by E A Owen
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Suffocating Secrets: Tragic Mercy Book II
Copyright @ 2019 by Twisted Karma Publishing.
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Cover Design: Matt Seff Barnes (United Kingdom)
Author Website: eaowenbooks.com
ISBN 978-1-7322985-3-8 (Amazon-Paperback)
ISBN 978-1-7322985-7-6 (IngramSpark-Paperback)
ISBN 978-1-7322985-5-2 (Ebook-EPUB)
ISBN 978-1-7322985-4-5 (Ebook-MOBI)
Table of Contents
Prologue
The Curse
First Date
Lies & Deception
Two Years Later
Isabella
College
Best Friends
Murder
South Dakota
Bad Luck
Back to the Daily Grind
My Beautiful Wife
Mary
Therapy
The Accident
Broken
Disturbing Dreams
No Explanation
9-1-1
Shredding My Insides
Bad Day
Sealed Records
Blue Ridge Murder
Girls Night Out
The Break-In
The Visit
The Nightmares Continue
Secrets
The Tape
Out of Control
The Voices
For My Parents
Who did an amazing job raising me,
and supporting my dreams.
Thank You.
I Love You Both.
Prologue
I quickly glance behind me, breathing heavy, my legs burning from running so fast, adrenaline pumping through my veins. I trip and crack my knee on an overgrown root protruding from the forest ground. The pain radiates through my leg as I scream. I clasp a hand over my mouth, eyes darting frantically. I stumble to my feet. Sharp rocks and dry leaves crunch under my torn-up bare feet, leaving a trail of warm blood behind me. My heart pounds so hard I can hear it echoing in my skull. I had to stop, take a break for just a moment to catch my breath. My throat is dry and scratchy from gasping for air. I frantically look around, my eyes wide with fear. The darkness plays tricks on me. A shadow darts behind a nearby tree, startling me. I gasp, holding my breath as I fight the impulse to turn around. My heart pounds fiercely; my hands clench into a fist, ready to attack my predator. Fear tortures my thoughts, my stomach twisting into a violent cramp. A loud crash paralyzes my soul. I try to run, but my legs are heavy, making it nearly impossible. The shadow darts from behind the tree, charging at me with a machete. I release a curdling scream.
The Curse
It’s been five years since the curse on Aaron Kosminski’s blood relatives has been broken. Our lives changed tremendously, to our advantage. All the catastrophes dissipated and faded away, only leaving memories and emotional scaring in its place. I truly feel a curse of karma and justice had manipulated my fate.
My great-great-grandfather, Aaron Kosminski—aka Jack the Ripper—had never been punished for his crimes, therefore corrupting the lives of all those born of him, until five years ago when my great aunt, Angel, broke the curse by reciting a spell during a new moon at midnight while burning sage. I know this may sound crazy to you, but the curse was real, and it directly affected our family for generations. But once Angel had broken the curse, everything changed for the better.
First, Isabella’s recovery even baffled her surgeon, Dr. Stevens, who has been performing heart-transplant surgeries for over thirty years and boasts an amazing reputation. He stated that he had never seen anyone recover as quickly as Isabella in his entire career and stressed how lucky we were because so many things could have seriously gone wrong, especially whereas Isabella’s donor was an adult male and she was a five-year-old girl, sharing a rare blood type, AB-.
Second, Angel miraculously recovered from Alzheimer’s dementia, which progressively had become much worse before the curse had been broken. A specialist performed a series of brain scans, neuropsychological tests, and clinical assessments. The tests all returned negative. The once-progressive degeneration of blood cells a PET scan had detected now radically restored her brain cells to complete health.
Third, my grandmother, Mary, no longer suffers from chronic insomnia. She gets a full eight hours of sleep a night, only waking periodically. As a result, her health has improved immensely with five years of good sleep, which she lost for forty years of her life.
Fourth, I, Trevor, could not forgive myself for committing the greatest sin imaginable then continuing with my life.
Life has treated us good for the last five years. My mom still has not consumed a drop of alcohol and has kept off her weight. My parents’ relationship is blossoming every year. They are like little love birds and are happier than ever.
***
Isabella is ten years old, and I’ve finally decided to date again. I’ve endured ten years without a female companion, and I’m going a little crazy. The only thing I’m afraid of is Isabella’s reaction with having another woman here. Even though she never met her mother, who died during childbirth, we do talk about her often.
I still have not told her the truth about her mother’s identity, but I think she’s still too young to comprehend the complexity of the situation. Besides, I’ve been talking myself out of it over the years—somethings are better off unknown. I don’t want her thinking any less of me, of her deceased mother, or of herself over something we were completely unaware of.
Discovering how I had been conceived was difficult for me to wrap my head around. No one wants to know they are a product of rape and were given up for adoption. I don’t want my daughter having the same disturbing thoughts that have consumed my mind throughout the years. I want to do everything possible to protect her from the truth.
