The One Before: A totally gripping suspense thriller with a shocking twist

by Miranda Smith

  “We’ve started on a playlist,” Coop says. “We still can’t decide what our first dance song should be. Unless, you’ve found one, Madison?”

  “Not yet,” I say, grinding my teeth.

  Roman catches me staring at him across the table. I quickly smile and lift my glass. “Yours looks empty? Would you like more?”

  “Sure.” He slides his glass forward, never breaking eye contact.

  I return from the kitchen with the last of the wine. “Help yourself.”

  “I’m stepping out for a cigar,” he says, taking the bottle. “Join me, Cooper?”

  Coop leaves the table and follows Roman to the back porch. Inside, Josephine and Regina ricochet ideas about the new wedding date. I watch the two brothers outside. I’m left wondering what they’re talking about. Wondering how much Roman knows.

  After everyone leaves, I begin rinsing dishes off in the sink. Coop walks behind me and kisses my cheek. “Thank you for tonight. It was wonderful.”

  “Just a simple meal,” I say, taking a small step to the left.

  “I think they were worried about us,” he admits. “They should feel better now.”

  “Hope so.” I pat my hands with a towel. “What were you and Roman talking about outside?”

  “This and that. Nothing important.”

  They must have been discussing something, and Coop’s not telling me. That’s not a good sign. He steps forward and kisses me, this time on the lips. When I back away, he pulls me in closer, sliding his tongue into my mouth, then moving to my neck.

  “What do you say we break our little pact?” he asks. “Just for tonight.”

  “Now that the wedding is moved up, it won’t be much longer,” I whisper, giving him a playful push.

  “Tonight reminded me of the old us. It made me realize how much I’ve missed you.” He leans in again, nuzzling my neck and rubbing his hands atop my skirt.

  I pull his head close to mine and give him a passionate kiss. Enough to make him think I’m longing for intimacy the way he is. “Some things are worth the wait.”

  He backs away slowly and smiles. “As you wish, Mrs. Douglas.”

  He walks upstairs. I stay in the kitchen doing mindless chores for the next twenty minutes. When I enter the bedroom, I’m happy to see Coop is fast asleep.

  Fifty-Three

  June 16, 2006

  As they bumped over the water, Roman thought about Celia. He’d always had his eye on her, even when he was still in high school. When Cooper made his move, he backed off, but he couldn’t ignore his feelings. Sleeping with his brother’s girlfriend was the most dishonest thing he’d ever done, but he believed, in time, his brother would forgive him. Cooper would understand she wasn’t just some girl. She was Celia. Cooper would move on and find another; Roman wasn’t sure he ever would.

  Roman wanted to tell her how he felt, but he knew a debate with Celia could last hours. For whatever reason, she wasn’t ready to commit to a relationship yet. That was okay. She was young, too. He knew eventually she’d come around. She’d have to. After the few weeks they’d spent together that summer, he could no longer imagine a world without her.

  It was now completely dark. The dock posts were decorated with lights, but they weren’t enough to combat the black skies. Roman turned on the boat’s overhead strobe and eased closer to the bank. Celia sat with crossed arms at the stern. Roman didn’t speak, but his aggravated maneuvering of the boat said enough. The way he threw down the anchor, stomped from one end to the next. He couldn’t stop thinking about the one thing he couldn’t have, the only person who didn’t want him back. And yet, Celia looked so beautiful; the light falling on her features at the perfect angle made him want her even more.

  “I love you, Celia,” he said, against his better judgment. He’d never been so forward with another girl, so desperate. Maybe if he could make her understand the lengths he’d go for her love, she’d change her mind.

  “Don’t say things you don’t mean.”

  “I mean it. I do.” He kneeled in front of her, rubbing from her knees to the fleshy tops of her thighs. She felt slick from suntan lotion and lake water, but he didn’t care. He wanted all of her.

  “I don’t need you to love me,” Celia said, pushing him away. “I’m with Cooper.”

