The Evil That Was Done (Secrets of Redemption Book 3)

by Michele PW (Pariza Wacek)

  “Because of Jessica,” I breathed. “You saw Jessica.”

  He stopped to stare at me. A slow, cruel smile spread across his face. I felt myself shrinking. Oh God, had I messed up? “I was there,” he said.

  I blinked. “Where?”

  “In the forest. With you and Jessica. That night.”

  Stunned, I could only gawk at him. It all came back in a rush—the darkness, the sour taste of terror in my mouth, how sure I had been that I was being watched. Something else was in the woods with us that night.

  Something evil.

  And that something was now standing right in front of me, grinning, in my oh-so-empty house.

  I’m going to die.

  Until that moment, I had thought I would find a way to get out of what was happening. Maybe Mia would come home unexpectedly, or Daniel would swing by, or I would figure out some way to talk myself out of it. But, right then, I knew.

  JD was going to kill me. And there was nothing I could do to stop him.

  “So, you saw what happened to Jessica,” I said.

  He nodded slowly. “Every single moment.”

  “What ...” I swallowed, tried again. “Did you see what happened to Jessica’s body?”

  “I took her.”

  “You took her?”

  “It wasn’t one of my smartest moves.” He sighed, glancing away, clearly lost in thought. “I wanted her to be alive, of course. I wanted to bond with her like my father and Jesse had bonded. I wanted that symmetry with someone. and Jessica … well, she was just so beautiful. There was something different about her. So different I even thought I could still have that connection with her even when I knew she was dead. But it didn’t work out that way. The smell.” He made a face. “Well, it was dumb. Even keeping her in a giant cooler with a ton of ice and air conditioning running full blast didn’t help.”

  I swallowed, trying not to gag as I thought about the smell. This man drove around in the middle of summer with a dead body in his car. I couldn’t even imagine. “What did you do then?”

  “I drove her to Lake Michigan and rented a boat. Took her out in the middle of the night. When I first took her, I knew I couldn’t stay in town, so I immediately loaded up my truck and started driving. I had no idea where I was going, but right as I realized I needed to do something about her, I found myself at the banks of Lake Michigan. I wished it could have ended differently but …” He lifted his shoulders in a shrug.

  The longer I listened, the harder it was to keep myself from screaming. How could we have missed how crazy he was? It was so obvious. Were we really that blind? Was he that good of an actor?

  I thought about Jessica. Her dead body stuffed in a cooler and dragged around the state by a psychopath. She was my friend. I could hardly stand it.

  The word “symmetry” floated through my head.

  Wait. JD had said he wanted the same symmetry Jonathan had shared with Jesse. Was that confirmation that Jonathan did kill Jesse?

  Was there a way to ask him without tipping my hand?

  I steadied myself. “I knew Jessica, but not Jesse,” I finally said. “I know they looked alike, but what about their personalities? Were they similar?”

  “They were very different,” JD said. “Jessica was a lot cooler than Jesse ever was. Jesse was weak. He didn’t understand power. Jessica did.”

  Power? What was he talking about now?

  “Charlie didn’t understand power either,” JD said. He had resumed pacing, and the more he talked, the more agitated he became. “And she was the worst of all. My father trusted her. How could she do what she did to him?”

  Was he wanting an answer? I wasn’t sure. I struggled with my bonds and watched him pace. Could I reach my phone? If I could, would I be able to use it? Text Daniel?

  Find the jade.

  That’s when it hit me—it wasn’t my phone in my pocket. It was the jade. And it had a sharp point … maybe even sharp enough to cut through the rope around my wrists. I reached toward my back pocket.

  “You understand, Becca, I had to do what I did,” JD continued, seemingly oblivious to my fumbling around. “Charlie left me no choice. After I said goodbye to Jessica, I continued my quest for my father. Charlie had told me she thought he went west. Idaho or Montana. Maybe Wyoming. Or even Texas. He wanted space, she told me. So, I went west too. I searched for him. For years. I thought I had found him a few times.” His hands clenched into fists. “You can imagine my heartbreak when I discovered I was wrong. Over and over again.”