From the outside looking in, I’m sure we seem like a very dysfunctional family with deep, dark secrets. But, honestly, we are happy and trying to move on with our lives after all the catastrophes we have endured.
Life is finally simple, and I don’t want to complicate things.
First Date
I haven’t been this nervous in fifteen years. I felt sweat dripping down my forehead as I frantically paced back and forth. I haven’t held a conversation with another woman besides family in over ten years.
“Women are attracted to confidence,” I repeated out loud, as if I could magically transform into a confident stud right before my very eyes.
I glanced in the mirror, noticing the crow’s feet wrinkles when I smiled. I stand at 6’2” with an athletic build, square jaw, and dark-haired crewcut. I have narrow green eyes, a roman nose, and thin lips. I’ve been told that I’m very handsome. Just wish my confidence matched my looks.
Who am I kidding? I’m a thirty-one-year-old single father with a lot of baggage. Who is going to want to date me? I rolled my eyes; I needed to stop torturing myself.
Amber seemed like a nice lady. She’s a twenty-six-year-old kindergarten teacher. I met her online through a dating website. I suspected she must love kids if she had become a teacher and must have a lot of patience to teach five-and six-year-olds. Hopefully she looks as good as her pictures. I shouldn’t really care about her looks, but let’s be honest. It’s the
first thing we notice about someone.
We’d been chatting online and talking on the phone for three months now, and we decided it was time to finally meet. We’re getting together at 7 p.m. at Jonathan’s—a nice restaurant on the edge of town I’ve never been; a work friend had suggested the place. He said it’s pricey but a nice place and has great food. Besides, I really enjoy trying new places, and Amber said she had never been there either, so it will be a first for both of us.
The palms of my hands sweated, and I wiped them on my pants. I glanced at the clock on the other side of the room—6:12. I took one last look in the mirror. “You’ve got this,” I said with more confidence in my voice this time.
I drove Isabella to my parents. She was much quieter than normal tonight.
“Is everything okay, Isabella?” I asked concerned as I glanced in the rearview at Isabella sitting in the back seat, gazing out the window in silence.
“Dad, I’m fine,” Isabella said annoyed.
“I just want to make sure you’re not upset with me.”
“Dad! I told you, I’m fine.”
“Well, you certainly don’t sound it, sweetie. Is something bothering you?”
Bella let out a big sigh. I figured I better just drop it. We both sat in silence the rest of the way to my parents’ house. I barely had time to put the car in Park, and Bella jumped out the door and ran inside. I glanced at the time on the car radio—6:36.
I better make this quick, or I’m going to be late for my first date.
I jogged to the front door, knocked and let myself in. My parents both stood from the dining room table and approached me.
“Dad. Mom. Sorry to take off so quick, but I’m running a little behind. Bella seems off tonight. See if you can find out what’s bothering her. She won’t tell me anything. I think she might be mad at me for going on a date.”
“Don’t worry about Bella. She’ll be just fine. Go have fun for once in your life. You deserve it!” Dad said with a smile as he ushered me out the door and closed the door behind me.
I couldn’t help but worry about Bella during the ride to Jonathan’s. My entire world revolved around her, and I hate seeing her upset. But, like Dad has told me time after time, I just need to do things for myself sometimes and that Bella is no longer a little kid. Which is true. She’ll be a teenager in just a couple years.
I shook my head, expelling the negative thoughts so I could enjoy the evening with Amber.
I pulled into the packed parking lot. A few cars waited in line for valet service.
Good thing I made reservations a couple weeks ago. It would’ve been embarrassing if we showed up and couldn’t get seated.
My eyes scanned the parking lot for an empty space. I pulled behind the other cars waiting for valet. I would never find a parking spot in this circus.
A gentleman approached my car as I exited, and I handed him my keys. As I headed toward Jonathan’s front entrance, I tried walking with more confidence as I tugged my shirt, hoping I had dressed nice enough. I wore a nice pair of designer dark-colored jeans with a white polo. I always thought white looked nice on me in contrast against my tan skin tone. I just hope I don’t make a fool of myself and spill something on it while I’m eating. White was probably a bad choice.
While I approached the host stand, my gaze wandered, admiring the sophisticated ambience—a much fancier place than I’m used to. I tugged my collar and cleared my throat. “Reservation for Trevor Williams.”
“The reservation is for two. Shall I seat you or would you like to wait at the bar for the other guest to arrive?” the attractive, tall, slender young lady with blond hair asked with a smile, revealing two cute dimples.
“I’ll just wait at the bar. Thank you.”
I ordered a drink, hoping it would calm my nerves. They call it liquid courage for a reason.
I glanced toward the host stand every few minutes, looking for Amber. I peeked at my watch—7:17. I checked my phone to see if Amber had tried calling or texting to tell me she was running late, but nothing.
I noticed a girl at the other side of the bar peering my way. She tried to be subtle, but she was pretty obvious. Every time I glanced at her, she looked away quickly. Her stares made me feel uncomfortable. She was a much bigger girl, pretty face, but she had to be close to three hundred pounds.
