EPILOGUE
It took some more work with the memory specialist but eventually Stephanie remembered the reason that Marissa attacked her.
Two days before the attack
"I've searched the house three times Paul. The girls all insist that they haven't had it. It must be at Marissa and Shane's house. I must have left it there this afternoon," Stephanie said in frustration as she stood in the living room in front of Paul.
"It's a phone Steph," Paul sighed, looking up at her as he sat on the couch. "You can live without it for one night. Go get it tomorrow."
"No, I can't live without it and I don't want to live without it. I don't have time to go over there tomorrow morning to get it anyway. Also I just told you that I've been calling my phone, Marissa's phone and their house phone and she's not answering. You know Shane is away, I'm worried that something may have happened to Marissa or one of the boys. I'm going over there."
"It's past eight at night, maybe she went to bed early or something?"
"I have a key," Stephanie pointed out. "I can let myself in, find my phone, and come straight out if that's the case."
"Fine," Paul agreed. "But please don't be long."
Stephanie parked her car on Marissa's driveway and thought, Strange, there are lights on so she's not in bed. Why didn't she answer my calls?
She got out of the car and walked up to the front door of the house. She pressed the button next to the door and heard the doorbell ring inside. She waited a minute for a response but nothing happened. Stephanie used her key to open the door and entered the house. "Marissa?" She called out. "It's me, are you okay?" There was no response so Stephanie walked into the living room. She decided to find her phone and then check on Marissa and the boys.
She checked the couch that she had been sitting on earlier that day and quickly found that her phone had fallen between the cushions. "Marissa?" She called out again.
There was still no response so she headed upstairs and tried again, "Marissa, are you home?"
She heard Marissa's voice from behind the closed bedroom door, "I have a migraine Steph but I'm okay. Just go please."
But Stephanie didn't go, she opened the bedroom door, "You poor thing, can I get..."
Marissa was in bed with some guy that Stephanie had never seen before. Stephanie froze for a second. "Oh God Marissa, what the hell?"
"Steph..."
Marissa had begun to attempt to defend herself but Stephanie growled angrily, "Actually I don't want to hear this," she turned and walked out of the room and headed down the stairs.
Marissa ran out of the bedroom and followed her down the stairs shouting, "Steph, wait!"
Stephanie was about to leave the house but she turned around, "Put some clothes on Marissa for God's sake."
"Don't tell Shane, please!" Marissa pleaded.
"Don't tell Shane?" Stephanie asked incredulously, eyes widening. "Are you serious right now?" She thought for a second. "Shane's away till Tuesday and he doesn't deserve to hear this on the phone. I'll give you until Wednesday to tell him yourself or I will. You disgust me."
"Just listen, please!" Marissa pleaded.
Stephanie stormed out of the house, "No. As I said, tell Shane yourself by Wednesday or I tell him myself."
Later that night Marissa lay in bed, now alone, and tried to think.
Damn it Stephanie! What were you doing here? Was it you that kept calling earlier? What could you possibly have wanted at this time of night? Now she's going to tell Shane and she's going to ruin my marriage, ruin my life! Shane will leave me for sure if he hears about this, I'll lose him and the boys. I'm not going to let that happen, I don't care what I have to do.
Why am I thinking like that, what am I even thinking? I couldn't do anything to hurt Steph. Or could I? If it means that I don't lose Shane and the boys I could. Fuck Stephanie, she wouldn't even take a minute to listen to me, the bitch! Little miss perfect couldn't possibly try to understand could she? It's not simple though obviously, I can't just kill someone and expect to get away with it. How can I do it and get away with it?
She ran many ideas through her head and there was only one thing that made sense; Do it when she's away Monday night, try and make it look like one of the wrestlers did it. I can find out where the show is at, have someone sit for the boys and say that I need to go away on business for the night and fly down there. Maybe call her and get her out into the parking lot or something and bash her fucking brains in. I can fly back that night and show up back home early the next morning as if nothing is out of the ordinary. I need to think through all the details but I have all day tomorrow to do that. This could actually work! I'm sorry Stephanie, but you really shouldn't have seen what you saw tonight. I can't let you ruin my life, you're going to have to die. You stupid bitch.
