Secrets of Redemption Box Set

by Michele Pariza Wacek

  Mia started playing with her silverware. “It’s like I told you. Most people loved Charlie. Many thought she cured them of their health problems. But some were convinced she was a witch and had cursed them.”

  While it was true she had told me that before, there was something in her voice that made me think she wasn’t telling me the whole truth. “That can’t be all there is,” I said. “I mean, there’s so much hostility.”

  Mia started to gather the plates. “When does hostility ever make sense?” She glanced up, saw my expression, and sighed. “Look, there were a lot of stories and rumors about Charlie. The cursing was just one of them. It was just ... a lot of gossip. Don’t let it get to you. Most people know the truth. Go talk to Chrissy. We have a search party to get to.”

  I wanted to argue, but I knew Mia was right. It really wasn’t the time to get into Aunt Charlie’s history, especially since I doubted it had anything to do with what we were dealing with now.

  I went upstairs and gently knocked on the door to Chrissy’s room. I heard a grunt, which I took as permission to enter. I found her laying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. She looked like she had been crying again. Her matted, greasy hair was spread out over the pillows.

  I leaned against the doorframe. “They’re organizing a search party. Do you want to go?”

  “Why? Everyone is just going to blame me again.”

  “Do they have a reason to?”

  She turned her tear-stained face away. “I knew you didn’t believe me.”

  I spread my hands out. “Chrissy, you haven’t told me anything to believe or not believe. Do I believe you’re capable of hurting your friend? No. I don’t. Why do you think I defended you yesterday and brought you home? If I thought you were a danger, do you think I’d let you stay in this house? Would I put myself or Mia at risk?”

  Chrissy sucked in her breath, but she didn’t say anything.

  I went over to sit on the side of the bed. “Chrissy, why don’t you tell me what happened yesterday? Let me help you.”

  She didn’t answer—she just kept staring out the window. Her eyes blinked rapidly, like she was trying not to cry.

  “She was my friend,” Chrissy said softly. “She was the only one who would come visit me at Margot’s. She didn’t care about my dad or ... what I did.” She finally turned her head to look at me. Even bloodshot and tearful, her eyes still took my breath away. Dark liquid brown with thick black lashes. Bedroom eyes, really. “I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her.”

  I reached out to squeeze her hand. “Tell me what happened.”

  “Brittany had to get party supplies for her little brother’s birthday. She had a present for him, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to give it to him.” She gave a watery smile. “Brittany was like that. She was always ... unsure of herself. She was always questioning herself. ‘Is this right? Or should I return it and get something else?’ It was sometimes a bit maddening. I think that’s why a lot of her friends wouldn’t shop with her. She was always returning things and getting something else.”

  Her smile faltered. “I didn’t mind, though. I always liked to shop. And, I liked having a friend.”

  My heart broke yet again for her. How many times was I going to get my heart broken living with Chrissy? Every line of her body spoke to how sad and lonely she was. At this rate, I wasn’t sure if my heart would survive her living with me.

  “So, you went shopping,” I gently prodded.

  “Yeah,” Chrissy said. “We didn’t find anything Brittany liked better than the present she already had so we didn’t get anything. We did buy a bunch of supplies like balloons and streamers. We had lunch too.”

  “How long were you out with her?” I asked.

  Chrissy shrugged. “I don’t know. Three, four hours? I wasn’t really paying attention. I remember she looked at the clock and said she had better get home. She was in charge of decorating. And, she had all the supplies.”

  “So, she said she was going right home?” I asked.

  Chrissy nodded again. “Yeah, I think so. She was talking about how she couldn’t be late.”

  “Is that all?”

  “That’s it.” But she was averting her eyes again, and her body language screamed of guilt.

  I wanted to press, but I was afraid that would just make her snap. “Why did you get so upset?” I asked. “This doesn’t seem to be that big of a deal. I don’t understand.”

