CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
JC's knees quaked in unavoidable disbelief. No. It can't be. No. Kate's eyes met his, as if to say, I don't understand it either.
Brad Bones forced Kate to sit down in a chair. "Surprised? I'm disheartened. You, Kate, of all people, should've ventured a guess."
"But-but Brad's dead!" JC stammered, bending down to lift the sheet off the dead body. His heart leaped to his throat when he discovered the real identity of the rain-soaked corpse.
Simon Grund.
Brad laughed gleefully. "I suppose my tyrannical step-dad came in handy after all. When I was hiding in the bushes an hour earlier, he marched up the driveway. He saw me crouching and demanded to know my reasons. My gun cleared up any questions he had. I drug his body into the gardenia bushes, allowed Traci to let me inside the house, and waited for my little timer to cut off the power. While Traci rummaged about the house arranging candles, I watched her go upstairs, and then I dragged Simon under the table. Clever, huh?"
Too stunned to speak, JC numbly collapsed into a chair beside Kate. Brad quickly secured their limbs with masking tape. He left their mouths unhindered. "I want you to feel free to ask questions," he said almost gleefully, "I pulled off this scam so well I'm sure there are a few loose ends for me to tie up for you." To Kate, he reminded her of a child gloating over a tricked he'd played.
Brad leaned against the dining room table, gun poised in hand. Kate bit her lip, too afraid that if she spoke she'd begin sobbing. JC nervously cleared his throat.
"Why are you doing this?"
Brad chuckled. "I suppose it all began with Kate. Ah, Kate, you could truly be every man's temptation. Every man's temptation..."
Kate squirmed. JC held his breath.
Brad's voice switched to a low growl. "Including my twin brother, Timothy Bones!"
Kate choked. "Oh my gosh! Brad, hold on..."
Brad refused to stop. "Timothy and I were only 1 minute apart, you know. One minute. He and I shared the same interests, same tastes in hobbies, school, sports, and women. So...you think you have heard the whole story, Jace? No pal, you haven't. Yeah, Kate was triple timing us. In Florida, she dated you. In New York, she dated me and some other guy. But before she dated me, she dated Timothy."
"Timothy loved you, was sure that in a couple of years he and you could've married!" Brad spouted, "But nnnoooo...Soon you started flirting with other guys too! Timothy started questioning your fidelity, and in response to that, he started drinking. Gosh, I was so worried about him!" Brad grit his teeth, and his entire body shook with bottled up anger before he controlled himself.
"About 2 weeks later, Kate decided she wanted to break up with Timothy, saying she just wanted to be friends..."
Kate trembled. "Wait a second. I tried to let him down easy. I knew I was wrong by dating behind everyone's backs, so I was narrowing it down to one."
"Who, JC?" Brad challenged. He continued. "Timothy couldn't handle it. He loved Kate so much, and she broke his heart! He...he went to a bar that evening, got drunk, and...and... (Brad banged his fist on the table), he drove his car into a tree! HE WAS DEAD! MY TWIN WAS GONE," he pointed an accusing finger at Kate, "All because of you. YOU drove him to do it!"
JC hung his head, frowning thanks to a splitting headache. This was too much to take in at once. "Kate," he murmured quietly, "How could you keep a healthy conscience if you were hurting people like that?"
"I didn't mean to hurt anybody!" Kate burst out, "I want attention, especially from guys. So I flirted a lot. I need to feel loved. After I lost my brother when I was 6, and then dad never paid any attention to me...I felt lonely. Forgive me Brad. I've always blamed myself for him dying."
Brad wouldn't hear any of it. "Apologize to Timothy. I'm sure he'd appreciate that. Humph, especially since after his funeral, you and I started leaning on each other for support. I fell in love with you. Then one day, those several years ago, I was going through Timothy's things when I stumbled upon a journal. According to him, he'd discovered a file filled with emails that you and a guy named JC had been sending back and forth. That's what really drove him to alcohol. But you know what? I couldn't believe it."
