A few weeks later
25th of November, 1969

The autumn days passed reluctantly swiftly. Almost the winter dawned as the days were getting colder and the cold climate wasn't as tolerable as the days prior.

The Howards' Thanksgiving was celebrated excellently as the family assemble gathered along, had a scrumptious dinner together by talking, eating and drinking.

Howsoever, today was Jude's birthday as she was marking her 50th anniversary since her birth.

For this purpose, Timothy was gone downtown as he gathered the family's car to drive to the music store and buy a classy gramophone disk, choosing wisely something that's a recent and unquestionable valuable and extraordinary.

Whilst the twins were attending a kindergarten, leaving Jude home alone with Agnes Jude, Jude was cleaning the house, tidying, dusting and vacuuming every room with the aid of her hired housekeeper, Valerie. When the both women were collaborating in cleaning the mansion, the youngest Howard waddled as the ajar door of her room permitted her to flee, her light footsteps stamping the lacquered wooden flooring, drawing Jude and Valerie's attention promptly as they were in the library, vacuuming the polluted floor.

"Val, you heard any footsteps?" The former nun questioned as the maid stopped the vacuum cleaner, harking as she heard an infant footsteps, approaching the library.

"I think yes." The redhead affirmed, admitting truthfully as she wiped her forehead with her sleeved forearm, averting Jude's hazel orbs as her hazel eyes arrowed right at the white exquisite door, which was presumably shut. "Probably it's Agnes." She furthered, hearing the young girl's giggle, floating in the hallway like an echo.

"Agnes?" The blonde enquired as the library's door squeaked, catching the both ladies' attention as they froze up, darting their four pairs of hazel irises to the door, wandered down to the petite figure that wore a bashful, innocent smile honed in the corner of her lips. "Agnes, darling?" The older woman walked up to the little girl, crouching down to her in hasty, short steps. In the meantime, she cupped in the palm of her hands Agnes's plump, pale cheeks, resting her temple against her, locking up her hazel eyes.

Valerie just stood, offering a genuine, genial smile to the youngest Howard heir.

"Mommy, I don't want to be alone." The infant mumbled shyly, shrugging.

"Aww, sweetheart! Of course, you aren't alone now. You have your Mommy and your aunt Val."

"What were you doing?" The inquisitiveness that Agnes possessed, enthusiastically twisted Jude's mind as the innocent question sounded somewhat awkward.

"Oh honey, we are cleaning and the house wasn't as clean as a week ago. Let's not forget it will be disappointing to leave the house to flood in its filth and dust." The former sister of the church reassured her daughter, shifting her hand up to her scalp, running incessantly smoothly her fingers through her mane of honey curls, descending down her upper back. "It is unhealthy for us...who live there and step here and there." She explained wisely as she got in further details.

"Your Mommy is right, Agnes! But you can stay here with us and learn how to vacuum with a vacuum cleaner, besides to clean." Valerie comprehended Agnes's agonizing pain of being all alone and she couldn't neglect the child like a stray animal as the young girl glimpsed up at the housekeeper.

"Val suggested something awesome and beneficial. It will be very helpful for your future and your responsibility towards your chores and housework."

The child couldn't oppress a flourishing smile on her juvenile, childish, soft complexion as she giggled uneasily, accepting the both adults' offer to stay with them in the library and keep an eye on being trained from early age with the housework.

***

"Mom?" Helga tapped lightly on the parents' bedroom door, without receiving the accurate answer but hearing her endless sobbing and sniffling in the same time. "Mom? Could you please," The young woman was cut off when the bedroom's door creaked sluggishly, initially startling Helga as she didn't expect all that.

"Mom? Please?" The light brunette propped her shoulder on the doorframe, glued her light eyes down on the older woman, who was sitting on the edge of the king-sized bed, her face in her hands. "Might you tell me what's bothering you?" The youngest heir of McKenzies enquired as she stepped in the room, shutting the door and strolled up to the king sized bed, sitting next to the helpless lady.

"Helga, you don't have any clue what Alex turned out to be after this dinner night." She stated dramatically, still sobbing perpetually. "All of us gathered on the dining table." The older woman felt arms encompassing her shoulders, pulling her in a warm and platonic embrace, her heart racing in her chest.

