More Than One Way To Die

Chapter 20 The Runner

Kameron's POV

It doesn't take us long at all to get through the secret passageways back to the office as we slowly make our way to the meeting area once again.

I look down at Violet before I say or do anything else. "Hey are you ok?" I ask her sincerely as she nervously nods her head at me, not convincing me whatsoever. I don't want to push her because of the trauma she just endured so I'm going to discuss everything else before we move on.

"Ok so we need to figure out what we are going to do next.. any suggestions?" I ask them as Richard states hesitantly, "I just want to get out of here before I'm killed next."

"Well I think since we still can't leave just yet and I still don't have service.. and none of us can leave because of the storm I say we just keep this investigation going." I try to suggest as they look more confused.

"By doing what? Everything we gave done so far has gotten more people killed." Barbera asks as I throw another suggestion out there. "That's not because of the investigating, that's because there's a demented being amung us.." I defend the situation especially with me being the leader of it I do have to back it up.

"So can we continue this now?" I ask as everyone nods but doesn't out right say anything. "Ok.. Well I need someone to help me move the bodies up here so I can look for any obvious clues of what happened to kill them and maybe we can go from there.. any volunteers to help?"

"I'll help you man." Vance says as Vincent groans before nodding volunteering himself as well. "Ok thanks guys.. everyone else please wait up here and.. don't kill anyone while I'm gone please." I try to ease the tension in the room eith a joke and it only slights worked but even just a little bit is better than nothing.

I set Violet down gently to the seat as I wave for her brothers to follow me. We travel down the secret passageway, since it's obviously the short cut to the bodies. We take them one at a time then setting them down gently on the floor of our meeting room before I head back grabbing Violet her crutch that she dropped in the chaos as I grab the other crutch she left in the office.

Once we have both of the ladies up here to investigate, I inch in, closely looking at the both of them, taking in all the little details that I can. Samantha's lips are more of a blue tint and Lydia's is a purple but that's because if Samantha obviously being dead longer than Lydia.

Both of their lips and tongue are swollen so that normally only points to one thing. I lift their heads looking directly at their necks as I let out a deep breath looking up at everyone.

"They both have been strangled.. you can see slight bruising and redness on their necks along with their lips and tongues being swollen which also indicated strangulation. But by the size of the bruising.. it has to be a man.." I finish as I look around at everyone.

Dennis looks irritated with my statement.. "Are you saying a woman couldn't strangle another woman or can't cause bruising?" He asks spitefully as I shake my head. "Women can just like men.. but look at this bruising right here.. these are obviously the fingers and this is the palm... now look at Violet's hand compared to the bruising.." I say as Violet willingly comes to my side putting her hand out for the comparison of the two and the bruises are way bigger than her hands.

"For one thing the bruising is obviously a man because of the size difference and also because the only women that are still alive are Violet who is hurt.. and Barbara who has age to hold her back.. and Jordan who doesnt have the height to do this..and neither of them have the height, size in general or strength to do this.. no offense ladies.. but with the bruising being the worse under both of their chins.. that says to me that they were picked up off the ground during the strangulation.. Samantha and Lydia are taller than Jordan and Violet.. so that's not easy for them by any means but easy for any of us men." I try to explain to everyone as best as I can.

But my explanation only raises more questions as everyone's eyes jump back and forth between each other suspiciously.

"Ok.. so who could do this then?" Jordan asks as I shrug my shoulders. "Age is a factor for sure amongst the men but doesn't mean that anyone is counted out.. because anyone in here could have done this.. I guess the next question would have to be, asking who had the most motivation out of everyone to kill these women??" I ask as every gets dead silent not wanting to make a sound so they don't bring attention to themselves.

"Well, during the search I did read a little out of my Grandmother's journal and it sounded like my mother owed everyone in here a good chunk of money.. and Lydia took a substantial amount of money from Gramma, so if anyone cared for Gramma like we all seemed to, then that should have just pissed all of us off.. but who would have motive to kill Samantha?" Violet asks as everyone looks directly at the one person who really has any motive to kill her that we know of.

Chad looks nervously around the room as everyone's orbs point directly at him, completely staring him down so there is no question to who any of us think might have done this. "It wasn't me.. I didn't do this.. why would I kill my own wife. I did love her you know?!" He spats back as I reply. "You were planning on leaving her for the money though, right?" I ask as he nods reluctantly. "The only way to make sure she didn't get anymore money than she deserved is to just cut her out of the picture all together." Brad suggests as Chad's eyes go wide again. "I didn't kill them! I swear!"

