead. I have searched for you. I can’t find you. I long to find you when I am on the other side. I want to hold you in my arms. I want to talk with you. I loved our conversations. I will never find anyone as smart as you are but still I want to look.”
“You can’t find her either. She is not coming to you just like she is not coming to me. Maybe she does hate me but she would come to you. Wouldn’t she? I know I saw her die in the hospital but I don’t think she is dead. Where is she?”
Tabitha walked up to Victor. “George?”
“I am Victor.”
“Of course Victor. I am sorry. For some reason I thought you were someone else.”
Victor looked up at Tabitha. “Do you come to Jossette’s grave often?”
“I loved Jossette but I am the maid for Arthur and Clarice. Their mansion is just down the block. So when I am walking, I come to the cemetery. But yeah, I come to Jossette’s grave. She is my half-sister.”
“Of course.” Victor stood up. “I brought flowers but there were already fresh flowers on the grave. I put my flowers on the grave of Artorius and Nette.”
“Arthur’s grandparents.”
“Oh. I didn’t know. It is odd that Jossette favored Nette since she wasn’t a Ramsey.”
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“Yeah, I don’t think there was any cheating there.” Tabitha thought about the words that had flown out her mouth. She laughed. “So you still like to notice how people favor. I never realized that I favored Rachel or my father until your realization.”
“I am glad that you know your father now. I always liked Lawrence. That said, I did not mean to cause problems back then.”
“I know. Terence was going to figure it out. I would not say that you were the cause.”
“I am sorry about Lawrence and Terence but I am glad that you know who your father is.”
“Oh yeah. I love my father. He is moving back to Hearthville from Savannah. Mom is moving to Atlanta.”
“That is good that the two of you, you and your mom, will be back closer. Not that I was being nosey but Terence had told me that you and your mom had problems.”
“Sure. Mom is a cuss. She is a character. But I do love her,” Tabitha said as she walked around to where Artorious and Nette were buried. “You noticed that Nette and Jossette favor. Did you notice anything else?”
Victor walked around to the grave. He looked at the tombstone. He looked at the picture of the couple. “No. I didn’t notice anything else.”
“You don’t think Artorious favors someone.”
“Maybe Arthur a little bit. I guess.”
“No one else?”
“Who?”
“You don’t think Mark Ramsey favors him a bit?”
“Who?”
“Arthur’s son.”
“I don’t really know Arthur’s son.”
Tabitha stared at Victor. “You don’t?”
“No.”
Mark, who now goes by the name Steed, had told Tabitha that Victor does not recognize him. He had told her that Victor does not seem to know him and that he had not told Victor that he was Mark. But Tabitha knew more about the situation than what Mark had told her. She had talked to someone else even more close to the situation. Still, she had not shared what she knew with Mark.
Artorious laughed. “Hell yeah. My spell is still working.”
Tabitha reached out and hugged Victor. “I am so sorry for what happened,” Tabitha said as she knew well the locked door her words as a key would open.
Victor hugged Tabitha back. “Yes. I miss Jossette. I don’t think I will ever get over her death.” Victor released Tabitha from the hug and he reached to hold his head that had begun to hurt.
Tabitha whispered, “Yes, but I mean earlier. I mean what Rachel and Rita did to you.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about.”
Tabitha said, “So, do you want to go get coffee?”
Victor’s expression suddenly changed. He roughly kissed Tabitha on the lips as he hugged her tightly in his arms as though they were lovers. “I don’t want no damn coffee. I want some booze. I want some gambling. I want some dancing. And I want some pussy if you are game.”
Tabitha said, “George.”
Victor/George laughed. “Yeah, when you tried to get Victor to remember what had happened to him, here I be now. You know I am not going to let him remember that shit. You knew what you were doing.”
“I knew you would emerge. Still. Maybe you should let him remember.”
“I’ve told you before that Victor is different. He will not just remember it, he will relive it. He could die reliving it. Do you want him dead? Do you want me dead?”
“Of course not.”
“I did not think so.” George kissed Tabitha some more. “So, do you want to go party?”
“You know that I do. Before we go though, I want you to know something.”
“What is that?”
“I love you.”
“Love is just a four letter word for people who don’t want to say fuck.”