Mistaken Identities (21 page)

“I hope you change your mind and go see them, make some peace with your past at least.” She could feel him watching her.

She refused to look at him. “Yeah, don’t worry about my past. I made peace with it long ago and buried it deep in the ground. I left its ghost there too.”

“Uh-huh,” he commented and she didn’t answer.

They were silent as they drove over the bridge that connected Lake Norman to the rest of Charlotte and the surrounding areas. Her mind drifted back to the past—the night she could taste her fear and remember like it was yesterday the deep crimson blood from the store clerk Dani had shot.

She ran through the complex, her mind swirling in every direction, and at the door her hand shook so hard she could barely get the key in the lock. She rushed inside and she had barely made it two steps before her mother threw a bag on the floor in front of her.

“Get out,” her mother said.

“Wait, what, Mama?” she said confused.

“It’s all over the news, girl. You and that whore Dani and the rich white trash shot Tyrone!” her mother screeched. “You bring all kinds of shame to this house.”

“Mama, I didn’t do it,” Stasia felt tears sting her eyes. “It was Dani, not me.”

“Yeah, well, I hope you know that rich white girl ain’t going to do one day for this,” her mother said. “I’m giving you a chance to run now before I call the police on my own child.”

“Mama, you wouldn’t.” Stasia recalled the feeling of disbelief that washed over her.

“If there is a reward, I sure as hell will,” her mother retorted. “I got Malika and her baby to think about.”

“And you don’t have me to think about?” Hurt filled her voice. “I cook, I clean, I do everything, Mama, and you’d give me up even though I’m innocent?”

“You’re just like your father, girl—useless.” Her mother’s voice cut her like a knife. “Get out now. That’s all I’ll give you.”

“Then I am glad I’m like my father. He was smart enough to get out of this hell hole.” Stasia picked up the bag and the first sense of betrayal sank like a stone in her heart. "You said I bring shame to this house, Mama, but you did that all by yourself. I promise I’ll be more than you expect me to be.”

“Doubtful,” her mother scoffed.

“You’ll never know,” Stasia replied.

She’d taken her one bag and left, ran through the dark streets of Caldwell and then took the path through the woods that she knew led to the McDowell property. There, she’d climbed the white trellis to Kim’s window that she kept open for the nights Stasia’s mother decided to lock her out. Kim was in bed in the dark and sat up when Stasia crept in.

“Are you okay?” Kim asked worriedly.

“My mom kicked me out. She said the news said I shot the store clerk,” Stasia replied. “Dani did it, you know that. Why didn’t you speak up?”

“My dad whisked me out of there so fast that I couldn’t talk to anyone.” Kim shuddered. “He paid off the cops so now I wasn’t even there, so no one would believe me. Dani sold you out, Stasia.”

“Kim, what am I supposed to do? I can’t go to jail.” Stasia felt tears stream down her cheeks. “I have to run away.”

“No, you’ll stay here and I’ll hide you until we can clear your name,” Kim said firmly. “I’ll tell Bryce, he’ll help, and Cole too.”

Stasia shook her head. “They both hate my guts. I’m the Ruby House reject, remember? It’s best I leave Caldwell tonight. Can I borrow some money for a bus ticket at least?”

“I’ll get you enough to leave tomorrow, Stasia. It’s too late now.”

“By tomorrow it will be too late, Kim,” Stasia said urgently.

That was when the door to her room was pushed open and Kim’s father’s voice moved through the darkness. “Honey, are you up? Daddy needs a hug.”

The way he said it made Stasia’s skin crawl. When his eyes became acclimated to the dark and he saw her, he started yelling about calling the police. It was Kim who got out of bed and stood up to her father.

“You do it, Daddy, I swear I’ll tell everyone about hugging, Daddy.” Kim’s face was deadly serious even though her voice was small. “She needs money and we’re going to give it to her to help her get out of Caldwell safely.”

“She’s one of those dregs from Ruby Houses.” He turned up his nose but she felt more disgust for why he was even in the bedroom.

“And you were here for just a hug.” Stasia couldn’t help but sneer.

“Help her, Daddy, or you’ll never get a hug again,” Kim repeated.

“Fine, I’ll get the money.” He turned to walk away.

“I’ll go with you, Daddy, to make sure you’re honest about it,” Kim answered.

