Secrets of Redemption Box Set

by Michele Pariza Wacek

It seemed to take forever before I found Mia’s name and signed out. My hand shook so hard the scribbled name was barely legible. I swallowed hard, and silently handed the clipboard back. The orderly took it without looking at me.

  “Then,” Nurse Ellen said, a syrupy sweetness dripping from her words. “As Rebecca’s friend, I’m sure you’ll agree with me you should do what’s best for her. And not visiting her would definitely be better for her.”

  Oh God, this was taking forever. What if Mia came out right now and Nurse Ellen saw her? I could feel myself starting to hyperventilate again, and fought to get my breathing under control.

  The orderly barely glanced at the clipboard. He put it down and slowly, oh-so-slowly, reached for the buzzer.

  “Whatever,” Daphne snapped. “All I ask is you do your job with her.”

  “Are you implying that I don’t?” Nurse Ellen’s voice had a dangerous tone to it. Oh Daphne, what are you doing?

  Finally, the orderly hit the buzzer. I lunged for the door before I could stop myself. Careful, Becca. Remember, you have every right to leave. I pushed it open, stepped out, and kept walking.

  Oh my God, it worked! I could barely believe it. I kept walking, sure I was going to hear Nurse Ellen behind me, yelling at me to stop.

  The only problem was, I had no idea how to actually get out of the hospital. I followed the hallway and found myself at a bank of elevators. Not sure what else to do, I pressed down.

  Could I find my way out without Daphne? Would I be able to find her outside?

  The elevators seemed to take forever. Should I take the stairs? What if Nurse Ellen came running out? Would I still be able to get out of there?

  Bing. The doors to one of the elevators slowly opened up. A man wearing a white doctor’s coat with glasses and a black beard stood inside, staring at his phone.

  “Let’s go,” Daphne was behind me, breathing hard. She didn’t have to ask me twice. I quickly stepped into the elevator. Daphne hit the first floor. Slowly, the elevator doors closed. I kept waiting to see Nurse Ellen running down the hallway yelling that I was getting away, but the hallway stayed empty.

  The doors closed. The elevator began to descend.

  I glanced sideways at Daphne. Her lips were pressed tightly together, but I could still hear her breathing. I wanted to ask her what happened, and what about Mia, but with the doctor hovering next to us, maniacally texting on his phone, I didn’t dare.

  The elevator crawled its way down, stopping two more times before finally getting to the first floor. Each time it stopped, my heart jumped in my throat, sure Nurse Ellen would be on the other side, waving a needle at me. But, no. At one stop, a father and daughter got on, the daughter happily talking about her baby sister. A nurse pushing an older woman in a wheelchair joined us on the second stop. The nurse smiled as she angled the wheelchair into the elevator. I squished myself in the corner and forced myself to focus on my breathing.

  Finally, the elevator stopped on the first floor. I waited as it slowly opened, and the nurse backed the woman in the wheelchair out. Daphne strode out next to me, and I had to hurry to follow her.

  “Mia?” I asked in a low voice.

  Daphne gave a quick shake to her head. “We brought separate cars.”

  I nodded and didn’t say anything more. Daphne led me through the maze of hospital corridors, past the gift shop and the welcome desk. I eyed one of the nurses who was on the phone, but she seemed completely focused on her computer screen as she talked.

  No one came running after us. In fact, no one paid the slightest attention to us.

  Finally, we made it through the outside doors and into the parking lot, and I visibly sagged with relief.

  Daphne continued at the same pace. “We’re not safe yet,” she muttered. I hurried to catch up.

  The sun was still bright, but starting to sink in the sky, casting long shadows on the parking lot. The air smelled like gas and hot asphalt. I never smelled anything so sweet.

  Daphne led me to a silver minivan that seemed to sparkle in the sun. A raven stood on the roof, twisting its head and eyeing me.

  “The Raven is about rebirth,” Daphne said as she unlocked the door. “He helps with transitions by casting light into darkness.”

