Still, Forever, Promise

by D. L. Merritt

  “Well, he did . . . though not willingly.”

  Charlene had given her a shred of hope. “What you do mean?”

  With a cold, sadistic smile, she continued. “Let’s go back to the beginning. I read an article in the entertainment section about the grand opening of your family’s restaurant in Carmel. After a little digging, I found out your parents won millions in the West Virginia lottery and had recently moved to California. From the picture, I could tell your father was still an attractive man, for his age. That’s when I came up with the idea.”

  “You planned this before we even met?”

  “Why do you think we met in the first place? I figured the best way to get close to him would be through you. The article also stated their daughter had transferred to the Academy of Arts. I transferred there too. Do you think hitting my car was an accident?”

  “You planned that too?” Brianna realized how little she knew Charlene. Her father always said she was naïve. He was right.

  “You were so sweet and apologetic, wanting to make amends. I knew you didn’t have any friends in San Francisco, so I used that to my advantage. I wasn’t sure what to do when you graduated and moved back to Carmel, but you played right into my hands when you asked me to be your business partner. Then I could be around all the time—family dinners, holidays, and trips on the yacht. From there, I intended to become a permanent household fixture.”

  “My parents trusted you. I trusted you,” Brianna whispered, wiping a stray tear from her eye.

  “That was your mistake.”

  Brianna lifted her chin a notch. “You said he wasn’t a willing partner. What did you mean?”

  “Remember your mother-daughter weekend?”

  “So you did fake being sick?”

  “Duh. It was the first opportunity I had to be alone with him. After you left, I went by the house on the pretense that I’d left a client’s drawings there, and I needed them for a meeting the following day. He invited me to stay for dinner. He opened a bottle of wine and then a second one. When he went to the bathroom, I laced his drink with GHB. He was so out of it that he didn’t even remember having sex. At least I enjoyed it. I’ll have you know, he’s pretty well-endowed.”

  Brianna clenched her fists, wanting to knock the smirk off Charlene’s face. “You took advantage of him, you bitch!”

  Charlene ignored Brianna’s outburst and continued. “When we woke up in bed together, he hated himself for what he’d done, and wanted to make amends. I tried to entice him to have another go-around, but he was adamant it would never happen again, and it didn’t. He dashed any hope of me being a rich man’s wife, but I got a new condo and a big fat check for $500 grand. He also sent a monthly check for me to keep my mouth shut.”

  “You blackmailed him?”

  She nodded with a ruthless smile. “He said he felt horrible for taking advantage of me. Isn’t that hilarious? He thought I was the victim. I did keep my promise though. I didn’t tell Evelyn.”

  Brianna put her hands over her ears. “Stop! I don’t want to hear anymore.”

  “You wanted to know the truth. You’re going to hear it. All of it.” Charlene yanked on Brianna’s arms.

  Brianna shrank away, wanting to avoid further contact. “You had quite a scam going, so why kill him? And my mother? She had nothing to do with it.”

  “He figured out what I’d done and planned to tell Evelyn everything. He said I wouldn’t get another dime. I could keep the condo, because the deed was already in my name and it was paid for, but he promised to prosecute me if I didn’t stay away from him and Evelyn. And if I ever told you, he’d make sure I went to prison. Weren’t you curious why I stopped coming to the house for family dinners? I couldn’t take the chance he’d change his mind at some point and have me locked away. I told him he’d be sorry, but I guess he didn’t believe me.”

  Anger welled up, along with frustration. Her parents were dead because of this woman’s greed.

  The gun wavered in Charlene’s hand. Was she strong enough to wrestle it from her? Charlene was taller and heavier. The likelihood she would gain the upper hand in this situation was slim if not impossible.

  Charlene stood between Brianna and the window. The sun had begun to drop below the crest of the mountains; it would be dark soon. She thought about all those crime shows where the victim was killed at night and buried in a shallow grave in the woods. There were plenty of woods around here. Her best option was to keep Charlene talking until she could figure out how to get out of this mess without getting herself killed.