"Mom, I noted something the same strange phenomenon about him either too." The younger woman confessed, rubbing her shoulders in attempt to soothe her as Laura's howls suddenly hushed as she wiped with her palms her drying tears, sniffling.

"Did you really, Helga?" She removed her small, damp hands from her face as she snaked arms around Helga's torso, a small, infectious smile splashing on her ruddy face, her swollen and reddish eyelids blinking like twinkling stars.

"Mhm, for sure! Alex was so suspicious."

"He was but I love him!" The elder lady jabbered. "My sweet Alexander! Look at what a danger he turned out to be for each of us." She paused, clearing her throat. "The church, the religion and God even the fortune transformed him in something different. Something mystic." The pouring rain outside plashing in the closed windows and the women's voices were the sole sound sources in this moment. "Something horrible. Something disturbing."

"It is alright, mom. Just spit it out!" Helga stubbornly insisted to hear out the truth at last.

"If I tell somebody else about something I promised to keep as a secret between us, otherwise," Laura couldn't help, nonetheless whimpering desperately, sensing a profound heartache hitting her as an emotional crysis due to Alexander's threats which she still ideally recalled a month ago. "Our goose will be cooked!" She kept on courageously, timidly.

"Mom, mom!" The sole daughter of McKenzie's family opted to comfort her mother as her wails interweaved with the rain drops, splashing outside. "I can't recognize him anymore. He isn't the same brother I knew before ever again."

"Me too especially before to leave for Boston."

"Do you still remember what he had done when he was 15 years old only?"

Meanwhile Laura nodded humbly with her head, closing her eyes as she felt the bitter tears streaming down her cheeks.

Flashback

1960

The McKenzies were struggling to look after Alexander as his parents thought he was still an adolescent to rely on him and his trust, besides his younger sister Helga unlike the other three older brothers who are officially independent and take care of their lives on their own.

Whilst Laura was busy baking cupcakes in the kitchen as Michael was working in the vanilla factory, Helga and Alexander were home alone with their mother and the newly hired housekeeper Rae.

Rae was an open-minded, wonderful and versatile woman in her late 40s as she had a chubby body structure, possessed average height, olive tanned skin tone, amber brown eye color, followed by long silken dirty blond hair, dropping down to her upper back. As an addition, she wore her casual maid's outfit.

Helga and the rest of the family loved Rae unlike the fractious Alexander himself. He hated her since the beginning, in fact, she spoiled him as much as his parents and ensuring him everything though the lack of love which was oblivious feeling for him.

When Laura was being busy in the kitchen, Helga was in the garden, crouching down to the flowerbed and watching the mesmerizing scenery of chromatic lavishness of variable colorful flowerbeds, embellishing the yard and admired its natural comeliness.

Alexander was in his bedroom, reading downheartening poetry in the middle of his bed, shedding a couple of tears, trinkling down his face as he kept his razor next to him.

Rae towered the stairs as she walked up with a platter of warm milk, buttered banana bread sandwiches and cookies, entering through the double bedroom door of the boy as he sighed,muttered to himself whilst Rae was ambling up to him, her hands were occupied.

"It's fucking depressing." He hissed through frustrated voice, clenching his teeth as he chucked the book at the wardrobe, earning the middle aged woman's flummoxed facial expression, inked on her face.

"Alexander? Alex?" The blonde left the platter on the nightstand, trying to warrant him, although his desperation he wore on his face didn't scrubbe off easily. "Your afternoon breakfast is already being served."

"I am not hungry!" He got from his bed, grasping the razor as he concealed it behind, sneaking up to Rae, who gaped up at him. "I want love but," He cried as Rae looked up at him in distressed manner. "I am not made for love." The teenager yelled in the maid's face, startling the middle aged woman.

"Oh, Alex! I am so sorry." The blonde said in defeated way, raising her hands in the air, scrutinizing the adolescent in front of her. "I wish I could," Alexander cut her off as she wasn't able to resume her sentence.

"You shouldn't be sorry," He lifted up the razor as its silver edge was wrapped around Rae's throat, glaring up at her mortified face once she peeped what he held. "Because it's their fault." Under their fault he meant his parents as well. "You don't realize not only how much I hate them and this fucking house, and my life, further, I hate you." Shortly afterwards he slit her throat swiftly as she caressed with her fingers the spot where he snapped with his razor in her final seconds of her life, widen eyed looked blankly at her murderer and slumped as spurting thick, vicious blood diffuse in the room.

