Secrets of Redemption Box Set

by Michele Pariza Wacek

  She was a kid, so could I assume she had spent the night at someone’s house?

  Even if I could, I didn’t know any of her friends.

  I found myself driving to Aunt May’s. It was where Daniel picked Chrissy up the other night, and as good a place as any to start my search.

  The diner was buzzing with a healthy number of customers. Mia waved at me from across the room. Relieved, I waved back as I made my way to the counter to ask her for a coffee to go (not that I necessarily needed more coffee, but it gave me an excuse to talk to her).

  Mia frowned, pouring my coffee as I talked. “I haven’t seen her or any of the kids,” she said. My heart sank, even though on some level, I had known it was a long shot.

  “You could try Rocky’s Pizza—that’s a popular place. So is the movie theater by the mall. And, of course, out by the lake. And, The Rock.”

  The Rock. Of course.

  Mia handed me my coffee, waving off my attempt to pay. “On the house. If I see her, I’ll tell her to get in touch with you.” Mia paused, as if framing her next words carefully. “I’m not saying you don’t have a right to be worried. And, yes, you need to find her. But she texted you—so I’m sure she didn’t disappear. She’ll come home.”

  Didn’t disappear? What did that mean? I wanted to ask more, but Mia had already turned away to deal with customers, and I needed to get back to my searching.

  I checked out Rocky’s Pizza, the movie theater, and the mall first. While I saw other kids, there were no sign of Chrissy.

  I was about to go out to the lake, but somehow found myself turning off onto the road that led to The Rock instead.

  As I wound my way up the hill, my emotions seesawed wildly—from worry and concern for Chrissy, to memories full of heartbreak, from years ago. I pulled into a little clearing, cut the engine, and just sat there.

  It hadn’t changed. The fire pit was still there, next to the big boulder that gave the clearing its name, and all the trees that surrounded the area. Broken glass glittered in the bright sun, along with empty beer cans, stacked logs, and more rocks.

  I took my coffee, got out of the car, and walked over to the fire pit, staring into the mounds of ash and half-burned sticks. A monarch butterfly fluttered past as birds busily chirped and serenaded me. In the distance, a hawk circled lazily against the bright blue sky and heavy white clouds.

  With the fire glowing, the music blaring, and the beer flowing, The Rock was the perfect place for teenagers to hang out at night.

  If I closed my eyes, I could almost smell the smoke, and the freshly-cut burning wood mixed with the scent of mosquito repellent and burning citronella candles. The heat was hot on my face, which was motivation to drink more beer, the taste sour in my mouth. I never really cared for beer, but I would drink it out of politeness, or lack of better options.

  I thought about the last time I was there, fifteen years prior. Music blared from car radios as I hung back by the fire, watching Mia and Jessica dance in a group of girls, bathed in the glow of the flames. CB joined them, beer in hand. I could tell he had had way too much to drink.

  My own glass was empty. I headed over to the half-barrel tucked next to The Rock, on the opposite side of the fire pit.

  Daniel was alone there next to the beer, leaning against The Rock. It didn’t surprise me to see him there—he was the one who always brought the beer, although I was pretty sure Barry, whose dad owned all the car dealerships, was the one who paid for it.

  When Daniel saw me approaching, he picked up the tap and gestured. I handed him my glass to fill.

  “Why don’t you ever dance?” he asked as he poured.

  “Why don’t you?” I countered. I really didn’t want to get into how I looked like a lumbering elephant when I danced.

  “Someone has to keep an eye on the beer,” he said, handing me my glass back.

  “I’d be glad to take over if you want to join in.” I gestured with my beer.

  “No, it’s my cross to bear,” he said. “Besides, I’d rather watch.”

  “Ha!” I snorted as I took a drink, making a slight face.

  He saw it and laughed. “Don’t like beer?”

  “Not particularly,” I wiped the foam from my mouth.

  “What do you drink in New York?”

  “Whatever our parents have in their liquor cabinets,” I said. “Which is usually better than this.”