  “Cooper is a follower. He’s my brother, and I love him, but he’s never going to be with you the way you want.”

  Celia started to tear up. She had to know parts of what he said were true. Roman knew that’s why she’d slept with him in the first place. Being with Cooper felt like work. She must be tired of trying to mold him, show him the way. With Roman, she could just be.

  He kissed her. She gave his shoulders a light nudge, but eventually relented. Celia could never turn down a good kiss, and this was one, in the comfort of Roman’s arms at the dark dock. They were so lost in that moment, they didn’t hear the crunch of footsteps on grass. They didn’t see the flashlight’s glare. They didn’t realize they weren’t alone until they heard a voice.

  “What in the hell is going on here?” a person shouted.

  Roman and Celia froze in fear.

  Fifty-Four

  Madison

  After Coop leaves for work, I slide into leggings, a sports bra and jacket. I slick my hair into a ponytail and drive straight to Whisper Falls Park. This is the first time I’d describe the weather as cold. According to the weekly forecast, it’s probably just a spell. Winter won’t fully arrive for another month or so. Today it feels like a different season. Something about the gray sky and stiff grass. I jog toward the running track and then my phone rings. It’s Cooper. Adrenaline shoots up my neck, hot and sharp. Does he know I’m here? I answer.

  “Are you still at the house?” he asks. He must know. He probably checked my location on our phones. Does he do this every morning now? I wonder.

  “No,” I say, keeping my voice steady and calm. “I decided to go for a run in the park.”

  “In this weather?”

  “It’s not too bad, once I break a sweat.” I can hear phones ringing and the copier going in the background, so I know he’s at the office. I try to shake off the feeling I’m being watched. “What’s up?”

  “I left my lunch at the house. I was wondering if you’d bring it to me.”

  “I’m almost finished here. I’ll have it to you by noon.”

  “Don’t bother. I’ll walk across the street and eat at Nectar.” He retreats too quickly. This was an attempt to figure out where I am. “You could join me there, if you’d like.”

  “I would, but I promised Beth we’d video chat this afternoon. She wants to show me what they’ve done with the nursery.” I pause, trying to gauge his response. “I can call her later tonight, if you’d like.”

  “No. Catch up with her. I’ll see you at the house tonight, okay?”

  As I slide my phone into my leggings, I see a car pull into the parking lot. Much to my delight, it’s Bailey. I give her a head start before I approach. She sits on her familiar bench, but this time she doesn’t have a laptop or notebooks. She’s waiting.

  “Morning,” I say. “Mind if I sit?”

  “I’m expecting someone.” She looks away, her mind thinking about other things.

  I sit beside her on the bench anyway. “I’m the person who wanted to meet you here.”

  She turns, a look of confusion on her face. Last week when I called Helena, I’d asked her to write down everything she could about Laura and her disappearance. I told her to include what she knew about Coop’s involvement. Using the mailing address on The Falls Report website, I instructed her to send the information to Bailey. I’d sent my own anonymous message shortly after, telling Bailey to meet me in the park.

  “You’re the person who sent over the information about the Laura Price disappearance?”

  “Technically, Laura’s mother did. Helena.” I take another look around the park, making sure we aren’t being watched. “I told her to write down everythin
g she knew and send it to you.”

  “But why? What am I supposed to make of this?” she asks. She shifts to better face me, like she’s shedding her skin. “Cooper Douglas is connected to the disappearance of Laura Price?”

  “Helena seems to think so,” I say, staring ahead at the empty park. I still can’t shake the feeling someone is watching.

  “And you’ve actually met this woman?”

  “She posed as our event planner the first several times we met,” I say, rolling my eyes. Even now, I feel foolish about the whole ordeal. “She eventually confessed her true intentions and told me everything about Coop and Laura.”

  “Do you believe her?”

