Princess Ces'alena (84 page)

Frantic with worry, anger building, he’d arrived flying into the place straight to the back, into the kitchen demanding from the owner, the whereabouts of Lena and Hope. Leon unaware of what had happened, ran behind Manny and watched as the restaurant owner flew into a rage at Manny, spouting off about his useless whore and how she took off on her. Telling him that she’d said the same to the other’s who’d come before him.

Overcome with fear and frustration, Manny practically destroyed the restaurant. Because the man at the livery knew Manny, he vouched for him as to his means to pay for the damage. Leon begged Manny, to just get the horses and get home. That maybe she’d been found and was in fact there waiting for them now.

He had known something was wrong, had known it from the core of his soul, that something which had continued to plague him as well the nightmare that returned night after night. Hope crying and screaming for him from the bottom of a black well. When they finally made it home, all those who were in the yard looked up at them as if they were ghosts. From the looks on every ones faces Leon knew the worse news ever was waiting for them.

Morris stood below Lena’s porch explaining, “If it weren’t for the men that came banging at the door, we would have never known what Katherine had done.”

When Manny had dismounted in front of Lena’s cabin, walking slowly up the steps as if in a dream, with dread spinning around him. Jacob, Henry, Jordan and his father came to him quickly. Fear matched only by the loss of his son, compared to what he was feeling when he slowly opened the door to a nightmare that would haunt him for some time to come. He stood, peering into the deserted cabin, then walked slowly in, his father followed, Jordan behind him. The bed was unmade and pulled apart. Her tidy vanity was empty of the gold and silver comb, brush and mirror he and Michael had given her for Christmas. Clothes were pulled from their place at the chest of drawers and armoire, with pieces of clothing lying scattered about. Lena’s things mixed among Hope’s; the sight before him was of someone in a hurry to leave.

“She come t’me late that night Manny. She was scared t’death, didn’t know what she gone do. She soaked from that rain, her an’ the baby, beggin’ me to hurry an’ take’em to Ms Josey. She say Ms Katherine was watchin’ her. She say she haf’ta meet her new master at the road. She say if she dare hide here, or near here, she gone have the law an’ the dogs after her, like a runaway.” Jordan continued where Morris stopped.

“Ms Josephine tol’ us, she take her to Jackson, where she wait for you safe. When masta’ Morris fin’ out, we all went to get her Manny. But - was too late. That lady at the hotel, say she sent her up to some men’s room to clean an’ she disappear after that. She call Lena lazy, an’ some other nasty name, that she run off in the night cause she was ungrateful! But we thank - well - we thank them men fin’ her. They got to have her…cause Lena ain’t gone leave knowin’ you comin’ fo’ ha’.”

Manny turned in the middle of the cabin, his face dry of tears. There was something else in his eyes, that sent a cold icy chill clean through Morris.

“Where is Katherine?” He asked, so calm, it frightened all who stood there. Leon began crying. Morris swallowed as sweat broke out all over, he actually shook from the look in his son’s eyes.

Before he could finish his sentence, Manny was out the door, off the porch and onto his horse, spinning the animal it reared with him on its back, landing again and shot off with him riding low.

“
Lord God!! Mannieee!!! Mannieee!!” Morris shouted to him, and then spun yelling at those standing around. “Don’t just stand there!! We’ve got to stop him!! Do you hear!! Hurry!”

Jordan and Leon were already in motion, and soon the overseers were in motion as well. Manny had a head start because they all had to saddle horses. All six men rode hard with Morris following in his carriage. They all prayed to catch up to him. The only chance being, his horse would not be able to keep top speed with his weight, nor - due to having been ridden from Jackson. They had that working on their side.

Morris’s body was racked with pain from all of the riding over the last week or more, he couldn’t take horseback riding at that pace. As it was, he was thrown about with the speed he was going in the carriage. Nothing else mattered however, nothing…all he could think of was stopping his son from killing his wife.

The Hastings were entertaining that fine afternoon in August. All sat in the sun room of their splendid home, which was mostly plants and glass, having a floral decor theme. The sofa and love seat of specially ordered bamboo that had been white washed. With it were two matching chairs in front of the veranda glass painted doors.

They were separated by the bamboo marble topped table. A round luncheon table sat to the far end of the bright and gloriously decorated room, surrounded with four chairs matching the other furniture, lending an overall theme throughout, of floral print on white backgrounds. This exact print was used for the drapery’s as well. The Gordon’s, were in attendance with their fourteen year old daughter, Mineal who sat bored on the sofa, as well as the Wilson’s, Charles’s parents while Mildred, Charles, and Katherine rounded out the group.

All stood in various places within the room, each into their own topics of conversation. Stan Hastings sat in one of the chairs from the four at the table, idly chatting of things unimportant as Bishop, their black butler served each tea, crumb cake, or wine.

No one in the room was aware of the things that had transpired at Webster Fields. Katherine hadn’t told of her deed, all she had said on arrival at her aunt’s and uncle’s home, was that she’d left Manny for good, and was never returning. After Mildred’s child was born, she would then return to Europe, whispering to Mildred that her divorce should be final by then. With a nervous stomach, she smiled and chatted with everyone present while her botched plan hovered in her mind. Just as she and Mineal laughed at something funny Charles had said, a horrendously loud pounding sounded startling everyone within the room.

The women cried out shocked at the sudden sound that started off like a canon blast, making them all jump. The pounding continued making various ornaments in the house vibrate. Stan stood and yelled over the racket. “Bishop, go see what the devil is going on!!” Bishop gulped fearfully, and set down the tray before moving cautiously down the hall. Katherine stood and began backing towards the furthest part of the room. Charles’s heart was pounding as he set down his drink, he turned to his wife. “Upstairs -
now!
” Frightened, Mildred did as she was told.

