by D. M. Turner
She didn’t have anyone to go with her. Friends had been in extremely short supply most of her life. She hadn’t wanted other kids to know about her mom, so she’d lived a solitary existence. If teachers had guessed why, none of them had ever said anything.
“Would you like me to go with you?”
Tanya’s sudden, gentle offer brought Donna’s head around. “You’d do that?”
“Sure.” She shrugged with a faint smile. “Detective Calvert knows me. We can tell him that the men who rescued you contacted me, thinking I could help with the emotional side of things.”
“What do I tell them about the men who saved me? I can’t exactly tell him they were werewolves chasing down a pack of rogues who were trying to Turn women.”
“He asked if I knew who the men were. I told him they hadn’t shown me ID.”
Donna smiled, humor peering from behind the dark clouds hanging over her mind. “You lied with the truth?”
Tanya nodded. “The only time I outright lied was when he asked if they had hurt me. What was I supposed to say? That they’d raped and nearly killed me? I didn’t have a mark on me. So I told him no, then qualified it with the fact that they hadn’t fed me, which explained why I was so thin. You’re not in the condition I was, so you’ll have to see how it goes, I guess. I’m not sure you can prepare. You won’t know what questions he’ll ask, or how they’ll be worded, until he asks them.”
“That’s less than reassuring. I’m not sure I can lie to him.”
“Do the best you can.”
She sighed. “After we’re done there, I need to go see Mom. At least let her know Tommy and I are alright.”
“Of course.”
“What do you want to do about Tommy while you speak to the police? Take him with?” Ian asked.
“I don’t think so. I’d rather leave him here for now.”
He nodded, then his gaze shifted to Tanya. “Do you want Colin to drive you?”
“If that’s okay, I’d like him to be there. I don’t believe Detective Calvert will find that suspicious. I’m sure he’ll remember Colin being with me before, so he probably won’t be surprised to see him again.”
“Good.” He nodded then turned and went into the house. The door slid closed almost soundlessly behind him.
“Are you sure about this?” Donna met Tanya’s steady gaze. “I don’t want to bring up all sorts of bad memories for you.”
“Last night did more than enough. I doubt I’ll sleep much for a few days.” Her smile didn’t reach eyes marred by dark smudges. “I’m not letting you face this alone. That police station is more than a bit intimidating.”
* * *
Tanya hadn’t been wrong. The moment they stepped in the door of the police station, Donna wanted to turn and run and never come back. And that was before the stench of sweat, colognes, and burnt coffee hit her. Breathe shallow. Yuck.
The officer behind the reception desk glanced up and back down at the paperwork he was doing. Then his head shot up again. His gaze was on Tanya. “Miss Sikes, right? You were here a couple or three months ago.” His eyes narrowed. “Beginning of June, right?”
Tanya nodded.
“What can I do for you?”
“Actually, it’s not me who needs your help this time.” She laid a hand on Donna’s arm. “The men who rescued me found Donna, too. I’m here as moral support. I’m sure Detective Calvert has a file on her and her brother.”
“The Elliston kids?” His eyes widened, and he turned his gaze on Donna.
Donna nodded.
He reached for the phone. “Do you want to wait in the same place?”
“Please.” Tanya waved him away. “I remember the way. Tell Detective Calvert we’ll be waiting for him.”
He nodded and grabbed up the phone.
Tanya led the way through the station, Colin bringing up the rear.
Donna’s jitters settled some once they were out of the noise and bustle of the front desk area. Her nerves went right back to high alert when Tanya went through a door marked “Interrogation”.
“I didn’t like it either,” Colin whispered.
She glanced sharply at him over her shoulder.
“Your panic level just spiked,” he murmured. “Remember to control your fear.”
She nodded and followed Tanya, who had sat at a table in the center of the room. Donna took the chair next to her.
Colin closed the door then leaned against the wall behind Tanya and crossed his arms over his chest, appearing relaxed and only semi-interested. At least, unless someone looked into alert, intense blue eyes. Then they’d know it was all a put-on.
Mere minutes after they arrived, the door opened and a middle-aged man in a business suit walked in with a file and notepad in one hand. His gaze quickly scanned the room, taking in Donna, Tanya, and Colin in one easy sweep. He smiled. “Miss Sikes, it’s good to see you again.”
“You, too, detective.”
“And Mr. Campbell, wasn’t it?” He offered Colin his hand.
“Yes, sir.” Colin shook the man’s hand then returned to leaning against the wall out of the way.
“Are you here as moral support for Miss Sikes again?”
He half-smiled. “No, sir. Playing chauffer. Tanya’s the moral support today.”
“I see.” The detective rounded the table and lowered himself into the chair across from Tanya and Donna. His gaze locked on Donna, and he nodded. “Miss Elliston, my name is Adrian Calvert. I’m the detective on your missing persons case. It’s good to see you safe and sound.”
If he only knew. “Thank you.”
“Is your brother safe as well?”
She nodded. “He’s been staying with friends.”
“So, speculation was correct. You absconded with your brother to escape your mother?”
“No, sir. I wish I had, but no. I was taken from the university campus Thursday evening.”
