Wicked Scandal (Misfits #2)

Chapter 27

CATHERINE

It’s been three days since we’ve returned to Willow Creek. Things are starting to settle down a bit, but everyone has been asking about Troy’s memorial service. It’s up to me whether I want to have one, and I’ve made the decision not to. If he has other family members or friends that want to step up and take on that role, more power to them. As for me, I want nothing to do with it. Some may think I’m cold and callous, but that’s because they don’t know the hell I went through.

Rumors have begun to circulate about his abuse and the way he treated me. Some even say I’m making it all up. But I’m keeping a tight lip and letting everyone think what they want.

It’s also no surprise that I was let go from my position at Willow Creek High. I’m not sad in the least because there are better opportunities for me elsewhere.

I pick up my phone and read the latest article from the Willow Creek Gazette as Wilder and I walk up to the motel I’ve been staying in.

Breaking News: Willow Creek’s Mayor Jenkins Death Ruled Suicide.

The case in the death of Mayor Troy Jenkins has been closed as new evidence was brought to light. Mr. Jenkins’s wife, Catherine, returned to Willow Creek and gave a statement regarding the threats her husband made in the days leading to his death.

Autopsy results have revealed Troy Jenkins lost his life to a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Since that time, Grant Cromwell is still serving as acting mayor until he’s sworn in after the election this November.

“Did you see this?” I pass the phone to Wilder as we step through the door.

His eyes skim over the article quickly and he hands my phone back to me. “Good. I’m glad this shit is finally over.”

“Yes,” I exhale a sigh of relief. “It is finally over.”

We approach my room on the first and only floor of the small motel. It’s a cute place with only a dozen rooms, but it’s well-kept and there’s a beautiful garden with benches out back. Wilder and I spent last night out there watching the sunset and a sense of peace washed over me. He’s been staying with me every night since I checked in and I’m hoping once I sell the house and buy a new one, he might want to stay with me permanently. I know this thing between us is moving fast, but when you know…you know.

As we draw closer to the room, my nose scrunches as I try to make out what’s hanging on the door.

Wilder notices and moves faster, snatching the note and something else that’s taped there. A feeling of dread settles into my stomach, one that feels all too familiar.

“What is it?” I ask him. When his eyes go wide, I get the feeling this isn’t really over.

He hands it to me, and I read the words that are put together by letters cut from a newspaper.

I know the truth. It wasn’t suicide. Bring $20,000 cash to the power lines at ten p.m. or the entire world will know the truth.

Then, he passes me a picture. I blink a few times, praying my eyes are deceiving me as I stare at a print of me and Wilder walking out of my house after we found Troy dead. There’s a time stamp on the photo, proving we were there.

“No!” I gasp as my hand flies to my mouth. “We thought this was over but we forgot one very important detail.” I look at Wilder and as if he’s reading my mind, he finishes my train of thought.

“Someone actually did kill him, and that person is still out there.”

I wave the note in the air, panic all over my face. “It has to be this person. How would they know it wasn’t suicide? They're going to pin it on us, Wilder.”

He shakes his head, his features pinching with confusion. “I don’t get it. The death was ruled a suicide, thanks to us. They got away with it. Why do this?” Wilder points to the photo, his jaw tensing as if he wants to hit something.

It was supposed to be over…

My head feels like it’s spinning and I’m not even sure if I’m making the right decision, but I think we both know what we have to do. “We have to go there and give this person the money. If we don’t, we could be in serious trouble.”

Wilder rubs his temples before stroking his chin as if he’s deep in thought. A minute passes before he finally says, “I have a plan.”

I really do love it when he says that because he hasn’t steered us in the wrong direction yet. Wilder opens the motel room door and as soon as we get inside, he starts vomiting words on how this is going to go down.

He’s waving his arms and begins to send text messages to those we trust. My chest aches with the idea of this not being over, but more so because of the unknown.

Who hated my husband enough to kill him? Who hated him more than me?

In the end, I’m satisfied with the plan because we have no other choice. He made a good point—if we pay this person off, who’s to say they won’t come back for more? Troy has a hefty amount of savings that is now mine, but I’m going to need that money since I’m between jobs. And Wilder is only eighteen years old; he can’t afford to pay thousands of dollars to a stranger to keep them quiet.

There is just enough cash in Troy’s safe to bring to the meetup tonight, but with any luck, we won’t be handing over a dime.