  “Because ...” she paused. “I just ... I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Chrissy, what is it? You can tell me.”

  “It’s nothing. I don’t know. Stop bothering me.”

  I steeled myself. “It’s something. It’s bothering you. I want to know what it is.”

  She shook her head and squeezed her eyes tightly shut. “What if I don’t want to tell you?”

  “That’s not an option. This is too important.”

  “It’s just ...” she opened her mouth and I braced myself, thinking she was going to start screaming again, but instead she said, “I can’t tell you because you’re going to hate me, too.”

  “What?” Oh God. Maybe she did have something to do with Brittany after all. My stomach churned sickly. “No, I’m not going to hate you. I don’t think there’s anything you can say that would make me hate you.”

  “What if I told you it was my fault?”

  Silence. I took another deep breath. Steady, Becca. “What do you mean it’s your fault?” I asked cautiously.

  Chrissy shook her head violently, and for a moment, I didn’t think she was going to tell me. But then the words came out in a rush. “I thought she ran away,” she said. “That’s what I told Daniel. I thought she ran away. And she didn’t. She didn’t run away but I said that to Daniel. Maybe if I hadn’t, the cops could have found her by now and, if she dies, it will be all my fault.”

  “Hey,” I pulled Chrissy into my arms and started to rock her as she began crying again. “It is NOT your fault. It’s the fault of whoever took her. Not yours.”

  “But ...”

  “No buts. It’s not your fault.”

  “Everything is so hard,” she sobbed. “I don’t know what to do. I miss my dad, but then I remember how horrible a person he is, and I think I shouldn’t miss him or love him. But, as awful as he is, even he doesn’t want me. My mom doesn’t want me. Now Margot doesn’t want me. Nobody wants me.”

  My throat constricted. I was definitely getting this child into therapy. “I want you.”

  She sobbed louder. “You say that now but for how long?”

  “For as long as you want,” I said. “I meant what I said before. You can stay here for as long as you want. In return, you’ll need to agree to go to therapy, stay in school, help out around the house and otherwise be good.”

  Her crying quieted. “Good?”

  I smiled into her hair at how suspicious she sounded. “No drinking. No drugs. Be home by curfew. Things like that. Do we have a deal?”

  She hiccupped a few times before nodding. I gave her a gentle squeeze and let her go.

  “I’m just curious … why did you think she ran away?” I asked.

  Chrissy pulled herself to a seated position and grabbed a few tissues from the box next to the bed. “Brittany wasn’t happy. She was feeling, well, suffocated. Her parents, her mother especially, have always been overprotective but since she turned sixteen, they wouldn’t leave her alone. She had a super-strict curfew and her mother was constantly texting her to make sure she was okay. She was ... well, she was getting really sick of it. I guess ... I guess that when I first heard she disappeared, I thought she had done it on purpose. Wanted to teach them a lesson or something. That she didn’t need to have them constantly checking up on her. That she could be gone for a night and not have the world end.”

  I could certainly understand, based
on how Louise had acted yesterday.

  “Is there anything else? Anything else at all, no matter how unimportant it might seem?”

  She shook her head. “No, that’s it.”

  This time I believed her. I reached over to give her one last squeeze. “Okay, so if you want to go with us ...”

  “Candles,” she said.

  “What?”

  “Candles. I ... I remember something.”

  I had been about to rise, but quickly shifted my position. “What do you remember?”

  “Brittany had forgotten the candles. You know, she was going to get one of those big number candles. She had just pulled into the driveway to drop me off when she remembered.”

  “Did she say she was going to pick up the candle?”

  Chrissy shook her head. “No. She just hit the steering wheel and said something like ‘Crap, I forgot the candle.’ I think I was like, ‘Bummer, that sucks,’ and I got out of the car. I’m assuming she stopped somewhere to get the candle on her way home but I don’t know for sure.”

  “We have to tell Daniel,” I said, getting off the bed. “Do you have his number? Or I can get my phone.”