  My fingers slid into my pocket. I felt the smooth, cool stone on my skin. I managed to get ahold of it with two fingers and slowly started easing it out.

  “I probably would still be searching now, but my sister called,” JD said. “My mother was on her deathbed. Could I come home to say goodbye? I didn’t want to interrupt my search, but I also knew it would be the last time I could ask her if she knew anything. I had been begging her to tell me whatever scraps of information she knew for years, but she always refused. This would be my last chance.

  “So I came back. And I asked her. Again, she refused to tell me anything. But, this time, she let something slip.

  “Charlie. Charlie knew something. Charlie did something.”

  The jade was out of my pocket. I almost lost my grip, and for a moment, I panicked. If it landed on the floor, I didn’t think I’d be able to grab it again with him so close. Luckily, I was able to shift it into my palm.

  “As soon as I could, I came back to Redemption,” JD said, still pacing, still ignoring me. “But this time, I decided I was going to do things differently. Charlie had lied to me before. She wasn’t going to again.”

  My eyes widened as I tightened my grip on the stone, barely feeling the sharp edge cutting into my skin. Oh God, what did he do to Aunt Charlie? “How did you keep her from lying to you?” I was amazed at how calm my voice sounded while my insides were screaming.

  He paused his pacing and gazed down at me, his eyes gleaming. “It was such an elegant plan, Becca. I made her sick.”

  I wanted to retch. I could feel the contents of my stomach threatening to spew out of me. I clamped my jaws together to try and physically keep myself from throwing up.

  Oh my God, what did he do?

  “You ...” I forced myself to swallow back the hot bile. “You made her sick?”

  He smiled wider. “I did.”

  “How ... how did that keep her from lying to you?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? She was sick! She was vulnerable! When people are sick, their defenses go down. Of course she would tell me the truth then.” JD was pacing again, his hands twitching.

  He made her sick. My heart ached as I wondered how long she had suffered, alone, while he tortured her.

  I watched him warily. What to say? Clearly, his plan hadn’t worked, but did I dare point that out to him? Risk making him even angrier?

  I heard Aunt Charlie’s voice in my ear, like she was whispering to me as I lay on the floor. I wish I had told him the truth. If I had, then maybe he wouldn’t have ever come after you. Tell him how sorry I am.

  I swallowed hard. “I’m so sorry Aunt Charlie didn’t tell you the truth,” I said, with as much sympathy and compassion as I could possibly muster. Unsure of my words, but willing to try just about anything, I continued. “I’m so sorry she reduced you to this. I wish she had told you the truth.”

  JD’s face softened slightly, and his pacing slowed. “I knew you’d understand,” he said.

  I do understand, Aunt Charlie’s voice continued whispering in my ear. She tricked me too, you know.

  “I do understand,” I said. “She tricked me too, you know.”

  “I did the world a favor,” JD said.

  Could this possibly work? “You did,” I said. “And I’m glad you know the truth now.”

 
He nodded, slowing down his pacing even more. “Yes, it’s time to move on. Speaking of which,” he pulled his phone out of his pocket and glanced at it, “we have to get a move on, too. It’s getting late.”

  “Where are we going?” I asked, hoping I still sounded conversational. Inside, I was frantic with terror. What was going to happen to me?

  He glanced at me, his expression regretful. “I made a mistake with you.”

  My heart stuttered. “Mistake?”

  He nodded, before crouching down next to me. “You know, a part of me knew you would understand. I should have trusted that. If I had known then what I know now ... well, it’s too late.”

  “What’s too late?”

  He reached over and helped me to my feet. His touch was surprisingly gentle. I tucked my hand that held the stone into my other hand, praying he wouldn’t see it. I could feel the sharp edges cutting into my skin. Please God, keep me from drawing blood. That would definitely give me away. “You understand, I have to finish it. Otherwise, there will be too many questions.”

