by Carl Weber
“Him too? Ma, how come you never said anything about either of them?”
“You are a grown man—and a therapist to boot. I figured when it was the right time for you to know, you would notice it on your own.”
Kasen shook his head. He sure as hell wished he’d noticed it before his whole world fell apart the way it had. “What about Raine? Don’t tell me you had bad vibes about her too.”
“No, not Raine. She’s sweet, and you two are good together. Matter of fact, I wish that she was the one pregnant with your child right now. I’ll tell you what, though. My sense is telling me that she’s not the kind of person to just walk away from your relationship like that. Something’s not right, Kasen.”
He dropped his head into his hands. “I know, Ma, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what is really going on here.”
“Hmph. Maybe you should start with your shady friend Omar. You need to pin him down to get the truth about him and that slut Voncile. I’m gonna get down on my knees and pray that the baby she’s carrying is his and not yours.”
“Can’t say I disagree with you on that one,” Kasen said, downing the rest of his beer.
* * *
While it hadn’t solved all of his problems, Kasen’s talk with his mother had made him feel a little better. At least his head was a little clearer and he could think straight again. He had to come up with a plan to get to the bottom of this, and he would start by going to Omar’s house again. It was time for the two of them to have a showdown. He was sure Omar had information—good or bad—that would help him start putting this puzzle together.
Just like last time, he got no answer when he knocked on the door, so he picked up the spare key and let himself in again. This time, the place was not such a wreck. The dishes had been cleaned and the place smelled a hell of a lot better. Omar’s bed looked like it had been slept in, so at least Kasen knew he’d been there some time recently.
He wrote a note, short and simple: Call me ASAP. We need to talk.
After Kasen left Omar’s place, he took the hour’s drive to Voncile’s house. Maybe by now she had calmed down enough that they could talk like rational adults. He needed her to understand that the scene she had witnessed in his office was not what she thought it was. Even if they weren’t going to be a couple, he wanted to keep the line of communication open with Voncile in case the baby did turn out to be his. He didn’t want her to think he was screwing his patients, because her jealousy was off the charts. If she became a vengeful baby momma she might try to report his conduct to the medical board unless he set her straight real soon.
Kasen knocked on her door but got no answer. He rang the bell and still got no answer.
“If you’re in there, Voncile, please open the door. We really need to talk.”
Nothing. Instead of leaving, he walked around to the back of the house. With all the strange things that had been going on lately, he was feeling desperate for answers, whether or not Voncile was there to give them. He checked the back door, which was locked, and then started trying the windows. To his surprise, he found one that was unlocked, so he slid it up as high as it would go, and climbed inside.
Before he knew it, he was standing in her kitchen. To be honest, something about the whole damn house felt creepy to Kasen, and it only became more so when he spotted the scissors on the counter and shreds of paper on the floor, leading to the trash can. Peeking inside the can, he soon realized that Voncile had cut up many photos of him. He didn’t even know why she had that many pictures, but there were enough to concern him. What the hell was going on? First he found her naked photos in Omar’s house, and now his photos were showing up in Voncile’s house.
Curious about what other unexpected things he might find, Kasen roamed around the house. Voncile was a very tidy woman, and unlike the shredded photos in the kitchen, everything else seemed to be organized and in the right place.
He climbed the stairs then entered the bedroom to his right. It was empty, but Voncile had started to paint the room a soft blue. Obviously that was going to be the baby’s room, and Kasen figured that Voncile must have wanted a boy. For a few seconds, the thought of having a son crept into his mind. He actually relished the idea of having a boy to raise, and he wondered if he would ever be able to make peace with Voncile so that he could have a relationship with his son—if the child was his.
Shaking the thoughts from his head, he closed the door and went on to the next bedroom. That room was empty too, and it was also dark and stuffy. He realized that the reason for the stifling air was that there was no window in this room. An eerie feeling came over him as he entered this room. He was drawn to the corner, where he noticed lots of scratches in the paint and dents in the wall. Kasen squatted down to get a closer look and felt the hair on the back of his neck raise up when he saw what was scratched into the wall: HELP.
