The Family House

Prologue

Out of the chaos, I was born: vulnerable, petite and chubby.

To my family, I was the daughter of another rebellious sixteen year-old.

To the outside world, I was a representation of the many things that was wrong with the Williams family.

My grandmother was the model of strength in our family. Married three times with seven children born in and out of wedlock, she had long since taken the role of both mother and father to her children, and even extended that to her grandchildren.

To the outside world, she was the devil in flesh.

To my family, she was the source of all their problems.

But, to me, she was my God.

I could tell you in so many words and languages why that was. But then again my family could give you reasons to counter anything I said. So instead, I’ll show you.

Chapter One

“There is a house I know of, its hinges are firmly set, it’s color as radiant as the sun, and it’s shape as magnificent as the sky. But, within that house the words despair and misery are defined.”

The realtor took one last glance around the room, taking in all that it was; the furniture, the family portraits, the grandeur, and shook her head miserably as she stared at woman who stood before her, “Are you sure about this? It’s a really beautiful house,”

“Then you buy it.” The woman in her mid-forties replied coldly as she dropped the keys to the house in her hands. Sarah bit her lower lip grimacing at the mistake she had just made. Damn, her big mouth, she though.

“I’m sorry, I just thought I should mention how beautiful it is.” She tried feebly to explain.

“Trust me Sarah when I say this, this house is a lot of things, but beautiful isn’t one of them.” The woman stated matter-of-fact her back to her as she gazed out the window into the distance. Perhaps, it was the landscape, or may be even the somewhat bitter sweet memories that she had shared in that house that still got to her, but deep down she knew like a lot of things that happened in that house, she knew there was more to it.

Sarah looked at her as she gazed out the window and wondered; could all those stories really have been true?

“It must have been wonderful growing up here” Sarah said thoughtlessly, instinctively biting back her words after they came out especially with the look that emerged on Mrs. Fitzgerald’s face.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry, I was just-“

“Curious” Cordelia cut in turning to face Sarah. “Well, take this advice from me Miss. Hambridge,” She said in an evenly disturbing tone, “Whoever said curiosity killed the cat, really meant it.”

“I’m sorry Mrs.-“

“Let me know when you have an offer for the house, I want to know the son-of-a-bitch who buys this misery of a house” Cordelia bitingly cut in as she grabbed her Louis Vuitton bag from the couch and headed for the door.

Sarah stood in the house moments after Cordelia’s departure still reeling from the day’s encounter. She had been told what Cordelia Fitzgerald was like; rich, arrogant and even mean. And yet nothing could really have prepared her for what she had just encountered.

She took one last look at the house Cordelia wanted so desperately to be rid of. She – like most of her peers her age who had grown up in the town had always wondered what the Williams house looked like beyond that white picket fence.

Indeed, it was all that they had imagined and perhaps even more; a five-story mansion set in the middle of grand compound, surrounded by a fish pond over which a bridge extended over. At the very edge of the fishpond lay arrays and arrays of flower gardens and hedges. At the back of the house lay a beach-style themed family area equipped with beach sand and summer hats, not forgetting the very luxurious swimming pool with a side Jacuzzi and bar. At the end of the arrays of flower gardens and hedges lay the “famous circle” where the family had initially displayed all their cars for the world to see and envy.

Inside the mansion, there were twelve bedrooms, a fully stocked library and an accompanying study, an office for Mrs. Williams, an indoor swimming facility and tennis court, a gym, a dinning room and kitchen on every floor, a family game room on the third floor and a theatre on the second floor. No doubt, it was a dream house, certainly one that anyone who could afford would kill for.

But why did Cordelia Fitzgerald want so desperately to sell it? God knows it wasn’t for the sake of the money – in fact deep down, Sarah suspected that if she could, Cordelia would have given up the house on a silver platter. But, for appearances sake, she had named a price – one high enough that it didn’t appear fishy but barely enough for a house of such stature.

Sarah wondered if the rumors were really true? Had the family really murdered one of their own in the house? - The very thought of it brought chills all over Sarah’s body. Sure the Williams were a lot of things – annoyingly arrogant being on top of that list but were they capable of murder?

She picked up her purse from the same couch Cordelia had had hers on and made her way out of the house. She looked the main door then made her way to the white picket fence to the visitor’s parking lot where her car was parked. As she closed the white picket fence and locked it securely behind her, she had the same foreboding she had every time she left that house; someone was watching her.