Chapter 8

The entire week had been hectic for Ed. Ed and John had gone out to the site where John was going to start the Druid College. The thick woods and highly diverse animal life of North Carolina was a jarring change from the open desert. The trees seemed to swallow the sky, making it look much smaller. The distance one could see was measured in feet rather than miles. Knowing that when the college opened, they would have to live there for a while, he wondered if he could ever get used to living in or around the woods.

While John had gone on to Washington DC, Ed had returned home. Once home, he had put in two full days at the IRS office finishing a case against several corporate executives that had been misusing corporate assets. The fraud committed by these executives was huge. There was a possibility that hundreds of millions of dollars would be lost by investors if the perpetrators weren’t exposed before long. The arrests were going to make the national news.

On John’s return from the capital, the family had dinner with Robert White Feather. This was a ruse so that they could determine whether he would be a good candidate for a husband. The entire family had been excited about the prospect and felt a little let down when they learned that Robert had other plans.

Two days after the dinner, Beth had flown out to her conference in Los Angeles. The trip itself wasn’t significant, but it had become a symbol for a major change that was going to take place in the house soon. She was going to try to have a child after she returned from the trip. Everyone was excited about the prospect of having children in the house.

Relaxing on the couch in the informal living room, Ed considered his schedule for the next few days. His thoughts were disturbed when John went to the mini-refrigerator to refill his iced tea. Watching John for a minute, he noticed the small mannerisms that suggested John was bothered by something. There was that little edge to his behavior that showed he was trying to hide it. Curious, Ed asked, “What’s the matter?”

John frowned and answered, “I don’t like that Beth went to Los Angeles for that medical conference.”

Ed examined John carefully trying to decide what motivated this. He couldn’t help wonder if it was a sign from the Gods and Goddesses. He had been having the feeling that something big was going to happen soon and couldn’t place his finger on it. Concerned, he asked, “Why?”

John shook his head and answered, “I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen there.”

“So let’s go there and join her,” suggested Ling. It was in her nature to favor direct action to a problem. Solving the problem or overwhelming the problem with excessive force was the same to her.

John walked to the intercom and pressed the button connecting him to the office. When Cathy answered, he said, “Cathy, arrange a jet to take us to LA.”

Cathy acknowledged the request and went to work. John turned to face the others in the room and asked, “Who wants to go?”

Ling answered, “I’ll go. Ed should stay here so that someone will be home when Kelly gets off work.”

Ed argued, “Hold it, I’ll watch his back for him.”

Ling asked, “Who has the black belt? Whose job has been bodyguard? I should be the one that goes.”

Their discussion was suddenly halted when John dropped to his knees screaming, “No!“

Ed initially thought that John might be upset with them for arguing, but John had never reacted like that in the past. Then he realized that something else was the matter. John cried, “It’s not fair. She was going to be a mother!”

The statement ripped through Ed like a knife thrust into the stomach. He and Ling quickly moved to John’s side to help him to the couch. Once John was seated, Ed asked, “John, what happened?”

“She’s dead. Beth is dead.” John replied. The words fell like stones on the floor.

Still unable to process everything, Ed knew that now was the time for the family to gather. He raced over to the intercom and buzzed the garage. After a quick greeting from Bob, Ed directed, “Bob, get one of the cars and go to the hospital. We need you to pick up Kelly and drive her home. Just tell her that her presence at the house is needed.”

Ed returned to sit by Ling as the full import of John’s message began to sink in. Beth was dead. The knowledge that he would no longer be able to share his life with her ripped a huge hole in his heart. Tears ran down his face. He looked up to see tears streaming down Ling’s face and knew he was not alone in this.

Thirty minutes after John had collapsed the telephone rang. Ed stood up and answered it. Cathy explained that there was a long distance call from Los Angeles. This was the moment that Ed realized that none of the staff knew what had happened. He told her that he would take the call.

