Trapped Page 7

  He walked up the steps and rang the doorbell. When he heard nothing inside, he knocked. Maybe the buzzer was broken. He probably should have called but something prodded him to act, so he did.

  “Who is it?” A woman called from the other side, reminding him of when Luther Marks had done the same.

  “It’s Nate Goodman. From Mt. Pleasant.”

  The door opened and Keren smiled at him. “Well, yes, it is. What are you doing here, Officer Goodman?”

  He didn’t tell her he was the chief now. “I came to check on Angelina. See how she’s doing.”

  Her eyes widened.

  Maybe he should have called first.

  “She’s doing just fine. You could have saved yourself a trip and just called me to ask.”

  “I don’t mean to be rude, but actually, I came to see her. To see how she’s doing with my own eyes.”

  “Oh…I see. In that case, you definitely wasted a trip to Cleveland. She’s not seeing anyone quite yet.” She maintained a smile.

  Quite yet. It had been four months. That wasn’t a lot of time, but she should be recuperated enough to be seeing people.

  “You don’t think she’ll see me? She did call me her hero.” He reminded.

  Keren smiled, but her voice was firm. “She says she doesn’t want to see people right now. I’m trying to respect what she wants. To give her the time and space she needs. But I’ll tell her you stopped by.”

  “Ask her if she wants to see me while I’m still here.”

  She sighed. “I suppose I can do that, but I don’t think it will do any good. She refuses to see anyone. Even Zarlengo, when he came.”

  “Thanks.”

  She opened the door wider. “You might as well come in while you wait.”

  The living room was tiny and obviously not used. Just an uncomfortable looking sofa and a matching chair with a fake fireplace. And neat as a pin.

  Keren went up the stairs. Her body language clearly showed she wasn’t happy about his insistence. She looked back at him with a worried expression.

  He wanted to see Angelina with his own eyes, and that sudden importance to do so surprised him.

  Muted voices sounded from upstairs.

  Keren appeared on the landing. “She said to come on up.”

  He went up and knocked on the door that Keren pointed at.

  “Come on in.”

  He opened the door. “Hey.”

  “Hey back.” She sat on the bed cross-legged. “Sorry I’m in my pajamas. I wasn’t expecting any company.”

  “Not a problem. I guess I should have called before I came, but I sort of just decided up on a whim.” He spied a chair in the corner of the room. “Mind if I sit down for a bit so we can visit?”

  She nodded.

  She didn’t look well. Her hair was stringy, and undyed roots had grown out a several inches. The dark circles under her eyes indicated she probably wasn’t sleeping either.

  “Angelina, I know we don’t really know each other but…” He paused trying to decide how to bring up a difficult topic.

  “You can say anything you want to me. You earned that right when you saved my life. So just say what you want to say.”

  “You don’t look as if you’re doing well. I can understand that. You went through a lot while you were trapped in that house. But you’re not trapped there anymore.”

  “I know that. Thanks to you.”

  “But it looks as if you might still be imprisoned.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.” She played with the edge of the quilt.

  “Luther Marks stole a few weeks of your life. He’s gone now. He can’t hurt you again. Don’t let him steal anything else from you. Like your future. Don’t give him that power.”

  “But there are others out there like him.” Her voice was so soft he strained to hear her words. “He wasn’t the only bad person in the world, you know.”

  “That’s true, but you can’t let that stop you from living your life. You can’t get stuck in all the bad things that could happen. Don’t let yourself get trapped in another prison.” He motioned around the room. “Don’t let this room become your prison.”

  She looked up, tears glistening. “It’s not my prison. It’s my sanctuary.”

  “Get dressed.” He understood her feelings, but the cycle of imprisonment had to stop.

  “Why?”

  “Because I drove all the way up here to see you, and I’m really hungry. And you probably don’t want to go out in your PJs, do you? What would people think if you did such a shocking thing?” He grinned, hoping to lighten her mood.

