Deadly Ends (Book #4)

Chapter Thirty- Seven

I left the bedroom and knelt down to an emotional Tabitha "Go seek help from Tinsley, she can help you, okay?"

She shakily nodded, clinging to the rails as she stood up "P-Please do not think less of her for this"

I nodded "I would never, Tabitha"

I watched as she left down the hallway, while heads were peeking out from all areas.

"Everyone, please go into your rooms, until said otherwise" I announced, while Allan and Heath made their way to me.

"Who is it?" Allan asked, moving forward.

I stopped Allan from coming closer "Wait, can you handle seeing another dead body?"

"I do not wish to, but I certainly can handle it" he answered.

The three of us entered the room, looking over Sandra's body.

"Where is Montgomery?" I asked.

Heath looked at me "He was notified of the screams and will be down shortly"

"He is going to lose his mind with another body being found and his stress will only get worse" I replied.

We looked at her body, still hanging there.

"She barely slept, so I cannot be too shocked by this outcome, especially after Tabitha had to take a knife from her after threatening her own life" Allan spoke.

I looked at Allan, completely appalled "Why did no one inform Montgomery or I about this?"

Allan sighed "Tabitha begged me not to, because she promised that Sandra would get better"

I shook my head "If we knew of her intentions then this could have been prevented"

Heath approached Sandra's body "You cannot guarantee that, Cordelia"

"I was tortured too, at that castle and have had to fight of such dark thoughts that go on in my own head!" I snapped.

"Perhaps, Sandra was not as strong as you, Cordelia" Allan said.

I shot him a glare "Excuse you! Strength has nothing to do with it, because you cannot remove such images from your head, once they have been placed there" I shook my head "She was not weak; the things they did to her were just too strong" I took Sandra's hand, examining it only to be thrown off by what appeared to be rope burns on her hands.

I looked up at her body, while Heath looked at me confused.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"If she were trying to end her life, then why would she viciously try to pull at the topes, as if to try and remove them?"

Heath and Allan both exchanged looks.

"Do you think it was murder?" Heath asked.

I shrugged "I cannot say for sure. The body needs to be brought to the bed, to be examined"

Heath and Allan acted on that, carefully taking her down, without removing the rope around her neck.

I watched them place her down on the bed and I stood over her.

"Stand guard at the door, Allan" I said, not taking my eyes off Sandra's body.

He nodded and walked back over to the door, keeping his back to us.

I lifted up Sandra's head, while Heath removed the rope around her neck.

I stared at it, confused "Heath, what do those bruises look like?"

He examined where I was looking and his eyebrows raised "Those look like hand prints"

"Hand prints?" Allan asked "I never would have thought to look there"

"And I am sure that is exactly what the person responsible for this was hoping for" I answered.

Montgomery pushed past Allan, making his way into the bedroom "Did she really kill herself?"

I went to answer, but realized that whoever was responsible for this could be listening in "Yes, Sandra did this to herself, but we need to get the body out of her, so may we please discuss the plans for her burial in your office?"

Montgomery gave me a confused look, but nodded "Yes, um, Heath, Allan, please take her body downstairs and alert Tabitha that a burial will take place before sunset"

I left the bedroom, heading to Montgomery's office and as I left, I looked around, noticing everyone at their doorways, staring.

Then it hit me, this happened in the daytime, meaning the person responsible was in this house.

It was a quick assumption, but even with a witch involved, all their attacks happened at night or right after sunset, while this was the first to happen when the sun was out.