Arsenic for the Soul (13 page)

“
I have a hard time
imagining this is an elaborate ploy for revenge. I can’t bear to
think that innocent people are being killed because of me. I’m the
one responsible for shutting down the Magdalene asylums. Anyone
else is an innocent caught in the crossfire.”

“
What are you suggesting?
That she should only kill you?”

Camilla smiled and the weariness
seemed to fade from her lips.

“
No one is going to die.
With you at my side, I feel like I can take on anything. My stalker
doesn’t stand a chance against us. Now let’s tackle the matter at
hand. When should we go to the sanitarium?”

“
Don’t get too ahead of
yourself. Take today off and rest in bed. I can tell you’re still a
bit shaken up from last night. We’ll investigate it soon but
tomorrow I’ll be indisposed. I have…um, a date.”

“
Wow, congrats! Is it that
guy from the hospital? Milo?”

“
Of course. As a matter of
fact, I was beginning to lose faith in him, but then he surprised
me. He’s taking me on a scenic trip outside of Prague. How lucky is
that? Maybe I’ll ask if he has a friend for you.”

Camilla chuckled and rolled her eyes.
She couldn’t even remember the last time she shared a lovely
evening with a man, perhaps because she was always focused on more
urgent priorities.

For example, staying alive.

TEN

Vivian had never been more frightened
in her life. Her stomach bobbed up and down as Milo’s car left the
familiar comforts of Prague. The bumpy road was hardly to blame for
the butterflies jostling in her stomach.

Milo didn’t say where he was taking
her, but that wasn’t the source of her anxiety either. She was
debating whether or not to bring up her past as the car rumbled
down the dirt road into the scented forest.

Quite frankly, she was terrified to
tell him and face his judgment. At the same time, she wanted to
reveal herself entirely and feel liberated from the past. She
wanted to know if he would truly accept her, flaws and all. In some
ways she felt she was undeserving of a relationship given her past,
but she knew those thoughts were irrational.

Still, it weighed heavy on her like a
breath caught in her lungs.

“
Where are we?” Vivian
asked, watching the sun creep behind the firs.

“
You’ve never been to Brdy
Ridge before, I take it? It’s fantastic, especially the wild trails
near
Třemšín Hill
.
You own the view all to yourself and the wilds just embrace you. I
spent just a few hours in the hills and walked out a different man,
as silly as it sounds. It’s just something you have to experience
for yourself. It’s as though you’re the only one alive in the
world, but you don’t feel alone.”

“
That perfectly describes
how I feel when I listen to music. Like nothing else matters except
me and the song. A place never made me feel that way but now you’ve
got me curious.”

“
What about a person? Has a
person ever made you feel alone? Like you two are the only ones
left in the world? Time seems to hold its breath in that
moment.”

“
No, I haven’t felt that
way either, but I’m looking forward to it one day. I’ve got a lot
of living and experiencing left to do. You sound like you’ve done a
hell of a lot more living than I have.”

“
That’s the beauty of it.
You’re still growing and trying to find yourself. Not knowing what
happens next or what you’re up against is scary and exhilarating,
but it’s also absurdly fantastic. There’s a child-like sense of
wonder about life when you’re coming out of your shell. You should
do more traveling, meet more people, and explore new cultures and
music. Who am I to talk, though—I only have a few years on
you!”

“
Yeah, you’re pretty old
compared to me. That age gap of two years could be a
problem.”

Now was the moment to bring up her
history. She would reveal to Milo her past as the Red Widow, a
subject she rarely broached, least of all with a man she was
falling for.

He slung his arm around her and she
immediately tensed. Milo withdrew.

“
Are you afraid to be alone
with me?”

Vivian laughed into the freezing
night.

“
No, it’s not you. I wanted
to tell you something before we…” She hated how her words flowed as
smoothly as a stormy sea. That is to say, she was a stuttering
mess. “…before we go any further.”

The look in his eyes comforted her. He
reserved every drop of attention for her.

Only her.

“
I come from a troubled
past that sometimes refuses to let me go. That past has put a lot
of people around me in danger, especially those I love. My father
is the latest example of someone who was dragged into my circle of
darkness. He was shot trying to protect me. He’s still recovering
in the hospital.”

“
You mean that kind
gentleman in the rehab unit? I think he threatened to rip my head
off.”

Vivian laughed. She could imagine all
too well the gruffness the nurses were subjected to when they
treated her father, Keung. He was finishing up his rehabilitation
after his latest rendezvous with the surgeons. Fortunately, he
would be discharged from the hospital soon.

“
I guess I should start at
the beginning.” She gazed out the car window as the night zephyrs
whispered through her hair. “My parents do well for themselves.
They put a roof over my head and keep dinner on the table. God
knows they deserve an award for putting up with me during my
rebellious stage.”

“
Well, that comes as no
surprise. I heard you took on Crenshaw during your first day in the
hospital. Didn’t I tell you to not get on his bad side?”

“
You simply told me to
avoid him, which is impossible. Plus, he doesn’t have a good side,
just the hideously bad.”

She smiled.

“
Anyway, I didn’t want to
burden my parents with the cost of college. I decided to carry the
cost myself. I could have found a whole host of ways to pay for
school so I don’t know why I ended up…” She sucked in a breath. “I
was a dancer at a club.”

Yes, that sounded better labeling
herself a “stripper.”

“
Maybe I was stupid for
dancing instead of working as a cashier or something that all the
obedient church girls do.”

“
But it paid better, didn’t
it?”

“
Yes, it did. I guess it
also made me feel powerful and attractive on some twisted
level.”

