Sidetracked-Kobo

by Brandilyn Collins

  I watched her go, pulse pounding. Counting her steps as I feigned indifference. Turn around, Tina. Turn around!

  She didn’t.

  I broke into a sweat. This game of chicken was too much to take. Even if she did come back, what would I say? I still wasn’t sure what I was doing. How to bargain with someone I could never trust?

  Tina had covered half the distance to her rental car. My fingers curled into my palms. I could not let her drive away. So what if she took all the money? If there was the slightest chance she wouldn’t call the police on me, it would be worth it. I wouldn’t lose Andy. My life.

  My lips parted to call her back. But before the words could form—Tina turned around.

  I closed my mouth. Uncurled my fists. Breathe, Laura, breathe.

  For a moment Tina merely glared. Despite the distance, I could feel her fury. It seethed across the park and over me, a miasma of the embittered years she’d spent suing me, then hunting me down.

  As if a momentous decision overtook her, she stalked toward me.

  Casually, I moved my computer back onto the bench. Leaned over to pick up the bank statements and slid them into my tote bag.

  Hands folded in my lap, I watched Tina stomp across the distance between us. Surely she would see the pump of my heart through my blue top.

  She carved to a stop before me, arms folded and legs apart. A cop stance. “You’re going to wish you’d done this the easy way, Laura Denton.”

  As if it could get any harder.

  “But you know”—Tina jabbed a finger toward me—“before I even came to Redbud something told me you’d play it stupid. And I was not about to let you keep my money from me. Not after all these years.” A gluttonous smile spread across Tina’s face. She tilted back her head and regarded me through narrowed eyes. “So I devised a plan. Just in case.”

  Fear trickled through me. Dealing with this woman was like trying to subdue a rabid dog.

  Tina unfolded her arms and scratched beneath her chin. “You wondered how I got here so fast? You’re right—I’ve been here. For over a week.”

  A week? A chill ran through me.

  “Took me five long years of tracking you through bank records. But I finally found you.”

  Get a life, Tina. This woman was nothing short of crazy. “Bet it got you fired, too. You use police resources to do that?”

  Smugness stretched Tina’s mouth. “For the past week I watched you, Miss Laura. Watched the town. Learned things. Like the fact that you had a sweet little friend, Clara, who was about to have a wedding shower.”

  A hand clamped over my lungs and fisted.

  “Seems everybody loved Clara. The town sweetheart. And then there was that lanky, gawky boy-man who had a crush on her. He and I had such nice talks.”

  Cold realization dawned. “You told him your name was Susan.” Incredulity coated my tone.

  But Billy had said the woman was blonde.

  Tina’s face creased in feigned disappointment. “Oh, did he tell on me? After I warned him not to.”

  “Why did you bother Billy?” My voice rose. “He’s never done a thing to you.”

  Tina regarded me with supreme satisfaction. “Billy needed to be at a certain place on a certain night. I made sure he was there.”

  I frowned. Deep inside me the truth was beginning to gel. But I couldn’t accept it. “On Brewer, you mean? When Clara was killed?”

  Tina gazed around the park, as though remembering a fond event.

  “Why?” My tone sharpened.

  Tina’s eyes locked onto mine. “One thing I couldn’t have planned? You finding Clara’s body. That was pure serendipity. A gift from the gods.”

  The vise in my chest tightened. One by one my limbs turned to lead. What was she saying? “You knew Clara was going to die?”

  Tina spread her hands.

  No. Impossible. Nothing she said could have made Billy do this. “You were there that night?” The words croaked. Suddenly I thought of the height of the shadowed figure I’d seen in the Graysons’ yard. “Was it you standing by that bush?”

  Another wicked smile from Tina.

  But this made no sense. “Billy would not kill Clara, no matter what you told him.”

  Tina’s eyebrows rose. She laughed. “Is that what you’re thinking?”

  I gawked at her, my mouth dry. If Billy didn’t …

  Understanding thudded in my chest. I drew my head back, sickness spreading to the core of me. “Are you telling me you killed Clara?” I pushed to my feet, almost tripping over the tote bag. “What are you telling me? Why?”

