Chapter 12

A week later, Claire and Jody were sitting in the living room as Shanti entered, suitcase in hand.

The police had accepted their story almost without question. Drummond had raped his daughter who, when she found out she was pregnant, stabbed him to death and wounded her mother as she tried to intervene.

Laura was certainly not going to refute that since she was now being confined in an institution for the criminally insane. She was steadily regressing into a world of infancy where painful memories did not exist. An examination had indicated she was indeed pregnant. The doctors were, quite frankly, not optimistic regarding her recovery.

At the funeral, Claire had come to realize how different life would be now for her and Jody as, because of the rumors already flying of incest between Drummond and his daughter, very few of even their closest friends had attended. Jody's friends had suddenly quit calling or coming by. Claire and Jody were finding out how very much alone in the world they now were.

Claire sat, drink in hand, already stuporous even though it was only mid-afternoon.

"I'll be leaving now," announced Shanti.

"Don't go," pleaded Jody for several reasons, most of them having to do with his bedroom.

"Must you?" asked Claire, still unsure, especially through the alcoholic haze of whether she should be happy or sad. Shanti had lied that she had been forced to participate in the deception regarding Laura's mystery identity. Claire wasn't sure she believed her, but by now it didn't much matter whether she believed the woman or not.

"Yes, my work here is finished."

"I... I'll write you a severance check," muttered Claire as she rose and walked slowly from the room.

"I'll miss you," smiled Jody.

"Perhaps not as much as you might think," replied Shanti.

"What do you mean?"

"Let me explain before your mother gets back."

A few minutes later Claire returned with the check. Shanti deposited it in her purse. She turned to Jody.

"Jody, there is something private I want to say to your mother. Would you excuse us?"

The boy grinned, nodded and left the room.

"What is it Shanti?" asked Claire as they stood facing each other.

"You once asked me why I had come here to work and I told you it was simply because I needed the money."

"Yes."

"That wasn't the whole truth, Claire. Do you remember my interview, when Drummond told about how his grandfather had bought this house?"

"Yes, from an old drunken Frenchman."

"That old drunken Frenchman was my great grandfather."

Even through the liquor, Claire's interest was aroused.

"Of course your husband left out a few important details. He failed to mention that his grandfather was a banker and heartlessly foreclosed on a loan to drive my great grandfather off the property so he could buy it for a song. He also didn't tell you that bankruptcy drove my great grandfather insane. His wife left him and he went to live deep in the bayou..."

Shanti's voice was beginning to be tinged with venom.

"... where he lived with a black woman for the remainder of his life. They had twelve children, seven of them girls and he, in his insanity, raped every one of them. Three of those daughters bore his children. One was a girl who he impregnated when she was twelve and he almost eighty. The son she bore was my father."

Shanti looked the older woman eye to eye with a controlled hatred in her voice.

"My father began raping me at the age of nine. I told Laura I seduced my brothers. In reality, they took me the same way my father did. I have two children Mrs. Walker. One is both my son and my brother. The other is my daughter and my niece."

"My God Shanti, I had no idea!"

"No. I suppose you didn't. Your kind never does. You who have riches and power prey on those who don't. My great grandfather was an honorable man until he was driven to insanity."

"Then you... ? What happened... ?"

"Was my little way of extracting revenge on the Walkers. I wasn't after you personally, you just happened to be a part of the family I hate and shall hate to the day I die!"

"You... you planned all this to happen?" asked the incredulous Claire.

"Yes, I wanted to see this family suffer as mine has done. I wanted you to experience the degradation and torment of incest. Drummond's death and your daughter going insane were just unexpected icing on the cake!" added Shanti smiling.

"You vile, evil, despicable..." sputtered Claire.

"Call me what you will. It is no worse than what my family has been calling the Walkers for three generations!"

"Get out! Get out of my house and never come back!" shouted Claire.

"Don't worry, it will be my pleasure! By the way, you'd better hold on to Jody. He's all you've got now. He should be great company for you. I took him to bed a number of times. He's quite good you know, energetic and eager to learn!" retorted Shanti smiling wickedly as she opened the door and strode confidently to the waiting taxi.

She looked back only once as she was getting into the cab. Already, the lawn needed mowing and there were some broken limbs that should have been pruned away. But it was the house, the house so neat and trim which now somehow had taken on the appearance of age and decay. She smiled a final time, closed the door and the taxi sped away.

Claire turned as Jody reentered the room.

"She gone?" he asked.

"Yes, for good. My god, I can't believe how I let that woman deceive me. Why she's nothing more than a common..."

"Whore?" Jody finished it for her. "I don't think you have much room to talk."

"What do you mean?" was Claire's suddenly anxious query.

"Oh she seduced us all but with you it was so easy!. No one forced you to go to bed with her. You chose to strip yourself naked and lie between her legs!"

"Jody!" cried Claire in shock.

"And when Laura came to your room, even if you didn't know who it was, you willingly kissed her cunt and stuck your tongue in her ass!"