Souls Apart (Book 1 in the Lost Souls Trilogy) (9 page)

The female officer
nodded. “I’m afraid it’s not good news, Charlotte.
 
We found the body of a woman in a dumpster
behind Ray’s Rockin’ Diner. We think it’s your Mom. Is there anyone who can
identify the body?”

“There’s just
me.”

“Are you sure
there’s nobody else. You’re very young.”

“I’ll do it.” I
was too numb to cry. Why was this happening? I glanced at my ring. It was
cursed. I was starting to wish I’d never met Eddie.
 
Things were just fine before.

I asked the
officers to wait while I changed and then I let out all my emotions in the back
seat of the police car while we all drove in silence to the mortuary.

-17-

I felt bad asking the police to knock at Amber’s
house, but when they asked me if there was anyone who could look out for me,
she was the one person I could think of. She was distraught when she heard. My
mom was like a second mom to Amber; she sometimes saw her more than she did her
own mom.
 
Her mom was at home for once,
though. She came into the kitchen rubbing her eyes. “What’s going on?” she
asked when she saw me; my face red with tears.

“Charlie’s mom’s been murdered,” Amber said.
 
Hearing her say it in such a matter of fact
way started me off again. Her mom came over and started to cuddle me and for a
moment I imagined it was my mom. I let it all out.

“I’m so sorry, baby,” Amber’s mom said. “Amber, put
the kettle on, this girl needs a coffee with plenty of whisky in it.”

She led me into the living room and I rested my head
on her shoulder as she rubbed my hair. “You poor thing. You can move in with
us, honey. This is no time for you to be on your own.”

“Thank you,” I said. “I can’t believe this has
happened. Who’d want to murder Mom? She was such a good person…”

“I know, baby. They say Jesus takes the good ones
first and from what I remember of Simone, she sure was one of the good ones.”
She reached for a cigarette packet on the coffee table. “Do you mind if I smoke?”
she asked.

“No, it’s fine,” I said. Usually I hated people
smoking but she was being so kind and I’d woken her from her sleep so it was
the least I could do. Amber came in with the drinks.

“Charlie’s moving in with us, baby,” she said to
Amber.

“Thanks, Mom,” Amber said passing me my drink.

As I sipped it I thought about Eddie.
 
I was alone like he was now.
 
I was starting to understand why he didn’t
want me to leave. I couldn’t believe mom was really gone.
 
I’ll never forget looking at her on that
slab; stab wounds all over her petite body. Terror etched on her pretty face. I
started to cry again and Amber came to comfort me.

“Everything’s going to be ok, Charls.
 
Tomorrow we’ll call the school and let them
know we’re going to spend the day moving you into this house.
 
I don’t suppose you’re up to going to school
anyway.”

“Everyone’s going to be talking about it, aren’t they?
Everyone’s going to think Mom was a slut or something.”

“No they’re not. Why are you saying things like that?”

“Well, a young woman, out alone at that time of night.
They’ll say she was asking for it or something.”

“Well who cares what they all think anyway. We know
the truth and that’s all that matters.”

Amber’s mom stubbed her cigarette out in the ashtray
and stood up. “I’ll go and make up the spare bed.
 
You need to try and get some sleep, baby.”

I nodded. Amber was trying her best to stifle yawns
but I could see she was tired. “You go to bed too, Ambs.
 
I’ll be fine on my own, honest.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.
 
I’ll go
up when your mom’s done my bed.”

“Ok.”

I walked into the hall and heard muffled voices. Amber
was speaking. “…he’s bad news. Don’t you think it’s strange how her mom gets
killed the same night she told him she was leaving?”

“I’ve told you to stop obsessing about that boy.”

“I just know he did it, Mom.”

“Just go to sleep. I’m sure the police will get who
did it.
 
It’s not for us to speculate.”

I went back into the living room and took some deep
breaths.
 
I hadn’t thought about
Eddie.
 
What if Eddie had murdered Mom?
It made me feel sick. I ran upstairs and threw up in Amber’s bathroom. Amber’s
mom came in. “Oh, baby, have you been sick?”

I started to cry again. “I’m sorry.”

She came over and gave me another tight squeeze and I
buried my head in her chest; wishing she was my mom. I wanted Mom so much and
even though I didn’t think Eddie was capable of doing something like that I
felt that it wouldn’t have happened if I’d never met him.

-18-

I’d spent the day moving my stuff into Amber’s spare
room.
 
I took Mom’s stuff too.
 
I didn’t know what I was going to do with it
but I couldn’t just leave it there.
 
It
was weird being in my house, all alone with none of my familiar things
there.
 
I walked to my bedroom window and
looked at the view of the house on the hill; something I wouldn’t see in the
morning from now on. I noticed a silhouette on the hill. Was that Eddie? It
sure looked like him.
 
I saw him go over
to the window and look inside. What was he doing?

Did he know Sally was his great grand-daughter? Did
she know who he was? He still looked the same as he did in the photo so surely
she would say something if she recognized him. There again the resemblance between
Emily and myself was striking and so why didn’t she notice it the other day?
Why didn’t she say something to me?

I watched as he turned and glanced up at my window. I
shivered. Had he seen me? What was he doing at the house? I clutched the last
of Mom’s things in my arms and tentatively walked down the stairs.
 
I opened the door and half expected him to be
outside, but he wasn’t.
 
I locked the
door and felt a tinge of sadness as I realized I would never step inside that
house again. I made my way to the lettings agent and handed in the keys and
then I took the last of our things to Amber’s.
 
