Chapter 19

Chasen and Deirdre Wellington stayed until the protection people showed up and relieved the people that were protecting all of us. I never noticed it, but Mr. Wellington had another entire layer of security surrounding him the whole time they were with me. They must have been good at their jobs, or I would have noticed.

Sienna called Jeanette and Sondra to come over as quickly as possible, as soon as the Wellingtons left with their entourage. Before the guards got the wrong idea, she informed them that my other two foster parents would be coming and to leave them alone.

Jeanette arrived with Sondra. It made sense for Sondra to do the driving, as Jeanette was also fresh out of the hospital. They hurried in and closed the front door, Jeanette turning to lock it firmly. “What is going on, and why are there armed men patrolling your front lawn?”

Sienna carefully filled them in on our visitors. As she talked about Chasen Wellington, Jeanette interrupted her. “You mean that Chasen Wellington – the actual Chasen Wellington – was just here? And he thinks he’s Ross’ grandfather?

“Do you three have any idea just who you’re talking about? Chasen Wellington is a multi-billionaire. He owns most of north west Florida.” She looked at me in utter shock. “Ross, if he really is your grandfather, then you are filthy rich. No wonder he wanted armed guards protecting you...” She got a faraway look on her face. “I bet that disgusting, raping bastard, Calen Arthur knew this. If I’m right, he came after you because once Chasen Wellington knew that he’d raped his grandchild, no force on earth was going to be able to protect him from the hurt that the Wellingtons would bring down on him.

“It all makes sense, when you think about it...

“Hazel Thompson gets herself knocked up by Chasen Wellington’s heir. Something goes terribly wrong and she murders him, cutting herself off from the family fortune.

“Ross is born, but he was already named Terry by his father. To hide herself from the wrath of his father, she changed his name to Ross, hides out here, and spends the next fourteen years blaming Ross, even though he had nothing to do with her crimes. Pretty soon anger become hate and hate turns into violence and she starts inviting people to help her hurt Ross, and makes a lot of money doing it.

“For that piece of dog manure, she thought she could have her cake and eat it to...”

Her face was a study in expression as she turned Hazel’s sins over and over in her mind. Sondra and Sienna were as silent as I was, all of us contemplating what Jeanette’s theories might mean.

Sondra broke the silence. “As much as I hate to agree with you, Jeanette, your idea ties this thing together. First hazel hated Ross, blaming him for her pregnancy, and then hating him because he was a burden on her. Then one day she decides to feed her sick hatred and sell his body to anyone wanting to rape, sodomize, or torture him.” She was off and running, stringing theories together to help support Jeanette’s idea.

“I would bet you anything that somewhere out there on the dark web, are websites selling videos of Ross having his virgin body violated by Calen Arthur. There is no way that evil bitch didn’t want the money she could make off of that. We need to hire some of the best forensic auditors on earth and scour the web for those videos.”

Her voice was tight with emotion and I wasn’t really following her whole train of thought, until she said, “Hazel Thompson intended to kill Ross and sell the snuff film. It has to be. It has to ... For some reason she flipped out and decided to kill him in the grocery store...”

Suddenly Jeanette got a horrified look on her face.

We all stopped to find out what was going on.

“Oh, my god ... Oh, my god ... Oh, my Heavenly god...” Tears started streaming down her face as she tried to absorb what she thought she knew.

Slowly and sadly, Jeanette turned to me and spoke.

“Ross ... I’m so sorry, baby...

“She took you to the grocery store TO kill you...”

The three of us waited for the rest. I knew it was true, even as I had no idea what she was about to say.

I JUST KNEW.

“Honey, she set it all up in advance. Hazel had someone standing by to steal the store videos and sneak her out.

“That has to be it.

“She took you to your own murder, and had someone there to film it. I guarantee you that film is already out on the web and people think you are already dead.” She was crying like a baby as she told me what really happened that day at the store. Hazel killed Ross, but it was premeditated. The pain behind my eyelids was terrible as I relived the entire beating. Each of those brutal hits was scripted and carefully recorded for profit. Ross’ dead body was a cash grab, and people other than Hazel participated in it.

“Sienna,” I said so softly that all three women leaned close to hear. “You need to call Mr. Wellington. He’ll know who to call to track down the video.”

I turned to Jeanette, and said, “If you’re right, then there are others that participated in my murder, and they knew about it and were part of it, and need to go down for it.” Sondra moved over beside me and hugged me with all of her heart. She whispered soft loving words into my ear, as she rubbed my back and rocked my tiny body. It wasn’t until then that I realized that I was crying just as much as Jeanette ... and Sienna ... and Sondra.

The weight of what was perpetrated on Ross came to rest on my shoulders. Somehow I needed to make sure that everyone involved was discovered and punished. To do that I needed serious help, and there was no one who would be more serious and have the resources available to accomplish it than the man who was positive that I was his long, lost grandson.

Sienna dialed the number on the card that Chasen Wellington gave me. She waited for him to answer and spoke so softly that I couldn’t hear everything she said. Whatever she told him must have worked, because a knock came on the door immediately, and Sienna waved to us, saying, “That’s for me,” and went to answer the door.

Four armed guards came in and asked us to go with them to meet Mr. Wellington. Sienna wanted to pack a few things for me in case they didn’t bring me back due to the danger of others coming to kill me. “Please, Miss Tenley. We will see to it that the young man has everything he needs. We have staff that can get anything the three of you ladies need, too. Just let me know and it will be waiting when we arrive.