Chapter 4: Naked and Alone

It would be her last visit to the Havenswood Psychiatric facility. She waited until the day after the funeral to do it, to say the words she swore she would never say. She couldn't look Daniel in the eye when she said them, and after she did, he couldn't look into hers.

"I can't do it."

Daniel Becket was too stunned to reply. Taking a second to process what he'd just heard, he responded, "Why?"

"I can't risk my family's safety anymore."

She knew it was a valid reason, yet it still felt like a feeble excuse. She remembered telling him sixteen years earlier that she hadn't done her homework assignment and he'd asked her the exact same question. She didn't have a reason, she simply hadn't. Now her former history teacher was a patient in a mental hospital, wanting to know why she wasn't going to catch the man that murdered his wife.

Grace relayed to him everything that had happened. Her attempt to kill Lukas Balko, how she very nearly drove a wooden stake through his heart, and would have ended his evil legacy forever. How Daniel had been right; his wife had indeed come back from the dead as an agent of evil, working with Balko to protect him from destruction. How Grace's own husband had been seduced by Gabby Becket, whose transformation into a succubus empowered her to lead Ted Harker to his death before Grace's eyes.

Grace told him everything, and prayed he would understand. Her four-year-old daughter, and unborn baby's lives depended on Grace staying out of Balko's way.

Daniel finally raised his gaze to meet the young detective's.

"Grace. For the past year, the only thing's that's kept me going was knowing you were out there, looking for him."

"Mr. Becket, I-"

"I wake up in a cold sweat every night, from nightmares about what Balko- and Gabby, did to me. And continue to do."

Grace shut her eyes, asking herself why he had to make this harder than it had to be.

"Gabby's already killed your husband. By seducing him, she's grown stronger. The next man she goes after will be even easier for her. The one after that, even easier."

"I know," she said, crying. She'd read The Kiss of Death as well.

"You CAN'T tell me you're quitting! Who's going to stop them?"

"I have children!" Grace screamed. The other patients in the rec room looked at Grace.

"I know. So did I."

"And you lost them. Because they followed in your footsteps and it got them both killed. I can't let that happen to my daughters."

"Then Balko will kill someone else's daughter," Daniel said, folding his arms. "You know he'll never stop."

Grace nodded, and wiped a tear from her eye.

"I can't end this. But maybe you can," Grace said, in a low whisper.

Daniel frowned.

"How am I supposed to end this? They're not letting me out of here. Not for a long time."

Grace reached across the table, and took Daniel's hand in hers. As she squeezed his fingers, she slipped something into his palm. As soon as Daniel felt the slim metal object, he knew exactly what Grace was telling him to do.

"He's in the Balko Family Crypt. St. Harold's Memorial Cemetery," Grace whispered. She looked at her former teacher, and saw he was visibly trembling.

"Thank you," he said, suppressing his tears.

"Good luck," Grace said. She immediately got up from her seat and left. An overpowering weight on her shoulders was lifted, and another one had taken its place. Her entire career was now at risk for what she'd done, yet her conscience was still punishing her. Daniel Becket tucked the skeleton key inconspicuously into his pants, and watched Grace as she left the room. He wondered briefly if he would ever see her again, and suspected that he would not.

Grace almost forgot to recollect her gun and badge before she left the hospital; her mind in a whirlwind.

"Thank you," she blurted to the security guard before hurrying out to the parking lot. Thunder clapped in the distance, making her jump, and look back at the hospital behind her. No alarm had sounded yet. She had to hope Daniel would time his escape wisely. He cared enough for her not to implicate her in what he was about to do. She hopped behind the wheel of the Jimmy; her husband's death left two cars at her disposal and she needed the larger of them to move some of Ted's belongings to his family.

The investigation uncovered no evidence of foul play in either Ted's or Caleb Brighton's deaths. Despite Grace's insistence that a woman had seduced Ted onto the train tracks, no evidence had been found that anyone but Ted had been there; a crazy delusional man who'd wandered off and been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

No official cause of death could be found in the death of Caleb Brighton. While there were traces of marijuana and cocaine in his system, no fatal toxins appeared to have been involved in the strip club owner's death. No mark was on his body. Nothing but the faint smear of lipstick around his mouth.