"So...I followed you to Florida. Spent several days following you and JC, taking pictures and jotting down notes."
JC gasped. Those pictures I've been getting.
"That's when I knew the darn truth. Timothy might've become anything in life. But Kate took it all away from him, all because of low self-esteem and attention starvation."
An evil grin curled on Brad's lips. "Guess what? Timothy's come back."
JC and Kate paled. "What?"
"Timothy's ghost has returned to haunt me. More and more lately, I hear his voice talking to me inside my head." Brad rubbed his temples. "I've gotta make him go away. I've just got to. But he can't rest. Not until his murderers are brought to justice."
"What do you mean by that?" JC gulped.
"I mean," Brad stressed, "Although Tim says I should forgive Kate, not blame you, and move on with my life, I won't settle for that. And if you die, then Timothy must leave me alone."
He is one crazy man, JC thought, Very crazy.
Suddenly Brad's face changed, became softer, more concerned. His eyes grew blank. A higher pitched voice escaped. "You must escape from this house! Hurry quickly! Where are your scissors, Katie? Brad won't let you out alive if I don't cut you loose!"
JC gripped the arms of the chair. "What the..."
Surprisingly, Kate appeared calm. "Timothy, and I speaking to you?"
Brad hung his head low. "Yes, it's me Timothy. Don't worry Katie. I don't blame you for my drinking and driving. That was stupid. Brad never could handle the grief. He needs somebody to blame, you know? He..."
Facial features changed, hardening and turning sinister. "Shut up Tim!" Brad screamed, "I don't care what you say. Your spirit can't rest until I've made them pay the price." He reverted his attention to Kate and JC. "I've never understood how Timothy was so forgiving towards people. Heck, even in death he's willing to allow you two to go on living. But I won't!"
Brad aimed the gun at Kate's face. She let out a small cry. JC didn't hesitate. "Wait! Let me talk to Timothy. Please. Only a minute."
Head low. High voice. Cloudy eyes. "What is it?" Brad muttered.
"Timothy," JC prodded gently, "Am I talking to you?"
"Yeah."
"Tim, you need to convince Brad to cut us loose. Only you can do it."
"No, I can't," he whimpered, "I'm scared of Brad. He's so much stronger and angrier. He never listens to anybody. Most of the time, he does something, like the time he tried to shoot you in the living room, and then when it's over, he doesn't really remember it."
JC nodded. "Brad is a sick guy. He should get professional help. But we must get it to him."
"I suggested that once."
"Keep trying!" JC insisted. Kate chimed in. "Hon, I'm sorry for the way I treated you. It was wrong of me. Cut me loose. Get the scissors."
"But Brad will stop me."
"Hurry!"
Brad, still in his Timothy persona, wandered over to the kitchen island, opened the left drawer, and pulled out a pair of scissors. Snip. Snip. JC's hands were free. Snip. Snip. Kate stood up. "Now, Timothy, sweetheart, give me the gun."
"Brad won't like that."
"You love Brad, right?"
"Very much."
"Then you're helping him by preventing him from doing something he'll regret in the future." JC slowly approached Brad. He knew that if he made one wrong move, then their small glimmer of hope would diminish. Carefully prying the gun from his fingers, JC placed Kate behind him, carefully backing out of the kitchen.
Brad stood taller, eyes blazing. "Look what you've done!" He shouted at Timothy (or an invisible person), "They'll get away!"
"RUN!" JC and Kate sped through the living room, barely noticing Lance's screams in the study below.
Brad was never far behind.
He also carried a butcher knife.
A sharp, gleaming butcher knife.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
"No, no, no, no, no," Lance pleaded, watching the Mayor loom closer, "Dad, stop!" The knife swung in a high arc over Lance's head. Lance quickly leaped to the right, slamming into a lamp. The lamp clattered to the floor, narrowly, missing a burning candle.
