by Laurie Ames
She helped Allison up to her feet and over to her SUV. She put her in the passenger side, then hurried over to the driver’s side. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she drove as quickly as she could to the hospital that she, herself, had just been in several weeks ago.
“It was Elaine and Walter Fanning. They were in on it together,” Alli said softly. She was exhausted and her body was in bad shape.
“Wait, Walter Fanning?” Juanita repeated, confusedly. “I knew Elaine was behind it, because they forced me to sign my store over to her in order to save your life, but I had no idea that Walt was involved. Are you sure?”
Allison nodded weakly.
“He was the one who took me,” she replied softly, then, she passed out.
When they arrived at the ER, Juanita ran inside and yelled for help. A few orderlies and nurses came to her aid and they helped Allison onto a stretcher and rolled her into a Trauma Room. She was still unconscious, and Juanita was becoming very worried.
Juanita sat in the waiting room waiting to hear from the doctor. She wanted to go and be at Allison’s side as soon as possible. As she waited, she thought about how ironic it was; the fact that just a few weeks ago, Allison had been the one who’d rescued her in her time of need, and she had been the one sitting in this waiting room, waiting to hear about her medical status.
She sighed as she reflected on how conniving and dirty Elaine had become. What gall she had to kidnap an innocent young woman out of pure envy and vengefulness! Juanita wanted to cry. What had started out as a beautiful day of celebration and reconnection had turned into a disastrous and tragic evening of misfortune and calamity.
“You’re going to get yours,” Elaine, Juanita said aloud, narrowing her eyes as she spoke quietly. “You’re going to get yours if it’s the last thing I ever do.”
After what had felt like hours, the ER doctor finally came out and approached Juanita.
“Are you Ms. Crawford?” the huskily built female doctor asked, looking down at Juanita.
“Yes, I am,” Juanita replied quickly, rising to her feet.
“I’m Dr. Hartfield,” she said, and reached out and offered her hand. “Ms. Manning has some internal bleeding so she’s going to need emergency surgery. She also has a few fractures, one in her right leg and one in her left arm. The surgery shouldn’t be very lengthy, maybe an hour or two,” the doctor explained.
Juanita burst into tears.
“Thank you, doctor,” she said. “I’m not leaving until I see her.” Juanita sat back down in her seat.
“I’ll come find you when she’s in recovery,” Dr. Hartfield promised.
***
Allison opened her eyes and looked around. She had a dull pain in her abdomen, and she was too weak to move, if at all. Suddenly, everything started coming back to her and she realized she was in a hospital bed.
“You’re awake!” she heard Juanita exclaim.
She turned her head to the left and saw Juanita looking down at her, smiling, with tears in her eyes.
“Hi Alli.”
Allison managed to squeak out a small smile. “What—what happened?” She asked softly.
“You had to have surgery, hon. You had some internal injuries,’ Juanita explained.
“I knew it,” Allison replied.
“How are you feeling?” Juanita asked concernedly.
“Like shit,” Alli said quietly and then flashed another weak smile. Juanita smiled back through her tears. She bent over to give Allison a small peck on the cheek, then held Allison’s hand. Alli gave it a slight squeeze.
***
Later that evening, after Allison’s anesthesia had completely worn off and she’d been able to eat something, Juanita felt much more relieved. Her left arm was in a sling, and she was stitched and bandaged in a few places, but for the most part, she was okay.
Juanita left the room to grab something to eat from the hospital cafeteria, and when she returned, she was surprised to see Officer Betty Holt standing beside Allison’s bed. She froze in her tracks when she saw her.
Officer Holt looked up and smiled at her. “Oh, hello, Ms. Crawford,” she said pleasantly.
“Hello, Officer,” she replied quietly. “How did you know Allison was here?”
“I called her,” Allison answered.
“I’m just about finished with Ms. Manning’s statement. Afterward, I’d like to ask you a few questions, as well,” Officer Holt stated plainly.
‘”Um…ok,” Juanita replied.
After Officer Holt left, the two women sat in an awkward silence.
“Alli, I have to tell you something,” she said suddenly. “The man on the phone who forced me to write a notarized letter signing my business over to Elaine told me that if we went to the authorities, they would make sure you didn’t survive your next accident.” She began to cry hysterically.
“Juanita, you can’t let her intimidate you anymore. I’m not going anywhere. Besides, we’ve got them now. I told Officer Holt everything that happened.” She told Juanita all about how Walt had found her and knocked her out, tied her up and put her in the back of a large vehicle. She explained how she’d heard them talking and what they’d said. She also told Juanita that Elaine was behind the hit and run incident.
“Officer Holt is going to have them arrested, right away,” she told Juanita. It’s all going to be okay.”
