The Whispers

By Maria Rachel Hooley

The only thing worse than an abusive husband is a dead abusive husband bent on revenge.That's what Kate Thibeaux is facing, considering last year she killed her own husband, Kevin Garrison, when he'd left her no choice. She's changed her name, her looks, and everything else about her, as if that would stop Kevin. Kevin haunts her every step, and she wonders if she's going crazy when she moves back to her hometown in a last-ditch effort to leave the past behind.Kevin, however, won't be forgotten even as Kate reunites with her best friend, Melody Kriss, who introduces her to her step-brother, Adam Kriss. Neither Melody nor Adam knows about Kevin, but some people refuse to stay buried. When their lives collide, Kate isn't looking for love, and Adam isn't looking to save anyone, but sometimes people find what they need in the last places they expect.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Maria Rachel Hooley
• Release date: Jan 14, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005014100

Maria Rachel Hooley

Maria Rachel Hooley is the author of over forty novels, including When Angels Cry and October Breezes. Her first chapbook of poetry was published by Rose Rock Press in 1999. She is an English teacher who lives in Oklahoma with her three children and husband. She loves reading, and if she could live in a novel, it would be Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn.

Book preview

One

The full moon nestled amid a thick bed of clouds, casting its light through the bare tree branches overhead. The wind carried a chill, hinting at the sudden cold front that would be sweeping in soon. Kate Thibeaux's gasping breaths escaped as furious furls of white steam, and she tried not to think about what was coming.

It was always coming. She couldn't outrun it.

Why had she thought hiding in this nestle of dead branches would be a sanctuary from Kevin Garrison's rage. Shouldn't she know by now that there was no place to hide where he couldn't find her.

Even though she sat perfectly still, she knew it couldn't be this easy. It never was. And this time might be the last time. He might actually follow through on his threats.

The way he appeared suddenly, his shoulders slightly slouched as he stepped around a fallen branch, it seemed almost as though she'd called him. That thought sent goosebumps down her arms, because she couldn't remember the last time she'd done that--called him. His name was a currency she couldn't afford, and she'd learned the hard way not to run a tab.

She gasped and held her breath, afraid that the steam would give her location away. And as he stepped closer, his right hand swung forward slightly. Moonlight glinted off the silver carving knife his fingers clenched, and had she not been so afraid of revealing herself, she would have fallen over.

Terrified, she set her hand over her mouth, not just to muffle her breathing but also to mute the steam. It wasn't much, but she wanted to do anything she could. Now that he was here, running wasn't an option, no matter how much her body told her to. Her body was screaming to do that as she watched swatches of moonlight pour through the slumbering trees and glance off the very large and deadly blade in his hand--a blade which had always had only one purpose, and it was nothing to do with food. No, it was meant for her if she ever tried to leave him again. It didn't matter that she hadn't tried. All she wanted was to be free of Kevin for good.

Kevin looked around. His mouth settled in a hard frown. He had always been good at concealing the true measure of his anger, but Kate knew, probably because most often she was the root of all of his displeasure. And since he'd gotten into his head that she was having an affair, that displeasure now fueled a much more dangerous flame--one that she would not survive. Her only hope was escape.

It seemed as if Kevin heard her very thoughts as he stepped ever closer. One by one, he lifted his fingers from the knife’s grip and set them back down as though all too eager to be able to actually use the blade he carried.

You know you can’t hide from me, that I’ll find you. I’ve got a score to settle with you, bitch!

His words slurred together, confirming how drunk he was. While that would make him a bit clumsier, it would also increase his level of violence. If that could be increased.

Kate watched him come closer. The path he was travelling would lead him right past her—that was if he didn’t somehow spot her. She braced for whatever the future held. She’d known it would be coming for a long time. One way or another tonight would be the end.

Two more steps. He was getting ready to saunter past her, so Kate held her breath, praying. She wrapped her arms around her body, as if that would hold all the panic inside and waited. Another step. He paused and looked around, his gaze washing right over her. She didn’t know how he couldn’t see her. Maybe it was because he was so drunk. She didn’t have a clue. All she could do was be very grateful and hope his poor eyesight continued.

I’ll gut and skin you like you deserve, you whore.