The Mayor lunged towards Lance, sinking the knife into his upper shoulder. Lance wailed in searing pain as his knees collapsed. His father stood by, watching him moan in agony. "My son, you can have it 2 ways. Either a quick, painless death, or a slow, dreadful one. I see you've chosen the latter."
Gritting his teeth, Lance used his good arm to punch the Mayor in the stomach. "I'll fight!" He grabbed the edge of the desk and awkwardly pulled himself up, sending more pain up his right arm. A warm, sticky liquid trickled down his skin, staining his shirt.
The Mayor grabbed him by the back of his shoulders, whirling him around and throwing him into the bookcase. BAM! Spider cracks formed in the glass. Lance crumpled to the floor, half dazed and bleeding at the lip.
His dad observed the 22-year-old singer, lying so pathetically on the floor, whimpering and coughing. Too young to die.
He towered over Lance's body. Lance had curled into a fetal position, grasping his wounded shoulder. "Don't...no..."
***
Justin frantically shook Joey awake. "Joey man! Wake up!" Joey's head immediately shot up. "Huh? What's happening?"
Justin put his hand over Joey's mouth. "Man, the lights went out. When I stumbled in the hall to find Traci...she was dead. Someone's shot her. Annie and Cory were tied up. JC and Kate are screaming down there, Brad's chasing them with a knife, and I don't know where the heck Lance and the Mayor are!"
Justin removed his hand. Joey found himself unable to speak, too shocked to comprehend the horror of it all. Justin curled Joey's fingers around a flashlight. "Let's find Lance's cell phone and call Sean. The sooner the FBI knows about this, the better!"
***
JC and Kate stumbled blindly through the freezing rain. Thunder boomed overhead in the darkened clouds. They weren't sure of where they were headed, only that the branches in the woods were increasingly difficult to run through.
Kate whipped her head around, her soaked hair slapping her cheek. JC pulled her hand harder. "Come on!" Yet Kate couldn't take her eyes off of Brad, chasing them about 15 feet away. His dark shadow terrified her. The knife glowed in the lightening.
They turned left, slipping on a muddy embankment by a stream. JC sloshed through the water, dragging Kate. Once or twice she slipped.
"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE FROM ME! I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!" Brad hollered over the howling wind.
Kate pointed to a dark figure in the distance. "Look! A cabin of some sorts!"
Yes! JC thought happily, maybe we'll be helped!
Going inside that cabin would be a major mistake. For underneath the exterior of wood and paint lay a roomful of secrets. Secrets, which would only feed Brad's insanity.
***
The Mayor kneeled down beside Lance. Lance tried to scream, but his throat seemed to have tightened up. His dad twirled the knife in his hands, then let it drop. "Nah. Too messy a job."
Wrapping his powerful hands around Lance's pale throat, he whispered, "Goodbye, kiddo."
He tightened his hands.
Lance's arms flailed and legs kicked, sputtering what might have been remnants of screams. The Mayor winced at the blows, but held on.
He tightened his hands.
More gagging noises from Lance.
He tightened his hands.
The fighting grew weaker and weaker. Lance's eyes bulged.
He tightened his hands.
Another feeble gasp. Bluish lips. Whitened skin.
He tightened his hands.
***
Joey and Justin sped across the living room. Leaves and rain from the open door blew across the foyer, causing Joey to slip on the tile. Justin skirted around him, aiming for the study.
Where are JC and Kate? Where's Brad? Is he hiding around the corner? Five feet away? Behind me? What was with all the crashing noises in the study?
Only one way to find out. Justin grabbed the doorknob. Initially, it was locked. The tiny flicker of hope burning inside Justin's heart almost vanished.
Joey studied the door. Wasn't the crack of light a little too large?
"Hey!" he whispered excitedly, "The door may be locked, but it isn't completely shut! We can push it open."
Ccccccrrrrrreeeeeeaaaakkkkkkk.
The study itself was a total disaster. A turned-over lamp. Shattered glass. Weird wheezing sounds and grunting behind the desk. Justin saw a knife lying next to the desk. Joey scrambled around the desk, screaming in terror. "Lance! Hang on buddy!"
