“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?“ Vicky ran after her, eventually catching up with her. She thrust her nails into Gloria’s back and stopped her.
“Don’t touch me, you maniac!“ Gloria tried to shake off Vicky’s grip.
“You are not going over there,“ Vicky insisted, her hands clutching Gloria’s arm.
“Don’t you understand that something really bad could happen to Kelly? You know how those boys are.“
If Gloria had been trying to raise some kind of empathy or mercy or even plain rationality out of Vicky – it hadn’t work.
“Don’t worry, I’ll save her . . . eventually. But before that, she must pay.“
Gloria shook herself away from Vicky in blunt aversion. “You’re completely insane. Stay away from me!“ As she turned to run again, Vicky shoved her from behind with unexpected force, and she fell to the ground. Gloria could barely get up; a deep cut had formed on her thigh, and the blood slowly trickled down her leg.
Not the best time to be wearing a mini dress . . .
“I swear that if you take one more step, your slim leg won’t be the only body part bleeding.“ Vicky enunciated each threatening word in a peaceful voice, surprisingly calm, which scared Gloria even more.
“Okay, you won.“ Gloria brushed off the dirt from her dress and started limping away in the opposite direction. After a few steps she looked behind her. Vicky was standing in the exact same spot, staring at her, making sure she wasn’t coming back.
Gloria knew she had no one to turn to. If Jerry were to find out she’d ratted him out, God only knew what he would do to her. Her only option was to get home as soon as possible and call in an anonymous tip to the police hotline. She tried to walk faster, but her wounded leg slowed her down.
She just hoped it wouldn’t be too late.
CHAPTER 55
“So you’re saying that Vicky was the one who provoked your friends into hurting Kelly?“ Sharon stared at Gloria, completely surprised.
Gloria felt revulsion when Detective Davis referred to that group of Neanderthals as her friends. Even after all these years, it still bothered her.
“Yes. I would never do something so heinous,“ she proclaimed.
Sharon felt like the puzzle she’d been working so hard to assemble had revealed an entirely different picture than the one she’d imagined. Now she had to try and rearrange the pieces once again.
“But I thought that Kelly and Vicky were friends . . .“
“Does that seem to you like something a friend would do?“
Absolutely not . . .
“How did they end up staying friends after everything that had happened?“ Sharon asked.
“Simple,“ Gloria answered. “Vicky blamed the whole thing on me.“
“What are you talking about?“
Gloria took a deep breath. “When the police finally arrived at the house of mirrors, they found Vicky sobbing miserably over Kelly’s unconscious body, while trying to stop the massive hemorrhaging from the cuts on her skin. Vicky waited with Kelly until the paramedics got there. She claimed she’d found Kelly unconscious, and that she didn’t know who had done this to her. On the other hand, she told Kelly’s parents that Jerry and his friends were responsible and made sure my connection to them was clear. She convinced them not to press charges, so Jerry and his friends wouldn’t have any excuse to hurt Kelly again, but the real reason was to erase her own connection to the whole incident.
“When I tried to visit Kelly, Vicky was waiting there and stopped me from seeing her. She yelled at me, saying that she knew I was the reason Jerry and his friends had assaulted Kelly, and that I wasn’t welcome there. I noticed Kelly’s parents watching us from the side, Miranda Whitesporte wiping her tears. I decided I wouldn’t come back and cause them anymore grief,“ she explained in a sad voice.
“So you just let everyone think you did this?“ Sharon didn’t understand how Gloria could have let that manipulative bitch get away with it.
“Not exactly. Vicky made sure that Kelly’s parents wouldn’t discuss the details of the case with anyone. She knew that if the whole town got suspicious, I wouldn’t take it anymore, and Jerry might come forward and tell the truth.“
“But didn’t it bother you that Kelly’s parents believed Vicky’s lie?“ Sharon insisted.
“It ate me up inside,“ Gloria admitted. “But I had a sick mother I needed to take care of, and I couldn’t take the chance of Kelly’s parents approaching my mother and telling her what they thought had happened to their daughter.“ Gloria gave Sharon a meaningful look. “It would have broken my mother’s heart. Besides, back then Vicky never budged an inch from the Whitesportes, so I could never get a moment alone with them.“ She pursed her lips and shook her head. “That girl was nearly as smart as she was cruel.“
“Without a doubt.“ Sharon replayed in her mind the recent events.
“I had no choice but to stay away,“ Gloria sighed.
“And Kelly never discovered the truth?“ Sharon inquired. She found it difficult to think of Kelly Whitesporte as a victim rather than the cold blooded murderess she had gotten to know.
“Not for nearly two decades. But about three years ago, the truth finally came out.“
“How?“
“I told her.“
CHAPTER 56
Sharon was blown away. Every time she thought she got a step closer, she realized the finish line was even further away.
“What do you mean, you told her?“ Sharon glared at Gloria. “Had you stayed in touch all those years?“
“Not at all. We bumped into each other at Washington Square Park near NYU.“
“Of all places . . .“ Sharon wondered aloud.