Stasia remembered waiting in the dark, crying at what they were now going through all because of Dani. Kim and her father drove her to the Greyhound bus line in Greensboro so no one in Charlotte would suspect she was running. It took days to get as far away as possible and it just happened that the last place the bus stopped was in Arizona.

“Hey, we’re in Lake Norman. Where is the bed and breakfast?” Bryce’s voice pulled her from her dark memories.

“It’s Piper’s Glen on North Bridge Road. The house at the end of the cul-de-sac with the backyard facing the lake,” Stasia answered.

Bryce made the appropriate turn to bring them to the quaint little inn. It looked almost as she remembered except now instead of yellow, the historical colonial was a soft beige color. But the ivy still crawled up the trellis on the side of the house and the immaculate front gardens where she and Kim sat so many times and talked about their futures was still the same. She recalled how much she loved sitting on the bench in the garden soaking up the sun while they both hid from their families. He parked the car, they got out and she stood in the sun, letting it warm her skin before looking around.

“Kim and I had some great times here,” she murmured. “This is where we could escape. She had so many plans for this place. She always spoke of making fresh baked muffins for breakfast for the guests.”

“She loves baking,” Bryce said. “This place
is
beautiful. I could see her here. There is just so much I should’ve known…”

“A lot you should’ve seen!” Stasia whirled on him. “You were home a lot, Bryce, how did you not see what he was doing to her, what your mother let him do?”

“I was young, dumb and full of come. I couldn’t see past my damn ego,” Bryce said. “But when I finally found out, I reigned down hell on him and my mom. Kim opened up to Cole more than me. I feel like she blamed me somehow.”

“She does,” Stasia said bluntly and saw him wince as if she’d physically hit him. “You’re her big brother. You are supposed to protect her. He started touching her when she was ten and you should’ve known when it started. He bought you a fishing rod and took you on a trip to Florida. Every time he took it further with her, you got a big gift, like your first car. That was the day he raped her for the first time.”

“Jesus Christ.” He ran a shaky hand through his hair and matched up all the big gifts in his life to his sister’s molestation. “Goddamn it.”

“I’m sorry.” Stasia felt sorry for his misery. “But you’ve got to understand she had no one to turn to and feared that your father’s favoritism of buying you things would make you not believe her.”

Bryce looked at her with torment in his eyes. “I’d have thrown it all in his face, if I knew, along with my fists. She was doing so well before she ran away. She was considering moving in with Cole and that’s a big step.”

Stasia sighed. “It’s also a scary step and maybe she wasn’t ready for it and felt pressured.”

“Cole wasn’t pressuring her,” Bryce said.

“It didn’t have to be said, just felt by her. She’s a recovering addict dealing with years of abuse. Everything is heightened and scary and new.” Stasia explained “Let’s go in and see if Mrs. Eden knows anything.”

The woman behind the front desk looked up as they entered. Her smile faltered just a bit when she saw Stasia. It seemed her supposed misdeeds traveled up to the lake as well. The brown hair that was always pinned up in a bun now had streaks of gray. But in Stasia’s eyes the older woman still held herself with poise and grace and her beauty seemed timeless.

“I was cleared, Mrs. Eden. Do you want to see the exoneration papers?” Stasia said in lieu of a hello. It was best to get it out in the open than pussyfooting around.

“Dear, I never really believed the gossip. Kim told me the truth long ago. And, besides, you were too smart to give up on your dreams like that,” Mrs. Eden said. “I feared you were coming to give me bad news about Kim.”

“Was she here?” Bryce asked urgently.

“For one night. You must be her brother.” Mrs. Eden smiled. “Come on in the office. We’ll sit.”

They followed her as she came from behind the sign-in desk and opened a door off to the side. The interior of the office hadn’t changed. It still smelled like lavender and honeysuckle. The window was open and the fresh smell of the lake air wafting in caused the lace curtains to ripple. It gave her fond memories of drinking tea in this same room with Kim and Mrs. Eden like real Southern ladies talking about the future. She always secretly wished Mrs. Eden was her mother.

“Kim stayed one night and then took a cab and left,” Mrs. Eden sat down. “She was buying the bed and breakfast from me. I already have a check for partial payment. We were supposed to finalize the title exchange and deed a few days ago. When she didn’t show up and then you came through the door I thought the worst.”

