Black Water Tales: The Secret Keepers (26 page)

“For several weeks, we waited in agony for the phone call saying that Lola’s body had been found. We waited for the knock on the door, the police wanting us to come down to the station, the handcuffs, the suspicious glances, and hateful whispers. The hours ticked away like individual grains of sand slipping through an hourglass one at a time and we just sat there staring at one another until the sun set and so it did that day, the next day, and every day after that.

“So you just left her at Langford?” Barron asked, his eyes fluttering in confusion. Regina could see it in his face; he thought she was leaving things out. He thought she was a liar. If he had been listening, she knew the obvious questions would come next.

“Yes!” Regina stated with unwavering conviction. “We just left her there.”

Barron jumped from his seat nervously and paced a short invisible line that was strung from his bar stool to hers. First, he tried shoving his hands in his jean pockets, but they rested there for only a second until they were on top of his head. His eyes darted to different points on the floor, looking for answers.

Regina felt a thick knot beginning to tighten in the middle of her throat.

He stopped in front of her, his hands set in a disarranged pose of disquietude. He lowered his voice and looked around before speaking.

“How did she get cut up? And how did she get to the DeFranks’ house?”

“That’s what I don’t know, Barron, I swear. I did not cut her up and I did not bury her. I wouldn’t have, I wanted her to be found. I don’t know what happened,” Regina explained barely able to control her emotion enough to get the words out.

“Regina, that just doesn’t make any sense.”

“You think I don’t know that? This is why I came back. When Nikki called me and told me what happened, I know it sounds crazy, but I felt like this was my chance.”

“Chance for what?”

“It’s just like you said, this is my chance to make things right! I didn’t protect her that night, I didn’t help her, but now I have a chance to change things and make them right again for everyone, the truth has to come out, all of it. That is the only way that anyone will have any peace. The fact is that when we left her she was in Langford, but a few days ago she was found on the DeFrank estate. What if she was just unconscious when we left her at Langford and she got up and walked away? I have to know the truth,” she told him.

Barron was still standing in front of her, listening to her desperate pleadings. He gently placed his hand on her arm.

“And what if she didn’t wake up? What if she was dead when you left her and then something happened?” Barron asked. He hated to hurt her, but it was a question he knew she would have trouble asking herself.

Regina swallowed deeply, all of the skin tightening around her neck.

“Then I have to know that too.”

“You could go to jail,” he sang his brokenhearted warning.

Regina wiped her nose which was now running.

“I don’t care.”

Barron let out a long wind. She had made up her mind and he knew that once she had her mind set there would be no changing it. The only thing that he could do now to help her would be to stay as close to her as possible in order to bring this crazy ordeal to some type of resolve without her being in too much danger. “So what do you think happened? You think Natalie did it?”

“I don’t know, but I know that someone…someone here in Black Water does not want me to find out. Once I figure out who that person is, I can figure this thing out. And maybe…maybe, even if it’s in a jail cell I can close my eyes and not see her.” Barron said nothing for a few moments.

“Are you sure?” he asked. Regina was confused.

“About what?” She asked.

“About this whole thing!” Barron tried to quiet himself, but Regina could see that he was filled with aggravation.

“You think I’m making this up? You think I’m crazy? Why would I make this up?” Both of their voices had grown, in a matter of seconds, too loud to be ignored. They noticed that they were being watched. Regina lowered her voice.

“Barron, please. I have waited for years; years to tell this story. You have to believe me. I need you to believe me.”

Barron thought and then raised his hands in a show of surrender. “I don’t think you’re crazy, I’m just saying that this is the wildest thing I’ve ever heard in my life! You guys aren’t capable of killing a fly. Maybe you’re just under a lot of stress and this is just a way of making things make some kind of sense to you.”

“I’m not crazy, Barron,” Regina said in a strained whisper through clenched teeth as she leaned in to speak to him.

“I am not making this up. We killed her! I think,” she said with a sigh of defeat.

Barron raised a thick eyebrow before rolling his eyes. “Look, Regina, I don’t think that you are crazy. It’s just that…it’s just that …” Barron thought for a minute and changed his approach.