Kate flinched. He was so close, she could smell the booze on him. Of course most of their married life, she’d smelled that. It would be easier to count days he’d somehow stayed sober than days he’d been dead drunk. Then again, the sober days were actually worse because he often blamed her for his dry spell when it had more to do with his unemployment. They didn’t have enough money to pay for all the booze he wanted, and that only made him madder and resulted in more broken bones.

He looked right at her hiding place. His nostrils flared, almost as though he were more animal than human. Most days she figured it was because he held the heart of a beast in that cold chest of his. If he’d ever really loved her to begin with, she was pretty sure it had died. No one could beat a woman the way he did and still love her. You didn’t want to make a corpse out of someone you loved.

Stay still and he won’t see you, she thought desperately. It was a hard thought because she was cold both on the inside and the out, and her body threatened to tremble. She was too close to tree branches, and he would have heard the movement. So she had no choice but to be statue still and hope it was enough.

Another step. Kevin was moving on.

Kate closed her eyes, immediately grateful. She had to believe she’d escape. Already she was planning her path to get out of these woods, knowing she had to be careful. Lots of these trees had small branches cut close to the trunk. She didn’t know why they hadn’t been cut closer, but she did know they were dangerous. She’d run into one while fleeing Kevin, and she was pretty sure there was going to be a nasty bruise. It ached so deeply, and she marveled at how lucky she was not to have broken the skin.

Kevin took a few more stumbling steps, and Kate wondered if he were going to pass out. She had often prayed for that, because sometimes that was the only thing which ended the horrible beatings when her body couldn’t take anymore.

But tonight, she didn’t want that. She wanted him to keep walking so she could run away. If he passed out now, she wasn’t sure she’d have the courage to run because she’d wonder if he were faking it to draw her out. He would do that if he thought it would work.

Her lungs complained and she quietly exhaled and took another breath that she held. Please go away, she thought. And, as if by her silent command he did. He gave one final cursory glance and then moved on, as though he were convinced she’d hidden elsewhere. His heavy boots tromped through the underbrush, snapping small vines and saplings that he came across with violent impunity.

She waited until he’d disappeared before whispering, Thank God. And then she waited another couple of minutes before easing from her hiding spot, preparing to run. She lurched forward, her body tense with the energy when he grabbed her arm, swinging her around. The force sent her headfirst into a thick bramble of thorny vines and dead undergrowth.

Panic seized her. She scrambled to her feet, ignoring the bubbles of pain welling up on her arms and legs from all the thorns. They didn't matter. She had to get out of here.

I'm gonna kill you, he seethed, his face a mottled dark in the moonlight.

At those words, Kate reached into her pants waistband and pulled out the gun, palming it in concealment.

Kevin lunged for her, one hand reaching to grab her, and the other drawing back, ready to stab her. It was now or never. The world slowed as she felt him drag her body close, and when she was in sure range, she raised the gun and fired.

At first, she thought maybe it was a toy. She knew it wasn't. But it was hard for her to grasp that she'd shot a bullet into Kevin's heart. Then, as his eyes widened, the knife dropped from his slack fingers, and he let her go. Gasping, he staggered backwards, his gaze dully going from her face down to his chest where the blood stain appeared.

What have you done? he asked thickly. Groaning, he ran his hand over the stain. Blood slicked his skin, and he kept looking at it like he couldn't believe it was actually coming out of his chest. It wasn't possible.

Kate staggered backward. She didn't know if that was enough to stop him, but she was determined to escape. Yet even as she ran, she heard him screaming, It's not over! It won't be over until you're dead!

Kate jerked upright in bed, gasping. She was crying and cold. She looked around the motel room--a rat-infested 1970’s hell that she'd barely left since she’d murdered him. Even as the dream receded, she kept shaking and rocking...shaking and rocking. The image of Kevin's face as she shot him stayed with her. She was never going to forget it, and it didn't help that his expression remained when she had to identify his body days later. Lying on that slab, he’d looked as though he were only sleeping, and had the sheet not fallen away, revealing the wound in his chest, she might’ve had worse dreams.

