“What do you mean everything changed?”
“I killed him, Sherri, and I am not sorry that I did.”
Jonathan was quite sure that Sherri would leave immediately, instead she held his hand even tighter.
“What happened?”
“My friend was involved in sex trafficking. He kidnapped a young waitress that I said was pretty on the way to the cabin with the intent of keeping her as a hostage for the two weeks we were supposed to be there. Christ, Sherri, if I had known all of this was going to happen, I never would have answered that email. I was an accessory to rape, kidnapping, and I killed Greg in cold blood all in a manner of days.”
Sherri stared at Jonathan in disbelief. She could not believe that what he was saying to her was the truth, but it did explain his destructive behavior when he returned home.
“Why did you kill him, Jonathan?” Sherri asked.
“I had made up my mind to help the girl they had kidnapped. I cannot say that it was completely an accident when I shot Greg as we struggled. I had already considered killing him if it was the only way to get her out. I feel remorse about Jane but not Greg. As far as I am concerned, the world is a better place without him. He made his fortune from torturing those women, and in the end, he killed every single one of them.
“I wish I could tell you that I didn’t touch her, Sherri, but the truth is I did. Greg and James threatened to kill me if I didn’t, so Jane and I agreed it was the only way I could convince them I was one of them, even though I didn’t want to, I did it so I could save her. It doesn’t justify what I did and it does not make what happened okay. That is something I do not know if I can ever come to terms over, and that is why I was such a mess when I returned. I cannot forget what happened or what all of us did to her.”
Sherri pulled her hand away from Jonathan’s and walked over to the fireplace. It seemed like an eternity before she spoke.
“You made a choice to save her. Any other man would have walked away and left her there to whatever the fates decided. You chose to save her Jonathan. You made the choice to do what was right rather than to go along with them. I don’t know what I would have done in that same situation. I really don’t know what to say.”
“I understand,” Jonathan said as he stood and walked to the closet to retrieve Sherri’s coat. He walked across the living room and held it up so that she could put it on.
“I did not say that I was going to leave, Jonathan. I just need a little time to digest this. It is a little overwhelming.” Sherri took her coat and laid it over the back of the couch before she sat down.
Nearly an hour passed before either one of them said anything. Dinner was now cold and Jonathan was beginning to regret his decision to ask Sherri to marry him. Maybe this was his judgment for what he had done, that he was to spend his life alone for his atonement.
“Part of me wished you would not have told me the truth and yet part of me is glad you did. Is this why you wanted the firm to become involved in pro-bono work?”
Jonathan smiled slightly and lowered his head. All the charitable work in the world could not undo what Jonathan had done, but if he could save another woman from having the same thing happen then it was worth it.
Sherri moved closer to Jonathan and looked into his eyes. The same sad eyes that she had seen every day for the last two years peered back her filled with tears.
“If you had told me this in the beginning don’t you think it would have been easier?”
“I could not bring myself to tell you the truth. I didn’t want you to hate me. Hell, even I hate myself so why wouldn’t you?”
“You made a bad choice when you answered the email, but there was no way for you to know that at the time. You did choose to help a woman, who despite the horrors of what happened, is alive today because of you. You could have left her, Jonathan, but you didn’t. I cannot tell you that I understand how you feel, or that I could deal with what happened as well as you have, but I can tell you that the man I first fell in love with is still sitting right here next me.”
Jonathan burst into tears as Sherri wrapped her arms around him. “Aren’t you supposed to give me a ring?” Sherri whispered as she held him, knowing what he had witnessed had haunted him for over a year, and that each day Jonathan went to bed and each day he rose for work, with his thoughts solely on the woman he mentioned only as Jane, and if she was alive.
Jonathan led Sherri to the table and handed her the vase filled with the long stem roses, showing her where the ring was fastened to the bouquet with ribbon. Sherri untied the ring, placed it in Jonathan’s hand, and folded his hand closed. Jonathan knelt on the floor on one knee as he held the ring.
Jonathan slipped the ring onto Sherri’s finger and she kissed him. “Let’s eat dinner. We can worry about the rest later.”
Chapter Eight
Jack
The annoying buzz of the alarm on the nightstand woke Jack Stryker at five a.m., his usual time to get ready for work. Penny lay next to him sleeping, nearly oblivious to the sound of the alarm. Jack smiled as he kissed his wife on the cheek. She could sleep through anything.
Jack went downstairs, started a pot of coffee and began getting breakfast ready for the kids. They attended a private charter school. Anna’s studies were mostly math focused where Charley looked like she was leaning toward more science oriented classes. Jack thought about how proud he was of his two young girls and how wonderful it was that Jack Jr. would soon be celebrating his second birthday. Anna was going to be nine in only a few weeks. It was hard for Jack to think about how fast they were growing. Charley was eight now, and it seemed like only yesterday when she was born. Time had passed quickly since they had graduated from college, almost too quickly.
Jack rummaged through the kitchen cabinet as he tried to decide what he would make them for breakfast. He settled on pancakes and sausage. As Jack poured his coffee, he thought about Jonathan and where he might be, and if he should attempt to contact him.
