Closing Books (Ghost Of The Past)

by Trisha Grace

  She turned her head away, quietly trying to stop herself from crying. She took a moment to clear her throat before asking, “Will she be all right?”

  “The knife didn’t slash any major arteries. Some stitches and a tetanus shot should fix her right up.” Joseph peered over at Evelyn, but she kept her back to him and didn’t give any reaction.

  After a few minutes, Evelyn said softly, “Is Dan home? Can you drop me off at his house instead?”

  “You don’t want to—”

  “Just drop me off at Dan’s place.”

  Joseph sighed and shrugged.

  Chapter Ten

  “Are you sure you don’t want to head down to the hospital?” Joseph asked again when Evelyn was about to open the car’s door.

  “Text me. Let me know how she’s doing.” Then she got out and closed the door behind her.

  Evelyn waited until her car was out of sight before heading up the steps toward Dan’s house. She rang the bell and waited.

  The whole situation had spun out of control, and there was no way things would go back to the way they were.

  The efforts she’d spent on guarding her past, guarding the new secret that ended up hurting her best friend, were just too much. She couldn’t endure all these secrets anymore. It was time to cut away every possible aspect that she was afraid would be affected by the blackmail.

  Dan opened the door in sweats and T-shirt, his towel still hanging over his shoulders. “Eve? What happened?”

  She looked up at him, confused by what he was asking.

  “You’re a mess. How did you get hurt?”

  Following his stare, Evelyn turned to her arms and saw the bright red scratches across them. She waved it off just as Dan reached out to soothe her hair. She closed her eyes and smiled at his gentleness with her.

  “What happened?” Dan asked again, leading her into his house. “Does Kate know? Do you want me to call her?”

  She shook her head and turned away as tears fell from her eyes.

  “Eve…” Dan blinked, then took a step forward and pulled her into his arms. “It’s all right. No matter what it is, it’ll be all right.”

  Again, she shook her head and continued weeping. “No, it won’t. It won’t be all right.” Then she pushed her arms against his chest, taking a step away. She turned away from him and brushed the tears from her eyes.

  “We should take care of your wounds first.”

  “No, don’t bother.”

  Dan sighed softly. “I’ll call Kate.”

  “No, she’s at the hospital. She’s hurt. She got hurt because of me.” She paused and sniffed. “She’ll never forgive me,” she whispered.

  Right from the start, she should never have chosen this path. She should have just told Kate the truth. “I need to tell you something.”

  “Okay…”

  “You should sit.”

  Dan moved to sit on the couch. He patted on the seat next to his, but instead of joining him, Evelyn moved to an adjacent couch, leaving some space between them.

  He reached toward her, but stopped midway when he saw her drawing back her hands.

  “What is it?”

  “The secret that Kate has been keeping about me. I want to tell you about it myself. You shouldn’t have to hear it from someone else.”

  She was done with hiding. She was done with Amy. This time, she was going to get rid of Amy once and for all.

  After what happened, Amy was either going to demand more money or go all out to destroy her reputation. Either way, Evelyn was going to make sure that no one she cared about would ever get hurt again because of her.

  She considered for a moment how to begin her torrid story.

  Drawing in a deep breath, she decided it was best to start from the beginning. “My name wasn’t Evelyn Jordan. It was Mandy Shannon.

  “You already know that my mom abandoned me at the hospital, so I was put into the foster system. I was moved from home to home for various reasons, but my real nightmare began in my fifth foster home.” She stopped then, taking another deep breath. She tilted her chin upward to stop the tears from flowing down.

  Dan leaned forward, his hand once again reaching over for hers, but she pulled her hand up by her chest.

  “Don’t. I need to finish this. If you hold me now, I’ll start crying and I wouldn’t be able to continue.”

  He hesitated for a moment, then pulled his hands back and clenched them together, placing them on his legs.