  Instead of flying away as I approached, the raven watched me get into the van. “Seems appropriate.”

  Daphne nodded. “A good omen.”

  It wasn’t until we were safely driving down the highway that Daphne spoke. “I thought I was going to have a heart attack in there.”

  “You and me both,” I said, removing the hat and wig and ruffling my now-sweaty hair. “Think Mia is okay?”

  Daphne glanced at the rear-view mirror. “She’ll be fine,” she said, but her voice didn’t sound all that convinced.

  I looked out the window at the trees rushing by, hoping against hope that Mia wouldn’t get into any trouble for helping me.

  “So, now what?” Daphne asked, cutting into my thoughts.

  “Home,” I said.

  Daphne’s eyes widened. “You don’t mean Charlie’s house?”

  I rubbed my head and shook out my curls: even though I had just washed it that morning, it still felt greasy. Actually, my whole body felt that way—like the hospital had left a disgusting layer of film on my skin. I couldn’t wait to take a proper shower. “Of course I mean Aunt Charlie’s house. What other house do I own in Redemption?”

  “Yes … but … you do know Stefan is there, right?”

  “I should hope so. I’m counting on it.”

  “What? But …” Daphne stuttered before she finally got herself under control. “Becca, we just got you out. Don’t you think the hospital has already called him? He’s probably waiting for you—maybe with the police.”

  I shrugged. “Good. That would save me from calling them.”

  Daphne looked at me, aghast. “But, they’ll take you right back to the hospital.”

  I turned to her. “Stefan set me up. You know that, right? This was all a big set up. He wanted to get me committed.”

  “And he succeeded. Why on earth would you give him a second bite of that apple?”

  “What else am I going to do? If what you say is true, and the hospital is already taking steps to get me back, don’t you think the police will eventually show up at your house too? And Mia’s? Where am I going to go? I don’t have any money—I’m sure my bank accounts are frozen, or at least being watched. I guess I could call my parents for a loan, but wouldn’t the police think to check with them too? And Stefan has probably already poisoned them against me. Realistically—how long am I really going to last on the run, before I’m caught?”

  “That’s why you should have fought this legally,” Daphne said.

  I barked a laugh. “Stefan is a lawyer! He planned this. Although I still don’t know why.” I turned away to stare out the window. I had no idea what was going on, but what I did know was Chrissy was there, alone, in that house. I wasn’t going to abandon her. “The worst part is how easily I fell into his trap. Like an idiot.”

  I could feel Daphne’s eyes on me. “You’re not an idiot. What Stefan did isn’t normal—why would it have ever occurred to you that your husband would try to get you committed? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “And here I thought my first husband was a rotten pig. He just cheated on me.”

  Daphne laughed. “I shouldn’t laugh …”

  “No, you should,” I said. “It IS laughable … if it wasn’t so tragic.”

  “Yeah, well.” She took a deep breath. “Okay, I understand why you didn’t want to fight this legally. But do you really think showing up at the house and confronting him is your best bet? Do you honestly think you’re going to be able to trick him or something?”

  “I’m hoping it’s ‘or something’.”

  She glanced
at me and shook her head. “How are you even going to get in the house? What if he changed the locks?”

  “He probably didn’t think about the entrance to the basement,” I said. “You can’t see the door anymore, from the outside. It’s completely overgrown.”

  “You don’t think it’s locked?”

  I shrugged. “Aunt Charlie always kept a key hidden in the garden in case she ever locked herself out. I imagine it’s still there.”

  Daphne pulled off the highway and took one of the side streets. “So, you’re going to sneak in? And then what?”

  “With a little luck, finally get to the bottom of what’s been going on,” I said.

  Chapter 39

  I crouched in the woods, in the same place where I first saw the black cat, and watched the house slowly disappear under the velvety darkness of the night.

  I was waiting for the exact right moment. I wasn’t even sure what that moment would be, but I had a feeling I would know it when it showed up.