“Taken?” A brow raised. “By whom?” He flipped open the notepad, pulled a click-pen from the inside breast pocket of his suit, and prepared to take notes.
“I don’t know. I never heard names. I only saw the faces of a couple of them.” She lowered her gaze to the table. “There were more than two though. I heard at least three voices, maybe four.” There’d been five, but she wouldn’t have known that if her rescuers hadn’t told her.
“When Tanya was held, she heard other women. Did you?”
She nodded. “Cries, screams, pleading. Two, maybe three others.” Three. All dead.
“Did your captors harm you in any way?”
She hesitated but couldn’t bring herself to lie. “One of them did. I don’t have any marks to prove it though.”
He nodded and frowned. “It’s alright. I’ve seen more than my share of men who abuse women without leaving obvious marks. X-rays would probably show the injuries though.”
Oh, no. Why didn’t I just lie? “There’s no point in pursuing it.”
“Why?”
“I think they’re all dead.”
“What? How?”
“The men who rescued me last night. I heard gunfire. When they came to free me, no one seemed to be in a hurry, so I think my abductors are dead.”
The detective scribbled notes. “Did they free the other women as well?”
She shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. “No. They’re dead. At least, I heard someone say so.” She choked back a sob. “I heard them screaming. When they got quiet, I thought they were just trying to hide quietly in a corner like I was. I didn’t realize they’d died.” Her hand shook as she pushed hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear.
“Do you know where you were held?”
Donna nodded. “I recognized that part of town when I was brought out. One of Mom’s boyfriends used to work nearby.” She gave him the address. “I was held underground. We came up two flights of stairs to reach ground level. I was barely aware of that.”
“If you were rescued last night, wh
y did you wait until today to come in?”
Oh, no. She hadn’t thought to come up with an explanation for that.
“I can probably better answer that.” Tanya laid a hand on Donna’s arm and smiled faintly. “She was in an almost catatonic state from the trauma. The men who rescued her thought I might be able to help. They were the same ones who freed me.”
Not entirely untrue, any of it.
“I see.” He nodded, then his eyes narrowed on Tanya. “I called your parents a few weeks ago to check on you. They told me you and they had some sort of disagreement and you’d moved out, but they didn’t know where to.”
She nodded, moisture glistening in her eyes.
“I find that surprising, given how much they appeared to care about you.”
“They blame me for what happened.” Her gaze settled on the tabletop. Then she sighed and looked him in the eye again. “I know it’s a result of the fear and all they must’ve gone through, but it still hurts.”
“I can imagine. People react in strange ways when these sorts of things happen in their families. I just never would’ve expected your parents to—” He shook his head with a puzzled frown. “I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with that in addition to everything else.”
Tanya shrugged with a shaky smile. “Hopefully in time, we’ll work it out. For now, I’m giving them space.” Her smile brightened. “But it’s not all bad. Colin and I are getting married.”
“Really?” A wide smile curved his mouth. “That’s wonderful. I had a feeling about you two. Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Donna appreciated the break. Having that man’s intense scrutiny had been more unsettling than she’d expected. Her reprieve was short-lived, however.
His gaze returned to her. “Back to you. The men who rescued you, did they tell you who they were?”
“I didn’t ask. I thought I was going to die in that place, never see my family again. Then, out of the blue, these guys show up and tell me I’m safe. I don’t think they wanted anyone to know who they were.”
He frowned. Obviously not the answer he wanted. “Did they strike you as military?”
“I’ve never been around anyone in the military. I don’t know how they act.” She cocked her, only somewhat pretending to be baffled. How did military guys act?
“Like a cohesive, organized unit. Like they had training.”
She shrugged. “I didn’t see them fight or anything like that. They did seem pretty organized. I don’t think I ever saw the leader, but beyond that, I don’t know.” She rubbed her right temple. Tension headaches. Man, she hated those. “If they want to remain a secret, I have no problem with that. I’m just grateful they found me before I ended up dead like the others.” She grabbed a tissue out of the box on the table and blew her nose.
Detective Calvert sighed and jotted more notes. Then he pulled a cellphone from one of his pockets. “I’ll have that address checked out. If those who freed you were part of a government or military operation, they’ll probably have sanitized the area, but hopefully we’ll find the bodies and can give families some closure at the very least.” He got up and headed for the door. “Please wait here until I return. We need to talk further.”
Oh, no. Did that mean he was suspicious of her story? Or maybe of her?
“It’s okay.” Tanya gripped her forearm and leaned closer. “Detective Calvert strikes me as one of the good guys.”
“I hope so.” Tommy needed her, pack or no pack.
The door opened in minutes, and Detective Calvert came back in. “Sorry about that. Our team is headed out there, and I need to join them. Before I do, though, Miss Elliston, there’s something else I need to discuss with you.” He dropped into the chair. “I’m afraid I have news that’s… not good.”
“What?” Her heart pounded against her ribcage.
“The night after you and your brother disappeared, we had a 9-1-1 call at the trailer park. Your mother overdosed.”
“Is she alright?”
He hesitated long enough for her heart to drop to her knees. “I’m afraid not. The paramedics did everything they could, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.”