With no further threats against Grace's family, she and Kayla moved back into their home at 3278 Dunlap street. It wasn't that Grace felt safe again. It was simply that Grace didn't feel safe anywhere, so she might as well be in her home.

Pulling out of the hospital parking lot, she sped down the winding road. Rain pounded the windshield as she strained to see the road ahead of her. She hadn't even remembered to fasten her seat belt; she momentarily considered leaving it, but thought better of it and zipped the belt across her pregnant belly and continued on, gripping the steering wheel with pure adrenaline powering her every function.

Her heart skipped as she saw a bat flutter past her windshield. She knew she'd challenged Balko by passing Daniel the skeleton key, but she didn't know if Balko was aware of the deed. He'd warned her to back off, that was abundantly clear, but he hadn't said anything about Daniel Becket. With any luck, Daniel would finish what she started and Balko would be gone for good.

Grace could see a sign on the side of the road, but the rain obscured its words. She'd nearly passed it before she saw it read "BRIDGE AHEAD."

She eased off the gas, only to glance in the rear view mirror and catch a glimpse of someone in the backseat. A man.

Grace's blood went cold. The man, nearly obscured in shadow, had glowing red eyes, like a demon. He leaned forward, and Grace braced herself for the menacing visage of Lukas Balko to appear before her. But it wasn't him.

It was her father.

He grinned wickedly, and Grace immediately reached for her Glock. She turned around, only to find the backseat was empty.

Balko was playing tricks on her.

Grace turned forward again. As she was crossing the rounded crest of the narrow bridge, she spotted a man in the center of her lane. She couldn't see his face, only the silhouette of a man standing motionless; staring directly towards her. Panicking, she slammed on the brakes and twisted the wheel to the left.

She dodged the man, and flipped the Jimmy onto its side. As it did, the airbag ejected, exploding against Grace's face and torso like a punch from a heavyweight champion. The Jimmy careened over the bridge guardrails, and tumbled down the steep slope towards the river below. The momentum sent Grace slamming against the driver's side door and then pulled her violently upwards towards the ceiling, and in that split second Grace thanked the powers that were that she'd buckled her seat belt.

The Jimmy rolled to the bottom of the slope, tumbling Grace about, and finally slammed its roof upon the riverbank; leaving Grace pinned in her seat upside down. Blood rushed to her face, and Grace realized in that moment what it must have been like for Sarah Wainwright when she was hanging over Catherine Balko's bathtub.

An immense pain formed in her belly, and a great fear for her unborn baby's well being swelled up inside her. Grace struggled to locate the latch on her seat belt but found it difficult to maneuver her arms around the airbag.

It was then that the silence of the night was broken by the sound of approaching footsteps. Grace slowed her panting as she peered in the rear view mirror, but saw no one.

"Is someone there?" she cried. "Help me. I'm trapped."

She heard the footsteps round the back of the vehicle, and approach the driver's side. Grace strained her head the get a glimpse of the person who was most certainly the cause of her predicament, and was not surprised to see the chuckling face of Lukas Balko.

"P-please. Don't. I'll do what you want." Her plea was as desperate as it sounded.

Lukas placed two fingers to his lips, kissed them, and then pressed them to the fender of Grace's overturned vehicle. He smiled and walked away.

Grace felt her body shake, and terror overcame her. Whatever evil he had planned for her, it was likely already done. Grace needed only the feel of the stabbing sensation in her belly and the wetness of blood between her legs to guess what evil that might be.

She took her phone from her pocket, but couldn't bring herself to make a call. There was no need at this point. The phone slipped out of her fingers and fell to the roof of the car. Grace's eyes filled with tears, and she let out an unearthly scream.

Grace awoke to the sound of a heart monitor. A feeling a deja vu came over her as she looked around the hospital room. She could hear someone to her right, and as she turned her head, she could see it was a nurse facing away from her.

"Wha- what happened?" Grace asked, her voice hoarse.

The nurse turned to face her. The heart monitor spiked as soon as Grace caught a glimpse of her face. Gabby Becket stood before her, wearing a nurse uniform and smiling sadistically.