Amber’s mom had gone to join her dad in Dubai, where he was working on some high
level government contract and so it was just Amber and I for a few weeks.

Amber brought me over a sandwich. “Here, tuck in,” she
said. “You still need to eat. You’re skin and bones already; we don’t want you
getting any thinner.”

I reluctantly took it and gave it a tiny bite.
 
I really wasn’t hungry but she was right. I
needed energy to deal with all my problems. “You know I’m sorry about what
happened to your mom but it’s so good to have you staying here now that mom’s
away again.”

“I’m so glad you had room for me.
 
I don’t know what I’d have done otherwise.”

Amber put the last of her sandwich into her mouth and
mumbled, “Are you going to see Eddie later?”

“Yes, why wouldn’t I?”

“Because your mom died last night.”

“So?”

“So, don’t you think it’s a little strange?”

“What?”

“That your mom gets murdered the night you tell Eddie
she’s making you leave.
 
He’ll do
anything to stop you going, you know that.”

“I know but he wouldn’t murder Mom. He’s never even
met her!”

“We both know he murdered Emily.”

“No. Eddie didn’t murder Emily. Edward Gray did.”

Amber sighed. “Why are you defending him, Charls? I
think it was him and if the police come here asking questions, that’s what I’m
gonna tell them.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “You wouldn’t!”

“Don’t you want justice for your Mom? What’s the point
of you doing a criminal justice degree if you won’t even see the truth?”

She stood up, picked up the plates and walked into the
kitchen. I followed her, still reeling from her accusations.
 
“I love Eddie, Ambs. I know him and I know
that no matter what he’s done in a past life, he’s changed now. He wouldn’t
hurt Mom.”

Amber was scrubbing the dishes and so she didn’t turn
round to face me.
 
I saw her shrug her
shoulders but she remained silent.

***

Eddie was waiting for me at the top of the hill. When
he was in front of me I broke down in tears.
 
He pulled me close to him and hugged me tight. It felt so good to be
wrapped in his embrace.
 
It was as though
nothing could hurt me anymore.

“Charlie, what’s up?” he said.

“It’s Mom…”

I saw his eyes widen in confusion. “What is it? Has
she gone to Maine
and left you?”

“She’s dead.”

The color drained from his face and he looked as
though he was going to faint. “What happened? Are you ok? Oh my god…”

“Somebody murdered her, Eddie.”

He pulled me towards him again and held me tight. “Why
would anyone want to murder your mom?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it was just a random thing. She
was in the wrong place at the wrong time or something.”

He nodded. “I’m sorry, Charls. If there’s anything I
can do just let me know.
 
Do you want me
to come and stay with you? It must be awful being in that house all by
yourself.”

“I’ve moved in with Amber. I didn’t want to be in that
house any more.”

“Why did you go to Amber and not me?”

“You know I can’t remember the way to your place and
you gotta admit it’s too small for the both of us.”

He ran his hands through my hair. “I guess.”

“Can we go to your place now, though? I need to be
with you, Eddie.”

He smiled. “Ok.”

We walked, mostly in silence, to his hut. When we got
to the cemetery I heard a cat wailing in the bushes again.
 
It shot out right in front of us and started
to hiss at Eddie and then it jumped onto his legs, its fur standing on
end.
 
It was digging its claws into
Eddie’s leg. Eddie screamed and started to shake his leg, determined to shake
it off but it carried on wailing and scratching his leg as though it was a
scratching post. “Get it off me, Charls!” he yelled. I tried to grab the cat
but it bit me and then started to scratch my hand. “
Oww
!”
I cried. “Eddie what’s happening?”

And then I saw it. Even in the dark I could see
Eddie’s eyes turn red. I saw the evil in them as he bent down, grabbed hold of
the cat and squeezed it so tight I could see its eyes were about to pop out.
“No!” I screamed. “Eddie, Stop!” He dropped the cat and the frightened animal
darted into the bushes.

“Eddie, what just happened?”

His eyes had returned to their normal color. “I don’t
know. I just lost it I guess.
 
That thing
was really hurting me!”

“You scared me.”

“It’s ok. It’s gone now.”

As he took my hand I felt even more scared than usual.
He led me into the hut and I twirled the cursed ring around my finger while he
poured out some wine.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen with us now,” I
said. “I’m still going to college but I’ve nowhere to go to at weekends. I
can’t stay with Amber for much longer.”

He smiled. “Well maybe you shouldn’t go to college
this fall.
 
Maybe you should have a gap
year and we can get married and try and get our own place.”

I knew he was trying to control me and I wasn’t going
to let that happen. “I’m not putting it off, Eddie. I tried hard to get into
that college and they might not let me come next year if I put it off now.”

“I thought you loved me.”

“I do.”

“Then stay. Move back into your old house. You can get
help now you’re there alone.
 
I can move
in with you.
 
It will be our place.
 
Why don’t we get married in the holidays and
then it’ll all be official before you go to
Husson
.”

“I can’t go back to my old house, Eddie. There’s too
many memories.”

He came over and grabbed hold of my hand. He pointed
to the ring. “Do you see that? That means you’re mine now. We make decisions
together and we compromise. If you won’t move back into the house then you
won’t be going to college either, it’s as simple as that.
 
If you stay here then Amber will have to let
you stay with her.
 
She can’t just throw
you out onto the streets.”

“But I can’t stay here.
 
I want more than this, Eddie.
 
You have to understand; I want a better
future for us and our children.”