by Willow Rose
Barely had I finished my second bun when my phone buzzed.
"Ms. Eva Rae Thomas?" a voice asked from the other end.
"Yes?"
"TSA agent Frances Lopez, from Orlando airport here. I have someone who would like to talk to you."
"Mom?"
"Christine?"
"Oh, Mom, I…" she broke down and cried. I couldn't hold it back myself either.
"Where are you, baby? I'll come get you now. Just tell me where you are, and I'll be there."
"I'm…I'm at the airport," she said.
"Oh, baby girl. Stay where you are. I'll be right there."
I looked at my mom as I hung up. She smiled. "Well, what are you waiting for, Eva Rae? Go. I'll be here when the kids wake up."
I kissed her cheek. "Thanks, Mom."
"Just don't make a habit of it. I’m not a babysitter, you know," she shouted after me, but I was already gone.
Chapter 90
"Christine?"
I spotted her in the room that the TSA agent led me into while telling me that they had picked her up when she tried to purchase a ticket with my credit card.
Christine looked up at me, her eyes big and swollen from crying. "Oh, Mom, I'm…"
I knelt down and hugged her tightly. "No, baby. I’m the one who's sorry. I never meant to get so angry at you. I never meant to say those things. I am so, so sorry. You were trying to purchase a ticket to go see your dad, weren't you? To go to Washington?"
She nodded, crying. "Yes, but Mom, you were right. I took a shuttle to the airport and called dad and told him I was on my way, but then he said he couldn't have me. That I had to stay with you. That this wasn't a good time. I even told him I had quarreled with you and that I wanted to come live with him, but he said he didn't want that. I decided to go anyway and thought I could just crash at Amy's place instead until I convinced him to take me in. I didn't dare to come back to you. But you were right, Mom. He doesn’t want us anymore."
It broke my heart, and I couldn't stop crying. "Oh, dear baby. I am so sorry."
"Why is he being like that, Mom?"
"I…I don't know, honey. Dad's going through something."
"But…can't he do that without hurting us? His children?" she asked.
I pulled her into my arms. "I don't know, sweetie. All I know is that we need to stick together. We have to help each other get through this. And I promise to try and be home a lot more, okay?"
Christine got up and grabbed my hand in hers. "Good," she said with a sniffle. "Because I can't take care of Alex all on my own anymore. He's exhausting."
We walked out the door, and I smiled at the agent before we found the exit. "Well, I might have a solution for that," I said as we walked back into the parking lot.
"Really? What?"
"Grandma is moving in with us. At least for a little while. Isn't that neat?"
My daughter stopped as we reached the car. She stared at me. "Grandma? Does that mean we all have to become vegan?"
"Okay, so we haven't figured out all the details yet, but we'll get to that eventually. Now, let's get home, baby. It's been a long day."
Chapter 91
"Can we open our eyes yet?"
Olivia sounded annoyed, but I wasn't going to rush it just because of her. I wanted it to be perfect.
I corrected the board one more time, then said, "All right, you can look."
All three kids opened their eyes and stared at the whiteboard in front of them that I had hung up on the wall in the kitchen. Behind them, my mom was whistling as she was preparing another odd dish for us for tonight. I was eternally happy she was there and that she was cooking for us, but I was getting pretty fed up with beans and lentils by now. I just didn't want to tell her how much we all loathed her food. I didn't want to break her heart. It had been broken so much already.
"Is that it?" Alex groaned. "I thought it was something cool."
"What's this?" Christine asked. "What are we looking at?"
"This, my children, is our new organizer board. See how I put all the days here and then all the hours there? This is where you write your activities down. Like Olivia has Volleyball on Tuesdays."
"Mondays and Wednesdays, Mom,” Olivia grumbled.
"Yes, okay, Monday and Wednesday," I said and wrote it on the board. "See? Now we all know where Olivia is between three and five o'clock on Mondays and Wednesdays. And if she has a game on Saturday, then she'll write it there, and we'll all know where she is, and where I'll probably be too because I will want to see all her games this season."
Olivia rolled her eyes. "Really, Mom? Do you have to?"
I smiled. "Yes, and I will be cheering from the sidelines. Probably wearing a funny hat or something embarrassing. And maybe Grandma will want to go too?"
"Leave me out of this," my mom said. "I'll only come if sweet Olivia invites me."
"There you go," Olivia said. "Grandma understands how it works."
"Very well, but I plan on coming anyway. And I'll be at all your concerts, Christine, and your surfing contests, Alex, once you get to that level. Are we clear? Activities go on the board, and you remember to text me every now and then and you always, always pick up when I call, okay?"
"This is turning into a prison," Olivia said and walked away, probably rolling her eyes once again.
"What do you think?"
I looked at Christine for some sort of recognition. "It's okay…for you."
"I'll take that as an acknowledgment," I said and turned just in time to see Alex draw a huge fire truck all over my schedule.
"Oh, no, Alex. I spent a long time making this."
My son smiled and admired his artwork. "It looks much better now, Mom," he said, very visibly proud.
I chuckled and put a hand on his shoulder. "I can't argue with that."
