Every House Has a Secret - 35

 

 

"I don't understand why he gave it to me in the first place," Colin said.

 

"He was old and knew he was dying," Brady replied. "He wanted to clear his conscious, but at the same time I suspect he didn't want to destroy the love your father and uncle had for him, or the hatred they held for their father. That's what he meant by the note, saying it could harm other people if you showed it to them. He trusted you, even though you were only a child when he wrote it."

 

"Which may have been before he told me and Frank about Grandpa Dennis, or his version of it."

 

"Since he didn't date the confession, we'll never know. Personally, I have the feeling he wrote it after he told you the story about Emila's death and what happened with your grandfather Dennis. He wanted to get your reaction first."

 

"We were kids! How did he expect us to react?" Colin smiled wry. "We thought it was an exciting story, like something out of a movie. It wasn't personal to us, as far as I remember. It wasn't until we were older that we asked Dad more about it. I'll give him one thing, despite his feeling about Grandpa Hodges, he didn't try to make us hate him, too. He laid out the facts and left it at that. I guess he was mellowing a bit, since it had happened so long ago."

 

"Whatever the reason, your father was a wise man," Rand said. "Hatred can only exist for so long before it becomes more harmful to the one carrying it than to the person who inspired it. Passing it on to someone else will cause more harm than good." Rand chuckled. "And that's my philosophical statement for the day."

 

"It's a good one; and something Ethan should have thought about before he indoctrinated my father and uncle to hate their father," Colin replied.

 

"I agree."

 

"Do you have any questions for us, Colin?" Brady asked.

 

"Not that I can think of at the moment."

 

"Then we should probably leave. It past late and we all could use some sleep."

 

"Hang on a second," Rand said, taking an envelope from his pocket. "With all of this, I almost forgot. These are copies of the photos we found with the gun." He handed the envelope to Colin.

 

When Colin looked at them, he said softly, "They were so young. Too young to have to go through what they did." He studied the one with Emila and the boys. "It's hard to tell from this, but she was a lovely woman. Dad has some photos of her and Grandpa. It was obvious Grandpa adored her from the expression on his face, and she felt the same about him. I wish Dad had believed that."

 

"If he didn't, why did he keep the pictures?" Rand asked.

 

"I asked him, once. He said, despite his personal feelings, Dennis was my grandfather and I had a right to know what he looked like, especially since I take after him." Colin tried to cover a yawn, apologizing when he couldn't.

 

"As Rand said, it's very late," Brand told him. "Would it be possible for you to make a copy of the confession for us? We could pick it up before we leave in the morning. I promise we'll do nothing with it, or the gun, without your permission."

 

"I can do it now. I have a printer in my office." Without waiting for a reply, Colin picked up the papers and went into a room off the living room. He returned minutes later, handing Brady a fresh file folder containing the copy.

 

"Thank you for talking to us," Brady said.

 

"You're welcome." Colin smiled. "Honestly, it took a load off my mind, so I should be thanking you."

 

"You're welcome, as well. If you have any questions, or just need to talk, you can reach me here." Brady gave him one of his cards after writing his personal phone number and Rand's on it. "Feel free to call any time."

 

"All right." Colin walked them to the door. "If you learn anything more…"

 

"We'll let you know, I promise."