Chapter 65

A week later . . .

The newspaper was sprawled across the kitchen table. Madeline’s grip was so tight on the paper that the sides were torn. Perhaps if she read the story a ninth time, it would be different.

“Madeline, come on. Let me have the paper,” Dave said as he attempted to pry it from her hands.

“Quit it!” she yelled out. “We did this,” Madeline wailed at Dave and Sherry, who was standing next to him. “All of us killed my sons!” She pointed her finger at Dave and Sherry, reserving nothing.

Sherry gasped. “You can’t say that.”

“Oh yes, I can!” Madeline said shaking the paper at Sherry as a stream of tears ran down her face. Madeline had no idea she could be in such agony. The pain hurt deep inside. Pain pills hadn’t helped. Sleeping pills hadn’t worked. In her wildest dreams she couldn’t have imagined this day happening.

She brushed aside the tears and read the article again, aloud this time. “Tragedy strikes prominent Detroit family. Late Friday evening Dave Mitchell, CEO and founder of DMI, discovered the bodies of his two oldest sons, twenty-two-year-old Andre Mitchell and nineteen-year-old Sam Mitchell, in a suite the family had reserved at the Detroit Westin. The younger son was a freshman at Perdue University and was only a few weeks from his nineteenth birthday. Details are sketchy, but it appears to be a murder-suicide. Reportedly, there was a note left by one of the sons. The contents of the note have not been disclosed. The family spokesman, Frank Mitchell, chief financial officer of DMI Enterprises, said, “The family is distraught and is asking for privacy at this devastating time.”

 

 

The tears wouldn’t let her continue reading. “Where’s the note, Dave?” Madeline asked.

“The police have the note.”

“I want my son’s note,” Madeline pleaded.

“We can’t have the note until the police complete their investigation.”

“What is there to investigate? Sam and Andre are dead. Why are they wasting time with an investigation? Can’t they let me have my note before I bury my sons?”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Dave told her.

Madeline’s head ached around her temples. She massaged them fruitlessly. “Sam told me he was going to kill Andre.”

“When?” Dave asked, grabbing her hand. She jerked it away from him. She didn’t want his comfort.

“The night I told him about Tamara. He told me, but I didn’t take him seriously. I just thought he was upset and was blowing off steam.”

“Madeline, you can’t blame yourself for this. None of us knew.”

“But I’m his mother,” she blurted out. “I should have known. One of us should have known, Dave!” she cried out, resting the side of her face on the table and sobbing uncontrollably. Dave wrapped his arms around her shoulders, laid his head next to hers, and sobbed too. She was too weak to push him away. When she finally mustered the strength, she said, “This is too much for a person to bear.”

“We’ll get through this, I promise you,” Dave said.

“No, Dave, don’t do that,” Madeline wailed. “Don’t promise me more than you can deliver.” She lifted her head and stared at Dave and Sherry. “I can’t help but think that your selfishness all those years ago has brought us here,” Madeline said, spewing her words. “The two of you have brought shame and sorrow on my entire household. Our lives will never be the same, and much of the blame falls on the two of you.” She sobbed again.

“Madeline, my heart goes out to you. I’ve lost a child before and know how much it hurts,” Sherry said, placing her hand on Madeline’s shoulder. “You’ve lost two children, which is unimaginable.” Sherry bent down closer to Madeline and whispered, “As one mother to another, I’m so sorry, so sorry.” Madeline could hear Sherry’s voice cracking. It was evident that Sherry was sincere. After all, she had lost a child. The gesture was nice, but nothing could soothe Madeline’s hurt.

Dave leaned over and put his arms on the shoulders of both Sherry and Madeline. “We have to put our differences aside and pull together. Tamara is going to need our support.”

“My baby girl! Oh, God, how could this be?” Madeline said, feeling a fresh gush of emotion rising. How could there be any tears left? She’d cried on and off for the past day. There wasn’t much left, no fight, no tears, and no reason to continue. “I might as well be dead too.”

“Stop talking like that,” Sherry said forcefully, which caught Madeline by surprise. “You have two other children who need you.” She paused and then added, “Dave needs you at DMI, which means I need you at DMI.”

The weight of the loss was heavy, especially since it came in a double dose, but much to her astonishment, Sherry’s word brought some comfort. Madeline didn’t plan to become best friends with her ex-husband’s wife, but clearly Sherry was no stranger to tragedy and might be a source of strength during this tough time. Madeline gladly accepted the comforting words.

“Dave,” Madeline called out, “we have to band together around Tamara and get her through this.”

He bent down next to Madeline as Sherry stood and put a little space between them, allowing Dave to get closer. “Whatever she needs, it’s done.”

“Right now she needs counseling and space.”

“Done,” Dave replied. “What about you, Madeline? What do you need?”

“Peace,” she said without hesitation. “And an end to our fighting. The children can’t take it anymore, and I can’t, either.”

“Done,” Dave said again.

Madeline felt a small infusion of calm. Most likely, it would be fleeting, given the history of the three adults in the room, but for now, right at this moment, there was harmony. Madeline gobbled up the peace among them, recognizing that as the days passed so too might their truce. Maybe next week or next month the war would be rekindled, but that left at least six or seven good days to be normal. She’d take it.

“Thanks for being here,” she said, grabbing both Sherry’s and Dave’s hands and giving them a firm squeeze before letting go. The burning question she’d had right after the divorce had finally been answered. Leaving Dave hadn’t been the best decision for her children in the long term. She had to admit that Dave wasn’t the only one who’d made a critical mistake. Back then her pride led the charge to kick him out regardless of how she felt. Her emotions had gotten the best of her over a decade ago, and it was too late to rewind. From this day forward, she’d put her energy into building a new life now that the old one was dead.

Madeline reached out for Don, refusing to let him be swallowed alive into the pit of doom they’d each created. She would guard him and his future with every breath in her body. That was Madeline’s solemn promise, and she aimed to keep it.