This is the only way and I hope like hell it works because if it doesn’t, we’re screwed.

I hug the backpack of money to my chest. Just before coming here, Wilder went into my house and got the cash from the safe. I still couldn’t bring myself to go inside. I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready.

We arrived twenty minutes early to make sure the details of our plan are in place and as far as we can tell, no one else is around.

We don’t intend to hand over any of this money, but just in case it becomes necessary and we don’t get the confession, we may have to.

Wilder takes the backpack from me and flings it over his shoulder before taking my hand in his. “You okay?”

I nod, but I’m not really okay. This is all so much and I hate that I’ve put Wilder in this position. He doesn’t deserve any of this; yet, he’s going through it with me. “I’m sorry,” I tell him, not knowing what else to say about everything.

He spins me to face him, but I duck my head. It’s a bad habit that I need to get rid of, but I can’t help it. I don’t like feeling vulnerable.

“Kitty Cat.” Wilder presses up on my chin with a finger. When my eyes meet his, I want to cry. Wilder looks at me with so much love that I don’t know if I deserve it. “Don’t apologize. We are a team, and teams figure things out together.” A soft kiss brushes my forehead and I relax a little bit.

He’s right, we are a team. I am not a disappointment to Wilder. Leaning into his touch, I let him ground me. He is everything I never knew I needed; yet, someone I now know I’ll never be able to live without.

“We’ve got a plan in place and if it comes to it, I’ll do what I have to do.”

“Which is?” I need to know what he was about to say because the look on his face tells me it wasn’t good. “What would you have to do, Wilder?”

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a switchblade and I gasp. “It better not get to that. We’re not killers, Wilder.”

“It won’t,” he says, but there’s a bit of skepticism in his tone. “Everything’s gonna be fine, but you can never be too safe. We’re meeting a potential murderer in the dark, after all, and I never plan to take chances when it comes to your safety ever again.”

My heart rate excels until I can literally feel it rattling against my rib cage. “I’m scared,” I whisper under my breath.

Wilder squeezes my hand. “Don’t worry, baby. Just let me do all the talking. Soon this will all be over and we can finally start the next chapter in our lives, together.”

Suddenly, headlights come toward us down the trail, making my breath halt in my lungs. Panic sets in and I begin second-guessing everything. “M-maybe we should leave and find another way.”

“This is the only way,” Wilder whispers back. “I’ve got you, baby.”

I have no choice but to trust him. He’s got me. He’s got us.

The car comes to a stop a good ten yards away and when they kill the lights, we’re unable to see anything at all. Wilder points his flashlight in their direction, but it does little good to reveal their identity. The sound of a car door creaking open has my palms sweating. This is it. I still have no idea who this could be. Troy knew a lot of people—everyone in this town for that matter. Now I’m running through all of the faces of who this might be.

It could be the chief of police who Troy had in his pocket for years. I wonder what it was that Troy held over his head for so long to make him so loyal. Or he could just be a corrupt cop who helped willingly.

I wonder if it was Principal Hargrove. I know Troy would have him spy on me and report to him under the guise of making sure I was safe. He could have blackmailed him.

My thoughts begin to morph the shadow in front of us into so many different men that when they get closer, I don’t fully believe what I’m seeing. It isn’t until Wilder’s flashlight shines on their silhouette that we are able to see it’s not a man at all.

I heave, barely able to catch my breath as my vision fogs. It can’t be.

“No.” My voice shakes as the last person I could have expected approaches us.

Standing before me is a very pregnant woman wearing all black with the hood on her sweatshirt flipped over her head. But it’s not just any woman—I know this one quite well.

“Beth,” I choke out. “Wha…what are you doing here?”

“Surprise,” she sings as she comes closer and closer until we’re face to face. But the look on her face isn’t a pleasant one. She looks livid.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, still unsure if this is just a coincidence or if she’s the one who left the note.

“I had you come here, Catherine.” She glances from me to Wilder. “Both of you.”

“You left the note?” I have to ask, even if it is blatantly obvious. It doesn’t make sense.

Wilder nudges me, not taking his eyes off Beth. “Who the hell is this?”

Beth smirks devilishly, rubbing her pregnant belly. “I’m the woman carrying Catherine’s husband’s baby.”

My heart drops into my stomach, my ears ringing. “What did you just say?”

Wilder, noticing the way my body is shaking, wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me tightly to his side for comfort.