  She told him everything about the torture Mrs. Moore inflicted on her for almost every night during the three years she was there. She told him how she had asked for help only to be labeled as the lying, ungrateful child. She told him how she had almost become a sex slave and how Amy had turned on her.

  Surprisingly, she managed to keep herself from breaking down and told him everything as calmly as she could.

  She paused a few times when Dan turned away from her, his finger rubbing his chin as if he had just been punched.

  She knew her story wasn’t one that was music to the ears. It was uncomfortable and perfect for one of those horror stories that people would tell around campfires, but she needed to finish it. So, she continued even as Dan kept his face from her.

  “The whole thing lasted three years before it was finally over.”

  Dan finally returned his gaze onto her. “What happened?”

  “It was like every night. Amy was listening to the she-devil’s instruction, doing every damn thing she said. Then suddenly, the she-devil started waving her gun around, saying that we were all doomed to be her slaves forever. Amy got distracted and the she-devil wasn’t paying attention.

  “That was the chance I was conserving my energy for. I jumped up and we struggled for the gun until it went off…” Evelyn cleared her throat as the memories came flooding back. “At first, I thought I was the one who got shot, but suddenly, the she collapsed onto the ground, her hand pressed against her dress. Then I saw the blood spreading out from where her hands were and realized I shot her. I killed her.” Her voice trembled as she said those words.

  It wasn’t until Dan took her hand that Evelyn realized she had her hand pressed to her stomach, the same location where she’d shot Mrs. Moore. She swallowed and continued. “I can’t remember much after that. I remember being in the hospital. I remember the police questioning me. I remember seeing my story all over the news. Then suddenly, some hotshot lawyer helped me sue the state, got some money for me, and got me emancipated from the system.”

  “You’re sure she’s dead?” Dan asked through clenched teeth.

  “Yes. Definitely.”

  Dan nodded. “What has that got to do with what happened to Kate today?”

  “The she-devil is dead, but Amy isn’t. Somehow, she managed to track me down, and she’s been blackmailing me.”

  “The calls you’ve been getting?”

  She nodded slowly.

  “Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you tell Kate?”

  “Because I didn’t want to drag anyone into my past. I thought…I thought I could do this on my own. I didn’t think anyone would get hurt. I was being a complete idiot.”

  “I wasn’t trying to—”

  “I was afraid it’d be too much for anyone to accept. I thought I could solve this on my own.” She stopped and shook her head at her idiotic decision. “I think Kate followed me today, and when Amy and I started fighting, she jumped in and ended up getting hurt. Amy slashed her across her arms. Joseph said her left hand needs stitches, and she’d need a tetanus shot. Will you check on her and make sure she’s fine?”

  “She has Tyler—he’ll make sure she’s fine. We should do something about your wounds. I’m not taking no for an answer.” He stood and headed upstairs to retrieve the first-aid kit.

  Evelyn waited until she heard the bathroom door close before she headed out of his house.

  She had to close this chapter.

  Enough damage had been done. She hastened down t
he stairs and waved for a cab, heading home to pack.

  If she left, Kate and Dan wouldn’t have to get involved in anything. No one else would get hurt because of her.

  If she left right now, she wouldn’t have to face the pity or disdain on their faces.

  Dan closed the bathroom door behind him, stepped forward, and pressed his palms against the edge of the sink. Lifting one of his hands, he turned on the tap and splashed some water onto his face.

  He’d suspected that Evelyn’s childhood was bad, and Kate had hinted that there was more, but what he’d just heard was sadistic. He would never have guessed the extent of horror she went through each night in those three years.

  The story explained a lot.

  Who could blame her for the lack of trust?

  Her mother abandoned her; the adults who were supposed to protect her only turned their backs to her. The girl she’d risked her own safety to protect not only betrayed her once, but turned up after so many years to remind her of the horrifying memories.

  His fingers clenched the surface of the glass sink, turning his knuckles white.

