Masters of Lavender Hill Mansion Ch. 13

Joe could barely hold back his tears he was so happy to finally see her at last. He weakly raised his arms to her, hoping she would accept his offer. Millie looked up at her and saw she was nervous about going to him.

"It's okay dear, Joe loves you like I do. Go say hello to him and give him a hug."

Livy let go of Josie's hand and came from behind the chair and slowly went around to him and stood holding her hands together, looking like a little girl again she became so shy. Joe tentatively reached out and put his hands on her arms, letting his fingers rest lightly on her. Livy sighed a little whimper of happiness and knew it was okay to go to him. She rushed in and put her arms around his neck and let him hold her tightly to him, enjoying his hug for real for the first time. Joe hugged her tightly, not caring about her nudity or glowing appearance, it was a love for her that transcended all of that.

Livy finally pulled from the hug and introduced Josie to him, but she stayed behind Millie and shyly waved hello to him. Livy gave Joe a kiss on the cheek and went back to stand with Josie behind Millie.

"Quite the lovely wee thing, isn't she, Joe?"

"She is. You're so beautiful, Livy. I had no idea at all. You too, Josie, such pretty girls."

Josie beamed happily. hearing the compliment about her and her friend.

"Thank you, Joe."

Even Vic was urged to relax and take his tension level down, the sweet, politeness of the girls disarming him to accept them and feel am affection for them.

"So Millie, please tell me this is all over with now and no more girls will be possessed."

"Joe, no more girls will have this happen to them, she's gone."

"What does Walter have to say about it? Where is he?"

Millie couldn't hold back her emotions at the mention of Walter.

"Millie, Millie, what's wrong?"

"She killed my Walter, Joe. She was furious that you took the girls from her and took it out on him because he was a man." "He's dead? How? What did she do to him?"

"It was horrible what she did, Joe. I don't think you want to know what she did. Just know she was evil and it wasn't a pleasant way to die for him."

"Where is he, Millie?"

"Upstairs, lying on a bed peacefully now."

"We need to call the police."

"No Vic, we can't. We call them and Millie ends up in jail and we all end up looking guilty of something. None of them will believe a ghost did it, specially one that was killed and left no proof. We need to handle this, whether we like it or not. Too many people will be hurt by this if it gets out."

Vic thought on that and realized Joe was right. Even he and Bert would be implicated in it and it would end their position in town and ruin any chance of making a living. It was a predicament that required some careful thinking.

After several thoughts on what to do, nothing seemed possible to avoid questions on Walter. Livy got their attention and gave them an idea that made them think hard.

"What if Walter disappeared like Heather did no one ever finds him? Would that work?"

"Well, yes dear, it would, but where can we put Walter that he'd never be found?"

"Where they put Heather. They never found her and they wouldn't find Walter either."

"Wait, you know where they buried Heather?"

"Yes, she took Josie and I there to make us her slaves, where she made Victoria her slave."

"Hold on dear, you know where Victoria was taken by Heather?"

"Yes."

"Tell me, where?"

"The big tree on the hill."

"There's nothing there but a tree. Where did they go?"

"Under it."

"Under it?"

"Yes, there's a big cave under it and that's where they went."

"A cave? There's a cave under the tree?"

"Well, I'll be. I'm been on that hill a dozen times and never saw a cave. Where under the tree? How do you get in?"

"At the bottom, there's a hole to go down, but it's covered by a big root you have to move first."

"So, that's where they hid Heather and no one could find her. No wonder they couldn't find a trace of her. So, how did she die?"

"She hung herself in the tree. Might as well get the truth out about this, so this is what happened those years ago."

Millie opened up about all she knew that went on between Victoria and Heather that fateful day. Heather had threatened Victoria that she wouldn't give her up to Captain Masters and continue making her her sex slave. Victoria was beside herself with thought of her new husband finding out about her and divorcing her and shaming her to everyone. She wanted out of it but Heather refused and tried to control her that day. It was the first time Victoria had ever been able to say no to her and they shared words. Heather cursed Victoria to be unhappy with him and Victoria had cursed her to die and leave her alone. Heather was crushed when she saw Victoria walking back home through the fields and hung herself in the tree. Victoria had gone back and wanted to take back her words she said, but when she got there, Heather was already dead.

