I opened my mouth to ask her what happened to her, but that’s when I saw a flicker of darkness behind her. A shadow. Dark and menacing.
“Ellen, look out! Something is behind you,” I shouted.
Ellen’s face twisted in disgust. “You think I’m stupid enough to fall for that?”
The shadow grew closer.
“I’m serious,” I said, fighting my restraints. “You’re in danger. Trust me. Just turn around and you’ll see.”
“Trust you. Right.” Her voice was thick with sarcasm. Her arm snaked out and grabbed me by the hair. “Hold still,” she said, the needle dripping with clear poison moving toward me. “This won’t hurt a bit.”
I jerked awake, opening my eyes to see the sun flooding my room, all bright and cheery, banishing the final vestiges of the dark.
What a horrifying dream. I could still feel the soft, unyielding straps of the strait jacket against my skin.
It hadn’t been a great night. I spent most of it restlessly tossing and turning as thoughts of Gwyn, the strange emails, Louise, and my mother competed for space in my brain.
Sometime in the early part of the morning, I finally dozed off into that dreadful dream.
I got out of bed and went to stand by the window. The garden below was in full bloom, the flowers a riot of colors. White, puffy clouds dotted the deep-blue sky.
It was going to be a beautiful day.
I pressed my forehead against the glass. What was I to do? I had less than a week to decide if I was staying or going. That wasn’t nearly enough time to see if I had what it took to get the business off the ground. I would need at least a few months, if not longer, for that.
How could I possibly decide?
From behind me, I heard a soft thump as Oscar jumped onto the floor, and a second later, felt his soft fur brush against my legs. He purred.
Clearly, he was ready for breakfast. I bent down to stroke him. His dark-green eyes stared into mine.
The color reminded me of Jackie’s little girl, Maggie. That day in the parking lot, she had worn a green dress with a matching green stone around her neck.
The same green as Oscar’s eyes.
I continued to stroke Oscar as I thought about Jackie’s email. She had been so excited to hear I was getting into the business. She couldn’t wait to buy some tea.
A potential client.
Oscar purred louder.
Maybe the thing to do right now was focus on taking care of her, and then I could just sort of see what happens.
Thoughtfully, I stood up and headed out to find Jackie’s file.
***
I discovered a few things during my search.
The first was that Aunt Charlie had an awful lot of clients. Easily a couple hundred. And it appeared like most of them were regulars, ordering their teas and tinctures monthly (if not weekly).
That was great news … yet I couldn’t help but wonder how many would welcome me back like Jackie. Would they buy from me as regularly as they did from Aunt Charlie?
The second discovery was that I didn’t have nearly enough plants. I would need more if I was serious about this business. I started making a list of the herbs and flowers Aunt Charlie had used in her concoctions, and mentally compared them to what I had growing in the garden.
Yeah, not nearly enough.
So, after coffee, a fast breakfast, and an even faster shower, I grabbed my keys and purse and headed off to the nursery.
In addition to everything else I had to figure out, I realized I was also going to need a bigger place than The Studio for growing herbs and flowers year-round. Should I consider putting in a greenhouse? I remembered my aunt mulling over the possibility, but clearly, it had never gotten any further than that.
And I needed a plan for cutting expenses. Would it be possible to collect and use my own seeds over time? Of course, putting in a greenhouse would hardly save money in the short-term, but hopefully over the long haul, it would allow me to expand, which would save me money.
Man, I wished Aunt Charlie was here. Not only because I had so many questions to ask her, but also because, quite simply, I missed her.
“Are you following me?”
The sharp voice cut through my sadness like glass, and I turned, one hand clutching a lavender plant. Gwyn was standing there, arms on her hips. She wore a green apron with a name tag, and her face was flushed.
With a start, I realized she worked there. First the art store and now here? How did this happen? And why was she working at a garden store anyway? I thought she was a teacher.
“I ... uh ...” I put the plant in my cart and started to edge away. “I’m going to go.” I had no idea if I had enough supplies or not, but it didn’t matter. I just needed to get out of there. I could drive to Milwaukee if I needed to.
Her hand shot out and she grabbed my shopping cart. “You didn’t answer my question.”
I tried to wrench the cart away. “Look, I’m going. I don’t want any trouble ...”
Her eyebrows went up. “Trouble? You don’t want any trouble?” She let out a short bark of laughter. “Why are you here, then?”
“Why do you think?” I gestured toward my cart, feeling a stab of irritation. “I’m buying plants.”
“And you had to pick today? The one day I’m here in the store? Yeah, I’m sure that was a coincidence.” Her voice was heavy with sarcasm.
“God Gwyn, get over yourself. I had no idea you even worked here. It’s not like there’s a lot of nurseries in this town to choose from.”
“Right. Just like you didn’t know I would be at the art store.”
“I didn’t. Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but I can tell you whatever it is, it has nothing to do with me.”