"What HAPPENED, Grace?" Gabby asked, condescendingly, "-what happened is that you were told to stay away from Lukas. Helping Daniel Becket escape is not what we meant."

Grace gasped, and looked around the room desperately. There were no other patients in the ward. No guests, and no hospital staff. It was just Grace and Gabby. Grace looked down at her belly and saw it was ominously flat. Gabby looked at her with faux sympathy.

"I'm afraid Lukas saw fit for you to lose the baby. He did warn you, after all," Gabby said.

Grace went still. A pit opened up in her soul, and pure anguish consumed her. The ceiling of the hospital room could have caved on her and she could not have felt worse.

"But you do still have Kayla. Lukas is willing to barter for her life," Gabby said.

Kayla, Grace thought. The only one left in the world, as far as Grace cared. She prayed Kayla was well. Grace looked at Gabby with fury in her eyes.

"What does he want?" Grace demanded. She coughed, and found herself in desperate need for a glass of water.

"Daniel Becket escaped from a psychiatric facility last night. He has no money, no vehicle, nothing but the clothes on his back. He will likely come to you for help. When he does, you will kill him."

It was as if a rope had tightened around her neck. She could barely breathe, let alone process the words Gabby had just said to her.

"You- want me to kill Daniel Becket?" Grace repeated back. She prayed she'd heard wrong.

"Yes. And Kayla will be spared. That is Lukas' offer."

Grace went still. She tried to imagine herself murdering Daniel Becket, the man that saved her, both from herself and from her father, so many years ago. She couldn't. And she couldn't believe Gabby would want her to.

"Why would you want me to kill Mr. Becket? He's your husband!" Grace cried, although she already suspected the answer. Gabby chuckled.

"I have a new husband now," Gabby said, showing Grace her left hand. There she wore a ring with a stone as black as midnight. "Lukas is my husband now. And I am his wife. One of his many wives. Perhaps you will be one too, one day."

Gabby lifted her dress, and showed Grace the letters "L.B." branded on her inner thigh.

"I wear his mark now. Lukas bestowed it on me the night he made me a succubus. And then he gave me this ring. Speaking of that..."

Gabby opened a drawer on the nightstand by Grace's bed, and removed her silver wedding band. Gabby tucked the ring into her bra.

"I don't think you'll be needing this anymore. Seeing as you're no longer married."

Grace burst into tears, and Gabby gave just a hint of a smile at Grace's anguish.

"You can't stop him, Grace. He will win, every time. Do the right thing. Or Kayla will pay the price."

Her warning delivered, Gabby stepped out of the room, leaving Grace bawling in agony.

Joe Pratt was about to throw the bouquet into the trash. He saw no use for them, beautiful as the roses were, until he thought of someone else who might appreciate them. He set them into the passenger seat of his car and headed to the hospital.

It was with some guilt that he acknowledged he was more worried about Grace than about Erika. There was his girlfriend of little over a month who was having jealousy issues, and his partner of five years who was having the worst month of her life. Joe had to choose, and he chose Grace.

Erika had accompanied Joe to Ted's funeral, and she was none too happy about how close Joe sat to Grace during the post funeral luncheon, comforting the widowed detective. Nor was she happy about Joe's long phone calls to Grace the following evening, in fact most evenings since Ted's death. It seemed Grace had few friends to turn to following her husband's death and Joe wanted to be there for her.

Joe's insistence upon being by Grace's side in the hospital following her car accident was the final straw. Joe intended to take Erika out for a fancy dinner date, but after he suggested postponing the date and tiding the matter over with flowers, Erika had had enough. Ten minutes later, Joe was driving to the hospital a single man.

He was fuming about his sudden breakup, and did not notice the nurse that was leaving Grace's room just as he arrived. He walked in the room to find Grace in tears.

"Hey," Joe said, holding up the flowers. "Brought you something."

Grace showed him a smile of gratitude but showed no improvement in her emotional state. He set the flowers on the windowsill and took a seat next to Grace's bed.

"Daniel Becket escaped from Havenswood last night," Joe said.

Grace tried to act surprised, but she was too exhausted to adequately fake emotion. She prayed Joe would not see through her. If he did, he didn't let on.

"I lost the baby," Grace said, not so much to change the subject, but rather it was the only thing on her mind.

