The Darkest Secrets

by Heather Wynter

  As Amelia scrolled through a list of movies to help her get her mind off things, she remembered that she hadn’t exactly kept Brenda updated on the case so far. Or on the flash drive. She’d have to start from the beginning, tell her everything, and could she even remember where to start anymore?

  Plus, she’d have to wait until tomorrow and she needed to work through this tonight. Of course, there was Everett. But Trent’s words stopped her. Maybe she did go to Everett too quickly. Maybe she had let him get a little too close. Did she seem desperate?

  She didn’t even want to know. Without thinking too much about it, Amelia turned off the TV and tossed the remote to the side. A movie would never distract her from this. She needed answers, so she would find them herself.

  She brought out her laptop, the flash drive, everything she had on the case and dug through it. She knew there had to be a link from Isabella to Brett, and she would find it. No matter what it took.

  She plowed through dead ends, struck up conversation with some of Isabella’s friends. Finally, she got a hint from a guy friend of hers. A guy friend who clearly wanted to be more. He mentioned that Isabella always got caught up with the wrong men. That this new, mysterious, older man might have something to do with it. Knowing everything she now knew about Brett, Amelia had a hunch.

  After scouring through the most recent logs in Brett’s little black book, so to speak, she found an interesting name—Bella. Of course, she felt like an idiot for not seeing it before. But she had to be sure.

  She stalked Isabella’s social media sites and found that for the nights marked as spent with “Bella,” Isabella had posted things about going out with a friend, being surprised by someone special in her life.

  Amelia then combed through receipts on the flash drive of reservations Brett had made. Found Isabella’s full name on one of the hotel slips. She searched through photos and, sure enough, there she was.

  Brett had been having an affair with Isabella. And it was clear to Amelia that he had ended that affair by ending her life.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Amelia sat back, unable to wrap her mind around all of this. If Brett had done this to Isabella, and he clearly had, what about the other women he was having affairs with? What about her mother?

  Usually Amelia took pride in solving cases, putting the pieces together. She liked finding the bad guys, locking them up, a superhero on a quest for justice. But this time it felt dark and sick. And she wanted to get away from it all.

  She closed her eyes. Then took out her phone. Sent a quick text to Everett.

  Hey.

  She figured she wouldn’t get a response until the next morning. It was getting late, and then she’d be stuck in her solitude until she saw Brenda, which was probably for the best.

  Hey! What’s up?

  The speedy reply took less than a minute. Now that she got it, how would she proceed? How can you tell someone so much over a text?

  Just found out some stuff about Brett and my mom...it’s disturbing

  Want to talk about it?

  It’s a lot

  Maybe in person would be better then. Would you like to come over?

  When?

  Well, I’m free now

  Would she really go over there now? It was so late, and she didn’t want to seem like she needed someone. But she did, didn’t she? She needed someone in that moment.

  I’ll be over soon

  Amelia checked her phone again right before she started her car. Just to make sure he hadn’t changed his mind. That it wasn’t a joke. But he replied with a great and a smiley face and she couldn’t think of any reason why she shouldn’t go over.

  Well, she couldn’t think of any reason that was bigger than her need to talk this out with someone anyway.

  That’s how she found herself driving beneath the trees at one-thirty in the morning, on that road that was a bit too narrow and sharp. Shadows shifted around her, monsters silently threatening to jump out.

  Before they could get to her, though, a warm, familiar light beckoned in the distance and promised her safety. She parked her car in the driveway and walked up to the front door of Everett’s house.

  He ushered her inside, opening the door before she even fully reached it. The smell of some pasta dish cooking in the kitchen tempted her. He knew she hadn’t eaten all night, not when her mind was focused like this. She loved that he knew that.

  As soon as the door closed, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in for a warm hug.

  She had a fleeting thought that she should resist. What would Trent think? He’d be angry, of course. Accuse her of getting too close, too quickly.