“Who else then?” Her voice had risen, and now, people were starting to glance in our direction. “Who else would call and harass me, and leave notes on my car? I’ll tell you who ... no one. No one else.”
Her cheeks were even more flushed, making her white-blonde hair appear even more white. I was about to deny it again, and try and get her to lower her voice, when I suddenly realized what she said. “Wait a minute. Did you say ‘notes’? As in plural?”
She made a face. “Like you don’t know.”
I reached out to grab her arm. “Gwyn, tell me. What other notes have you gotten?”
She tore her arm away. “I’m talking about the second one I got this morning. Yeah. Sitting there on my car, waiting for me, when I left for work. Nice way to start the day.”
I could feel a cold knot of dread start to tighten in my stomach. “What did it say?”
She glared at me. “Like you don’t know.”
“Gwyn, what did it say?”
She must have seen something in my face, because she finally relented. “’Your friend Ellen had the right idea. Why don’t you join her and disappear too?’”
Disappear.
For the second time now, Gwyn was told to disappear. And she was being connected with Ellen, who had disappeared.
Maude, telling me to be careful, so I wouldn’t disappear.
The shadow I kept seeing.
You’re being set up.
Why would Gwyn’s anonymous note sender connect her with Ellen?
One had tormented me when I was trapped and helpless in a psychiatric hospital. The other was the ex-fiancée of the man I was seeing.
You’re being set up.
The Ellen in my dream loomed, shadow behind her. Time for your medicine.
I took a step back, horror blossoming in my chest. “You’re friends with Ellen,” I breathed, suddenly remembering seeing them together. “Do you know where she is?”
“Of course not. Why? Do you?” Her eyes searched mine before narrowing accusingly. “Wait. Did you do something to Ellen, too?”
“You’re seriously threatening me?” She interrupted. “Here? In public?”
“It’s not a threat,” I said, my voice rising as well. “I’m trying to help you. Something is going on here, Gwyn, and I think you need to be careful.”
She shook her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe it. The nerve you have. Just you wait until I tell Daniel. He keeps saying I don’t have proof. Well,” she shook her fist at me, “maybe I should be thanking you. For finally giving me that proof.”
I glanced around, realizing how many people were standing there watching us. I quickly scanned their faces, but I couldn’t tell if they were siding with Gwyn or not. The low murmurs certainly felt intimidating.
Could the person doing all of this be standing there right now? Watching us?
My skin ached to crawl off my body. I had to get out of there. Now. I let go of my cart and grabbed my purse. “I have to go,” I said, pushing my way past Gwyn, past the crowd.
“That’s right,” she called after me. “You better run. I have everything I need now.”
I pushed my way past the front door and nearly ran to my car.
I went straight home. I had no idea what was going on, but one thing I was clear about was that I didn’t feel safe.
Was I being set up? If I was, why?
Could it be someone else in Redemption wanted me gone?
Or ...was there something even darker happening?
The evil that was done.
Maybe I should just give up—just pack up and take the financial lifeline my parents were offering. Maybe my mother WAS right, and I would thank her one day, because it was the right thing for me to do.
It seemed like every time I turned around, something bad was happening to me or someone I loved. Maybe what I ought to do was take the hint and leave.
The sooner the better.
I quickly drove home. The house was empty. Thank God. I didn’t think I could handle facing Mia or Chrissy right then. I dropped my purse and my phone and ran up the stairs.
I ran all the way up to The Studio.
My office. My art studio. My sanctuary.
The place where I was happiest as a child. The place where all my dreams were supposed to come true.
I paced around, too agitated to sit.
Was I really going to give it all up?
Finally, I calmed down enough to sit at my desk and fire up my computer. At the very least, I should email Jackie and give her an update. Let her know I didn’t have all the plants I needed in my garden for her tea. Maybe I should also tell her there was a good chance I would be leaving in a week as well, and that I had been premature in telling her I was starting the business up again.
I paused and pondered the direction of my thoughts. Did I really want to do that? Disappoint her? Break my word?
I thought about all the people I was going to let down if I packed up and left the coming weekend. Obviously, Mia and Chrissy would be the hardest hit, but I had also made commitments to Daphne and Daniel as well.
Did I want to add one more broken promise to the list?
I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling a sudden ache. Was there another way to do this? Support Jackie regardless of what I ended up doing? Was there a way to keep at least one of my promises, no matter what?
I glanced around The Studio, looking for inspiration, when my eyes fell on Pat’s file in the recycling bin. Pat, the older woman who had insisted I make her tea before she was murdered. I had pulled it out of the customer stack earlier, as it was pretty clear she wasn’t going to be needing any tea anymore.
Wait a minute. I HAD made tea for Pat—using Aunt Charlie’s old supplies. I had nearly forgotten about that. Aunt Charlie had a selection of dried herbs and flowers stored in glass jars stacked up in the closet in The Magic Room, which was now Mia’s school study.
