Secrets of Redemption Box Set

by Michele Pariza Wacek

  “No. I mean, why now?”

  “It’s time. Don’t you think? Time for closure.”

  Daniel gave me a hard look. “That the only reason?”

  I helped myself to a mushroom. “What other reason could there be?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. You’re investigating Pat’s death. You’re investigating Jessica’s death. Pretty big coincidence, wouldn’t you say?”

  Crap. I started cutting my mushroom into tiny pieces. “Maybe I thought it would be more efficient,” I said flippantly, trying to make a joke. “You know, like a two-for-one.”

  Daniel didn’t look amused.

  I sighed. “Oh, all right. Yes, I feel like there’s a connection. I know, I know. It’s silly. How could those two events possibly be related? But that doesn’t change how it feels to me.”

  “So, first of all, I do get it,” Daniel said, his voice serious. “You were the last person to see them alive. I understand why you feel like there’s a connection. But, there’s no evidence to support that. Pat’s death looks like an accident. And Jessica?” He raised his hands in an ‘I don’t know’ gesture. “Who knows?”

  I ducked my head to study the mess I was making with the mushroom. While I appreciated that he gave me a sincere and thoughtful answer, I also felt like he was dismissing my concerns a little too quickly. It was more than just my being the last person to see them both alive. Although admittedly, my nightmares and ‘feelings’ about the two events being connected were hardly the most persuasive evidence.

  “But, putting that aside, how is talking to Rich going to help you get your memory back?” he continued.

  “It might not,” I agreed. “I guess my thinking was that if I could hear other perspectives of that night, something might trigger my memory.”

  “So, this isn’t just about Rich?”

  I shook my head.

  He paused to take another mushroom, being careful not to look at me. “Who else have you asked?”

  “Daphne. Mia. Barry.”

  “How about me?”

  I put a piece of mushroom in my mouth and started chewing. It was actually pretty tasty. “I was getting around to you. But, now that you bring it up, I’d love to hear your side of the story.”

  “How much do you remember?”

  I shrugged. “Nothing, really. Not even earlier in the day before the party started.”

  “What did Daphne and Mia tell you?”

  “I’d like to hear your side of the story.”

  Daniel smiled crookedly. “Touché. It’s just ... well, we had a fight.”

  Finally! Maybe this would be my opening to ask him why he stood me up fifteen years ago. “About what?”

  He didn’t answer right away, instead reaching for his beer. The waitress also decided to make an appearance just then with our salads. Once she left, Daniel picked up his fork, but rather than use it to eat, he started twirling it on the table. “How much do you remember about that summer? The whole summer, I mean?”

  Now we’re getting somewhere. “Other than that day, I think I remember everything. It’s possible I’ve forgotten something but I’m not aware of it. Does this relate to our fight?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, it was about how you stood me up. I didn’t bring it up sooner because I didn’t know how much you remembered or didn’t remember, and I didn’t want to embarrass you.”

  Wait, what? I was sure I misheard him. “I stood you up?”

  “It’s not a big deal,” he rushed in. “I mean, kids do stupid things all the time, right? And, it’s not like you lived here. We all knew you were going back to New York ...”

  I held my hand up, trying to stop the flow of words, my mind a jumbled mess “Hold on. I stood you up?”

  “Yeah.” He paused, cocking his head as if what I was saying had finally sunk in. “You don’t remember, do you?”

  “No, I don’t. Because that’s not what happened.”

  He blinked. “Excuse me?”

  “You stood me up.”

  He frowned. “Uh. No. That’s definitely not what happened.”

  “But I showed up and you weren’t there. And the next time I saw you, you were with your old girlfriend.”

  “Yeah, I did get back with Deb temporarily. But that was only because you didn’t show up.”

  I pressed my hands to my temple. What was happening? Was he messing with me? Or was my brain so messed up that I couldn’t even trust the memories I had? “Okay. What if we back up a minute? The night of the bonfire. Did you ask me to meet you the next day?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. But that morning you called and changed the meeting place.”

  My eyes widened. “No, I didn’t.”

  He looked skeptical. “You didn’t?”

  “No.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “What do you mean, ‘Am I sure?’ Of course I’m sure! I think I would remember calling you.” Or would you? That nasty little voice again. After all, you don’t remember an entire day. Would it be that out of the realm of possibility to not remember a phone call?

  Daniel picked up his beer. “Well, someone called.”

  “Did you talk to her?”

  Daniel shook his head. “No, she left a message with my mom.”

  “Could your mom have been mistaken?”

  “I don’t see how. She didn’t even know I was meeting you until after the call. How would she have those details unless ... well, someone told her?”

  “But that makes no sense. Who would do that?”

  Daniel spread his hands out, palms facing up. “I have no idea. Did you tell anyone?”

  “No. But even if I did, the only people I would have told would have been Mia or Daphne. Maybe Jessica. I can’t see any of them doing that.”

  Daniel reached over to pick up his beer. I could almost see the wheels turning as he considered what all this meant. “No, neither can I.”

  “How about you? Did you tell anyone?”