Lance lay on the floor, silent, unmoving. His eyes stared glassily at the ceiling. His lips were blue, parted mid-way. He was so still. The Mayor continued to squeeze his hands around Lance's throat. Joey clawed, scratched, smacked, and pulled at the Mayor to release Lance's throat, but his grip grew stronger.
Justin quickly dialed 911 on Lance's borrowed cell phone. "Help! Get the police! Traci's been murdered, JC's gone, and Lance is being attacked. You know where Van Tassel House is? Good, now HURRY!"
Joey managed to wretch the Mayor's fingers away from Lance, throwing him onto the ground. He picked up the knife, holding it to his throat. A particularly loud crash of thunder rocked the whole house.
"Don't move," Joey growled as he placed the knife directly above the wriggling man.
Justin scooted Lance's head onto his lap. His skin was ice cold. His throat was covered with dark, ugly bruises. "Lance," Justin coaxed softly, shaking his shoulders, "Lance, wake up." His voice cracked, "Wake up!"
Lance's head simply lolled to the side. His eyes, rolled forward, stayed open in the same expression: stark fear. Justin checked his limp wrist.
"Oh gosh," he choked emotionally, tears forming in his eyes, "NO!"
CHAPTER TWENTY
Kate stood inside the log cabin, cold, wet, and shivering. JC's teeth chattered. "Where are we?" The cabin appeared to be very old, yet gave off the vibe of a playhouse. Two old sleeping bags, now musty, lay on the floor. Toys and pretend spy stuff lay scattered everywhere. Glow-in-the-dark stars stuck to the ceiling, and comic posters were plastered over the walls. "This looks like a club house," he figured.
A lump formed in Kate's throat. Gosh I hope I'm wrong about where I think we are. Lightening crackled outside. Even amidst the pouring rain, Brad's blurry figure stood in the window, watching his prey enter his territory.
"What do you think of that, Tim?" he fumed out loud, "How dare they invade my privacy!"
Give it up! Let me go Brad! I've been dead for years! Killing those two won't bring me back!
Brad rubbed his temples, feeling the onset of a headache. He just knew it couldn't be true. He wouldn't hear of it! Tim may be dead to the outside world, but to Brad, he was as real as the next guy.
"I can't let JC and Kate spoil it for me!" Brad's heart skipped a beat as soon as the words left his mouth. Could it...could it really be true? Was he insane? For the first time, Brad pondered that question. It only made him more furious. "No, you're not insane," he told himself, "That's what they tell you, but don't believe it." Is that why he'd become so confused? He'd often heard stories of MPD (multiple personality disorder), where the victim suffering from severe trauma or grief became unable to distinguish reality from fiction. But that would never happen to him.
Brad never saw the world in vibrant shades and colors anymore. Only blacks and whites. Love was a lie, a fairy tale invented to keep everyone from accepting the cold facts. Revenge mattered. Hatred existed in Brad's heart, so he figured that must be the same with us all. Sooner or later, we give in to our predator instincts, and go in for the kill.
Brad smashed the window, drinking in Kate and JC's screams. "Get down on the floor," he demanded, aiming his knife at them both, " I SAID GET DOWN!"
Kate, reduced to tears, knelt to her knees. JC slumped his shoulders and sat down in defeat.
Brad whipped around behind JC and grabbed his hair, pulling his head back to expose his neck. He placed the knife in position. "Kate, my dear," he replied calmly, "You said goodbye to Timothy, so I'd like you to do the same with JC. In fact, this is almost equal punishment to killing you, except I can't have a little birdie flying to the police. NOW APOLOGIZE!"
Between hiccups, Kate sputtered, "I'm sorry, Timothy, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
Then suddenly...
***
Madeline, one of the paramedics, continued to perform CPR on Lance. "Getting any pulse, any heart beat rate?" She shouted stressfully at Greg. He shook his head regretfully. "Not a single sign."