  She smiled but shook her head. “I…I’m just not ready to go out in public. To face people. My face was all over the news. Now when people look at me, they’ll know.”

  “They know you’re a survivor. That you were brave enough not to give up. Brave enough to not run when you had the chance. Instead, you stayed and helped me after I was shot. If you hadn’t hit him with that frying pan, I probably would be dead now. That’s what people remember.”

  She wiped away tears. “I wish that was true.”

  “It is true.”

  “Luther Marks was right when he said I was worthless. That my life was worthless.”

  “God doesn’t create worthless.”

  “What have I done then?” Her voice held a challenge. “Other than to be born to wealthy parents? I’ve spent my whole life spending their money. I’ve done nothing to be proud of.”

  “You survived a serial killer. And stopped him from killing any more women.”

  “That was because of you. Not me.”

  “It was both of us. And maybe you’re right when you say you haven’t done a whole lot. Yet. But you’re still breathing. The Bible says a righteous man gets back up seven times. And it’s time for you to get up.”

  “There’s nothing righteous about me, so I guess I don’t have to get back up.” She patted the bed. “I’ll stay here. It’s comfortable and safe. Nobody can get me here.”

  “You’re not a Christian?”

  “I guess I am. I trusted Him a long time ago. I’ve…I’ve done so many…” She hung her head, her words lost in her sobs. “Bad things. God probably hates me.”

  “God loves you. And a long time ago or not, that means you’re righteous in God’s eyes. And you know what that means?”

  “You always talk about God as if He’s in the room. As if He’s your best friend.”

  “I guess that’s a good way to describe my relationship with God. He is with me all the time. But He’s with you, too.

  “No, He’s not.”

  “You told me you prayed to God that day. The same day Keren came to the station to tell me you were missing. That’s not just a coincidence. That was God working on your behalf.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “I know so, and what’s more, He’s right here waiting for you still. And you know what that means, right?

  She didn’t answer but looked at him as if waiting for the answer.

  “That means it’s time to get back—”

  “You need to leave her alone.” Keren charged through the open door. She glared at him as she rushed to Angelina’s side. “Stop badgering her. She doesn’t want to go anywhere with you. She’s fine here. With me.”

  “I’m not badgering. I’m—”

  “Why are you even here? I’m taking care of her. She doesn’t need you. And you sure aren’t helping.”

  Angelina pulled away from her cousin. “Actually, he is. I think he’s right. I can’t just lay in this bed forever. Hiding out in your house.”

  “Of course not forever. But until you’re ready.” Keren’s voice was soothing, but the look she gave Nate wasn’t. “When you’re ready, you’ll get back in the swing of things. You just need a little more time. And he doesn’t need to bother you.”

  “He’s not bothering me.” Angelina stood. “Guess I’m ready. And I’m hungry.”

  Keren glared at him as she
took a step away from Angelina. “If that’s what you want to do, Angelina, that’s fine with me. I’m not trying to stop you from doing anything. I just didn’t want him badgering you.”

  Angelina genuinely smiled at him. “If you’ll excuse me while I get dressed. Pajamas may be comfortable but they definitely aren’t dinner clothes.”

  “Sure.” He grinned and followed Keren out of the room.

  “I really don’t think this is a good idea,” Keren whispered outside the door. “You haven’t been around her. You just don’t understand.”

  “Maybe not but hiding out in your house isn’t a good idea either.”

  She went down the stairs, her back stiff with disapproval.

  He sat down on the steps.

  A few minutes later, Angelina walked out. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She had on jeans and a T-shirt, nothing fancy. The jeans were loose. She’d lost weight since the last time he’d seen her.

  She took a deep breath. “Is this…OK?”

  “You look beautiful.”

  She grinned. “If you say so.” She stared down at the first step, her expression pensive.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing. Nothing. I’m fine.”

  He wasn’t so sure about that. He looped his arm through hers as they moved down the steps. “Great. So, what are you in the mood for?”