“Where are you going to go if she’s buying the bed and breakfast?” Stasia asked.

Mrs. Eden smiled. “Part of the deal is that I get to keep a room and stay on to work the front desk and help her learn the business. I’ve got no family, though I consider Kim my family now. I remember you girls coming here telling me all about your dreams. I wish you were allowed to live them.”

“I still plan on living mine, Mrs. Eden.” Stasia smiled and felt the comfort the old woman always made her feel seep through her. At Piper’s Glen you could almost believe that everything would be okay. “Kim will too. We’ve had our bumps in the road, but giving up on her or myself is not something I will ever let happen.”

Mrs. Eden sniffed. “You were always her rock. Things got worse for her when you weren’t here. The drugs were an escape. I’m worried for her.”

“We’ll find her,” Bryce said. “I swear to you we will.”

To Stasia, the promise Bryce made to Mrs. Eden seemed to also be for himself.

“I’ll finish the deal for the property. I’ll pay the rest of the money and you can have the deed to the house and property transferred over to her,” Bryce said suddenly. “When she comes home it will all be in order and she can begin new in a place she truly loves.”

“Are you sure this is what you want to do?” Mrs. Eden said. “I can wait until you find her, and in the worst case scenario—”

“I’m doing it for her,” Bryce said stubbornly. “She’s going to get her happiness.”

Stasia watched emotions play across his face and felt sorry for Bryce. He was helpless right now and, even though he’d never admit it, scared. He already had feelings of guilt and now having her missing only made it worse. It was all wearing on him and Stasia knew why he was buying Kim the bed and breakfast. It was something tangible, something that connected her to it. If it’s there then she’ll be there.

Mrs. Eden nodded and stood. “I’ll get the paperwork my lawyer had written up.”

She went to the file cabinet and pulled out a file. Bryce barely glanced at the words and signed it before calling the family lawyer to tell him to draft a check and send it by courier to Mrs. Eden. Stasia shook her head. It was that easy for the rich—sign a paper and draft a check. The cost was more than she’d probably ever see for years. Even after her schooling and a new career, she’d need to win the lottery to pay for a house outright, but she couldn’t grudge Bryce, Kim or anyone for being well off. Their fate of where they were born and who they were born to was well out of their hands. After saying goodbye to Mrs. Eden, they left her office and walked out into the late afternoon sun.

“By the time we get back to Charlotte it will be after four. I say we pick this up tomorrow,” Stasia said.

“What, we’re going to try only one place a day?” Bryce asked angrily. “I didn’t get you back here for a joyride.”

“Excuse me?” Stasia felt her temper rise. “You got me back here because I was innocent. You don’t know your sister well enough to find her your damn self, so don’t push your guilt off on me. I have been up since late last night and, hell, after a turbulence-filled plane ride and then a two-hour drive, I’m jet lagged and hungry, by the way. Oh, thanks for asking if I wanted lunch. I plan to eat, shower and work up a list of safe places Kim used to go. Then I plan to nap and later put on my fuck-me boots and go out on the town.”

“We’ll stop so you can eat,” Bryce said.

“No, thanks, I don’t like the company,” she snapped.

“You had no problem with it when you were riding me hard,” he threw out.

“I like a hard ride but when you’re talking it’s a completely different story,” Stasia retorted. “Maybe Kim doesn’t want to be found. Maybe she needed to get away from this stifling, soul-sucking town and looking at you made her sick! Choke on them apples. You go on home, Bryce. I can find my way back to Charlotte.”

Bryce blew out a frustrated breath. “I brought you up here, I can drive you back.”

“I would rather walk on broken glass,” Stasia said coldly. “I’m going to visit with Mrs. Eden for a little while longer and have lunch and then get myself where I need to be. I’ll call you tomorrow when I’m ready to go.” Stasia turned away without even looking to see his reaction.

They were like oil and water. For all the heat they created together they couldn’t seem to carry on a conversation without rubbing each other the wrong way. Still, waters ran deep. While her teenage crush on him made her feel like she wanted to jump in his arms and talk about her dreams and their future, the woman who had seen too much at such a young age called her naive for having such fanciful thoughts. She couldn’t wait for this to be over so she could kiss North Carolina goodbye and get back to her life. For now, she would go out and celebrate her freedom even if she was the only one who seemed to be happy about it.