“That’s right.” Beth glowers. “Your son-of-a-bitch husband knocked me up. Then he tried to send me away and told me he wanted nothing to do with me or the baby. When I wouldn’t go, he fucking strangled me until I agreed.” She spits the words out like venom, as if it’s my fault she slept with a married man and got pregnant.

“We’re having a baby,” is what she said when she told me she was pregnant. I now realize she was trying to tell me something more. Her crying makes sense now. She wasn’t hormonal; she was heartbroken.

I still can’t believe what I’m hearing, but I’m not angry. In fact, I feel bad for Beth. This poor girl. She’s a victim, too.

“Beth,” I say softly as I step toward her, hoping she’ll allow me to help her. “Troy was a terrible man who did awful things. Consider it a blessing that he’s gone and not part of your innocent baby’s life.”

“Oh, I know it’s a blessing.” She grits her teeth, clearly trying to hold back so many emotions. “And I made sure he wouldn’t be a part of my baby’s life.”

“Beth,” I say again, taking another step toward her, and Wilder moves along with me. “Did you shoot Troy?”

“I did what I had to do.” Her voice shakes as a tidal wave of fear and sorrow hits her so hard it’s like I can physically see it. “H-he turned into a man I didn’t recognize. After a year of pretending to love me, he pushed me aside when I needed him the most. The hands that used to hold me began hurting me.”

Tears roll down her cheeks and she sniffles, then begins wiping at her face. “I didn’t want to leave,” she sobs. “But he told me if I didn’t, he would kill me and our baby.”

“Oh, Beth,” I say somberly. She nearly folds in half and I worry about the baby if she falls. “He can’t hurt you anymore. You’re safe now.”

Those are the same words Wilder said to me, and I can’t imagine getting through these last couple weeks without him. Beth needs someone to assure her she’s okay now, too.

“What do you want from us?” Wilder spits out angrily.

“I need money,” she cries, gesturing to the bag in my arms. “I don’t have a job anymore. I don’t even have a place to live. I…I have nothing.” Her hands wrap around her stomach protectively and I understand. She has nothing but this sweet innocent baby, and she needs to protect him.

“So you’re blackmailing us?” Wilder scoffs. “You killed that bastard but you want us to take the fall if we don’t pay you.”

“Wilder,” I stammer. “She’s hurting.”

“We’re all hurting. That man deserved what he got, but it shouldn’t be at our expense.” He looks down at me, pleading with his eyes. “Don’t let her manipulate you, baby. You don’t owe her a thing.”

I shake my head as I gently put a hand on his arm and step out of his hold. Wilder doesn’t understand this pain, even if he understands me. He will never know what it’s like to look at the person who holds your fate in their hands as they hurt you. He will never understand how they manipulate and isolate you until you can’t see anyone or anything but them. And I’m glad he will never understand—but I do, and so does Beth.

“It’s not about what I do or do not owe her. It’s about what he did to us both.” I take another step toward Beth and reach for her hands. Surprisingly, she lets me take them. “I feel your pain. You might not realize it, but I’ve been in your shoes. I’ve lived in hell for far too long because of Troy. Let us help you.”

In the blink of an eye, Beth breaks down in full-blown hysterics, falling into my arms. She’s not dangerous; she’s scared. “I didn’t know what to do,” she cries out. “He backed me into a corner and I felt like I had no choice.”

“I understand,” I tell her. “I promise you, Beth. It’s going to be okay.” I turn around to face Wilder and I hold out my hand. “We have to give it to her.”

He cranes his neck, stunned at my statement. “Seriously?”

“Yes. Seriously. I want to help her. You don’t get it, and I don’t expect you to either. But she doesn’t have a Wilder on her side. I want to do this for her.”

It takes Wilder a minute before his features soften and he realizes what I said. Beth is fighting this alone, but we can help. Finally, he hands me the bag of cash. I turn back to Beth and extend it to her. “There’s twenty thousand dollars in here.” She goes to reach for it, but I pull it back to my chest. “This is not a form of payment to silence you. It’s not negotiable, and there will not be more. This is a gift from one victim of domestic abuse to another. I said I know your pain, Beth, and I meant it. You don’t have to do this alone.”

“Why are you being so nice to me after everything I’ve done?” Her voice cracks and shakes, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

“Because I know how charming that asshole can be. And I know what happens when you're no longer a shiny new toy, but a thing he owns.”