Of course. It was so obvious; I couldn’t believe I had forgotten. I didn’t need to buy plants or seeds. I could use up Aunt Charlie’s supplies, even if they were a little on the old side.
The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. It would give me an excuse to reach out to old customers and get an idea as to whether they would be willing to buy from me, which would give me a much better gauge on how viable this business was. I could even turn it into an event, like a “getting rid of inventory sale.” And, if I was able to use everything up, I’d have one less thing to worry about moving, if I went that route.
And if I stayed, I would have a much better sense of which herbs and flowers were the most popular, so I’d know what to focus on growing.
Yes, going to the nursery was silly. What if I ended up leaving? What would I have done with those plants?
This idea was so much smarter.
I had been so lost in thought, I hadn’t noticed my email inbox filling up with mail. Well, I might as well clean it out before going to look for Aunt Charlie’s supplies. Once I had a handle on what I had to work with, I could figure out how much tea I could make. Maybe this plan would even buy me a little more time to get to the bottom of what was happening now in Redemption … while seeing if it made sense for me to stay.
Another email from “Friend” was sitting right there in my inbox, waiting for me. This one didn’t have a subject line. I could feel my heart pounding as I stared at it.
It had been sent that very morning, just like Gwyn’s second note.
Could it possibly be related?
I opened it.
If you want to get to the bottom of your set up, be at The Grand Slam Sports Bar and Grill at 8:00 pm sharp tonight. Tell no one. You don’t know who you can trust.
The house was so quiet around me, I could hear my breathing, loud and harsh, in my ears.
It occurred to me, not for the first time, how alone I was.
It would be so easy for someone to break in. No one would see. No one would hear.
I pushed away from my desk and hurried down the stairs. I found myself searching each room, every nook and cranny.
I was alone. Of course I was.
But that didn’t change the email. Who was sending them?
It couldn’t be CB. He was still in jail. How could he meet me at The Grand Slam?
Unless ... he had help.
Someone on the outside. Maybe one of his old buddies.
That would make a lot of sense. If someone else was in town, watching and feeding him information, then it could be him after all.
The thought made me almost giddy with relief. CB wouldn’t hurt me. The last time I saw him, he told me he was actually still trying to protect me.
Maybe he really did have some information that could help me. Or, better yet, maybe he had some kind of proof that I could show Daniel—so he would know that I had nothing to do with stalking Gwyn.
Yes, the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. Even the request for secrecy made sense. Chances were, CB wasn’t supposed to be sending me emails, so the fewer people who knew about it, the better.
I firmly quashed the little voice inside me that still questioned whether it was CB or not.
Of course it was CB.
Who else could it possibly be?
Chapter 12
I heard the front door slam and Mia and Chrissy’s laughter as they walked through the house. Mia jumped when she saw me sitting in the kitchen. “Becca, you startled me,” she said. “Why didn’t you say something? Why are you sitting here in the dark?”
It wasn’t even six o’clock yet, so it was hardly dark … but with the sun beginning its evening descent, the kitchen was filled with harsh shadows. Turning the light on would make it easier
to see, sure. But I wasn’t interested in seeing. I just wanted to sit at the table, nurse the glass of wine in front of me, and think.
I had a lot to think about.
It had to be CB sending the emails. At the very least, he was surely the brain behind them. I couldn’t see anyone else using the phrase the evil that was done.
But who was the person setting me up?
My mind kept circling back to the memorial service—Louise pledging to rid Redemption of evil.
Could it be her?
The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. What better way to get rid of someone than by ruining her reputation? Louise would set me up as a crazy nut from a crazy family. “Sure, she didn’t actually hurt Gwyn, but look at what her cousin CB did. And her husband Stefan. Who knows what depths she would sink to?” I could practically hear her.
How could Mia and Daniel and Daphne continue defending me then?
And, once I lost their support, why would I possibly stay?
No, this really was a perfect set up. No one gets hurt, at least physically. And I would leave. For good. And once I was gone, my whole family’s taint on Redemption would also be gone.
As for CB discovering Louise’s plan ... was it possible that Brittany said something to him? Brittany, Jessica’s niece and Louise’s granddaughter. Brittany, who CB had abducted.
Maybe Louise was planning this weeks ago … right after Daniel and Gwyn broke up. And maybe she said something about it either to Brittany or in Brittany’s presence.
Certainly possible.
The official report was that CB had kept Brittany drugged the entire time he had her.
But ... there still could have been pockets of time between dosages when she was lucid. Maybe she had said something to him. Or maybe she had even said something while she was drugged.
It all made sense. The only problem with my theory was that I had no proof.
And I absolutely needed it. Without proof, it all felt like a crazy conspiracy. Worse, without proof, I would be accusing and blaming Louise, a grieving mother and sister, of being a stalker.
Secrets of Redemption Box Set Page 77