The morning had turned out to be a dull and dreary day with a splattering of cloud cover blocking the sun as it disappeared behind a canopy of gliding white. The house windows had been opened to clear out the smell of smoke left behind by the two men. While she herself enjoyed smoking, it was a habit she had learned to control by only lighting up mid-afternoon.
Closing the windows, she invited her guest into the main living room, the same room expensively furnished with Group of Seven paintings prominently displayed on crushed, oyster-shell walls. She was not taken aback by the sudden visit and was in fact curious about her reason for dropping in unexpectedly. Bringing out a box of tissues, she handed her a sheet to wipe the smudged mascara, and then removed a bottle of a young Syrah from her rack and uncorked it.
Tina waited for Magdalene to explain herself, to begin their conversation. Out of the curio cabinet, she took two small wine glasses, each holding no more than three ounces. She poured two half glasses and gave one to Magdalene.
“I kind of lied about the emergency,” said Magdalene.
“Oh yeah,” said Tina. “I guess it helped you to get through the gate.”
“Sorry about that…I mean I interrupted your morning. It’s just that… I don't know how to say this,” began Magdalene.
“Saying it aloud usually helps,” answered Tina, sitting beside her, moving closer to her, lifting her glass to take a swallow.
“I'm privy to what went down with JP,” began Magdalene, not exactly certain how to question Tina without alerting her to the fact that she didn’t know the exact terms of the agreement.
“What happened to him?” asked Tina coyly.
“He attacked Samuel, who was forced to defend himself.”
“So what… that doesn't mean anything,” replied Tina.
“Damn right it does! It means you have something over Samuel.”
“What are you getting at?” asked Tina.
“You used that act of self-defence to manipulate him.”
“Nobody twisted Samuel's arm to do anything… he's a free agent.”
Magdalene wanted to blurt it out, to observe her reaction, although she realized that Tina was a first-rate politician who rarely displayed emotion in public. Inside her pocket she touched a length of fish wire, a piece snipped off the roll used in the basement earlier that morning for the stage of cultivation when the plants were clipped upside down using clothes pegs on durable wire, strong enough to hold the heavy weight.
“I also know about your subsequent agreement with Samuel,” said Magdalene.
Tina looked straight at her and didn't blink. Her cheeks flushed a smidgen of red, telling Magdalene that it was most definitely a sensitive subject.
“Did you actually believe he wouldn't tell me?” asked Magdalene.
“Husbands and wives keep many sordid secrets from each other. That’s nothing new in the hypocritical realm of marriages,” answered Tina, pouring herself another glass of wine to sip. Her eyes showed no fear or regret.
“I can figure it out, you know… you paid a lot of money for JP and when he could no longer deliver services for your clients, you had to get your investment back, that I get. But this agreement you struck with Samuel is unfuckingbelievable,” said Magdalene, attempt to probe delicately.
“You're handling it remarkably well,” said Tina. “Not just any wife could comfortably speak with the other woman who’s going to have her husband's child.”
Magdalene dropped her head to prevent Tina from seeing the seething hatred in her eyes - a baby. She had manipulated the death of JP for a baby with her hybrid husband. It all made sense to her; the unusual timing of Sir William's visit and the fact that Samuel could not bring himself to tell her about his agreement. That had to be the reason why Sir William left in a rush at dinner, the argument that she had only partially heard about the agreement. Looking nonchalant, she slipped her hand back into her pocket, wrapping the fish wire around her fingers.
“We've never tried to conceive,” said Magdalene. “I don't even know if Samuel can have kids… his physiology is rather unique, you know.”
“That I'm well aware of,” said Tina, reaching to re-fill Magdalene's glass a second time. Magdalene put her free hand over top.
“That's plenty for me,” said Magdalene. She would not divulge her pregnancy.
“I saw him change into that vampire-like freak or whatever you want to call him. He changed right in my pillow room, at the moment JP attacked…it was… to see Samuel in a state like that, well I'm jealous he's yours, Maggie.”
A blunt object she believed would be most effective, easier to use; one of the brass candlesticks above the fireplace. She held tighter onto the wire. Her arms were well defined and Tina's neck was small; she could be asphyxiated with ease.
“Yeah… he told me he was with Kitty and Pussy when it happened and that you gave him your girls on the house.”
“I have my generous moments,” said Tina. “I was pretty forgiving for having lost my property and I helped retrieve your lovely Picasso sketch, as well as cover up the charges against Samuel and cover up the body, so all in all, my pact with your man is a reasonable one, in my opinion.”
Magdalene nodded her head in confirmation. She looked at the glass of wine. “Aren't you worried Kitty and Pussy will talk?” she asked.
“Not if they value their lives they won't. They know better, my girls.”
Her arrogance caused the blood in Magdalene's veins to boil. She tried to comprehend the connection of Sir William, knowing he somehow had to be involved with Tina, he had to be; it was the only logical assumption to make. His arrival was a coincidence that could not be explained.
“It would be difficult to run your house without the girls. Mind if I speak with them later about what they saw? I'm just worried, that's all.”
“Pussy is out like a light… don't even bother with her and Kitty's gone to Montreal to visit family, not due back 'til later. I'm impressed, Maggie, you're handling this news so, so like a real professional. If I was Samuel's wife, I don't know if I could be as accepting. Then again, I've never aspired to be any man's wife. I think the whole lot of them are semi-idiots who couldn't function without women.”
“As I said,” began Magdalene, “I didn't take the news very well at first but I'm here now to appeal to you, hoping you'll consider nullifying the agreement.”
“A deal is a deal is a deal,” said Tina with a sharp reply.