  “In the mood for?”

  “To eat.”

  “Oh.” She seemed surprised, as if she’d forgotten what they were doing.

  Keren sat in one of the uncomfortable looking easy chairs. Her expression was worried. “Anything’s fine with me,” Angelina said. “There’s a Mexican restaurant down the street that’s good.” Her voice squeaked. Her face was splotched with red and her breathing was uneven.

  “Are you sure you’re OK?”

  Angelina nodded, but her gaze was on the door.

  “Nice to see you again,” he said to Keren. “I’ll have her home early.”

  Keren‘s gaze was glued on Angelina.

  He opened the door.

  Angelina froze. Her breathing turned ragged. “I…uh…I…I…”

  “Angelina.” He gently tapped her chin to bring her face up so he could meet her gaze. “How long has it been since you left the house?”

  “Since I got here,” her voice was a mere whisper.

  “You mean you haven’t gone anywhere since then? At all?”

  She nodded, but her gaze stayed focused on the door. “Didn’t seem to be a reason to.”

  This was worse than he’d imagined. “OK. No problem. I can understand that you’re a little anxious, but you’re with me. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

  “I know. I know that.”

  “OK, then. We can do this. Just one step at a time. Baby steps.”

  “Right. Baby steps.” She moved toward the door.

  He walked around her and held open the screen. “Take your time. You’re doing great.”

  She scrunched her forehead in hard concentration, her face bright red. Her foot touched the last piece of carpet before the door, and she stopped.

  No one spoke.

  Keren’s expression was triumphant. She met his gaze as if to say, ‘I knew this was going to happen.’ She shrugged.

  “Angelina, if you can’t—”

  She wasn’t listening. An internal battle was being waged. She was wringing her hands as she took a step backward. “I can’t. I can’t. I can’t. I’m sorry but I just can’t do it.”

  “It’s OK. You’re allowed to change your mind. It’s not a problem at all. I’ll go get us some takeout. We can eat here. It’s fine.”

  She focused on the floor. “It’s not fine. I…I…I’m such a mess. Such a failure.” She wiped at the tears coursing down her cheeks.

  “You are no such thing. We can do this another time. It’s not a big deal.” He reached out to her. “You made it this far, and that’s a giant step forward.”

  Angelina fell to her knees, her head on the floor as she sobbed. After a few moments, she looked up at him. She reached out. “Help me.”

  10

  “You didn’t have to come to check up on me. I told you I’d take Angelina to her doctor’s appointment.” Keren glared at Nate as they stood out on her porch once again. “And I will. But I sure don’t know why you picked one so far away.”

  “Because she’s the best.” Why did this woman dislike him? He’d been the only one who’d believed her when she’d told them Angelina was missing. Nate forced a smile. “And I do trust you. That’s not why I’m here. I knew you would do what you said.”

  “Even though I disagree with it?” Keren shook her head. “She doesn’t need a doctor. She needs time. There’s nothing wrong with her that being around a loving family can’t cure.”

  “I agree. She does need you. But sometimes we need a little more than family to get through a difficult time.” He knew that from experience. “You gave me your word so I believed you. I just thought Angelina could use a little extra support today. I saw what happened when she tried to leave before. I wanted to be here to encourage her.”

  Keren’s gaze flicked toward the steps. “Oh.” Her burst of anger seemed to deflate. “I’m sorry. I’m a little anxious. We all are. Peter even took some time off. He’ll meet us at the clinic.”

  “Good. She needs both of you supporting her.”

  “It’s just…I don’t know. I knew it wasn’t good for her to just hide out here. But at least she was safe. You know? And I didn’t want to pressure her. Try to make her do something she didn’t want to do.”

  He nodded.

  “I come from a small family so…so I hate the thought of anything happening to her.”

  “Something did happen to her.”

  She nodded, her eyes filling with tears. “I know. But she survived it. And…in my family, we learned to just keep moving forward when something bad happened. Not to dwell on it.”

