No Happily Every After (Mia and Roman Psychic Suspense #4)

Chapter Thirty-six

“Who is this? I can’t hear you,” Scott said. “Mom? Oh, my God. Are you all right? Where are you?”

The room went deathly silent and everyone leaned in.

Scott’s voice huffed out in excitement. “Look around. Is anything familiar? No. Stay on the phone … yeah, do that.”

“What’s happening?” Thomas hissed.

“She’s in the woods somewhere but doesn’t recognize anything … that’s good, Mom. Follow it and don’t hang up, okay?” Scott lifted his eyes to his father. “She’s found a trail.”

It took several moments but eventually Scott pumped his fist. “She’s in The Cedars of Lebanon State Park.”

Thomas grabbed one of the laptops and stabbed at the keyboard. “It’s not far. Let’s go.”

“Okay, Mom, we’re coming. Are you hurt? ... Yeah … uh huh … just stay where you are. We’ll be there soon. I’m gonna hang up now. I don’t want you running out of battery, but I’ll call and give you updates. Don’t worry, we’ll be there before you know it.”

“I’ll drive,” Roman said. “Let’s take the Rover. Scott, while we’re en route see if you can get a location on the phone your mom was using.” He turned to Thomas. “This is the time for the cops. There may be trace evidence on Jennifer they can use to catch the kidnapper.”

“I want to talk to her first. See if she’s okay with that,” Thomas said.

“Maybe I should drive separately … I mean … she might not want to see me,” Eliza said.

“We’ll need two cars anyway. I’ll go with you,” Mia jumped in before anyone else could comment.

“Let’s get moving,” Scott said.

They made the twenty-five-minute drive in record time. The trailhead parking lot was practically empty, only containing two other cars. Roman parked the Range Rover right next to the entrance and Eliza tucked her Toyota in beside him.

“How’s Jennifer doing?” Mia asked as soon as she hopped out and joined the men.

“Okay, I guess. She sounds scared and confused,” Scott said.

“Let’s go. We can talk later. This way.” Thomas strode ahead, staring down at the map on his phone.

Scott tapped the screen of his cell then put it to his ear before reaching for Eliza’s hand. They hurried after Thomas. “Mom, we’re here. Just sit tight and wait. We’ll come to you.”

“How’s Eliza reacting?” Roman asked in an undertone.

“All I’m getting from her is relief. She talked about how, now that this is behind them, maybe things will get better with Scott’s family. I think she’s feeling vindicated. What was the mood in the boy’s car?”

“It was a little rough, to be honest,” Roman said. “On the one hand, they’re obviously thrilled to know Jennifer is alive, but Thomas was fixated on why she called Scott instead of him. Scott kept trying to soothe him by suggesting she’s all messed up right now, but he didn’t seem convinced.”

After walking briskly for more than ten minutes, Thomas cried out then ran ahead with Scott and Eliza in close pursuit. Mia and Roman weren’t more than a couple of paces behind. They surrounded Jennifer, who was slumped down at the base of a tree.

She lifted her hand feebly before letting it drop down by her side. Thomas knelt and threw his arms around her shoulders while Scott plopped straight down beside her and patted her knee. Eliza pulled back until she stood next to Mia.

“Don’t. You get away from me … you … liar,” Jennifer said, her voice sobbing out.

“It’s me. It’s Thomas. You’re safe now,” Thomas said, still attempting to keep his arms around her even as she flailed at him.

“I know it’s you and I know what you did. What happened to me is your fault. Make him leave,” Jennifer said, turning to Scott and grasping his hand.

“Mom. We’ll figure this out later. Let’s get you home. Can you stand?” Scott asked.

“I don’t know. I feel so strange. They drugged me. Twice. My head is still spinning.”

Scott and Roman helped Jennifer to her feet. Her appearance was startling. Her lovely long blonde hair had been shorn close to her scalp and her eyebrows had also been removed. An angry red circle of skin surrounded her lips, making it seem as though she had a clown’s mouth painted on.