  “If you drink enough, I bet you’d be dancing.”

  “You’d lose that bet.”

  In the firelight, his eyes gleamed. “Is that a challenge?”

  Before I could answer, Jessica fell into us. “Oh my God, I so need a beer,” she giggled. “Bartender, a round for the house. We’re celebrating.”

  Daniel plucked Jessica’s glass and started to fill it. “Celebrating? What are we celebrating?”

  Jessica waved her hands over her head. “Getting out of this damn town. I can’t wait!” She looked at me as Daniel handed her the beer. “God, Becca, you’re so lucky you don’t live here.”

  “I second that,” Mia said, dancing around me. “You too CB,” she hiccupped as CB wedged himself in to refill his beer.

  “Why don’t you come with us to New York?” CB asked. He winked at me as Mia and Jessica screamed in excitement. “There’s room. Especially at Becca’s house. Her older brothers aren’t living at home anymore, so there’s two vacant bedrooms just sitting there waiting for you.”

  “Yeah, but I thought LA was better for modeling,” Jessica said.

  “Where do you think the fashion industry started, sweetheart?” CB said.

  Jessica turned to me. “Oh my God. CB’s right Do you think your parents would mind?”

  I backed away, making an excuse about getting something out of the car.

  “I’m serious Becca,” Jessica called out, as CB started telling Mia about legal opportunities in New York. “I’d love to hang out with you in New York.”

  I was furious at CB. There was no way my parents would ever, EVER accept Jessica or Mia or anyone from Redemption in their apartment, and CB knew it. How could he dangle this in front of them? And then make me the bad guy for telling them no?

  I was so going to kick his butt.

  “Hey, slow down.” Daniel said, catching up with me. “What was that about?”

  I shook my head, pressing my lips together. I didn’t like talking about my New York life when I was in Redemption. I wanted to pretend my New York life didn’t exist—that at the end of summer, I didn’t have to go back to being Rebecca, the girl who could dabble in painting but really needed to put her focus on landing the “right” husband and career. The girl who was admonished to smile more and talk less, because every time she talked, she realized no one had the faintest idea what she was trying to say.

  A girl who would get so frustrated she wanted to scream, because maybe, if she screamed loud enough, people would finally hear her.

  “Jessica is pretty set on going to California,” Daniel said. “She’s got cousins there or something.”

  His voice was so gentle, I found my eyes tearing up. He might as well have said, “You don’t want to talk about your family. I get it.” I opened my mouth to make some noncommittal comment, and instead found myself telling him the truth about my family and living in New York. How no matter how hard I tried, I always felt like I was a puzzle piece being forced into the wrong puzzle. How Aunt Charlie always felt more like my real mom than my mother did. How my mother and I had a dreadful fight before I came to Redemption, and the last thing I had screamed at her was how I wished Aunt Charlie was my real mother, instead of her. I could still see how white my mother had turned, so white for a moment I thought she was going to have a stroke. She had left the room without a word, and she and I hadn’t spoken since.

  How I was dreading seeing her again at the end of the s
ummer.

  And, now, CB with this ridiculous talk about bringing Jessica and Mia to my parent’s apartment? Had he lost his mind?

  He listened quietly as we walked, eventually finding ourselves in the woods sitting on an overturned log. After I finished my ranting, he shared his story. His dad had walked out years before, leaving him and his mother to fend for themselves. They had very little money, but over the years, Barry would often help—giving him food, clothes, shoes. A part of him was grateful for Barry, but truth be told, part of him resented his friend’s charity.

  I’m not sure how long we talked—hours it seemed like. Something shifted as we sat together. I could feel the energy change between us, his knee or arm brushing against mine.

  I don’t know what would have happened if we hadn’t been interrupted, but CB suddenly burst in on us, his arm around a giggling and hiccupping Jessica. “There you are, Becca,” he crowed. “We’ve got plans to make.”

