Elle Returns: The Sequel: A Psychological Thriller Page 6

  Elenore wasn’t sure how to respond. So she didn’t.

  She nodded and then set about transferring her clothes from the garbage bag to the suitcase. “I will wait for you in the living room.”

  Plucking up the suitcase, she skirted the detective and left the room.

  * * * *

  The drive to Atlanta was spent mostly in silence, with Elenore staring out the window.

  She worried about bleeding through onto the seat of Evan’s car. She’d already been mortified when she’d found feminine products in the bags Evan had placed in the bedroom for her.

  He’d assured her it was nothing, and that he’d bought pads many times in the past for his ex, the woman whose nametag had been on the luggage.

  Elenore’s face had heated up to the point where she’d fled to the bathroom to splash water onto her skin.

  Elijah had never given Elenore enough money to have such luxuries as feminine products, forcing her to make do with homemade pads. Of course, she’d never known any different.

  Thankfully, Evan hadn’t said much on the way to Atlanta, and Elenore hadn’t expected him to. He’d just lost his grandmother.

  Evan pulled into the parking lot of a large brick building with a massive porch on the front containing several white rocking chairs.

  The sign across the top read, Blue Ridge Nursing Home.

  He switched off the car.

  Elenore grew uncomfortable the longer he sat there, staring at that building. Yet, she didn’t speak; her anxiety wouldn’t hear of it.

  He finally exhaled a shaky breath and turned his head in her direction. “I’m sure the last thing you want to do is accompany me inside, but I can’t leave you out here in a hot car.”

  Elenore picked up on the insecurity in his voice. It was a feeling she knew intimately. He wanted her to go inside with him—probably needed her to.

  With a jerky nod, she opened the car door and got out.

  Evan followed suit.

  They made their way up the wide set of brick steps to the front door; which Evan opened for her.

  Elenore stepped inside the cool expanse of what appeared to be a sitting room.

  A large horseshoe-shaped desk loomed ahead, housing two middle-aged ladies wearing scrubs.

  The one on the left looked up first. “May I help you?”

  Evan stepped around Elenore and approached the desk. “I’m Evan Ramirez. I’m here to make arrangements for my grandmother, Elsa Lovejoy.”

  Sympathy shone in the woman’s eyes. “Yes, of course. I was the nurse who discovered your grandmother’s passing. I’m truly sorry for your loss, Mr. Ramirez.”

  “Thank you,” Evan murmured, his shoulders stiff and erect.

  Elenore knew that stance well. It was the body’s way of holding the anxiety inside, preventing a breakdown. Evan must have truly cared for his grandmother.

  Elenore had never loved another person aside from her mother. And that had been so long ago, she barely recalled the emotion.

  She wondered what it would be like to have grown up in a normal home with two parents to love and take care of her, to cherish her and not hurt her. But try as she might, she couldn’t envision it.

  Elenore had been told that children who were abused were more likely to be abusers themselves. Would she have turned out to be like her father if she’d had children of her own? She didn’t think so.

  Elijah Griffin had been vile…evil. He’d possessed zero patience and absolutely no compassion. Elenore would have never treated a child of hers the way her father had treated her.

  Yet… she would never have a child of her own.

  She shook off her forlorn thoughts and attempted to pay attention to the conversation between Evan and the nurse.

  Evan stood at the counter in front of the desk, filling out paperwork.

  Once he handed the clipboard back to the nurse on the left, she stood and rounded the desk. “Right this way.”

  Evan motioned for Elenore to precede him.

  And just like that, her anxiety returned full force. She swallowed it back and trailed off down the hall behind the nurse, with Evan bringing up the rear.

  Elenore felt compelled to look back at him, but fear of what she’d see kept her gaze straight ahead.

  The nurse stopped outside a door and waved a hand toward the entrance. “I’ll let the funeral home know you’re here while you say your goodbyes. Take all the time you need.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Evan nodded his thanks to the nurse and approached the door to his grandmother’s room.