A man’s voice on the other end of the line asked, “Am I speaking to the husband of Dr. Beth Hayes?”

“Yes, you are talking to one of her husbands,” answered Ed.

There was a long moment of silence as the man considered the answer. Finally, he said, “I’m Officer Mike Tougas from the Los Angeles Police Department.”

“Officer Tougas, I’m Ed Biggers. I have to assume that you have some news concerning Beth.”

“A half an hour ago, Beth was struck and killed by a car.”

Ed was silent for a moment wondering how one was supposed to react to such news. What does one say when told that their wife is dead? Not knowing what else to say, he asked, “Could you leave me a number where you may be reached?”

Officer Tougas, expecting some exclamation of grief, answered in a suspicious tone of voice, “Why?”

“My family will fly out there. I need to inform the staff and then we will leave. Once I arrive, I expect to meet with you. I have to determine to my satisfaction if her death was the result of malfeasance or an accident.”

“You suspect foul play?”

Thinking of all the attempts on their lives that had occurred in the past, Ed had to answer, “It’s a possibility, particularly when you consider the history of our family.”

Mike told Ed the number while Ed copied it down on a piece of paper. After a few minutes of conversation, he hung up the phone and turned to face Ling and John with a wounded expression on his face. Shuffling over to the couch, he sat down beside Ling and held her tightly. Beth was the first person that Ed had lost since his parents and he didn’t know how to deal with the grief. The reaction to his parents’ death had been one of anger and he had gone out into the desert to drink himself unconscious. That wasn’t an option for this death.

Holding onto Ling, he started crying, giving voice to his grief. Seeing Ed in such pain, Ling started to cry as well. Although she was the newest member of the family, everyone knew that it started with Ed and Kelly. Beth was the third to agree to the marriage and John was the forth.

By the time Kelly returned home, Ed and Ling had gotten themselves under a little better control, but Kelly could tell as soon as she entered the house that something was wrong. She moved to the informal living room as a sense of dread settled upon her. She froze when she saw the looks on the faces of her husbands and wife. She asked, “What is it?”

The three of them got off the couch and moved to Kelly. John and Ed put an arm around her as Ling moved in to hug her. John said, “I’m sorry Kelly. Beth was killed in LA about an hour ago.”

Kelly’s legs collapsed out from under her, but she didn’t fall to the floor. Catching her, the two men carried her over to the couch and set her down. Ling looked at John accusingly and asked, “How can you accept this so calmly?”

With a sigh, John said, “It’s simple. I have died and know that it’s not a bad thing. I’m sad because I won’t get to share my love with her, and she with me.”

Kelly replied, “I feel so guilty because I’m thinking about myself.”

John said, “Don’t feel that way. She is fine, now. We are the ones left behind to continue without them. It’s natural that we think of our loss.”

What John had said allowed Ed to come to grips with his feelings. He was about to comment when Cathy came into the room and said, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but Beth’s father is on the telephone and he wants to talk to you.”

Once Cathy left, John turned on the speakerphone. “Hello, Dr. Hayes. You’re on the speakerphone here and the whole family is gathered.”

“I’m so sorry. We were at lunch and a car lost control. I couldn’t do anything,” he said. His voice broke as the sound of him crying came across the telephone. He sobbed, “Oh, God, I’m so sorry.”

Feeling for the man, John said, “We understand there was nothing you could do. You’ve done nothing that requires an apology. Where are you?”

“I’m in the hospital in LA.”

“Are you alright?” John gave Ed a look that conveyed he was to make all of the necessary arrangements with Cathy. Standing, Ed went to the door waiting to hear the rest of the message.

“I’ve got a broken leg and a fractured disk.”

John asked, “Where’s Mrs. Hayes?”

“She’s at home. I called her and let her know.”

Ed nodded at John and went to find Cathy. He knew she had become suspicious about all of the calls that were suddenly being made. Slipping into the office, Ed said, “Cathy, please get the staff together in the library.”