“A wise man once said that the only way that two people can keep a secret is if one of them is dead. It’s just not likely that the three of you and whoever else you suspect might have been involved kept this under wraps for all these years.”

“You are the only person in the world that I’ve ever told about this. You can ask Nikki and Natalie if you need to. You are the only person that I have and I need you to believe me. I need your help.” She pleaded.

Barron looked into the brown eyes that had captivated him years ago and the tension in his face softened.

“Please, Barron.” As she spoke he watched her pursed lips move seductively drawing him into this morbid carnival of death; haunted houses, deceptions, and funhouse mirrors. She wrapped her arms around him and he hugged her tightly, his eyes were
drawn out the window to the disguises of the children that chased one another and played hide-and-seek behind trees and cars. There were monsters and demons, a teenage girl dressed as a vampire, but she was just a mortal girl with no special powers, and an older woman was in a white dress with a halo around the top of her head, but he now knew that she was no more an angel than the vampire was what she pretended to be. Everyone was wearing a costume. Regina was still speaking but her voice was miles away and he knew it would be better if our reality was not reality at all but just a harmless battle; a board game and we, just the pieces, our movements initiated under the tutelage of a higher intelligence in a range of complex and sometimes unexplained strategy.

“I believe you,” Barron finally said as he released the girl from his embrace.

“Are you going to go to Sheriff Handow?” she wanted to know next. “I would not blame you if you did, but I just need some time.” Regina meant every word that she said. For so long now she had been waiting for the chance to reveal this burdening secret and she would not be the least bit angry if Barron decided to do the right thing and take everything that she said to the police. In fact, that is probably what she wanted; although, in recent years she found it more and more difficult to be sure of her maze of feelings.

“No. I won’t go to the sheriff; besides, there is probably no evidence anymore that points to any of you girls. If you did not have anything to do with the new crime scene there will be nothing there and even if there was it would be tainted by whatever happened after you did
whatever
it is that you think you did or didn’t do. Anything that was ever in Nikki’s backyard or fireplace is probably long gone,” he reasoned.

There was no reason anymore to hide any details. Regina recounted the events of that sinister afternoon, the DeFrank estate, and the photograph. She told him how she was attacked at the festival, but she recanted her idea that it was Lola that attacked her and credited the delusions of a terrified girl with her previous accusation. Barron was already beginning to question her mental
health and she didn’t want to provide him with any more ammunition by standing firm on her idea that a dead girl had attacked her.

Barron pulled up to the curb on the side of the street that was opposite Regina’s house. The lights were on in the kitchen.

“What if this person comes after you again?” he asked. Regina beamed at the concern in Barron’s voice. He was beautiful and the love that she once had for him, which for years lay gray in the same forsaken corner of her heart where Black Water resided, had just come back from the dead like a flower growing to full bright pink bloom.

“I’ll be fine with my parents here. Once you get over the devastating fear that comes from facing the darkness and you step inside, it isn’t so bad,” she revealed.

Barron raised an eyebrow and Regina regretted revealing her newly discovered revelation and thought that she better back it up with something less abstract.

“I’m not scared anymore.” She said. “Besides, whoever it is wants me to stop, they don’t want to kill me. If they kill me they start a whole new investigation that would threaten to reveal who they are.”

“Yeah…well …” he said, looking into the rearview and then scanning all of the windows. “It’s still pretty early so I’ll just hang out here for a while,” he said. Regina leaned across the seat and kissed him long and aggressively, pressing his face closer to hers with her hand on the back of his neck. Everything around them faded into a blur of useless sights and sounds and they were the only two people in the world. All of the fear and frustration drained from her and she felt as light as air for the minute that she was in rapture with him. This kiss was the one that she had been waiting for and it was everything that she imagined it would be. She felt close to him, which is something that she had been missing.

Regina jumped out of the truck and scrambled across the street. Her parents were in the kitchen having coffee in costume.

“Regina, you OK? Barron said that you weren’t feeling well.” Her father spoke first.