  “I can call him,” she said, reaching for her phone. “And, I’ll go with you,” she said. “To the search.” She stared at me with her big, dark, haunted eyes. “I want to help.”

  I met her gaze and nodded. “Of course. I think that’s a great idea.”

  She smiled slightly at me, then plucked at her filthy tee shirt. “Do you think I have time for a quick shower before we go?”

  Chapter 25

  Even though the search wasn’t officially starting for another hour or so, the church parking lot was overflowing with cars. I parked on the side of the road, pulling up on the soft, damp shoulder. The humidity was so thick and heavy, it was like stepping into a wall of water.

  “Hate the humidity,” Chrissy grumbled next to me, pulling her wet hair back into a ponytail. I looked away quickly to hide my shock. It had been so long since I had seen her pull her hair back. It seemed to me like she had been using her hair as a curtain to hide behind. But with her hair up, I could clearly see the sharp angles of her face, and her collar bones protruding from the vintage black Kiss tee shirt she had borrowed from Mia. I made a mental note to make an appointment with a medical doctor along with the therapist.

  I reached up to adjust my own ponytail, as a few stray hairs were already escaping. Thanks to the humidity, my hair was a frizzy mess. I had skipped the shower, figuring I would need another one after a day spent traipsing in the woods in this weather.

  Mia, who had driven herself so she could go straight to work after the search, caught up to us as we trudged toward the church, listening to the low buzz of insects and smelling that green scent of growth.

  “Why did they decide to coordinate the searches here?” I asked Mia.

  Mia picked her hair up to fan the back of her neck. “Brittany’s car was found about a half mile away. On Krueger’s farm. It seemed like an obvious place.”

  “Makes sense.”

  As we got closer to the church, I could see a long, rectangular table set up on the thick carpet of grass that held bottles of water, apples and plates of muffins and other baked goods along with stacks of flyers and maps. People were gathering in several groups, talking in low voices as they consulted maps and phones. Nearby, a boy with a hunk of brown hair falling into his eyes lightly punched a girl who looked just like him in the arm. Both seemed familiar but I couldn’t place where I had seen them before.

  One of the women behind the table, who looked more than a little sweaty and harried, directed us inside the church to find Daniel. Even though Mia had already spoken to him at the house, he asked us to come find him when we arrived.

  We found Daniel in the corner of the dimly lit lobby that boasted a statue of Mother Mary on one side and a bulletin board covered with church notices on the other. A ceiling fan lazily turned above, barely moving the thick, humid air. Needless to say, it wasn’t a whole lot cooler than outside.

  Four people were huddled together talking quietly. One of the women fanned herself with a church bulletin.

  Daniel was talking on his phone. His blonde hair was damp with sweat and the strain around his eyes had deepened. My palms were sweaty, although that may have simply been because the day was so warm, and I wiped them on my shorts. Margot’s insult from yesterday, when she accused Daniel of being under my ‘spell’ as the ‘Witch’s Niece’ fluttered helplessly around in my head. Oh, how I wished I was seeing Daniel under different circumstances so we could have a conversation about it.

  He ended his call as we approached. “Dogs are coming,” he said. “They should be here shortly but I have a few minutes so it’s perfect timing.” He pulled a little notebook out. “I know you said you didn’t know where Brittany was going to stop for the candles, but can you tell me the stores you went to?”

  I turned to watch Chrissy as she answered Daniel’s questions. As much as I hated how thin she was, I had to admit that in a way, it suited her. It seemed to bring out her beauty even more than when it was hidden under folds of baby fat. Her face was all elegant angles and impossibly high cheekbones, full lips and those huge, liquid brown eyes.

  She was drop-dead gorgeous actually. And, oh God did she look like her father.

  Daniel put his notebook back in his pocket. “I think that’s it for now. I appreciate you telling me as soon as you remembered. And let me know right away if you think of anything else.”

