Purgatech: Aaron's Terrible Realization

Chapter 11

"What the hell was that?" Jada asked.

We were finally back upstairs, in our room, having escaped Sparks' company.

"I have no idea," I said. "I'm sure she was just being a bit dramatic." I was scared but I didn't want Jada to know.

"Aaron, she did not sound like she was joking. 'Value your lives'? Really? What have we gotten involved in?"

"It can't possibly be that big of a deal. I mean we didn't even overhear anything that sounded that important."

"Well she certainly seemed to think we did. Who was that guy?"

"Which guy?"

"Which guy do you think? The guy talking to Turner, moron."

"Lighten up a little," I said. I was surprised to find my feelings a bit hurt by her attitude.

"And the way that Sparks was acting while we ate was off too. She was almost manic, wearing out the hunting story and then looking for any way to keep a conversation going. She was definitely feeling uncomfortable about something.

"She's probably supposed to keep business type stuff hidden from us since we aren't very involved in the company. Maybe she was worried that they would figure out there were more people working for Purgatech or something."

"Aaron. Why are you trying to pretend that this isn't a big deal? This is not a normal work situation. A grown woman just told us that we would die if we don't keep our mouths shut about this."

"I'm sorry," I said.

"Don't be sorry, help me get to the bottom of this." She paused as if waiting for a response.

"Okay," I said. I stared hard at the floor, hoping that she wouldn't realize how uncomfortable I was. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey," she said. I kept looking at my shoes, studying the laces. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm really scared and I'm taking it out on you. I shouldn't do that." I looked up at her and she was smiling. I noticed for the first time that she was truly beautiful. Not like a model or movie star. But beautiful, nonetheless. There was a depth to her quiet smile.

"Don't worry about it, Jada. I'm scared too, if we are being honest."

She stepped forward and put her arms around me. "It's going to be alright, we'll be fine," she said. We embraced for a long time. It was comforting.

The dramatic moment ended when she abruptly dropped her arms and said, "Alright, tea party is over, put on your thinking cap, asshole." I burst out laughing.

"Thank you," I said.

"No problem. Go for a walk?"

"Sure thing," I said. I walked over to the closet and grabbed both of our jackets. I threw Jada hers and opened the door for her. As I closed it behind myself and followed her down the stairs, I had a brief but powerful wave of heartache over mine and Katie's relationship. It came out of nowhere but I pushed it away. There were more important things to deal with.

The close, book lined shelves and dim fluorescent lights of the library were soothing after the strange incident. We'd realized that we'd heard the name Slade before. He was the founder of the town, the one who's statue we'd seen in the park. It was possible that someone from his family, perhaps a grandson with some number of greats in front of it, was working with Purgatech. The fact that such information was being so closely guarded from us made it seem obvious that there were some sort of shady dealings. We'd then decided to check the library for any information on the house or its occupants after Slade's death. We'd been looking for possible heirs in public records for over an hour with no luck.

"Is there anything that I can help you with?"

We looked up to see a librarian. Rather than your usual, grumpy old lady, this librarian was a younger woman. She had a large and genuine smile, the kind of smile that you can't help returning.

"I don't think so," Jada said. She slammed an ancient real estate ledger shut. "The info we are after just doesn't seem to be here."

"May I ask what you want to know?" She really seemed sincere. I couldn't see what it would hurt to tell her.

"Well," I said. "We are trying to find out if Mr. Slade might have had any heirs."

"Mr. Slade?" she asked.

"Yeah, the town founder guy," said Jada.

"Oh, yes!" said Ms. Librarian. "I'm sorry, that didn't immediately register for some reason. I don't believe he ever had children though."

"What about other family," I asked.

"Not that I am aware of. Everything I've read says that it was only he and his wife living in the house. Other than staff, mind you. Of course, there is an underbelly to all stories, some things may not have made it into the publications.

"An underbelly?" Jada asked.

"A dark side, ugly things in hiding. You know about Mary, right?"

Jada and I exchanged a look.

"No," I said. "We are actually new to the area. Just trying to get a feel for local history."

"I do the same thing when I move in somewhere." She pulled out a chair and sat down at the table with us. "Would you guys like to hear a story? It's a doozy."

"Yes, please. We would like that very much," Jada said. Her grin was as large as our new friend’s.

"Very good," said Ms. Librarian. She lowered her voice, conspiratorially. "Many years ago, before the town was here, Henry Slade married a young woman named Mary. They were inseparable, absolutely in love. Henry's father died of the fever and left his son a modest sum. Mary wanted to invest the money in the small bakery that the two owned but Slade had bigger plans.

"He decided to take all of the money and buy a piece of land on the river, miles from the nearest city. When asked why he went so far away, Slade said only that land was cheaper if it was hard to live on. Mary went along with her husband faithfully and the two lived in the wilderness in their newly built home for years. She missed her friends but was not unhappy with their life.

"Eventually, Slade began hiring workers. He had them clear the trees from the land and began the construction of a mill. Upon its completion, Mary and Henry traveled to the city to look for employees. They offered to match any man's salary, plus provide free housing. Their families were even invited to come and live for free. People flocked to Henry's mill for work.