  Trent wasn’t here, though. Everett was, and she needed someone there among all this crazy. So, she closed her eyes and sunk into the hug, reveling in the support of someone else right now. She was grateful that she wouldn’t have to face this all alone anymore. That meant the world to her, as everything she knew was being twisted. This was far more personal than any case had ever been.

  “Come on,” he said as she let go of him. He kissed her forehead. “Dinner’s almost done. You can tell me everything over food and a glass of wine.”

  “That sounds wonderful,” she admitted. Then smiled. “Though I might need more than one glass to get through this.”

  “Unlimited glasses then,” he beamed.

  She realized how much she desperately needed that moment of calm as she sat at the dinner table, waited for him, and thought about everything. There were no ghosts here. No shadows waiting to jump out at her. Just a clear place to be. To think. To slowly come to terms with all of this.

  By the time he served dinner and joined her at the table, Amelia’s mind was in an organized enough state to fully formulate her thoughts and articulate everything she’d read and learned.

  “So,” she said after a few bites. “I found an old diary of my mother’s.”

  She launched into a full account of the day, detailing the most important bits of information she’d found. Everett listened patiently, asking questions here and there, but maintaining a steady gaze of concentration on each word she said. She felt heard, truly listened to, and that was everything.

  After the second glass, she started feeling a bit dizzy, a bit lightheaded. But she chalked it up to the time, the emotional drain of the day, and kept on. She fought through the exhaustion as it descended upon her. She couldn’t sleep until she got this off her chest.

  By the time she finished, she was drained in every way possible. But she was also relieved to have shared this with someone else, to no longer carry this huge burden on her own. By then, they had moved to the couch. She sunk against it as she took a deep breath. He pulled her into his arms, and she was far too tired to resist even if she wanted to. She didn’t want to.

  “That’s a lot,” he said. “I can’t even begin to imagine how you must be feeling. That is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard, and I’m a lawyer. I see crazy every day. To be so closely connected to all of that… It must be horrible, to say the least. You must have a million thoughts and feelings crowding you right now. But I want to help put at least some of them to rest. I want you to know that we will make sure Brett is punished for all he’s done. We’ve built a solid case against him, and I think I have just the right information for you to take down every crooked cop on his payroll.”

  “You do?” Her excitement helped curb some of the edge to her exhaustion. It was finally time. She’d worked so hard for this, and finally, they’d catch him.

  “I do,” he smiled. “You’ve done such an amazing job with this entire case. I know that he’ll be locked up for life once we’re done with him. I promise you your patience will be rewarded, and I will help you every step of the way, well beyond the arrest. You don’t have to do this alone, okay? We will figure this out.”

  Those words were the best she’d heard. She was exhausted, so exhausted. This whole thing had taken a toll on her, and knowing that there was a light at the
end of the tunnel was a huge relief.

  She had worried from time to time if she could trust Everett, if this case would ever see the light of day. But now would come the final payoff. It’d all been worth it for this.

  “Thank you,” she said and cuddled into him just a bit.

  “No problem. But let’s deal with this tomorrow. You seem exhausted, and we can’t do anything tonight anyway. The information’s out there, and we have a plan of attack. You can rest easy and we’ll tackle this tomorrow. For now, how about a movie? I’ll let you choose. You deserve it.”

  “I’m far too tired to choose anything.” She yawned.

  “Okay,” he brought her closer. “I’ll choose. You just rest. You’ve done so much already.”

  Amelia’s eyes started to flicker as the movie began. She knew they were just at the beginning. The arrest, trial, conviction still lay ahead of them. It would be a lot of work, a difficult time. But they were finally getting somewhere, and that was enough for her. For now. Enough to allow her to fall asleep.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Amelia fought through a nightmare, one of many she’d had since falling asleep. She left the terror of being hunted by a monster in the shadows of a dangerous forest. Swam through darkness, back to reality. She pulled herself up, afraid to fall back to sleep again. Afraid to drop into another nightmare.

