TWENTY-EIGHT: Dear Ann

CORNELIA RECOGNIZED HIM, the man pointing a knife to her father's neck, was the same man at the diner, and the same man she had seen several times in their neighbourhood. "Drop the knife, Mr. Hill. This won't bring back your wife." She heard Jerry tell him in a reasonable voice, but she knew her father well enough to know that he was about to shit himself from fear.

"I don't want her back, but I ain't stopping till I send you to her." Hill said with hatred lacing his tone.

She glanced at Daniel, who had an assessing look on his face. She didn't think he would make a move anytime soon, not as long as Mr. Hill was holding the knife so close to Jerry. Cornelia's heart dropped when she saw Mr. Hill with a vicious smile on his face and a crazed look in his eyes. It was a look of a man who had abandoned everything and his insanity had taken over.

She wasn't sure how his wife's death was related to her father in anyway. She couldn't remember his name ever mentioned. But the one thing she knew was that Mr. Hill wasn't bluffing, he was really willing to kill her father.

Daniel turned to Cornelia with a look she didn't understand for a second. But she was sure it held a meaning to it, like he was asking for a permission of something. She only hoped that, whatever it was, it would save her father before she nodded her head.

Daniel put his hands in the air, and took a step closer towards Jerry. "Mr. Hill, I don't know what he did to you or your wife, but do you think your wife would like what you're doing right now?"

"I'm sure Mrs. Hill would have never approved of that. I'm sure she was a great woman who hated violence. She would never want to see her husband spilling blood on her account." Cornelia tried to play along. She was beginning to get where Daniel was going, or at least she thought she did.

I just need to distract him and Daniel would do something. He's a werewolf. She thought to herself, recalling Lucien's quick reflexes in the woods with the arrow and how fast he was able to move.

"Mr. Hill, I'm sure whatever my dad had done, your late wife wouldn't want to see you like that." Cornelia began again and moved closer, but she decided to move from the side to give Daniel the space and distract Mr. Hill from whatever he was going to do.

"You know nothing. A girl who let's her father whore her around will never know my dear Ann." He retorted his tone more aggrvated at her. He then turned to Jerry, "Or should I let you know the meaning of loss?"

Cornelia rushed towards him; his question let her know he would be willing to kill her instead, and in a split second decision, she held the arm holding the knife. Hill fell for it and and let Jerry go, who crumbled to his knees and crawled away.

Daniel used the distraction and hit Hill on the head, and he fell unconscious on the floor. Jerry was still on the floor staring at the scene, while Cornelia remained frozen in her place with wide eyes staring at Hill's unconscious body.

"I think it's better to call 911 right now." Daniel said calmly and carried Mr. Hill's body to a chair, then asked them for a rope.

Jerry nodded his head and rushed to get one. Daniel looked at Cornelia with worried eyes, "Are you okay?"

She nodded her head, nibbling on her lower lip. Her chin quivered slightly but she managed to contain her tears. Only mumbling softly under her breath, "He just... he didn't try to help me."

Her eyes trailed at the direction Jerry had gone to, and shook her head softly. "I'll just call 911." She said firmly and fished for her cell phone.

She wasn't sure how even her father seemed to disappoint her. It was one fall after the other, and Cornelia wasn't sure how long it would take her before she broke.

...

The police came and took Harold Hill, and they asked all sorts of questions. After they left, Daniel stood at the porch about to leave as well, but he turned to Cornelia and said, "I'll have to tell Lucien about what happened."

"There's no need, I think it has nothing to do with the witches and the werewolves and all that." She shook her head, "It's just a man with a grudge against my father."

"We can never be sure, Ms. Cooper. Try to find more about it from your father." He whispered the last part and she nodded her head.

"And remember to just call me Lia. There's no need for formalities. You just saved my life." She put on a small smile and then Daniel left.

Cornelia got inside, and found Jerry sitting in his study with his head between his hands and looking down. She knocked on the open door to announce her presence, and got in. "Can I talk to you for a bit?"

"If it's about what happened today then let's talk tomorrow. I'm really tired." Jerry said dismissively, but Cornelia wouldn't budge.

She took a seat and looked him right in the eye, "I don't think so, dad. What did you do to that man? He hated you enough to come here and try and kill you. I think I have the right to know. I practically saved your life."

He raised an eyebrow, and looked visibly shocked at the tone she used with him. He let out a frustrated sigh, "Ann Hill had a case against her brother over their ownership of their family house and I lost the case."

"That's not enough for him to want to kill you."

"Well, she fell I'll afterwards. He accused me that I took a bribe from her brother and made her lose the case on purpose."

"And did you?" Her raised eyebrow and the look in her eyes were nothing but challenging.

"Of course I didn't." He exclaimed, offended at the notion.

She nodded her head, "And how long was that?"

"Seven years ago."

"But why would he want to avenge her death now? Why after all those years?"

Jerry shook his head, "How am I supposed to know? Maybe all the drinking got to his head."

Cornelia nodded again, and left without even sparing Jerry a second glance. For the first time, she wasn't sure her father was saying the truth. But she knew she would need to visit Harold Hill and speak to him. First, she wanted to know if her father was saying the truth. Second, she needed to know if somehow a witch got into Mr. Hill's head and made him attack her father.

It wasn't all that farfetched after what happened with Luke Johnson.