Victoria had gone back and told them what Heather had done and had to come clean about what they had done. To avoid anything coming out about it, they made a decision to bury Heather and the whole affair in the lair they had shared it all in. Victoria led her family to the tree and showed them the root they had to move. Heather was lowered down inside and laid to rest in it and then it was closed and never mentioned about again. Victoria had taken all of Heather's jewelry and keepsakes she had given her and put them in a box she never opened again. Heather lay and rotted away, as did her memory, but her spirit was cursed to remain and she had sought revenge and compensation for it since then.

Millie brought the history up to her possession by Heather through guilt. Joe and Vic realized how she could be controlled by that, her family's actions falling on her and weighing on her to compensate Heather. It was all a matter of finding a young woman to let Heather turn into her sex slave and Olivia Masters became the perfect subject to use. Her friends were a bonus for Heather and she had intentions of controlling all of them and gaining power. She wanted all women to be lesbian sex slaves and Livy and Josie were her minions to faithfully carry out her plan.

Joe and Vic sat slack jawed as they listened to Millie, while Livy and Josie continued to look angelic through it all. Despite what they had done, it had to be considered they were possessed through it all and were truly innocent girls who had been abused. By the time Millie sat back defeated by the truth of it all, Joe couldn't imagine explaining any of it to anyone to make sense and neither could Vic.

"So, Millie, do we do that to Walter? Lay him there with her in that place?"

"Joe, the idea of it tears at me to even imagine laying him anywhere near her, but what choice do I have? If we call anyone, I'll be going to jail and die there, sure as I'm sitting here. Who's going to believe a ghost did it? I'll be blamed and no way to defend myself from it. I can't go to jail for something I didn't do. So, there's no choice for me but to put him there and hope to God I'm not haunted by him."

That last statement weighed hard on Joe and Vic, knowing the possibility of it could be very real, knowing what had happened so far. Markland had always pulled together for its people and now it wanted to pull together and bury a piece of its history that should have remained buried and create a new mystery for everyone to become concerned about. Once more, the Lancaster's had to deal with saving face in a moment of crisis and damn their souls for eternity for the disgrace.

"Let me dress him then and at least show the man some respect. He was so good to me for all these years and now I have to repay it by making him go away and forgotten about. Girls, come help me get Walter ready, I can't do it myself and need your help."

Livy and Josie helped Millie up and went upstairs without question with her. Millie got some clothes and Walter's best suit to dress him in. Millie went and got a bowl of water and a cloth and towel, ready to wash and prepare him for dressing. She washed away the blood from his face and body, then delicately washed what was left of his penis and dried him off. They put socks and underwear and then his shirt and pants. Millie tied a tie and they sat him up to put his jacket on. Millie got his dress shoes and tied them on and looked at him fondly. She smoothed his thin hair back and kissed his forehead softly.

"You were a fine looking man, Walter, so you were. I'll miss you so."

Millie was breaking into tears and the girls comforted her as she wept for him. When Millie was able, she called down for Joe and Vic to come up and get him. They looked at him and then the traces of his blood still spattered about the wall and floor around him. It wasn't hard to see where the blood had originated from and they both gulped in dread at how they thought it happened.

They took him by the arms and legs and carried him down and out to the truck. Livy held the door for them, as they laid him on the back seat.

"If we drive out in that field, there's a good chance someone is going to spot the headlights and wonder."

"No choice in it now, Joe. We have to take that chance."

"We can guide you."

They looked at Livy and Josie glowing faintly in the night and they were bright enough to drive behind with the lights off and follow to the hill.

"That'll work. Okay girls, lead the way and I'll follow close behind."

Millie got in with Joe and Vic and started off behind the girls. They floated easily along the winding dirt trail the workers used, casting enough light that Vic could follow behind. In minutes, they arrived at the hill and they got out to see where the opening was. Vic brought a flashlight and shone it on the tree and Millie made him turn it off immediately.

