LEFT OF SINISTER

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Earl didn't want to admit it, but he was almost certain that his brother had just made a threat, and a not very subtle threat at that. He was almost convinced that his brother had felt the form of the envelope beneath the cover of the red corduroy shirt jacket he was wearing whether or not he'd heard the sound of it when he embraced him.

He sat back down in the chair the glow of the flames in the fireplace dancing off his thoughtful figure seated there his eyes trained on the door of the den anticipating his brother suddenly reappearing eyeing him suspiciously perhaps pointing his gun at him. He had no doubt that his brother was indeed the sinister individual he'd long ago decided he was. He was convinced that he was a serial killer and the sight of all those haunting forms in the yard, those unsettled spirits were the numerous victims he had accumulated over the years. "God how many were there?"

He was aware that since the age of twenty five Candy had journeyed to various parts of the country beginning with California. He knew too that he'd spent a year and a half in Iowa as well choosing to move there to live with their younger sister Jane and her husband Charles just as he had done when he went to California and stayed with their oldest sister and her family.

While he was in Iowa Earl had known him to have worked for the federal government at the Rock Island Arsenal that was in the middle of the Mississippi River. Unfortunately the election of Ronald Reagan had led to his being laid off according to Reagan's mandate to cut the number of federal employees.

Beyond that Earl knew that before having settled down with Sage he'd taken vacations at various venues inside the state and throughout the Southeastern United States. It seemed obvious then that some of those spirits that were in the yard were among his victims from these various places he had lived or visited. Perhaps some too were from around here where he had lived now for most of his life.

But he had to have confirmation for any of this beyond this speculative frame of mind. But it was very true his speculation over the course of his many years had always proven to be spot on when he made determinations about people and so was encouragement enough for him to proceed as he saw fit.

He could, almost upon instantly meeting someone or witnessing them from a close distance, discern just what kind of a person they were. Not what they projected they were through words or activities done to continue some fantasy they had created to manipulate how they were perceived by their contemporaries.

That had been one of the factors that had convinced him to take the moonlighting work Paul had offered all those years back after having married his sweet little Loni. It was performing a service for the good of the society and had proven to be very profitable for him and his lovely wife Maggie. Life had been difficult financially for them all through the years of their marriage up to the point that his daughter had made such a tremendous catch in Paul.

Loni had won scholarships due to her studious endeavors during her grammar and high school years and worked the whole time she had went to school releasing her folks of any need to finance it. And good thing she did or they may never have come to know Paul and gotten some measure of financial success through the auspices of his consultancy and his familia influence.

But all that aside Earl decided that he couldn't be certain of any of what he had come to think until he'd looked inside that envelope that was now adhering to his back with the flow of perspiration prompted by the warming room and at the same time was co-mingling with the rain water he'd been subject to while outside in the yard.

He was equally convinced that the grandson Ryan had for some reason become suspicious of his step grandfather's travels over time and Candy probably became privy to it and decided to prevent the boy from making it public. What was it he had said, that the boy was constantly on the net checking on past murders? The murders he no doubt was guilty of having committed. He'd hinted that the boy was perhaps planning his own mass murder when the reality of it was that he was connecting the dots of them that he had done and could somehow point an accusing finger at Candy and he had determined himself to end it, end it by killing his entire family and the boy. Knowing the difficulty the boy was having due to his diagnosed mental handicaps he no doubt believed he could easily persuade everyone concerned especially the authorities, that the boy was the villain. How else could one explain the fact that Ryan like all the other spirits he'd seen were among them? Obviously they and Ryan wanted the truth to come out to let the world know just what an utterly corrosive person Candy was.

As he sat there watching the door he had to admit he was overwhelmed with fear, fear of his younger brother who despite everything he loved dearly. And he knew for certain he had to get that lock box in the foyer hallway and either conceal it somewhere or breach the lock and remove the .22 caliber Ruger inside and which he knew was likely the weapon he'd used to kill many of his numerous victims.

He sat there for perhaps an hour watching that door and the clock over the fireplace mantle. Waited until he felt assured that Candy was back to sleep.

He hoped he would go back to sleep and not just lay down trying to delude Earl into thinking he was doing so, keeping up some fallacy so he might spy on him and confirm whether or not that his brother had discovered the fact that he was a cold blooded killer many times over it seemed. A killer of women, children and any number of innocent people if it was a fact as he believed the paintings were actually portraits of his victims. Earl didn't hold with that and made a vow to himself to find evidence that either convicted or acquitted his brother to his satisfaction. And then he would act accordingly to protect himself.

As the minute hand on the clock came to twelve attesting to the fact that another hour had passed he gingerly stood and being as quiet as he might moved across the room with the skill of a professional burglar. Once leaving the carpet and afoot on the space of wood between it and the facade wall he crept even slower now near tiptoeing as he went.

He twisted the door knob and slowly pushed the door open praying it would not whine on its hinges as he did so. He exited and made his way down the short hallway once more. When there he once again stuck his head around the corner like a bashful creature peering from its burrow. Candy was there on the couch as he had prayed he would be the light from the muted television flickering over his supine torso.

But now he was facing toward the facade wall rather than having his face turned toward the backrest of the couch. Earl then began to think he may be awake and looking at me through eyes squinted in such a manner to give the impression he was asleep. Such deviousness he was certain was not beyond the realm of possibility for someone who was left of sinister as he had proposed all along that Candy was.

He continued to watch him there asleep stirring ever so often but having not yet turned on his left side and facing the back rest of the couch as was usually the posture Candy normally took when asleep no matter the place he'd chosen to make a bed for sleeping. He began to silently entreat upon him to turn his back to him so he could get to the foyer closet without his face directed that way whether awake or snoozing away.

And at last Candy stirred and like a grumpy bear turned on his side and was once more lying with his back to the front of the house.

He moved like he had when first coming up the porch steps taking long strides, two steps at a time only now he was moving over a flat wooden floor. After three of them he was close to the entrance of the foyer.

At last arriving there he quickly stole himself into the shadows of the hallway which came alight intermittently whenever the lightning sparked the world outside. As he opened the closet door the thunder blasted the structure with one of those earth shattering types of explosions that one can virtually feel sometimes. He froze almost as the house seemingly vibrated from the roll of it that continued on for such a long time that Earl thought perhaps it would never stop, or was at least loud enough that it might would arouse his brother who would in turn discover what he was up to.