"Keep trying!" Justin and Joey pleaded tearfully. All that mattered was saving Lance. In less than ten minutes after Justin's frantic 911 call, cops and medics swarmed the house. The Mayor sat in the police car in handcuffs. Sean and several other FBI agents were on the next plane ride to New York.
Madeline pushed harder. Still no spark of life. Beads of sweat poured down her forehead. "It's been fifteen minutes. His chances are slim."
"But there's still a chance!" Joey practically screamed. Madeline pushed harder and harder. "Come on! Come on! Your friends need you!" Success as a paramedic meant a great deal to her. She felt that her actions determined the balance between life and death, and if she failed it wasn't just a personal loss to Lance's loved ones, but to herself as well.
On the verge of surrendering, Lance's left arm suddenly twitched. His head jerked to the right, letting out a gasp. His chest heaved upward. "Hey!" Greg cried excitedly, "We have a pulse!"
***
Brad froze in anticipation. Seconds before he was ready to slit JC's throat, the rain stopped. The clouds parted, revealing a full moon. Brad's heartbeat quickened. Has it become night so quickly?
A horse whinnied outside. "YYYYEEEEEAAAHAAHAAAHAAAHA!" JC's stomach turned a couple of somersaults. Kate seemed to be on the verge of fainting. Brad pulled them to their feet and shoved them out the door. "Come meet my friend, the Headless Horseman!"
Kate curled into a ball outside, weeping in fear. JC kept his back pressed to the wall, slowly scooting down the cabin. The Headless Horseman, a terrifying ghost dressed in black, reared up his stallion.
Brad exited the cabin calmly. "Ah, yes, the night is young and full of evil. Can't you sense it?" Brad retreated into the cabin, returning with a box. He carefully opened it, pulling out a decaying skull.
JC's mouth dropped open. "Is that what I think it is?"
Brad nodded. "Of course. Perhaps I should explain. The Headless Horseman's head has been in the Van Tassel family for centuries. You see, the Mayor's ancestor, Elizabeth Crayer, was married to the Headless Horseman. When he died, they returned his head to Elizabeth. She hid the head inside the house, the same house Kate lives in today. Shortly after, she committed suicide. The head remained hidden for hundreds of years, the ghost still at large in the countryside. 17 years ago, the Mayor discovered the head. He's such a superstitious fool, not to mention a fraidy cat. He gave the skull to my step-dad, Simon Grund, for safekeeping. I found the skull while cleaning the attic several years ago. I confronted my stepfather with my discovery.
That's when I discovered that in order to bring the Headless Horseman to life, you simply call on him using his head. With this skull, you are able to direct the ghost's actions. Turns out, my stepfather and Mr. Van Tassel had been using this head to their advantage, murdering their enemies and stirring up attention with the Headless Horseman.
I took the head after Nsync arrived on the Van Tassel doorstep, snooping around and asking questions. So I decided to eliminate each of them. I took two stabs at Justin and Lance, but nothing worked. Then I torched the courthouse. I sometimes had trouble with the Headless Horseman, especially since I certain ghost living in the woods often took great pains to rescue the intended victims."
The Lady of the Forest.
"Actually, her name is not Rose," Brad pointed out, "It's Elizabeth's ghost. Only the Headless Horseman's wife could stop him from murder.
Finally, last night, I killed Chris. Traci must have told you the legend, huh JC? Guess what? It will never happen!"
JC knew he had to get the skull from Brad. The Headless Horseman's ghost appeared to be getting restless. Bad news.
"Timothy!" he shouted, "Drop the skull!" Brad's face twisted, as if he were engaged in an internal conflict. The Headless Horseman galloped forward, waving his sword. "YYYYEEEEEAAAHAAAHAAAA!!!!!!!!"
JC threw himself to the ground, covering Kate and dodging the sword. JC crawled quickly threw the muddy leaves, inches away from Brad's feet. Brad held the head out. "Go after them again!"