It didn’t take Cathy long to get the message to everyone. Marguerite and Bob had been in the kitchen wondering why he had been sent to get Kelly. Clueless that a major tragedy had befallen the family, Linda was in the laundry washing clothes while Dave was in the security room. Sighing, he said, “Linda, come with me to the library.”

In the library, the entire staff had gathered and each staff member was looking around uneasily. As Ed looked over them all, he realized that he had not interacted with Dave once during the past three months. Making a mental note to follow up on that later, Ed said, “Please sit down everyone.”

He waited until everyone had sat down and then, in a very solemn voice, said, “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I know of no nice way to say this. Beth has passed away.”

Marguerite burst out in tears as Bob put an arm around her to comfort her. Linda made a wailing sound of grief that sent chills down everyone’s spine. Paling, Cathy cried as her suspicions were confirmed. Shaking his head as though to deny what he had heard, Dave sat there frowning at the news.

Still numb from the news, but dealing with the situation much better, Ed waited five minutes for the staff to process the news. There was just too much to do and too little time to properly handle this with individual attention. Clearing his throat to get their attention, he said, “The family is flying to LA in about an hour. Cathy, I need you to arrange for a plane to take Beth’s mother to LA. Dave, you will have to be especially diligent on security. Linda, I would appreciate it if you would assist Cathy over the next few days. Marguerite, I want you to take care that everyone gets rest and eats. Bob, I want you to take charge of the household.”

Ed hoped that giving people things to do would enable them to focus on things other than their grief. When they sat there staring at him, he remembered the words of John. He said, “John has died twice. He knows that death is not a horrible thing. We who live on will feel the emptiness in our hearts as we miss her presence. Do not feel guilty because your thoughts are about yourself rather than about her.”

He returned to the office with Cathy and watched as she made the arrangements for the plane to take Beth’s mother to LA. When she hung up, Ed handed her a piece a paper as he said, “Here’s the number of the officer that called us. Call him and find out what hospital Beth’s father is in. Then, I want you to arrange a suite for the five of us close to the hospital. We’ll need a limousine while we are there. Finally, let the officer know that I expect to meet with him this evening or tomorrow morning.”

Ed stood and returned to the informal living room where the rest of the family was gathered. Despite knowing better, he kept expecting to see Beth sitting there. All eyes turned to him waiting to hear what he had to say. Quietly, he said, “We should pack and get ready to leave for the airport. A jet has been arranged for Beth’s mother and, despite the longer distance, she will most likely arrive about the same time as us. Cathy is arranging for a suite at a hotel near the hospital. I will talk to the officer that called.”

Now that everyone had something to do, they each went to work. Ling walked a moment with Ed and then said, “I should have gone there with her.”

“No, you shouldn’t have,” replied Ed as he realized that he should have known she would feel guilty about not having been there to protect Beth. They walked a few more steps and then he said, “It was her time. If it hadn’t been her time, then the Gods and Goddesses would have warned John or I. Believe me when I say that we would have all been there to protect her from harm.”

Ling said, “If I was...”

Interrupting, Ed said, “You could have done nothing more than the Gods and Goddesses.”

“You’re right,” said Ling. She stopped and pulled his head down to where she could kiss him. After giving him a gentle kiss, she said, “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” replied Ed. He watched as she went to her room. From her movements, he could tell that she was feeling much better. The problem was that he wasn’t feeling better. That same feeling of something major happening soon, hung over him.

After Ling left, he went to the wall where Beth had hung the portraits taken several months ago. The order of pictures on the wall started with Kelly and progressed to him, Beth, John, and then finally Ling. Beth had put little brass plaques under each picture with the birth date and the date they had joined the marriage. It was only now that he realized she had put a dash to after the birth date.

The entire staff stood in a line by the door of the house to say good bye and to express their condolences. It touched Ed more than he was able to convey with mere words. Each staff member gave every member of the family a hug.