  “That’s wonderful, but sometimes people get trapped in the bad times. Then they need a little help setting themselves free.”

  “I guess.” She opened the screen door and motioned at the sofa. “Might as well get comfortable. Who knows how long—”

  “Don’t even finish that sentence, Keren. I’m ready.” Angelina looked better. She was dressed and had washed her hair, but her face was still splotched with red, a sure sign she was anxious. “Morning, Nate.”

  “You look great.”

  “Liar.” She walked to the middle of the living room. “But thanks for saying it anyway.”

  “I’m not—”

  “Have you never seen a picture of me before?”

  “I’m just saying you look good.”

  She took a deep breath as she stared at the open door. “OK, let’s get this show on the road. I’ve got my nerve up but don’t know how much longer that will last.” She looked at Keren. “Even if I freak out, I want to go see the doctor. OK. You take me whether I want to go or not. Even if you have to pull me out of this house, I want to go.”

  “OK. But—”

  “But you won’t freak out.” Nate smiled as he looped his arm through hers. “God’s still got your back.”

  “I hope so.” She took a deep breath and stopped one step before the porch.

  “You can do this, Angelina,” Nate said firmly. Give her strength, God.

  She shook her head. Her eyes filled with tears. “I don’t…think I can.”

  “Will you let Luther Marks win?”

  One small tear traced its way down her cheek.

  He fought the urge to wipe it away. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and make all her problems disappear. Instead, he smiled. “Then let’s not let him. One baby step outside. That’s all you need to do. One baby step.”

  She took a deep breath. “One baby step.” Her foot moved forward. And then she was outside.

  “All-righty! You did the hardest part.”

  She had a long road ahead. If she learned to lean on God, s
he’d make it.

  She took a deep breath and then looked back at Keren. “Lock the door before I can change my mind. I’ve got an appointment I plan to keep”

  ~*~

  Angelina opened the door marked Conference. It had been more than three weeks since Nate and Keren had brought her to the clinic. Turned out that she wasn’t crazy. Her diagnosis had been PTSD. She wasn’t in the loony bin; she was at the clinic. The euphemisms went on and on. A post-hospitalization plan, her doctor called it. A plan to keep her out of the hospital and healthy. If she didn’t succeed, would they lock her up forever? A part of her thought it might be for the best—at least she’d be safe.

  Wrong attitude. Nate would be disappointed with her. Not that what he thought mattered. She hadn’t even heard from him since she came to the clinic—and she thought she would. Apparently, he’d done his good deed for the week.

  That was fine. She had her own life to live. She didn’t need Nate Goodman. Or anyone. Still, she’d thought he’d been sincere when he’d told her that he cared.

  As she walked into the conference room, Keren jumped up from the table and rushed over to her. She put her arms around Angelina. “How are you, sweetie? It’s so good to finally see you. I’ve been so worried. I wanted to come to sooner, but the doctors told me to wait until you felt better.”

  Felt better. Another euphemism. “Then I guess that means I’m better since you’re here.” Maybe Nate had been told the same thing.

  Keren’s husband, Peter, smiled at her. She hadn’t liked Peter when he’d married Keren, but she’d been wrong. He’d been kind to her since the kidnapping and hadn’t asked for a thing in return. Not even money to help out.

  Now it was time for everyone to sit around and decide what was best for her. They pretended as if she had a say in the matter.

  Dr. Markley stood. She didn’t look much like a doctor even with the white smock. Her long blonde hair hung down below her shoulders. Under the smock was a flowing flowered skirt with a soft blue top. “Good morning, Angelina. How are you feeling today?”

  “Fine.” She’d keep her answers short. The less she said the less chance to say the wrong thing.

  The doctor motioned for her to sit opposite from Keren and Peter. “If you’re like most of my patients, you hate this type of meeting. It feels as if we’re deciding your life for you, but that’s not what we’re doing. We just want to get things organized so you have an easy transition.”