  About fifteen minutes previous, a cop (not Daniel) had come by the house. Stefan stood on the front step to talk to him. After a few minutes, Stefan went back inside, and the cop walked around the house, peering around the yard. I had pressed myself into the ground, behind a large log. He didn’t see me.

  After we had left the hospital, we made a quick stop at a Walmart Superstore where Daphne had bought me an olive-green tee shirt with a mosquito and the words “Wisconsin’s State Bird” on it (if I was going to be sneaking into my house, I needed a different shirt than that hot-pink one), a towel, a flashlight, a couple of protein bars, trail mix, almonds, and two large bottles of water. I swapped shirts in the car while she drove me to a small, empty park. It was about a mile away from Aunt Charlie’s house, if I used the forest trails. It had been years since I had tried to find my way on those trails, but I trusted I would figure it out. I still had the burner phone in my pocket, but I had switched it to vibrate.

  The forest was quiet. All I could hear was the sound of my own breathing and the chirping of a few birds. There was a damp, woodsy smell in the air, which was heavenly, after the sterility of the hospital. I had forgotten how fresh and good that smell of the woods was.

  I knew I was taking a big risk going to the house, but I had no choice. I had to confront Stefan. I had to trust that I would be granted enough time to sneak in through the basement, find Stefan, and get him to confess before he was able to call the cops. How I would do that, I hadn’t a clue. I had never stood up to him before. I hadn’t dared. Because if I had stood up to him, that would mean I wasn’t a perfect wife and stepmother.

  And it had been very important to me to be that. Because if I was, then Stefan would love me and take care of me.

  God, I felt like such an idiot. A gullible, stupid idiot.

  It was easier than I remembered, finding my way back to Aunt Charlie’s house. Once there, I eased my way closer until I found the perfect hiding place—behind a large log that provided me with cover, where I could see both the house and the road. I arranged the towel and sat on it, grateful for Daphne’s foresight. When she had first handed it to me at the store, I had looked at her like she was crazy … but the dampness of the ground would have been pretty uncomfortable without it. I ate my dinner, sat, and waited.

  I watched as the sunlight slowly drained from the sky, lengthening the shadows before dimming them. One by one, the lights went on and off in the house. Off in the kitchen. On in Chrissy’s room. On then off in the bathroom. On in Stefan’s office.

  I paused to make sure the lights stayed off downstairs in the kitchen, and on in Chrissy’s room and Stefan’s office, before slowly easing myself out from my hiding place and quietly making my way to the house.

  A bat swooped across my path, and I jerked to a stop. My aunt’s voice popped into my head. “Bats are an omen of change. And death.” I shivered.

  I hadn’t seen the black cat, but I had felt its presence more than once. Each time, I whirled around, certain I could feel its eyes on me, but nothing was there. At least nothing I could see. It was somehow comforting—like a friend watching over me, protectively. As I picked my way through the backyard, I pretended to be that cat, silently stalking as I moved through the overgrown weeds and grass.

  It was easier than I had expected to locate both the key and the door to the basement. It was almost like the house itself wanted me back … welcomed me back. As I cleared away the vines and unlocked the door, I truly felt—deep in my bones—that I was home.

  This was my home. And, just like that, I realized I wasn’t going to leave it again.

  Quietly, I eased the door open just enough to slip inside. In the stillness of the night, it sounded so loud. Were the windows open upstairs? Had they heard it, or was I being super-sensitive? Both Stefan and Chrissy always worked with background noise—Stefan usually played music or kept the news on. Hopefully, he was so busy focusing on whatever he was working on, he wasn’t paying attention to much else.

  I eased the door shut, and fumbled around for the flashlight. The basement smelled damp and musty, reminding me to get a dehumidifier.

  I clicked the flashlight on, and waited for my eyes to adjust. From what I could see, it was as I remembered—cement walls, cement floor, the furnace and water heater next to one wall, stacks of boxes and what looked like broken furniture piled everywhere, and lots of spider webs. I also remembered all over again how much I didn’t like the basement—how uncomfortable I always felt down here.