“Why are you being so inflexible?”
“Listen, sweetie, I like you Maggie, I like you because in many ways you remind me of me, the way you handle yourself with men, the way they can't take their eyes off you and especially Samuel. He’s a bona-fide love sick puppy over you. It’s really disgusting. He needs a reality check but don't delude yourself…our agreement is NOT going anywhere until I get what I want.”
“Isn't there anything else you might want instead?” asked Magdalene.
“Hey, you offering to work for me? Because if that's your best offer you're going to have to do better… though I'd love to put your body to work with clients. I could make a bundle of money, something I can always use.”
Her words of defiance and arrogance did it, leaving Magdalene with no option. She looked sweetly into Tina's eyes and pushed her empty glass closer.
“On second thought, I'll have another glass if you don't mind,” said Magdalene.
“Sure,” said Tina, getting up for the bottle. “Here, have a healthy portion. Don't get too upset over this…you said it yourself there is no guarantee he can conceive and so far we've only gone at it once, so maybe he's done the job and you can go home happy. You're a hypocrite, Maggie, getting possessive over Samuel when you fuck other guys at his behest.”
Magdalene took the glass from Tina and brought it up to her nose, in slow motion, smelling the wine, allowing the thought she dreaded most to come into her mind with clear, crystalline focus. She smiled and with a sudden, flashing whip, hurled the red liquid into Tina's face. Digging back into her pocket, she brought out the fish wire. Her movements were graceful and quick.
Tina reacted defensively, wiping her eyes, moving and pulling her body back from Magdalene. In that split second of force, Magdalene wound the fish wire around both hands and wrapped the coil over Tina's throat and yanked hard.
Tina fell.
Standing behind her, upright, prominent and full of rage, Magdalene held both ends, tightening the wire, placing her knee into Tina's back, while she struggled to speak. Pussy was asleep. The guard was nowhere near within earshot. The house took on a silence of pre-eminent death.
Magdalene pulled tighter and tighter until Tina’s face turned blue.
She could not, would not let go. Her hatred travelled through her mind, to her arms, to her hands, until wire cut her skin.
Tina's limbs went limp. Her tongue hung out. Magdalene's brain was on fire and her breath heavy. She let her drop to the floor, hitting with a solid thump. Tina's arm swept the wine off the table, spilling red liquid onto the carpet. With a booted toe, Magdalene slipped her foot under and turned her over, looking at the expression of bewilderment on Tina’s face, her mouth open, and her skin changing from blue to splotches of white. She looked over to the candlestick and stopped, debating if her act of strangulation was enough and that perhaps a blunt object would surely finish the job. Calmness came over her; the euphoria of taking the life of a nemesis excited Magdalene in a new way. The mirror above the fireplace displayed her face of power, the spark of anger in her eyes. She picked up the brass candlestick and holding it with two hands lifted it up over her head and walked back to Tina.
She coughed up blood with such ferocity it startled Magdalene who dropped the candlestick. Tina rolled over holding her throat, coughing and wheezing; her body curled up in a ball as she clamored to put air into her lungs. It was over for her.
Magdalene stood over top and lifted the candlestick; this time bringing it down upon her head and crushing her skull, until the indentations were pronounced, bashing skull parts into carpet. She hit three times, no more, no less, confident that she had struck with finality. Tina would not live to exploit another day.
What to do with the body? She had not thought of those practical points when formulating her plan. She was prepared to sleep with Tina, despite the fact that the thought disgusted her. It was a far better solution to expunge her enemy. She walked throughout the house and went to the upper landing linen closet, taking out dark, burgundy bed sheets. She returned downstairs and went into the long hallway to the last door and opened the pillow room, finding Pussy. Placing two fingers on her neck, she found a pulse. The pillow room was a mess with empty wine and beer bottles and used condoms. Pussy stirred and rolled over. Magdalene waited for thirty seconds to confirm that she would remain asleep.
She retraced her steps and wiped clean all areas that she had touched; the front door where she knocked, the glass of wine, the candlestick, and the doorknob to open the pillow room, the knob to the closet. Coming back into the living room, she looked at the mess, Tina's lifeless body, the blood and wine stains, the coffee table that had tipped over. She reached for the nearest telephone.
“Kevin,” said Magdalene with calmness. “I need you in the house, so I'm going to call the guard at the front gate and advise him that you'll be arriving in fifteen minutes. Wait that precise amount of time before you come. Do you follow?”
“Maggie…is everything cool?” asked Kevin.
“Just shut up and listen! I'll explain everything when you come to the house. Do as I say and wait fifteen minutes then come to the gate. I'll describe your vehicle to the guard and your names, that's all he needs to let you in, OK?”
“OK, Maggie,” said Kevin.
She heard him mutter something to Derek, to the effect of ‘get your lazy ass up and turn down the music you lazy bastard’. It was the first time since killing that she had allowed herself to laugh. Her intention of dragging the boys into her predicament had not been planned. It was something Samuel would have suggested, given the circumstances. And just as quickly she realized that once the guard allowed them entry, he would have to be dealt with so that he, too, could not name and recognize her or the boys. The tangled web had been weaved with rapid duplicity.There was no option. She went to the main hallway and turned on the intercom button. Using a reasonable facsimile of Tina's voice, she spoke.
“In fifteen minutes, thereabouts, expect two men driving a forest green Pontiac Sunfire… names are Kevin and Derek.” She waited for the response.
“Yes, ma'am, I'll buzz when they arrive.”
“Thank you.”
Magdalene straightened her hair and unfurled the bed sheet, dragging it behind her as she walked back to the living area. It might require a second person to help wrap the body.