  This Amy person was despicable. After all that Evelyn had done, this was how she was repaying her.

  Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair and grabbed the first-aid kit from the top shelf. There would be time for him to deal with the Amy situation later.

  He would do something about her wounds first, then help Evelyn patch things up with Kate.

  He half-ran down the stairs and skidded to a halt at the bottom of it. Staring out at the empty living room, he frowned and peered toward the kitchen, wondering if she’d gone to get a cup of water.

  “Evelyn?” He went into the kitchen and realized that he was alone. “Damn.”

  Flinging the first-aid kit onto the dining table, he grabbed his car keys and drove over to her house. On the way, he tried calling Evelyn a few times, but it kept going straight to her voicemail.

  Exasperated, he called Joseph and asked if they were still at the hospital. Perhaps Evelyn had headed over there on her own.

  “Yeah, but we’re just leaving.”

  He hung up without saying goodbye. She wouldn’t get to the hospital in time.

  If she were going to the hospital, and Kate had already left, she’d probably head to the mansion.

  Since he’d be stuck outside the mansion while waiting for the rest to arrive, he thought he’d swing by Evelyn’s house to make sure she hadn’t gone home.

  He drove around her block twice and searched for her car. When he was positive that it wasn’t there, he headed toward the mansion.

  Coincidentally, he arrived at the mansion just as Tyler and Evelyn’s car came to a stop.

  When they stepped out of their car, Dan was surprised to see Marianne, Mr. Sawyer, and Joseph streaming out of Evelyn’s car, with Joseph stepping out from the driver seat.

  He turned to Tyler’s car, but only Tyler and Kate were standing beside the silver beamer. “Where’s Eve?”

  Joseph looked over at him, his brows raised and eyes widened. “I dropped her off at your house. Your lights were on; I assumed you were home.”

  “I saw her, but she left while I went to get the first-aid kit. Why are you driving her car?”

  “She seemed shocked, so I thought it was better for me to drive. I didn’t expect her to change her mind at the last minute, insisting on going to your house instead of the hospital.”

  “What did she say?” Kate asked.

  “Everything.”

  He saw Kate’s astonishment, but he wasn’t interested in explaining what happened. Turning back to Joseph, he asked, “Why didn’t you do something about her wounds?”

  “I wanted to, but she brushed me off. Kate’s wounds were deeper, so I attended to her first. Whoever wielded the knife at her didn’t hesitate.”

  Dan glanced toward the house.

  “She’s not inside. No one’s home. There isn’t anyone to open the door for her,” Kate said.

  “I’m going to look for her.”

  “Where?” Kate shouted as he ran back to his car.

  “Her house.”

  Again, he drove toward Evelyn’s apartment, redialing her number over and over. His concern was quickly morphing into annoyance. He didn’t understand why she’d leave the house without telling him or why she’d go off on her own, especially after what happened that day.

  What if that Amy woman went after her again?

  Once he got out of his car, he buzzed her apartment, but there was no answer. He continued pressing the button, pausing for a few seconds in between each buzz.

  Nothing.

  Either she wasn’t in her apartment or she was simply ignoring him.

  He sighed, then grinned when he saw an elderly man pulling out a security card from the pocket. Stepping away from the door, he pretended to sift through his pockets, taking out his wallet and checking each compartment.

  “Need help?”

  Dan looked up and gave the white-haired man a sheepish smile. “I can’t find my card and my girlfriend isn’t home.”

  “Here.” The man scanned his card and the door popped opened. “Problem solved.”

  He held the door open while the old man strode in. “Thank you so much.”

  Instead of waiting for the lift, he walked up the first flight of stairs. Once he was out of the old man’s sight, he sprinted all the way up to Evelyn’s apartment.

  There, he kept knocking on Evelyn’s door until the door next to Evelyn’s opened.

  He turned, seeing an extremely disgruntled neighbor.

  “What are you doing?”