  Charlene still hadn’t told her what plan B was. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know. If a gun was involved, it couldn’t be good. She had money. That’s what Charlene wanted more than anything. She could bargain for her life, but how much was enough? Knowing Charlene, she’d want it all. She had to find a way to steer the conversation toward making a deal. Charlene was an expert negotiator, but so was she.

  Charlene snapped her fingers in Brianna’s face. “Hello? Are you still in there? I thought you wanted to know about my plan?”

  Brianna’s head bobbed.

  “If it makes you feel any better, I regret killing your mother more than killing my own.”

  “What are you talking about? Your parents died in an accident.”

  Charlene’s grin was pure evil. “That’s what the official report says, carbon monoxide poisoning. What it doesn’t say is that I planned the whole thing.”

  “You’re out of you mind.” Brianna wanted to bolt, but she forced herself to remain seated.

  “I’d hardly think someone crazy would’ve been able to pull it off without getting caught. It was a great plan too. When our neighbor’s kids invited Benjie and me over for a sleepover, I made sure to leave a window unlocked in the basement. After everyone went to bed, I snuck home, blew out the pilot light, turned the burners on, and left. No one knew I was even there.”

  Brianna searched the room for something she could use as a weapon. Her fists clenched so tight it left the imprint of her nails on her palms. “You said you have to use plan B now. What happened to plan A?” she asked.

  Charlene heaved a heavy sigh. “Plan A would’ve happened after you and Benjie were married. You would have had an unfortunate accident. Benjie would have inherited all your millions, and I’d be there to help him spend it.”

  Now it made sense why her father was so against her engagement to Ben. He suspected Ben was Charlene’s partner. Was he? Was his quick proposal a way for them to get access to her family’s fortune after they killed her?

  “Is Ben in on this?”

  Charlene scrutinized Brianna, her expression dark and filled with contempt. “I could tell you the truth, but do you really want to know? It’s like finding out what’s in your Christmas presents before you open them. You lose the joy of the surprise.” Charlene smiled, watching Brianna’s reaction. “Even if he isn’t, I’m Benjie’s beneficiary. I could have arranged another accident. Then I would have inherited it all.”

  “You’d kill your own brother for money? You are psychotic! You need professional help.” Brianna was in shock. The depth of Charlene’s deception had thrown her emotions into a downward spiral. How could she have been so blind?

  “That’s what my parents said the day before I killed them.”

  All Brianna knew was that her life was in danger, and she was running out of time.

  “You want to know about plan B?”

  Brianna nodded.

  “Well, here it is—I’ll let you live if you transfer all your money into an account I’ve set up in the Cayman Islands. I have a fake passport, and I’ve rented an expensive house in a country that has no extradition treaty with the U.S. By this time tomorrow, I’ll be relaxing on the beach, sipping a fruity cocktail with one of those tiny umbrellas in it. Lieutenant Holcomb won’t even know I left the country.”

  Charlene sped out of the room and returned with her laptop. She handed it to Brianna. “Here. Start typing.�
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  Brianna’s mind screamed. I’ll never give you what you want, bitch! You’ll have to kill me first. She clutched the laptop but didn’t open it. When she glanced up at Charlene, ready to refuse her request, she noticed Charlene’s wide-eyed stare glued to the doorway leading into the living room. The color had drained from her face.

  A shiver ran down Brianna’s spine as the temperature dropped in the room. She took a look over her shoulder. Sarah stood in the arched doorframe, glaring at Charlene. Then her gaze shifted to Brianna, and the two exchanged a knowing smile, as if they shared a secret.

  Without another thought, Brianna sprang from the bed and swung the laptop as hard as she could. The thud of metal meeting bone ricocheted through the room. The gun shot out of Charlene’s grasp and skidded across the floor. Blood oozed from a cut on Charlene’s cheek.

