Secrets of Redemption Box Set

by Michele Pariza Wacek

  “Oh, yes. Three emails from someone by the name of “Friend,” that alluded to you being set up.”

  “That’s correct.”

  “And you assumed the emails were referring to Gwyn receiving anonymous notes and voicemails.”

  “The emails said I was being set up,” I explained. “And Gwyn is accusing me of stalking her, but I’m not. So clearly, someone has convinced her I’m the one behind it.”

  “Did the emails mention Gwyn?”

  “No.”

  He looked at me over his glasses. “Did the emails mention any details around how exactly Gywn was being harassed?”

  I shifted uneasily. I didn’t like where this was going. “No, but what else could it have been about?” I asked again.

  Timmons shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking questions. May I take your computer so we can analyze those emails?”

  “Of course. Anything to help.”

  He made another note. “And you believed the emails enough to agree to meet a stranger at a bar twenty minutes away?”

  “It’s a public place,” I said, feeling a little defensive. “I figured I’d be safe.”

  “You didn’t find this at all suspicious?”

  “Of course I did,” I retorted. “But everything in Redemption is a little suspicious. I didn’t think this was any different.”

  Timmons’ lips twitched in a half-smile. “But what I don’t understand is why you didn’t tell Daniel. He’s your boyfriend, right?”

  “I don’t know if ‘boyfriend’ is the right word, but yes, we’re dating.”

  “So why didn’t you tell him?”

  I looked away. A waitress with a mop of frizzy black hair was wiping down a table next to a group of four twenty-something guys who were clearly trying to sweet-talk her.

  Why didn’t I tell Daniel? Looking back now, it seemed so silly, and I wasn’t even sure why. Because I wanted to solve this myself? Because I wanted proof? Because I didn’t want to accuse Louise without proof? Because I initially thought it was CB, and I didn’t want to get him in more trouble? That was the weakest excuse yet. Why would I even care about CB after everything he had done?

  How could I possibly explain this to Detective Timmons? How could I answer why I thought CB had sent the emails, or why I suspected Louise (or someone who knew Louise), of setting me up? What could I say?

  That the first email had the line “The evil that was done,” which points directly to CB? Because Louise talked about ridding Redemption of evil at the memorial service?

  I could tell Detective Timmons already suspected me of something. Maybe just of being an idiot, which truth be told, I probably was, but what if he thought I was somehow ... involved with Ellen’s death? What if he thought that, because CB was my cousin, the apple may not have fallen far from the tree?

  “I didn’t want to bother him,” I finally said.

  Detective Timmons stared at me, his face completely impassive, but I could tell he didn’t believe me.

  “You know Gwyn is his ex-fiancée,” I said, feeling like I needed a better explanation.

  He nodded.

  “Well, I wasn’t sure how much ... I thought it would be easier for him if I brought him actual proof. Then, he could take that back to Gwyn and this could all just ... die down.”

  He slid back into the booth, his eyes never leaving my face. “Are you saying you thought Daniel believed Gwyn over you?”

  “No ... it’s not like that,” I said hastily. When he put it like that, it sounded even worse. “I know he doesn’t think I’m stalking Gwyn. That’s ridiculous.” I laughed, trying to sound natural, but it came off slightly manic. “I didn’t want him talking me out of coming here, you know? And I thought it would be easier for everyone if I got some answers as to what was going on before involving people.”

  Detective Timmons continued to watch me in silence, but this time, I was ready for him. I met his gaze, folded my hands, and waited.

  He studied me a few minutes longer. I had the distinct impression he didn’t believe me. I waited for him to challenge me again, but he chose a different tact. “Okay, so something else doesn’t make sense to me.”

  I stayed quiet and simply inclined my head.

  “This blue truck you claim to have seen.”

  I bit down on my cheek to keep myself from interrupting with, “I DID see a blue truck.” Instead, I just nodded to indicate he should keep going.

  “You claim you saw this truck at A Good Yarn and at the church and then again parked just out here on the side of the road. Sure makes it seem like you’re being followed. So, why would you turn onto a dark, deserted dirt road at night if that were the case? Wouldn’t you think you were in danger? Maybe even falling into a trap?”

  “I didn’t realize the road was as deserted as it was until I turned onto it,” I said. I was starting to feel like one of those kids in a horror movie who goes down into the basement without turning the light on. Honestly, it made sense at the time.

  “I also thought maybe, if I was being followed, it was because he wanted to help me. Tell me why I was being set up.”

  “He?”

  “Aren’t you assuming it’s a he?”

  That half-smile again. “It still seems like a pretty big risk to take. Especially when you take into account what you thought you’d be getting in return.”

  I cocked my head. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, if you were right, and your unknown email sender was going to provide you with information and maybe proof about how you were being set up as Gwyn’s stalker, would that really be worth your getting hurt? Or worse?”

  “That sort of depends on why this is all happening.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “If this stalker means us harm, then yeah. Don’t you think getting to the bottom of it now before anything bad happens makes the most sense? And besides, like I said, when I came here tonight, I thought I would be safe. I thought I was meeting someone in a public place. I didn’t plan to pull onto a deserted gravel road. It just ... well, at the time it seemed like the right thing to do.”