"Och, you fool, they can see that from miles around. Hold it close to the ground and we can shield it so it doesn't shine out like a beacon."

Vic realized his blunder and looked around from his viewpoint to see if anyone in the farms were awake and possibly looking. He waited until they were in place and put the light closer to the ground where Livy said the root was to move. It looked perfectly natural like the other roots that were bared, but when Joe pulled on it, the heavy wood rolled to the side and a large hole in the trunk and ground was exposed. It was big enough for smaller bodies to fit through and Vic looked at his large girth and knew he wouldn't fit.

"No way I'm getting down there. Joe, think you can fit down there?"

"Not sure."

Joe began climbing down the hole and found he could stretch out enough to squeeze through. He found his footing and asked Vic to pass the flashlight down. He shone it around the roots and then around his feet, finally seeing Heather's remains. He let out a gasp and then looked her over when the shock passed. She had been sitting up, her hands in her lap and legs slightly spread. The light caught a glint off something under her bottom hand and Joe bent sown to look without touching her. Her curled fingers still held the string of beads in them, as though they had been clutched tightly in her death.

Joe went back to the hole and called up to them.

"I see her. Her bones are down here like they said."

"Is she holding anything in her hand, Joe?"

"Yeah, she has some kind of necklace, it looks like."

"Take it, that belongs to Victoria."

"How do you know?"

"I read it in her diary. It's hers."

Joe shone the light on Heather's hands again and saw what he had to do to get it. He crouched in front of her between her legs and pried the first bony hand up and went to move it to the side. It broke off and Joe dropped it instantly in shock and horror. He could see the necklace clutched in her fingers and tried to pull it out. It wouldn't come without force and he didn't want to break the necklace doing it. He pried up a finger and it snapped and broke away. He held back from throwing up and pried up two more, breaking them off and freeing the necklace. He looked at it and looked at Heather, wondering why it meant so much to her to clutch so tightly.

He went over and passed it up to Millie, who held it briefly and slipped it in her robe pocket. She looked at Vic and the girls and gave them a look that they didn't need an explanation for. They went down to the truck and brought Walter's body up and told Joe to help from his end. Slowly they lowered him down and Joe tried to keep him from getting too dirty during the process. He shifted him over to the other side from Heather and sat him against the wall. He stood back after straightening his clothes out and making him look comfortable to spend eternity in. He noticed that the two were facing each other and in a moment of thought to the situation, took his hand and closed all his fingers but the middle one and aimed it towards Heather. He patted his shoulder and smiled for him.

"You tell her where she can go Walter. Sorry for what I called you earlier, you were what you were with her, but you were alright by me, you were a right decent man. Rest well, Walter."

Joe made his way back up and they helped him out. Millie asked where he was and he pointed it out on the ground under them. He pointed out where Heather was and told them what he had to do to get the necklace from her. Vic cringed at hearing about it, but Millie took comfort she was still suffering. She asked how she was holding it and Joe described what he saw. Millie never said what she suspected and the guys never asked. She had a chuckle at Joe's last tribute from Walter he helped him do and then silence again.

Millie had them bow their heads and said a farewell to him, blessing his soul to lay at peace. She wanted to say more, but her sobbing prevented her from forming words properly. They all knew what she wanted to say and one day would, but at that moment, it was time to put everything to rest and begin the cover up of Walter's disappearance. Vic rolled the large root back into place and followed them down the hill to the truck. Livy and Josie got in the back with Millie to comfort her and Vic asked them if they could light the way back. Josie said she would do it and got out.

Vic drove behind Josie to the house and stopped, then went inside with Millie and Joe, the girls joining them again beside Millie's chair. They held her hands in support, as they began discussing how to field the first questions of Walter's vanishing. Millie said she could say she was in the house while he was out in the workshop and went out to say goodnight at ten after her show and didn't realize he was missing until the next morning.

The alibis and deceit grew with each step of the way, until they had reached a point where everyone had an alibi and cover to stick to. Livy and Josie just sat and listened, as a life was rapidly being forgotten and dismissed once again. With hardly a notice, they began to disappear from sight and vanished. Millie noticed first and then Joe looked about, realizing he didn't even notice them.

