Dirty Secrets

Part 25

As she brushed her hair at the bathroom mirror, Lyla glanced at the zippered med-pack on the toilet tank lid. She opened two of the prescription bottles, tapped pills into her hand, then washed them down with a drink from the faucet. She unscrewed the lid from the remaining bottle and inverted it. A pink and gray capsule rolled into her hand. She closed the bathroom door, went to the toilet, dropped the med into the bowl, and flushed. She watched its circular ride on the tide of the water rushing from the tank. She flushed a second time to ensure that the capsule wouldn't float back up into the toilet bowl.

A few minutes later, Lyla trotted out onto the porch. As expected, Darcy was late. Annoyed with being the focus of attention for her nosey neighbor, Lyla turned for the front door when something caught her eye. She noticed an irregular line of a white crystalline substance that appeared to have been spilled across the walkway.

She descended the steps. Upon closer examination, she observed the wavy line of white granules extending from the driveway and along the side of the house.

Darcy's car lurched to a stop at the curb.

"That's weird," Lyla said as she got into the car.

"What?"

"There's a line of sugar or something around the house."

Darcy leaned across the seat and looked out Lyla's window. "Did your dad maybe put it there? Could be rat poison. You got mice or something?"

"I don't think so."

Darcy shifted the car into gear and started off down the street. 

"My mom puts down salt around the flowers in her garden to prevent a slug situation." Darcy shivered. "Ew. Slugs. Is there a grosser creature in the universe?"

"Yeah, could be salt, I guess. Never saw him do that before." Lyla glanced at her phone. "Think we're gonna be late for the movie."

"Don't wanna be a hater but I heard it's kinda cringey."

Lyla shrugged. "Fine. Pass."

"Just saved you ten dollars. So you're welcome. Who goes to the movies in the middle of the day anyway? Old people."

"We can do something else. I don't care."

"Let's figure it out at Starbucks. On the good news side, guess who found an old gift card that I forgot that I had?"

Lyla took a breath, prepared to watch Darcy's self-satisfied expression change to the 'oh, shit' look when she said, "So last night, that lady from your party came to my house. The psychic lady."

Darcy bit her lower lip.

"I think it was her. Definitely looked like her."

"What did she say?" Darcy's casual tone wasn't convincing.

"I didn't talk to her. My dad told her to hit it. I saw her out the window." Even with the meds dulling her receptors, Lyla sensed her friend's growing uneasiness. "What's her name?"

"Uh, Clarisse, I think."

Lyla locked eyes on her squirming friend. "And that's all you got?"

Darcy glanced at Lyla then shifted her eyes back to the road. "I mean I didn't want to bring it up. Especially the way things, you know, the way things have been."

"What the hell?" Lyla steamed.

"God, I'm an idiot. She could be totally insane! Probably is. I should have never let her in my house in the first place."

Lyla remembered Darcy's party. Guests gathered in the living room entranced by Clarisse, a middle-aged woman nestled in an overstuffed upholstered chair. She wore long dreads that extended past her shoulders from beneath a brightly patterned headscarf.

Positioned on the coffee table in front of the chair, an ornate, multi-colored candle pulsed and flickered.

In the kitchen, Lyla was pleasantly surprised to see Jack. He smiled at her then handed her a beer and opened one for himself. Darcy stumbled in wearing a terrifyingly ugly T-shirt that read: BIRTHDAY GIRL. She gestured toward the eccentric-looking woman in the adjoining room. "That's Clarisse," she slurred her speech. "She is a-mAAAAAAAzing!" 

Clarisse leaned back in her chair. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, drifting into a trance. Suddenly her brow furrowed. Her eyelids fluttered. She emitted short, clipped breaths. With her eyes tightly shut Clarisse muttered, "There's... there's a disturbance... A strong disturbance here..."

The candle's flame elongated.

Clarisse strained to speak. "Out of the darkness... Asking for help, but... Someone here has caused great pain." A single tear rolled down her cheek.

Eyes darted back and forth around the room.

Clarisse continued, "Someone... someone here has left you behind... You are... You are reaching out. A warning..."

The candle's flame danced wildly, glowed intensely, and went out.

Frightened cries arose from some of the guests.

Clarisse's eyes popped open. She stared directly at Lyla and Jack. "You have unfinished business." She scowled.

Everyone in the living room turned and looked at them. Lyla's smile melted. The beer bottle slipped from her hand.

CRASH!

Clarisse exhaled. "Said not finished."

"Who said?" asked Jack.

"The voice."

"What voice?"

Lyla gathered pieces of the broken beer bottle with trembling hands.

Clarisse closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. Her disposition took a nosedive.

Lyla broke free of the memory, her eyes going from the passenger window to Darcy and murmured, "Unfinished business."

"You sure you wanna talk about this?" Darcy asked, stopping at a red light.

"Yes!"

"Okay. She said... Well,..." Darcy hesitated for a moment, struggling to think of a way to lessen the impact.

"Well what?" Lyla huffed.

"Well, she kinda said that she thought you maybe could be in some kind of danger. And she needed to find you and Jack. I'm not gonna lie. She kinda freaked me out showing up at my house out of nowhere."

"So you told her where I live. Hey, thanks for that."

"I didn't tell her anything. I swear. I didn't tell her your name or address or anything. I don't know how she even found you. Did she talk to Jack?"

"Like I would know? I haven't heard a word since..."

Darcy hung her head. "I'm so sorry. I feel like this is all my fault."

It's not your fault. Jack accidentally killed Keenan and then we hid his body in the woods. This has nothing to do with you.

She wanted to console her best friend but she couldn't tell. Not ever. She and Jack made a pact to never discuss what happened with anyone. It needed to remain a secret. 

Forever.