Page 104 of Behind the Shadows
The Pied Piper stood and walked to the little kitchen and opened the fridge. He retrieved two bottles of water and brought one to me. “I get so parched during these kinds of conversations.” He unscrewed the cap and took several sips before he returned to his seat.
I twisted my lid, breaking the seal, and drank some myself.
“Tell me what you know, and then I’ll fill in the gaps.” He set his drink on the floor next to the couch.
“From what I can remember, my uncle, Mother, and who I thought was Samantha’s father were all in a room. Samantha was crying and her father was pulling her across the room. It was clear he was hurting her. Samantha was screaming for help, and I was trying to get to her, but Mother and Uncle Vinny blocked me. After that, it was all a blur. I remember blood on my hands and Holland’s body was crumpled on the floor next to me. Therewas so much blood. Fuck, I’m not even sure how I killed whoever the girl was or why.”
One bushy eyebrow rose. “Interesting. And what if I told you none of that happened. You in fact never killed anyone until you were older.”
I struggled to breathe. Mother had said the same, but everything that came out of that bitch’s mouth was a twisted lie. I had no reason to believe her until the Pied Piper confirmed the information. “All the days and nights Mother made me repent and carved up my back, screaming at me that I’d killed her…” The memories slammed into me so hard it knocked the wind out of me. “It was all to control me.”
“Jameson is better than I ever thought he would be.” He smiled, a faraway look on his face as if he were reeled back in time. “Kip, you never killed that girl. Other than Samantha and Ally, there were no other girls that night. We weren’t even at your house when they were taken. We were in the basement of Pendleton’s church.”
I blinked at him as if he was the one with the memory problems.
“No, you’re wrong. It was at my place. Well, the outbuilding. Holland remembers it too.”
“Holland’s memory of that night is shaky at best. Yours …” He steepled his fingers tighter, staring at me over the top of them.
“What?” The bite to my tone carried a warning.
“Yours were planted. Nothing you remember is true. It never happened.”
The words dropped like a match into gasoline.
I shot out of my chair so fast it scraped across the floor, wood screaming. My pulse thundered in my skull.
No.
I knew this theory. I’d heard it before. Holland had said something similar—her voice steady, her eyes wide with that unbearable concern I couldn’t face. I’d brushed her off then. I had to. Because the alternative? It meant my memories—my whole self—might be a lie.
But hearing it now from him, from the abomination who had ruined everything, made it real. Undeniable.
The floor tilted under me. The air thickened like smoke in my lungs.
I paced too fast, like I could outrun it, outshout it.
“What the fuck do you mean?” My voice cracked, and I didn’t care. “You better explain fast before I tear you and this whole goddamn place apart.”
And I meant every word.
My skin vibrated with rage, panic, betrayal. Because if he was telling the truth, then everything I’d believed about myself, everything I’d done was built on rot. What was worse? To be a killer in truth, or to discover my entire life had been molded and twisted from lies?
I didn’t know if I wanted the answer … or if I just wanted to rip his throat out before he could say another word.
The Pied Piper never even blinked at my threat.
“At one time, Jameson worked for the military, and he specialized in mind control and embedding memories that never happened. At first, he was used to helping soldiers who suffered after being in wars or trauma. He basically reprogrammed their trauma with good experiences that helped them move on. Live a good life again.”
I folded my arms over my chest, a chill creeping up my spine.
“Then, I met him one evening at a bar. What he didn’t know was that his skills were already on my radar, and I felt they might be very useful. I was right. It’s actually amazing that all of these years you thought you killed a girl. And even I know that goesagainst everything you are at your core. Yes, you’re a killer, but you protect women and children at all costs.”
“Yeah, so what? You know that about me. What the fuck actually happened to me?”
“I know this is a lot to take in, but I think it will be worth your time. Sit.” He pointed to the chair.
“I don’t want to.”