  She blinked. Rubbed her eyes. Where was she?

  As the sleepiness quickly subsided, panic set in. This wasn’t the first time she’d woken in an unusual place. She’d woken in Everett’s bed a couple of times since she met him, but this wasn’t Everett’s room.

  The floor was cold and hard underneath her. The blanket she’d fallen asleep under was bunched up by her feet. She grabbed it now for a sense of comfort. A way to ground herself as her eyes adjusted.

  Adjusted to the glass wall in front of her. A cage. A cage that looked out at a sterile basement with grey walls. The lights reflecting off the white were blinding. She struggled to calm her breathing.

  This was a nightmare, she knew. She’d had many nightmares like this since the day she returned to her mother. They were constant at first but tapered off over the years. Yet occasionally, they would sneak up on her like this. Especially when she was stressed, and she had been so stressed lately.

  Breathe. She had to breathe. Calm herself. This was a nightmare. It would all be over soon.

  Her blurred vision cleared up just a bit as her breathing came a little easier. Her hands stopped shaking. Which was a little concerning because this was the point where she’d usually wake up.

  Even more concerning was that, as she calmed down a bit, she was aware this basement looked nothing like the one she was kept in before. It looked nothing like the one that haunted her nightmares.

  It was worse in ways. More disconcerting. This one was more…clinical. With blood stains on the walls and cleaning supplies in one corner of the room, this could be mistaken for an operating room. It looked like someone had been murdered here. The other basement looked just like, well, a regular basement, which made sense. Melinda had kidnapped them. She didn’t want them harmed.

  The room had been bland but warm. Mindlessly boring, yet no one had ever hurt them. They were fed. Just trapped. They were terrified, but they weren’t in real danger. She knew she was here. Melinda wasn’t behind the kidnapping this time. She suspected Brett was.

  Yet this basement also had more personal touches. On the other side of the glass wall there was a TV with a nice, black, leather couch to relax on. A painting on one of the walls of a girl in a cage. A board cluttered with different clippings, pictures, and connections. Almost like one an investigator might use.

  Amelia looked closer, analyzing what was on the board. She was surprised by the overarching name. “Brett.” The board was on Brett and all his crimes. It seemed her captor was also keeping an eye on him.

  It seemed her captor wasn’t Brett. So, if it wasn’t Brett, then who? Who had reason to want her captive like this? To want her dead? Was she going to die?

  As Amelia’s gaze flickered around the room, the fog in her mind made it difficult to process. She looked back to the painting, and she realized that the girl in it looked familiar. Looked like her when she was that age. Whoever had trapped her had been stalking her for a long time. Would’ve known her since childhood.

  Brett. It had to be Brett. But why did he have a board like this? Maybe to keep on top of the accusations. One step ahead of everyone. That’s how he remained out of jail for so long.

  Her breathing quickened again. Her vision blurred as her skin became clammy. She was cold, so cold. She needed fresh air, a way out. She couldn’t do this again. Her hands shook as she reached for the handle on the door, but she already knew there was no way out. She wasn’t a child anymore, yet somehow this had become even more frightening.

  How did she get here? What was the last thing she could remember?

  Everett. She was at Everett’s house. Eating dinner with him. Cuddling with him. Had Brett killed Everett? How did she not wake up?

  Before she could puzzle through this, she heard footsteps making their way down the stairs to her. She was surprised by the voices that reached her before their faces did.

  “It’s not ideal,” the woman chided. “I wanted to wait longer, but at least she’s here. Finally. I’ve been waiting forever for this moment.”

  “Everett!” Amelia called as he stepped into view. Her blind need to get out overwhelmed everything as she beat her fists on the glass. “Everett! You’ve got to help me.”

