2. This chapter is going to start with a birthday. Candy was marveling over her only
child’s final moments as a toddler. Although she would miss being able to hold her
baby, she was more than ready for the new experiences Noel’s being a child will
bring.
3. Jack strode into the kitchen after missing his son’s birthday and was caught off
guard by the head of silver and blue hair. He paused, waiting patiently for a
view of his youngest’s face. When Noel turned around Jack’s heart skipped a
beat.
4. He never wondered what Candy would look like if she were a man but he was
sure that he would find out the older their son got. He hoped and prayed that
his son would grow up without the same problems that he did, but Noel had
rolled the loser trait so in the years to come Jack would receive more than one
dose of his own medicine.
5. The downside to having another child outgrow a crib was that the kids’ room was
crowded, much to Snowie’s discomfort, she used to have her privacy while her
brother was out on the town, but she was sure that Noel would be in the room all
the time.
6. Candy threw a fund raiser party the next day, which upset Snowie for more than one
reason. She hated crowds and the house was filled with people and she was expected
to be there to support Candy when she really wanted to hang out with Thornton. For
Claus it was like being in heaven, he loved being surrounded by people and conquered
his sister’s best friend, forcing the poor girl to dance with him, hypnotizing her with his
bedroom eyes.
7. The next day Agnes’ children finally laid her to rest beside the love of her life, finally
she would be at peace. Both began to cry and neither were sure of the reason for
their tears, Snowie hardly remembered her mother and Claus didn’t at all.
Claus pulled himself together first, “Come on.” Claus told his sister, “There’s some
people I want you to meet.”
8. “Claus and Snowie, nice to finally meet you. Aunt Aggie told me so much about you,
you would think that she was the only person in the world with children.” He mused.
“Mortimer Goth.” Snowie said slowly. “You’re my mother’s nephew, the one she
wrote about in her book.”
“You got it then?” Mortimer smiled. “I mailed that years ago, after you never showed
up I thought…”
9. “In the book it says that you have some information…concerning Mom’s death.”
Snowie looked at her brother. “I had planned on coming once I was older and me and
Claus were out of the house.” Snowie looked absently at the TV. “The arguments…you
think Daddy killed her don’t you?”
Claus looked at his sister in shock. “What? No…no that’s…Mortimer?”
Mortimer shrugged. “Who’s to say, nobody was there but Jack.”
10. Mortimer sighed. “Perhaps when you were older would have been a better,
maybe…”
“No.” Snowie said.
“Well the wedding was not a good one, as you probably saw from the book. Aunty
always thought that something would happen to her, she said that if anything did
then it was not an accident. Naturally we blamed Jack, but there’s no evidence.”
“And there won’t ever be any.” Claus stood. “My father did not kill my mother, that
book is as bogus as everything that Mortimer is saying.”
11. “I must agree with my brother.” Snowie said. “Or father has been nothing but loving
and caring. He dotes on us and he’s very affectionate to Momma…I mean Candy.”
Snowie sighed heavily, “I just don’t know who to believe, the picture that our mother
paints of Daddy is completely different from the man my brother and I know.”
12. “But I can attest to Aunt Aggie’s coming to this house needing some peace of mind.
I heard her crying to my mother and father. On her last visit she uploaded some files
to Father’s computer, they were the same notes as can be found in the book.”
Mortimer shrugged, “Jack never put his hands on her, that’s for sure but who
knows, perhaps something happened that night. One thing’s for sure, there were
only two people who know exactly what happened, we’ve heard Jack’s side of the
story but we’ll never hear Aunty’s.”
13. Claus’ genius brain went into overdrive, perhaps there was a way to find out his
mother’s side of the story. In the mean time though, he was very confused. He had
this image of his father, his role model, the man who he had been very close to his
entire life, now Mortimer and Snowie were painting a different picture of Jack
Winter. “This is bullshit.” Claus finally decided.
14. “Or not.” Mortimer finally remembered something, “My father’s research found
that although Jack didn’t have a history of violent crimes, there is a rather
extensive criminal record.”
15. “Just shut the hell up Mortimer!” The boy shouted at his older cousin, suddenly he
jumped up and raced out of the house. Claus ignored Snowie’s cries for him to
come back. Claus was in over his head, the reality check rocked him and he had no
idea how to handle all this new information.