  “No.”

  I thought back to night of the bonfire. “Could someone have overheard us?”

  Daniel stabbed at his salad. “Possibly. We were standing in the middle of things, right by the beer. I suppose it’s possible.” But his tone sounded doubtful. “I’ll talk to my mom again, although it’s probably a long shot to figure out who did this now.”

  “So, what do we do?”

  Daniel blew the air out of his cheeks. “I’m not really sure. I have to think about this some more. It’s just … so crazy. Who would even want to do something like that in the first place? And what would be the purpose of going to all that trouble?”

  The waitress arrived with our entrees. I looked down at my untouched salad, shifting it so she could place the food in front of me. As good as it looked, I had lost my appetite. I had a feeling I was going to need a box.

  “Daniel, is it possible this is all related?”

  He leaned back, his eyes narrowing. His cop face was back. “What do you mean?”

  I gestured. “This. Whatever we call it. This person who called your mom pretending to be me to make us think we stood each other up and what happened to Jessica. And to Pat.”

  “Maybe, but how? Being a cop has taught me to not believe in coincidences. But beyond that, it just doesn’t make sense. How can messing up our date have anything to do with Jessica?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. I don’t get it either. But I keep thinking back to something Mia said about the wrong clothes being gone from Jessica’s closet. Doesn’t it feel like she didn’t leave on her own, after all?”

  Daniel shifted his gaze, staring off into the distance. “I’ve always felt like something happened to her. What the sheriff said about that night never made sense to me.” He shook himself slightly and looked back at me. “But there was no proof of anything else. Sur
e, what Mia said about the clothes was suspicious, but it was hardly evidence that would hold up in court. We need something else.”

  “Something like ... the memory of the last person who saw her alive?” I asked.

  Daniel gave me a half-smile. “Couldn’t hurt.” He picked up his knife and started to cut into his steak. “Is that my cue to tell you my side of the story?”

  “Absolutely. At this point, getting my memory back seems like the fastest path to the bottom of everything that happened fifteen years ago.”

  “You may be right.”

  Chapter 19

  “I almost didn’t go to the party.” Daniel began. “At all. I was still pretty pissed that you had ... well,” he amended. “I thought you had stood me up. But Barry came over and wouldn’t take no for an answer,” he ducked his head and gave me a sheepish grin. “It didn’t help my case that I refused to tell him why. I was too embarrassed and, if I’m completely honest, ashamed about what happened.

  “Anyway, I had every intention of ignoring you. I told myself that no matter how much you begged or tried to apologize, I wouldn’t budge. I’d give you the silent treatment. So, you can imagine my shock when we showed up and you were acting all pissed off at me.

  “Now of course, this all makes much more sense. But, at the time, it just made me want to tear my hair out.

  “So, at first I did try to ignore you. But the longer I was there and, truthfully, the more alcohol I consumed, the angrier I got. How dare you be mad at me when I was the one who was stood up?

  “The first time I tried to talk to you, you were in the kitchen. It was right before Jessica and Rich got into it outside. I remember because there was a lull in all the activity. I’m not sure where Mia and Daphne were. Barry was talking to CB. So, I thought it was a good time to confront you.”

  He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “Needless to say, it didn’t go very well. You snapped at me when I asked you what your problem was. I answered back and it probably would have turned into a major shouting match but the commotion outside between Jessica and Rich stopped us.”

  “Do you know what they were arguing about?”

  Daniel shook his head. “Not really. Rich never talked about it. I always assumed he was trying to keep Jessica from leaving, but she wasn’t having it. She had been a major bitch that night, to be honest. She was so upset about her mom refusing to let her go to California. Barry even grumbled when we first arrived that maybe I’d had the right idea not wanting to come, but he had a couple of shots and his mood improved. Do you know what Jessica said to Rich that night? About him not understanding ‘the evil that had been done’?”

  I nodded, feeling a chill. It didn’t seem to matter how often I heard that part of the story—it still affected me.

  “Jessica was hysterical, and it took some time to calm her down,” Daniel continued. “All of us ended up crowding around your aunt’s kitchen table, drinking and trying to distract Jessica. That was when CB started in again, trying to get Jessica and Mia to come to New York.” Daniel gave me an apologetic look. “I was still so angry that I didn’t help you, but I should have. I could see how you were getting more and more upset, and I knew why, but I told myself you deserved it.”

  He looked down at his plate, moving his steak around without eating it. “I’ve gone over and over that night hundreds of times. And every time, I’ve regretted not stepping in. Maybe I couldn’t have changed anything. Maybe Jessica still would have disappeared, and you still would have ended up in the hospital, but maybe ...”

  He took a deep breath and lifted his head, looking me squarely in the face. “You finally lost it. You jumped up, yelling at CB to shut up, that there was no way your family would allow Jessica and Mia to stay with them. Everyone stopped talking and stared at you. You looked mortified, like you couldn’t believe what you had just said, and ran out of the house.

  “I went after you. I felt so bad and wanted to make it up to you. But you were beyond pissed. I followed you into the woods, but you wanted nothing to do with me. You screamed at me to leave you alone, that you never wanted to see me again. So, I did.”