She reached out for Juanita and the two women embraced in a passionate, emotional hug. Deep down, Juanita hoped that Allison was right, but she had a feeling of dread in her gut. Allison didn’t know Elaine like she did.
Chapter 10: Seeking Justice
_______________________
Allison was released from the hospital the very next day. Juanita insisted that she stay with her until fully recovered, and Allison gratefully accepted. Juanita had to inform her employees that the store was going to be closing temporarily, and that she would contact them when she was able to reopen it. She was just trying to buy herself some time to try figure out what to do about the Elaine and Walt situation.
Allison’s first day at Juanita’s home was very pleasant, and though she wasn’t well enough for a night of heated passion, the two women cuddled up with one another and slept in each other’s arms.
The next day, they received some shocking news from Officer Holt when she called right after they finished breakfast.
“Ms. Manning, I need to tell you that both Mr. Fanning and Ms. Helton were both released on bail today. We were unable to hold them due to lack of evidence,” she told Allison.
“What?!?” Allison was livid. “I told you he kidnapped me and both he and Elaine held me hostage. They forced Juanita to sign over her store to Elaine!”
“Yes, I understand, and those are serious accusations, Ms. Manning, but…the problem is, there is no evidence whatsoever to back up your story, and their attorney claims that they’re innocent. He is filing a motion to have the charges dismissed.”
Allison couldn’t believe her ears.
“Ms. Helton claims that Ms. Crawford signed her store over to her because she owes her a significant amount of money and cannot afford to pay it. And Mr. Fanning said he was just trying to help you when he saw that you had been injured in a car accident, but that you attacked him, accusing him of being the one who had hit you. He said he left you where he’d found you, but that he reported the accident as soon as he got back to his vehicle.”
Allison listened to him in a stunned silence.
“Also, Ms. Helton’s story checks out. Her attorney produced documents backing up her claim that Ms. Crawford is in a significant amount of debt to her. And—there is no evidence linking the two of them together at all. Mr. Fanning was also able to produce proof that he made a call to 9-1-1 reporting a car overturned in a ditch on Heimlich Road. You and Ms. Crawford, on the other hand, have nothing but your verbal statements. I mean, Ms. Crawford couldn’t even tell me who it was that called her, the number was blocked, and you were alone and un
harmed, other than the injuries you suffered from the car accident when she found you at the abandoned warehouse. I’m sorry ladies, but my hands are tied. Unless you can deliver me some hard evidence before the day of the pretrial, this case will likely be dismissed.” Her voice sounded sincerely apologetic, but Allison was furious.
“So that’s it? They’re just gonna get away with it? With almost killing Juanita and with kidnapping me?” Allison was close to tears.
“I really want to help you ladies, believe me, but without any proof or evidence, we have no case against them. It’s your word against theirs, and unfortunately, they took steps to cover their tracks well, and they have evidence to back up their versions of their stories.” Officer Holt sounded exasperated.
“Wait, they said something about a man named Andrew Gusslin. What about him? Can’t you subpoena him or something?” Alli asked.
“The car that hit Ms. Crawford was registered to an Andrew Gusslin, but the address of the registration is an abandoned house. We have been unable to locate Mr. Gusslin for several weeks, nor have we been able to locate the vehicle itself. It’s almost as if the man is a ghost.”
“When is the preliminary hearing?” Alli asked.
“Monday,” she replied, and Allison knew that they didn’t have much time.
“I’ll get you the evidence you need by then,” Alli retorted before ending the call and turning toward Juanita. “Juanita, we’re gonna have to step our game up. We can’t let them get away with this! They’re not gonna stop unless we stop them!”
***
The two women sat on Juanita’s sofa, sipping on alcoholic beverages as they discussed the situation at hand.
“Why did they want your store so badly, Juanita?”
“Because Elaine is a conniving, controlling, and very vengeful woman. She loves having power and control more than anything else, and she’ll go to great lengths to get it.”
“Do you really owe her a shitload of money?” Allison asked Juanita.
Juanita lowered her head before answering.
“Yes, she paid off my mother’s house and she also paid for my store and everything in it. We had a contract agreement that she would get 50% of the profits from my store until the entire balance was paid off. When we became a couple, though, she tore the contract up in front of me, making me think that she loved me so much that she was absolving my debt to her. She even let me keep 100% of my store’s profits. But the day after I broke things off with her, I received a certified copy of the original contract in the mail. She had only ripped up a copy. She’d had the original stashed away—as insurance. The truth is, without the store I’m ruined. I’ve been able to save up a bit of money, but it’ll be gone soon if I don’t have any income coming in.”
The two women sipped their drinks in silence for a moment. Then, suddenly, Allison had an idea.
“If we’re going to get the evidence we need, I think we should start at that abandoned warehouse,” she suggested.