  His chest felt tight, and his eyes stung with unshed tears.

  “You don’t have to come inside, Elenore. You can wait out here in that chair by the door if you’d rather.”

  Her face appeared pale in the florescent lighting. She flicked a glance at him and then quickly lowered her gaze. “You helped me with my…situation. I won’t abandon you with yours.”

  Evan knew she referred to his covering up the killings beneath her barn.

  He waited for the nurse to be out of earshot. “You’re not obligated or beholden to me in any way, Elenore. Understand?”

  She dipped her head but otherwise didn’t speak.

  Evan moved past her, stepping into the frigid room that was his grandmother’s.

  His heart jackknifed the second her bed came into view.

  She lay on her back, her hands folded over her chest. Her hair had been brushed, and her face appeared serene as if she’d died peacefully in her sleep, as the nurse had said.

  Evan stopped on the other side of her bed and laid his hand over her small, bony one. “Ah, Grandma. I’m so sorry I didn’t get to say goodbye.”

  He suddenly choked up, his voice lodging in his throat. She looked so pale and still.

  Guilt quickly assailed him. He’d moved away, leaving her in a nursing home…to die alone.

  The tears he’d tried so hard to hold inside spilled over to track down his cheeks.

  Evan wasn’t sure how long he stood there, reliving memory after memory when he noticed Elenore standing just inside the door.

  She didn’t speak, simply watched him without expression.

  He supposed it was her way of lending support… The only way she knew how.

  Sending her a nod of thanks, Evan bent and kissed his grandmother’s forehead and said his final goodbyes.

  He left the room and stepped into the hall without looking back. He couldn’t or he’d break down once again.

  Pulling a handkerchief from his back pocket, Evan cleaned up his face and made his way back to the front desk with Elenore in tow.

  The nurse looked up, a sad smile on her face. She handed Evan a large manila envelope with his name printed on the front. “This is for you, Mr. Ramirez. The funeral home is on the way. All other arrangements were made by your grandmother. Now that we have your signature, any and all of her belongings will be sent to the address we have on file. Everything else is inside the envelope.”

  Evan nodded his thanks and turned toward the front doors. He held one open for Elenore to pass through.

  Once in the car, he started the engine, turned on the air-conditioning, and stared down at the large envelope he held.

  Elenore didn’t speak; not that he expected her to.

  He opened the envelope and pulled its contents free. Inside were numerous papers containing copies of his grandmother’s last will and testament.

  Though Evan was sure she had an attorney that handled her estate, she’d obviously wanted her grandson to have copies as well.

  He looked over the first page he came to, silently reading the words in his grandmother’s voice.

  Evan wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he numbly returned the papers to the envelope.

  His grandmother had left him her house, car, and quite a large sum of money.

  He turned to look at Elenore who, of course, stared out her window. He recognized it for what it was—her way of assuring him privacy.<
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  “I have a stop to make before we head home. Are you okay with that?”

  She quickly glanced at him. “I-I need to use the restroom.”

  Evan felt horrible. He wondered how long she’d held it before she said anything. “I’m sorry, Elenore. I got so caught up in everything, I didn’t think. I’m sure they’ll let you use one of the restrooms inside.”

  She opened the door and climbed out, her neck as red as her cheeks.

  Evan watched her head up the sidewalk and then take the large brick steps to the front door. She disappeared inside.

  Blowing out a sorrowful breath, Evan laid his head back against the seat and thought about everything he’d just read. His grandmother had made sure he would be taken care of, right up until her last breath.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Elenore kept quiet on the trip to Evan’s grandmother’s house. He’d informed her on the way that it had been left to him in the will.

  She wanted to say something—anything in that moment—but as always, words failed her. Of course, she’d been smacked so many times by her father for saying the wrong thing, it became survival to simply keep quiet.