He backed out of that room in a hurry and closed the door. Heading back down the stairs, his mind raced with questions. Who had scratched that word into the wall? Why did someone need help? Desperate to find any kind of answer to this mystery that felt like it kept growing deeper, he went to the one place he hadn’t yet checked in the house: the basement.
It looked pretty dark and uninviting down there, but Kasen moved forward anyway. He pulled the string to light the single bulb and walked slowly down the stairs. There was an old freezer and refrigerator in the corner, a wooden work bench in the center, and a few clothes hanging on a rack near a washer and dryer. It looked like a pretty typical basement to him. He walked over to the cedar closet and pulled open the door. Inside, he found only a pile of rope and a tray like the kind someone would use to serve breakfast in bed. That was an odd thing to keep in a basically empty basement, he thought.
Turning around to leave, Kasen looked down and saw something metallic sticking out from under the washing machine. Is that what I think it is? he wondered. Bending down to pick it up, he confirmed that it was in fact an iPhone. He pressed the button, but the screen stayed black. Without hesitation, he slipped the phone into his pocket and ran back up the basement stairs. He’d been in this creepy-ass house long enough, and he wanted to get out before Voncile came home.
When he got into his car, he plugged the iPhone into his charger then drove away from the house with a cold sweat running down his back. He had a bad, bad feeling about all of this.
After a few miles, he looked down at the phone and pressed the button to see if it was charging. The screen came on, and he nearly drove off the road. It was Omar’s phone. For a second he felt great relief because he thought the phone would help him put all the pieces together. He pulled over to the side of the road thinking he would check Omar’s call history for some clues, but all he got was a screen telling him to enter the passcode. Without Omar’s code, the phone was useless to him. Kasen was so upset that he threw the phone, cracking the screen and causing it to go black again. He took a deep breath to try to calm himself, because sadly, he could feel that he was losing it.
Chapter 23
A nightmare about Kasen being killed had made Raine wake with a start, and now she was lying on drenched sheets, feeling like she was drowning in her own sweat. Her heart was still racing, but she was relieved to know it was only a dream. In spite of everything, she knew that deep in her heart she still loved Kasen, and she longed to be with him again. A single tear rolled down her face, and like every single day that she had been there, she fantasized that she would find a way to escape.
Patrice hadn’t been in to see her all afternoon. The last time Raine saw her was at breakfast, when she had listened to her rant for at least an hour about the brutal fight between her and Voncile.
“I agree. She was totally wrong for coming at you like that,” Raine had told her more than once, understanding that it was in her best interests to stay on Patrice’s good side. By the time Patrice left the room, she had calmed down a little, but she was still distracted enough that she forgot to tie Raine to the bed again.
Raine was relieved to be free to roam around the room, but, of course, she still wanted desperately to escape this house. As she got up off the damp sheets, she stared at the door, wondering what was on the other side and what it would take for her to get out of there.
Nearly thirty minutes later, Patrice opened the door, carrying a tray in her hand. The expression on her face let Raine know that Patrice was still agitated.
“I wish you would cheer up,” she said, her voice full of fake concern, as Patrice moved closer to the bed. “And before you chew me out, my hands are united because you forgot to tie them up earlier. I don’t want you to think I somehow cut the ropes.”
Patrice shrugged as she looked at Raine’s free hands. “Whatever. Just eat your food and I’ll deal with the ropes later.”
She placed the tray on Raine’s lap. Raine looked down at the juicy pork chops, covered with mashed potatoes and gravy.
“This looks delicious,” she said, and she really meant it. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until the delicious food was in front of her. “Thank you so much. I appreciate your kindness. One of these days, you should let me cook for you.”
