brat.
Colton, Averi and Tim couldn’t help but laugh at him as he ran off preparing to tell Mr. Ford about how he was jipped of his Easter egg hunt victory.
***
Nathan Ford sat with his family at a round table in the parish hall eating the fresh breakfast that Anna had prepared. As he shoveled a fork full of pancakes into his mouth, he read the morning paper. Randy and Tim kicked each other under the table while Colton sneakily stole Averi’s bacon. Meanwhile Anna and Corinne were preparing to poke fun at Nathan.
“What are you doing, looking for future clients?” Anna asked in a joking manner as she watched Nathan read the top headlines of the paper.
“Very funny… No, I found something that might be of interest to you. Look.”
Nathan passed the folded up newspaper over to Anna as he pointed out the article in question.
The headline read: Black Horse released from Police Custody, Search for McClain/Radcliffe Killer continues.
Anna’s blood ran cold. Standing in the doorway, just under the hung crucifix, was her devil of a son, staring in her direction. Before he could approach her, Anna grabbed Colton’s hand and ran from the hall leaving the Fords with puzzled looks. They had not seen Black Horse enter the building. In fact, no one other than Anna recalls seeing him on the premises. He was like a ghost. His path unseen. His presence undetectable by the untrained eye.
That was the last time Corinne would see her good friend alive.
Chapter Eighteen
She’s Gone…
“Mammaw!” Colton yelled as his grandmother fell to the floor clutching her chest. She had a look of pure fear on her face.
Black Horse stood in the corner of her living room with a look of disbelief on his face. He tried to hide his emotion behind his hand, but failed. He was a horrible man. This is true. But the fact that his presence had scared his mother so horribly that she had a fatal heart attack struck him to his core. As Anna fell to her knees, her eyes met her sons and the contents of her heart were displayed. The pleading. The praying. The endless yearning for her son’s redemption. Black Horse had a heart of stone, but somewhere, in some tiny crevice of his hardened heart, there was a morsel of love for his mother.
She was so afraid that he’d take Colton. So panic-stricken that she wouldn’t be able to save Colton from becoming the man her son was. Colton, on the other hand was enraged. Just five years old, his eyes were filled with hate.
“What have you done?!” he yelled as he charged at his father.
He punched and kicked and bit his father. Furious over the fact that he was here now, in this place, on this earth, hell… Alive! All he could think of was his mother’s face. He only had a piece of her tucked in his mind. Her words she whispered to him as they hid from the man that stood before him.
“Do not allow your heart to fall into darkness as your father’s heart has.” Colton would forever remember the words.
Black Horse tried to hold his son, comfort him for once in his life, but he could not grip the boy. Colton was much too fast. Bolting out the screen door, Colton ran for the Ford’s house as fast as he possibly could.
***
“Colton!” Corinne yelled as she saw the boy run into her yard with tears streaming down his face. She bent down to hold him and the child shook under her touch.
“Sweetheart, what is wrong? Where is your Mammaw?”
Colton sobbed incoherently. Averi came up behind him with a frightened look on her face. She stroked his back and looked at her mother with broad eyes.
“Momma, what’s wrong with Colton?!”
“She’s gone…” Colton sobbed.
“Gone? Gone where?” Corinne asked, not understanding the severity of the situation.
“Mammaw fell and she won’t answer! My father said she’s dead!”
“Your father ?!” Corinne asked.
Corinne ran from the
Colton, Averi and Tim couldn’t help but laugh at him as he ran off preparing to tell Mr. Ford about how he was jipped of his Easter egg hunt victory.
***
Nathan Ford sat with his family at a round table in the parish hall eating the fresh breakfast that Anna had prepared. As he shoveled a fork full of pancakes into his mouth, he read the morning paper. Randy and Tim kicked each other under the table while Colton sneakily stole Averi’s bacon. Meanwhile Anna and Corinne were preparing to poke fun at Nathan.
“What are you doing, looking for future clients?” Anna asked in a joking manner as she watched Nathan read the top headlines of the paper.
“Very funny… No, I found something that might be of interest to you. Look.”
Nathan passed the folded up newspaper over to Anna as he pointed out the article in question.
The headline read: Black Horse released from Police Custody, Search for McClain/Radcliffe Killer continues.
Anna’s blood ran cold. Standing in the doorway, just under the hung crucifix, was her devil of a son, staring in her direction. Before he could approach her, Anna grabbed Colton’s hand and ran from the hall leaving the Fords with puzzled looks. They had not seen Black Horse enter the building. In fact, no one other than Anna recalls seeing him on the premises. He was like a ghost. His path unseen. His presence undetectable by the untrained eye.
That was the last time Corinne would see her good friend alive.
Chapter Eighteen
She’s Gone…
“Mammaw!” Colton yelled as his grandmother fell to the floor clutching her chest. She had a look of pure fear on her face.
Black Horse stood in the corner of her living room with a look of disbelief on his face. He tried to hide his emotion behind his hand, but failed. He was a horrible man. This is true. But the fact that his presence had scared his mother so horribly that she had a fatal heart attack struck him to his core. As Anna fell to her knees, her eyes met her sons and the contents of her heart were displayed. The pleading. The praying. The endless yearning for her son’s redemption. Black Horse had a heart of stone, but somewhere, in some tiny crevice of his hardened heart, there was a morsel of love for his mother.
She was so afraid that he’d take Colton. So panic-stricken that she wouldn’t be able to save Colton from becoming the man her son was. Colton, on the other hand was enraged. Just five years old, his eyes were filled with hate.
“What have you done?!” he yelled as he charged at his father.
He punched and kicked and bit his father. Furious over the fact that he was here now, in this place, on this earth, hell… Alive! All he could think of was his mother’s face. He only had a piece of her tucked in his mind. Her words she whispered to him as they hid from the man that stood before him.
“Do not allow your heart to fall into darkness as your father’s heart has.” Colton would forever remember the words.
Black Horse tried to hold his son, comfort him for once in his life, but he could not grip the boy. Colton was much too fast. Bolting out the screen door, Colton ran for the Ford’s house as fast as he possibly could.
***
“Colton!” Corinne yelled as she saw the boy run into her yard with tears streaming down his face. She bent down to hold him and the child shook under her touch.
“Sweetheart, what is wrong? Where is your Mammaw?”
Colton sobbed incoherently. Averi came up behind him with a frightened look on her face. She stroked his back and looked at her mother with broad eyes.
“Momma, what’s wrong with Colton?!”
“She’s gone…” Colton sobbed.
“Gone? Gone where?” Corinne asked, not understanding the severity of the situation.
“Mammaw fell and she won’t answer! My father said she’s dead!”
“Your father ?!” Corinne asked.
Corinne ran from the
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