  And, survival had evolved into something deeper, something…dark. Resentment and hatred had settled inside her to the point where she no longer wished to have a voice. Nor did she want to hear from others. Because in the silence, she could rest; she could breathe.

  “We’re here,” Evan announced, pulling her back to the present.

  Elenore turned her gaze toward a quaint two-story house nestled in the center of several massive oak trees.

  Though it could use a new coat of paint, that didn’t take away from its appeal any at all.

  A balcony ran across the top story, shaded by the enormous limbs of a nearby oak tree.

  The front yard had a white picket fence with a few slats missing, lining the perimeter and dozens of rose bushes in full bloom.

  It appeared to be something out of a fairy tale to Elenore, and she couldn’t bring herself to look away.

  “Apparently, someone has been overseeing the place,” Evan commented, pulling into the drive and switching off the car. “The yard’s been mowed recently, and the rose bushes have been trimmed. Let’s go inside.”

  He opened his car door and got out. “I’ve had a set of keys to Grandma Elsa’s house since I was in high school.”

  Waiting at the front of the car for Elenore to join him, Evan walked ahead and unlocked the side door. It opened with ease.

  The fresh scent of the house assailed Elenore the moment she stepped inside. It smelled inviting; it smelled like…home.

  Evan followed, speaking from behind her. “I can see Grandma in my mind’s eye, standing at the stove over there, an apple-print apron tied around her waist. She loved to cook and always had a fresh pie on the counter for company.”

  Elenore watched him step deeper into the kitchen, a faraway look in his eyes. “There will never be another Elsa Lovejoy.”

  Say something! her mind screamed at her. But what? She’d never been in a situation such as this one. Elenore had never had grandparents. And the only time she’d grieved had been from the loss of her unborn babies.

  She opened her mouth, closed it, and tried again. “I-I’m sorry about your grandmother.”

  Evan appeared surprised by her words, if his expression were any indication. “Thank you, Elenore. She was all I had left of my family.”

  Elenore could relate. She herself was alone in the world. Of course, after growing up in Elijah’s care, being alone wasn’t a bad thing.

  Everyone she’d ever cared about had hurt or abandoned her, some physically, some emotionally. No matter which, the pain had run its course, leaving her the husk of a person she was now.

  “Would you like to see the rest of the house?” Evan asked, saving her from dwelling on her desolate thoughts.

  “Okay.”

  He seemed pleased by her answer, as if he wanted, no needed to share Elsa’s home with her. Pride radiated from his eyes. “Come on.”

  Elenore followed him into the front room, which she assumed was the den.

  A large fireplace sat along the east wall, with several pictures resting on top. Two beige-colored sofas and a recliner perched in a semicircle in front of it, with matching end tables and lamps. A beautiful oriental rug lay on the floor in the midst of it all, giving the area an inviting feel.

  Elenore moved farther into the room. It drew her in, tugging her forward with unseen hands.

  She stopped in front of the fireplace to study the photos resting there. Most of the pictures were of Evan at different stages of his life.

  A beautiful dark-haired woman made up one of the images, her almond-shaped eyes crinkled at the edges in a smile, and her arm around a younger Evan.

  Evan must have noticed Elenore’s curiosity. He stepped forward and plucked up the pearl-rimmed frame. “My mother. This was taken the year before she passed.”

  In a small voice, Elenore replied, “She must have loved you very much.”

  Evan’s demeanor changed, a certain sadness in his eyes. “I’m sure your mother loved you too, Elenore.”

  Resentment surfaced, powerful, and without thought. Elenore’s mouth tightened. “You don’t leave the ones you love.”

  “Maybe she had no choice,” Evan quietly stated.

  “No choice? If she had wanted me, she would have taken me with her.”

