CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED and NINETY
(part one)
Tuesday mid-day — 12:15 P.M.
Brighton, Colorado
Standing on the small hill in Brighton, Delphie looked up at the warm late August sky. From where she stood, she could see out over the home construction site to the Rocky Mountains on the horizon. She was standing on the site where Saint Jude had killed his first victim after hanging her in the horrible barn. Soon it would be a gorgeous gem of a park.
“Excuse me,” A small but beautiful woman touched Delphie’s arm. Her face held the washed out look of extreme grief. She spoke in her native language. “I’m sorry. Were you meditating?”
Delphie smiled at Ava’s best friend’s mother.
“You must speak English,” Beth’s father said in the same language.
“It’s all right,” Delphie smiled. “My mother spoke Slavic when I was a child. Was that Croatian? It’s similar.”
“Yes,” the man said. “You may speak English. She understands much but refuses to speak.”
“I was taking in the day,” Delphie said in English. “Oh look, it’s Amelie.”
Delphie waved to Amelie and Dale getting out of a car near by. They jogged up the slope toward the group of people gathering on the small hill.
“What happened to the…?” The woman gestured toward the fenced off dirt area.
“Jacob took the terrible pole barn down by hand,” Delphie said. “Have you met Jacob?”
“Yes,” Beth’s father said. “He has been very kind. Everyone…”
He gestured to the people gathering around them. The families of Saint Jude’s victims were joining Delphie today to celebrate the lives of their loved ones and the end of Saint Jude.
“But these people?” Beth’s mother gestured to the men and woman standing near where the pole barn had been. Ava hugged Beth’s father and then her mother. Her mother hugged Dale and her father shook his hand.
“They’re from the Museum of Nature and Science,” Delphie said.
“They’re scientists,” Ava said. “They’re going to dig up the barn to see if they can determine what happened here. Seth said they may be here for more than ten years working on everything that’s here.”
“Like they have done in Bosnia,” Beth’s father said. “Find the crimes. Find the criminals. That is very good.”
“Won’t they find the…” Beth’s mother looked at her husband.
“Zmaj,” Beth’s father visibly shook.
“No, he and his mate are gone,” Delphie smiled. “The women and children in my family destroyed them with their light.”
“And her babies,” Ava said.
Beth’s mother began to weep. Dale hugged her.
“He is our son now,” Beth’s father said. “We are glad to have him. Please forgive us. We miss our Beth so very much.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Delphie said. “I wanted everyone to get together here to see that they don’t suffer alone.”
“That Saint Jude was an evil man,” Beth’s father said.
“Without Beth, we never would have caught him,” Ava said.
“Yes,” Beth’s father said. He took a breath at his pain and then changed the topic. “We were told this is going to be a park?”
“Did you see the design?” Delphie took them to a 3-D model of the future park. “One of Jill’s teachers at the Art Institute came up with the design. The construction company is going to create it.”
“How did you get them to…?” Dale asked.
“After he got out of the hospital, he just wanted to do it,” Delphie shrugged.
“Delphie told him about a big blockage,” Ava whispered and gestured to her heart. Her eye’s spoke to the size of the block. “Widow maker.”
“He’s very generous,” Delphie said with a twinkle in her eye.
They laughed.
“What’s going to happen to the house?” Dale asked. “It’s really lovely. Huge.”
“I don’t remember,” Delphie said. “I mean, there’s a sold sign and I think someone told me, but I was making sure the park happened and…”
“She ignored me,” Sam up his arm over Delphie’s shoulder. “Sam Lipson.”
Beth’s parents shook his hand and introduced themselves.
“The house will be moved. I remember that,” Delphie smiled at Sam. “And the land will be the first part of the park. The City is deciding whether to build a rec center on part of it. But Sam bought all that land and this land so it would be a really nice park.”
“Don’t let her fool you,” Sam said. “She made this happen. Did she tell you about the people who lived in the mansion?”
Beth’s father shook his head.
“Why don’t you show them?” Sam said. “I’ll call the kids and see where they are.”
Delphie nodded and led Beth’s parents to the row of old graves.
Denver Cereal continues tomorrow…