The next thing I know, Rome and Elodie come out of the woods. Rome holds his phone in the air. “Got it. You’re going down, bitch.”

Wilder shakes his head at Rome, shutting him down. “Change of plans, bro.”

“But I got it all here,” he says as he and Elodie join the circle we’re all standing in. He looks at Beth. “I’ve got proof you killed the mayor.”

He seems proud of himself, and under any other circumstance, I’d be proud of him too. They did exactly what we asked them to do. Everything has changed, though.

Beth looks at Rome with panic in her eyes. “I wasn’t really going to show the pictures I got. I swear. I just need the money until I’m back on my feet.”

“It’s okay, Beth.” I put a comforting hand on her shoulder as I look at Elodie who seems to get it much faster than these boys do. “You’re going to destroy those pictures you have and we’re going to delete this video. Deal?”

“Of course.” She nods frantically. “Like I said, I wasn’t going to share them anyways. I was…desperate.”

I look at Wilder, forcing a smile on my lips. “Do you mind if Beth and I talk alone for a few minutes?”

“Baby,” he says reluctantly. “She killed a man and lured us out here. I understand your desire to help her, but this woman is not your friend.”

I tilt my head slightly to the left. “Maybe she can be. She and I could both use a friend right about now.”

He scratches the back of his head, a reaction I’ve noticed he does often when he’s thinking. “Okay,” he finally says. “But we’ll be right over here if you need us.”

I nod before kissing his lips. Then I go back to a tearful Beth and lead her to a bench with the flashlight I have. “I meant it when I said you don’t have to go through this alone. It would take an entire lifetime for me to tell you all the horrible things Troy has done to me. I get it.”

“I know,” she mutters. “I saw the way he treated you, Catherine. You didn't deserve that. And you certainly don’t deserve what I’ve put you through tonight. You’re a good person.”

“So are you,” I tell her truthfully. “That’s why I want you to take the money so you and your baby can have the fresh start you deserve. I could even have Wilder talk to his dad. He might be in need of an assistant now that he’s acting as mayor.”

Her eyes go wide. “You’d do that for me?”

“Of course I would. Listen,” I begin, “between us, if you hadn’t ended him, it would have probably been me that did it and I’d want someone in my corner, too.”

Beth throws her arms around me, her round belly pressing into mine. I swear for a moment I feel her baby boy kick. It’s strange, but I feel a connection to Beth. We might have been in different paths of the storm, but it was the same storm nonetheless.

“I’m going to pay you back for this,” Beth cries into my shoulder. “Every penny.”

“Don’t worry about it. Just take care of yourself, and your baby, too.”

“I didn’t want to sleep with him if that makes you feel any better,” she says quietly. “I told him no so many times. It wasn’t until he said he was planning to leave you that I gave in. But then I saw the bruise on your neck when you left one day and I heard him yelling at you. The day the bookshelf fell over was the day I found out I was pregnant and it felt too late.”

That day had been one of the worst. Troy ripped my shirt and told Beth that I tripped getting up and fell into the bookcase. I remember pleading with her to see the truth, and it turns out she did. She was just trapped by him too.

“He said he wanted a baby and I foolishly thought that maybe if I had one, his anger would stop, so I kept it.”

I squeeze her hand, understanding. Sometimes those that are being hurt will try anything to get away. They are isolated and afraid and every rational thought goes out the window, all that matters is pleasing your abuser.

“It’s okay, Beth.” I wrap my arms around her again. “He’s rotting in hell, right where he deserves to be.”

She nods and I sit there, just holding her trembling body against mine. I can’t imagine what her baby feels, but in some way I want to reassure them both. Troy might have brought them harm, but I will be their safe space just like Wilder is mine.

After Beth and I exchange numbers, she leaves and we make a plan to check in with one another. It really won’t be too hard since she’s decided to get a room at the same motel I’m in. With any luck, we’ll both be out of that place soon.

I watch as she pulls away, her taillights fading in the distance. Last time I thought this was over, I didn’t fully feel at peace. I think it’s because part of me knew the killer was still out there. But now, everything feels right.

Wilder wraps his arms around me from behind and kisses the top of my head. “I’m proud of you, baby.”

I close my eyes, savoring this moment. “It’s finally over.”

“Yes,” he sighs heavily. “This time, it’s finally over.”