Jack walked to the living room and turned on the television for his usual routine of a little CNN before heading to the shower. The news never really changed from one day to the next, but Jack was watching for something in particular. He was watching to see if their secret hideaway had been discovered.
When the three of them awoke, they found Greg lying in the bedroom with the majority of his head blown off from the gunshot blast. Jonathan and the girl, whose name he had never bothered to learn, were missing. Rather than expose Mrs. Johnson to that kind of scandal, they cremated his remains and told her it was a horrible hunting accident though they knew the truth. The cabin wasn’t registered in Greg’s name. For all his mother knew, it was a rental.
Bill had called Jack only a few months earlier, stating that he was going to see if Jonathan was still working at the firm and confront him about what happened, but Bill never called Jack to let him know if he had gone through with it. As far as Jack knew, Jonathan was still missing with the girl. Everyone went back to the lives they had before as though nothing happened. Jack Jr. was born. Penny resumed her catering business. Jack went back to his medical practice. Bill continued working in software design, and as far as Jack knew, James went back to his strip club. If it weren’t for the fact that Greg was dead, everything would have seemed normal.
Jack heard the clamoring of his children’s feet coming down the stairs and smiled. It was all in the past and it really didn’t matter.
Jack made fanciful shapes with the pancakes for Jack Jr. but not for the girls, they were too old for that type of nonsense.
“Dad, don’t forget I have rehearsal after school. Are you taking me?” Charley asked.
“Sure honey, I will leave early and pick you up at school. How’s that sound?”
“Okay.” Charley picked at her pancakes. She was a finicky eater.
Once the children were finished eating, Jack loaded the dishwasher and went upstairs to wake his wife. As soon as Penny was in the shower, Jack dressed and left
for work. His schedule was light for a Monday, and Jack was relieved for the light workload. The expansion of the practice was complete which allowed him to work less, but still bring in the same salary with the extra doctors in the office.
Jack picked Charley up at school and took her to her ballet rehearsal for Swan Lake. Charley was one of the lesser swans in the production, but it did not bother her. It was her first major dance recital, and Charley could not have been happier.
“Okay. You know the rules. Wait inside for me to pick you up, and do not come outside to hang out with the other kids. I have to take your sister to soccer practice. I will be back in an hour.” Jack kissed Charley on the forehead before she exited the car with her ballet bag with her toe-shoes hanging over her shoulder.
Several of the other parents sat in the auditorium and watched their children as they practiced. A lone woman sat holding a dozen roses in the back of the auditorium as she watched the ballet troupe dance. Her long dark hair fell gently around her face as she smiled slightly as she watched Charley dance.
When Charley was ready to leave, she waited inside the door of the dance school for her father to arrive just as he had instructed. The woman with the roses also stood close to the door and smiled at Charley.
“You are quite a great dancer, Charley,” the woman said as she smiled at her.
“Thank you.”
“Is your father coming to pick you up? I don’t want you waiting here alone. Will he be here soon?”
“Yes, he will be here as soon as he picks up Anna. Do you know my father?” Charley asked.
“Yes, I do. I met him a while ago.” The woman leaned over and handed Charlie the bouquet of flowers. “I almost forgot. These are for you.”
“Wow,” Charley whispered. Before she could say thank you, her father was walking up the stone pathway and the woman was gone. Jack opened the door and looked at little shocked when he saw the roses.
“Where did you get those? Did Mrs. Haney give those to you?” Jack asked as he opened the door for his daughter.
“No. Some woman gave them to me. She said she knows you.” Charley was unaffected by her father’s line of questioning as she continued to walk to the car.
“What did she look like?”
“She was about as tall as mom. She was very pretty.”
“Charley, you really shouldn’t accept anything from a stranger. Next time I want you to go find one of the teachers.”
“Okay dad,” Charley said and looked out the car window and saw the woman leaning against a black car. Charley waived at her but did not tell her father. The lady was nice as far as she was concerned, and Charley liked the flowers.
When they arrived at the house, Charley ran inside to ask her mother for a vase. Penny waited until Charley was away from her and Jack before she began to question him.
“Where did she get these roses, Jack?”
“One of the other mother’s at the rehearsal, I guess.”
“What do you mean you guess? Our daughter gets flowers from a stranger and you don’t even know who it was? What if it was a child predator?”
“Come on, Penny. You’re over reacting, don’t you think? The older kids get flowers all the time. It was probably just the delivery person from the floral shop. I really don’t think it is anything to worry about.”
Penny slammed the refrigerator door and glared at Jack before she carried the flowers into the living room and placed them on the coffee table.
The next morning, Jack awoke to his alarm and proceeded to follow his usual morning routine until he went to his car. On his windshield was a single white rose. Jack smiled as he picked up the flower and laid it on the passenger seat. Charley was such a sweet child. When Jack arrived at work, he asked his receptionist to find a small vase so he could put the flower on his desk. As Jack looked at the rose periodically throughout the day, he thought about how quickly Charley’s recital was approaching and that he should buy her something special to mark the occasion.
