by Tara Meyers
“You and Allen were working together to sell the animals?”
Marissa nodded approvingly, some emotion returning. “Very good. Yes. We had an arrangement. It all began by nearly random chance. I won’t bore you with those details. But we had a system. When he came later this year than planned and then went against my directions and took the Hathaway’s cow, I had to do something.”
“You didn’t arrange for him to be here on the fifteenth?” Ember asked.
“No!” Marissa clapped her hands together gleefully. “That’s just it! It was destiny again, Ember. When Allen emailed me to tell me he’d taken the cow, I was livid. Absolutely livid. He was jeopardizing everything.”
“Email?” Ember interrupted.
“I volunteer at the police department to help with filing every other Friday. I used their computer system to access the internet and set up a fake email account to correspond with Allen. We, of course, never used our names. When the investigators find the email exchanges under Allen’s account and trace the IP address, it will lead them to the police station. Rather brilliant, don’t you think? And quite ironic.”
Ember tilted her head in agreement. She remembered the comment by Mayor Gomez that Marissa volunteered at various places around town.
“Anyway, I was simply going to make Allen sick as a form of punishment by doctoring up his coffee. But sitting in my car Saturday morning, I saw Cody delivering the pie to his door. I watched him knock, wait, and then set the pie on the porch. At the same time, the announcer on the radio station I was listening to said the date, reminding me how it was meant to be. The opportunity to address two problems at once. Did I intentionally put too much arsenic in the pie?” Marissa frowned. “No matter. Sick or dead. I made a mistake. All these years, and he was my only mistake, wasn’t he, Ember?”
“Mistake?” Ember repeated angrily. “Your only mistake?”
“I didn’t think it through,” Marissa said, ignoring Ember’s anger. “Too many connections. Too many dots to connect.” Her voice faded again, and she got a distant look as her thoughts seemed to become scattered. “Too many dates, and a date with fate. A date with fate.” Marissa’s speech took on a singsong quality. She patted absently at the many hairs that had escaped her bun before looking around, her eyes wild. “A date with fate.”
Marissa snapped her eyes shut and jerked her head as if in response to a loud sound.
Ember waited, holding her breath.
This is what insanity looks like.
“You don’t have to do this,” Ember said in an attempt to reach the woman she’d had glimpses of. “I don’t think you want to kill me.”
“Did you know that once your core temperature drops below seventy degrees, death is almost certain?”
Ember grimaced. It was hard to keep up with the changing personalities. She watched as Marissa moved again with confidence and reached out to switch off the heater. The storm was seemingly in on the show, as a particularly strong gust of wind shook the building on cue.
“We have sub-freezing temperatures tonight.” Walking as she spoke, Marissa disappeared behind the stacked animal crates. A moment later, a side door on the barn blew open. Frigid air rushed inside, bringing bits of ice and snow with it.
Ember had already begun to shiver.
“I’m afraid that you and your animal friends will succumb to hypothermia by daybreak.” Marissa stepped back into view. Her face was once again devoid of any emotion.
“But why?” Ember begged, beginning to panic. “Why are you doing this? Weren’t you trying to frame Sheriff Walker? Did you know he’s in jail? They’ll know he didn’t do it if you kill me now. This won’t work.”
Marissa shook her head. “Oh, that business with Walker isn’t going to stick, dear. He’ll be cleared, I’m sure, during the initial three-day investigation when they look into the ‘evidence’ at his house.”
“Then why go to all the trouble? Is this a game to you?”
Marissa hovered, inching closer as her head pivoted back and forth slightly, like a snake poised to strike. “Think, dear. You’re a smart girl. It was simply a diversion. When I was volunteering at the station this Friday, Marilyn was in the process of putting that box of goodies together for Sheriff Walker. I simply needed him out of the way so I could get to it first.” Marissa kicked at the file on the floor. “That’s the only link between me and my…impulses.”
