"Listen,” Eric shifted on the toilet seat, “I know you're angry. Take it from a married man, love isn't roses and rainbows. It's hard work, but it's worth it. You're going to say things to hurt each other. You're going to take each other for granted, and you're going to regret doing both. But in the end what it all comes back to is you and her and your love."
Will rinsed his face and toweled it off. “Thanks for your married man's advice, but I don't need it."
Eric grabbed his arm and jerked him around. “You ask yourself this question. Do you want to live the rest of your life without ever seeing her, touching her, smelling her, tasting her, making love to her, or holding the children you'll create together? If you're answer is yes, then you never really loved her."
Will watched his best friend storm off. When he heard the door to his suite slam shut, he buried his face in his hands and groaned.
* * * *
The next three days were hell. Will weathered the media storm, answering the questions truthfully. He trudged through each day, eating when Eric shoved it down his throat and managing a few hours of sleep a night. A moment didn't tick by that Laura wasn't in his thoughts. Where was she? What was she doing? Was she okay?
On the evening of the fourth day, the private investigator called to tell Will he'd completed the report and would send it via overnight postal to his hotel. The next twenty-four hours ticked by at an interminable rate, and when the delivery man arrived, Will snatched it from his fingers, ripped it open, scanned the documents, and nearly fell over from what he read.
* * * *
"Bizzy? It's Will Burns."
"I knew you'd call."
He tightened his grip on the phone. “Do you know where she is?"
Bizzy sighed. “Yes."
"Please tell me.” Even he heard the desperation in his voice.
"Do you love her?"
"Man, yes."
"Jane leaked that story and pictures to the press. None of it's true."
"I know."
Bizzy sighed again. “She made me promise not to tell anybody where she went. But I don't care. She can hate me for the rest of my life."
"She won't hate you. I promise. Not after what she's about to learn."
"What are you talking about?"
"You'll know soon enough."
"She's at the Grand Canyon."
"What?"
"She's hiking. She's staying at a campground there."
He dropped his forehead into his palm. “What campground?"
"Just a minute. I have it written down.” He heard her rifling through some papers. “Here it is. Mather, on the south rim."
"Thanks, Bizzy. You're a good friend."
He started to hang up, but heard Bizzy say, “Will?"
He put the phone back to his ear. “Yeah?"
"You're really good for her. Don't give up. She loves you. Don't ever question that."
"Thanks,” he murmured. “I need to hear those words from her, though.” He clicked off and dialed Ed.
Nineteen
* * * *
Ed and Will's relationship had been strained ever since he'd asked Ed about his blue rabbit's foot. So when Will had suggested that Ed come to his suite to discuss something important, it was like pulling teeth getting him to agree.
Sitting down in the chair opposite Ed's, Will tried not to notice how defensive he looked. “I know you haven't been pleased with me since I asked you details about the rabbit's foot you carry all the time. But I had a reason, and I'd like to explain."
Ed shot up out of his seat and headed for the door. “I can't believe you. Aren't you ever going to let this die?"
Will stood. “Please. Give me fifteen minutes. It's about your sister."
Ed wrenched open the door.
"She's alive, and I can prove it."
Ed stopped and turned. “What are you talking about?"
"Have a seat. You won't be sorry."
He stared at Will for a long moment, then closed the door and walked back across the suite. He sat on the edge of his chair, making it obvious Will better have something concrete to say.
Will eased back down into his chair. He opened the file he'd placed on the coffee table and held up a picture. “Do you recognize this woman?"
"Looks like that woman who was bothering Laura."
"You're right. It is. Her real name is Mary Wood.” Will held up another picture, watching Ed for signs of recognition. “This is the same woman twenty-five years ago. Do you recognize her?"
Realization donned on Ed's face. “Holy jeez,” he breathed. “That's Mad Mary."
Will nodded. “Tell me what you know about her."