  I was having trouble breathing. “I don’t understand. What do you have to finish?”

  He put his hands on my shoulders and turned me around. I gasped, even though I tried hard not to.

  There, in the corner, tied to one of the exposed beams in the ceiling, was a noose.

  Mad Martha hung herself in this room, after she killed Nellie, her maid.

  Oh God. I really was going to die.

  JD eased me forward from behind, toward the noose. Toward my death. “This is the only way it can end. You see that, don’t you? You’re distraught about Gwyn and Ellen, so you kill yourself.”

  It took me a second to get my voice to work. I was numb with terror. “What about a note?” I asked. “How will they connect me to Gwyn and Ellen?”

  “Ah, yes. I got that covered.” He gestured to Mia’s bed, and I could see a folded piece of paper on it. “I printed it off your computer.”

  “You don’t have to do this,” I pleaded, as JD continued to herd me toward the noose. I couldn’t take my eyes off it. It seemed to beckon me, inviting me to relax, to submit … telling me it would all be easier if I would simply surrender.

  “Of course I do. I can’t have the authorities looking for me. This is the only way.”

  “We can run off together,” I said, the idea popping into my head out of nowhere. I kept waiting for Aunt Charlie to say something else, but she was stubbornly silent.

  He paused, his hands still on my upper arms. I held my breath. Could this actually work? But his fingers tightened their grip, and he nudged me forward. “Tempting, but I don’t think I could trust you,” he said. “And I can’t risk you telling the authorities the truth.”

  “But they wouldn’t believe me anyway,” I said quickly. “No one in this town believes me. You know that.”

  He chuckled. “Nice try, but your cop boyfriend does. Look, I’m not happy about this either. I like you, Becca. But there’s really no other choice.”

  We were already in the corner, standing by the chair. How did we get across the floor so quickly?

  Aunt Charlie, what do I do? How do I get out of this? I need help …

  “Big step up,” he said. “Come on, now. I don’t want to hurt you. I promise I’ll make it as quick and painless as possible.”

  A “quick and painless” lynching? I could feel a gurgle of laughter bubble up, and I fought to keep it down.

  “Let’s go. We’re running out of time. Step up.”

  I wasn’t sure I could step up even if I wanted to. My legs felt thick and heavy, like rocks. He jerked me. “Becca, don’t be like this.”

  “I ... I can’t,” I said. “I can’t move my legs.”

  He sighed, swearing under his breath, before half lifting, half dragging me onto the chair. He gently turned my body so I was facing the middle of the room and adjusted the noose around my neck.

  He jumped off the chair and surveyed me, cocking his head from one side to the other. I could still feel the stone in my palm. Was there enough time to use it to cut through my bonds?

  I had to keep him talking. That was my only chance. I had to buy myself as much time as possible while I tried to cut the rope.

  “But why, JD?” I asked, carefully shifting the stone into sawing position. “Why did you set me up in the first place?”

  He shrugged. “Isn’t it obvious? She took my father. I take her niece.”

  I gave him a pointed look. “That’s it?”

  He grinned. “Do I need any other reason?”

  I forced myself to smile back at him, even though my skin wanted to crawl off my body. I had to keep him talking. I sawed the rope harder. “It just seems like a lot of work for a tit-for-tat revenge.”

  JD’s face grew more speculative. “There is ... something.” He smiled again, wolfishly. “There’s something about you, too. I can’t put my finger on it. Even back then when you were sixteen. Sure, Jessica was flat-out gorgeous, but you ... there was just something else.” He took a step closer to me, the heat in his eyes unmistakable. Oh my God, was he going to rape me, too? “I couldn’t take my eyes off you,” he said.

  “Then why set me up?” I asked. “Why do any of this when you knew from the very beginning you would have to kill me in the end?”