“Impulses,” Ember said with contempt.
“You don’t understand.” Marissa retrieved the file and placed it on the chair on top of the wilting Hemlock. “Nobody understands. How could you? I hadn’t planned on killing you. No, I think I’m done with that.” Sounding wistful, Marissa leaned against the table. “But you wouldn’t let it go. Even after I warned you! When I saw you walking out of the office today with that box, you left me no choice.”
Ember tried to control her shaking as the temperature in the barn plummeted.
“I was taking you to Sheriff Walker’s house. I couldn’t kill you outright because it would have been nearly impossible for me to move your body. I was going to give you a nice drink of…tea once we reached his place, but this storm intervened. It wouldn’t do to have us getting stuck on the side of the road. No, that would have been a bit too hard to explain.”
Ember saw her chance. “What about fate?”
Marissa paused and looked at Ember.
“If this was your destiny, then why are we here, in this barn?”
Marissa hesitated, reaching out absently to touch a hemlock leaf.
“Why not just kill me at my house?” Ember pressed. “After all, it’s the same place my dad died. If it were your fate to kill me, you would have done it there.”
Marissa began to hum.
Ember was having a hard time staying focused. It wasn’t just from the drug but also the cold seeping deeper into her bones. Her feet were now as numb as her hands, and the shivering had almost stopped. That was a bad sign. Her body wasn’t compensating anymore, and hypothermia would soon rob her of the ability to put a coherent thought together.
What was Marissa humming?
The tune was familiar. The emotions it evoked were more than just a knowledge of the song. It was a memory.
“You remember?” Marissa smiled. “I used to watch you from time to time when you were a baby, before your father died.”
Ember flinched.
You mean before you killed him.
“I was friends with your mother. But after Brodie’s death, I…stopped visiting. I stopped doing much of anything for a while, really.”
“Because you felt guilty.”
“I don’t feel guilt,” Marissa said hollowly. “No matter.” She waved a hand in dismissal. “I’ll get you to the sheriff’s house eventually. Can you picture it? The confusion? Poor Cody will probably suffer for it. I mean, he did have access to everything, and a copy-cat murder, framing the father he’s secretly despised for most of his life, is rather tragic, don’t you think?”
“You’re sick.”
“Yes,” Marissa agreed. She stared evenly at Ember. “I think perhaps you’re right.”
Ember was beginning to doubt her chances of escaping, when she heard a sound, indistinct at first. Marissa heard it too and turned toward the front of the barn. The wind let up momentarily, and the sound coalesced into a series of rapid barks.
Ember smiled for the first time since waking.
Daenerys.
TWENTY-THREE
The front double doors of the barn flew open.
Silhouetted by several headlights, Mel and Cody stood at the threshold, their coats billowing crazily in the gale-force wind.
“Ember!” Mel was the first to react. She rushed forward but then hesitated and stopped when she saw Marissa.
“What the hell is this?” Cody yelled, stepping next to Mel. His eyes were wide as he took in Ember’s situation and then studied the older woman, looking first at her hands and then at the table near her.
; “I don’t think she has a weapon.” Ember intended to shout the words to her friends, but instead, it barely came out as a whisper.
Daenerys wasn’t as cautious and barreled across the barn and into Ember’s legs in her excitement to see her. She barked anxiously, causing the three other dogs in the stacked crates to make pitiful whining sounds in response.
Marissa was inching toward the open doors, the Hemlock branch grasped in her hand.
Mel remained frozen in shock, staring open-mouthed at Ember, while Cody guardedly matched Marissa’s movement, following her.
“Get me down,” Ember groaned.
Mel blinked rapidly for a moment and then moved in her direction, but before Mel could reach her, strong arms wrapped Ember from behind, lifting her off the floor.
“I’ve got you, Ember.”
“Nathan.” Her head falling back onto his chest, Ember allowed the tears to finally come. She was safe.
