An Unsettling Sight
“Grandma, I’ve just seen mom and dad buying ice cream over there.” When she heard those words from her grandson, a chill went down her spine, and she felt the tears coming to her eyes.
Surely, it was just the kid’s imagination and longing for his deceased parents. It had to be that. But then she looked at the ice cream stand the child was pointing at and immediately felt her stomach drop to her knees. How could that be possible?
Trip To The Beach
For the first time in a while, the house was bustling with joy and excitement. Amanda and the kids had everything they needed in their bags, the house was tidied up, and now all left was getting in the car and driving to Santa Monica.
The three of them couldn’t wait to get there and enjoy some days of peace and quiet on the beach. What they didn’t know was that they would have an encounter there that would change their lives forever.
A Tragic Year
Amanda Harrison had been looking forward to that trip for months. It wasn’t so much that she craved spending some days at the beach; it was that she knew her grandsons could really use some vacation time in sunny California.
After all, it had been a really difficult year for them. Things hadn’t been the same for her and the kids since her daughter and son-in-law passed away in strange circumstances.
A Fatal Accident
For all Amanda knew, it all happened in a car accident. The couple, Kate and Carmine, were driving down the road of one of the state’s natural parks when the car suddenly slipped off the road and fell into a lake nearby.
The police had managed to lift the car from the waters; however, the couple’s bodies had never been found. Everyone in the couple’s circle was deeply affected by the loss; especially Kate’s mom and their two kids, Andrew and Monica, aged six and four. Since the accident, they had been living with their grandma.
One Year Later
Almost one year had passed since the dreadful event. The first few months were really painful for the three of them. Now, they were starting to come to terms with the tragedy and doing their best to carry on with their lives.
Amanda expected that trip to Sacramento to be helpful and therapeutic for everyone. Still, nothing in the world could have prepared her for what she was about to find down there.
Arrival
When Amanda, Andrew, and Monica finally arrived in Sacramento after several hours on the road, they didn’t even go to the hotel first to get rid of their bags: they went straight to the beach. The kids were as excited as they could be.
None of them had ever seen the sea before. They got off the car, ecstatic, and stared at it from the promenade. Then, they ran to the beach in excitement as Amanda walked behind them. And that’s when it all started.
Andrew Saw Something
After laying their towels down on the sand, Amanda just sat down to get some rest and watch the kids play in the water. A few minutes passed, and Andrew ran towards her. He then pronounced some words that made Amanda shiver.
“Grandma, I’ve just seen mom and dad buying ice cream over there,” the kid said, pointing at an ice cream stand nearby. Amanda couldn’t help but tear up when she heard this. Clearly, Andrew still wasn’t over the loss of his parents. She thought of what she could say to the kid.
She Tried To Reason With Him
“Honey, that isn’t possible. Your parents passed away almost one year ago,” she said, trying not to choke up as she spoke. For the last months, it seemed like the kids were finally coming to terms with the tragedy. Were they still really in the denial phase?
“No, it’s true. They’re over there, look,” Andrew insisted, pointing at an ice cream stand nearby. Amanda took a look; instantly, she felt her stomach drop to her knees.
They Were There
Right there in front of the ice cream stand, seemingly choosing the flavors they wanted to order, were Kate and Carmine! But how could that be possible? Was she hallucinating?
She decided to call the kids and ask them to stay right close to her. Then, the three of them started following the couple. Maybe they were just two random people who looked fairly similar. But what were the chances?
They Followed Them
With their hearts racing, Amanda and the kids quietly followed the couple for a few streets until they finally arrived at a big house in the suburbs. Apparently, that’s where the couple lived.
At that point, there was not much else Amanda could do to solve the mystery. She decided to call the police and tell them about her suspicions. Soon enough, a police car arrived at the house. Two officers got out of the car and knocked on the house’s door as Amanda and the kids watched from a distance.
In A Hearbeat
It all happened in a heartbeat: just a few minutes after the officers entered the house, they walked out with Carmine’s and Kate’s doppelgängers, who were now wearing handcuffs!
One of the officers came close to a shook Amanda and told her that the two members of the couple were suspects in a case they had been trying to solve for months. He assured her that she would receive a phone call from the station in the next few days, telling her about the details.
The Real Story
As it turned out, that was really Kate, Amanda’s daughter; but the man wasn’t Carmine. It was his twin brother Albert. While Carmine had always been known as a kind, brilliant, hard-working man, his brother was the opposite.
He was the black sheep of the family. He was sort of a drifter, and he would always be in and out of county jail and coming up with schemes and lies to leech off his brother’s hard-earned income. One day, he decided to go even further.
Seducer
He seduced Kate, who was rumored to only be interested in Carmine because of the fortune he had made thanks to his entrepreneurial spirit and committed work ethic. However, she found him meek and spineless. In contrast, Albert promised her a life of excitement and adventure together.
The two of them had conspired to get rid of Carmine: they gave him a fatal dose of sleeping pills, threw him in a lake, and faked a car accident to avoid raising suspicions and start a new life together with fake identities. But in the end, they got caught.
She Couldn’t Believe It
Amanda felt her whole world crumbling down when she heard this. How could her daughter be capable of something like that? She couldn’t help but feel that she had failed as a mother.
And the poor kids! They still didn’t know the truth. Would they ever be ready to learn the real story about what happened to their parents? But after mourning for a while, Amanda realized something.
Amanda’s Conclusion
In a way, the outcome could have been way worse. Had their parents stayed together in a loveless and abusive marriage, the kids would have suffered its effects. And God only knew in what ways their conniving and cunning mother could have influenced them.
Now, they could start anew. Amanda promised herself that she would do everything in her power to raise her grandchildren properly and serve them as a righteous example.