Victim's, Inc.

by A. R. Licht

  though she pitied them.

  “He was molested as a young child,” Peter said, his shoulders drooping.

  Kate hadn’t been expecting this, she felt an instantaneous divide within her. It clearly hurt

  him to talk about it, to expose this to the world. But, it also explained the strange behavior,

  she wanted to know more.

  She looked to Ann whose eyes were wide, she nodded, gesturing to keep probing.

  “Was he sexually molested?” Kate said, her throat suddenly parched.

  “Yes,” Peter said, then he gasped out a sob.

  “How did you find out?” Kate said, trying not to sound false as Ann had warned.

  Sally rubbed his back, “It’s okay babe, it’s okay.”

  Peter leaned forward, blocking his face with his hands, then brushed aside what might have been

  tears and said, “My brother was living with us at the time. We noticed Cody’s behavior change, we couldn’t figure out why. This normally happy-go-lucky kid changed over-night into

  someone withdrawn. He wouldn’t let us touch him for the longest time. Not even a peck on the

  cheek.”

  Sally said, “It was when we saw the bruises that we knew for sure, then he finally told us.

  We kicked Pete’s brother out." Sally seemed to collect her thoughts, check her emotions before continuing, "We sent Cody to psychologists and councilors for years trying to help him cope with it.”

  “He seemed to be doing better,” Peter said, rubbing his eyes. His face red, as he continued, “We

  thought when Travis came into the picture it would be good. You know? It was the happiest we’d

  seen him in some time.”

  Kate nodded, waited, allowing time to stretch out in case there was anything they wanted to

  add.

  Sally spoke up, “I know he didn’t play video games here, we never let him. But, when he went

  over to Travis’ he played violent games a lot. We could see his attitude change after spending

  time with Travis.”

  “It was unnatural how much time those two spent together,” Peter said, regaining his composure.

  Sally nodded, “I always thought so.”

  “How did you two meet?” Kate asked, when she was certain that had been played out long

  enough.

  “Us?” Peter sounded surprised by the question.

  “We met shortly after college, worked on a job together,” Sally said, brightening up. “We

  dated for two years, then I became pregnant with Cody. I was doing book keeping and Pete

  started apprenticing at the furniture shop in town.”

  “Did you meet here, in Alkin?” Kate said.

  “No, but after his brother... we moved away. Too many bad memories. That’s when we moved

  here, bought this house. We thought it would be the best environment for our son,” Sally said.

  Peter added, “Travis and Cody bonded because they were both only children. Like I said, that

  was the happiest we’d seen him in years.”

  Ann was smiling in the van, bouncing along in the back seat re-watching the interview they’d

  just completed. “Like a true pro!”

  Kate smiled and Waylon held up his hand, expecting a high-five. Kate smacked his hand and he

  made a sound of pain, pulling it back, shaking it, “Damn, girl, you have more strength than

  you realize.”

  “Sorry, I’m just amped up. That interview was both mentally exhausting and one of the best

  moments of my life!”

  “That?” Waylon said, his thumb pointing back toward Ann and the house quickly fading from view.

  “Yeah, it was electrifying. Up until today I had been questioning if I was on the right path but

  that interview did it for me. I was meant to do this.”

  “Don’t go getting a big head on you, Kate. I like you because you aren’t like the typical pretty

  reporter. You have kindness in you.”

  Kate blushed, “Thank my parents for that.”

  The van came to a stop in front of an apartment building. They were early, so they waited ten

  minutes before heading up to the third floor. Kate knocked on a white door with black the numerals “320" attached to it.

  The door opened a crack, then wider. A beautiful young woman with blonde hair and a flawless complexion waved them in.

  “Cynthia? I’m Kate, and this is Ann and Waylon.”

  “Hi,” Cynthia Patterson said shyly.

  They stood near a window that looked down on a grassy field below. Ann thought it would look

  great with the natural afternoon light streaming in.

  When Waylon was ready, Kate began.

  “So, as I understand it, when you were fifteen years old you dated Travis Fosholdt.”

  Cynthia looked out the window as if being taken back to that point in her life three years ago

  when she dated the now known hospital massacre killer.

  “Yes. We dated briefly back then.”

  “What drew you to him?” Kate said, trying to draw the girl back.

  “Well, he was really sweet. He had this smile that made me melt. It started out good like that. He

  brought me flowers and cards. He was really thoughtful.”

  “Then what happened?”