Once the teenager witnessed the maid's death by killing her with his razor, he couldn't contain a smug, malicious smirk, distorting in the corner of his lips. His winter blue eyes, radiating abhor, nemesis and pride were fixed on the corpse, bathed in blood pool.

"I couldn't be more proud with myself over this. Nobody has never granted me love! Nobody dared to prove me what is love!"

A couple of minutes later, Laura held a tapper with a handful of cupcakes, exclaiming loudly:

"Alex, you might like thes-" Once the middle aged mother entered in the room, she dropped promptly the tapper with cupcakes on the floor, clamping with her both hands her mouth, goggling eyes down at Rae's dead body, clothed in blood stains. "Oh God! Oh my God!" The middle aged lady couldn't suppress the urge of blooming anguish, cooking and boiling inside her. At last but not least, she omitted a high pitched cry once she promenade up to him.

The elder woman's heart was enveloped in somber tint of distress and unpredictable turmoil. In the meantime, Alexander tilted his head as he looked up at his mother's face as their eyes met, his smirk flashed on his face, still grasping the razor as its edge is baptized in blood.

"What have you done to her?"

"Nothing unless I don't get what I want." He bellowed furiously, stomping as he hurled up to the door, fleeing the room as his mother fell on her knees.

Laura's eyelids were pooled with dew of dampness, bathed in crystal, bittersweet liquid as soon as tears began welling in her azure eyes, expressing her lament over the benign woman, who just deceased by being gashed her throat in relentless manner by her own son.

***

"Yes, I remember all this tragedy!" Laura professed as she wiped her last drying tears from her face. "This menace which he delivered me on the dinner night, I am never going to forget it." Helga removed her arms from her mother's upper back as she was capable to rest her head on her shoulder. 

"Just tell me what is it, okay?" The young woman averted to hear what was bothering her mother.

***

"Jude?" Timothy was back from downtown in the urban part of Boston after driving in the traffic, holding the packaged gramophone disk as he was sufficiently considerate to not cause any damage to the recently bought item for Jude. He had already parked the vehicle in the yard.

The former priest noted their mansion's yard empty, briefly nobody was around once he approached the front door. He delved in his slacks' pocket, rummaging for the key as he picked it up, putting it inside the keyhole and unlocked the front door simply, letting himself to enter as he shut the door and kicked off his shoes.

"Judy? Mrs.Howard?" Timothy yelled as he tiptoed, attempted to surprise his wife for her birthday though her absence on the first floor was readily apparent. 

All of a sudden, his nostrils were taunted by a fragrance of mouth-watering food, coming from the kitchen as he headed up to the kitchen to check in, recognizing the adorned kitchen table with plates, served in them coq au vin and empty, unfilled glasses yet sitting on the table carpet, followed by small, lit up candles, bottle of cognac and cherry natural juice with silverware eating tools. In brief, the dining table was sprucely embellished with everything necessary for the forthcoming dinner. Little did he know where were the children as Agnes's high chair and the other chairs were emptied yet.

Then he went upstairs as he recognized one petty, howsoever, distinct detail. The bedroom's door was askew opened as a wee gap was visible. Somebody was there.

He tiptoed as he didn't want to ruin the bombshell as well. He licked his lips in jumpy manner, blinking his chocolate orbs, fueled with glee and a tad jitteriness concurrently.

"Will she like it?" A frequent thought span around the former monsignor's head, wondering yet if Jude is going to like her present. He usually mustered to take aback her on every birthday of hers even Christmas with romantic dinners, garments, accessories. Nonetheless, the things were different on her 50th birthday and Timothy wasn't sure about her opinion. 

What was audible for his ears was feminine voice, thrumming a melodious hum to herself as Timothy, himself, queried what she was doing in this moment. Coming like a siren's song from the bedroom, cajoling the sailors and they conclude with a brutal ending, as a result of being drowned, manipulated and eaten to bones. 

Meanwhile he peeked through the door gap, noticing Jude sitting before the dressing table, fixing her make-up as she was applying her conservative mauve lipstick, contacting her soft lips.

