Page 47 of Redemption's Inferno

“Then you tell them.” Dolores reached over and hugged her tightly. “Do you want me to come with you, love? Sometimes we just need our mums, and since yours is too far away, I’m happy to fill in.”

Emotion overwhelmed her and she nodded as tears splashed down her cheeks.

“There, there, darling, it’s going to be okay.” Dolores held her even tighter, stroking her hair. “This time tomorrow it’ll all be over and you’ll be going home to your daughter and your family. Go on and cry, get it all out, and then stiffen your spine and remember no one forced you to do this—you’re doing it to give everyone a bit of closure. Since you didn’t commit a crime, you could just go about your business, but you’ve opted to do this for them. Remember that.”

Chapter 18

Sitting in the car outside the Browns’ quaint little cottage, Emilie felt her hands start to shake. Chains reached over to grip them tightly in his, looking into her eyes.

“Look at me,” he said firmly. “Two weeks ago you were willing to go to prison to get closure—now you’re giving closure to this family. You were careless, but not malicious and not to blame. He would have died anyway, Em.”

“I know.” She sat up straight and hooked her purse over her shoulder as she stepped out into the bright sunlight. It had rained the entire drive from Bickford to Ashbourne, but the clouds had cleared and now the sun was bright and hot.

“I’ll stay out here,” Nate said. “Close if you need me, but no need to overwhelm them with so many of us.”

“Thank you,” Emilie nodded.

They walked up to the door and knocked, Emilie’s hand firmly in Chains’ with Dolores on her other side, holding her elbow.

A pleasant-looking middle-aged woman opened the door, a polite smile on her face. “Hello. You’re…Emilie?”

“Yes. Emilie Sjoberg. This is my boyfriend, Darryl Carruthers, and his mother, Dolores.”

“I’m Adeline Brown and this is my husband, Fred. Please come in.”

They exchanged pleasantries as Emilie studied the tidy room with bright pillows, fresh flowers and walls covered in framed photographs. The photos were of children of all ages, from very young to grown adults, and she instantly spotted Adam. His smiling face made her slightly breathless and she had to look away, clinging to Chains’ arm for support. He gave her a quick, private wink, holding her against his side as they sat on the sofa.

“We’re not sure what this is about,” Fred said after a moment. “Detective Langhan is a neighbor and said you were with Adam before he passed…we always wondered who he’d been with, but it’s been a long time now.”

“I…” Emilie faltered, unsure what to say now that the moment was upon her.

“Just tell them the story,” Chains said softly.

“I thought it was my fault!” Emilie blurted out, tears unexpectedly filling her eyes.

“Your fault?” Adeline’s eyebrows drew together. “Adam died instantly from a heart condition we weren’t aware of. How could that have been your fault?”

“It wasn’t,” Emilie corrected herself. “But for eight years I thought it was. You see, I found Adam dead and assumed it was because of something I did, so I ran. It wasn’t until after I became a mother myself that the guilt began to gnaw away at me… I’d finally decided to turn myself in and accept whatever punishment I deserved, but Darryl and Nate got hold of the autopsy and we found out what actually happened.”

“Then I’m not entirely sure why you’re here.” Adeline was obviously confused.

“Because I still feel like you should know everything that happened.”

“You mean the sex games?” Fred’s face reddened slightly, but he squeezed his wife’s hand as he continued. “We know our son was wild—drinking and smoking and carrying on with women. I assume you were one of them.”

“We met at a sex club,” she admitted, feeling her cheeks get warm. “We were both learning about the…um, BDSM lifestyle and decided to practice together.” She looked down and took a moment to compose herself. Finally, she lifted her gaze and told them everything, finishing with a tear rolling down her cheek. “I can’t help but wonder if I hadn’t left him if something would have been different.”

Adeline had tears rolling down her cheeks as well, but was shaking her head. “The police and the doctors we called to examine his records told us he died in seconds—his heart simply gave out. If we’d known about the condition, there is medicine he could have been taking, but without knowing…it was too late for Adam.”

“This condition is genetic,” Fred continued, stroking his wife’s arm. “One of Adam’s cousins—my brother’s son—passed away from the exact same disease a few years ago. Both boys were 20 at the time of their deaths.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Emilie whispered.

“So, you see, dear, nothing you did could have caused this and nothing you’d have done differently could have changed the outcome. I’m so sorry you’ve felt so much guilt all this time. If you’d only come to us sooner…”

“I didn’t know his last name,” Emilie sighed. “And I was afraid.”

“Actually, this makes me happy,” Adeline said, brushing away her tears. “To know that you cared so much.”

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