  I glared at CB, feeling my anger rise up inside me again. Daniel intervened, saying we needed a refill, and should head back to the fire.

  Daniel refilled all our beers for us. As he handed me mine, our fingers touched. I could feel a shock run up my arm. He leaned closer. “Want to meet here tomorrow?” His breath was warm on my cheek and had a faint, yeasty smell.

  I nodded, not wanting to speak and draw attention to what he asked me. A part of me thought it was stupid—I was leaving in a few weeks. Did I really want to start something that would have to end so quickly?

  The next day, he didn’t show. I waited for almost an hour, wondering what had happened. Was something wrong? Should I call? Did he change his mind? Did he not say what I thought he did?

  I stewed about it, not knowing what, if anything, I should do. Then, when I finally did see him again a few days later, not only did he completely ignore me, but he was with another girl. Deb, according to Mia, had an on again, off again thing with Daniel. “Looks like it’s on again,” she said, squinting at them sitting together on the pier, their legs dangling in the lake.

  Now, years later, I was back walking around the fire pit to lean on The Rock, smelling the fresh, clean air that only hinted of smoke and ash. I wondered what on earth happened back then. Was it a miscommunication? Was he simply not interested? Did he wake up the next morning and have second thoughts? Or was he actually a jerk?

  Should I bring it up? Or did it even matter? After all, he was engaged, and I was married. What would be the point?

  I heard the car before I saw it, pulling slowly into the clearing and parking. A police car.

  Daniel.

  Of course.

  Chapter 24

  Of course Daniel would just show up, I thought, watching him get out of his car as if I had again conjured him up by mulling about our past.

  He headed over to me. “Mia thought you’d be here,” he called out.

  I took a drink from my coffee, mostly to give myself a moment to pull myself back to the present. “And why are you looking for me?”

  He stopped by one of the broken logs, and put his hands in his back pocket. “To tell you I dropped Chrissy off at home.”

  I looked sharply at him. “Is she drunk again?”

  He shook his head. “No, but I thought she was. I found her up on the other side of town, by the Ford dealership. She was alone, and I watched her stumbling as she walked. I questioned her, and she appeared sober enough. But … there seemed to be something wrong. I dropped her off at home, saw you weren’t there, and figured you were looking for her, so I decided to come find you.”

  How the hell did she get way out there? With no car? Did someone drop her off and leave her there? I blew the air out of my cheeks. “Nice of Chrissy to let me know where she was. I could have gotten her.”

  He kicked a pebble, not meeting my eyes. “I got the feeling she didn’t want you to know.”

  I shook my head and took another swallow of coffee. A crow cawed somewhere behind me, startling me, and I jumped, spilling a few drops on my shirt. “Christ. I guess I better go home and deal with her.” I stared at the stain on my shirt and sighed. “Did she tell you what she was doing way out there? Alone?”

  He shook his head, still not meeting my eyes. “Look, there’s something else.” He hesitated. “She didn’t have on any shoes.”

  I stared at him, feeling like we had suddenly slid into the Twilight Zone. “No shoes?”

  He shook his head. “It was why she was stumbling and falling down. Her feet were a bit of a mess.”

  Why didn’t Chrissy have any shoes on? She couldn’t have sleepwalked that far. Could she?

  It’s coming. Beware.

  The sun went behind a cloud, giving the clearing an ominous feel. A cool breeze blew against me, causing me to shiver. I quickly drank more coffee, although it wasn’t nearly as hot as before and didn’t warm me up.

  Daniel scuffed his foot against the ground again. “Did anyone ever tell you how this town got its name?”

  I blinked. Had I fallen down a rabbit hole and not realized it? What did the name of the town have to do with Chrissy? “Ah, no.”

  He nodded and then looked up at the sky. The sun peeked out from behind a cloud, but there was no warmth behind it. “In the 1800s, this town was a lot like other small towns around here—more of a large farming community than anything else. By all accounts, it was perfectly normal. Then, the winter of 1888 happened.”