  I had to walk down a set of rickety wooden steps to reach the floor, before weaving my way to another set of steps that led up to main house.

  The stairs creaked as I slowly mounted the first. Oh God, I hoped Stefan really was still upstairs—that he hadn’t wandered down into the kitchen for a drink. I tried to calm my nerves, reminding myself that the whole house creaked. I was sure he wouldn’t be able to differentiate the sound of the basement steps from all the other creaks and groans.

  Finally, I reached the top. I clicked off the flashlight and listened. I couldn’t hear anything on the other side of the door. This of course didn’t guarantee that no one was there, but if someone was, he or she was being awfully quiet. Or, I just couldn’t hear him or her over my pounding heart.

  I stayed there, listening and hearing nothing but my own harsh breathing and heartbeat for what felt like hours. This is stupid, I told myself. I can’t stand here forever.

  I put my hand on the doorknob, and gently turned. It let out a squeak, which stopped my heart, but I heard nothing in response on the other side.

  I pushed the door open. It was dark and quiet. I carefully closed the door, slipped my cell phone out of my pocket, and pressed a preprogrammed number. It rang once, and was then silent. I slipped it into my pocket and arranged my shirt over it, before making my way to the upstairs staircase. I stayed near the wall, where the steps didn’t creak as I mounted them.

  Chrissy’s door was shut. I could see the light beneath it. She was probably listening to music, or watching a video. Stefan’s door was mostly closed, but not shut. Light poured out into the hallway, along with the faint sounds of Rolling Stone’s “Sympathy for the Devil.”

  I approached the room, carefully stepping around the floorboard that I knew creaked, and took a deep breath, before gently pushing his door open.

  Stefan was sitting behind the desk, furiously typing. He glanced up before doing a double-take. He smiled. It wasn’t a welcoming smile.

  “Well, well, well,” he said, finishing whatever it was he was typing and then closing his laptop. “I figured you would turn up sooner or later. How did you get in?”

  “Does it matter?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “Not particularly. It’s not like you’ll have another chance, after this.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  He leaned back in his chair and laced his hands
behind his head. “Just that once I call the police, this will all be over for good. You won’t be sneaking out of the hospital a second time.”

  I struggled to swallow, my mouth feeling dry. “Why are you doing this to me, Stefan? I’m your wife. We made vows to each other. Why would you betray me like this?”

  “My wife,” he said, his voice dripping with contempt. “My wife who tried to stab my daughter.”

  My eyes widened. “I did no such thing.”

  He dropped his hands from behind his head. “Really? Then why did I find a knife in your purse?”

  This wasn’t going exactly like I had imagined in my head. But, honestly, what did I think was going to happen? He would see me and confess all as Daphne recorded it? Like I was in a bad television movie? They don’t hand out partnerships at big New York law firms just because you look good in a suit. Of course Stefan would be on his guard with me.

  I stepped into the room, moving so my back was against the wall and positioning myself so I could still see the door. The last thing I wanted was for Chrissy to sneak up behind me. “The knife was in my purse, which was in another room when you found Chrissy and me together.” I spread my hands out wide. “How could I stab her when the knife was in a completely different room?”

  A small tick started above his eye. “No, it wasn’t. You had your purse with you.”

  “You brought the knife into the room,” I hissed.

  He stared at me for a moment and then started to laugh. “What? Are you recording me, or something? Rebecca, I don’t know what you’ve been telling your cop boyfriend, but you tried to attack both of us that night. With a knife. And you also tried to kill yourself.”

  Oh God. Did I really think I could match wits with a lawyer? There was no way I was going to be able to make him admit the truth. I really was an idiot. My mouth was so dry. Why did I think this was a good idea? Daphne was right. I should have just tried to make a run for it.

  He reached for his cell phone. “As fun as this conversation is, it’s probably time to get you back to the hospital. You look like you could use your meds.”