  Detective Timmons eyed me for a long moment. It seemed like he was trying to figure something out about me, but I couldn’t sense whether it was good or bad. But then his cell phone buzzed, breaking the spell.

  He pulled it out, glanced at it, then flipped his notebook closed. “I think we’re good for now. It’s late, I’m sure you’d like to go home.”

  He caught the bartender’s eye and gestured for the check. “Someone will be over tomorrow for your computer.”

  “Okay,” I said.

  He dug around in his pocket, pulling out a money clip and a few business cards. He peeled a couple of bills off the clip, waved me away when I reached for my wallet, and handed the cash to the bartender before giving me a business card. “If you think of anything else, feel free to call me anytime. All my numbers are on there.”

  “Okay,” I said again.

  “And, it would be best if you stayed close to home,” he said. “No out-of-town trips.”

  And there it was. Yet again, I was a person of interest. I slumped in my chair. Nothing like this ever happened to me in New York. And now, I couldn’t even entertain the thought of moving back, after finding Ellen’s body. I wondered if my mother would grant me an extension. I inwardly winced imagining that conversation. “Mom, it’s happened again. I’m involved in another police investigation—this time, a murder. I’ll need a few weeks to clear things up.”

  Yeah, I could just imagine how well that would go over.

  Detective Timmons started to slide out of the booth when I stopped him. “Did you find any sign of the figure or pickup truck?” I asked.

  “We’re still investigating,” he said, which I took as a “no.”

  I sighed and wa
ited for the detective to leave before I slid out of the booth. I kept my head down, not wanting to meet the sharp, curious of eyes of the curly haired waitress or the frat boy bartender, and headed to my car.

  Chapter 15

  “Morning,” Mia greeted me from the kitchen table, a cup of coffee and her laptop in front of her. I was glad she was up. I had wrestled with myself when I had gotten home the night before about whether or not to wake her to tell her about Ellen, but then decided to wait. Mia had been struggling enough with her sleep as it was, and it wasn’t like she could do anything about it right then anyhow.

  Mia nodded toward the kitchen. “Coffee’s fresh.”

  “Thanks,” I said, heading over to get some.

  “You were out late. Did you have fun?”

  I paused for a moment to consider my answer. What I wanted to say was ‘Not in the slightest,’ but that response would likely take us down a conversational road and away from what was really important. As I was reconsidering, Mia read my non-answer in a way I hadn’t intended.

  “Oh no. You’re not going to tell me you were home early again, are you?” She sounded like she was trying to be funny, but when I glanced at her, her smile was strained and forced.

  There was something going on. I needed to ask her about it. But it would have to wait.

  “No, nothing like that,” I said quickly, trying to reassure her. “And, no, ‘fun’ is not the word I would use for what happened last night.”

  “What? Did you and Daniel have a fight or something?”

  “I wish it were that simple.” I took my coffee and carried it to the table to sit next to her. “Ellen is dead.”

  She blinked. “What?”

  “Ellen is dead,” I said again.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Very.”

  She sat very still, processing what I said. “What happened? How do you know? Was Daniel called in? Is that how you know?”

  I took a deep breath. “I know because I was the one who found her body.”

  Her jaw fell open. “What?!? How did that happen? You were with Daniel.”

  I shook my head. “No, I lied about that. I ... okay, it’s too confusing, unless I start at the beginning.”

  I told her everything—Gwyn, the emails, the dark figure, the truck, the meeting that wasn’t, and everything that happened after.

  “So Gwyn thinks she’s being stalked? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

  “Well, for one, you’ve been working so much, we haven’t had a lot of time to chat.”

  Mia inclined her head. “That’s true.”

  “And another, it all happened so fast. It went from being a weird, one-off voicemail on Gwyn’s phone to an actual thing, just like that. Which reminds me, why on earth is Gwyn working at a nursery? I thought she was a teacher.”

  “I don’t know why you thought that. She’s actually a photographer.”

  I did a double take. “A photographer?”

  “Yeah. Well, she does teach photography at the local college. She teaches Sunday School too, now that I think about it.”

  “So, she’s doing a lot of odd jobs, then.”

  “Basically.” Mia smiled slightly. “Honestly, I thought that was part of the reason Daniel fell for her. In that sense, she sort of reminds me of you.”

  “Of me?”

  “Yeah. She’s an artist, like you. Loves to garden, hence the job at the nursery. She’s creative. Not really locked into a straight-forward career. That sort of thing.”

  “That probably explains why I saw her at A Good Yarn buying matte boards.”

  “Yeah, she’s there a lot. Always picking up supplies for herself or her students.”

  “There’s one mystery solved.”

  Mia snorted. “One of about two hundred. And not even the most interesting one, at that. What I want to know is why you would have gone by yourself to meet some stranger. Didn’t you think it was dangerous?”

  “It was a public place, so honestly, I thought I was safe. And, besides, I thought I knew.”

  “Knew ...”