  He swallowed hard, running his hand through his hair. “I left you there, in the woods alone, and went back to the house. But I didn’t go in. I circled around to the front, intending to wait by the car for Barry. I don’t know how long I was out there but eventually Barry found me. I wanted to leave right then but he wanted to wait and see if anyone needed a ride. We were in the middle of arguing about it when we heard the scream.”

  He paused, giving me an apologetic look. “When we heard you scream.”

  I nodded, trying not to shudder.

  “We ran to the backyard. Daphne and Mia were there, just as freaked out as we were. I was ready to go after you but Barry told me to hold on, to at least wait until we got flashlights. I think he went back into the house to find them after making me swear I wouldn’t leave. I didn’t want to wait but I couldn’t argue with his logic so I paced around the backyard until he came back with the flashlights. We were just dividing into search parties when you burst out of the woods and collapsed.”

  “Was Rich there?”

  Daniel shook his head. “No. Neither was CB.”

  “Do you know where they were?”

  Daniel shook his head again. “Rich said later he had gone home but the odd thing was that his car was still in the driveway. He didn’t live within walking distance but his mom later told the cops he had come home. CB appeared after you collapsed, claiming he had been in the bathroom. Mia later confirmed she had seen him run out the back door, carrying a phone. He was the one who called 9-1-1.”

  I picked at my food, pondering what I had just heard and searching my mental data banks to see if any scrap of memory had been shaken loose.

  But there was nothing.

  “Anyway,” Daniel said, breaking into my thoughts. “Now you know why I’ve been so ... focused on getting to the bottom of what happened to Jessica. Because a part of me feels like I could have prevented it.”

  “I don’t think that’s true,” I said. “I mean, I still don’t have my memory of that night. But I do remember when we were at The Rock, and how I wanted to strangle CB about the whole inviting Mia and Jessica to New York thing. Even if you had managed to stop me from yelling at CB, I was so angry, I still would have left in a huff. CB knew darn well that my family would never allow Mia and Jessica to stay with us, and for him to keep inviting them … what if they actually had showed up only to have my parents tell them they were unwelcome? Could that have been any more mortifying for a teenager? Well, anyway, that’s water under the bridge. And there was nothing you could have done to stop Jessica from drinking as much as she did or being upset with her mom. I really think you’re taking too much on yourself.”

  Daniel smiled a sad little smile. “That’s nice of you to say.” Left unsaid was that it didn’t change how he felt.

  The waitress came by to ask us if wanted to see the dessert menu. We both declined. I also asked for a box as Daniel finished his meal.

  “Is Mia there tonight?”

  “I’m fine,” I said firmly. “I double-checked all the doors, and everything is locked up tight.”

  He pursed his lips. “I still think I should check it out.”

  Absolutely not. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”

  “Maybe not, but I would feel better.”

  “I’m fine. Honestly.”

  The waitress appeared with my box and the bill, which Daniel took, waving me off when I offered to split it. “This was my idea, remember?”

  “Yes, but ...” I stuttered, feeling flustered. He was paying for the meal and now he wanted to escort me home? Back to feeling like a date again.

  He grinned at me, clearly amused by how uncomfortable I was. “I’m not offering to spend the night, although I prob
ably wouldn’t say no if you asked.” His grin turned wicked, heating my blood as it roared in my veins. “But I really think we’d both sleep better if I just quickly checked your house.”

  He had a point. “Mia will be staying with me. She’s not there tonight, but she will be tomorrow.”

  “I think that’s an excellent idea. But it doesn’t change tonight.”

  “But ...”

  “Look,” Daniel said in his take-no-argument cop voice as he put his credit card back in his wallet. “You can’t stop me from following you home. And once I’m there, I can either sit on your porch all night, or you can let me in for ten minutes. Your choice.”

  Grumbling, I followed him out of the restaurant, my stomach twisted in tight knots. Maybe it was a good thing I didn’t eat much at dinner, considering how queasy I felt.

  Once in the parking lot, Daniel cheerily waved at me as he headed toward his car. I blew the air out of my cheeks as I continued on my way to mine. He started his car and slowly pulled out to wait for me.

  Not that it mattered if he followed me or not. He knew where I lived.

  Nevertheless, I took my time getting into my car, putting on my seat belt and getting myself adjusted. If he wanted to follow me, he could darn well wait.

  On the drive home, I gave myself a pep talk. It was no big deal to let Daniel come in and check the house. In fact, he was right that it might make me feel better. Never mind how my stomach felt at the thought of being alone with him there ...

  The last thing I needed were more complications in my life. Getting involved with Daniel would definitely be complicated.

  Besides, I was getting way ahead of myself. All he was doing was checking out the house. Period. End of story. It didn’t mean anything else. It certainly didn’t mean I had to make any decisions on dating or relationships right that minute.

  Way before I felt ready, I was pulling into my driveway while Daniel parked in the street behind me. I turned off the car and took a deep breath before getting out. This wasn’t a big deal. I could do this.