Secrets of the Weeping Willow

by Kathleen Anastasia

  Yes, that would work…she hoped.

  Chapter 31

  When Elizabeth woke the next morning with the sun shining in her eyes, she groaned in discomfort. Absently wondering how much wine she and Aurora had polished off while filling her in on what she had missed, talking into the wee hours of the morning. She rolled her head to look at the time, eleven in the morning, she saw before she looked back up to the ceiling, her arm thrown across her eyes. Then the sound of a riverboat horn just outside the window made her head pound behind her eyes. After several more minutes, she finally found the strength to sit with her legs resting over the edge, her elbows on her thighs, mentally willing the pain to go away. Until her bladder screamed at her in protest, she stood up and the floor was warm on the soles of her feet as she walked to bathroom. When Elizabeth saw her reflection in the mirror, she was surprised that Aurora had not asked more questions about why she had looked so grimy and disheveled.

  The water was hot as it beat down on her, easing some of her pain while washing away the grime from the day before. She had been so distraught when she left Leo’s, she had forgotten to shower after her little run. ‘If that was what you could call it’ she reminded herself. Elizabeth stood in the soothing heat until the pain in her head eased up to a tolerable level and her mind started to function once more.

  Trying to remember all the details from the night before and what she had said to Aurora about her former life and if she had said anything about Roger, whom she felt, no whom she knew, was the same person.. With her head clearing slightly, she had a sinking feeling in her gut that Leo once more knew more than he was letting on and if that wasn’t the case, then how did he know to warn her about him? The veiled question posed in the rain, implied more than what he had said to her, which made her wonder what else had he dug up without telling her, and that she had only known him a week played heavily on her mind.

  But more importantly, if what she remembered about her past and why her mother was murdered was accurate, then Roger had a big stake in keeping her alive. This clarity gave her a chance in the game Roger was playing, but not as much as she had hoped. He still was dangerous and would do anything to extract the information she had. Now, all she had to do was tell her best friend, who felt like she had found the love of her life, that she was dating a guy who had coldly killed her mother, and was using her to get information without sounding paranoid and crazy.

  Or, maybe she already had told Aurora last night. Her memory of the prior night still fuzzy in places from all the wine, which would explain why Aurora was not around when she had wakened…she had not thought of that until now. Maybe she had run over to Roger’s this morning to let him know what her crazy friend remembered. Her heart skipped at the thought of Aurora running to Roger, her paranoid mind trusted nothing. Because if Aurora did get up and went to Roger’s, then her life at this very moment could be in danger. Right now, he could be getting the information he needed, then, disposing of Aurora.

  But, she doesn’t have all the information, Elizabeth thought. So he could then use Aurora as leverage to get the rest of the information.

  ‘Stop, stop, stop’ Elizabeth felt sick as the words shouted in her head and the twisted direction it had gone. She needed to start thinking more rationally and not let her over-worked imagination get the best of her. Besides, she didn’t even know where Aurora was or even where he lived, hell, she just figured out last night who he really was. Furthermore, she most likely did not tell Aurora about Roger in her tale telling last night because she would remember blurting out that she was dating a master manipulator, criminal, and murderer. Once she could think of it more clearly, she would remember that…right? No question, she would remember that, she thought with a sigh of relief.

  She took in a deep breath, to calm her fragile nerves as she talked to herself, ‘Stop being paranoid. Think rationally. Aurora drank as much as you last night. And besides, he might not even be your Roger, he could be just a nice guy that Aurora met and had the exact same name.’

  Elizabeth felt a little better with the direction of her thoughts, as she leaned her head forward against the cool tile lining the shower stall. Now she just needed to recall where it was they had lived before her mother was murdered. Murdered, her heart jumped with the word. This was the first time she had said the word to herself without a massive amount of other emotions dancing through her head. The simple word filled her with the terror of what she was dealing with. A shiver ran though her as the air around her cooled, touching her moist skin. Sighing, she opened the shower door to grab a towel to wrap around her, knowing what she needed to do. Her mind finally clearer then it had been in days.

  Her hand reached for another towel as she stepped out of the shower using it to towel dry her hair. Then Aurora’s voice beyond the door quickened her heart, making her feel better that her paranoia was wrong.

  Elizabeth smiled as she stepped through the bathroom door, then became startled when she heard her name, her interest perked as she paused just outside the door before she walked towards Aurora, listening with unabashed interest to her conversation. A strange sensation overtook her as she realized with whom she is talking. As her heart jumped into her throat, she found herself curious about what was being said.

  After several more minutes of listening to the one sided conversation, Aurora finally hung up, her hand paused on the receiver before she turned to face Elizabeth. “That was Leo.”

  “I know,” Elizabeth said wildly, attempting to act indifferent and uninterested, a contradiction to how she felt. She felt instead her heart pound in her breast, her hands shaking slightly as she rubbed them against her towel. Before she crossed them across her chest. “What did he want?”

  “He wanted to make sure you were ok,” Aurora said, Elizabeth hearing the hesitation in her voice.

  “Did... did he want to talk to me?” Elizabeth asked, the question provoking a sense of panic in her.

