SWNOVELS Chapter 50: Amanda's Intuition
It was already after dinner that Samantha received another invitation from Amanda. This time, they went to the study area for a talk.
"Sam, I'm so happy that I kept my memory of Sarah all these years," revealed Amanda. She held a cardboard box, containing albums of old pictures and a flash drive that included memories of Sarah Turner Davis, Samantha's mother.
Amanda sat next to Samantha and explained, "These are some photos and videos on the flash drive. These are some of the old events where Sarah and I went together as friends are there... at least the ones that I recorded."
She grabbed a photo album and flipped it open. Pointing to the first photo, she said, "This was during our first year in college. We enjoyed taking pictures around the campus, even as we attend football games. We were always together! It felt like we were twins!"
"Wow... She is so beautiful and so vibrant!" Remarked Samantha, looking at her mother's picture as a young lady.
"You look just like her," described Amanda with a smile. "She was kind and pure-hearted. She always saw the good in other people. And that's why I loved her so much."
Amanda pointed to another picture and added, "We went to the parks together and had overnighted at our house before. We went to the beach together." With a sigh, she added, "What can I say, we were inseparable."
She chuckled and told, "Even after I met Daniel in our senior years in college. She was a constant third wheel, but back then, Daniel did not mind."
"Of course that slightly changed when she met your father," Amanda did not seem pleased with this part of her story, giving a sneer. "She always loved a man in uniform."
"Anyway, Sam." Amanda placed the box on Samantha's lap and said, "I want you to have these. Know about your mother. She died when you were about ten or eleven - I think. If I am not mistaken. You probably have very little know-how of your mother since Winfield remarried."
The words of Amanda made Samantha nostalgic.
The truth was, as she grew older and with her father having re-married, memories of her mother were kept in the storage area, some even thrown away.
Samantha's stepmother had tried to cover-up for Sarah's absence that she had slowly forgotten how it felt like. She only realized how it was wrong for her stepmother to take Sarah's belongings away from her when she was much older and when she could no longer find her mother's photos and possessions.
"Thank you. I really appreciate this, Mother," Samantha told while looking at one picture of her mother and Ethan's mother. She smiled and declared, "You really are... best of friends."
"Of course, Sam. And that's why I consider you my daughter," suggested Amanda. "And! What a great coincidence that you are... my daughter-in-law now!"
Putting a hand on her chest, Amanda announced, "I am the happiest that you came back into my life, our little Sami." She leaned over and revealed, "I named you, by the way. I was the one who suggested naming you, Samantha."
"Oh, and you named me, Sami," Samantha answered with a chuckle.
"Yes! That's right!" Acknowledged Amanda.
In the minutes that passed, Samantha took some time to ask Amanda about her mother before acting to leave and it was then that Amanda asked, "Do you mind asking Ethan to come and see me before you leave, Sam? I have something to tell him."
"Of course, Mother. I'll call Ethan," Samantha answered while getting up from her seat and walking away with the box of memories in her arms.
It took just five minutes for Ethan to join Amanda, and with his mother's instructions, Ethan locked the doors behind him.
"What is it, mother? Why do I need to lock the door?" Ethan asked while taking a seat on the sofa next to Amanda.
"Ethan, there is something that I need to tell you. Something that I had been unsure of but had a strange inkling from the start," Amanda revealed. She reached for Ethan's hand and said, "Promise me... you won't tell Sam, just yet."
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She swallowed air down her throat and told, "Before Sarah, Samantha's mother died. She had had... a series of unfortunate events."
Ethan frowned and leaned back in his seat. He probed, "What exactly do you mean, mother? Are you suggesting - "
"The thing is Ethan, I have always suspected that Sam's stepmother may have something to do with Sarah's death," told Amanda.
"Mother?! If you doubted it, how could you leave Sam in that witch's care?!" Ethan replied with anger.
"I wasn't sure, and even your father thought I was making excuses for my yearning over Sarah," told Amanda. "I tried to investigate then, but with me away, and you at school in Europe, I did not have enough tangible resources back then. Whatever I tried to dig up, came to a dead end."
"Look, months before Sarah died, she and Winfield constantly fought about this woman. Because she was always around the military events, secretly challenging her for Winfield's attention -" "That's nothing, mother, not unless Samantha's father was returning the attention to the woman," Ethan suggested.
"I know, but sometime before Sarah died, her cake shop had a gas leak. Fortunately, it was taken care of and one of her staff noticed this before anything could happen," explained Amanda. Pointing to Ethan, she added, "But they saw, one of the hoses seemed to have been cut on purpose."
With a sigh, she told, "Sadly, they did not have CCTVS back then in the cake shop," explained Amanda.
"Then a week before she died, she told me of how she thought she was constantly followed," Amanda added. "And if that's enough whenever she and that Catherine!"
"Winfield's new wife had threatened her indirectly." Amanda was trying to recall the words that Sarah told her in the past and said, "I'm not sure anymore what were the exact words, but it went like this... You don't deserve to be Winfield's wife. You should just leave before anything else... happens to you."
"To be honest, I somehow felt Sarah was a bit paranoid at first, but after she died, how I wished I had listened to her," revealed Amanda. She shrugged and stated, "Maybe I was wrong, but I can't help but have this intuition, Ethan... I just can't help it!"
Amanda turned teary-eyed before saying, "I really wished that she was still alive." Tears fell down her face when she said, "God knows this so much... how much I missed her back then."
"Ethan, I don't know if I am right or if I am just finding a reason to blame someone for her death, but I just have this feeling... Somehow, that Catherine had something to do with Sarah's car accident," Amanda closed her statement, wiping her tears with her handkerchief.
For some time, Ethan analyzed the words of his mother. After nearly a minute, he said, "Mother, I will look into this, but it's a cold case. Of course, I'd want to find out the truth myself... for Sam."
He leaned over to embrace his mother and stated, "I'm sorry that you lost a good friend. I can see how much you cared for Sam's mother, but at least, we have Sam."
"Whatever is the result of my investigation, know that we at least have Sam with us and you... you have beautiful grandchildren," told Ethan. "Have peace in that."
Ethan's encouragement granted more tears to flow down Amanda's face. She embraced Ethan tighter and nodded. She said, "I know... I know... It's just that... seeing Sam also brought back the memories and the pain."
"Ethan... find out the truth," requested Amanda heartily.
"Yes, mother... I will," answered Ethan. "For your sake and Sam's."