Later that same evening, I was watching TV with my mom when there was a knock on the door. I went to open it.
"Matt?"
He looked at me nervously and, at first, I feared something was wrong.
"So, here's the deal," he said. "My mom can babysit Elijah this Friday."
I looked at him, puzzled.
"And?"
He was obviously looking for words. When he didn't find them, he walked up to me, grabbed me, and pulled me into a kiss.
"You annoy the heck out of me, Eva Rae Thomas," he whispered as our lips parted.
"Odd thing to say after kissing a girl," I said, still confused.
He shook his head, almost angrily. "Don't you get it?"
"I’m not sure I do, no."
He growled something, then turned around, then returned and looked at me. "Can we try? Please? I know it didn't work out the first time, but can we try again?"
I swallowed, and a smile spread across my lips.
"Is that your way of asking me out?"
He threw out his arms. "Yes!"
"This Friday?"
"Yes!"
I shook my head. "Matt…I can't…"
"Oh, okay. Wow," he said and stepped away from me, his voice turning shrill. "But that's okay. That's okay. At least I tried, right?"
He turned around and was about to walk away when I stopped him.
"Matt, I can't…this Friday. I’ve promised Melissa and Dawn I’ll go out with them. Some local band is playing at the Beach Shack. They're all excited to take me there. But if you can get your mom to babysit on Saturday, then I'll be delighted to."
Matt's face lit up. "Really?"
"Really."
"Yes!" he said, walking backward toward his car. "You've got it. I'll pick you up, right here. That's a date. It's a date!"
Matt got into the car and drove off, while I wondered if he was ever going to tell me what time he would pick me up. I shrugged and decided he'd probably text me, then went back inside where my mom was watching CSI Miami. I decided I wasn't in the mood for any more mystery in my life, then went into the kitchen, opened my laptop, and began to write the first page of my book.
Only, as soon as I had written the first line, I suddenly had a new idea. A story was asking to be let out and felt more urgent than the first one I had wanted to write.
The story of a boy turned killer. The story of the man I had once believed was my dad.
THE END
WHAT YOU DID
Eva Rae Thomas Mystery, Book 2
Prologue
Cocoa Beach, Fl
It wasn’t easy to run for your life in a prom dress. Carina lifted the hem of what had once been a beautiful oceanic blue mermaid evening gown; the very same one that had, a few hours earlier, been adored by hundreds of her fellow students’ eyes as she was called up on the stage to be crowned prom queen. One of her beautiful Manolo Blahniks, of the first pair she had ever owned, had lost a heel on the asphalt before she made the turn onto the golf course. As she had pushed herself through the grass and the other heel had sunk into the moist and swampy Florida ground, she had ripped both shoes off, panting agitatedly as she heard the steps of her follower approaching in the darkness. She had lost her crown near the entrance to the country club as she ran there, shaking the doors, hoping that maybe someone was in there and could help her. But all the doors had been locked, and that was why she ended up running toward the golf course, her pursuer breathing down her neck.
Carina was a track runner, and as she ran across the golf course, she soon sensed that she had lost him. As she reached a small lake followed by a row of trees, she allowed herself to slow down for just a second. She stopped and listened, thinking she could hide between the bushes, at least till she caught her breath. Her lungs felt like they were on fire, and she was wheezing to breathe.
Stupid allergies!
She feared he might hear her heavy breathing and panting since it sounded so loud in her own ears. Unable to see any movement across the open area behind her, she took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. As she managed to breathe easier, Carina fought not to panic. Her heart pounded against her ribs.
What happened to the others? Where are they?
There had been three girls walking home together when they left the school and the prom. They all lived in the neighborhood right behind the school and had decided to make the five-minute walk home together. There were, after all, three of them, and the area was very safe. Nothing ever happened in Cocoa Beach. As long as they stayed together, they would be safe.
Why hadn’t they stayed together?
He had come as if out of nowhere. None of them saw him. They were chatting and talking about the night. Ava and Tara were both telling Carina how beautiful she had looked when doing the mandatory slow dance with Kevin, the prom king. Carina had listened and enjoyed the sound of jealousy in their voices when they talked about her, but the fact was, it had been the most awkward moment of Carina’s seventeen-year-long life. Kevin was the boyfriend of her best friend Molly, and all the time she had been dancing with him, she had been looking at her friend, wondering if she looked like she enjoyed it too much. Molly had left during the dance and Carina hadn’t seen her since. She had texted her as soon as the dance was over, trying to explain that she only danced with him because she had to…because it was expected of them. But Molly hadn’t answered, and Carina had grown worried about her and wondered if she was mad at her. She had seen it in her eyes right before she left. The anger and resentment. She knew that look a little too well since they had been best friends since they met in Kindergarten.
I am so sorry, Molly. I didn’t mean to hurt you. You have to believe me; I didn’t enjoy it at all.
The girls had screamed when the masked man grabbed Ava and held a knife to her throat. Carina had panicked. Both she and Tara had screamed, while Ava whimpered behind the knife. Then Carina had kicked him. She had no idea where her strength and courage had come from, but she had lifted her Manolo Blahnik and placed a kick right where it hurt the most, and the guy had bent forward in pain.