  I look down. I’m hesitant to come forward with what Coop told me until I know I’m completely safe. I don’t think he would hurt me, but it’s hard to say what a person might do when the possibility of punishment lingers so close. I know how things ended up for Laura.

  “I think Helena’s story is compelling. That’s why I’m coming to you. We must think alike, even if we disagree at times. Right?” I look down. I know Bailey is blindsided by my presence, trying to figure out my motive in all this. Last time I saw her, I berated her for what she wrote about Coop. Today serves a different purpose. “You see, I lied to you the first time we met. I didn’t leave my job to come here. I was let go. I got caught up in chasing a story over facts, and it cost me a career I loved. I’m not doing that this time. And I don’t want you to do it either.”

  Bailey’s posture relaxes. She leans into the park bench, staring at the empty jogging track before us. She looks drained and defeated. “Why did you have to tell me all this?”

  “I knew you’d investigate. And you clearly have it out for the Douglas family. I thought you’d enjoy the opportunity to take Coop down.”

  “It’s just…” She stops talking and looks away. Something is weighing heavy on her, and I’m afraid I’ve made a mistake. “I don’t want to hurt Regina.”

  Coop had mentioned Bailey’s friendship with his sister, but I wouldn’t think that would be enough to interfere with her chance to break this story. “You didn’t seem to care when you wrote that Celia article last month.”

  “I know. She was angry about that, but she understands what I’m doing with The Falls Report. I’m shattering the glass ceiling built around her family and all these other Whisper Falls fakes.” She looks down and cracks her knuckles. “This is different. I don’t know if she’ll forgive me.”

  “If Regina’s your friend—”

  “She’s more than my friend.” She looks at me and hunches her shoulders. “We’re together.”

  “Oh.” I wasn’t expecting that. All the snide remarks about Regina and her love life take on a new context. If I’d known they were involved romantically, I’d never have roped Bailey into this. “She never told me.”

  “We’re discreet. I can’t say our relationship is a secret, but we don’t broadcast it. Josephine’s not keen on her only daughter being a lesbian.”

  “I see.” The longer I’m around this family, the more secrets come to light. I lean back and pinch the bridge of my nose. We’ve reached an impasse, and I’m not sure how to proceed. “Have you told Regina about any of this? What you’ve been looking into?”

  “No. I feel guilty enough researching Cooper behind her back. Celia’s case is different. The whole town has talked about that for years. If Cooper is involved in something else… it will break her heart.”

  “Have you talked to anyone else about this? Learned anything?” I ask, trying to steer the conversation away from emotional attachments. Back to the facts.

  “Here’s what I’ve found so far,” Bailey says, leaning forward. “Cooper Douglas and Laura Price were enrolled at the same university for their freshman and sophomore years. Laura was reported missing, by her mother, in May. Detectives believe she went missing either en route to or during a music festival about three hours away from campus. She’d sent some text messages to friends saying she wanted to meet up. She never did.”

  I’m sure those messages were sent from her phone. Coop had it, and he had her credit card that bought the ticket. Everything she’s told me thus far aligns with Coop’s fabricated version of events.

  “Did police ever search her apartment?” I ask, hoping something there might indicate foul play.

  “They did a week after she last spoke to her mother. I’ve even seen pictures of the place. Everything looked in order, but they did find small amounts of blood and bleach. Something was cleaned up, but not enough to warrant an investigation.”

  “Why not?” I ask, frustrated at the unknown reach of the Douglas clan. “And how did you see pictures?”

  “I write about our sleepy little town primarily, but I’ve done my fair share of networking over the years. I’ve got a friend in every police department between here and Memphis. My buddy pulled the cold case file and let me take a look.”

  I knew Bailey would be relentless, especially if she thinks she can finally nail Coop. She’s convinced he got away with Celia’s murder, too. Having all this information about Laura dropped into her lap strengthens her conviction.

  “If there was blood in her apartment, it should have been classified as a crime scene.”