There were lacerations on her wrists and ankles. Her feet were bare and smeared with dirt as were her hands. Dead leaves and twigs clung to her navy shirt, and her pants were ripped along the left thigh.

Once they got her upright, she struggled with her balance and ended up leaning against Scott. Her pupils were the size of saucers. She kept blinking and shaking her head as though clearing away a swarm of flies.

“Folks, before we move Jennifer, we need to make a decision on the police,” Roman said.

“No. No police. They said they’d kill me,” she said all in a rush.

“Who’s they? Was there more than one kidnapper? Can you describe them?” Mia asked.

Jennifer hung her head. “I don’t know. I didn’t see a face. It seemed like there might have been two of them, but I only saw the one. They wore a black helmet like a … a motorcycle helmet but different. It reminded me of that man in the movie with the weird breathing thing. I can’t remember his name.” Tears plopped down her cheeks. “Scotty, it’s that movie you loved when you were little with the light-up swords.”

“You mean Star Wars? Are you talking about Darth Vadar?” Scott asked.

“Yes. The kidnapper wore a costume like that. Helmet, black hoodie and black gloves. I never caught a glimpse of their face.”

“Was it a man or woman?” Roman asked.

“Woman. I think so, anyway. She was small. Not as tall as me and she just seemed … or maybe moved … like a woman.”

Roman nodded. “Good observation. Did you catch her hair color? What about her voice? Anyone you recognize?”

“No. There was something in the helmet that made it sound sort of raspy and strange. Oh, God, I think I’m going to be sick again.”

Jennifer lurched away and dropped to her knees before retching. Her stomach was apparently empty for nothing came up beyond a small amount of bile.

“Here, rinse out your mouth.” Thomas handed her a bottle of water.

Despite her weakened state, she managed to glare at him. “I’d rather die. You’re the reason this happened to me. This was probably a twisted revenge scheme for some girl you used and tossed over.”

“Mom. It was a lie. The cheating part. The kidnapper mocked it up to lure you away.”

“I haven’t been with anyone but you. Not since we started therapy all those years ago. I give you my word,” Thomas said.

“But … no, I saw the text messages. It was real,” Jennifer said, squeezing her eyes shut. “You’re just trying to confuse me.”

With her patchy head and angry red-rimmed mouth, she somehow reminded Mia of a baby bird. She crouched beside her and took the woman’s dirty hand in hers.

“I’m so glad we found you. You had us worried. Why don’t you give Roman the phone and we’ll tuck it away so we can check it for clues later.” After Jennifer handed over the small grey burner phone, Mia nodded. “I’d really like to catch whoever did this to you. Are you sure you don’t want the police?”

“No. I can’t.” Mia felt the tremor go through her. “She told me if the police were called, they wouldn’t bother kidnapping me again. Next time they’d just kill me. I really want to go home now.”

Mia nodded. “We can do that. It might be a good idea to have you looked over. Don’t worry. I’m sure we can setup a house call, right Thomas?”

“Of course. I’ll get onto Dr. Horner’s office right away. Come on, Jenn. Let’s bring you home now.”

More tears tracked down Jennifer’s cheeks and she let out a shuddering breath. “I must look so awful.” Her free hand rubbed over her scalp. “I don’t even remember when this happened. I feel naked without my hair.”

“You look beautiful, Mom.”

“It’ll grow back before you know it. There are a bunch of supplements that will help. I can get some for you,” Eliza said tentatively. When Jennifer didn’t respond or even so much as glance her way, she shrank back again.

Mia and Scott helped Jennifer to her feet and the group walked slowly along the trail and back to the parking lot. Jennifer didn’t want Thomas near her so Eliza offered to drive him back to the house. Everyone else got in the Range Rover. Jennifer put the front seat back and instantly fell asleep.

“Do you think she’s okay?” Scott asked in a whisper. “She seems kind of out of it.”

“She’ll probably be fine once the drugs wear off. It’d be good to identify what she was given in case it helps us catch her abductor,” Roman said.