That was when they began to run. He had reached out and grabbed for Tara, but she had managed to get loose from his grip, screaming helplessly. It was one of the last things Carina saw before she lost track of the others. At what point they got split up, she didn’t even know. She just knew they had run, and, in the beginning, she had thought the others were right behind her, but as she ran onto the golf course, she realized she couldn’t see them or hear them anywhere.
Now, as she stared into the darkness, she wondered if she had, after all, managed to escape her pursuer.
Had he given up?
Sweat ran down her back, and her blonde hair felt soaked. Her knees were still shaking while she tried to figure out what to do next. She couldn’t stay there. If he was still out there, he’d find her.
A movement in the bushes made her gasp. A shadow ran across the grass in the moonlight, holding up her dress in the same manner Carina had earlier.
Tara!
Carina stepped out from her hiding place and wondered if she should yell her name, but as she opened her mouth to speak, a shadow stepped out from behind a tree and grabbed Tara. He swung her, screaming, in the air, then slammed his fist into her face. Carina watched while gasping for air as Tara fell to the ground and she couldn’t even hear her scream anymore.
Carina felt her bones tremble, and she knew she should run; every part of her screamed for her legs to move, to get her away from there, yet they didn’t. It was like they were paralyzed.
Was Tara still alive?
She watched as the man bent over the motionless Tara for a few seconds before he lifted his head and she felt his eyes on her. She couldn’t tell if he was actually looking at her or not, but she felt those evil eyes like knives on her skin.
Swiftly, he rose to his feet and bolted toward her. She immediately knew she couldn’t outrun him. Yet, she tried. She turned around and set off, but just as in her many nightmares, it was like she barely moved forward at all. Hands reached for her ponytail, and she was pulled forcefully back and into his arms. When she felt his hand on her neck and smelled his warm breath on her skin, she closed her eyes and prayed that she would feel no pain.
Chapter 1
TWO WEEKS LATER
“Great news. I found her.”
My eyes grew wide. They stared at the woman in front of me, behind the cluttered desk. Her name was Rhonda, and she was a private eye that I had hired to track down my long-lost sister.
Sydney was kidnapped from a Wal-Mart when I was only five years old and she was seven. I had recently learned that she might still be alive since it was our mutual biological father who had taken her, and it was believed they had left the country back then. It had taken me a few weeks to gather the courage to start the investigation and hire someone to do it for me. Rhonda had been at it for six months, searching for both my dad and my sister. So far, I had barely heard from her in all those months, and I assumed that was because she couldn’t find anything. Her words and excited bright eyes staring at me from behind the deeply furrowed face surprised me.
“Really?”
Rhonda nodded. She grabbed a file from the pile next to her and placed it in front of me. She pushed it closer, and I felt my heart begin to pound. I wasn’t sure how to react to any of this.
“Take a look for yourself.”
I could hardly breathe. I stared at the file, my fingers unable to stop shaking. I bit my lip, then looked up at Rhonda.
“And you’re sure it’s her?”
Rhonda nodded. “It wasn’t an easy case, this one. But with a little help from a colleague in Europe, I traced your father to London.”
“And Sydney?”
Rhonda cleared her throat. “He changed her name. She became Mallory Stevens over there. His name is now James Stevens.”
“Mallory? So, that’s her name now?” I asked, wrinkling my nose. I loved the name Sydney. It was going to take some getting used to, but then again, a lot of this was. It was about to turn everything in my life upside down once again.
Rhonda shook her head. “Sh
e changed her name again…when she moved to Florida.”
I almost choked. “Florida? You mean to tell me…that…that…she’s here?”
She nodded and fiddled with her pen. “It’s all in the files.”
“And she changed her name…again? So, what is she called now?” I asked, almost unable to take in all this information at once. My life had already been turned upside down quite a lot the past year since my ex and the father of my three children, Chad, had decided to leave me for a younger and blonder version called Kimmie. After the break-up, I had moved myself and the children back to my hometown of Cocoa Beach to reconnect with my parents, only to learn that the man I believed was my father wasn’t, and that the man I had loved like a father was a vicious killer who had murdered several children. Now, he was dead, and my mom was still living with the children and me, refusing to go back to the house where they had lived together. I couldn’t blame her. I wanted to burn that house down and see all the lies go up in flames along with it.
“So, what’s her name now?” I asked.
Rhonda leaned forward, grabbed the front of the file, and opened it. Then she pointed at something on the middle of the first page, tapping at it with her long well-manicured purple fingernail.
I stared at the name in front of me, then up at Rhonda, my eyes scrutinizing her.
Was she pulling my leg?
“But…how…that’s…”
Rhonda nodded. “I know. I had to check a few extra times myself to make sure, but there’s no doubt. It’s her. This woman is your sister.”
Chapter 2
THEN:
“Artie. Talk to me. What are we dealing with?”
Gary Pierce approached the local sheriff, who was standing by his car. Surrounding him, his deputies looked nervously at Gary. They were standing by the dirt road leading to an old farmhouse in Riverdale, Maryland.