Not that these weren't bad enough. She'd barely slept. She couldn't eat, and she had nowhere to go because she wasn't going to go back to her parents, not after her world had exploded. They hadn't wanted her to marry Kevin. The last thing she needed was their version of I told you so. And that would be exactly what she got. No thanks. Besides, then she'd have to answer all kinds of questions Sheriff Matt Gaines was pretty much keeping at bay. He knew what kind of man her husband had been, and he hadn't shed any tears over Kevin's death. No, so far as she could tell, he'd actually been kind of relieved.

Kate looked around the filthy room, despising her life. Yet this was the only life she could afford, and maybe she deserved it after killing Kevin. He'd been a piece of work, no doubt, but she'd never thought herself capable of taking a man's life. She didn't think she could until the one day she’d had no other choice, and it had shaken her to the core. What kind of a monster was she? She'd only wanted her freedom.

Sunlight seeped around the curtains, telling her it was probably mid-morning. She didn't sleep well at night, probably because she still hated the feel of darkness surrounding her. Maybe it was easier to let her guard down when the world was bright with what seemed like promises of safety. Yet Kate knew there was no such thing as safe. Kevin had proven so time and again.

Part of her was tired, but she was and wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. Besides, her stomach was rumbling, and she needed to find something to eat or she was going to be sick.

Taking a deep breath, she threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood, heading to the bathroom. When she turned on the light and looked into the mirror, Kevin's face looked back.

Bitch, he growled.

Kate clenched her eyes shut and waited for the panic to subside. It would. She needed a minute. When she opened her eyes, only her reflection stared back at her.

Even as the past left her, Kate had to grab the sink to steady herself. She wanted to believe it was from not having eaten much, but she really didn't know. Her nerves were frayed, and every noise set her off. Everywhere she looked, she found Kevin.

You need to get a grip on yourself, she whispered, but even as she spoke, her voice trembled, belying how empty those words were. She didn't believe they had any power, and she was terrified.

Gritting her teeth, she turned on the faucet, cupped her hands beneath the flow, and splashed the water on her face, trying to wash away the sheen of sweat left from the nightmare. She felt so disgusted living here, and no matter how often she bathed, it didn't feel clean.

She'd just turned off the water when a loud pounding took her off guard. She sagged against the sink, gasping as she whirled, looked for Kevin. As much as she saw his face, she had started to look for him everywhere. Kate was about as haunted as a woman could get and still be breathing.

Hello? someone shouted from the front door. Kate felt stupid and stepped toward it on shaky legs, still not sure if she wanted to open it or even who would be there.

Ms. Thibeaux, are you in there?

Kate stood straighter, determined not to let fear get the best of her.

Who is it?

Rick Harlow, a mailman. I have a certified letter I need you to sign for. Sheriff Gaines told me this was where I'd find you since you didn't exactly change your mailing address.

Just a moment. She shivered again and tried to calm down. A part of her didn't want to open the door, in case the man was lying. Didn't all men lie? It was easier to believe that than trust him and find out the hard way she'd been wrong. Still, she forced herself to peer out the peephole.

While she didn't recognize the man standing there, he was wearing a postal uniform and was holding a letter. If he were lying, he’d definitely brought all the props.

Ms. Thibeaux? I really need to move on. Could you open the door?

Kate drew back the bolt and eased open the door a crack. Part of her braced for something to happen because all too often over the course of her pathetic marriage, something always had. As such, she wasn't prepared for him to hand her the letter and push a pen into her fingers.

Could you sign on the back there? He pointed.

She scrawled her name inside the box and handed the pen and letter back. Thank you.

He took off the card and gave her the letter. Have a good afternoon. With a nod, he was gone.

Kate nudged the door closed, twisted the bolt, and leaned against it, at once exhausted. Looking down at the letter, she realized it was from an out-of-state law firm. Dread filled her as she mentally sorted through a list of possibilities. It could be Kevin's parents trying to sue her for killing him. She wouldn't put it past them. They knew what kind of a monster their son had been, and they did nothing to stop him. Nothing.

Or it could be a firm trying to collect on a debt that Kevin had refused to pay since he drank away his income instead of paying useful things like bills. It wouldn't surprise her if it was a bill from the last hospital visit where he'd broken four of her ribs. He'd told her she needed to pay for it, because he wasn't that stupid.