THE NIGHT OF THE ATTACK
Marissa had parked her rental car nearby and checked out the parking lot of the arena. She was pleasantly surprised to see that a fairly large number of the lights were out and that there only appeared to be one CCTV camera in operation. It would be easy to avoid that. This was a good as she could have possibly hoped for.
She was no criminal mastermind but she figured that she didn't need to be for this to work. She had charged her flight and the rental car to her business card. She figured that if the investigation got as far as checking into that then she would have already been arrested at it would not matter at that point. She pulled the hood of her black coat over her head with one gloved hand. She carried a crowbar in her other hand which she had bought locally earlier in the day, paying with cash. She walked into the end of the parking lot furthest away from the arena, out of sight of the CCTV. Closer to the arena the lot was full but back here there were several dark, empty places. Marissa crouched and hid between two cars and took out the cheap phone that she had also bought earlier in the day.
The only thing that can go wrong is if Stephanie doesn't come out here, she thought. It's dark, there's no one around and this place is perfect. Right, let's do it. Get her out here, hit her on the head, tear her dress open, steal her underwear, leave some scratches on the insides of her legs and then strangle her. Making it look like a sex attack is genius! No one will suspect a woman and certainly not me!
She took a few deep breaths and called Stephanie's cell phone number which she had saved into the new phone earlier. As it rang Marissa thought, What if the bitch has her phone on silent or what if she's in the ring or something? Come on please answer, you bitch!
Stephanie sat in the production office listening to a conversation Paul and Vince were having. She felt her phone vibrating against her leg. She took it out of her pocket and didn't recognise the number on the screen. She stepped out of the office into the hallway where it was quiet and answered the call, "Stephanie McMahon."
"Hi Steph, I'm in the parking lot. Can we please talk?"
"Marissa? Didn't the fact that I ignored like, ten calls from you yesterday get through to you? I have nothing to say to you. Wait, what do you mean you're in the parking lot?"
"I flew down here just to talk to you Steph. Please, just give me five minutes, please?"
Stephanie recalled the image of her brother's wife in bed with another guy and felt her anger building, "Fine. You want five minutes, I have a few things to say to you too." Stephanie ended the call and stormed along the hallways towards the exit. I'll give you five minutes, she raged silently. Cheating on my brother, disgusting. I'll tell you exactly what I think of you.
The cold hit Stephanie as she stormed out into the parking lot. Jesus Christ, she thought, it wasn't this cold earlier. I'll be glad to get back inside when I've gotten rid of Marissa. Where is she anyway? She walked further away from the arena and called out, "Marissa? Where are you? You wanted me out here, here I am!"
I'm right here Stephanie, Marissa thought, hidden away in between the two cars. Come closer bitch!
Stephanie walked further away from the arena, "You flew all the way down here to play games Marissa? Where are you?" She walked past Marissa's hiding place, "This is stupid, I'm out of..."
Marissa came silently from behind Stephanie and hit her on the back of the head with the crowbar and Stephanie collapsed to the floor. She waited a moment to make sure that Stephanie was out cold before dragging her the short distance to the gutter. She set the crowbar aside and then she tore Stephanie's dress open and removed her underwear. She then removed the glove from one hand and made some scratch marks on the insides of Stephanie's legs with her nails. She put the glove back on and she leaned forward to clamp her hands around Stephanie's throat. Then she froze. Stephanie's eyes had just opened and looked right at her. Marissa panicked and grabbed the crowbar and hit Stephanie as hard as she could on the head. Without hesitating she took the crowbar with her and ran.
As she returned to the car she managed to stop panicking. She removed her coat, noticing that there was blood on it. She placed it in the trunk, making sure the blood didn't come into contact with anything. She put the crowbar on top of the coat and then her gloves. I need to go and throw these into that river I drove over earlier, she thought. I'll drive alongside it and find a quiet place. I'll throw the stupid phone in too. Then get to the airport and get the hell out of here.
As she drove away she thought, Fuck you Stephanie you stupid, evil bitch. You're not going to ruin my life now are you?