  Chrissy nodded as Daniel strode out of the church, pulling his phone out of his pocket. The group of four people watched him go, then turned to stare at us. They weren’t exactly hostile stares, but they weren’t friendly, either. The woman with the church program fanned herself harder.

  “Well,” Mia said, looking around uncomfortably. “Now what?”

  “Let’s go outside and see what we can do to help,” I said. The sooner I got away from those stares, the better.

  Unfortunately, it didn’t get any better outside. In fact, it was worse. More people, more stares.

  I was about to ask Mia and Chrissy if it even made sense for us to stay when it seemed like we weren’t welcome, when I heard a voice from behind me say, “What the hell are they doing here?”

  Oh no. I closed my eyes briefly before turning to see Louise glowering at us. “Haven’t you done enough?” she said, her voice shaking with anger. “Brittany is gone and it’s all your fault.”

  “We’re here to help,” I said.

  “Help?” she yelped. “Help? You could have ‘helped’ by staying in New York. It’s too late now.”

  “Louise, come now,” one of the older women said, patting Louise’s arm. “We can use all the help we can get.”

  Louise shook her off. “We wouldn’t need any help if she had just stayed in New York!”

  “Look, we’re not trying to upset you ...” I started to say, but Louise interrupted me.

  “Oh!” Her eyes widened in mock surprise. “You could have fooled me.” She took a step closer, narrowing her eyes. “Don’t you understand that your family was somehow involved in every single one of my family’s tragedies? First Jesse, then Jessica, and now Brittany.”

  “Louise,” the older woman said, trying to gently rein Louise in. “Charlie didn’t have anything to do with Jesse leaving. You know that.”

  “I don’t know anything of the sort,” Louise hissed.

  “Mrs. ... “ I paused, suddenly realizing I couldn’t remember Jessica’s last name, nor did I know if her mother shared it. It felt safer to skip it altogether. “I’m so sorry for what’s happened to you. Truly. We really do want to help, but if you want us to go ...”

  “Go? Of course I want you to go!” Louise said. “Any sane person should want you gone. Every time you show up somewhere, something bad happens.”
>
  “Oh God, it’s like she’s a bad penny,” another voice broke in. I turned to see Gina making her way over, her face full of disgust. I closed my eyes briefly. Could this get any worse? “You turn up and something bad always happens. Look at what happened with Pat!”

  Louise whirled back. “That’s right. You were the last to see Pat, too,” she said, shaking her fist at me. “See? Bad things happen wherever you go.”

  “Now, Louise,” an older man, who I assumed was her husband, broke in. “Let’s stay focused on what’s important, which is finding Brittany. The more people looking for her, the better. “

  Louise’s expression turned darker. “What is wrong with you?” she hissed at her husband. “How can you defend her, after what she did?”

  Her husband looked pained. “I’m not ...”

  “Louise!” a voice called out. “You’re needed.”

  Barbara, resembling an exotic bird in her bright-yellow tee shirt and blue plaid cargo pants, strode over. She was slightly out of breath. “They need you at the table. The dogs are here. You, too, Gina.” Gina’s face puckered into a disapproving frown.

  Louise glanced at Barbara before fixing her glare back on me. “I’m busy.”

  Barbara gently put her hand on her arm. “Remember who we’re here for. Let’s find Brittany first, and then we can deal with the rest of this.”

  Louise’s mouth worked like she wanted to argue, but then thought the better of it. She dipped her head slightly before allowing her relieved husband (and a disgusted Gina) to lead her away.

  “Thanks,” I said awkwardly to Barbara, not exactly sure what had just happened, or why Barbara would step in to distract Louise and Gina when she had seemed so hostile toward me at Pat’s house.

  She shrugged. “It was the least I could do.” She paused, a flush creeping up her neck as she stared at something next to me, clearly avoiding eye contact. “My mom mentioned you.”

  I looked at her in surprise. “Really?”