Mary and Her Benefactor

He offered her his jacket, and when they got to his car, he gave her an old pair of shorts to put on. She asked if he could drive her somewhere, and gave him directions to Judy's house. All four of them were in shock, and there was no conversation between them. They pulled into Judy's driveway and Mary walked up to the door and knocked. When the door opened and Judy stepped out, Jimmy backed out of the driveway and drove towards home.

* * * * *

Mary sat on a bench located by the shore at the Northport Village Green. Benjamin Tyrell was seated to her left, and on his left sat Janet. They had insisted on meeting her, and Mary insisted upon a public place.

"The house must be rebuilt, Mary. It has been a landmark for centuries," insisted Benjamin.

"Why? What difference does it make?"

"Janet is the caretaker. She needs something to...take care of."

Mary let out a bitter laugh. "As if I give a shit about that bitch."

"Me?" hissed Janet. "You ruined everything."

"Oh, excuse me for surviving your evil fucking plan. I should have killed you."

Janet laughed in response. "Go ahead and kill me, Mary. You know what will happen? The same thing that has happened for hundreds and hundreds of years. I'll just take a body. You won't be killing me. You'll be killing someone else. They never understood that with those damned witch trials. Every one of us they took, we took one of them."

"Why? Why do you do it? Why can't you just die like the rest of us?"

"Because we have a choice. We have one full cycle of the moon to get a body. We do it because we can, and because we don't have to die."

"That's just sick. You're sick."

Benjamin let out a sigh. "Ladies. This is getting us nowhere. The trust provides for the house, and it will be rebuilt. The location isn't haunted, Mary. It has nothing to do with the house."

"Then make it a museum and gardens for the public."

Benjamin looked at Janet. "We could do that. You could still be there, and it could even allay some of the local fears about the place."

Janet nodded in assent.

"Do it," Mary said as she rose from the bench. She glared at Janet. "I never want to see you again."

"Good riddance to you too, Mary."

"You know, Mary," Benjamin started. "There are many like us out there. We aren't bad people. We just have the ability to do what others wish they could."

Mary gave him a cold stare. "At what cost, Mr. Tyrell? I don't believe taking the life of another is acceptable, no matter what you say. Being able to do it doesn't mean you should. It's murder, plain and simple. It's...it's worse than murder."

"Well, Mary. One day, you shall be forced to make that choice. We'll see how you feel about it then."

"What are you talking about?" Mary snapped.

Janet gave her a wicked grin. "Oh. You don't know? You're one of us, Mary. You're one of us, and you will one day get the chance to be in our position. Good luck with that, you bitch."

Mary stood back as if she had been slapped in the face. She watched Janet and Benjamin walk to the parking lot and get into a car. Mary sat back on the bench and stared at the water. It was time to leave this place she thought. Maybe she could find a nice little place in La Jolla, looking out at the Pacific. Different coast, different ocean. She'd had enough of this odd little town.

* * * * *

Janet smiled as she held up the only item that was recovered from the blaze. The fire had run hot and fast, but inexplicably, it did not destroy the portrait that had hung on the wall in the master bedroom. She carefully placed it upon the wall in the rebuilt house, a temporary home until she sent it to its rightful owner. She stood back and looked up at the beautiful likeness of Mary, and she began to laugh. She'd give anything to see the look on Mary's face when the painting was delivered to her. Delivered to her when the time was right, and Mary would understand. The bitch would understand everything.

(Special thanks to patientlee for her editing and ideas, and to stlgoddessfreya for an assist with the legalities of inheritances. Anything that was lost in translation is on me, not these two lovely women.)