Raine was attempting to make small talk, just to keep Patrice in the room with her. So far, her plan was working. Patrice stood with her back against the dresser, her arms folded in front of her.
“I might just let you cook for me someday. Lord knows I’m getting tired of being ordered around by people—especially by someone who doesn’t give two cents about me.”
“I assume you’re talking about Voncile,” Raine said.
Patrice grunted in disgust like she couldn’t even stand to hear the name.
“Have you heard from her?”
“No. I’ve called that bitch four times today, and she won’t answer her phone. I’m not gonna kiss her ass much longer. If she doesn’t respond today, things are gonna change around here. She can’t disrespect me and then expect to use my place as a dumping ground for her little scheme.”
Raine tried to swallow a mouthful of food past the lump that formed in her throat. Was Patrice saying that she would send her back to Voncile’s house? Raine didn’t know if she could survive being locked up in that empty room again, always fearing when Voncile might come in to abuse her.
“You know, it’s been a long time since I had a pork chop this good. Even my mother couldn’t do it like this,” Raine said, trying to change the subject to calm Patrice down.
It didn’t work. Patrice was stuck on only one topic. “I don’t know why I let her treat me like this. She’s not really my friend. A friend wouldn’t do half of the things she’s done to me over the years.”
Raine decided that since Patrice wasn’t going to drop it, she’d better continue to support her. It was risky, because if Patrice got mad enough, she might send Raine back to Voncile’s; but maybe there was another option. Maybe Raine could convince her that the best revenge would be to let her go.
“Well, you sure seem like a good friend and a good person,” she told Patrice, heaping on the false flattery.
“Damn right I am. And I used to think Voncile was too, but ever since she got with Kasen, she acts like she’s better than everyone,” Patrice said.
“I thought you said they were having problems.”
Patrice rolled her eyes. “Yeah, things aren’t going the way she wants them to, but it just makes her even more jealous and possessive. I mean, shit—She was ready to beat my ass just for rubbing my titties on him.”
Raine had no idea what had happened in Kasen’s office, nor did she really want to know the details. What she wondered was, who were these sick women who seemed to use their bodies as weapons every chance they got? She tried to ignore her rising disgust for Patrice as she continued sweet-talking her.
“Yeah, it definitely isn’t right that she put her hands on you,” Raine said, even though she knew damn well that Patrice had lunged at Voncile first. “I can’t believe she did that to you, especially since you seem like such a good friend.”
“I will make her pay for putting her hands on me, that’s for sure. No one makes me bleed and gets away with it.”
Raine continued to take smalls bites of the food on her tray as her eyes traveled with Patrice, who had begun pacing the floor, biting her nails, and making weird faces every time she mentioned Voncile’s name.
“I’m gonna call her one more time,” Patrice announced, stopping her steps and pulling her phone out of her back pocket.
Patrice stood with her back to Raine as she made the call, but it was obvious she had gotten her voice mail again when she started yelling, “Listen, bitch. This is my last time calling you. You need to get over here ASAP and apologize for what you did to me. You also need to give me my money and come see about this heifer and her baby. Play mad all you want, but it will do you no good, because after tonight, the ball will be in my court, and you will not appreciate what I’m going to do.”
Raine’s heart began pounding as she listened to Patrice’s threats. She was starting to feel like Patrice might actually harm her to get back at Voncile. While Patrice continued to scream obscenities into the phone, Raine slowly moved the plate of food off of her dinner tray. She stood up and moved quietly, closing the distance between her and Patrice, who still had her back turned.
Patrice ended her call, mumbling, “If that bitch don’t call me back soon and bring me my money, I might just let your ass free. I bet she wouldn’t like that.”
“Just like you’re not going to like this,” Raine said, raising the heavy dinner tray over her head.
By the time Patrice turned around, it was too late for her to react. Raine smashed the tray down on her head, and Patrice crumpled to the floor.
