A loud ringing filled the house, and Josie nearly jumped out of her skin. Once she realized that it was the phone, she pressed a hand over her heart and willed herself to calm down. She leaned toward the end table to read the caller ID, but the caller hung up before the answer machine clicked on.
As she stared at the phone, she was hit with an idea. Call her. Josie’s anxiety kicked up another notch. What would she say if Michelle answered?
Don’t say anything, she told herself. I just need to know if she there. Josie picked up the receiver and actually felt her heart skip a beat. For a long moment, she just started at the black buttons before she hung up.
She had no idea what the hell she was doing. She didn’t know how to fight back against the kind of evil her sister possessed.
Josie closed her eyes while the war of what was right and wrong warred within her. It was a strange position to be in. She was uncertain about what to do. In was very tempting to grab what she could and run, but a new voice in her head urged her stay and fight. With renewed determination, she picked up the receiver again, punched star 69 to block William’s number and then dialed home. It took everything she had to calm the swarm of butterflies in her stomach and slow her racing heart; but while she waited for the line to connect, she began to formulate a plan.
Suddenly, her sister’s heavy pant came on the line. “Hello.”
This was it. Josie was supposed to hang up, but she couldn’t stop her lips from curling into a smile as she said, “Hello, Michelle. Missed me?”
Chapter 29 “Josie?” Michelle asked, with amusement echoing through the phone. “Were you expecting someone else?” Michelle chuckled, but a nervous lilt prevented it from sounding genuine. “My dear sister. Where are you?”
It was Josie’s turn to laugh, and she was surprised by how sinister it sounded. “That’s not important right now. All you need to know is that I’m feeling much better.” A long pause hung over the line before Michelle spoke, and her tone gave Josie a new definition of evil. “Why haven’t you gone to the police?” Josie swallowed.
Undoubtedly sensing that she’d hit her mark, Michelle continued. “At the moment, sweetie, you’re a free woman; but if you rat me out, I’m taking you down with me.” Josie closed her eyes and clenched her jaw shut. Maybe she was biting off more than she could chew dealing with this woman. “Are you still there, Josie?” “Your threats don’t scare me,” she lied.
Michelle’s laughter sounded like a witch’s cackle. “It’s not a threat, it’s a promise. So why don’t you be a good girl and get out of town before I find you.”
Josie’s resolve hardened. “Don’t forget, I already know where you are, Michelle.” With that, she disconnected the call.
A few seconds passed while Josie stared at the phone and tried to control the wild pounding of her heart. It was officiaclass="underline" She had lost her mind. She had just threatened a crazy woman.
“You can beat her,” she repeated to herself, until she believed it.
Drawing a deep breath and slowly exhaling it, Josie moved her guilt to the back of her mind and focused on what she needed to do first. She picked up the phone and made the first call to hit Michelle where it would hurt the most.
#
Michelle jerked open the medicine cabinet and reached for her much-used lithium pills, but then screamed in frustration when she discovered the bottle empty.
I told you yesterday that you needed to get a refill.
“Shut up,” she hissed, and then slammed the bottle into the bathroom sink. Her head was pounding while she felt as if she was spiraling out of control.
It’s over. It’s over. The voice sang in a ring around the roses undertone.
“I can beat her,” Michelle swore in a voice dripping with venom. “Josie doesn’t know who the hell she’s dealing with.”
Oh, please. This was over the moment she escaped from Keystone.
“NO!” With both hands, she grabbed a fistful of hair on each side of her temples and pulled mercilessly. She had come too far to lose everything now. “I have to find her.”
What? You have a crystal ball or something?
Out of frustration, she emitted another low scream and tugged at her hair again. If she could just think for a minute, she could figure something out.
Give up. You’ve screwed this up just like you screwed up everything else in your life. What was it that your adoptive parents used to call you?
“A lost cause.” She slid her hands from her hair to stare into the mirror.
Slowly, a small smirk sloped the corners of her reflection’s lips. “That’s right,” the woman in the glass said. “A lost cause. How could I have forgotten?”
Michelle seethed. “I’ll show you. I’ll show everyone.”
Her mirror image laughed. It was a high cackle sound that rang in Michelle’s ears. “If you’ve never done anything right in your entire life, what on earth makes you think you can pull something this big off, Michelle?”
“I told you to call me Josephine.” Michelle could feel tears in the back of her eyes. “I’m not a lost cause,” she said with a shaky tremor. The taunting woman’s laughter waned as she met Michelle’s eyes boldly. “Sure you are.” “No,” Michelle said in a feeble whisper, and shook her head. Her reflection laughed.
Michelle plugged her fingers into her ears, but her eardrums felt as if they were going to explode. When the sound intensified, she lashed out and attacked her tormentor.
For a moment she blacked out, but then the pain in her hand was the first indicator that something was wrong. She opened her eyes and was surprised to see that the mirror was gone. Her gaze dropped to the sink, where large shards of glass glittered up at her. Finally, she looked at her hand. It hurt like hell but she had come away with just a minor cut against the side of her wrist.
Temper, temper, temper.
Michelle drew a breath and tried her best to control the voice in her head. When she turned from the door, she jumped in surprised at the two large men who filled the door to her bathroom. “Are you all right,” one of the matching gorillas inquired. Hiding her hand behind her back, she flashed her new bodyguards a quick smile. “Yes, I’m fine.” Neither looked as though they believed her.
“Look, if you don’t mind, I need a few minutes of privacy.” She started to close the door, but was unsuccessful when one of them placed his foot in the doorframe.
“Don’t forget you need to take D’Angelo his deposit this afternoon.”
Michelle could feel her temper slipping again, but she was able to rein it in to give him a curt response. “Fine. We’ll go to the bank. Just give me a damn minute to get ready.”
Gorilla number one removed his foot.
She slammed it closed and then rested her head against the wooden partition.
You really are pathetic.
“Just shut up.” She turned from the door and quickly cleaned up the glass, her hand, and even made herself more presentable.
An hour later, she and her security guards arrived at Bank of America. Decked out in her favorite cream chinchilla, Michelle walked through the glass doors feeling every bit like a diva.
She was immediately led to a cute account representative who introduced himself as Clark Owens. He seemed more than eager to help her with her banking needs. “I need to make a sizable withdrawal,” she said, with a gleaming smile. “Well, I’ll be more than happy to assist you.” Michelle withdrew the bank information and handed them over. “I need one hundred thousand dollars from this account.” “Okay.” Clark said, and immediately turned his attention to the flat screen computer on his desk.