Stepping into Psycho

Carissa was getting desperate. She had to find a way out. Although she couldn’t prove it, she had a really bad feeling that Flora was somehow connected to the nasty emails she was getting, which were becoming more sinister by the moment. Unless she somehow had them timed as to when they would be sent, she knew Flora wasn’t actually sending them, because she received one while Flora was watching TV. The only thing she wasn’t sure of was Flora’s motivation behind the messages. Maybe she thought scaring her would deter her from wanting to get a place of her own. That wasn’t the only issue, though. Messages or not, she was getting sick of dealing with Flora altogether. The more she got to know the woman, the less she liked her. She was guilty of shoplifting. She was just as guilty of vandalism. If she could do these things, especially so late in life, then there was no saying what else she might be capable of. She didn’t want to stick around much longer to find out, either. Another thing that was getting old was the woman’s constant pushiness. Flora wasn’t ugly, but just because she had nice eyes and a nice smile didn’t mean Carissa was attracted to her—at least not in a sexual way. She could see where Flora might have made a good friend, as long as she wasn’t forced to accompany her on one of her crime sprees, but she definitely didn’t make a good roommate. She would always appreciate the help Flora had given her during her transition back into the real world, but now it was definitely time to move on. The question was how? She knew she wouldn’t get any help from Flora, so she would have to start talking and open up to the daycare workers, despite the off chance that one of them was behind the online harassment. There was a reason she had been hesitant to do so thus far, and that was because Flora was also a health professional. She figured the people at the rehabilitation center would be more likely to divulge anything she told them to her as a nurse than they might have if Flora were a schoolteacher or an office manager. But what if, by some chance, her gut feeling was wrong? What if Flora really didn’t have anything to do with the creepy messages she had been getting that were bordering on threatening? If not, then who the hell could it be? Could it be someone connected to Leyton or Clarabelle? Someone who resented the fact that she had survived and they hadn’t? No, if it wasn’t connected to Flora directly, then it had to be connected to either the hospital or the daycare center. But who was working at either one of these places that could possibly have it in for her to this degree, and how could they have found out her email address? If they had contacted her on Facebook, where anyone could look her up, that would be different. But this was her own personal, private email. Her mind once again returned to Flora as her number one suspect. Another thing her gut was telling her was that it would be in her best interest to feign stupidity and act like she didn’t suspect Flora at all. She couldn’t think of any of Flora’s friends who would be likely to go along with the digital harassment campaign that had been launched against her, and her daughter certainly didn’t seem like the type who would agree to something like that. So that left her creepy brother. Yeah, he was creepy. She couldn’t put a finger on it, but the instant they’d met, she hadn’t liked him. There was just something about him that made her uncomfortable, right along with his giant house. The house looked more like a museum than anything else, and instead of having a warm, friendly, inviting atmosphere, it had a cold, creepy one that had given Carissa the chills. She had been glad when it was time to leave. Deciding to be polite instead of honest, since Flora had proven that she didn’t always handle honesty very well, she’d said Kenneth was nice when Flora sensed her discomfort after they left and asked if everything was okay. But Kenneth wasn’t just creepy—he was weird and mysterious as well. The guy didn’t seem to look at her but through her instead. Carissa wondered what he did to make so much money to afford the kind of lifestyle he lived, but when she asked Flora what he did for a living, she had been very vague about it. Eventually, she’d said something about sales, management, and marketing online. And then things got worse. Carissa had always found it flattering when people trusted her enough to confide in her. She wasn’t a judgmental person, and she always tried to be a good listener and keep an open mind. People had confessed their love for other people, their fear of being bullied at school, their concerns that their boss might not give them a raise, and their worries about losing a beloved pet. But tonight was different. Tonight, there would be a confession of murder. Flora, doing everything she could to keep her around, thought it would somehow make Carissa want to stay and put up with her criminal ways and pushy attitude if she shared a deep family secret with her. “You must promise me that you never, ever repeat what I’m about to tell you to anyone else. You’re the only one I’ve ever shared this information with.” “Okay,” said Carissa. “You swear it?” “I swear it.” “No matter how pissed off you may get at me?” “No matter how pissed off.” It was then that Flora told her that their parents had been verbally and physically abusive, especially their father, and that their mother had allowed him to slap them around whenever he felt like it. “He abused Kenneth a lot more than he abused me,” Flora said. “But why? Why would a parent do that to their kids?” Flora shrugged sadly. “Who can say for sure? I guess he had a hard life of his own. He was always worrying about money, and when he started drinking, things only got worse.” “That’s still no excuse.” “No, it’s not.” “So how did they die?” “One night, my father threw a punch at Kenneth. He never seemed to be good enough, no matter what he did to try to please our father. Kenneth threw one back and hit Dad so hard that he fell backward and hit his head on the corner of the coffee table. He was dead before he hit the ground.” Carissa gasped. She had not been expecting this at all. “Then Mom threatened to call the police and have us arrested and disowned forever.” “Oh my God! What did you do then?” “Kenneth killed her before she could place the call.” Carissa stood motionless, staring at Flora for any signs of deception. But there weren’t any. She wasn’t joking, and she wasn’t exaggerating. Flora was dead serious. Flora went right on defending herself and her brother before Carissa could say anything. “It was either us or her, I’m afraid. Think about that before you pass judgment, Carissa. The police would have believed her. Back in those days, it was always the parents they believed, not the kids—even though I’d just turned eighteen. She could have really ruined our lives when Kenneth had only been defending himself. But the law wouldn’t have seen it that way. You have to understand, sweetheart, and you have to promise me that you’ll never say anything to anyone. This is strictly between you and me. I’m trusting you now, okay? You can’t repeat any of this to anyone.” “I won’t. I probably would have done the same thing,” Carissa lied. In all honesty, she couldn’t know how she would have reacted without actually being in the same situation. Maybe she would have run out the door instead and over to the neighbor’s house. “How did you guys explain what happened to the police?” “We told them that it was a home invasion. We didn’t have to worry about fingerprints or anything because we lived there, for God’s sake. So, of course our prints were on the phone cord used to strangle Mom.” Flora’s voice broke, and she began to sob. Carissa wasn’t sure if the tears were real or just an act, but it was the first time she didn’t reach out with a gentle touch, a smile, or kind words to someone who was crying. She could see Flora’s point—for the most part. They probably would have been arrested for murder. But they also likely would have received light sentences because they were young, presumably first-time offenders, and it was “family” involved. Even so, it would have tainted their lives in every aspect. She doubted Flora would have been able to go into the health field or anything like that with such a thing on her record, especially since she was legally an adult at the time. Barely, but still an adult. But how does one go about living such a lie for so long? Their mission had been self-preservation, and they had still chosen to lie to the police. Carissa saw them as perpetrators as well as victims. Still, she tried to tell herself she shouldn’t judge the reaction of someone going through something she had never gone through, and she knew she had to convince Flora that she agreed with what they had done either way. “I’m so sorry you two had to go through such hell. But look at you now. You’re a nurse, and he’s doing really well for himself from what I can see. You two should be proud of yourselves. You’re survivors.” Flora sniffed and managed a small smile. “Thank you, sweetie.” “But even though I promise to keep your secret, I really think it would be best that I move on. I think being independent would help make me stronger, both physically and emotionally. This doesn’t mean we still couldn’t see each other regularly. I promise not to abandon you or anything like that. You’ll always be special to me for helping me make the transition back into the world.” “Omigod, SHUT UP! Just shut up, Carissa!” Flora screamed. Carissa’s body jerked, and then she stared at her in disbelief. Damn. This woman really had a way of stepping straight into psycho, didn’t she?