Timothy's blooming smile honed in the corner of his plump, natural lips as he admired Jude's beauty as he beheld her in black dress with satin long sleeves, boat neckline, slightly cascading down to her mid-thigh, showing her perfect, long and still lovely legs for her age with lacking marks of aging and wrinkles, layered in thin black pantyhose. Her mane of old Hollywood golden curls flowed down to her upper back. Her acute perfume reached Timothy's nose as he pushed the door ajar, stepping in their bedroom, lurking as he left the gramophone disk on the king-sized bed. 

All of a sudden, the blonde saw through her reflection something usual. It was Timothy himself who snuck up in the room as she flinched initially, dropping the lipstick on the floor.

"Tim, sweetheart!" She evoked, sensing her heart racing as it heavily throbbed in her chest when he wasn't obligated to tiptoe anymore since he was detected at last. "You scared me." 

"I just wanted to surprise you since it's your birthday."

The both adults couldn't oppress a giggle, emitting fluently from their throats as Jude opted to lean to pick up the discarded lipstick as Timothy snaked arms around her shoulders, pecking kisses on the back of her head.

"You are drop-dead gorgeous for today." In the interim, the former sister of the Roman Catholic church couldn't help but chuckle as her face was vapored in sanguine nuance.

"Thank you, darling! I am almost finished." She conluded her sentence with a smug, affectionate smile, shaped on her mauve lips. 

"But also I bought something you might like."

"Oh and that's why you were gone a half a day?" She enthusiatically enquired as she applied her perfume, hence, turning to Timothy who walked up to the bed, gripping the grand gramophone disk with simon-pure classy songs. 

"Of course, honey!" He said in velvety voice as he walked up to Jude again as the blonde couldn't contain an astounded grin, spreading across her lips as she tipped the packaged disc, inspecting it.

"That's much different, however, I love it and I can't wait to listen to it on the gramophone record." 

***

After they ate in silence during the dinner and they wished Jude happy birthday earlier today, the twins and Agnes were already put in their beds to sleep and bathed before bedtime, besides they were changed in their pyjamas, hugging their brittle skeletons. 

As the couple were desolated in the living room, they put on the gramophone record the freshly bought disc as the needle was stuck in the wee hole.

Silver-tongued music played in the background as it sailed up in the room like lullaby for Jude and Timothy, who were currently cuddling on the goth sofa, drowning in one another's caresses and warmness.

"Expresso coffee tastes mighty good. That's not the reason why I've got to get back." The song played as the eloquent, exuberant vocal was ringing in Jude and Timothy's ears, utterly relaxing as Jude 's body laid on Timothy's lap, holding their hands as they fit a smaller and a larger one. Jude felt much safer and loved in Timothy's arms for sure as his other hand was playing with the softness of her glowing, beautiful honey hair. His warm chocolate brown eyes stared down at Jude, admiring her grace in slumbering condition.

"Rare bird, it's unbelievable you have turned 50 years old and you are still my gorgeous and young-looking Jude, regardless how cruel is this I.D. card to calculate your years." The former priest said under his breath very softly as Jude's eyelids were closed, shielding her frail eyes from the artifical lights. "You were supposed to be young just like me but only four or even five years is our approximate difference."

"To that sugar shack, whoa baby. To that sugar shack. There's this cute little girlie, she's a'workin' there. A black leotard and her feet are bare."

Fortunately Jude grumbled something as she opened reluctantly her eyes, sensing Timothy's warm, cognac stained breath brushing her face. 

"You are awake." He whispered through a genial, loving smile.

"Good evening, Mr.Howard!" Bone to picked with him in ribbing way, chuckling gamely.

"Good evening, the birthday wife!"

"For how long have I napped?" She enquired, grunting as her cognac stained breath pinched the former priest's face, still caressing her golden hair, admiring its softness and natural pulchritude. 

"An hour!" Then he earned her apprehensive, panicked facial expression, airbrushed on her complexion. "It's okay, sweetheart! At least, it's your night and what do you think about the gramophone music?"

"I'm gonna drink a lotta coffee, spend a little cash. Make that girl love me when I put on some trash. You can understand why I've got to get back. To that sugar shack, whoa baby."

"I love it very much! I haven't been expecting you are going to surprise me in such splendid way for my birthday!"

"I have ever spent hours in the music store, searching and vacillating between some gramophone discs." He inhaled calmly, being relieved she appreciates, cherishes and loves her birthday gift. "It was such a tough choice whether which one was the better and that's why...I have chosen this one."

"At least, you have chosen something wisely which I love it even more."

To be continued...