  Elenore was more than shocked at the words flying from her mouth. But she could no more stop them than she could stop the sun from rising in the mornings. “She abandoned me, left me and never came back. Do you know how many times I cried for her when those men were hurting me? Hundreds. But she never came for me. Never!”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Evan stared in stunned silence as Elenore broke down in front of him. She had never mentioned her abuse in his presence, never acknowledged that it had happened. She did now.

  He set the photo he held back on the mantel and took a hesitant step toward her. “Elenore, I’m—”

  “I was eight, Detective,” she continued, tears tracking down her cheeks. “She threw me away like some piece of garbage she couldn’t be bothered with.”

  She hiccupped, the look in her eyes ripping Evan’s heart out.

  He drew closer, but she backed up a step, her gaze shifting back to the pictures on the mantel. “I wanted to die. God, how I wanted to die. But I was too much of a coward to take my own life.”

  That did it. Evan closed the distance. He fought off her flailing hands and wrapped his arms around her. “You’re not a coward, Elenore. You’re the strongest person I know. It took strength to do what you did, to live through what you did. You’re not a coward for not taking your own life. You’re strong for not doing it!”

  Though Elenore remained stiff in his arms, he could feel her tears on his neck. “Y-you really think so?”

  “I know so,” he assured her, tightening his embrace. “Elijah’s dead now. You’ll never have to see him or any of the other animals who hurt you. Ever.”

  She hiccupped again. “It was Elle, wasn’t it?”

  Evan eased his arms from around her and backed up to give her some space. “What do you mean?”

  She stared up at him through red-rimmed eyes. “Elle lives inside me, Detective. I can feel her there.”

  Unsure of how to respond, Evan gestured toward the sofa. “Come. Sit down.”

  Elenore flicked a glance at the sofa he’d indicated and then slowly made her way toward it. She sat stiffly on the cushion’s edge.

  Evan took a seat near her yet far enough away to give her room. He’d been around her enough to understand her need for space.

  He wanted to keep her talking. Her mentioning and acknowledging Elle was a huge breakthrough for Elenore. “Tell me about Elle.”

  Elenore didn’t meet his gaze. “My daddy called me Elle; has for as long as I can remember.”

  “And you didn’t like him calling you Elle?�
� Evan prompted, hoping to keep her talking.

  She quickly glanced at him and then returned her gaze to her hands. “The name didn’t bother me so much; it was the way he said it. Especially when he…”

  “When he hurt you?”

  She nodded but didn’t look up. More tears dripped from her eyes. “He always…hurt me. Until I learned to escape him in my mind. He couldn’t hurt me there. None of them could.”

  Everything clicked into place for Evan in that moment. “When Elle emerged.” It wasn’t a question.

  Elenore lifted her head. “Yes. I didn’t know until I came back to the farm. I began to remember things like I was standing on the outside looking in, watching myself do things I’d never been strong enough to do.”

  Evan leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. “I believe Elle has been there all along.”

  Elenore visibly swallowed, apparently terrified. “I have a killer living inside me.”

  Her words floored Evan. He shook his head. “Not a killer, Elenore, a protector.”

  She opened her mouth to answer when a knock sounded on the door.

  And just like that, her expression blanked, and she surged to her feet. “I need to use the bathroom.”

  Evan wanted to howl in denial of the unwanted guest at the door. Elenore had been on the verge of a breakthrough he never imagined would happen. And he doubted ever would again.

  He stood as well. “It’s down the hall, second door on the left.”

  She fled the room.

  Blowing out a weary breath, Evan marched to the door and yanked it open.

  “Hello, Evan.”

  Evan couldn’t seem to find his voice. He stared at the beautiful redhead standing before him, a redhead he hoped to never see again.

  She stood there, thin as a rail, holding the hand of a little dark-haired girl. “Linda. What are you doing here?”

  “I got a call from the nursing home. I’m sorry about your grandmother.”

  Evan attempted to shut down his emotions, which wasn’t easy considering he’d loved this woman for years. And in some small way, loved her still. Though he couldn’t trust her. “Thank you.”