Spurred into action, Mel ran to where the rope was anchored to the floor and released it. With the tension gone from the rope, the knots loosened on their own, and Ember was able to shake her hands free.
Turning into Nathan’s embrace, Ember took a deep shuddering breath. “The animals,” she muttered into his coat. “Turn the heater on, Mel.” Raising her head to find her friend, she forced a smile for the other woman’s sake. “I’m okay. Turn the heater on.”
“Stop!” Cody’s voice pierced through the noise of both the storm and the distressed animals.
Ember, surprised her legs could hold her up, turned to see that Cody was trying to block her captor’s exit. He’d managed to get in between Marissa and the barn entrance and was holding his arms out wide.
Nathan helped Ember move toward them when she struggled to walk but then gently held her back when they were still ten feet away.
“Deputy Trenton will be here any minute,” Nathan said evenly. It was obvious his fury was barely in check. “You have nowhere to go, Marissa. It’s over.”
“How did you know I was here?” Ember’s head swam with too many questions.
“Daenerys showed up at Bertie and Henry’s house,” Mel said. “They called Becky when you didn’t answer your phone, so she called me to see if I knew anything. Cody and I were closer, so we went to your house. When we found your front door open and no one inside, we called 911 and went to get Daenerys, but she took off down the road as soon as Bertie opened the door!”
“We followed her all the way here,” Cody said.
“I called Nathan on the way,” Mel continued. “But he was already coming down the road.”
“I decided to ignore your advice and take my chances with the weather,” Nathan admitted when Ember looked at him.
Marissa’s eyes dashed furtively between the side barn door and the main entrance still blocked by Cody. She looked small under the weight of indecision and much older than her sixty-eight years.
From outside, red and blue strobing lights exploded through the darkness, turning the blowing snow into a bizarre display of jumping colors. Car doors slammed and several voices called out.
“It’s over,” Nathan repeated.
Ember advanced a step out of Nathan’s protective grasp and toward the person who’d taken half of her family from her twenty-seven years before. But she didn’t feel anger anymore. Only pity. “Let us help you.”
Marissa’s face crumpled into a grimace of pain reflecting the inner battle she’d fought her whole life. Giving one small, barely discernable shake of her chin, she quickly brought the cluster of white flowers to her mouth.
“Marissa, no!” Lunging forward, Ember crashed into the woman she’d never really known, and they fell to the floor together.
TWENTY-FOUR
Christmas music echoed through the community center, mingling with children’s laughter and friendly conversation to create a gentle cocoon of comforting sound.
Ember savored the moment. It embodied what she loved so much about Sanctuary. Only the day before, she thought she might never see her friends and family surrounding her again. She smiled.
“Dr. Burns!” Mrs. Emerson took Ember’s hands as she approached. “We can’t thank you enough for returning Mittens to us.”
Ember’s smile widened. “He’s doing okay?”
Nodding, the other woman released Ember to take hold of her husband’s arm. “Oh yes! We gave him plenty of water and kept him in a quiet part of the house as you suggested, and he’s almost back to normal already.”
Another couple approached, and the Emerson’s began a new conversation, so Ember made an attempt for the food line. She didn’t get far.
Delilah and Sheriff Walker, also headed for the food, were on an intersect course with Ember. They were walking arm-in-arm, and it was hard to miss the extra glow on both of their faces. Ember was impressed that Delilah managed to get him to wear a Santa Claus sweater with his jeans. Cody and Mel followed behind them.
“How are you holding up?” Walker asked as they approached.
Ember studied his expression for a moment, happy to see that a couple of days in the county holding cell didn’t seem to have fazed him. Although Marissa was technically taken into custody prior to her hospital admission, it had taken several hours and several phone calls before Walker was released.
“I’ll be all right. Eventually,” Ember answered. She rubbed absently at the prominent bruises on both of her wrists. The physical marks would fade quickly. It was the nightmares that she figured would take a while to go away.