  “No,” Aurora said, a look of apology crossing her face.

  Elizabeth felt her heart drop with the reply, before hardening herself once more, “I’m not surprised. Because he knows there are a lot of questions he would have to answer. Then when I have them, I would tell him to fuck off,” Elizabeth said, attempting to cover the hurt as her voice gained strength. Her anger swelled up again to cover the disappointment.

  Shock filled Aurora’s eyes at Elizabeth’s harsh words. “That’s a bit harsh don’t you think? I mean, I don’t know him that well. But the feeling I’m getting is that he really does care for you.”

  A mixture of emotions filled Elizabeth as she looked at Aurora, his betrayal the leading emotion as she raised her eyebrows at the comment. “Did you not listen to me last night? He lied to me. He knew about my mom and didn’t say anything to me.”

  “Did you give him a chance to explain why?”

  “Explain what? I hired him to research my past, get information I was unable to find.”

  An exasperated look crossed Aurora’s face, “Elizabeth, you’re not even going to give him a chance to explain his reasoning.”

  Elizabeth raised her eyebrows in disbelief as she leaned back slightly from Aurora. “Oh, I gave him a chance to explain. He told me. I was too fragile to handle the information.”

  “Are you sure that is what he said?” Aurora asked hesitantly.

  Resting her hands on her hips, Elizabeth leaned forward., not believing she is hearing Aurora correctly. “Am I sure? I can’t believe you just asked me that,” She said, as she turned away from Aurora walking into the bedroom to retrieve her brush, anger making her steps heavy.

  Elizabeth gripped the handle with the sting of misunderstanding and sadness that started to settle down and around her. She couldn’t believe Aurora’s behavior; it seemed unnatural and seemingly guilty. She was starting to wonder if Aurora could be hiding something from her also, she had known Aurora long enough to know when she was
trying to smooth something over.

  Elizabeth turned back to look at Aurora. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

  “No.” A guilty look crossed her face.

  “There is. I can tell. You were never good at hiding things from me,” Elizabeth said waving the brush as she walked back to Aurora. “What are you not telling me?”

  Stepping back, Aurora lifted her hands in surrender. “Fine. I’ll tell you. But I need you to promise you won’t overreact?”

  Angry at the request, Elizabeth stepped even closer. “Stop playing games. I have had enough of being left in the dark for a lifetime. Just tell me.”

  “I told Leo not to tell you about your mother,” Aurora said quickly.

  Shocked at the words, Elizabeth heard a humming in her ears as she stared at Aurora’s guilty expression. The implication of her words slapped her across her face. Elizabeth staggered back slightly from the weight, not believing what she just heard. That all this time she was telling Aurora what had happened, she had known all along. She had known even before Elizabeth had known. So that meant that she had been the only one in the dark about her mother. Everyone had betrayed her in one way or another; no one had trusted her with the knowledge of her past.

  Elizabeth walked over to the bench at the end of the bed her body heavy as she sank down onto the cushion seat. She stared at the hardwood floor, not sure what to do next. All this time she had counted on Aurora telling her everything and not holding anything back. She was the one person, she had believed, who had not kept…what she knew from her. They were supposed to tell each other everything, no matter what. Aurora’s voice a distant murmur in the back of her mind as her thoughts raced.

  Finally she looked up at Aurora, numb from emotions, her voice soft. “I need to get dressed.”

  Aurora’s eyes reflected a pain as she looked down at Elizabeth. “Elizabeth, please let me explain.”

  Standing, Elizabeth looked Aurora in the eyes, surprised by her lack of emotions towards the pain she saw reflected in them, instead she felt disappointed, her steps heavy as she walked over to the dresser to pull out her clothes. Her body moved in auto drive as she pulled them on. Elizabeth cleared her throat as she started towards the door, “I need to go out.”

  “Where are you going?” Aurora asked, tears lacing her words.

  “Just out. I need air. I need to think. Breathe,” Elizabeth said as she opened the door. Then Roger’s sadistically smiling face filled her head as she turned back. “Can you do me a favor?”

  “Sure.” Aurora said hopefully.

  “Can you go back to Ann Arbor and check on Rita, and I know it is a lot of me to ask…but can you refrain from telling Roger about what I told you.”

  “Why?” Aurora asked in obvious confusion. “I thought we had agreed that I would stay to help?”

  “Circumstances change and I’ll explain later, just do that favor for me without question for now.” She said with a sigh, her voice neutral in resignation.

  “Okay, but don’t expect me not to return.”

  “Whatever.” Elizabeth said in exasperation, she would deal with that when it came, she thought, as she stepped through the door. A sense of relief filled her momentarily that she had averted one possible danger.

  Elizabeth ignored the elevator, taking the stairs instead to keep herself moving forward, knowing if she paused, she may question herself further and not accomplish what she needed to do before it was too late. She walked up to the front desk clerk, having formed a loose plan during the walk down the stairs. She inquired about a rental car and asked if he could possible rent one for her, for a day or two. Hopefully one with off road capabilities, then she told him she would be back in a couple of hours to pick it up.