Regina plopped down on one of the chairs at the kitchen table. “I had a couple of drinks. I just needed to relax.” Regina told her parents.

“I’m starting to think that you don’t want to spend any time with us.” Her mother said half-jokingly, but the hurt was apparent.

Regina pressed her fingertips to her forehead, exacerbated by her mother’s guilt and feeling the oncoming of a massive headache.

“Mom, this has nothing to do with you, OK? I know that I have been a little checked out, but can you understand, Mom? Can you understand?” Regina asked.

Her father sighed, dreading having to get in the middle of this conversation.

Mrs. Dean sensed her husband’s anxiety. “I just want you to grieve in a healthy way is all.”

Regina took a moment to actually think about the words that her mother was saying before brushing them off simply based on the fact that they were the words of her mother. She wanted so badly to tell them everything, to tell them that this was not just simple grieving for a friend lost, it was so much more. Mr. Dean gave his wife a disapproving glance.

“I’m sorry, honey.” Her mother came over and stroked her hair.

“It’s not you, Mom. You’re right. I just needed to have a couple of drinks tonight, but I promise I won’t deal with it like this.” Regina relented. Mr. Dean reached around the table and held his wife’s hand. Regina fought back the tears.

“You hungry?” Her mother asked.

“No. I just need to get a little sleep.” Regina confessed.

“Do you want to talk?” Her father pressed.

“Maybe tomorrow dad, I just want to sleep. Are you still going next door to the Jamison’s?” Regina asked as she rose from the table.

“Well …” Her mother began with concern.

“Uh.” Her father’s stuttering fell over that of her mother’s.

Regina laughed lightly and sniffled. “Go”

“Maybe we should just stay home; I’m kind of tired anyway.” her father said.

“No, you’re not!” Regina challenged. “You go to their Halloween party every year. Go, I’m just going to go to sleep anyway,” she urged.

“Are you sure?” Her mother asked.

“Yes, Mom. I’m a grown woman I will be fine.” Regina said feeling confident with Barron standing guard.

“Well, we’ll be right next door if you need anything.”

“We won’t stay very long,” her father promised.

Regina retreated upstairs to the bathroom where she took another shower in an attempt to wash away the dirt, the dirt that had been waiting for years to be cracked by the truth. Regina was warm in her robe as she crept down the hall into her room and looked out of the window to see Barron staring directly up at her through his open car window. Relief settled her stomach and she gave him a quick wave. It was doubtful that any stranger was coming for her that night, but there was something overwhelmingly romantic about having Barron there. His watch-keeping made her feel like a princess being protected in her tower, while the valiant prince kept the monsters away. She slid into bed and sleep swept her away.

Pain sliced through Regina’s head as her groggy eyes opened to reveal a room full of the clouded remnants of a dream and she immediately wished that she had taken some aspirin before bed. Someone was at the front door pounding out another loud series of bangs. “What the hell?” she muttered to herself, one hand on her forehead trying to massage away the alcohol-induced pain, the other hand lifting the alarm clock to reveal that it was only 9:45 p.m.

More violent pounding permeated the house.

“Jesus Christ! I’m coming.” Regina gave a soft yell loud enough for them to hear, but not loud enough to agitate the pain that was swimming in her head.

“Who is it?” She yelled again as she shakily made her way down the stairs.

No answer, just another series of thunderous knocks. Abruptly the circumstances of her current life came floating back to her in a wave of haunting reality and she froze.

S
he stood on the last step listening intently, but heard nothing. Regina fell back on the stairs at the sound of a cat squealing on the porch and then a sudden rustling, in her startled movement her ankle collided with one of the hard steps.

“Ouch!” Regina gave an injured cry.

“Regina!” A voice yelled before another string of loud blows to the door. Regina dashed into the kitchen and pulled out the drawer full of knives of all shapes and sizes in a menacing jangle of metal. Regina wrenched out one of her mother’s favorite utensils, a dangerously sharp steel butcher knife. She held it up and admired the gleam that flashed across the shadowy kitchen. Regina raced back to the door and stood with her ear pressed tightly against the wood.