“Ember…I can’t thank you enough for believing in me.” Delilah looked spectacular in a red velvet dress, and though there were remnants of telltale smudges under her eyes, she had a quality of lightness about her that only comes from being freed from an overwhelming weight.
Ember wasn’t sure what to say. Instead of trying, she simply stepped in and gave Delilah a hug.
As they pulled away, Becky appeared beside them, her plate laden with food. “It’s good to see you here, Delilah. Got any new tattoos, Ben?” she added, winking at Walker.
“I already asked,” Mel chimed in. “But he won’t show me.”
Laughing, Becky glanced first at Cody and then Mel and Walker. “It’s good seeing you all together.”
“We’re good, so long as we’re not in a church.”
Ember cringed at Mel’s joke.
“Too soon?” Mel asked.
Walker grunted. “Is that what you’ve thought all these years, Mel? That I somehow held you responsible for my fallout with your dad?”
Mel looked embarrassed. “Yes. That’s exactly what I thought.”
Ember was proud of her friend’s direct answer. Mel tended to hide behind humor, and it was about time to clear the air, especially if she and Cody were getting serious.
Walker ran a hand over his head and sighed. “Well, I guess I have to take responsibility for that. What happened had nothing to do with you two…acting like kids. It was due to two grown men acting like kids, and I’ve regretted it ever since.”
Mel shifted from foot to foot in the awkward silence that followed. She peered up at Walker with raised brows. “Do we hug now?”
“No.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll hug you,” Cody offered and pulled Mel in for a big squeeze before looking down at her. “I know it won’t be nearly as scandalous as our past public display, but we’ll still get a few good stories out of it.” Leaning her back, he literally swept her off her feet and took two big steps forward so that they were positioned under a piece of hanging mistletoe.
Mel squealed and then giggled after Cody made a big show of kissing her. Several people applauded, and there was a catcall or two before they waved the attention off.
“Food!” Mel announced, her face flushed. “Find me food, my handsome liege.”
“Great,” Walker muttered as he watched them walk away. “I’m going to regret that.”
“How’s Marissa doing?”
Becky frowned slightly
at Ember’s question.
“I’m sorry, Becky, but I need to know. For my own sake.”
Becky nodded in understanding and put an arm around Ember’s shoulders, balancing her plate of food with the other hand. “I know, Ember. It’s okay. Your mother would want you to show compassion. She’d be the same way. It’s why I loved her so much. And you.”
Ember leaned into her aunt, thankful she was in her life. When they’d left the hospital the day before, all they’d known was that Marissa was going to live, but nothing else.
“She’ll be in the hospital for several more days,” Walker answered. “But she’ll recover. They’ll do a psych eval too, and that will determine how she’s going to be charged. I expect they’ll end up putting her in a secure mental facility.”
Ember was relieved to know Marissa would be okay. There’d been enough death.
“I’m ready to celebrate my family and friends!” Becky announced, giving Ember one more squeeze before releasing her. “Where’s Nathan?”
“He went to get something out of his car.” Ember looked toward the front of the room as Becky sat down at the table with her food. The main doors were just opening, and Daenerys led the way inside with Nathan close behind. Somehow, he’d managed to get Mayor Gomez to agree to having the labradoodle join them. Something about being a hero.
Ember’s breath caught when she saw Nathan, and the rest of the room faded away. Since she’d met him six months before, he’d always been there when she needed him. Always.
As he approached, she noticed he had something in his hands.
“I hope there’s some food left,” he joked, making a point to look at where Mel and Cody had sat down.
Daenerys leaned into Ember’s leg, and she automatically reached down to pet her curly hair. It was a motion that had a calming effect on Ember, and she’d been doing a lot of it for the past twenty-four hours.
“I have something I want to give you.” Nathan took Ember’s hand and led her a discreet distance away from the tables, near the mistletoe. “It’s something that’s been in my family for a long time.”