Charles walked cautiously to the end of the hallway that led straight about ten yards. Without reason, he predicted who the person on the other side of the massive oak doors was, built to withstand any mighty attack. Bishop kept looking back at him afraid as those present gathered at the end of the hallway as well, holding their breaths as their hearts pounded in fear. All except Katherine, who stood partially hidden behind the drapes.

The door starting cracking, Bishop let out a squeal and leaped out of the way, as Manny’s massive frame came tumbling in. His eyes were dead and dry, as his body hurdled forth. The speed at which he moved made the women scream and turn running back further into the sun room.

“Manny! Manny what are doing?!!” Charles shouted at him.

As Manny came at him, he could see, that not only did he not hear him, he was not sane. There was something horribly wrong with him. “Manny!” He shouted at him, bracing himself because he was going to plow right through him. Charles leaned forward to block him and was taken off of his feet by his friend.

Madness had finally come.

Charles began shouting for everyone to clear the room as he held onto Manny’s shirt from behind. He was being drug as he struggled to get to his feet. Manny was almost in the room when Charles got to his feet, trying to wrestle him down, shouting his name over and over, “Mannieee!!! Manny!!!”

In the room with the others, the women screamed from the trauma of the violence as a herd of other men rushed into the room, desperate to join Charles in getting him under control.

“Get him down, get’im down!!!” Jacob bellowed because Jordan was the closest to them, Leon behind him. Jordan jumped him, trying to bring him to the ground along with Charles, and Leon, sobbing added his weight. Yet, Manny moved forward, searching the room, his eyes seeking to locate his target. In his madness, he could not hear, could not feel, his body and mind locked in one ultimate goal. Manny collected body’s as he went. A red veil covered his vision, he saw no one until his eyes locked on Katherine cowering in the corner. Stark terror etched in her features.

There was nothing that would calm him, soothe him, satisfy him, snap him out of the abnormal trance that gave him a strength beyond what was human. Nothing would calm him until he could feel her neck firmly locked inside the grip of his hands. Not until he could feel the hard power that made him a man of stone to those wrestling to bring him down – released upon her as he squeezed the flesh of her throat, where soon the delicate bones would crunch and break as he twisted. The need raced within him like a grizzly set on destruction. Helene realized where his aim was directed and she began screaming with tears streaking down her face.

“Katherine ruuun - ruuun!!”

“Manny please stop – Jesus Christ stop him, we can’t hold him!! Help us hold him!!” Charles begged to Stan Hastings, and the other two elderly gentlemen in the room, scared, not about to go near him. Phyllis Gordon held her sobbing daughter to her, keeping her face averted, eyes wide and watching, she made no move to leave the room. The men shoved, pushed and pulled to bring him down, but inch by inch he was getting closer to Katherine. Who stood as if glued to the spot, watching, a scream trapped in her throat as she clung to the draperies as if it were a lifeline.

The room with its plants and furniture was wrecked as the tangle of white and brown arms, stained with blood, sweat and tears moved in a destructive mass ever forward towards Katherine.

“Bloody hell – ruuun!!! He is going – to – kill you!!” Charles shouted at Katherine. For reasons understandable, she thought they would be able to stop him. But once he was in certain reach, it dawned on her; he might actually be able to get her. Finally screaming, she turned to sprint from him. Her billowing skirt was her undoing – they flared out right into Manny’s reach, grasped them as if a man falling from a cliff and they would save him. And he began to reel her in.

Helene and Stan ran over trying to pull Katherine out of his reach, but once Manny got her skirt, the speed and strength he had to pull her to the floor was born of something animal. His arms were scratched, bloody and slippery from sweat. Leon was sobbing and begging him to stop, pulling at Manny’s arms. Manny’s eyes and hands worked together as he got more and more of Katherine close to him while she screamed for her aunt and uncle to help her.

To their horror, his huge hand clamped onto her chest pulling her over to him so he could get his hands around her throat.

“Noooo – nooo – nooo – nooo!!!” Katherine screamed over and over knowing she would die this day. She punched and scratched, pushing at his face as he pulled her within the circle of his strength, and like a crocodile grips, his hands made it around her neck. All sound from her ceased as she struggled turning beet red from his squeezing. Jordan forced his head up between them, levering his body in between the two, trying with all of his might to push Katherine out of his reach. His back was to Katherine, and his front faced Manny, as he grunted pushing Manny back while he wedged himself in between them. Charles’s hands worked to get Manny’s fingers from around her throat as Jordan pushed.

Her skin was being scratched and gouged from desperate fingers trying to save her life while she struggled for air. The veins stood out across her forehead as the whites of her eyes suddenly filled with red. With a man to each arm, and Jordan on his chest, and others pulling at his wrists, they with the force of God got Manny’s hands from around her throat, but he began swinging and flailing in madness. Too overcome he bellowed at the top of his lungs as Jordan, Leon, Jacob and Patrick held him down while he fought and swung at them. All breathing so hard they fought to catch their next breath as his hoarse cry sounded out and filled the room. Charles stood shaking Katherine.

“Breathe – Katherine breathe!!”

She shook with bloodshot eyes as her throat rasped in pain to suck in much needed air. Her ears rang as saliva ran from her mouth, her hair had been yanked and pulled from its wrap. Charles struggled with her, lifting her up as she gulped and shook.

Crying sounded out around the room as Manny sobbed and bellowed a name, “Leeenaaaa – God – Lenaaa!!!”
Everything swimming around him, he finally passed into oblivion.