“I’m out of here, bitch! Now!” She struck Patrice several more times until she was sure there was no more movement. Raine didn’t care if she was dead or just knocked out cold.
She hurdled over Patrice’s body and rushed to the door, poking her head out into the hallway. She’d never heard another person in Patrice’s house, but she wanted to make sure the place was empty before she ran. With no one in sight, she bolted down the stairs in her bare feet, wearing only a thin T-shirt and a pair of sweat pants with holes in them. She burst through the front door, out into the darkness.
She hadn’t felt the fresh air in so long that it caused her to gasp at first. Then she began sucking in deep breaths to enjoy the cool air flowing into her lungs. It tasted like freedom. Under a dark, moonless sky, she made her way quickly down the gravel driveway, which seemed to go on forever. She barely felt the sharp rocks under her feet, as her attention was focused solely on getting to the end of the property and onto the road.
At the end of the driveway, she found a deserted road. She had no idea where she was or which way she should go, so she crouched in the bushes to gather her thoughts. She wanted to cry tears of relief because she was out of that house, but also tears of frustration because now she didn’t know where to go. Then she thought of her baby and pulled herself together. She had to keep her head on straight if she was going to figure out a way out of there, preferably before the sun came up. If Patrice was still alive inside, it was only a matter of time before she would wake up and come looking for Raine.
When Raine saw the headlights of a car approaching, she stood up, telling herself “It’s now or never.”
She stepped out of the bushes and jumped into the road, yelling, “Stop, please! I need help!”
The fearful woman slammed on her brakes to avoid hitting Raine, but then she quickly locked her doors. With wide eyes, she took a good look at Raine, with her messy hair and ripped sweat pants. After only a moment of hesitation, she pressed on the accelerator, swerving her vehicle away from Raine and speeding off.
“Noooo!” Raine shouted after her. “Please, stop! Pleeeeease!”
Another car was coming, so Raine did a repeat, running right in front of the car, waving her arms wildly. The driver hit the brakes, caus
ing his car to skid within inches of her body. Raine pounded her fist on the hood of his car.
“Please, please, help me!” she cried. “I need your help! Don’t go, please!”
The male driver sat nervously in his car while he tried to figure out what was going on. He felt horrible that he’d almost hit the poor woman in the street who was yelling for help. As he unbuckled his seat belt to get out and talk to her, another car whizzed by.
The woman in that car screamed at Raine, “Crazy bitch! What in the hell have yo’ ass been smoking? You gon’ get kilt out here if you don’t move!”
Raine rushed up to the man who had gotten out of his car by now. “I’m sorry for jumping in front of your car,” she said, pulling on his jacket. “But I really need your help. I . . . I was kidnapped. I need to get to my fiancé and tell him that I’m okay.”
The man put his hands gently on her shoulders. “Ma’am, if you were kidnapped, you need to go to the police.”
Raine shook her head adamantly. “Please, I’m begging you. I need to go to my fiancé first so he knows I’m okay. He can take me to the police.” Raine didn’t say it, but she was worried that Voncile might be trying to get to Kasen at that very moment. She wanted to get there to put a stop to Voncile’s plot sooner rather than later.
“Okay, if you say so.” The man removed his jacket and placed it around Raine’s shoulders. He escorted her over to the passenger’s side and helped her get in the car.
Raine’s whole body quivered as the man drove her away from the place she’d been held captive for so long. She finally felt safe enough to release her pent-up tears. She covered her face with her hands, sobbing like a baby. She was so relieved to be out of that house, but more than anything, she was happy that she would finally see Kasen again.
Chapter 24
Voncile had listened to every single one of Patrice’s messages. She was livid with Patrice, but after the last message, where Patrice had threatened to throw a monkey wrench in her program, Voncile started to worry. She wasn’t prepared for an abrupt change of plans. If she had to apologize to Patrice for beating her ass, so be it. It was important for Voncile to stay on good terms with Patrice, at least until the baby was born.