I grew impatient and shifted in my seat a few times. My drink was almost empty. I was more nervous than I thought. I better pace myself. I don’t want to be one of those guys who makes a fool of himself by being intoxicated on the first date. I’ll give her until 7:30, then I’ll try calling her.
The girl across the bar stood and tripped, almost falling into another table before catching her balance.
I chuckled. Looks like she had a few too many.
I ordered another drink. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I checked the screen—Amber.
“Hi, Amber. Where are you?”
“Trevor, I’m so sorry to do this to you, but I’m not feeling so well. I hoped the nausea would subside, but it’s only getting worse. I should have called you sooner. Sorry for making you wait. Can we reschedule our date?”
“Sure. No problem. Hope you feel better,” I replied, hoping not to sound disappointed.
“Thanks, Trevor. I feel horrible. Maybe we can meet up sometime next week if you’re free?”
“I should be able to work something out. I’ll keep in touch. Have a good night, Amber.”
“Good night, Trevor.”
I hung up, let out a big sigh and chugged my drink. No need to pace myself now.
I paid my bill and left. I stopped at a Burger King drive-thru and grabbed a Whopper and fries for the ride home. Even though I’d only had two drinks, I didn’t want to risk it with Bella in the car with me, so I crashed at my parents and slept in my childhood room for the night.
***
Rain beating on the window woke me from a sound sleep as a wave of disappointment swept over me, more that she had left me waiting at the restaurant than with her cancelling. She could have at least given me a heads up before I had dropped off Bella at my parents.
My parents claimed Bella would not leave her room the whole night. She had locked herself in her room and refused to talk to either of my parents or unlock the door, which is unlike her. She loves spending time at my parents. They usually play Monopoly or Clue together or watch a movie with popcorn. But, apparently, Bella wanted to be alone.
During the twenty-minute drive home, Bella didn’t say a word. I tried talking to her, but she wouldn’t look in my direction, leaving me to the millions of thoughts that invaded my head, full of worry and confusion. When we pulled into the driveway at home, she slammed the car door, rocking the car back and forth, then ran inside the house. I decided to give Bella some space since prying just made her angrier with me.
I didn’t hear footsteps from upstairs, so I glanced to the backyard and saw Bella climbing the ladder to her treehouse, twelve feet off the ground. Dad had helped me custom build it when she was five. We made the walls from knotty pine and cut out plenty of windows for a great view of the lake. We installed a living area with a pullout couch, a coffee table, and a wall-mounted TV. A desk sits in the corner alongside a small table with two folding chairs, a mini fridge to store beverages, and a snack cabinet. All it was missing was a bathroom. Bella loved her treehouse. She would spend more time there than she did her own bedroom. We called it her “very own private little hideaway.” As massive as our house was, she’d rather sit alone in her treehouse.
Isabella didn’t have many close friends, which I found odd. I supposed I didn’t have many friends growing up either, but, man, that girl loved to read. She owned so many books that I renovated an extra room into a library. It would be as if she transported into another realm and lost touch with reality when she read. She poured herself into the pages while her thoughts absorbed into a deep trance. She had an eighth-grade reading level in fourth grade.
Isabella was a
very smart girl—sometimes too smart for her own good.
Lies & Deception
I never in a million years would have thought Amber was lying to me all along. After trying to meet up with her four more times in three months, she finally came clean with me. I was pretty upset and felt like she was just playing me. I guess this wasn’t the first time she had done this to an innocent guy before. She claimed men are all just looking for a trophy to show off on their arm and personality means absolutely zilch to them. She shot off at the mouth, accusing me of being superficial, and threatened to expose men like me.
Her accusations stung. I’m a nice guy, but I don’t like being lied to, especially for six months. By starting a dating relationship with deceptive lies, one walked a very thin line—bound to lose balance, faceplant and look like a complete idiot. I wished Amber the best of luck, but I’m not interested. She would continue hurting the men she deceived and hurting herself even more in the process. No one could expect a relationship to last if it started with lies.
After ten years without a female companion and my first online dating experience was what they refer to as being catfished, my guard was up. It would be hard to trust someone again. I’ve heard the horror stories, but I never expected to be a victim. I can see why some people refuse to date anyone online.
To be honest, I don’t know how someone would react when I tell them about Julia. They might run for the hills. I must accept the fact that it could be a deal breaker for some people. The hardest part of it all was knowing the right time to divulge the information. I don’t want to wait too long and be emotionally attached. But, on the other hand, I don’t want to tell them too soon, because it might scare them off, and they’ll think I’m some sicko. But this was reality, and I needed to face my fear.
Ten years was long enough.
***
Knock, knock … Ding, dong.
I don’t know how many times I’ve told my grandmother that she can just come in. She doesn’t need to knock or ring the doorbell, she was welcomed anytime. I presumed she was just old-fashioned and didn’t want to intrude.