  Tina shoved her forefinger in my face. “Don’t act so sacrosanct, Miss Innocent. Don’t you dare. This is your fault. If you hadn’t run here and lied to the whole town about who you are, she wouldn’t have had to die.”

  My jaw flapped. Words could not form in my throat.

  “See what I mean, doing it the hard way? Now, thanks to your idiocy, Laura Denton, you get to live with the knowledge of what you caused. You’ll forever have to look these people in the eye and know. And don’t think you can run away from me to some other town. Because I’ll find you again. And someone else close to you will die. Get it?” Tina’s eyes turned black. “That money is mine. It’s always been mine. And I will not let you keep it from me another day!”

  My ankles shook. I felt myself sway. Tina was a murderer. As evil as she’d been, I’d never have thought it. Even now I couldn’t believe it. For mere money, Clara had died?

  “You—” My legs gave out. I sat down hard on the bench. Bent over, hands across my waist. “I’ll never let you get away with this.” The words squeezed from me.

  Tina laughed. “Of course you will. Because you’re going to transfer all the money in those accounts to me right now. Then I will walk out of here and never bother you again. You can keep your fake name and lying life. You can marry that man of yours. Sounds like he’s got plenty of money anyway; you won’t even miss what you’ve given me. You can have your happy ending, Delanie Miller.”

  Happy ending? “Billy’s in jail for what you did!”

  “Shame. No doubt he’ll be convicted. We’ve seen it happen before, haven’t we. But all the better for you this time. Case closed, life goes on. Mrs. Delanie Bradshaw, Redbud socialite. Has a nice ring, wouldn’t you say?”

  “No.” My stomach roiled. “I … can’t.”

  “Laura.” Tina bent over me. “You have no choice.”

  This couldn’t be true. If Tina committed this crime, she was right—I was to blame for Clara’s death. And for Billy’s arrest. Tina may have orchestrated it. But my lies, my wrong decisions had brought this evil woman here. How could I live with that?

  I jerked up straight. “I do have a choice. I can go tell the police right now.” I grabbed my laptop and started to rise.

  Tina shoved me back down. “Tell them what? They’ll never believe you, Laura. You have absolutely no proof. Especially after I tell Melcher who you are. Like I said, he may turn to you for the murder. Then you’ll lose absolutely everything—for no reason. And I’ll still go free.”

  The trembling had risen from my legs to my arms, my neck. I thunked my laptop onto the bench. Stared at Tina. How could she be this way? How could anyone do this? I slumped back against the bench, my gaze raking the ground as if an answer lay hidden there. Surely God would show me something. Anything.

  “We’ve seen it happen before, haven’t we.”

  Tina’s words pierced through my thoughts. I stilled, eyes fixed on a thick weed in the grass. The chaos in my brain turned milky. Trickled away.

  “We’ve seen it happen before …”

  The comment bounced around in my head. Gathered momentum.

  Memories flashed then, errant bits and phrases spotlighted into a new, horrifying picture:

  My father in obvious misery the last time I’d spoken with him on the phone in CYA: “I’ll have to tell you everything.
”

  My attorney questioning him on the stand: “When did you meet Miss Fulder?” “Two months after my wife was killed.” My father had looked down when he answered—because he was lying?

  I’d been framed for my mother’s death—by someone who obviously understood crime scene evidence.

  My father driving around in his new red Porsche after my mother’s inheritance—a car bound to attract the attention of a money-hungry woman.

  Tina’s constant rant, “That money’s mine. It’s always been mine.”

  My father’s strange car accident, soon after our phone conversation.

  No. No.

  My insides deadened. I could not feel my heartbeat.

  Slowly I raised my head. Tina’s face swam before me. “You killed my mother.”

  Tina took a step back. Then drew up to her full height, chin high. “Think so?”

  I wrapped my fingers around the edge of the bench. If I didn’t steady myself I would slip to the ground, melt away like wax. “You made it look like me. You wanted my father to yourself. You wanted his money.”