Ed slid all the way back in his chair. “She was this crazy lady who lived in my home town. All the kids were scared of her because she used to stand in the shadows and watch us play. She never spoke to any of us, except for my sister, Sandra. Mad Mary used to give her hair ribbons and tell her she was pretty. I remember how freaked out my mom got, but after awhile she thought she was just a sad lady who had taken a liking to Sandra."
"What happened to Mad Mary?” Will asked, already knowing the answer.
Ed shrugged. “I have no idea."
Will pulled a slip of paper from the file. “This is Mary Wood's background information. She had a horrible childhood. Her mother used to lock her in her room, make her go days without eating, beat her, tell her she wasn't pretty or good enough, yet she'd dress her up like a doll and take her out and show her around."
Ed grimaced.
"When Mary was fifteen she ran away from home and met an older man who claimed he loved her. Having had no love from her mother, Mary latched onto him immediately. She got pregnant, and when he found out, he abandoned her. She had the baby anyway and named her Laura.” Will held up a picture. “This was Mary's daughter, Laura, at five-years-old. She had blond hair and green eyes."
Ed glanced at the picture, then back at Will.
"Worn down from her hideous childhood and having her heart broken by a man she loved, Mary took her daughter and moved in with another older man. In exchange for sex, she had a roof over her head and food in her belly. She vowed to raise her daughter better than the way she'd been raised, but unfortunately the cycle repeated itself. It started with her dressing Laura like a doll, trying to make her perfect. But unlike Mary had been as a child, Laura rebelled against her mother, and her disobedience led to horrid punishments. Beatings, locking in closets, and so forth."
Ed swallowed. “But what about the man they lived with. Didn't he do anything to stop it?"
"He never wanted kids to begin with. So he pretended not to see or hear what went on."
"Bastard."
"Yep. Well, when Laura, still quite the little rebel, turned fifteen, she seduced the man they still lived with. She got pregnant from him, Mary found out, she snapped, and killed Laura when she was two months pregnant."
Ed's mouth dropped open.
"The man called the police, and after evaluations with psychiatrists, they admitted Mary to a mental hospital where she stayed for the next fifteen years. At forty-five years of age, she moved to your home town.” Will cocked a brow. “Now comes the part about your sister."
Ed squeezed his eyes shut.
"When Mary saw Sandra, she saw a pretty little girl with blond hair and green eyes that reminded her of her own daughter. I'm sure she must have thought if she could do it all over again, she'd do it right, be a better mom. She'd have a second chance. So one afternoon, while your sister played in your mom's garden, Mary took her and moved across the country to Mississippi."
Ed dropped his head back against the chair.
"She changed their names to Jane and Laura Franks and raised Laura as her niece, not her daughter."
Clutching his stomach, Ed bent forward with a groan.
Will got out of his chair and went to him. “Your sister's alive.” He laid a hand on Ed's shoulder. “My Laura, our Laura, she's your little sister."
&
nbsp; "Ohgodohgodohgod, I think I'm going to throw up."
"No you're not. You're going to be fine.” Will dashed into the kitchen and poured him a glass of water. When he returned to the living room, Ed had righted himself and was taking deep, gulping breaths. “Here, drink this.” Will thrust the glass into Ed's hands.
He drank the contents in one huge gulp. “Does she know?"
"No. I wanted you to be the one to tell her."
"I don't understand. How did you put it all toge—” Ed's eyes widened in awareness. “Wait. The rabbit's foot."
Will grinned.
"She has it doesn't she?"
"Yep.” Will sat on the edge of the coffee table. “I hired a private investigator. He did all the work."
Ed put the glass down and pushed out of his seat. He paced the living room, his gaze focused on nothing particular. Will stayed seated, following Ed's movement, knowing he had a lot to think about.
Finally, he stopped and turned to Will, his face looking perturbed and serious. “Mary could've snapped and killed her at any time."
Will nodded. He'd been trying not to think about that.
"Di-did Mary raise Sandra okay?"
He knew Ed would ask him that question. “I'm sorry. If you want to know Laura's past, you'll have to ask her yourself."