"I'm so sorry, Grace."

"It was Balko."

"No, that's impossible. He's dead."

"I saw him. He was standing in the middle of the road, staring at me. He made me swerve off the road and I crashed."

Joe didn't respond. He grabbed Grace's hand and squeezed it.

"He'll find me no matter where I go. No matter what I do he'll kill everyone who matters to me."

Joe sighed, searching for something to say to her.

"We found out how the woman, Liana, knew about the safe house. She'd been sleeping with one of the officers. It was Perry. He told her everything."

Grace said nothing.

"He's facing charges," Joe added.

Grace stared off into space.

"Balko has his ways," she said, solemnly. She knew Joe would not understand. He hadn't yet looked death in the eye. He saw every problem as one that simply needed handcuffs put on it, and the day was done. The days when it was that simple for Grace were long over.

Joe held her hand for an hour, neither of them saying a word. She appreciated it, but it didn't make her feel safe. Not truly. Still, it was far better than being alone.

When Joe got up to leave, Grace finally spoke.

"You believe me, don't you?" she asked. Joe stopped, and turned back towards her.

"Just get well, Grace."

She stayed the night in the hospital, and by the next day she was ready to go home. Joe dropped her off in front of her house.

"Call me if you need anything," Joe said.

Grace looked at him and nodded. He didn't drive away until she was inside. She didn't cry, not even after she watched him disappear down the road. She walked from room to room, in a dazed, near-sleepwalk state.

Her crosses were still mounted on every wall, yet it was increasingly starting to seem there was little for them to protect. Half of her family was now dead. She walked from the living room to the hallway, accidentally tipping over an end table as she went. She didn't bother turning it upright again.

Down the hall, looking into each room, seeing it empty; she continued on. The bathroom. Kayla's room. And finally, Kristina's room. Grace paused tentatively, and went inside.

It was fully decorated. Grace's former office had been cleared out. The walls were pink. The bright colorful plastic letters of Kristina's name were mounted over the door. An empty crib sat expectantly by the wall, waiting for an occupant that would never come.

It was then, that Grace let out a scream. The scream led to a howl, and Grace knocked the crib to the floor, and kicked it hard, smashing her foot through the wooden bars. She kicked the crib again and again, smashing it to pieces, not caring if she lost a foot in the process. When the crib was no more than kindling she kicked the walls, the door, and ripped the letters of her never-to-be-born daughter's name from the wall.

When she had no more energy to spare, and the room was demolished, Grace collapsed to the floor and let out a long wail. She clutched her arms to her breasts and cried, pulling her knees to her chest and shaking.

"Grace?"

She pulled herself up into a sitting position.

"Who's there?"

Nora stepped into the room, and gasped at the broken crib and smashed walls. She wore a thin beige jacket tied tightly around her figure, and she was wringing her hands hesitantly.

"Grace, I-" Nora didn't know how to continue.

"How long have you been here?"

Nora swallowed.

"Just a few minutes. I brought Kayla home, and when I heard you screaming I told her to wait in the car."

"Bring her in," Grace said, still crying. She jumped to her feet and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her. She wiped the tears from her eyes and put on as cheerful smile she could muster for her remaining daughter to see.

Nora prepared dinner for the three of them. There was plenty of food; Grace had an abundance that had been dropped off by sympathetic friends and coworkers.

"Are you feeling better, Mommy?" Kayla asked, as she chewed her macaroni and cheese.

"Yes, honey. I won't be able to go back to work for another few days, but I'm much better now."

She prayed Kayla would not hear the anguish in her voice.

"What happened to the baby?" Kayla asked.

Nora, noticing the uncomfortable look on Grace's face, stepped in.

"Kayla, we talked about this. Your Mommy was in an accident and so the baby won't be born now."

"Sorta like Daddy? Is she dead like he is?"

"Yes, like that," Nora said. She took Kayla's plate away. "I think it's time you got off to bed, young lady."

Nora led Kayla of to bed while Grace attempted to finish her meal. Grace almost wished she hadn't, even if she found Kayla's questions disturbing. It was comforting to see her curious daughter alive and well.