“Can I see the phone?” Mia asked.

When Roman passed it over, she cupped her hands around the device and closed her eyes. Immediately, her mind filled with a vision of Jennifer, groggy and nauseous, struggling to sit up. She was lying on her side on the forest floor.

Not helpful. They already knew where Jennifer had been dumped.

Mia tried again, and this time she saw part of a figure, all clad in black, programming a number into the phone. His or her gloved hand pushed the phone into the pocket of Jennifer’s pants. There was a momentary view of the lower half of the person’s body, black cargo pants and black platform boots, but frustratingly, that was all Mia could see.

She let out a sigh and passed the phone back to Roman. “Not helpful. At. All.”

“That’s okay. We’ll figure this out sooner or later. Do you think there really were two people?”

“I have no idea. Easier with two but so much riskier. We’ll have to drill down on that once we get Jennifer back to the house. I wonder how things are going in Eliza’s car?”

“Ha. I’m betting kind of frosty.”

“What was the point of shaving my mom’s head or her eyebrows?” Scott asked.

“Hard to say. Maybe to make her feel diminished and less secure. Maybe because the kidnapper is a sadist and it upped the fun factor for them,” Roman said.

Scott shook his head. “I’m going to make sure they pay in every possible way for what happened to her.”

When they arrived at the Lamb house, it was difficult to rouse Jennifer. She finally came awake, but sat cowering and shaking in the front seat, obviously terrified.

“Easy now. You’re okay. You’re safe. Let’s get you inside,” Mia said in a soothing voice.

“Dr. Horner’s here. He’ll check you out, then we can tuck you into your very own bed,” Roman added.

Thomas had taken the doctor through to the kitchen and he was opening his case when they helped Jennifer onto one of the stools. Eliza hung back, retreating to stand by the window overlooking the lake. Scott nodded to her but kept his attention fixed on his mother.

Dr. Horner took Jennifer’s vitals and asked her questions about how she felt. Since it seemed intrusive to hang over his shoulder, Mia and Roman joined Eliza in the family room.

“Is she okay?” Eliza whispered.

“I think so. Just tired and still traumatized,” Mia said.

“We’ll take some blood and test for drugs.” Dr. Horner’s voice carried across the space. “Then I’d like to give you a full physical exam. Is that okay with you?”

They saw Jennifer nod. Her gaze flicked to Thomas before settling on Scott. She reached her hand toward him, and he quickly took it, cradling it between his palms and smiling at her. Then he helped her off the stool and down the hall.

It was thirty or so minutes later when Scott and Dr. Horner returned from the bedroom. Thomas rushed to them.

“How is she?”

“Taking a shower then she’s going to lie down. There weren’t any major injuries. I’ve treated the lacerations from the bindings and drawn several blood samples. It’ll take a couple of days to get results on that. I found injection sites on the right side of her neck. You’ll need to watch for signs of infection.”

Thomas’s breath came out in a rush. “But she’s okay?”

“Physically, yes. Mentally, it’s hard to tell until the drugs are out of her system. It wouldn’t hurt to find a psychologist who specializes in trauma therapy.”

“Yes. Of course. I’ll line up someone today,” Thomas said.

Scott held up a see-through packing cube. “It’s not exactly a sterile evidence bag, but I snagged her clothes just in case.”

“Excellent thinking,” Roman said.

Dr. Horner packed up his medical kit and Thomas walked him to the front door.

“I know this is a hard time and it might seem insensitive for us to intrude, but if your mom isn’t sleeping, we have a couple of questions,” Roman said.

Scott nodded. “Yeah. Of course.”

Mia could feel Eliza watch them walk through the kitchen, but she didn’t move from the couch. Scott led them down the hallway toward the bedroom. The door was ajar, and he carefully poked his head in before swinging the door wide open. The bed was empty.

“Crap. Where is she?” Scott said.

Sounds of hysterical crying came from the en suite bathroom. Scott rushed to the door and finding it locked, pounded his fist against it.

“Mom. What’s wrong? Are you okay? Please let me in,” he said.