The stallion halted, spinning around and making a second lunge. JC rolled onto his back, watching the sword swing above him. Kate was hyperventilating until she spotted two strange mists wove through the trees. One took the liking of a young woman, sad and forlorn. The other was a small boy, strikingly familiar to Kate.
"David," she whispered. The ghosts slowly rose to the scene. "Stop...stop..." Rose cried softly.
"Where's my brother...have you seen...my brother..." David's transparent hair fell onto his face.
Brad drew in his breath. Out of numbing surprise, the skull fell from his hands. JC watched it in slow motion, landing softly on the leaves. He snatched the hard, grimy head, crawling back near Kate.
Brad sank to his knees. "David..." The Headless Horseman paused, lowering his sword and turning to Elizabeth.
Kate suddenly showed a brave act of courage. She stood, walking over to Brad. "Brad, tell me what happened the summer Lance was adopted."
JC, although confused by the last statement, paid close attention. Terrified because he was no longer in control and two ghosts at his heels, Brad spilled out the final pieces of the puzzle.
"Soon after Rose's murder, soon after Lance promised never to tell, Mr. Van Tassel heard you and Lance joking around about your surprise birthday parting coming up. He didn't realize it then, but when he heard Lance say, "I know something you don't know!", he panicked.
Mr. Van Tassel teamed up with my step-dad and they came up with a plan to get rid of Lance. They decided to take a vacation to Mississippi, your family, my family, and David's family. Once we got there, the morning Lance and David fell into the river, my step-dad gave me instructions to take Lance for a swim by the river. I was supposed to dunk his head underwater and drown him. I didn't want to, but dad threatened me with terrible things, so I was scared.
David caught me doing it and yelled at me to stop. We-we got into a fight, which was enough to break the pier. I swam to shore, but Lance and David were washed away."
Kate, knowing she'd been playing by the bank, struggled to remember these events. It wasn't anything like she'd told Lance. But then again, I really hadn't been paying attention, and I do remember Brad being there and hearing some fighting. He must've run away before I looked up and saw the pier had collapsed.
JC still didn't understand, but if what he was hearing was true, then...Oh my gosh!
He had something more important to do. JC stood. "Go away you monster," he shouted at the Headless Horseman, "I WANT CHRIS BACK!" With that, JC scrambled inside the cabin. He remembered the tool kit beside the door. He also remembered Traci's advice.
"Find the Headless Horseman's head and destroy it."
JC pulled out a hammer, holding the skull in place. Brad ran inside. "NNNNOOOOO!!!!!!" The Headless Horseman's stallion galloped toward JC, ready with his sword. Elizabeth let out hideous wailing. David appeared in the cabin, standing in front of JC in an attempt to protect him. Kate stood boldly at the window. She nodded, signaling for JC to get on with it.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
The skull lay in powdery shattered ruins. The Headless Horseman let out a final laugh, then vanished. Brad screamed, dropping facedown onto a sleeping bag. David smiled at JC, then disappeared in a bluish cloud. Elizabeth's wailing ceased.
JC met Kate outside the cabin, putting his arm around her. "Let's go home."
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
THREE WEEKS LATER
Washington, D.C.
Nsync (including Chris, who's alive and well. Nobody but the guys and the Van Tassel sisters know about his death.), their families, Kate, Annie, Cory, and Mrs. Geena Samuels Bones Grund sat in Sean's office at FBI headquarters. They sat comfortably on leather couches, sipping coffee and talking amongst themselves.
Sean and the leading psychologist, Nick Winters, sat perched on top of their desks. Sean was the first to speak. "This case is now officially closed. While I find parts of Lance, Justin, Joey, JC, and Chris's extraordinary tale hard to believe, we'll simply state to the public that the murderer is Brad Bones."
Geena hung her head low, receiving a reassuring pat from Kate.
Nick took his place at the front of the room. "I'm afraid I've news to tell you. As you know, shortly after the siege at Van Tassel House (recently put up for sale), Mr. Van Tassel was stricken with a strange illness. He died at 5:00 this morning. Brad, also stricken with the same illness, died in his padded cell at 5:00."