  “Emma?” Amelia cried tears of relief. “Emma, you have to listen to me. Your father is a monster. I know it’s hard to believe but…”

  Emma laughed, cutting off Amelia’s words. The cruel look in her eyes drowned all of Amelia’s hopes. Neither of them moved to open the glass room she was in. They walked towards her, then stopped a few feet away. Neither looked surprised or bothered by this.

  “Of course, I know he’s a monster,” Emma said, motioning to the board. “Look at all the dirt I have on him, the secrets you helped me gather. Thank you for that, by the way. It’s probably the best thing you’ve ever done. Still, I’m not as clueless and helpless as you think.”

  Horror crept in through Amelia’s toes, stretching up to her heart. Everett took Emma’s hand and kissed it with a loving look in his eyes. The two were clearly relaxed around each other.

  “What’s going on?” Amelia’s voice cracked under the pressure.

  “I finally got the best of you,” Emma said as a sinister smile formed on her face. She looked fondly up at Everett. “Well, we both did, I suppose. Everyone has their shot at redemption, even if they don’t always notice it. I guess Everett finally got his.”

  “What are you talking about?” Amelia’s words strengthened as she turned to Everett. “What is she talking about?”

  “He won’t give you the answers,” Emma replied, taking a step closer to the glass. “Everett works for me, you see. I know he gave you a nice sob story about how his career started, and he was telling you the truth about that. But he left out a tiny detail. The man who offered Everett an internship happened to be the same man who has represented my father and covered up the terrible things he’s done for decades. Brett thought it was a good idea to get me a lawyer, in case I ever needed one. I guess he never realized how poorly that would work out in his favor. Or,” she looked back up at Everett, “that we’d fall in love.”

  Amelia struggled to catch up with how this twisty tale was unfolding as Everett stepped behind Emma and put his arms around her. Sure, Amelia and Everett weren’t dating, but a bond had been forming. Or so she thought. They’d crossed that line of just friends, and Amelia had grown to care about Everett, to rely on him. Was this all a horrid game to him?

  “What?” Emma sneered. “You didn’t really think he was interested in you, did you?” She laughed. “Yes, I know you two have had your romantic moments. But that was with my blessing, all
part of my plan. He had to get close to you so I could get close to you. I was willing to let him cross any line to get there. It’s always been about you, Amelia. You should feel special.”

  Trent’s warnings came back to haunt Amelia as she sat there, embarrassed, furious, afraid. She had been so careless, gotten too close too quickly, and now look at these horrible repercussions. She felt stupid, a little heartbroken, too scared to feel the full weight of any betrayal.

  “Why?” she asked, looking straight at Emma. With Everett, that hurt. She didn’t know why he had betrayed her, why anyone would do this to her.

  She could admit that she took things too fast with Everett. That they hadn’t known each other long enough to expect loyalty, even though she did expect it. But Emma…

  She had saved Emma. She had done everything in her power to get justice for Emma. They’d gone through a kidnapping together and Emma…Emma was her sister. Her twin.

  It hit Amelia as she looked at her. For the first time ever, she noticed the resemblance. They weren’t identical twins, but they did look like sisters. They were twins. Shouldn’t that create some sort of bond? She thought she had felt some sort of bond with her this whole time. How could Emma totally ignore that? How could she betray her like this?

  “Emma,” she said, holding her twin’s eyes. She hoped she could get her to see past this. Release her. It might be nice to have a sister. And after all Brett had probably put her through, maybe she could find forgiveness if Emma let her go now. “I’m your sister. I’m your twin.”

  Amelia wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. Perhaps a horrified revelation. An apology. Something.

  Emma’s face hardened. She was a stranger, furious at her for god-knows-what reason. She turned to Everett.

  “Leave us,” she snapped.

  “Yes, darling,” he said, just like a puppy. He glanced back at Amelia and she saw a flicker of humanity there, of sympathy. After all the time they had spent together, vulnerable conversations, nights cuddling, he had to feel something, some connection. It couldn’t just mean nothing to him.