When Jack left work, he stopped at a small jewelry store on the way home. He looked at several different charms and lockets before he decided on a small star with diamonds. It would be the perfect gift. Jack tucked the small red velvet box into his jacket pocket before he went inside the house.
The next few days were uneventful as Jack went to work, then picked the girls up from school and dropped them off at their respective practices. Jack had forgotten that he had put Charley’s necklace in his pocket until he picked her up from dance class and saw she was wearing it. Jack was slightly upset that Charley would go through his jacket, but didn’t want to spoil how happy she looked as she held the tiny star between her fingers.
“I am glad you like your necklace, Charley.”
“It is beautiful. I couldn’t believe it when she gave it to me. She said I deserved it because I was going to be the star of the show.”
“I am glad your mom gave it to you early.”
Charley looked at her father as though she had no idea what he was talking about and was very confused.
“Mom didn’t give it to me, Jane did.”
“Jane? Who’s Jane?”
“The lady who gave me the flowers last week, her name is Jane. She told me to tell you hello and she would be seeing you soon.” Charley continued to hold her necklace as she admired it.
“Charley, did Jane tell you where she knows me from?” Jack’s voice cracked as he asked the question.
“No. What’s wrong Dad? Don’t you remember her?”
“No, honey, I guess I don’t.”
“That’s too bad because she sure is nice.”
Jack was silent as he drove Charley home. He knew he had placed the box in his coat pocket when he left the jeweler’s. He just couldn’t figure out how this woman had gotten ahold of it. The more Jack thought about how this woman named Jane had come to be in possession of the necklace, the more confused he became. It had to have fallen out of his pocket when he walked Charley into the building. There wasn’t any other reasonable explanation.
He was late for work and needed to get the clinic open. Jack didn’t worry about the speed limit as he rushed to work, whipped his car into the space reserved for him, and quickly exited the car.
“Pretty little girl,” a woman with dark hair said, leaning against her motorcycle. Jack turned to see who was talking to him, but the woman was wearing a helmet with a face shield that was barely cracked. He looked at her jeans and boots, noticing her large breasts immediately.
“I’m sorry. What are you talking about?”
“Your daughter, she is pretty. It would be a shame if she knew what kind of a man her father really is, what he does in his time off up at the little cabin in the woods…”
She turned and tossed her leg over the seat of the motorcycle and kicked started it.
“Wait!” Jack screamed as she pulled away and drove to the other end of the parking lot.
“You should have killed me when you had the chance,” she shouted before squealing the tires and disappearing into traffic.
Jack’s hand shook as he attempted to unlock the door. He was visibly shaken by his encounter with the woman.
“There’s no way she could have survived out there in the woods,” he whispered, attempting to reassure himself that the woman they had kidnapped was dead.
“Are you alright, Dr. Stryker?” his receptionist asked.
“I’m not feeling too well today. Could you reschedule my patients to see Dr. Barton and Dr. Wells today? Whoever you can’t reschedule just move them to another day that is convenient for them.”
“Of course,” the woman replied. She wondered what had Dr. Stryker so shaken. It was not a state Miss Harris had seen him in, at least before today.
Jack turned and walked to his car, looking over his shoulder the entire time, wondering where the woman had disappeared to and if she was coming back.
Once inside his car, he quickly called Bill Hyndes.
“Have you seen
Jonathan?”
“Yeah, we won’t have any trouble with him so long as we don’t start any. Jonathan is smarter than what any of us give him credit for being when it comes to the law and how it can be used to benefit him.”
Jack was silent, unable to speak.
“What the fuck is going on, Jack?”
“She’s here, Bill. That girl, she isn’t dead.”
“No way, there is no way she made it out of those woods in the condition she was in, it’s not possible.”
“She gave my daughter flowers after her recital, so don’t tell me what is or isn’t possible, you stupid fuck.”
Bill hung up. He didn’t need to hear anything else. It was time to disappear…
Chapter Nine
Revenge Begins
Jack sat at the kitchen table staring out the window, unsure what to do. It wasn’t like he could go to the police. He stared aimlessly without emotion, wondering how he could have been so stupid, how could he have let someone like Greg talk into something like what they had done?
His phone vibrated. Jack swiped the screen and saw a text notification. It said ‘have you seen this’ with an attachment. It was from a number he didn’t recognize. Jack downloaded the attachment and waited for it to open.
His phone slipped from his hand, striking the floor. The ability to breathe was leaving him as Jack’s trembling hand reached for the phone. He tapped the screen on his smartphone and stared blindly at the picture.
‘Quickly or slowly, up to you’ the text beneath the picture said. It was his daughter, Charley, sitting on the seat of the motorcycle. Jack grabbed his coat, ran to the garage, and started his car. He sped out of the driveway and drove to the police station.
‘What are you going to tell them, the truth?’ came through on the next text message.
The Collectors: Revenge Becomes Her Page 9