“You don’t have to tell me. At first, I thought I was just mixing her up with someone else. It took me a moment to recognize her, because she looked nothing like herself,“ Gloria explained. “Actually, Kelly was the one who had spotted me.“
“Are you saying she had undergone plastic surgery?“
“Absolutely, and more than one. Actually, she looked a lot like Vicky, who’d also had quite the makeover since she’d left Winslow.“ Gloria squinted her eyes in an attempt to recall. “Come to think of it – they looked almost like twins.“
Sharon was yet to transform all these bits and fragments of information into a discernible image, but she was most certainly trying.
“So what were you doing at Washington Square Park?“ She decided to take it one step at a time.
“I was spending my day off at the village, walking around one of my favorite areas in the city,“ Gloria smiled with reminiscence.
“And Kelly?“
“Kelly was a student at NYU. She was in her second year of med school.“
“Really?“ Medicine and journalism didn't have much in common, Sharon thought. The connection between Kelly and Vicky started to seem more and more peculiar.
“Yes,“ Gloria confirmed. “She’d been a bright student when we were in high school.“
“How come she started school so late?“ Sharon did the math; Kelly was probably in her early thirties when she’d started med school.
Gloria was silent for a moment. Sharon recognized a spark of sadness in her eyes.
Gloria took a deep breath. “Kelly had never recovered after what had happened. I had hoped that moving to New York would be a fresh start for her, as it had been for me, but years later it became clear that my hopes had turned out to be far from reality. Even after turning a new leaf, supposedly, the events of that day had continued to haunt her.
“When we met that day, Kelly confided to me she still had nightmares at times, although they had decreased substantially ever since she’d gone back to school. For years she’d barely left the house, fearing the outside world. She couldn’t hold down a job or sustain a social life, let alone fly back to Winslow and see her parents; she was just terrified of dealing with those dreadful memories.“ Gloria’s voice became brittle. “Kelly may not ha
ve been readmitted to the psychiatric ward, but it was obvious that she hadn’t lived a normal or happy life.“ Gloria’s eyes glistened.
“But still, she started med school and got back on track. That was a good sign, right?“ Sharon tried to cheer her up.
“Yes, but it was only after seventeen years of endless torment, which I could have prevented had I been strong enough to stand up to Vicky.“ Tears glided down her cheek, leaving her eyes bluer than ever.
“It’s not your fault,“ Sharon said softly and held Gloria’s hand in a supportive gesture.
“Maybe not entirely, but I will never stop wondering how things could have been different, if only I had . . .“ her voice trailed away.
“Listen to me.“ Sharon pressed her hand. “This is not your fault in any way. This was all the act of a girl with a sick mind and a heart made of stone.“
Gloria looked at Sharon with sparkling eyes. How true was the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,“ Sharon pondered. She never would have imagined the amount of sadness that was stashed within a woman who, from the outside, looked so happy and majestic.
But Sharon’s philosophical judgments quickly switched back to the practical line that always characterized her.
“Wait a second. If Kelly couldn’t hold on to a job, then how could she afford the tuition?“ Sharon figured the amount had to be tens of thousands of dollars per year.
Gloria’s face contorted in a way that completely clashed with her delicate features.
“Vicky paid for everything.“
CHAPTER 57
When Andy returned to the hospital room, he saw that Gloria and Sharon were so immersed in conversation that they even failed to notice him. He decided, therefore, it would be a good idea to get a cup of coffee and give them some privacy. He turned around and walked away.
“So let me get this straight. Kelly and Vicky had remained in touch for all those years?“ Sharon was astonished by yet another new revelation.
“I can’t be sure. During our conversation she hadn’t mentioned Vicky at all, so I assumed she was no longer a part of her life. But when I asked her how she could afford to go to NYU, she muttered that Vicky had loaned her the money.“
Perhaps that was how the two got back in touch, Sharon guessed. Miranda had told her that Vicky had left to New York in search for Kelly.
“She seemed pretty embarrassed when she told me about it,“ Gloria continued. “It was important for her to emphasize that it was merely a loan and that she intended to pay Vicky back the full amount as soon as possible.“
With this much money involved – it had to be more than just a loan, Sharon concluded.
“So how did Kelly react when you told her about Vicky?“ she cut right to the chase.
“It wasn’t easy,“ Gloria admitted. “Toward the end of our conversation, Kelly had looked at me with little girl’s eyes and asked me why I’d done it. Her expression didn’t show anger or accusation, just deep sorrow. I couldn’t take it anymore and disclosed to her the truth I’d wanted to tell her years ago.“
“How did she take it?“ Sharon asked gently. She could not imagine what it would have been like to hear such crucial information nearly two decades later.
“Very strangely.“ Gloria stared at a distant point, trying to remember. “At first, she was quiet for a few long moments, just staring at me. She didn’t try to argue or doubt what I was saying, but it was obvious that she was in a state of complete shock.“
“She didn’t get mad or even cry?“ Sharon couldn’t decipher the meaning of Kelly’s odd reaction.
