“If you give a pregnant woman certain drugs, it induces labor. I gave her that and a drug that I knew would kill the baby instantly in her womb.”
“Did you kill her after she had me?” he asked on a hunch.
“Yes, I gave her a drug that made her bleed out.” She laughed. “She was in a hospital, and they still couldn’t save her.”
“So now you had Angus?”
“Yes, but not for long. He had to marry that bitch Annabel. I know he had to do it because of the family, but I still couldn’t let her stay. She was hard to kill because she didn’t trust me at all. She was able to have Blake and Graham before I finally killed her in a car accident.”
Jesus fucking Christ. The woman was a serial killer, and he’d lived with her for thirty- eight years, his whole life, and never had a clue.
“Lorna was easier, wasn’t she?” Alastair asked.
“Oh, yes. She already took drugs for depression, so it was easy to slip in some different for her. She was weak. She didn’t deserve Angus.”
“Nessa?”
“That was easy. Just a push down the stairs, and her neck broke.”
Alastair heard Ewen grunt and saw his body jerk at the shock of what he was hearing, and he just hoped his brother held it together for a bit longer.
“What about Una? She’s been here several years.”
“As long as she stayed away from Angus, she was fine, although I tried to kill her several times initially, but the bitch is a cat and has nine lives.”
He wiped a hand down his face. He saw people out of the corner of his eye and prayed they stayed that way.
“You didn’t ask about your father,” Freya said and giggled.
“What about him?”
“I made it so he had a stroke. A minor one to do enough damage, so he had to step down as the head of the family. He worked so hard all the time, and I never got time with him.”
Oh, Jesus. His heart picked up when he heard the wheelchair roll into the room.
Alastair watched the color drain from Freya’s face.
“Freya, I want you to put the gun down right now,” Angus said.
Freya shook her head. “No, she has to go. Don’t you see the women keep taking you away from me?”
“Not Beth. She’s with Alastair. Do you really want to break his heart? He’s your son,” Angus said.
“No, he’s Isabella’s child.”
“You raised him, so I’ve always thought of you as his mother,” Angus said. “Come along, I need you to take me out in the garden.”
Alastair saw her start to lower the gun when he heard Una’s screeching voice behind him.
“What the hell are you doing, Freya?” Una asked.
“None of your business, you whore.”
“Una, shut the hell up,” Alastair hissed.
“No one calls me a whore. I am married to the man. You’re the whore.”
“Oh, Jesus, Una, shut your mouth,” Angus said.
“No, she’s right,” Freya said. “As long as she’s alive, I can’t be your wife.”
It was like slow motion as Freya raised the gun and aimed at Una, shooting her in the neck and spraying blood over the wall and carpet.
Everyone stood in shocked silence until another shot was taken. This time it was Angus who killed Freya. A nice little hole in the center of her forehead.
Alastair was racing to Beth before Freya hit the floor. He held her tightly against his chest and listened to her cry.
He looked around the room at all the stunned faces. “Ewen, call Detective Thompson. Get him here. Graham, take Dad into the sunroom and maybe get him some scotch.”
Graham lifted the gun from their dad’s hand and set it on the desk before wheeling him out.
He guessed his dad heard the majority of what Freya was saying, and it would take a while to deal with all the shock.
“Baby, how about we go up to our room?”
“No, I want to stay down here. I can help your dad. Please?”
Alastair sighed. At least Graham would be there with her. “Sure, let me take you.”
They walked out of the office. “Everyone stay out of the room. I don’t want anything touched. Go back to work, and we’ll deal with this, but I still need my family secure, and there are going to be a lot of strangers here in a bit.”
“We got it,” Tony said. “I hope Beth’s okay.”
“I’m a stubborn donkey. Of course, I will be,” she said, shocking him and a few around them and making them laugh.
Alastair relaxed. “She is going to be just fine.”
He walked her into the sunroom, where Clarice served tea, and Dad talked quietly to Graham.
“Would it be okay if my stubborn donkey stays with you?”
He was relieved to see his father chuckle.
Angus waved her over. “Of course, us donkeys have to stick together.”
“Hey, wait, I’m not a donkey,” Graham said.
Everyone snorted, and Dad said, “You’re the biggest one of all.”
Everyone laughed, and Alastair knew it was going to be okay. They had their brothers and cousins to deal with, but they were a family, and they could handle about anything together.
“I have Martin at the door to let people in. He’s going to tell the family to come back here. We’ll hear from the detective before he leaves and then tell the story and answer questions,” Alastair said.
“I’ll bring in the rolling bar, sir,” Clarice said.
Alastair nodded. “Thank you. I think we’re going to need it.”
He bent and kissed Beth one more time. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine, and I’ve got your dad and Graham here.”
“I love you, baby.”
“I love you, too.”