"It's not going to be easy explaining everything to her," Nora said, returning to the kitchen. "Poor thing is so young to have to deal with this."

Grace stirred her food with her fork.

"Do you remember how to get to Grandma and Grandpa's cottage?" Grace asked.

"No clue," Nora said. "Been so long since we've been there. It was impossible to find to begin with."

Grace leaned back in her chair.

"I've been thinking. That might be a good place to get away. Take Kayla away from here. Stay there for a while."

Nora smiled.

"It was a great place," she said, reminiscing. "Every crappy thing that happened to us as kids went away when we were there."

Memories of Grace and her slipping into their bikinis and running down to the beach played in her head. She'd met a lot of cute boys at that beach. She even got her first kiss there.

"You know of any way to get directions there? Would Aunt Janie know?"

Nora shrugged. "I doubt it. The place has been abandoned for years anyway. It's probably all in shambles."

"No, Janie said Uncle Tommy rented the place out only two years ago. Right before he died."

"Well, he's the only one who'd know how to get there," Nora said. She thought for a moment. "I do have my diary still, the one I kept when I was a teenager. I might have some notes in there that might help find it. I'll let you know if I find anything helpful."

"Thanks," Grace said.

As she ate her food, she looked up at her little sister, and smiled with admiration.

"So how are you?" Grace asked. "You've been looking after me so much lately, I never seem to look out for you anymore."

Nora chuckled.

"Oh, same old. Booking agents driving me crazy at work, the usual. Which by the way, you want concert tickets, let me know, I'll hook you up."

Nora worked as a manager at the Hudson Hall Pavilion. More than once she'd gotten Grace and Ted free basketball tickets, even a skybox on one occasion.

"How are things with Evan?" Grace asked.

Nora sighed.

"They- could be better. I don't know what it is. I try and try, and it's like this with every guy. They disappear on me, in the emotional sense. Yesterday I ask Evan to take me to the Five Gardens, and he's like, busy going bowling with his buddies. They go bowling every week! I got to say, I really envy what you had with Ted. With you, it lasted. Tell me something Grace, what am I doing wrong? Why don't guys open up with me?"

Grace tried to hold her tongue, as she had many times before when having this conversation with her sister, and this time decided against it.

"You push them away," Grace said, and immediately regretted it.

Nora set her fork down.

"I do?"

Grace tried to find the right phrasing.

"Yes. You find a guy you're into, and you don't let up. Every time, you're all over him, acting like his wife when you haven't dated more than a few months. Guys can't deal with that."

Nora looked at her as if Grace suggested unicorns were real.

"They can't deal with closeness in their relationship?"

"I'm just saying, you should give Evan some space. I can tell he likes you. Let him have his bowling nights, and he'll make time for you too- when he's ready."

Nora looked at Grace skeptically.

"You think so?"

"I know so."

"Good, cause I don't want to lose him. He's not the best talker, but the sex is just- mmm!"

"Okay, that's a little TMI," Grace said, chuckling.

They both giggled.

After they finished eating, Nora stayed for another hour. She got Grace's spirits up, the best way she knew how. Laughing and joking, just as they had when they were teenagers.

"I can stay the night, if you need me," Nora said, standing by the door.

"I'll be fine," Grace assured her.

"You sure?"

Grace nodded. "I'm tougher than you think."

The two sisters hugged. As she headed out the door, Nora checked her phone.

"My battery's dead. You wouldn't happen to have a charger?"

"I left mine in the Jimmy. Another thing I have to take care of tomorrow." She sighed, dreading having to look at the totaled Jimmy in the morning.

"It's fine. I'll charge it when I get home. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

They hugged again, and Nora headed out the door. Grace watched longingly at her little sister as she drove away, and she walked back to the kitchen. The truth was, she wanted Nora to stay. She just didn't want Nora around if the worst happened. And Grace wanted to be ready for the worst.

She opened the hall closet, and rooted around through the boxes stashed away inside. One was filled with Halloween decorations. It was only two days away, and Grace hadn't gotten them out yet. She noticed the goblin mask Ted picked up the previous year. Many times she'd been tempted to throw it out, and now she saw it more as a precious keepsake. A reflection of the kind of man Ted was, at least before he was perverted by Gabby Becket.