  “After a while, he started getting jealous of anyone that even looked my way, let alone talk to me. It was kind of scary. It got intense. He turned violent and possessive. I just didn’t know how

  to handle him anymore. He really had a temper.”

  “Did he ever hit you?” Kate asked.

  “Not me. His mom though, she was scared of him.”

  “Joyce?” Kate asked.

  “Yes.”

  “She was murdered the day of the mass killing,” Kate probed.

  “I’ll bet he did it because she sold the house.”

  “Joyce sold the house?” Kate was caught off-guard. She thought she’d done her homework but she had no idea that Travis’ mom had sold her house or that it might affect him negatively.

  “Yeah, she sold it to their neighbor who wanted room to add on to his house. Paid her in cash. She hid the money somewhere that Travis couldn’t get to it. He was on her bank account you see. I have a feeling he found out, got mad, and...”

  Cynthia shifted on her feet, seeming unsure of wanting to say more. Kate wasn’t sure how to

  proceed. Press about the mom, or direct it back to his possessiveness?

  Ann was no help, looking down at her notebook.

  “Was Joyce married?”

  Cynthia nodded, “She was but he died of a heart attack. So she had to work two jobs, one of them at the hospital as the front desk receptionist. She would knit caps for the new born babies and quilts for the moms to take home. I remember one time, Travis was yelling at his mom at the store. She was literally cowering, like this," she demonstrated how Joyce had cowered. "He just wouldn’t stop. I think he might have beat her up a few times.”

  “But he never hit you?”

  “No, I broke it off before it got that bad. But, then he started calling all of the time, said I was

  embarrassing him, then, that he was sorry. It got scary for a while when he kept coming over,

  banging on my front door when my parents weren’t home, yelling for me to come out.”

  “Did your parents know?”

  “Not until my dad came home one day and found him sitting on the steps outside. He demanded

  that I come out and see him face to face.”

  “Did you have to file a restraining order?” Kate asked, thinking about asking to see the police

  report.

  “It was really weird, I never had to file because after that he just stopped. Like it was a switch.

  On and off. He was on and then he was off, never came back or called again. Until that day.”


  “Are you saying that Travis called you recently?”

  “No. He texted me. On the morning, just before he went to the hospital.”

  “What did it say?” Kate said, intrigued.

  “I have it right here, I can show it to you.”

  Cynthia picked up her phone from the window sill and tapped the screen. She turned it to Kate

  who read out loud, “This is for you.”

  “What do you think he meant by that?” Kate asked.

  Cynthia took a strand of her blonde hair and twirled it around her index finger, dark blue nails

  shimmering in the light. “I think he was killing them to get even with me."

  Chapter 8

  Baltimore, Maryland - April 9th

  As they got off the plane in Baltimore, Ann stopped on the breeze-way between the plane and the

  gate lobby, “You did good, Kate. One suggestion, loose that lipstick.”

  “I’m not wearing any,” Kate said, both surprised and irritable about being stopped in the middle

  of the flow of traffic. She hated feeling rude to people behind her trying to squeeze past.

  “I know that. I meant that shade of red you started wearing towards the end. It’s not flattering, I could stake my career on the fact that people won’t find you inviting.”

  That critique stung Kate, and found it best just to say nothing.

  “See you on the flip side!” Waylon said, gliding past them.

  Kate waved to him, then walked on when Ann seemed to be finished. Sienna had given

  her that lipstick, she looked up to the woman’s style and fashion. She seemed in-the-know.

  Why would she steer Kate wrong?

  Maybe Ann just had a personal preference, she wouldn’t let it get to her. She’d been on national

  TV! She might even have made it to the European broadcasting news channels. That was something to celebrate! The interviews had played out well, even Jack had something positive to say about it after the job was over.

  Going home was both something she looked forward to and something she dreaded. She could see her family and catch up on everything, but the excitement of the job fizzled out at soon as she stepped foot on the sidewalk in the hot spring air of Maryland.

  She had ordered an Uber driver, and he’d texted her while in the baggage claim that he was five

  minutes out. She looked up and down the concourse before she finally spotted the blue Chrysler.

  During the drive home, she checked email, paid a few bills, and texted her mom that she’d

  landed safely and was on her way home.

  Abby called, but she didn’t want to talk until she was in her apartment and had a pair of sweats

  on, because her sister would want to talk for an hour or better.

  She tipped the driver, got out, pulling her suitcase behind her, shoulder laden with the carry-on and purse straps, her free hand holding the keys, her jacket draped over an arm.