  This was her chance to escape. Brianna thrust the weight of her body into Charlene, knocking her to the ground, and ran for her life. She flew down the two flights of stairs. She could hear Charlene scrambling across the floor, cursing at the top of her lungs. It would only be a matter of seconds before she caught up with her. With adrenaline pumping, Brianna prayed for a miracle as she raced by the reception counter. She grabbed her purse from the foyer table, flung the front door wide open, and fell into the arms of a Fairmont police officer.

  The officer staggered back, holding on to her arm. He steadied himself and stared into Brianna’s terrified face.

  Her body trembled.

  His grip tightened.

  Running footsteps clattered against the wooden stairs.

  The officer must have sensed danger, for he swung Brianna behind his back and drew his weapon.

  Charlene reached the doorway, brandishing the gun in front of her. She spotted the officer and stopped, stunned like a deer caught in headlights.

  “Ma’am, put the weapon down—now!”

  Brianna peeked over the officer’s shoulder to see Charlene hadn’t moved.

  The officer spoke again, with more authority. “Lay the weapon at your feet, and place your hands in the air.”

  Charlene dropped the gun a fraction. Two more police vehicles whipped into the driveway with their lights flashing and sirens blaring. Three guns were aimed point-blank at Charlene.

  A smug smile crossed her face as she leveled the gun at Brianna. Her jaw was set. “If I’m going down, you’re going with me.”

  Brianna stepped backward to the edge of the veranda. Three shots blasted the silence of early twilight. She watched, frozen in place, as bullets ravaged Charlene’s chest. Her body crumpled to the veranda. The last thing Brianna remembered was blood running down the steps to pool on the brick walkway.

  Chapter 36

  The first thing Brianna saw when she opened her eyes was the kind brown eyes of the officer who’d saved her. He helped her to her feet. With his arm around her back, he guided her to one of the rocking chairs along the porch where she sank into the seat. It felt like a dream, but she knew it wasn’t.

  Another officer brought her a glass of water and encouraged her to take a sip. The liquid quenched her parched lips and cooled her throat. Her eyes flitted around the crime scene, where officers had placed numbered evidence markers throughout the taped-off area. One officer was taking pictures.

  She heard tires crunching over the gravel driveway and men’s voices yelling over the idling engine. The EMTS bolted from the ambulance, one rushing to her side to check for injuries. The other one to Charlene’s body to check for vital signs. Still dazed, Brianna watched as Charlene’s body was zipped into a black body bag and placed into the back of the ambulance.

  The officer asked if she was up to answering some questions. She nodded, unable to find her voice.

  He prodded and pressed until she gave him a detailed account of what had occurred at the manor and Charlene’s duplicity in the death of her own parents, as well as Brianna’s. As they talked, a cab pulled into the driveway, its headlights slicing through the evening shadows. When it came to a full stop, Brianna watched Ben climb out.

  He paid the driver before glancing toward the veranda where Brianna sat riveted to the chair. She turned away, unable to face him with the enormity of the situation and the mountain of uncertainty that lay between them. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he was involved in the evil plot Charlene had concocted. He was too close to his sister not to at least know about it.

  The police officer spoke with Ben, but she wasn’t close enough to hear the conversation. She knew the moment the officer told him about Charlene, because he looked toward the ambulance and his hand flew to his mouth. His gaze locked with hers over the police officer’s shoulder, and he shook his head.

  If he told her he wasn’t involved, could she trust that it was the truth? Charlene had fooled her for almost two years. Was Ben, like his sister, a greedy con artist?

  The kind-eyed officer finished taking her statement and closed his notebook. Before he had a chance to leave, she touched him on the arm.

  “Thank you for saving my life.”

  He smiled and patted her hand.

  “Officer, I’m curious. What made you come here tonight?”

  His eyes darkened and his smile disappeared. “We got a call from a Lieutenant Holcomb in California. He told us he had reason to believe a suspect in a murder investigation in his district might be in Fairmont, hiding at your residence. He also said he hoped he’d gotten your message right. Not sure what he meant by that.”