  “Who was behind the emails. And the stalking.”

  Mia’s eyes went wide. “Who?”

  “Louise.”

  “Louise?”

  “Or someone close to her,” I amended.

  “You thought Louise was sending you emails?”

  “No, I thought Louise was the one stalking Gwyn.”

  “What?”

  I slumped over. “This is why I didn’t want to say anything. Not until I had proof.”

  “But I don’t understand. Why would Louise stalk Gwyn?”

  “To get rid of me.”

  Mia shook her head. “I’m not following.”

  “At the memorial service. You heard Louise. She wants to get rid of the evil in this town. In other words, me.”

  “But Louise would never hurt you,” Mia protested. “Yeah, I heard what she said, but she’s just grieving. She finally knows the truth—that Jessica is never coming back. That has to be a blow.”

  “Are you sure she’d never hurt me? I’m not talking physically, but there are other ways to hurt a person.”

  Mia paused. “I guess ... I hadn’t really thought about it like that.”

  “So, just consider it,” I pressed. “She wants me to leave Redemption. That seems pretty clear. So, if you wanted someone to leave, what would you do?”

  “I ... I don’t know,” Mia said.

  I leaned forward. “Well, what about ruining her reputation?”

  Mia stared at me, the light slowly dawning in her eyes.

  “What better way to get rid of me then to set me up as some sort of psycho stalker?” I continued. “I mean, think about it, if you thought I was capable of harassing Gwyn like that, wouldn’t you move out? Wouldn’t you stop being my friend?”

  Mia cocked her head to the side. “Well, when you put it like that ...”

  “Daniel would most certainly break up with me. He’s a cop dedicated to upholding the law. How could he justify being with someone who was breaking it? I also can’t see Daphne wanting to have anything to do with me. So, with no friends or ties, why wouldn’t I leave?”

  “Okay, I see where you’re going with this. But that doesn’t explain the emails. Louise wouldn’t be emailing you.”

  “No, not her. I thought it was CB.”

  Mia looked bewildered. “CB? But he’s in jail. How would he even know what was happening here?”

  “I figured he had a friend in town telling him, or something. And I thought he might know Louise was capable of this, because Brittany might have said something while he had her.”

  “Well, I guess that all makes sense. In a weird way.”

  “That’s why I thought I was basically safe,” I said. “I mean, even if Louise is trying to drive me out of town, I agree with you about her being incapable of physically harming anyone, even me. And CB wouldn’t hurt me. Especially if he was the one behind the emails. So why would he be reaching out unless he was trying to help?”

  “I guess. Still seems to me like you took a pretty big risk.”

  “At the time, it seemed like the obvious choice,” I said. “I had to do something to keep my reputation from being ruined. And this seemed safe enough. Of course, now we know differently.”

  Mia shivered, running her hands up and down her arms. “And you think he’s following you? Whoever led you to Ellen?”

  I raised my hands up. “That’s how it appears.”

  “Do you recognize him?”

  I shook my head. “No. Actually, to be honest, I never got much of a look. Just glimpses of a figure … like a dark shadow following me.”

  “That’s really creepy.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “Do you think he’s followed
you here?” Her eyes widened.

  “I don’t know,” I said. “I’ve never seen the truck here.”

  “But the footsteps,” Mia said. “And Oscar.”

  We stared at each other, horror blossoming between us.

  The night Oscar had uncharacteristically hissed was the same night I thought I heard the click of a closing door … the same night I thought I saw a shadow in the yard.

  Until that moment, I hadn’t put all the pieces together.

  Had he been inside the house?

  “We checked the locks,” I said through numb lips. “We checked the house. There was no sign anyone had been in here.”

  “I heard footsteps again last night,” Mia said, her face white, emphasizing the dark circles under her eyes. I was reminded again about her not sleeping and a jab of guilt hit me. If she wasn’t living here, she likely wouldn’t be under so much stress. Although, if she wasn’t living here, she wouldn’t be able to cut her hours back when school started, so maybe the stress level would have been the same either way. Nevertheless, I didn’t want to add to her fear.

  “It was probably me,” I said. “I got home late.”

  Mia pressed her lips together. “I think we should install an alarm system. And maybe change the locks while we’re at it.”

  “I’m sure it was me last night,” I said, unclear as to whether I was reassuring myself or my friend. “I walked around after I got home checking things.” Thinking back, I realized I had only checked that the doors were locked—not the windows. I had also paced around peering through windows and trying to see the backyard. Was anything there? Had anything ever been there?

  Was anything there now?

  “Even so,” Mia said. “I think it would be smart to put in an alarm system. And change the locks.”

  “You’re right,” I said, as I mentally checked my bank account. The picture wasn’t pretty. “Any idea how much it costs for an alarm system? Maybe we can start with the locks.”

  “I’ll pay for it,” Mia said immediately. “You can pay me back.”

  “But ...”

  “It’s fine,” Mia said shortly. “I know you’re good for it. Besides, it’s still cheaper than paying rent.”

  “Okay,” I said as my phone buzzed. “Thanks. I’ll start making a few phone calls today.”