***
Juanita helped Allison out of the passenger side of her SUV and the two women crept up to one of the windows of the warehouse. It was dark and the area looked completely deserted. They walked around and peeked in all the windows from the outside, trying to find a way inside. Finally, Allison spotted a faint light coming from what looked like a basement or underground room inside of the warehouse. She waved her good arm at Juanita, signaling for her to join her where she stood.
“What is it?” Juanita asked in a whisper.
“There’s a light over there, look!” Allison pointed to it. “We have to find a way inside. I know something’s going on here. I’m pretty sure the vehicle I was kidnapped in was parked somewhere around here,” Allison remarked. She had her cell phone out, using it for a bit of light.
Allison peeked through one of the windows of an old attached garage and her jaw dropped open in awe. She motioned for Juanita to come over to the window. She shined her cell phone inside of the old dilapidated garage and Juanita’s eyes widened in shock. The two women were staring directly at the dark-colored car that had hit Juanita several weeks ago.
“I knew it!” Alli whispered harshly, narrowing her eyes. She pulled out her camera and took a few photos of the car and the garage.
Just then, Juanita noticed a broken window on the back of the warehouse with a loose board hanging over it.
“Alli, help me pull this board open! I know one of us could fit thru here!”
The two women pulled on the board until the bottom part finally came loose. Juanita hoisted Allison carefully up through the cracked window and Allison landed on the warehouse floor with a thud.
“Alli! Are you okay?” she asked in a loud whisper.
“I’m fine,” Alli replied. “Now go around to that door we saw. I’ll open it.”
Alli opened the locked door near the cracked window and let Juanita inside. Then, the two of them made their way to where the dim light seemed to be coming from, maneuvering cautiously and quietly through the dark warehouse. Soon, they came to a door that had a small window on it. Alli peeked through the window and saw that the dim light was coming from beyond it. Looking down at the door handle, she noticed that it had a padlock on it.
“Shit!” she hissed in a frustrated tone. “It’s locked! Dammit!”
“Maybe we should just go, Alli,” Juanita suggested. “The photos of the car should be enough evidence to get Officer Holt out here. And since they don’t know we were here, they’ll be taken by surprise.”
Alli knew that her lover had a point, but she felt too close to redemption to quit now. She stood up on her tiptoes and peeked into the small window. What she saw caused a shiver to creep up her spine. She gasped and quickly put her phone up to the window.
There was a flight of old stairs behind the door, and at the bottom of the door she saw a chain connected to the wall. It looked like someone was chained to the wall by their feet. The rest of the body was out of her sight range. She quickly snapped several photos with her cell phone camera.
“What is it, Alli?” Juanita asked. “What do you see?”
“We have to go straight to Officer Holt!” Alli said, finally. “Come on, let’s get out of here!”
The two women hurried quietly through the dilapidated old warehouse, back the way they had come. Alli didn’t say another word until they had made it safely back to Juanita’s SUV and were on their way to the police station.
“There was someone chained to a wall in the basement of that warehouse,” Alli finally admitted as Juanita drove downtown toward the police station. Alli dialed the number on the business card that Officer Holt had given her as they drove.
“Officer Holt here,” she answered, in that same deep, raspy voice of hers.
“Officer, this Allison Manning. I apologize for calling you so late, but I need to see you and it’s urgent. Can you meet us down at the station? We’re going to be there in about 15 minutes.”
“This better be worth it,” she warned.
***
Allison and Juanita waited in the SUV outside of the locked police station until Officer Holt pulled up in an unmarked squad car. She led them inside the station and back to her office.
“Now, what is it, ladies? And this better be worth my time. My partner and I were on date night,” she stated, clearly aggravated.
“Yes, I understand. We took these photos about 30 minutes ago out at the old Winderton Warehouse on the Southern end of town.”
Allison pulled up the photos from the old warehouse and handed the phone to her. As she scanned through the photos, her facial expression became more and more intense.
“How long ago did you say you took these?” she asked, staring intently at the last photo in the bunch.
“About half an hour ago,” Alli reiterated.
“Wait here, please,” she said firmly and took Allison’s phone out of the room.
A few moments later, she returned and thanked both Allison and Juanita for their help.
“I want you ladies to stay in a hotel tonight, just in case you were spotted at the warehouse. I just called for backup and we’re going to go investigate that place immediately. I’ll need to borrow your cellphone overnight so I can make copies of these photos for evidence.”
Allison and Juanita agreed to stay in a hotel for the night and thanked her for the prompt attention.
***
The next morning, Allison and Juanita were both awakened by a knock on their hotel room door. Looking through the peephole, Juanita saw that it was Officer Holt. She quickly opened the door and invited her into the room.