"Well someone did it and all signs point to you right now.. I'm sorry." Vincent says to Chad as he shakes his head more before turning around, then trying to make a run for it. He takes off out the room and to the garage taking a pair of keys off the wall as he jumps into the available car.

The acceleration hitting so loudly in that small area, just echos making it so loud that you can't help but cover your ears at the high pitched sound. The screatches of the tires is all that we hear before that car takes off, busting through the garage door shattering it into plenty of peices.

We take cover to not get hit by any shards before chasing after the car through the sports car shaped hole in the broken door. It's still pouring rain outside so we don't get far out, after him as we watch him lose control of the car because of all the rain and mud around.

The vehicle spins multiple times as we watch Chad try to get control of the car overcorrecting it as he slides the other way.. but there is just too much weight with his momentum following, so the car just keeps tipping. Until it flips all the way over still sliding until it stops right next to the edge of the bridge and flowing river.

The river is too high for comfort with the storm above that I'm not sure if he will get caught into the current or not. So I book it over to the car with everyone in tow. I get to the car bending over to try to look in. I see Chad knocked out and laying in a very awkward position on the inside of the roof. The way he is positioned suggests he might have broken his neck in the rolling but I see no signs of life.. and just the right snap of the neck can kill a person in an instant.

I turn around informing everyone around me. "I think he is just knocked out but he looks like he might have broke his neck from the crash.. so I'm probably going to need help carrying him in because he will need extra support around his neck."

Everyone jumps at the thundering loud boom right above us, as it continues to just soak us in the pouring rain. I hear a creaking again wondering if that's apart of the storm or what.. as I see something moving in my peripherals. I turn to see that the mud is giving in under the weight of the car just crumbling as the car tilts sliding into the river.

I try to jump up as I slip and fall into the mud. I try to get up again before I slip more. I can't get steadied as I just watch the car float down the river slowly sinking into it with the water filling the car up. The river is faster than I could ever be as the car is out of my sight in no time.. I had no chance at saving Chad. I don't think there is anyway he could have survived all that.

"Kam, you tried.. that's all that matters.. we will explain everything to the cops." Violet says to me as she wraps her arms around my waist.

"I just thought I could save him." I say so honestly to her as we hear from behind us. "I don't think anyone could save him from his life.. and it looks like he has way more to hide then we thought." Dennis says to us as we can't confirm or deny his guilt in the murders.

"We need to get inside and figure out what we are going to do next." I suggest as we turn around making our way back inside all soaking wet now. But luckily for me there is something to make me feel better.. the rain has soaked Violet's shirt and now it's slightly see through.. but just enough to give me something good to look at.. that might ease my stress riddled mind.

We all shake off the wet mud covered shoes throwing them at the door as I watch James turn on the fire place as we all huddle around it trying to warm up.

"Ok so what do we do now? Tell the cops about how he murdered everyone?" Vance asks as I shrug my shoulders before replying, "I don't know man.. we still don't know for sure that it was him and he did keep saying it wasn't him.. I don't know."

"But innocent people don't try to leave the scene in a haste like that.. if he had nothing to hide then why was he trying to hide?" Peter says to us as I groan, pinching the bridge of my nose knowing they are right but something just doesn't feel right about that idea.. but maybe it's because I just watched him die in front of me as I tried to help so I'm slightly invested in the situation.

"So does anyone have service yet?" I ask as everyone checks their devices on them. One by one they shake their heads. As I shrug my shoulders. "I don't know what to do now." I say to everyone, probably too honestly, as James suggests. "Well why don't we have the actual funeral? Since that's why we are all here in the first place."

That's not a bad idea because we are here for that and things went haywire when we got here.. I nod my head as does everyone else. "Ok I just need to set it up because she wanted it a certain way so it will be about an hour and then we can continue this for Ms.Emily." James explains as I nod suggesting. "Well then that gives us all some time to change out of these damp clothes to get dressed up for the funeral. Vance and Vincent can you both help me out again, moving the bodies out of the middle of the floor so we don't have to keep looking at them in this state.." I say as they both vigorously nod heading with me into the next room as we pick uo the bodies and transferring them into Vanessa's room with her dead body. locking them away for no one to mess with just in case. We get back down the stairs as I suggest. "Alright let's get changed before we catch a cold."