I Believe You
Dahlia
“So, how was your trip?” Mindy leans over to ask before we log in to work.
“Fun.” Weird. “I found out a few of the friends I met up with live around here. We’re going to get together soon.”
“I’d love to meet your other friends.”
Other friends?!? Mindy considers herself my friend. “That sounds like fun. Let’s set something up in the next couple of weeks.”
“Did Vex go with you?”
“No, but he will next year. I missed him.”
“You two are so cute together.” Mindy stares over at Adonis.
That’s not good. Mindy needs someone sweet. Vex has got to have a friend that would be a better fit for her. I need to work on that now that I’m home.
“What we need is a barbeque. I hate having to wait until the summer. The winter is going to be so dreary.”
Should I volunteer? People might look at me differently. “What if we did one at my place?”
“Your place?” Mindy’s eyes go wide .
“Yeah.” I shift my gaze to the floor. “My backyard is big enough for a decent-sized group, but so is my house.”
Mindy’s eyebrows shoot up into her forehead. “Your house? You own a house in Urbium? Like a real house? You mean your apartment has access to a shared garden or something, right?”
That’s why I don’t mention the house. I shouldn’t have offered. I should have kept my mouth shut. “No. I mean my house.”
“You’re rich.”
Owning a home today does make you rich, but I’m really not. Or not at least to Vex’s level, with a private plane waiting on my every whim. “I’m comfortable.”
“What did you do, invent a widget or something or inherit money?”
I laugh at the idea that I could invent anything mechanical. “A little of both.”
And we’re out of time to chat. Our shift starts.
“That’s really cool. Barbeques here we come.”
The fact that she’s more excited about grilled meat than our financial differences is encouraging. I log in.
My first call pops in immediately.
“911, what is your emergency?”
“My name is Marlie Wonderosh.”
There’s something very off about her tone. Fear? Desperation. “What’s wrong Marlie?”
“No one believes me. My boyfriend has been stalking me and terrorizing me for months and no one believes me.”
Domestic abuse. “Where are you right now? Is he there with you?”
“I can’t tell you yet. I need to find the proof. You need to believe me. Someone needs to believe me.”
Proof. Whatever is going on, that woman has passed afraid, into desperate. “I believe you, Marlie. There are places that we can take you where you’ll be safe. Where he can’t hurt you. ”
“He’s never touched me. He’s smart. But he’s always there. I see him everywhere, following me. Watching me.”
“Marlie, where are you so that I can send help? There are things the police can do to keep him away from you.” Or provide you with the medical help you need.
“I tried that. I tried everything. Before I met him, my life was good. I was top of my class in medical school. I was accepted into the best research internship in the country. Everything was good.”
“Everything can be good again. If you tell me where you are, I can get you the help you need.”
“No one can help me. Not without proof. I did everything right. I went to a lawyer. I tried to get a restraining order. But they didn’t believe me. No one believes me because he’s a cop and I’m nothing but a student.”
Possible police involvement means I need to flag this call for Adonis. He immediately gives me a thumbs-up that he’s received it and joins the call.
“Even my lawyer doesn’t believe me. She told me there was nothing she could do and to leave it alone. But she doesn’t understand. He won’t leave me alone.”
“Marlie, I believe you. Tell me where you are. Please let me help you.” There’s no tracking information coming up from her phone. She must be blocking me.
“I will. You are going to help me. As soon as I find the proof, you can send the police to me. Then they will see. Then everyone will believe me.”
Before I can flag it for a possible break-in attempt, Adonis has it done. For now, all I need to do is focus on gaining her trust so that she’ll tell me where she is. “Why don’t you tell me where you are and then we can help you find the evidence?”
“Don’t lie to me. That’s not how it’s going to work. As soon as I tell you where I am, you’re going to send the cops. They’re going to arrest me and then send me to jail or the psych ward. But that won’t matter as long as they have the evidence proving I’m not crazy. ”
She’s right. Is this really about a cop who slipped through the cracks? “These calls are recorded. Why don’t you tell me your entire story? This way, it’ll be on the record.”
“You believe me.”
“I do.” To the point that I’m tempted to pull out my cell phone and call Vex for help. But that breaks protocol and might get him in trouble. There are too many good cops in the building not to give them the chance to fix a problem within their ranks.
“It all started a few months ago when I ran into him on campus…”
***
Tears pour down my face. How did she stay sane after all the things he’s done to her? And how could any lawyer walk away from this woman when she needs it the most?
“…This afternoon I saw him holding one of my textbooks outside of the window and I knew it would never end.”
“It will end. You’re going to get through this.”
“Thank you for believing in me.”
I don’t deserve her thanks. Doing the right thing is the responsibility of all of us. “I’m sorry you had to go through all of that.”
“It’s almost over. I’m just a few blocks from his place.”
She’s putting herself at risk. “Are you sure you don’t want to tell me where you are? There’s got to be another way. I’ll do everything I can to help you.”
“No. This is the way it has to be. I’m going to take a shortcut—Oh no. He found me. He’s here.”
“Who? Who found you? Where are you, Marlie?”
“He’s getting closer. There’s something in his hands. It looks like a needle. Help me.”
“Where are you? Tell me where you are. ”
“No. Don’t hurt me. Please don’t hurt me.”
There’s a loud crash, then silence, and the phone disconnects.
I failed her.
“There’s got to be something I can do.”
A hand comes down on my shoulder.
“There’s nothing more we can do. You did everything you could,” Adonis says from right behind me. “She wouldn’t tell you where she is. There are too many troubled people on the streets of Urbium.”
Troubled. After all that, Adonis thinks she’s troubled. There’s a woman out there being hunted, maybe even held against her will by someone she should be able to trust, and Adonis is calling her troubled!
“She needs help.” Real help. Not people telling her what they can’t do or calling her crazy.
“And when she calls again, and I can promise you she’ll call again, we’ll help her. If she lets us.”
We can’t just walk away from her. She needs help now.
But there’s nothing we can do. My role is limited.
Tears continue to flow.
“Prue, why don’t you take—”
A call clicks on. I forgot to put myself as unavailable. It’s too late to do anything but answer. “911. What is your emergency?”
“Hello, beautiful. Have you missed me?”
No.
Not him.
Not now.
“I’ve been thinking about you.”
My hands shake, and my throat tightens.
“Don’t you worry. I have a plan. We’re going to meet very soon.”
“No. No. Leave me alone.”
Adonis reaches past me and disconnects the call. “What happened?”
“I need Vex.”