  “Please tell him he did.” The officer touched the brim of his hat and left.

  Holcomb had understood her cryptic comment. He wasn’t as inept as she thought. His called had saved her life.

  She felt numb, devoid of all emotion as she walked into the house. The police were rushing about, gathering evidence and taking pictures. She trudged upstairs, overcome with questions. Was this Ben’s plan or Charlene’s? Did they change their original plan because the police were closing in on them? Did Ben leave town to give Charlene the opportunity to kill her?

  She entered her apartment, feeling older than her twenty-four years—twenty-five, as of midnight tonight. “Happy birthday to me,” she whispered. Her stomach knotted as the horror of the day came crashing in. No wonder I forgot my own birthday, she thought. She sank into the sofa cushions, clutching a pillow to her chest as if it could protect her heart from more tragedy. A near-death experience had a way of putting life into a new perspective.

  The police were still milling around downstairs. Would they ever leave? And where was Ben? Though she couldn’t face him. Not yet. She needed solitude, time to think, time to analyze every word of her conversation with Charlene. Had she missed a crucial clue? Doubtful. Charlene’s words were burned into her consciousness. Replaying them in her head hadn’t given her any new insight.

  Dragging herself from the sofa, she strolled into the bedroom to look out Sarah’s window. The trees loomed in silhouette against the backdrop of a starlit sky. This was the same sky Sarah had stared at night after night. It took one chance encounter for Sarah’s life to change, and one tragic decision to end it. Funny how her own life had taken a similar path, with one exception—she was alive.

  Thinking of Sarah had her glancing to the open doorway. Shadows made it difficult to see, but the spirit of Sarah was no longer there.

  She whispered in the dark, “Sarah, if you’re here, I want to thank you for saving my life. If you hadn’t materialized when you did, I would be dead.” Her bequest was met with silence. If only she could repay Sarah by finding a way to release her from this prison.

  Closing her eyes, she tried to squeeze the betrayal of her friend from her memory. Maybe this was a dream, and she’d wake up soon. How many times over the past month had she wished that very thing, and that her parents were still alive?

  Learning the truth about her parents’ death should have given her closure. It didn’t. It made her feel even guiltier, and the weight of that guilt bore down on her in blazing j
udgement. Holcomb wasn’t wrong in believing she’d killed her parents. She had caused all of this. She was the one who had befriended Charlene and made her a part of their family.

  The house was suddenly quiet. The police must have left, leaving her all alone except for the ghosts.

  She was agitated, confused. Her shallow breathing and the steady beating of her heart was all that disturbed the silence. Sadness oozed from all around her. Unable to handle the overpowering flow of emotions, Brianna sank to the floor. Her fragile composure cracked, and great, heaving sobs racked her body. There had been so much tragedy, so much loss, all due to one woman’s desire for power and money.

  Brianna sat on the cold, hard floor, letting the tears fall until her throat was dry, and her eyes were puffy. Then with a shuddering breath, she wiped the sleeve of her shirt across her damp face, and using the windowsill for leverage, pulled herself up. By looking around, it was hard to believe this was a crime scene. The police had scrubbed the room for evidence, and even took the broken pieces of the laptop.

  At least she hadn’t made the transfer, and Charlene wouldn’t be enjoying her inheritance on some tropical beach. For the first time in hours, she smiled.

  Now what? How could she go on? She’d lost her parents, her best friend, and . . . what about Ben?

  The overhead light flickered once, twice, a third time. A rush of frigid air had goose bumps rising on her flesh, and she hugged herself to control the shivering. “Sarah, is that you?” she said, slowly spinning in a circle. “I want to help you find peace, but I don’t know how?”

  The lights flickered once more and went out, leaving the room in complete darkness. Her normal response would be fear, but she wasn’t afraid. There could be a logical explanation. She might live in a haunted house, but it didn’t mean all unexplained occurrences were due to supernatural causes. It could be a bad circuit breaker or the light bulb could’ve burned out . . . except it was all new and passed inspection a week ago.