CHAPTER 2:BURNT DOWN

Edward recuperated at a cool beach letting the sun and the sea heal him.

Alex was in a private asylum, where he could get the best care as possible. Edward had psychiatrists flown in from the United States, Vienna and Berlin, but when all the routine examinations had been completed, the diagnosis was the same: His son was a homicidal schizophrenic and paranoiac.

"He doesn't respond to drugs or psychiatric treatment, and he's violent. We have to keep him under restraint."doctor said

"What kind of restraint?" Edward asked.

"He's in a padded cell. Most of the time we have to keep him in a strait jacket." doctor responded.

"Is that necessary?"Edward asked in concern

"Without it, Mr. Blackwell, he would kill anyone who got near him."the doctor assured.

He closed his eyes in pain. And silently said in passion "this is not his handsome, gentle sweet son he knew since twenty-five years ago he was a total stranger, someone possessed him."He opened his eyes. "Is there nothing that can be done?"

"Not if we can't reach his mind. We're keeping him on drugs, but the moment they wear off, he gets manic again. We can't continue this treatment indefinitely."the doctor responded.

Edward stood gallantly looking at the doctor and thinking of what he should do when he saw he had nothing in mind he said. "What do you suggest, Doctor?"

"In similar cases, we've found that when going for this his memory will wipe off."

Edward swallowed gently. "A lobotomy?"

"That is correct Mr Blackwell, Your son will still be able to function in every way, except that he will no longer have any emotion facially and physically."

Edward sat down, his mind and body were calm Dr. Morris, a young doctor from the labrador Clinic, broke the silence. "I know how difficult this must be for you, Mr. Blackwell. If you'd like to think about it you.... "doctor Morris respond as Edward interrupted him then said,

"If that's the only thing that will stop his maniac ways." Edward breath in and out then answered,

"Sunny want his granddaughters back I will take them to Germany with me,"Edward added.

"Okay Mr Blackwell we shall see another day" Doctor Morris responded.

then they both shake their hand and smiled at each other before they took their leave.

It seemed to Edward that Alex had aged twenty-five years since Kelly's death. Edward felt sorry for his son, but he had no intention of giving up Alex's children to sunny.

They need to be care of, sunny would have wanted them brought up here. He will come and visit them often."Edward finally persuaded.

The twins were moved into Edward's home, and a kindergarten suite was arranged for them. Edward finally hired a young Italian woman named Clara Mint.

Edward named the first-born Mina and her twin, Dina. They were identical impossible to tell apart. Seeing them together was like looking at an image in a mirror, and Edward marveled at the double miracle that her son and Kelly had created. They were both, quick and responsive, but even after a few months, mina seemed more mature than Dina. Mina was the first to crawl ,talk,walk and eat Dina followed quickly, but from the beginning it was mina which was the leader. Dina love her sister and tried to do everything she did. Edward spent more time with his granddaughters. They make him feel young and happy. Edward said to himself "One day, when I'm old and ready to retire one of you will take over while the other will be an assistant to the leader," he smiled.

On the twins' first birthday, Edward arranged a party for the twins. They each had an identical birthday cake, and there were dozens of presents from friends, company, employees and the household staff. Their second birthday party seemed to follow almost immediately.Edward could not believe how fast the time went by and how quickly the twins were growing. He was able to discern even more clearly the differences in their personalities: mina, the stronger, intelligent and playful while Dina was softer, intelligent and calm also content to follow her sister's lead. With no mother or father, Edward thought repeatedly, it's a blessing that they have a good grandfather, The night before their tenth birthday, mina tried murder her In the case of mina and Dina had no intention of playing with her younger sister Mina always felt cheated, jelous and her nerve rose up. She wanted it all for herself - all the love and the beautiful things that surrounded the world. She never wants to even have a birthday with her sister. She hated Dina for looking like her, dressing like her, stealing the part of her love ones love that belonged to her. Diana adored Dina and mina despised her for that. Dina was generous, eager to give up her toys and dolls, food and snack to mina with still more contempt. Mina shared nothing. What was hers belonged to her, but it was not enough? She wanted everything Dina had. At night, under the watchful eye of Clara, both girls would say their prayers aloud, but mina always added a silent prayer begging God to strike Dina dead. When the prayer was unanswered, mina decided she would have to take care of it herself. Their fifth birthday was only a few days away, and mina could not bear another party with her sister. They were her friends, and her gifts that her sister was stealing from her. She had to kill her sister soon.