  Elizabeth stepped out into the sunlight and bustle of activities, momentarily surprised that life did continue as normal, that it didn’t stop, because her life was in a complete shambles.

  She shook away the feeling as she walked in the direction the front desk clerk had given her to the city hall. Her shoulders pulled back and her head held high, determined to prove them all wrong.

  She was strong.

  Chapter 32

  Elizabeth bypassed the overgrown driveway at least twice before she was able to find its exact location with the information which she had ascertained at City Hall. The condition of the drive overgrown and ruddy, barely passible, glad she had the foresight to request an off road rental vehicle; the jeep taking the punishment like it was meant to do. The condition of the drive also filled her with hope that the house had been forgotten and what she needed to find would still be where her mother had buried it.

  It can’t be much further she thought, as she gripped the steering wheel tightly when another large rut in the road jarred her; her eyes straining to see around the next bend, the trees and bushes making it almost impossible to see. Mentally crossing her fingers that Roger had not thought of staking out this location because the thought of coming across him in such an isolated area frightened her more than she wanted to admit. The thought giving her pause, the realization that if she did need help that most likely no one would be around to help her. She wished she had kept up on her Tae Kwon Do skills and hadn’t quit after the fifth belt level.

  Once more, she wondered why she had not just swallowed her pride and told either Aurora or Leo where she was going. ‘Oh that’s right…they are both lying shits.’ she told herself in anger; their withholding of information from her still stung.

  Elizabeth took in a deep breath, Leo filled her thoughts, ‘Okay he may be a lying piece of shit… but oh how she wished at this moment that he was with her.’ her anger toward him diminished slightly with her fear and knowledge that he thought he had been acting on her best interest…or believed he had with whatever Aurora had told him. But only slightly; as she thought of all he had done for her.

  Maybe, he did have a point in not telling her about Rita and maybe Aurora was right in giving him that advice. But, then again, maybe…the thought left her head as another large rut jarred her so hard that she bit down on her lip; the taste of blood filled her mouth as she cursed once more at the drive, holding her mouth in pain. The action brought her full attention back to the lane, her eyes watching for the next big bump to avoid, which was close to impossible with the large live oak trees that now lined both sides of the drive, their long branches reaching across the expansion of drive to touch each other, creating a natural canopy and shadows from the afternoon sun that peaked through.

  The drive finally opened up to a clearing where an old abandoned white Victorian house stood with a wraparound porch. The house just like in her vision; her first night in New Orleans when she had come across the gypsy, except now the paint was chipped and peeling and weeds grew tall around the house. A weeping willow sat off to the side, its long thin branches skimming the ground, a broken swing slightly visible. Elizabeth’s heart caught at the familiar sight.

  She stepped out of the jeep, her steps hesitant as she walked slowly down the overgrown path that led to the porch, glass crunched under her feet as she stepped onto several broken bottles most likely from teenage kids partying. Her attention then drawn upwards when a flash of light caught her vision, momentarily blinded by the light, she raised a hand to shield her eyes against the glare before she stepped forward into the shadow of the house, in an attempt to view the widow’s peak on the top of the house without the glare of the sun. Her heart in her throat as she strained to see anything abnormal, positive she had seen something move just beyond the pane. After several tense minutes she shook her head at the absurdity of it as she skirted around more debris scattered across the ground.

  Saddened by the condition of the house, it had been so exciting and beautiful the first time she and her mother had driven up to it, those many years ago. How it had looked so beautiful with its widow’s peak, although she didn’t know that was what it
was called then, she had only thought of it as a tower on a castle as in her fairytales she so loved to read. Then the porch that wrapped around its exterior, with a wood porch swing that hung from chains and was positioned in front of a large picture window. It had looked like a picture from a magazine.

  She had been so glad for that day; she had felt safe for the first time in a long time, as she had gazed upon this house in front of her now. She can still remember running up the steps to the front door, excited to look inside, but most excited to run up to her tower in their new castle.

  They were free of Roger, or so she had thought, she had been so young and naïve. She had believed back then that her mother could protect them from anything, even all the demons that lurked in the corners of her mind.

  How wrong she had been.

  Elizabeth paused just as she reached the steps, thoughtful as she realized that she was remembering the house, not as a flash back or even a dream, but truly remembering a childhood memory. The house made her feel whole, even with all that had happened beyond those walls. It was still a large piece of the puzzle she had been searching for.

  The house called her, drawing her closer, to find the secrets buried and forgotten for so many years. But most importantly, the secrets that had killed her mother and stolen her life, the very secrets that Roger was seeking so hard to uncover. She knew only a faction of those then, but with what her mother had buried, she was hoping to uncover all of them to eliminate Roger for once and for all. Apprehensive and scared of the answers, she knew needed to be uncovered, she took the stairs slowly, the wood soft underfoot as it splintered and sagged under her weight.

  Elizabeth then cursed when a sliver of wood on the railing, cuts into the palm of her hand, the sharp pain made her forget for a moment where she was as she examined the offensive piece of wood barely protruding from her hand.