“No. She just looked troubled and murmured something about having to go and fix something, that she had a big assignment due and needed to hurry back to campus.“
Gloria remembered the last thing Kelly had said to her that day: “I wish you would have told me sooner. Perhaps we really could have been friends.“ Then she had smiled a sad, remorseful smile and left. Gloria chose to keep this memory to herself. There was no point sharing her feelings of loss with the rest of the world, because then they would become more real; and that was the last thing she needed right now.
“That’s it? She just ignored what you’d told her and returned to her books?“ Sharon wondered.
“I don’t think so,“ said Gloria.
“What do you mean?“
“When Kelly left, she didn’t head in the direction of the campus, rather she went the opposite way, toward the park exit.“
CHAPTER 58
The flight back home was supposed to be heavenly compared to the hell Sharon had been through on her way over. The murderess she’d been chasing after had finished her duty on this planet, Gloria McIntyre was alive and well and was supposed to be discharged from the hospital by the end of the week, and she had finally solved the case that had been haunting her day and night for the past three years.
But even at thirty thousand feet, she wasn’t on cloud nine.
Something still bothered her. Sharon felt that the story of her and Kelly Danes, or Vicky Hermont, or whoever she was, was not over yet. Why, for God’s sake, hadn’t Kelly admitted that she was, in fact, Vicky Hermont? Had Vicky actually believed that she was the real Kelly Whitesporte? And had she killed Kelly in order to live out her fantasy? To Sharon’s disappointment, Gloria hadn’t known the answers either when she had asked her those same questions. Besides, the autopsy results regarding the circumstances of the real Kelly Whitesporte’s death hadn’t come back yet. The coroner stated that the primary cause of death was a severe skull fracture as a result of blunt force trauma, but it was not yet clear if it had been sustained as a result of an accident, suicide, or murder. Sharon leaned toward the third option, but she could not dismiss any of the possibilities in light of recent discoveries.
Did Kelly’s mother really not know anything? And what exactly had happened between the two women that had merged their lives together so tragically? Sharon could not let it go just yet; she had to find out.
Only fourteen hours to go, and then she’d be home.
The pursuit of time began once more.
* * *
Home sweet home . . .
Sharon was happy to see that the door leading to her apartment was locked, and for once was glad to linger for a minute searching for her keys.
When she entered, Sharon turned on all the lights and scanned the rooms. Suddenly, she realized that the horrifying ordeal she had experienced in her apartment just a few days ago would not be forgotten from her mind anytime soon.
Great, now I finally have time to process the fact that I’ve been traumatized.
Sharon dropped her bags near the door; she would deal with them later. She took off the clothes she’d been wearing for nearly twenty-five hours straight and lay down exhausted on the couch. She snuggled with the woolen blanket that was on top of the pillows, a souvenir from the many nights she’d fallen asleep between piles of papers, not being able to carry herself to bed. Then she picked up the phone from the charger. She had three calls to make that could not wait until morning.
The first call was to let her mother know that everything was okay. She’d left Sharon about nineteen messages on her voicemail.
The second call was to NYU. At this hour there was probably no one there to answer, but at least she could leave a message and ask them to call her back ASAP. She wanted to take a look at Kelly’s registration documents. Perhaps she could find something there that would catch her eyes, which by now were draped with dark circles of fatigue.
The third call was to the Chinese restaurant down the block. She was starving.
CHAPTER 59
Two hours later, Sharon was still sitting on her couch, surrounded by small takeout cartons filled with fragrant oriental delicacies. She’d finished four eggrolls within the first five minutes and consumed all the dumplings in the wonton soup (she never bothered to drink the broth). Now she’d gotten to the real deal: spicy beef with broccoli; Kung Pao chicken; fried rice with sautéed veget
ables; and, of course, roasted duck in garlic sauce, her absolute favorite.
Normally she wouldn’t have ordered all of her favorite dishes at once, but she figured that sometimes you just have to give yourself a break and say to hell with it. After everything she’d been through, she deserved a treat. Besides, if there was anything she loved more than Chinese takeout food, it was Chinese takeout leftovers.
The microwave is just the most ingenious invention.
After devouring the contents of the cartons she had ordered, Sharon felt the jet lag running its course. She had just gotten back from twenty-four hours of travel and had a long day ahead of her tomorrow. The hands on her watch pointed out that it was after midnight.
Yet she could not fall asleep.
The television channels aired reruns of old sitcoms – Sharon’s favorite kind – but she couldn’t focus. She closed her eyes and tried to relax, listening to the comforting sound of familiar jokes. Suddenly, her cell phone vibrated. Sharon was startled. At this hour, it couldn’t be good news.
You can meet the love of your life this week!
Just reply with a text
and we will send you the number of your soul mate.
So what are you waiting for? Press Send right now!
Sharon despised those types of messages. She didn’t understand why it was other people’s business that she was still single. Wasn’t the disappointed look in her mother’s eyes enough?
At least nobody died, she tried to cheer herself up.
Sharon kept staring at the message on the screen.
So what are you waiting for?
No one had ever accused her of having too much patience.
* * *
It was ridiculous to call him now; it was almost 1 a.m. But when had she ever listened to the voice of reason?
Dark Illusion: A Psychological Thriller Novel Page 21