  Tina’s mouth twisted. “I earned that money. Then you go and take it away from me.”

  Acids drained down my throat. The world darkened. I gripped the bench harder and sucked in air. “My dad finally realized it was you, didn’t he. He confronted you with it.”

  Tina smirked. “He was drinking too much those days.”

  Little wonder, once he put it all together. I couldn’t begin to imagine my father’s horror. “You sent his car over the edge of that cliff.” A sob clogged my throat. “Didn’t you!”

  Tina placed two fingers against her jaw. She moved her head from side to side in an overt display of pity. “Laura. Dear.” She sat beside me on the bench. I reared away from her. “Now you see the problem? There is nothing you can do about any of this. So why try? No one will believe you. The D.A. in California will always think you killed your mother. And Melcher’s set on Billy. Leave it alone. Live your life.”

  Tears ran down my face. “When did you start seeing my father? Tell me that. When?”

  Tina shrugged. “So he had an affair on your mother. Doesn’t mean he didn’t love her.”

  “I love you. I loved your mother.” My father’s words in our last phone call.

  “Now.” Tina picked up my computer and set it back on my lap. “See there, it’s gone to sleep. Wake it up. Time to finally let me have what I deserve.” She curled one side of her mouth. “Maybe you’ll send me an invitation to your wedding.”

  I swallowed hard. “You won’t get away with this. You can’t.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “I already have.”

  “I’ll stop it. Now.”

  “You’ll stop nothing. You’ll only lose everything you love. Andy. Your friends. Your freedom. At the very least you’ll go to jail for assuming a false identity. But believe me, I’ll push Melcher hard to pursue you for Clara’s murder. Once the town finds out about you, you really think they won’t find you guilty? Leave it alone.”

  My head shook. “No. I couldn’t live with myself.”

  Tina laughed. “That won’t change either way. Would you rather feel lousy about yourself as Mrs. Bradshaw—or in jail for the rest of your life?”

  The thought of returning to jail, confined, cut off, again branded a murderer … I couldn’t bear it.

  Neither could I bear it for innocent Billy.

  “Why didn’t you kill me, Tina?” I bit off the words. At that moment I wished she had a gun. Just shoot me in the head. Finish it. “Why like this?”

  She frowned, as though disappointed in me. “Too suspicious a trail, don’t you think, when I’d suddenly “find” you and petition to be awarded the money?” Her face hardened. “Besides, you suffer far more this way.”

  Through tears I stared at the woman who had wrecked my life. I felt empty. Dead. Yes, I would suffer. Lose everything. But I had made enough bad decisions for one lifetime. What freedom had I gained, trapped by lies?

  I closed the lid of my computer.

  “What are you doing?” Tina grabbed my arm.

  I shook her off. Slid the laptop into my tote bag and stood. Picked up the bag. Every movement felt precise. Weighted. “Claiming back my life.” On one heel I turned and walked away.

  “No!” I could hear Tina leap to her feet. “You’re not going anywhere!”

  I kept walking.

  “Laura!”

  My feet moved me. Away from my old life. Into my new one.

  “Laura!”

  Footsteps ran from behind. An arm whirled me around. “This won’t work. And in the end I’ll still get the money.”

  I gazed at her long and hard. Forcing her to see the resolve in my eyes. “Pity it’ll take so many years. Wonder what you’ll live on till then.”

  She grabbed for the tote bag. “Give it to me. I’ll do it myself!”

  I shoved the bag behind me. “The bank passwords aren’t in there, Tina. They’re in my head. And nothing you do, nothing, will make me give them to you now.”

  Chin up, I turned again and left Tina Fulder hurling curses at my back.

  Chapter 39

  From the park I headed straight toward Andy’s house. Darkness covered my mind. There were so many realizations to grasp that I could handle none of them. I only drove, hands tight on the wheel, muscles clenched.

  At Andy’s house I picked up the tote bag. I did not want to leave its contents in my car. My legs felt like lead as I trudged up the sidewalk. Before I could ring the bell, he appeared at the door, concern on his face.

  “What’s happened?” He reached for me.