  At the entrance she stopped to check the mail, her landlord calling to her from his open office door, “Kate! Do you have a moment?”

  Not really. “Sure.”

  “Remember, I told you that your lease is ending this month? I need you to sign the new lease.”

  “The contract, I’d completely forgotten. How long do I have?”

  “I’d say the sooner you sign, the better. But, technically you have three weeks.”

  “Okay, I’ll be back to do it later.”

  “How was your trip?”

  “It was good, thanks. How's the wife?” Kate said.

  “She’s doing better, she’s able to use her hand again so that’s progress.”

  His wife recently had surgery on her wrist for carpal tunnel syndrome.

  “That’s wonderful. Well, I’m very tired, I’ll talk with you later.”

  “Alright.”

  She caught the next elevator up to the fifth floor. Turning the lock in the door, she felt the

  exhaustion of the week weighing on her. She could finally let down her guard and relax.

  First things first, she took a long shower under the jets. She pulled her towel-dried hair back in a ponytail and slid into a pair of sweats, slipping on a cute pink t-shirt that said: 'I’d like to thank my dog.' It was a joke from an award show where someone had actually thanked their dog and forgot to thank their wife.

  She settled in, quickly unpacking and preparing her nice suits for dry-cleaning, tossing the rest into the washer.

  With rice in the rice-maker, a jar of curry sauce with pre-cooked vegetables on the counter, she called her sister back.

  “Abby!”

  “Hey, sweetie. How was your week?”

  “Well, I managed to swim with the sharks.”

  “That’s my sis!”

  “I feel like celebrating, don’t you?”

  “I wasn’t supposed to tell you this, but mom is planning a little family dinner at your favorite

  Japanese restaurant tomorrow night.”

  “She is? Now I’m really excited, I haven’t seen everyone in the same room at the

  same time in a year.”

  Abby chuckled, “Yeah, well, you know how it goes.”

  “How’s the baby?” Kate said, trying not to think about the hospital and all of the horror she’d left

  behind.”

  “Better than all of those babies in North Carolina. That was terrible! I still can’t believe anyone

  would do something like that.”

  “I know, right? How do you blatantly go in and shoot up a place?” She left out the part about

  blowing up people.

  “What was it like actually being there?”

  “It was crazy. You’d never know it, but there were so many things going on at once. I’m surprised they keep everything organized.”

  “I went for another ultrasound yesterday.”

  Kate closed her eyes, she had wanted to go with but the story had lasted longer than she’d

  expected. “How was it?”

  “I got to see her moving around in there. It was like she was saying 'hi, I know you’re watching

  me.' I’ll show you the pics tomorrow at dinner.”

  “I can’t wait to see her.”

  “Oh, Brian’s home. I have to go. I’m glad you’re home safe.”

  “Love you,” Kate said.

  “Love you more.”

  Kate poured a glass of wine and took a sip, “That’s the good stuff.”

  The rice was done, she poured the jar of curry into the pot and mixed it up. She didn’t bother

  with a bowl, took the whole pot with her, eating with the spatula.

  She slept fitfully, images of burning babies and the sniper in the helicopter and Cynthia

  twirling her hair around her finger. Then she saw the man with the clipboard in the trees, he was

  calling to her, she couldn’t remember his name. She didn’t want to go, but, by the time she

  made it to him, he was farther away.

  She woke as the sun broke through the morning fog, the view from her apartment spectacular.

  She’d always wanted to live on the ocean, now she can see it from her bedroom. She dressed

  and went for a run, enjoying the brisk air and the sounds of the city.

  When she got back, she showered, changed into jeans and a cashmere sweater. She drove

  down to the coffee shop to pick up a latte and a bagel, then drove twenty minutes to

  ANB studios.

  She loved pulling behind the building, going through security check and just being waved through, it gave her a sense of importance. Waylon was sitting in the break-room with a donut in one hand and his cell in the other. He looked up when she whispered his name.

  “There she is!” Waylon said, beaming at her.

  “How’d you sleep?”

  “Like shit.”

  “Same here. I had some weird dreams too.”

  “What are you up to today?” Way
lon said, leaning back in the chair, licking his fingers.

  “My family is taking me out to dinner tonight to celebrate their newly famous daughter.”

  “That sounds like fun.”

  “I’d invite you but I’m not supposed to know about it.”

  “Oh, you’re one of those. You have to know everything before you're supposed to.”

  “Very funny. My sister can’t be trusted with a secret when it comes to me. She always spills the

  beans.”

  “So, did you get called in to work?”