  “It’s tricky when there’s no body. If Laura was found in a sewage drain a month later, then they would have gone back and torn the place apart. Considering her age and the circumstances, it’s harder to prove she didn’t just walk away.”

  “Helena’s convinced Laura would never do that.” And I know she didn’t do that.

  “It’s been more than ten years since anyone has heard from her. I don’t know what else can be done. We have minimal blood in an apartment and Cooper’s connection to Celia’s death. That’s it. In our eyes, it’s a lot. In the eyes of the law, it’s not enough.”

  I lean my head back, looking at the blue sky above. The clouds drift and birds fly and leaves fall. The serene setting juxtaposes the ugly topic we’re discussing, the grisly decision I’m about to make.

  Fifty-Five

  Helena

  It’s been too long. If Madison had any intention of leaving Cooper, she would have done it by now. I really thought things would be different this time. I suppose all desperate people think that. Insane people, rather. Is that what I’ve become during all these years without Laura? Insane?

  I thought reading about Cooper’s engagement was my lowest point. The idea of spoiling his wedding and telling his fiancée the truth gave me some hope. After meeting Madison, I convinced myself this would be the closest I’d ever come to getting justice. She was so different from what I expected: smart and independent and thoughtful. I fooled myself into thinking she might believe me. Now I feel worse than ever. I’ve exhausted all my options; irrational thoughts are all I have left.

  I strap protective eyewear to my face and fasten the bulky headphones on my head. In all the years I’ve owned this gun, I’ve never used it. I bought it during those blurry months after Laura’s disappearance. It’s a natural reaction for people who’ve lost a loved one to violence, or so I’ve read. The weapon provides a false sense of security, becomes a symbol I’m still in control. I’ve never had control of this situation, I realize. No matter how much I prepare and scheme, Cooper Douglas is always one step ahead of me. And I’m tired of losing.

  Removing the gun from its case, I check the ammunition chamber, careful to follow the protocols provided by the range instructor. Several meters in front of me hangs a paper with a series of circles. Planting my feet, I pull back my shoulders and stretch both arms in front of me, aiming for the target in the distance. My finger rubs against the trigger, yet even in this contained environment, I don’t have the strength to pull it.

  I close my eyes and try to forget where I am. I try to forget who I am. Years ago, I was a happy person. I reminisce about all those summers at the beach with Laura, her dark hair dripping over sunburnt shoulders. I remember how small she’d felt sleepi
ng beside me as a toddler. I remember the scraped knees I’d bandaged and splinters I’d pulled during her youth, how I always vowed to protect her when times got hard. I see her smiling face as a young woman, the pride she felt embarking on a new life. Then I think of what happened to her. The terror she must have felt when the boy she loved turned against her. I wonder how many minutes she was in that fearful state. Did she cry out for me the way she had as a child? I couldn’t hear her then, but I hear her now. Her strained voice echoing all around me.

  I open my eyes and pull the trigger. My shot is way off, but I shoot again. And again. Each shot skids closer to its intended target, until the chamber clicks empty. I reload and repeat the process. After a while, my stance is sturdier, and my movement is less doubtful. I’ve obliterated the piece of paper, but in my mind, I’ve finally destroyed Cooper Douglas.

  Afterward, I approach the Whisper Falls Range counter, deciding to restock the ammo I just used. The store owner hovers over the register, carrying on a casual conversation with the customer ahead of me.

  “Did you hear the Douglas boy is getting married next month?” the customer asks the owner.

  I whip my head in their direction, listening to every word.

  “The older one?” the owner replies.

  “Whichever one runs the paper. Cooper, I think,” the other man says. “Sissy name, if you ask me.”

  My mouth drops. So, the wedding is still happening? Worse, they’ve moved up the date? I got all this wrong. I was foolish to think Madison would believe the words of a stranger over her own fiancé. I was foolish to think she’d see the truth. I stare at the rows of weaponry tacked to the wall, realizing I could have saved myself years of regret and hurt if I’d reached this conclusion sooner.