Page 53 of Wrath

“Of course, I’m sure. If she knows something about Cliff that can help you find him, I want to help.”

“What if it’s too traumatic? What if what happened to her is the same as–”

I stop walking and stare up at him. “Raze, I’m fine, you asked me to do this for a reason. I like that I’m not the helpless, younger sister for once.” Continuing to walk to her room, I smile at Sasquatch who’s sitting on a chair outside her door.

“A private bodyguard, why don’t I get this special treatment?” I glance up at my brother and smile. I know that what I’m about to do won’t be easy, but I want him to at least believe that I’m strong enough to handle it.

“He’s here for your safety too, Anita ain’t quite wired right,” he tells me under his breath.

“I heard she killed her husband,” Sasquatch adds, in his low, monotone voice.

“Apparently, he deserved it.” Raze quickly clears his throat and knocks on the door. “If you need me, I’ll be right out here. Be calm and…well… just be yourself.” He smiles at me, and whenthe door opens I’m very surprised by the sight of the woman who answers.

“Anita, this is Eden, my sister. She thought you might like some company.” Raze practically pushes me through the door, and I look back over my shoulder at him and scowl.

“I’d love company, here take a seat.” The smartly dressed middle-aged woman leads me over to the two-seater couch that's on the other side of the room. “It’s lovely here, isn’t it? And we're just high enough to see the ocean over that building. I’ve only ever seen the ocean once before.” Anita seems so cheerful and friendly, I find it very hard to believe that she could ever have committed a murder.

“It’s pretty, once you see past the rusty old clubhouse,” I laugh nervously as I take a seat on the couch. “I heard you traveled a long way to get here?” I ease into conversation. Raze has briefed me on what he needs to find out, and I’m hoping this woman is gonna make it easy. “Did you like where you were staying before?” I do my best to sound casual.

“I love it, there's a beautiful garden there. I grow my own flowers, really pretty ones. I noticed you have some flowers here, did you plant them?” She takes my hand in hers and starts to inspect it.

“No, I’ve only just got here, myself,” I admit, still struggling to believe that this lovely lady could be dangerous even if she is a little odd.

“Very clean.” She releases my hand when she’s satisfied. “Did they break you out of somewhere too?”

I shake my head and smile back at her.

“Actually I came running to them.” The words sound so ironic when I think back to how long I spent avoiding this place.

“Mmmm. The men here are different from Cliff. They look scary, but there’s a kindness inside them.” Anita seems confused by her own observation.

“You knew Cliff well?” I dive right in, despite my fear of what this conversation could unravel.

“He never used to be mean, there was a time when he was kind.” She closes her eyes as if she can transport herself back to that time. “I never thought a man like him would pay me any attention, I was so plain, and boring. My parents were strict. Mom used to make me wear silly dresses like I was still a child. But somehow, Cliff noticed me.” Her eyes open back up and although they look sad, she’s smiling. “This club was barely anything back then. It had just been put together in Colorado, and Cliff was so excited about being a part of it. He’d pick me up on his motorcycle a few blocks away from our house so my parents wouldn’t see, and we’d ride for miles. He always knew the prettiest places to take me, and we’d stay there for hours just talking.” Her smile doesn’t falter as she recalls her memories with that monster.

“What would you talk about?” I ask, trying hard to picture a younger, less evil Cliff in my head.

“Everything, and then sometimes nothing at all. We just enjoyed each other's company.” It’s much easier for me to imagine a young, naïve Anita because it feels like she’s right here in the room with me.

“So, what happened?” I hate to strip away the good stuff, but the good stuff isn’t what led us here.

“He didn’t want to admit it at the time, but I knew we couldn’t be together. And my parents weren’t the only problem, the club he’d sworn himself to was doing all kinds of illegal things. I didn’t want to be part of that. I was falling in love with him and I knew that if I let myself go all the way, there would be no coming back. I just wanted a happy life, with a husband and children who didn’t have to visit their father in jail.” Her smile slowly starts to fade as she leaves the young, and in love, Anita in the past and returns to the present.

“Telling him we couldn't see each other anymore was awful.” She stares down at her hands and when I notice that they’re shaking, I place mine over the top of them.

“He didn’t take it well, did he?”

“Better than I expected, he was sad, but he understood my reasons. I was devastated, but I knew I’d done the right thing. I just wanted a peaceful life, a happy one like my own parents had.”

“And had the two of you…? Did you ever…?” It’s awkward being so invasive, but I’m curious by nature. Raze tells me Cliif was obsessed with this woman.

“Were we intimate?” She laughs. “No, I was a good Christian girl, just kissing him made me blush.”

“Okay, so if he accepted that it wouldn’t work out back then, where did it all go wrong?” I know this isn’t how the story ends, she wouldn’t have ended up in the care home if it did.

“This color really suits you, it brings out your eyes.” Anita strokes her hand over the sleeve of my top and puts on a fake smile.

“Anita, what happened?” I squeeze her hand a little tighter, hoping that she feels comfortable enough to open up.

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