  “The Great Blizzard of 1888,” I said softly.

  Daniel nodded. “Yes. That blizzard hit New York and the East Coast. But, what you may not know is a few months before that, the entire Midwest was also hit with a massive blizzard. It was called “The Children’s Blizzard,” because hundreds of children died.

  “Although Wisconsin didn’t get the brunt of it—Minnesota and Nebraska were hit hardest—it was still pretty bad. Everyone basically hunkered down where they were. There was little to no travel between towns, which in those days, wasn’t that uncommon during the winter months.

  “Spring finally came and as the weather warmed up, traveling resumed. When people came here, I’m sure they expected the blizzard to have taken its toll, but they definitely weren’t prepared for what they found.”

  Daniel paused. The sun dipped behind a cloud again, and I shivered.

  “What did they find?” I asked.

  He didn’t answer right away, instead looking out over the horizon where the hawk continued making its lazy circles in the sky. “All the adults were gone.”

  I blinked. “Gone?”

  “Gone.”

  “Like … poof?”

  He nodded. “Only the children were left.”

  “The children? What happened?”

  He shrugged. “No one knows.

  “What do you mean no one knows? What did the children say?”

  “They didn’t,” he said simply.

  “What do you mean they didn’t?”

  “They claimed they didn’t know what happened—that they woke up and found their parents gone, along with the other adults.”

  Daniel’s story sounded more and more bizarre by the second. “But, wasn’t there an investigation?”

  He held his hands up. “Sure, but you have to remember things were different back then. This was one of many small towns in Wisconsin. Life was a lot harder then, and most people were focused on staying alive. And, it’s not against the law to disappear when you’re an adult. As far as anyone could tell, there wasn’t any sign of foul play. It was sort of like what happened in Roanoke, Virginia, except instead of an entire town disappearing, it was only the adults.”

  I was mystified. “Why have I never heard of this before?”

  “Did you ever hear about Black River Falls, Wisconsin?”

  I shook my head.

  “There’s a book about it called Wisconsin Dea
th Trip. I have a copy if you want to look at it. It’s a collection of newspaper articles and photos around the same time. It’s like the entire town was gripped by madness—suicides, murder, violence—for years. No one talked about that either. Back then, people tended to mind their own business.”

  The wind ruffled my hair, bringing with it the delicate scent of decay and death. “Back to Redemption—what happened to the children?”

  “They took over the town, and the farming, and ended up doing better than people expected. Not all the children were little. There were quite a few teenagers, and as they had grown up here, they knew how to farm. Also, some adults—mostly relatives—moved in to help. Over time, the town actually began to grow and prosper. The children were the first to start calling it Redemption, and the name stuck. It certainly seemed like the town had been saved.”

  “This is just so weird,” I mused into my coffee. “Are there any ideas about what happened?”

  Daniel shrugged. “Some crazy theories, as you can imagine. There’s a lot of Native American land around here, so probably the most popular theory is Redemption was built on old Native American burial grounds, and the adults were taken as payback. Revenge.”

  Oh God—could that be true? Was my house built on Native American burial grounds? Could that be the source of my ghost problems?

  “Was it?”

  “Was what?”

  “The town. Was it built on Native American burial grounds?”

  Daniel shook his head. “No one has found any evidence of that.”

  Somehow, I didn’t feel all that relieved.

  I cocked my head and studied Daniel. He seemed uncomfortable, and it didn’t fit him well. Throughout the entire telling of the story, he had barely glanced at me. Instead, he alternated between staring at his feet scuffing the ground and watching the hawk soar overhead. “Why are you telling me this?” I finally asked.

  He hesitated. The sun moved behind a cloud again, throwing his face into shadow. The smell of decay grew stronger. I wondered if there was a corpse rotting somewhere close by, and what exactly had died. “Redemption is … different. It’s kind of hard to explain. It’s almost like the town decides who it wants here and who it doesn’t. If the town wants you, you stay. Even if you don’t necessarily want to.”