It certainly wasn’t the kind of
attention from men she craved, but for someone as self-conscious as
Vivian, it was strangely empowering.

“
I was young,” Vivian said
defensively. “Young and looking for attention in all the wrong
places. Probably not the most legitimate excuse, but it’s all I’ve
got. But what happens next makes everything pale in
comparison.”

Milo shifted next to her.

“
As you can imagine, it
wasn’t easy explaining to my parents why I kept coming home late.
My dad suspected I was hiding a boyfriend. Being the lovable,
overprotective guy he is, he decided to go through my phone to find
answers. Instead, he found a wad of cash in my jacket. Somehow he
put two and two together and figured out I was dancing. How else
could I have made so much cash? Either that or he thought I was
selling drugs. He practically had a heart attack at the thought of
it.”

Vivian shook her head helplessly.
Looking back at the situation, she could bear to laugh a little.
Keung may be harsh but it was just his overzealous way of showing
he cared.

“
Unfortunately, he thought
I needed to go to a rehab program called the Magdalene Midnight
Mission. Can you imagine going to a sex victims program like that?
Being monitored and given a schedule that details every minute of
your life? It sounds like a mental asylum.”

Milo was silent.

Oh God, I’m losing
him.

He was looking out the window with a
vacant expression.

Well, I have nothing to
lose. There’s no point in avoiding all the gory details now. Screw
it, maybe I’ll get some satisfaction out of the look on his face
when it’s over.

“
I ran away before I could
be taken to this institution.”

“
Where did you
run?”

“
I didn’t leave Prague. I
lived off the streets and scavenged for food and shelter. But one
can only live off meager scraps for so long before you become
hungry, cold, and desperate. I began to sell myself, but not in the
traditional sense. I bargained in pain and pleasure. I had no idea
there were so many tormented people in this world that just want
their pain brought to the surface, as if that will save them from
the agony inside. It’s only a temporary relief but it’s a glimpse
of freedom for some. I could give them what they were too scared to
do to themselves. I’m ashamed to admit I enjoyed it for a while.
Leaving scars on them was an outlet for my rage.”

She glanced at Milo every
now and then just to make sure he wasn’t ready to bolt from the car
and run screaming into the forest. She recounted her tale of being
extorted by Nikolai, joining forces with him to track down a serial
killer, and the frightening moment when she came face-to-face with
Viktor Rezn
í
k in
the basement. The tale finally came full circle with her
short-lived stint in therapy.

“
Does this change how you
think of me?” She shivered when she felt Milo’s hand press into
hers.

“
Yes, it does. It means a
lot to me that you’re willing to share your story. I’m touched by
your trust in me.”

Vivian blushed.

“
Well…you took the news a
lot better than my parents did, I’ll say that much.”

“
True, but if you were my
daughter, I’d probably be the one carted off to a mental
asylum.”

No sooner had he said those words, the
car rumbled and began to crawl over the dirt. With a shudder, the
engine died. Vivian looked on in disbelief.

“
Well, isn’t that timely?
Stranded in the dark of a secluded forest at dusk. Is this part of
your roguish charm where you put on a brave face and suggest we
camp for the night until dawn breaks?”

Milo twisted the key and the engine
stuttered.

“
No, this is definitely not
part of the plan. I was going to have you home by ten. I have work
in the morning and I don’t even have my phone on me. Damn! Can you
call one of your friends?”

The sounds of the forest swirled
around Vivian’s head, invaded by the incense of fir and dew. Mist
began to settle upon the quiet glen as the universe shifted above
her head. Vivian felt cut off from civilization as every tree and
sprig darkened under night’s canopy. The curtain of darkness
ushered in a sense of freedom that was denied to the city. Stars
were sprinkled through the gnarled boughs overhead.

“
What about your friend
Camilla?”

“
Camilla?”

“
Yes, you’re close to her,
right? Would she be willing to help?”

“
Yeah, I suppose.” She felt
guilty about calling Camilla this late, especially because she
should be resting after the attack. Vivian fished through her
jacket for her phone.

“
Even if she can help, how
will she find us out here? We’re in the middle of a
forest.”

“
There has to be a landmark
somewhere around here,” Milo said, hopping out of the car. He
glided along the forest floor while Vivian’s phone chimed against
her ear.

“
Hello?
Camilla?”

“
Hey, aren’t you supposed
to be on your
lovely date with Milo?
Oh God, you didn’t call for an excuse to get away,
did you? Is he a horrible kisser?”

“
No, nothing scandalous to
report. Our car broke down in the forest and we need a lift. Sorry
to drag you away from your late night soap operas.”

“
Not a problem. A little
break could help me tackle this story I’m working on later. So
whereabouts are you?”
“Brdy Ridge.”

“
Oh wow, talk about
isolated.”

“
Isolated but pretty for a
date. Maybe you’ll see it sometime when you start taking guys
seriously.”

“
I think I’ll take in the
view when I pick you lovebirds up. Don’t wander off too
far.”

Vivian hung up and looked out the
window. Milo was nowhere to be found. Her hairs stood on end as
unseen animals crunched through the grass.

“
Vivian!” She immediately
sprang out of the car at Milo’s call. She sprinted past clusters of
gnarled trees until they thinned to a meadow. At last, Milo faded
into view, as did a glorious and terrifying structure entrenched in
the bowels of the woods. The young man stood at the edge of a stone
courtyard pitted with snow and ice. The gateway was flanked by a
pair of granite maidens before unfurling to a desiccated manor.
Spires stretched from the chateau like white thorns basking in the
moonlight.