Her ribs had healed slowly, no thanks to Kevin, and she sure didn't have any money to pay the bill now, not that that really mattered to bill collectors. Kevin had left her destitute. She was barely able to pay to stay in this horrible motel, and that was only because she'd somehow managed to save a little bit here and there during her marriage. He would never have willingly given her money.

The sealed envelope could hold a thousand different possibilities, and the only way she was going to know what was truly in it was to open it and read on, something that terrified her because once it was open, she couldn't unknow the contents.

She carried the envelope to the bed and eased down on it, her fingers gently gripping the letter. After a moment of building courage, she gently began to pry the flap loose until she could get to the documents. Trying to remain calm, she started reading.

In the next ten minutes, Kate's world suddenly shifted again, and this time in yet another direction that came out of nowhere. This wasn't a past due bill or a lawsuit from Kevin's family. It was a death notice--her parents had both died in a car wreck, and everything in their estate had been left to her.

The paper slipped from Kate's fingers as she tried to wrap her head around what this meant. Granted, most of the time in her life, she'd been at odds with her parents, mostly over small stuff that really didn't matter. It had been bad enough so that marrying Kevin seemed like a good idea at the time. How wrong she'd been.

But even if you didn't agree with your parents and sometimes didn't really like them, there was sort of a feeling of being 'home' when you were with them that had nothing to do with their house. It came from them, probably because they had always been in your life, and you blindly believed they always would remain.

Now hers were gone, and while she might have some distant relatives tucked somewhere, it hardly mattered because she didn't know them. No, Kate felt about as alone as she could, and if there was one bright spot in this hellhole her life had become, it would be that settling her parents’ affairs would take her back to Copernicus Cove, Oregon--a small dot on the map that seemed to hide so well tourists missed it. Time seemed to have missed it, too, considering how the little town looked the last time Kate had left, swearing she wouldn't return, not even for a visit. She'd expected her parents to visit her, and they would have, but Kate didn't want them to see the real man she'd married.

She looked at the paper on the floor, and right in front of her eyes, she watched it crumple up, as though an invisible hand were balling it into a wad of trash right in front of her eyes.

Don't react, she thought. He only gets worse when you react, and you know it. She licked her lips and looked away, pretending she could ignore what was happening right in front of her. Kevin again.

You think you can escape me, his voice seethed. It won't happen. Wherever you go, I'll go, and one day, I'll drag you to this hell so we can be together again, like before.

The wadded paper rose and seemed to launch itself at her. She tried to catch it, but it smacked her face, the corner of the staple that hadn't completely latched down catching her skin and tearing as the paper ball fell away to the floor.

She wanted to yell and argue with him. She'd done that at the beginning. It made Kevin's ghost all the more violent, as though he had to prove to her he would win. She sometimes fell against things--or was pushed rather--and her body still felt him bruising her. She just couldn't see him when it happened which made the threat worse and more terrifying.

She'd learned not to take a bath since he'd actually dragged her under once, and even though she thought the shower to be safer, it wasn't when he adjusted the temperature so it scalded her skin. If that hadn't been bad enough, she wasn't able to open the door right away, and she couldn't turn off the water...so it burned her; how it burned!

Still, maybe if she left this town in her rear-view mirror, went back to the house where she was raised, and started over, maybe it would stick. Maybe she would find a world without Kevin Garrison, one she could finally make peace with.

Yet even as her fingers dabbed the cut that staple had left, she knew better. Kevin would never willingly give her up, which was why she'd never been able to muster the courage to leave him until she had to. He didn't give away what he possessed, and he felt dead certain he possessed her.

Her plans settled, Kate grabbed her small duffle bag from the closet and pushed her clothes in it, determined that if she were going to leave this horrible town, the sooner she managed, the better. As soon as all her things were in this bag, she’d walk down to the bus station and spend probably the last of what she had on a ticket home, hoping for the best that darkness didn't follow.

Two

Kate suffered through a very long, tedious bus ride next to a man in a business suit who seemed completely out of place with his iPad and spiral notebook. She could barely read her paperback without getting motion sick. Of course, it didn’t help how her mind kept spinning with thoughts of her parents, clouding her frame of mind. She hadn’t