assured her.
“You have nothing…” Ellen got out before thinking of something that she wanted to know.
When Ellen stopped talking, Mitchell chuckled. “See, there’s something you want… already.”
“All I want is an honest answer from you,” Ellen hissed. Mitchell just gave her a curious look. “What do you know about our family’s Legacy?”
“Our family’s Legacy?” Mitchell echoed in a confused tone.
“That’s actually the second time I’d heard those three words together like that,” Brandon added.
Ellen crossed her arms before asking him, “And when was the first time?”
“When your father and I…” Brandon stopped talking when he saw Ellen cringing as if his chosen words had stabbed her through the heart. “When Mitchell and I were seven, I found an old letter hidden inside the lining of our grandpa’s old briefcase and I took it to my mom. She read it aloud.”
When Brandon stopped talking, Ellen asked, “Can you remember what she read?”
“Hold on,” Brandon said as he was trying to remember. After a brief moment he continued with, “Our family’s Legacy is among the ‘stars’ of Saint Louis.”
“What does that mean?” Ellen quickly asked.
“Don’t know, but Saint Louis, Missouri is where our dad and his parents were born,” Brandon said.
“So I have relatives living in Saint Louis?” Ellen questioned.
“Not living ones,” Mitchell corrected. Ellen shot him a curious look. “Our grandpa… this is ridiculous. Your great-grandpa had died just after your Uncle Brandon and I turned seven.” Ellen just stared resentfully at Mitchell as he continued with, “But before that, I have a memory of him telling me that your great-grandma and her family were killed—all of them burned alive—just before your great-grandpa and grandpa moved here to Kansas City.”
Ellen and the others were suddenly drawn to the clergyman and the mourners when the clergyman loudly cleared his throat. Once the clergyman had everyone’s attention, he continued with, “Ms. Anderson… and friends. Should I continue?”
Ellen glanced at Mitchell and back at the clergyman before nodding. Ellen then casually walked back to join the mourners. The others followed suit.
Once everyone was focused on the clergyman again he resumed his services.
The funeral services lasted for another twenty minutes, and once it ended, each mourner gave Ellen, Harris, Shannon and Avery his or her condolences for their loss before he or she walked towards his or her car to leave.
Once everyone had left except for Ellen, Harris, Allyson, Shannon, Avery, Jane, Mitchell and Brandon, Mitchell and Brandon stepped closer to Ellen and the others.
Mitchell saw the hatred in Ellen’s eyes towards him as he approached her. Before Ellen could comment on anything, Mitchell questioned, “You really hate me, don’t you?” Ellen scowled at him while crossing her arms as a response. “I’ve made mistakes.” Ellen’s scowl deepened as she slightly tilted her head. “Okay, obviously getting your brothers and sister killed was the worst mistake anyone could make.” When Ellen just stood while staring at him as if he had lost his mind, Mitchell continued with, “Was asking me about our family’s Legacy the only thing you needed from me?”
Ellen thought for a second before asking, “How did you learn about Michael’s funeral?”
“Arthur Bennett went to high school with me and your Uncle Brandon,” Mitchell said. “He called me with the details.”
Ellen slightly grunted in disgust before saying, “Figures.”
“May I call you Mitchell?” Jane requested.
“That is my name,” Mitchell simply said.
“Okay, well, this is obviously none of my business, Mitchell, but I’m curious to know why you and your father kidnapped your children sixteen… seventeen years ago,” Jane said.
“It began with Megan… Ella’s mother kicking me out,” Mitchell was only able to get out.
“Stop calling me by that acronym nickname,” she hissed.
“Your initials create the name ‘Ella’?” Brandon asked.
“E-L-A, Ellen Louise Anderson,” she replied.
“You were saying,” Jane prompted for Mitchell to continue.
“Anyway, I should’ve known then that Megan was pregnant when she kicked me out,” Mitchell began. Ellen scowled confusingly at Mitchell. “Don’t get me wrong, El... Ellen. Your mom was a great woman, but I had a knack of getting under her skin, and when she was pregnant, she couldn’t stand to be around me.
“Anyway, I went to my dad’s place to let Megan calm down, and when I got there, I met my dad’s new neighbor who happened to have been a psychic. The guy took one look at me and rattled off some facts about my life, and the fact that particular birds are drawn around where Megan and I live had frightened him. He strongly felt that those birds around my house were a bad omen and that my kids were in mortal danger.
“Obviously the psychic’s warning had frightened the hell out of me, and when my dad and I went to warn Megan, Megan thought that my dad and I had lost our minds. I was desperate to keep my children safe, so when Megan refused to heed the psychic’s warning, my dad and I left with the kids… and I’m guessing that you know the rest from there.”
“Now tell them what you had told me when I had visited you in prison,” Ellen prompted. Mitchell gave Ellen a curious look. “How you would get under Mom’s skin.”
“I’m not the same person I was back then, Ellen,” Mitchell claimed.
“If you don’t tell them, I will,” Ellen challenged.
Mitchell sighed before saying, “I lied to Megan about my job and where I would go when I left her sight.”
“That’s sugarcoating things,” Ellen accused. “Now tell them the non-sugarcoated version.”
Mitchell stared unemotionally at Ellen before saying, “I told Megan that I clean things for a living… which wasn’t exactly a lie because I did clean things. My father and I cleaned up after Clayton Seawall…”
“Clayton Seawall?” Jane questioned quickly. “The drug lord-slash-weapons dealer who went to prison several years back?”
“Slash-gangster-slash-murderer,” Ellen added.
“He wasn’t a gangster per se, but yes,” Mitchell said. “He was who I had worked for, and although I had never deliberately killed anyone, my job consisted of disposing of bodies and making sure that those bodies were never found. When my kids were killed, the DA offered me a plea bargain. If I testify against Clayton Seawall and tell where I had disposed of the bodies, I would get an extremely reduced sentence, and that’s just what I did. I did thirteen years in prison. I’m now out and I have a legitimate