"Eventually, the mill and the tenements surrounding were so many that more amenities had to be offered. Stores were built, along with a barbershop and restaurant. The people wanted to call the town Henry's Mill, which would have been a good name, I guess, but I'm glad that he chose to call it Mary's Rest. That was probably one of the last nice things that he did for her.

"Mary was very upset when her husband began to be gone more from the house. The more successful the business became, the more demands it made on his time. His wife became very lonely. That loneliness began to spiral into depression.

"After a few years, Mary had become almost a recluse. If she was seen in public, she was prone to outbursts and manic behavior. Eventually, Henry stopped allowing her to leave the house."

"Wait a minute," Jada said. "What do you mean by ‘allowed’?"

"It was a very different time, dear." It was funny to hear the librarian call someone only two or three years younger than herself 'dear'. "Women did as their husbands instructed. Its just how they did things."

"I wish my husband would tell...."

"Anyway," Ms. Librarian cut her off. "The depression worsened and Slade hired several caretakers and a psychologist to live in his home full time and look after his wife."

"Jesus," I whispered. Ms. Librarian nodded in earnest agreement as she continued.

"At first, she had free run of the house, but eventually she was confined to her room."

"He wouldn't let her leave her room?" I asked. I was uncomfortably aware the fact that I had slept in that room.

"He couldn't. Her behavior had escalated to a point that it was unsafe. After one of the nurses lost an eye..."

"What the hell, an eye?" Jada said.

"Yes," said Ms. Librarian. She didn’t too seem thrilled with Jada chiming in. "She stabbed a dinner fork into the eye of one of her nurses. After that, she was kept in her room. For her safety as much as everyone else’s."

"Why for her safety?" I asked. Ms. Librarian turned to me. She wasn’t as curt with my interruption as with Jada’s.

"Yes, for safety. From the townspeople. Like I said, it was a long time ago. Average people did not have an understanding of mental health, like we do now. They were frightened by things they didn't understand. After years of wild behavior in public, Mary had simply disappeared. They heard rumors about what went on in the house and were horrified when the nurse was injured. They began to call her a witch and a devil. They called for her to be taken out of town.

"Henry, despite his faults, loved his wife dearly. He could not bare the thought of sending her away. That's why he'd hired the care taking staff. Fearing that they might do something drastic if the townspeople were exposed to Mary's fits, he locked her in her room. Of course, her condition worsened. They say that, by the end, it was like taking care of a wild animal."

The images in my mind were horrible. I couldn't imagine living that way. I could tell that Jada was also shaken.

"How did she die?" Jada asked.

"That's the mystery," said Ms. Librarian. "No one knows. One day, the coroner was summoned to the house and the caretakers were dismissed with pensions."

"Because that doesn't sound sketchy," Jada said.

Ms. Librarian frowned. "It is odd. Henry became a bit reclusive, himself, after Mary's death. He still saw to the affairs of his mill and town but ran meetings in his study at home rather than the office in the mill. When he became too old to leave his bed, the meetings were held in his bedroom. He worked hard, daily, until the very end."

Ms. Librarian stood up and pushed her chair in. "That's the story, anyway," she said. "Who knows how much of it is actually true but that's the story."

"Thanks," Jada said.

"Yeah, thanks a lot for the information."

She glanced at Jada and then smiled at me. "Your welcome," she said.

I felt my ears turn a little red and turned to leave.

Jada caught up with me just outside the library door.

"Are you blushing?" She asked. I could hear laughter in her voice.

"No," I said.

"Yes you are, don't lie to me. Why are you embarrassed?"

"I don't know, she was weird."

"She wasn't weird! She was hot and she had a thing for you. You're so shy!" Her laughing was making me more ashamed. She realized it and stopped herself. "Oh, no, Aaron, I'm sorry. I shouldn't laugh at you, that's awful."

"It's okay."

"It's just cute, you know. A hot girl was into you and you weren't all macho about it. I can't stand guys like that."

I laughed a little bit. "Yeah, that's not really me. I've always been kinda quiet."

"Do you find attractive women intimidating?"

I felt a little weird having such an intimate conversation with all of the things we had just learned but I sort of liked it.

"Yeah, I guess I do. Never really thought about it like that."

"Hm..." she said. We walked on for a few moments in silence. Then she stopped and turned to face me.

"Do you find me intimidating?" She wasn't teasing this time. Her face was carefully composed and she was sincerely asking. I looked at her for a long moment.

"Yes, I do, Jada." It was the truth.

She was quiet for a beat. Her mouth twitched and then broke into a tiny smile. "Thank you, Aaron." She stepped forward and kissed me on the cheek. Of course, my ears were burning. She smiled bigger, touched my left ear, and giggled. "Come on, scaredy cat. Walk me back."

She linked her arm in mine and we walked back to the house, together. Neither of us brought up the conversation from the library. I guess we both knew we would get back to that soon. Right then, though, the silence was nice.