The crying got louder. “Go away. I’m hideous. I don’t have any eyebrows. It’s so … it’s just .…”

Jennifer started wailing and all the hairs on Mia’s arms stood up. The pain was so primal and raw. She sounded like a wounded animal.

“Open the door, Mom.” Scott said, pounding again and again.

Eliza and Thomas came running in. Thomas’s eyes flicked wildly over the three of them huddled by the bathroom.

“She’s okay. Just upset,” Mia murmured. “But she won’t let us in.”

Scott began kicking the door. It vibrated but held firm. Roman elbowed him aside then, taking three steps back, threw himself at the door and it popped open with a splintering sound.

Jennifer didn’t even turn to look. She was on the floor, curled up on her side with her knees hugged to her chest and crying her heart out.

“Honey, it’s okay. You’re fine. You’re safe. Please don’t cry,” Thomas said.

He grasped her shoulders and pulled her up and into his chest and for several seconds she folded into him, still sobbing. Thomas’s eyes closed as though in relief, and he sighed hugely. Everyone huddled around her on the floor.

In the next second, Jennifer lifted her head from his chest and slapped him across the face.

“Don’t. Touch. Me. This is all your fault,” she screamed before scrambling away from him.

“Mom. Easy. It wasn’t Dad’s fault,” Scott said.

“Don’t tell me how to feel. None of you know what it was like. Get out. I want everyone out.”

Spittle flew from her mouth as she yelled, and her face was so red it bordered on purple. Ointment had been applied to the skin around her mouth and now it glistened, making the raw, angry ring stand out even more.

Mia stood. “I think Jennifer needs some space. You guys go. I’ll sit with her. Being as I was kidnapped last year, I have some idea of how she’s feeling.”

No one said anything for several beats. Finally, they shuffled out of the bathroom. Mia didn’t touch Jennifer. Didn’t say anything. She simply pulled out a padded chair from a small section of marble counter and sat down.

Jennifer remained on the floor. She was at least sitting, but the tears continued along with her sobbing breaths. Mia pulled out her phone and after a short search, found some soothing instrumental music and let the sound fill the bathroom. She took several deep breaths, calming her own energy and clearing her mind.

“OK. You’re going to get through this. I know it’s hard, but you’re tough. Who cares if you don’t have eyebrows. They’ll grow back. In the meantime, paint some on and forget about it,” she said in a no-nonsense tone.

“Easy for you to say. You look like a goddess,” Jennifer said, her voice hiccupping. She turned her head and studied Mia, swiping tears from her eyes. “Were you really kidnapped or is this just a buddying-up technique?”

Mia took two fingers and made a cross over her heart. “As God is my witness. I wasn’t held for as long as you, but he did march me out into the woods and try to kill me.”

There was a spark of interest in Jennifer’s eyes and her breathing finally leveled out. “That’s horrible.”

“Yeah. It was. But you dust yourself off and you move on, right? I’m not going to let that moment define me.” Mia studied the woman’s face. “Truth time? You don’t look your best, but you’re still beautiful. And all this is temporary anyway. You won’t be living the rest of your life without hair or eyebrows. But you will be living it, right? The kidnapper can’t take that away from you.”

A shuddering sigh rose up from Jennifer’s chest. She nodded once then, using the counter, climbed to her feet and stared into the mirror, tipping her head side to side.

“You’re so right. I’ve never hooked into the victim mentality. No point in starting now.”

Mia smiled and pushed up from the chair. “There she is. That’s the bold, in-charge woman I met a week ago.”

“I sure don’t feel that way, but I’ll try to remember, anyway.”

“I’m sorry you were kidnapped,” Mia said.

“And I’m sorry you were kidnapped. Did they every catch the person?” Jennifer asked.

Mia hesitated. “Yeah. They did. And I want to make sure we catch your person, too. You want that, don’t you?”

Jennifer clasped her hands together and nodded. “Yes, I want her punished more than you can imagine.”

“Okay. Good. I have questions.”