Page 5 of No Escape

Valerie rushed back toward her room, her heart thumping as she navigated the corridor. Tom caught up to her and tried to stop her, his hand on her arm. “Valerie, please, calm down.”

She shook him off, agitation written all over her face. “Tom, I love you, and I know how hard things have been, but can I just handle this myself?”

Tom’s face clouded with frustration. “Val, I’m just trying to help. I can’t stand seeing you like this.”

“I can handle this, Tom. I just need some space. Honestly. I’ll be fine. Please,” Valerie said as softly as she could, but her eyes were filled with determination.

Tom hesitated, his expression a mix of concern and anger. “Fine, Valerie. Have it your way. I love you too, by the way.” He turned away, leaving her to her thoughts, his footsteps echoing down the corridor.

Valerie thought for a moment. Seeing Tom walk away made her instantly want to go back on her words and apologize for shutting him out again.

She wanted to go after Tom, but she couldn’t ignore the fact that there was a murderer in Shady Pines Retreat and that he may be a danger to the vulnerable patients. No matter what her personal feelings were, she knew she had a duty to protect the other patients. With a heavy heart, Valerie turned to go back to her room, only to be startled by a familiar face behind her.

It was Suzie, Valerie’s sister. Although she was a patient at Shady Pines, too, Valerie still didn’t feel quite used to being in the same situation as her. Valerie had always been the one with her mind “together,” Suzie being the sibling haunted by mental health issues.

But now the tables were turning.

“Val, what’s wrong? Was that Tom?” Suzie asked, concern etched on her face.

“Yes,” Valerie said, nodding slowly. “I arranged for him to come here so we could talk things out.”

“That’s great!” Suzie said.

Valerie’s sister had only been around Tom a handful of times, but she and he had hit it off. Suzie always made a point of telling Valerie how lucky she was.

“Yeah,” Valerie said, unconvincingly.

“There’s something else, isn’t there?” Suzie said, putting her hands on her hips like a school teacher.

Valerie quickly explained the situation to Suzie. “John Murphy, a murderer I helped put in jail, is here too,” Val said with a hint of fear in her voice. “I saw him arrive here today. I don’t know what they’re thinking! The man’s a danger to everyone here!”

Suzie nodded, but Valerie could see she was already thinking of ways to reduce Valerie’s anxiety.

Suzie said: “I know Quincy and the team here—they would never put our safety at risk. Try not to worry. People thought I was a lost cause once, right?”

Valerie sighed, glancing down the corridor. “The whole point of Will Cooper getting me a place here at Shady Pines was so I could be with you, Suzie. So we could heal together. I can’t very well do that when there’s a killer, possibly with a grudge against me, walking around these very halls… I just want to get better with you so we can both walk out of here without any more drama in our lives.”

Suzie looked away, a strange worry flickering across her face. Valerie immediately noticed the change in her sister’s expression. “What’s wrong, Suzie?”

Suzie hesitated before delivering the shocking news. “Val, the doctors here have told me that I no longer need intensive treatment. They’re going to release me soon.”

Valerie’s heart sank as she processed the information. “But I just got here. We were supposed to… to be in this together.”

Suzie reached out and squeezed her sister’s hand. “I know, Val. But maybe this is a sign that things are changing for the better. For both of us. Trust me, if I can get better, anyone can. And besides, at least one of us will be on the outside and can visit Mom at Barlow.”

Valerie’s eyes welled up with tears, half with happiness, half with loss as she realized the implications of Suzie’s upcoming release. She was so happy for Suzie to finally be well enough to go back into the community, but she feared she would be rudderless without Suzie. Valerie felt utterly alone, as if she had swapped places with the sister she had always tried to look after. The reality of her situation settled in, and Valerie couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by the challenges that lay ahead.

“I’m happy for you, sis,” she said. “You deserve to be out and getting on with your life. I’m proud of you… so proud… But I can’t deal with everything else right now. Lives are at risk. I need to figure out what to do about John Murphy. Otherwise everyone is in danger. If only…”

Suzie looked at Valerie with concern on her face. “Are you okay, Val? Do you need my help?”

Valerie shook her head, trying to regain her composure. “No, Suzie. There’s only one person who can help me now, and that’s Will Cooper.”

CHAPTER THREE

John Murphy fought to keep the smile from his face. Keeping his own feelings secret had never been more difficult. But he was so close to his plans finally coming to fruition, he didn’t want to give the slightest clue that he was being deceptive.

Pulling the wool over the eyes of the world was truly pleasurable for him.

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