Nick sipped his coffee. "Last week, before Brad turned ill, I performed an analysis and a diagnosis." He paused. "Is everyone familiar with the term MPD?" Most nodded.
Nick folded and unfolded his hands. "Ah, multiple personality disorders. It's rare to find an actual case of MPD. MPD can be caused by a number of things, but I believe Brad's case involves overwhelming grief and anger."
The explanation began.
"Brad became mentally unstable at the age of 5, when his father left. He hated Simon Grund, so he leaned heavily on his twin, Timothy. Now, when Timothy died, Brad's mental health deteriorated rapidly. He couldn't handle all the grief he felt. He couldn't handle the terror he felt now that his only means of stability was gone. Immense hatred built up in him after he read Timothy's journal. The loneliness and confusion became too much.
So...he snapped.
In his mind, he attempted to erase all memory of Timothy's accident. He began to think for Timothy, speak for him, and wear his clothes. Sometimes he'd even sleep in his brother's room. Soon, he was sure he could hear Timothy's voice, even see him. In effect, he gave his twin half of his life. He tried to be both him and Timothy at the same time."
Joey raised a question. "That's all that occurred for him to develop MPD?"
"Not entirely. As I mentioned before, Brad had a lot of powerful emotions pent up inside him. Now, when those emotions became too much to deal with, Brad molded them together into another person. The loneliness, sadness, and goodness were put into the 'Timothy' persona. Brad fostered all the feelings of hatred and aggression."
"Because he was experiencing so much pain, he split his personality in half," Lance reasoned, his voice slightly hoarse. Bandages were wrapped around his bruised throat. A sling supported his stabbed shoulder.
"Exactly, in an attempt to cope." Nick took a long swig of his coffee. "Now, whenever the mind houses two personalities, there's always a conflict. Brad, or the hateful side of him, was the dominant personality. You could see that because if you examined the way Brad and 'Timothy' argued, 'Timothy' tends to lose."
Geena sniffed. "Why did Brad have such a strong urge to murder Kate and Nsync?"
"Simple. Since Brad withheld all that aggression and a strong desire for revenge, he needed to rid himself of it. That's what's so unique about Brad's case. At one point or another, he started to realize only he acknowledged Timothy's existence. Normally crazies don't know they're crazy."
JC thought about how the Timothy persona had beseeched him to find professional help for Brad.
Nick coughed. "When something threatened to destroy his illusion, Brad got rid of it. He saw Kate and JC as Timothy's killers, so he thought that when they died, he'd find a sense of peace."
Brad had warped thinking, Kate thought as she snuggled against Annie and Cory.
Justin's mother, Lynn, rubbed her chin. "But surely Brad wasn't completely bad. I mean, if the Timothy side of him was always trying to make him stop, then obviously half of his personality was willing to be kind and forgiving."
"Yes, but remember, the two personalities conflicted. The hateful side of Brad was the dominant personality. Timothy became no more than a little voice nagging him inside his mind." Nick checked his watch. "Well, I've gotta run. To summarize Brad let's put it into this little analogy. Look at it as a battle between good and evil going on inside one very tortured man's soul. For him, the evil won."
Everyone began leaving. Geena remained sitting. "Life's not fair," she whispered, "Why couldn't the good side win for my little boy? Oh, my poor son."
Nsync embraced in a group hug. They each slapped Chris a high five. "Man, it's awesome to see you standing!" Chris laughed. "Justin, you are indebted to be my slave for the rest of your days."
Justin smirked. "When do I pick up your laundry?"
Meanwhile, Lance and his mother, Diane, shared a hug. Diane wiped away her tears. "I feel so awful. Sweetheart, be honest with me. How do you really feel about being adopted?"
Lance smiled at her, his heart swelling with love. "Hey, I'm a Bass, and you'll always be my mother. I love you, Dad, and Stacy. You three are my real family."