Ed frowned, clearly unsatisfied with his answer. “Alright. I'll respect that.” He began to pace again. “We have to notify the authorities. Mary needs to be put away."
"It's already taken care of. Mary's in police custody right now."
"I didn't believe any of that stuff the magazine printed."
"Nobody did."
"Is Laura, Sandra, my sister going to sue?"
"In light of this new information, I think the media's going to be doing back flips for all of us."
Ed continued pacing, thinking. “Why did Mary assume the identity of her aunt instead of her mom? Why didn't she make Sandra believe they were mother-daughter?"
"I puzzled about that, too. A preliminary psychological profile said that Mary wanted to raise another little girl, but being her mother would somehow jinx it, make the cycle repeat itself."
"She's crazy."
"You can say that again."
Pivoting on his heel, Ed paced back toward Will. “Where's my sister?"
"The Grand Canyon."
"What?"
"That's what I said."
Ed headed for the door. “I've got to pack a bag.” Then he stopped and walked back to Will. “Thank you. That seems so inadequate for what you've done, but that's all I can think to say."
Will stood and the two men hugged, then Ed pulled away. He gave Will a watery smile and darted from the room. Staring at the door, Will smiled, despite the fact he wished he were the one leaving for the Grand Canyon to see Laura. Her brother needed to be the one to tell her the news, though. She needed to know she had family, always had, and that her past had been out of her control, built on lies, some weird twist of fate. She wasn't alone anymore.
* * * *
Lying on a blanket next to her tent, Laura stared at the stars illuminating the sky above the Grand Canyon. How naïve she'd been to believe her life was in an upswing. She should have known better. Her life had never been in an upswing. How stupid of her to get her hopes up like that. She'd learned long ago not to have hopes, because inevitably, they'd be shot out from under her.
Laura sighed and watched her breath crystallize in the chilly air. She'd have to return to reality someday. But what would she do when she did?
Should she start over? Pick a new city, try again at life?
Should she return to Mississippi and confront Aunt Jane? What good would that do? Jane wouldn't suddenly realize that she'd wronged Laura and offer her an apology.
Should she go to the press with her own side of the story and obtain retribution? That wouldn't get her anywhere. Jane would issue a rebuttal and start a media war. More muck for the world to see.
Laura didn't care what people thought about her. She'd hardened her heart a long time ago to others’ ignorance. They could believe what they wanted.
But all this had affected Will. He didn't deserve it, and now he had to deal with the after shocks. Although she'd been avoiding television and any print media, she knew the press had to be hounding him. Laura squeezed her eyes shut. Will was better off without her.
"Hi,” came a voice from behind her.
She snapped open her eyes and rolled her head back. “Ed? What are—” She took an annoyed breath. “I take it Bizzy opened her big mouth."
"Bizzy cares about you. We all do."
Laura rolled to her feet. “Well you can tell everybody you saw me and I'm fine. You want a beer to take with you on your way home?"
Ed threw his duffel bag on the ground. “I'm staying."
She picked up his bag and handed it to him. “I don't want company."
He stepped around her, opened her cooler, and grabbed a beer. “Drop the ‘I don't care’ act, Laura. You're rotten at it."
"Fine. Now goodbye."
Ed sat down on her blanket and crossed his legs. He pulled a file from the inside of his coat, placed it in front of him, then took a swig of beer. “Give me fifteen minutes. I promise if you still want me to leave, I will."
Laura eyed the file. “What's that?"
"A report."
"What kind of report?"
"About you. About your background."
She stiffened. “Who did that?"
"Will hired an investigator."
Laura closed her eyes. “Damn him. And damn you for coming here with that thing."
"He loves you."
Nausea bittered her mouth. She swallowed and turned away. Will believed he loved her. He'd figure out real quick that he should be with somebody else.
"Have a seat and give me fifteen minutes. That's all I'm asking for. You won't be sorry. I promise."