  I fell against his chest.

  He held me up, pulling me across the threshold. I started to cry. His touch, the feel of him—all would be gone. Andy took the tote bag from my hand and led me to his couch. We sank down on it. He put the bag on the floor.

  I leaned against him and sobbed. By the time I quieted, my head pounded and my stomach cramped.

  An odd resignation settled over me.

  For my mom and dad. For Clara. For Billy.

  “Andy, I’m so sorry.” I pulled off my engagement ring and laid it on the coffee table.

  He gaped at me.

  I took both his hands in mine. Tried to speak twice before any more words would come. “I love you. So much that I didn’t know how to tell you the truth. The more we fell in love, the more I was afraid to tell you.”

  Andy’s eyes started to glisten.

  “Now you need to know the truth first. You deserve that. Then I have to go to Chief Melcher.” I took a deep breath and spoke the words that had so weighted me for the last five years. “My real name is not Delanie Miller. I was not born in Michigan, and my parents did not die together in a car accident when I was young.” I swallowed. “My name is Laura Denton. I was born in California. When I was sixteen, I came home from school one day and found my mother murdered …”

  Once I began, it all tumbled out. My arrest. My trial and conviction. Losing my dad. Reuniting with him again in CYA only to lose him forever. Tina. The inheritance and lawsuit. My terrible decision to flee my tainted past.

  Andy did not let go of me the entire time I spoke. He only held my hands tighter.

  “Now Tina’s found me. She’s here in Redbud, trying to bribe me out of the money.” My throat closed up. “Andy, she killed Clara. Because of me. And she killed my mother and father.”

  “What?” Andy drew back, unable to take it all in. When he could find his voice he pounded me for details, struggling to understand. How had this happened? How could it be? Was I sure? He got up and paced, running his hands through his hair. I knew how he felt. My boldfaced lies. The horrible truth about my parents. And the awful consequences I’d face in Redbud. It was too much to assimilate.

  What to do when your world has scudded off its axis?

  He sat down again beside me. His face looked hollow. “What can
we take to the police?”

  We.

  I stared at him, not sure I’d heard right. I thought my head would split in two. My eyes moved from his face to the engagement ring, still on the table. Andy picked it up. “Why did you take it off, Del—?” He looked away, forehead creased. “I don’t even know what to call you now.”

  My lips pressed together. I couldn’t cry anymore. “You can’t want me after this.”

  Andy opened his mouth. Closed it. He picked up my left hand and slid the ring back on my finger. Then he held me tightly. I could feel him shaking.

  There was so much more to say. I knew, after he’d had time to think about all I’d done, how many times I’d lied to him, he might well change his mind. For now, we had other things to do.

  Together we stood.

  “I’ll call Melcher. Let him know we’re coming.” Andy’s voice sounded rough. In this, he could not protect me. I couldn’t bear to see the stunned look in his eyes.

  Before leaving the house we discussed the strategy we’d take with the chief of police. Readied our evidence. Andy’s expression fell into one of grief-stricken but focused determination. “All right. Let’s go.”

  We drove to the station in silence.

  A not-so-friendly-looking Melcher led us to the back room where he’d first questioned me three nights and a lifetime ago. I carried my tote bag. My cell was still inside—with Tina’s texts.

  In the room, Melcher closed the door. “All right. What is it?”

  I set my bag on the table. “Before I tell you the whole story, I’d like you to listen to something.”

  From an inside pocket of the tote bag, I pulled Pete’s small voice-activated tape recorder. Clicked the play button.

  “Laura Denton, how nice to see you again.” Tina Fulder’s sarcastic voice filled the room.

  May 2014

  Chapter 40

  “GUILTY” IN CRENSHAW CASE

  The Friday morning headline blared up at me from a sun-drenched sidewalk. I swept up the Lexington newspaper and returned to the house. My ankles trembled as I climbed the four steps to our wide front porch. I’d been in court to hear the verdict, of course. One of the most emotional moments of my life. Last night I had barely slept. Now, just seeing the word “guilty” in bold black letters rushed it all back.