Millie didn't take long in realizing what made them do it and put her face in her hands as she began crying. Joe got up and went to her to comfort her and asked what it was.

"Do you not see what we've just done? They sat and listened to us do the same thing that happened to them all those years ago. Just something to cover up and be forgotten. It's no wonder they left us. Och, I feel so terrible, I do. I'm a horrid person."

Millie wailed into her hands, as Joe and Vic realized they were just as guilty in bringing it about. Tears came to their eyes, knowing the pain it must have caused them to hear it like that. A strong scent of lavender filled the room around them and faces became alert to the presence. Tears still flowed, but hope was on their faces.

"Livy, oh Livy, we're so sorry for hurting you like that. We didn't mean to do that to you and Josie. Please understand that we love you both and we're not forgetting Walter, we need the rest of the world to forget him. It's not what I wanted for him, it's what we had to do because of Heather. You know he meant more to me than that."

It was moments later that the wisps of Livy and Josie reappeared beside Millie and took her hands again. Millie kissed them both and cried happily, feeling forgiven by them. They looked at Vic and Joe, smiling again and melted their hearts to tears as well.

"Are our friends okay? I miss them already."

"Oh, yes, Livy. The girls are at my brother, Bert's They're safe there and resting, They'll be fine."

"Millie, do you think they'll still want to be friends after what's happened?"

"Oh yes, child. I believe her when she says she loves you both. I don't think that was due to Heather making them. I think things will be just fine between you now."

"I'm so happy. I really love them all and so does Josie."

"I do, I owe them so much for everything they've done for me and bringing me back to Livy."

Livy and Josie were hugging happily, knowing they were still loved and wanted.

"So, you girls decided on staying together then? Still want to be the way you were together?"

Joe hard a hard time coming out and saying it directly, but they knew what he meant and smiled.

"Yes, we do love each other. I do love Josie and like being with her like this way. She makes me so happy."

"So, no guy could make you feel happy like that? I'm just wondering, seeing as you never had a chance to know and just thought maybe."

"I was curious to know what Sebastian was like. He was really nice to me and I think he would have been a good husband, but I love Josie and she's all I want now."

"I see. Well, to each their own I suppose. Vic, we better skedaddle and get you home before Marge has too many questions to answer. We know our stories to tell and so does Millie, so we leave it till the morning when Millie calls it in to report him gone."

"Yeah, I'm sure I won't be sleeping for a few hours yet until she's satisfied about where I was and what I was doing. Okay, guess we should get going then."

Joe and Vic stood and there was an awkwardness of the moment what to do. Millie rose slowly and went to Joe, hugging him well. Joe felt her need to and hugged her back, knowing they shared something that bonded them even more. She went to Vic and hugged him the same, although his hug in return was less affectionate. The girls hugged Joe and then Vic, still after all this time feeling embarrassed by their nudity. They went out to the truck and stopped, looking once more at the hill's shape outlined in the distance and looked at the three women on the porch. There was a sharing in their looks, one that said all would be as it was supposed to be, no more need be said.

Vic and Joe left and never talked on the way home to Joe's, both deep in their own thoughts on the events of the night. He dropped him off and drove another fifteen minutes to his house and didn't need to wonder if Marge would be waiting for him. The lights were on and the TV was flickering in the living room, letting him know his explanation had better be rock solid and no slip ups to give anything away. He waited a moment after shutting it off and headed in to face her and hopefully go to bed shortly after to a fitful sleep. He turned his phone on and saw four messages for him from Marge and sighed heavily as he put his phone away and went inside.

Morning came and held everything in brightness from the night before. The scene of events held a vivid truth to it, as blood dried into evidence. Millie lay in her bed, comforted on either side by the girls to get her through the night and through the worst of it.

Joe was up with the sun and didn't do more than dose in bed for a few hours. He sat at his table and looked out the window in the direction of the mansion and wondered if life there would ever be normal. The coffee did well in getting his mind cleared and focused on his alibi, as he went over everything to get it set as fact.