Donna gasped then slapped a hand over her mouth. Oh, God, this can’t be happening. Please tell me this isn’t happening. What will I tell Tommy? Tears filled her eyes and soon fell. “Did she suffer?”
“Based on the report I have, I don’t believe so.” His expression turned even more grim. “It appears to have been intentional.”
“Oh, no,” she groaned. Then a thought occurred to her. “What if she believed what the newspaper had written about me taking Tommy away? They were wrong, but what if she read that and believed them?”
“It’s possible. I don’t think we’ll ever know.” He shrugged. “She didn’t leave a note. We may find out more when the autopsy comes back.”
She nodded. “Can I go to the trailer, get things for me and Tommy?”
“I need to make sure the team is through with the scene. If they are, you can do whatever you need to.”
“Thanks.”
“Let me check. I’ll be right back.”
“’Kay.”
Tanya put an arm around her shoulders. “I’m so sorry.”
“This is so like her. What am I supposed to tell Tommy?”
“The truth is usually best, even if it hurts. You don’t want him to find out from someone else. Right?”
“True.”
“We’ll help in any way you need,” Colin offered gently.
“Thanks. I think… I’ll need help cleaning out the trailer and picking up our things. I don’t want either of us to have to live there now. Not knowing she died there.” Not to mention some of the other horrible memories of the place.
“That’s not a problem.”
Mom, why couldn’t you love us enough to fight? Why’d you give up?
* * *
Gaze scanning the dim room from one end to the other, Donna absorbed the abandoned feel of the two-bedroom, single-wide trailer she’d called home all of her life. The air was still and oppressive, the scent of stale cigarette smoke overpowering her senses in a way it never had before. She sniffed. Something in the kitchen had started to rot. She’d planned to give it a good cleaning last Friday. Why had she put that off instead of taking care of it Wednesday evening when she’d thought about it?
If she closed her eyes, she could hear her mother yelling at her for one offense or another or having a screaming match with one of her boyfriends, most of whom had foul tempers and made Donna’s skin crawl, or Mom berating Tommy for being weak and a burden, the expense of his special diet.
Her chest tightened, making it difficult to breathe. How could life go so completely sideways and flip upside down at the same time? She’d taken Tommy to the university Thursday evening to show him the campus. He’d wanted to see where she’d be going to school. She hadn’t shown him very much before their lives had been ripped out of her hands.
Lord, right now, it feels like You’ve dropped the threads of my life and let them unravel and fray. Have You abandoned me? I don’t understand how any of this can be part of Your plans for my life. How does any of this serve good? Yeah, Tommy is healthy, for the first time in his life. But what about me? Where do I go from here?
An elderly neighbor had introduced her to Jesus when she was eight years old and struggling to care for an infant brother and an unstable addict mother. Despite the things she’d endured over the years, Donna had clung to that faith. Now? Was I blindly clinging to something that’s not even real, just as Mom accused so many times?
“Donna? Are you alright?” Tanya laid a hand on her shoulder.
“Yeah, just… it’s hard to wrap my head around so many changes in such a short time.” What must Tanya and Colin think of her, seeing the home where she’d grown up?
A short, soft, humorless laugh responded. “Tell me about it. It’s downright difficult
to grasp that so much can happen quite literally overnight. Everything you know, or think you know, is torn away and replaced with a new reality that’s so different the brain can’t even wrap around it.”
“I’d say that about covers it.” Donna studied Tanya’s face, surprised to find nothing but friendliness and compassion there. No disgust at their surroundings. No pity. She sighed and pointed to the far end of the trailer, beyond the kitchen. “Tommy and I share the bedroom at that end of the house. Mom used the one at this end. I guess the first thing to do is get our stuff together. We need clothes and such.”
“I can help, unless you’d rather do it alone.” Tanya’s smile was gentle. “I won’t be offended if you prefer to take care of this by yourself.”
Tears burned her eyes. “I don’t think I could handle that.”
She nodded. “Colin is calling in help from the pack. I’m not sure who’ll deal with the rest of the packing. I’m still learning the jobs of various pack members. O’Neil will make sure the trailer is cleaned. I think Colin said Peter will deal with the lease and other issues like that.”
“Furniture can stay. Mom didn’t rent this place furnished, but the landlord can do what he wants with the furniture. I don’t want it.”
“What about your mom’s things?”
The soft gentleness of the question brought new tears to Donna’s eyes. She pushed them away. Right then wasn’t the time to fall apart. Too much work to be done. Tears could come after she went to bed. “Give them to charity. Throw them away. I don’t really care. I have no need for any of it.”
Tanya nodded. “Go ahead and get started. I’ll let Colin know, so he can tell the guys.”
“Alright.” She made her way to her bedroom, ignoring the threadbare carpet and ripped up linoleum passing under her feet. That old trailer should be burned to the ground rather than cleaned up and rented out again. It outdated Mom and showed every month of those years. She stopped in the kitchen long enough to grab trash bags. They’d never had suitcases, so trash bags would have to do.
In the bedroom, she let her gaze travel the room. Where do I start?