On the night before their birthday, mina lay in her bed, wide awake. When she was sure, the household was asleep, she went over to Dina's bed and woke her up "Dina," she whispered, "let's go see our cake" Dina said sleepily, "Everybody's sleeping."

"We won't wake anyone up." Mina assured.

"Madam mantle won't like it. Why don't we look at the cakes in the morning?"Dina asked gently.

"Because I want to look at them now. Are you coming or not?"mina Asked in serious anger

Dina rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She had no interest in seeing the birthday cakes, but she did not want to hurt her sister's feelings. "I'm coming," she said.

Dina got out of bed and put on a pair of slippers. Both girls wore red nylon nightgowns.Then tiptoe through the room

"Come on," mina said silently. "And don't make any noise."

"I won't," Dina promised.

They gently out of their bedroom, into the long corridor, past the closed door of Mademoiselle mantle's bedroom, down the step back stairs that led to the refrigerator. It was a wide size kitchen, with four large gas stoves, four ovens, six refrigerators and two walk-in freezer.

the refrigerator mina found the birthday cakes that the Mrs. Kay, had made. One of them said Happy Birthday, Dina The other said Happy Birthday, Mina.

Next year, mina thought happily, there will only be one.Mina took Dina's cake out of the refrigerator and placed it on the wooden chopping block in the middle of the kitchen. She opened a drawer and took out a package of brightly colored candles.

"What are you doing?" Dina asked.

"I want to see how it looks with the candles all lighted." Mina began pressing the candles into the icing of the cake.

"I don't think you should do that. Mina You'll ruin the cake. Mrs. Jay is going to be angry."Dina responded Inn serious concern.

"She won't mind." Mina opened another drawer and took out two large boxes of kitchen matches and said. "Come on, help me.

"I want to go back to bed."Dina replied.

Mina turned on her angrily. "All right. Go back to bed, scaredy cat. I'll do it alone."

Dina hesitated. "What do you want me to do?"

Mina handed her one of the boxes of matches. "And light the candles Dina was afraid of fire. Both girls had been warned again and again about the danger of playing with matches. They knew the horror stories about children who had disobeyed that rule. But dina did not want to disappoint mina, and so she obediently began lighting the candles.

Mina watched her a moment. "You're leaving out the ones on the other side, silly," she said.

Dina leaned over to reach the candles at the far side of the cake, her back to mina Quickly, mina struck a match and touched it to the matches in the box she was holding. As they burst into flames, mina dropped the box at Dina's feet, so that the bottom of Dina nylon nightgown caught fire. It was an instant before Dina was aware of what was happening. When she felt the first agonizing pain against her legs, she looked down and screamed, "Help! Help me!"

Mina stared at the flaming nightgown in a moment, awed by the extent of her success. Dina was standing there, petrified, frozen with fear.

"Don't move!" Mina said. "I'll get a bucket of water." She hurried off to the butler's pantry, her heart pounding with a fearful joy.

It was a horror movie that saved Alexandra's life. Mrs. Jay, the Blackwell' cook, had been escorted to the cinema by a police sergeant whose bed she shared from time to time. On this particular evening, the motion-picture screen was so filled with dead and mutilated bodies that finally Mrs. Jay could bear it no longer. In the middle of a beheading, she said, "This may all be in a day's work for you, Richard, but I've had enough."

Sergeant Richard reluctantly followed her out of the theater.

They arrived back at the Blackwell Mansion an hour earlier than they had expected to, and as Mrs. Jay opened the back door, she heard Dina screams coming from the kitchen. Mrs. Jay and Sergeant Richard rushed in, took one horrified look at the scene before them and went into action. The sergeant leaped at Dina and ripped off her flaming nightgown. Her legs and hips were blistered, but the flames had not reached her hair or the front of her body. Dina fell to the floor, unconscious. Mrs. Jay filled a large pot with water and poured it over the flames licking at the floor.

"Call an ambulance," Sergeant Dougherty ordered. "Is Mr. Blackwell home?"

"He should be upstairs asleep."

"Wake him up."she ordered

As Mrs. Jay finished phoning for an ambulance, there was a cry from the butler's pantry, and Mina ran in carrying a pan of water, sobbing hysterically. "Is dina dead?"