  “Don’t you get it? I did it because I was going to kill you at the end.” He gestured toward the note. “I had to make your suicide believable. Otherwise, that cop boyfriend would never leave it alone.”

  “So I’m killing myself to prevent myself from being wrongly accused?”

  His smile widened. “Who said anything about being wrongly accused?”

  I stopped sawing at the ropes and stared at him. “Are you saying that note is my confession?”

  He shrugged. “How else could I stop the investigation?”

  I swallowed hard. Even worse than dying, I was now going to be remembered as someone who snapped and killed two people. What would Daniel think? And Mia? Daphne? Chrissy? My family? Were they doomed to spend the rest of their lives wondering how wrong they had been about me?

  I desperately resumed my rope sawing. I had to get out of there. I had to.

  “This was quite the set up,” I said. “Was it all really worth it?”

  His face contorted into rage. “How could you ask me that? Charlie loved my father. At least, that’s what she said. And still, she killed him. The scales must be balanced. My father’s death must be avenged.”

  Aunt Charlie killed your father because he was a monster, I wanted to shriek. But I controlled myself. I suspected that wouldn’t help anything.

  “I’m not Charlie,” I said. “And you’re not your father. History doesn’t have to repeat itself. And, besides, Charlie is dead. You have avenged your father.”

  His face smoothed out and he cocked his head, studying me for a long moment. I held my breath. Did it work? Did I just talk him out of killing me?

  But then he shook his head regretfully, and every part of me froze. “It’s gone too far, Becca,” he said, his voice regretful. “I have to finish what I started. I don’t want the cops after me the rest of my life. You must understand. I’ll always be grateful to you for solving the mystery of what happened to my father. I promise to always remember you and cherish your sacrifice.”

  Remember me? Cherish my sacrifice? Suddenly I was furious, and wished Aunt Charlie was in the room, so I could let her have it. Over and over again in my dreams, she told me to find the jade or I would die. Well, I found her stupid jade, and look where it had gotten me.

  He took a few steps closer and put his hand on the back of the chair. “Any last thoughts, Becca?”

  Aunt Charlie, I thought wildly. You got me into this. You better help get me out.

  But there was no answer, in my head. I couldn’t think of a single thin
g to say, and my hands were still firmly tied behind me.

  Was this really it?

  A door slammed shut on the first floor.

  JD whirled around as I snapped my head up. Was someone home? Was I saved?

  “What the hell?” JD swore, heading toward the door. “What time is it? No one is supposed to be home yet.” He twisted around to look back at me, drawing a finger across his throat. “One word and they’re dead,” he hissed, before flinging open Mia’s door and creeping out into the hall, his head jerking around.

  I had to get out of there. I couldn’t let him hurt whoever had just come in. I started sawing on my bonds even faster. Please, please, let me cut through these ropes. Please, please don’t let him hurt whoever is here.

  My ears strained, but I couldn’t hear a sound. Why was everything so quiet? Did that mean no one was there after all? I remembered being in the basement and hearing a door slam before, but when I searched, the house was empty.

  You live in a haunted house, Becca. My aunt’s voice reminded me.

  “Oh, helpful, Aunt Charlie,” I muttered. “Why did you have me dig up that body anyway?”

  You didn’t find the evidence. The evidence is the key.

  Suddenly, I was sick and tired of myself. I had spent my entire life waiting for someone else to save me. My mother, my husbands, and now, Aunt Charlie from beyond the grave.

  It was about time I saved myself.

  JD walked back into the room. “No one was there,” he said, his voice bewildered. “You heard that, didn’t you? A door slam?”

  “Yeah, that happens,” I said. “This house is haunted, you know.” JD’s face cleared. “Oh, that’s right.” He glanced uneasily outside the door, rubbing his hands against his jeans. I kept sawing at the ropes and finally (finally!) felt a little give. My heart leapt, despite knowing I still needed a little more time.

  Find the evidence. That statement kept rattling around in my brain. How on earth would finding the evidence help me now?

  Think, Becca.