I had finally uncovered new clues to the events of her death. It took all of three minutes before I was googling "double murder", "murder-suicide", and other relevant terms. Violet wouldn't have liked it, but she was on the nightstand in the bedroom.
It took some doing, but newly armed with the name of her mother, I found an interesting parallel. It wasn't an exact match. The daughter's name wasn't Violet but maybe that was an alias. It would certainly explain why I hadn't been able to find the details of her death before.
Ever thorough, and positive I was on to something, I dug into secondary sources to paint a picture of the events of Violet's death, six years ago.
* * *
The marriage of Alexander and Livia McAllister was a happy event. Livia was a well-to-do young socialite and Alexander's family had accumulated a sum of money in real estate and stock investments. Young Alexander was raised as the only son and successor of this empire and dearly loved his new wife. The couple were often described as dreamers and idealists who adored each other wholeheartedly, mostly noted because of the contrasting events of their later lives.
They gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and raised her in the purest of environments. Little Aster McAllister quickly became a favorite of the household and was adored by her parents and grandfather. Alas, in 2004, the grandfather's health took a turn for the worse and he passed away.
By all accounts, the fairy tale life of Alexander's family was over at that moment even though it wasn't yet obvious. Alexander became distant and cold as he tried to take the reins of the business. Livia became frazzled at her husband's disappearances and had several breakdowns. Poor Aster was caught in an impossible situation and was often forced to take sides. Eventually, she drew inward into depression. She became increasingly disassociated from her life and began cutting herself, troubling her parents all the more.
This slow agony grew over the years. Livia visited several therapists and was on medication. She never recovered her old form but confessed to faking it for some time until, in 2008, six years ago, Livia McAllister finally snapped. She was ironing a suit for Alexander when the two engaged in a heated argument. The neighbors had reported some previous scandalous incidents, but this was to be the pinnacle.
When Alexander's back was turned, Livia struck the back of his head with the iron. He fell to the floor but was still conscious. His wife bent over his struggling body and bashed his skull seven more times until his form lay inert.
Livia started at the sound of crying and saw that her only daughter, Aster, was a witness to the event. Rather than try to soothe things over or plead forgiveness, the mad woman turned on her child.
Aster ran to the linen closet and locked herself inside. The doorknob was backwards and allowed this, and not unlockable from without, the closet had become a favorite place of safety for the twelve-year-old girl. Livia, however, could not quell her rage. She repeatedly banged on the metal knob with her domestic weapon.
Alexander's personal driver, who would ultimately call the police, heard the commotion, including the screams of the little girl promising her mommy that she would leave her alone. Livia was reported to have said that her daughter was against her and loved her father more.
Inside the closet, little Aster McAllister finally heard the doorknob crack away from its housing. It was unclear from the crime scene if she had made any attempts to struggle once the door was breached, but it was plain that Livia killed her daughter with two blows to the crown.
When police arrived, they found Livia McAllister raving like a lunatic. She said that she had freed her family, that she was the last, and stated something about moving on. They were exasperated words from a woman covered in blood. And while she no longer held the iron, she swiped a kitchen blade at any
It took some doing, but newly armed with the name of her mother, I found an interesting parallel. It wasn't an exact match. The daughter's name wasn't Violet but maybe that was an alias. It would certainly explain why I hadn't been able to find the details of her death before.
Ever thorough, and positive I was on to something, I dug into secondary sources to paint a picture of the events of Violet's death, six years ago.
* * *
The marriage of Alexander and Livia McAllister was a happy event. Livia was a well-to-do young socialite and Alexander's family had accumulated a sum of money in real estate and stock investments. Young Alexander was raised as the only son and successor of this empire and dearly loved his new wife. The couple were often described as dreamers and idealists who adored each other wholeheartedly, mostly noted because of the contrasting events of their later lives.
They gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and raised her in the purest of environments. Little Aster McAllister quickly became a favorite of the household and was adored by her parents and grandfather. Alas, in 2004, the grandfather's health took a turn for the worse and he passed away.
By all accounts, the fairy tale life of Alexander's family was over at that moment even though it wasn't yet obvious. Alexander became distant and cold as he tried to take the reins of the business. Livia became frazzled at her husband's disappearances and had several breakdowns. Poor Aster was caught in an impossible situation and was often forced to take sides. Eventually, she drew inward into depression. She became increasingly disassociated from her life and began cutting herself, troubling her parents all the more.
This slow agony grew over the years. Livia visited several therapists and was on medication. She never recovered her old form but confessed to faking it for some time until, in 2008, six years ago, Livia McAllister finally snapped. She was ironing a suit for Alexander when the two engaged in a heated argument. The neighbors had reported some previous scandalous incidents, but this was to be the pinnacle.
When Alexander's back was turned, Livia struck the back of his head with the iron. He fell to the floor but was still conscious. His wife bent over his struggling body and bashed his skull seven more times until his form lay inert.
Livia started at the sound of crying and saw that her only daughter, Aster, was a witness to the event. Rather than try to soothe things over or plead forgiveness, the mad woman turned on her child.
Aster ran to the linen closet and locked herself inside. The doorknob was backwards and allowed this, and not unlockable from without, the closet had become a favorite place of safety for the twelve-year-old girl. Livia, however, could not quell her rage. She repeatedly banged on the metal knob with her domestic weapon.
Alexander's personal driver, who would ultimately call the police, heard the commotion, including the screams of the little girl promising her mommy that she would leave her alone. Livia was reported to have said that her daughter was against her and loved her father more.
Inside the closet, little Aster McAllister finally heard the doorknob crack away from its housing. It was unclear from the crime scene if she had made any attempts to struggle once the door was breached, but it was plain that Livia killed her daughter with two blows to the crown.
When police arrived, they found Livia McAllister raving like a lunatic. She said that she had freed her family, that she was the last, and stated something about moving on. They were exasperated words from a woman covered in blood. And while she no longer held the iron, she swiped a kitchen blade at any
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