Laura sighed and made her way over to the blanket. She sat down across from Ed and stared at the file lying between them. He opened it and pulled out two pictures of Aunt Jane. One as Laura knew her, and one depicting her much younger. He told her about Mary Wood and her horrible childhood and how she'd had a little girl named Laura with blond hair and green eyes. He described how Mary had raised that little girl, repeating the cycle of her own childhood, then eventually went insane and murdered her pregnant daughter.
Laura listened to the details, her stomach clenched, feeling sorrow for the first time in her life for Aunt Jane. What a horrible upbringing she'd had.
Then Ed went on to say how Mary had spent time in a mental institution, and after being released, she moved to his hometown. He then turned the story to his family and talked about his mother and father and little sister, Sandra. He told Laura about his sister's abduction, the follow-up investigation, and the conclusion that she'd been murdered.
The nighttime sounds surrounding them became mute as Laura slowly realized where the story was heading. She heard only Ed's words and her own deep, rapid breathing. He backtracked in his story and told her about Mad Mary, how all the kids were scared of her, and how Mary talked to one of them, and that had been Sandra. And one day Mary stole Sandra from his mom's garden and never returned.
Laura watched Ed through her blurred, teary vision as he reached inside his coat pocket with a shaky hand, pulled out a blue rabbit's foot, and put it between them. “There are only two like it in the whole world,” he whispered in a quivering voice. “And my little sister has the other."
Laura covered her face with her hands and let out a loud gut cramping, “Nooo!"
She gasped for air as her stomach caved in on a sobbing breath. Ed wrapped his arms around her and rocked. She clutched his coat, moaning, and slumped into his chest. Her breath hitched as tears pressed the backs of her eyes and gushed down her cheeks. Her nearly inaudible, high-pitched wails filled the air around them.
Her whole childhood reeled through her mind. Sitting for hours trying to learn the flute.
Being locked in a closet for crying. Having to wear baby doll clothes. Enduring the whippings. Feeling inadequate and being told she wasn't pretty enough or good at anything. Taking the beating for that man walking out on Aunt Jane. Sprawled on the examining table while the doctor verified her virginity. The lies and contorted views of religion and discipline. The years Jane had robbed her from a real family.
Jane had been repeating her own twisted, horrible childhood. She'd gone insane early on, and none of it had been Laura's fault. All the years of wondering why me? There were no answers. She'd been kidnapped for one reason and one reason only. She had blond hair and green eyes, like Mary Wood's daughter.
Laura sniffed, her crying having subsided. Ed stroked her head, still rocking her. She pulled back and stared into his eyes. Her brother's eyes.
He let out a choppy breath, his cheeks wet from tears, and touched her face. “You grew into such a beautiful woman."
She rubbed the backs of her hands across her eyes, then started to cry again.
Ed grabbed her face and brushed the tears away. “Why are you crying again,” he asked, even though he'd started to also.
"Because I'm so happy.” She threw her arms around his neck. They squeezed each other hard, and Laura started to laugh. “Do I have any other brothers or sisters? What about a mom and dad?” She pulled away, delight bubbling in her stomach, and looked him in the eyes. “Grandparents? Do I have grandparents?"
Ed pulled a wad of tissues out of his pocket and gave her half. “Here. I figured we'd need these.” He blew his nose while Laura did hers. “No more brothers or sisters. It's you and me kid. Both Mom and Dad are alive. We have a grandmother from each side of the family. One of our grandfathers died before you were born. The other died about ten years ago."
Laura's heart did a happy little pitter-patter. “Do they know about me?"
"Not yet. I wanted to see you first."
"Wait.” She grabbed his arm. “Your last name's Barslow."
He nodded.
"Sandra Barslow,” she said slowly, trying the name out. She glanced past his shoulder into the night and said it again, “Sandra Barslow.” She refocused on him and smiled. “Hi, my name's Sandra Barslow and this is my brother, Ed."
Laura's Secrets Page 21