  Dan stopped his knocking and smiled politely. “Hi, I’m looking for Evelyn Jordan. Is she inside?”

  “I don’t think so. I saw her heading out with two suitcases when I got home. Looks like she’ll be gone for a while.”

  “When was that?”

  “Less than an hour ago.”

  Resisting the urge to groan aloud, he ran his hand through his hair. “Thanks. I need to make a call.”

  “All right and stop knocking on the door. It’s annoying.”

  Dan nodded as he pulled out his phone from the pocket, calling Kate. “Kate, can you—”

  “Kate is bathing.”

  “Ty? I know Kate has Evelyn’s spare key. Can you ask Joe to bring it over?”

  “I’ll ask her when she’s out.”

  “No, ask her now.” Dan rolled his eyes at the signature silence from Tyler. “Look, I know you’re pissed about what happened. But something is wrong, and Kate will be extremely angry with you if she finds out that you did nothing to help her best friend.”

  Tyler sighed audibly, and Dan knew he’d won.

  “Hang on.”

  Dan heard the water running on the other end, the muffled voice of Tyler, then Kate finally picked up the phone. “Why do you need her keys?”

  Another of Evelyn’s neighbor opened the door, and Dan realized he had been pacing up and down the corridor. He smiled and waved, then moved to sit on the stairs. “Her neighbor said she left the house with two suitcases a while ago.”

  “Suitcases?”

  “Quote, looks like she’ll be gone for a while.”

  “Aargh! She’s exceptionally good at making destructive choices. I’ll head over now.”

  Dan sat and twirled the phone in his hand, thinking if there was anything he could do instead of sitting there while Evelyn slipped further away from him.

  Chapter Eleven

  Dan stared at his phone, willing it to ring with a text reply or call from Evelyn. He’d already left a voicemail and sent her a text. He was tempted to spam her phone with text messages, but he didn’t think that would help in bringing Evelyn back to him.

  Eve, I’m really worried about you. Please call me when you see my text.

  He stared at the blue bubble containing his message and continued to wait for a reply.

  It was tough to remain seated. He was getting antsier by the minute.<
br />
  He pressed the home button on his phone and checked the time again. He jumped to his feet when he thought he heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

  False alarm.

  The young teenager clipped his skateboard tighter under his arm and stared suspiciously at Dan while walking by. He sat down again, hoping that no one would call the cops on him before Kate got here.

  “Dan?”

  Dan got up and looked down the stairwell.

  Tyler must have seen how anxious he was. Taking the keys from Kate, Tyler jogged up the steps and threw them to Dan when he neared.

  Once Dan had the keys in his hand, he headed back to Evelyn’s apartment.

  The moment he opened the door, he was sure Evelyn’s neighbor was right. There were still clutters of shoes and clothes on the floor, but it was significantly neater. He stepped into the house and crossed the living room without bothering to avoid what was scattered around.

  Once he was in Evelyn’s room, he opened her wardrobe. The only things that Evelyn always took great care of were her handbags.

  If she were intending to leave for good, she would take her bags.

  “Damn. Her bags are missing.”

  “Oh, crap.” Kate’s words came out in a sigh.

  That wasn’t the reaction he was hoping for, but the exact one that he’d expected.

  He turned, just as Kate got onto Evelyn’s bed, lifting the pillows and tossing them over her shoulders, then stuffing her hand into the edge of the bed that was against the wall. “She took her gun, too.”

  Dan stared at Kate while she reached into the rest of the edges around the bed.

  “She always slept with a gun,” Kate explained.

  Dan didn’t blame her; he would, too.

  In fact, if he had been through what she did, he would probably install bolts on his bedroom door.

  Standing in her bedroom, Dan suddenly felt the prison that Evelyn had kept herself in; she was still a captive to the horrors she had been through.

  On those nights that he had come by to accompany her, he’d noticed how she jumped at the slightest sound in the corridor; sounds that he might not even have noticed.