Haunted in the Night

Chapter Twenty-Four- The Final Chapter

Chapter Twenty-Four.
Claire groaned at the sharp pain that went shooting through her head, slowly she peeled her eye lids open and groaned again as her vision spun, the whole bright room was very dizzy and she felt like she may collapse again even though she was laying down.
“Careful now babe, you hit your head, you might have a concussion" she could hear Chad’s voice and she felt him take her right hand, his warmth spreading through her, she was so happy to be back with him and not back at that awful cave.
“Where am I?” she asked as she attempted to open her eyes again, this time things becoming a little bit clearer.
“You in the hospital, you had a nasty fall when you collapsed, the rangers brought you in, Bob’s outside getting coffee" Chad told her as she focused on his face, his features finally made visibly.
“Where’s Mary Scather?” she asked, worried she had gotten away in the commotion of Claire fainting, she felt so embarrassed now.
“Locked up, I got her statement, everything she told you, she asked me to tell you how sorry she is for the pain she had caused your life" Bob said as he had entered the room just to hear her ask.
“What will happen to her?” Claire asked curiously and slightly worried, feeling a mixture of emotions, anger towards her for what she had done to all those innocent people, especially her god mother and parents but also pity for what she had been through herself.
“Her lawyer is going to go for the insanity plea, hoping to get her life in a mental institution where she can get the help she needs" Bob explained as he sat down on a chair next to Chad.
“And my parents?” Claire asked but Chad shushed her.
“Don’t worry about that right now, you just need to rest" Chad told her and she frowned at him, but that only caused her head to throb and she groaned again in pain.
“When can I go home?” she asked and noticed how Chad blushed and she looked at him confused.
“I needed to talk to you about that actually" he told her but didn’t give anything away.
“What?” she asked as she squeezed his hand trying to get him to tell her but it took more energy then she thought it would.
“Well seeming as your no longer being stalked, Mary fessed up to that too by the way, I was wondering if you would like to move in with me" Chad told her and she gasped at him, remembering how she told him she would stay in town with him, live her life with him, even after all the horrible memories this town held for her.
“I...” She didn’t know what to say, the words couldn’t form in her mind let alone her mouth and she saw Chad’s face fall slightly as he thought she was rejecting him, worried that she would go back to her grandparents.
“Only if we get to share the same bed still" she flirted with him cheekily and watched as his face lit up with joy and he kissed her passionately but only a short kiss.
“But seriously I need to know what is going to happen with my parents" Claire wouldn’t let it go and Bob sighed as Chad sat back down, frowning at how stubborn Claire is.
“I hope you don’t think I’ve over stepped any bounds here but I have organised for their bodies to be dug up and to be cleaned and put in casks, however I am leaving it up to you whether you want them to be buried in the cemetery or back under the tree" Bob told her and her heart stopped for a moment, her breath catching in her throat as the horrible thought of what they would look like now ran through her brain.
“You don’t need to make the decision today" Chad reminded her and she nodded as tears entered her eyes and she bit her bottom lip trying to hold it back.
“I think I’ll give you two some space, there’s some stuff back at the station I need to sort through" Bob said as he stood up, leaving Chad his cup of coffee on the table before he left them alone.
“I was so worried about you, when Bob came to the store and told me you were in the hospital, I thought for sure that I had lost you" Chad said as he brushed back a strand of her hair and she offered him a small smile.
Scooting over the best she could she tapped her hand slightly on the bed, thankfully he understood and he climbed up next to her, and he held her as she snuggled up to him, his arms wrapped around her, his warmth surrounding her, making her feel safe again, finally.
“I’m scared Chad, I’ve never really had an actual home again, I mean I lived with my grandparents but it never truly felt like home, what if I move in with you and it feels the same way?” she asked him worried and he just chuckled at her, all this had happened and this was what she was worried about.
“Don’t worry Claire, you are already home, right here with me" he told her and she smiled softly before she drifted off back to sleep.

The next day she was allowed to go home, Chad was taking her back to his place, well their place now, Bob had taken Claire’s stuff over there yesterday for her.
“I heard from Bob, Hardgrove and Mary went to court today, Mary got the life sentence in a mental institution and Hardgrove got life in a super max facility, the evidence was overwhelming" Chad explained to her when they climbed into his truck.
“I’m just actually glad it’s all over, I finally know the truth" she admitted, as much as she was grieving for everyone she lost she also felt rather free now, unchained from the life of never knowing.
“Do you know yet where you want your parents buried?” he asked her softly but curiously and she sighed sadly before nodding.
“I want them back under the tree, but with a head stone at the base of the trunk, as much as that tree was meant for my life now it’s for them, a place for them to rest" Claire told him and he reached over and took her hand while he drove.
“I’m really proud of you Claire, honestly when you came back to town everyone thought this case would break you but you just proved them wrong, you solved it and you got justice" Chad smiled at her quickly before looking back at the road.
“I just want to start a new chapter of my life and I’m going to do it with you" she told him, she knew it sounded cheesy but it was true, she was still unsure where exactly her life was headed, whether she would continue her course long distance, or if she would work with Chad at the store, she considered maybe doing both, but either way Chad would be with her every step of the way.
It didn’t take long for him to pull up at his place, now theirs and she spotted the rose plants tat they had planted together and how they were blooming, even with how cold the weather was.
“Welcome home" Chad told her, taking her hand again.

Author's Note: That's it, the end of my first ever mystery novel, I really truly hope you enjoyed reading what I put so much work into, hard months of planning and then even harder months of writing, what I consider to be my best work so far.
If you could vote or comment to let me know what you think I would be so grateful, and again I hope you enjoyed reading my Haunted in the Night Novel.