Chapter Nineteen
Lianna quietly closed the door to Annie’s bedroom. Leaning back against it, she exhaled forcefully. The little girl was just fine, lying on her bed reading books and talking to her stuffed animals. Lianna, however, was mentally exhausted and her stomach growled in protest of involuntary fasting that morning. She headed downstairs to make a snack. As she reached the bottom of the steps, there was a knock at the door.
Lianna considered ignoring it, but maybe Gabe had gotten her message and came to check in. It was downright scary how much she wanted him to be standing there with concern in his sparkling eyes. Then he would step inside, take her in his strong arms and hold her until the tension left her body. With that very pleasant thought in mind, she threw the door open.
On the threshold stood her neighbor Diane. Lianna had been avoiding this uncomfortable confrontation. Not having the energy to do this now, she tried her best to be polite.
“Hi, Diane, this isn’t a good time.”
“Get outside.”
The words were so flat and devoid of emotion, they sent a warning up Lianna’s spine. It was only then she took a good look at her neighbor. Diane seemed unhinged—her demure appearance gone. The woman’s eyes darted around wildly, glancing over her shoulder. She held her arm behind her back awkwardly.
“What’s going on?”
“Get. Out. Side. Now.”
That command had a little more oomph to it but still made no sense.
“Listen, are you okay? Do you need help?” Lianna asked, confused.
“Get outside!”
Diane screeched the words just as she pulled a large knife from behind her back. Then she thrust the glistening steel in Lianna’s direction. Lianna stumbled back briefly before throwing her body against the door to try and close it. The precious seconds it had taken Lianna to get to the door was enough time for Diane to position her foot and leg inside the door frame. Lianna kicked at the foot before a slice of pain seared through her forearm.
Grabbing her injured arm, Lianna retreated into the foyer. “What the fuck?” Looking down she saw the knife had cut through her sweater, the blood already dripping down to her fingers.
“Let’s try this again. Get outside.”
Diane used her head to direct Lianna outside. She went willingly, knowing they were leaving Annie safely upstairs. Under normal circumstances, she would never leave her alone, but given the choice between alone or with a knife-wielding psycho, she chose alone. Charles would be here with Harris in under an hour.
Diane followed Lianna closely as they walked onto the front porch. Perhaps she was here on Tim’s behest, maybe she was even fearful of the man. Before Lianna could get any answers, she felt her phone buzzing in the back pocket of her jeans.
There was no way to answer it without Diane seeing, but she had to try. This was her only chance. Pretending to stumble on the final porch stair, Lianna grabbed her cell and swiped with her thumb.
The sound of Gabe’s booming voice gave her away immediately, the loud volume impossible to hide.
“Lianna? Are you there?” Gabe’s voice was muffled.
“You bitch!” Diane’s eyes widened for a second in surprise, then narrowed. “Give me the phone!”
Lianna thought through her options, she was twice this woman’s size, but that was a big knife. If Diane got in one jab, Lianna would be down with no one to help. Then Annie would be all alone with her. Diane was under the impression the little girl was still at school, and Lianna intended to keep it that way. For all she knew, Gabe was stuck in an airport or downtown at work. She needed to handle this one alone. Knowing there was no other option, she handed the phone over, speaking loudly.
“Diane, please, just keep the knife down.”
Diane snatched it away, hanging up and then pocketing it.
“Please, tell me what is going on!” Lianna pleaded, not caring that she sounded desperate. She was desperate.
“Diane, the kids. I’m all they have. I need to get them from school.”
“Oh, the kids are just fine. Trust me, I learned that the hard way.”
Lianna’s mind reeled. “Excuse me?”
“You’re pretty, but you’re dumb.” Diane laughed without a trace of humor in her voice. She focused her narrowed eyes on Lianna. “I attempted to get your attention a hundred different ways. I figured they wouldn’t let me leave with Annie, but I knew you’d pay attention if I tried that.”
“It was you?”
“Wow, maybe you aren’t so dumb after all,” the woman retorted dryly and Lianna felt a surge of anger course through her.
“Why do you have a knife pointed at me?” Lianna spat out.
“Because I have to!” Taking a deep breath, Diane went on. “I tried everything, everything to get you to leave.”
“Why would you want me to leave?”
Diane lowered her voice to a harsh whisper. “You know, Tim used to look at me the same way he looks at you now.”
“Tim has never looked at me any way other than friendly.”
Diane tilted her head, giving Lianna a disbelieving look. She held the knife so tightly, that her knuckles were a shade whiter than the rest of her pale skin.
“When your husband died you figured you could just poach mine?”
“Whoa, I think you’re missing something.”
“I’m not missing anything. You stupid slut. He says your name when we’re in bed.”
The way she took a step backward and the flush that crept up Diane’s pale cheeks, led Lianna to believe she hadn’t meant to admit that.
“Did you know that? Did he tell you? Did you two have a laugh about it? He used to say her name … not anymore.”
The icy tone sent panic coursing through Lianna. She almost wished they were yelling again. Anger she could handle, but this was more, this was hatred.
“Whose name?”
Diane merely gave her a cold smile.
“My God, there’s no way you could really believe I’m sleeping with Tim.”
Diane moved towards her, shifting the knife haphazardly as she spoke.
“Men that aren’t screwing their neighbors don’t say their name in bed. When I catch him over at your property, he turns red, starts stuttering like a fool.”
“I swear, nothing ever happened between Tim and I.”
The woman went on as if Lianna wasn’t talking.
“Tim won’t touch me, he barely speaks to me. You’re not the first woman who has wanted my man. But they were easier to deal with. I couldn’t get you to leave and now he wants a divorce.”
“I’m sorry he wants a divorce, but that’s not my fault. I have never been with Tim.”
Lianna was trying hard to wrap her mind around the anger and desperation coming from her usually quiet neighbor. She did her best to sympathize through the vile language being thrown around.
“That’s what he said last time. I believed him, too. I believed that I was jealous and paranoid, until…” Diane choked up briefly. “They were going to have a baby.” She harshly wiped at her cheek and composed herself. “After I got rid of her, I thought things would be okay. Then you ruined everything.”
After you got rid of who?
“Please put the knife down and then we can really talk this through.”
“All you needed to do is leave, I told you that on the phone, but you were too selfish. You just loved all the attention on yourself. Now, I need to make you go away.”
There was a finality to Diane’s voice that caused the bubbles of panic to erupt. Lianna felt as if she might not be able to get out of this situation.
“It’s your fault we’re doing this the hard way. Instead of taking my hints and going back to wherever the hell you came from, you had to run to Tim for help. Now he’s in jail because of you and your big dumb boyfriend.”
Diane was escalating, her breaths were shallow, and she had a frenzied look in her eye. Lianna knew she needed to get away, needed to get to a phone now. The woman read her thoughts.
“Don’t you dare try to run or I’ll go back to the school. I won’t leave without Annie this time.”
“How could you hurt a child? She is completely innocent in this!”
“I’d never hurt Annie. I can’t believe that thing came from you.” Diane used her free hand to shove Lianna forward. “Tim never wanted kids, at least that’s what he said. Until her. Then once I heard him start droning on and on about how sweet Annie is, I started thinking maybe he’ll come back if you have an accident and I’m here to care for the kids.”
She said the words so calmly, with so much conviction, as if she had thought the plan through. If Lianna didn’t leave, Diane planned on making her. How could she believe anyone would let her take Lianna’s daughter and start a new life?
“You’re just as crazy as your husband!”
“Don’t you dare speak about my husband that way!”
Diane shoved Lianna again with her free hand, catching her off guard this time. Lianna stumbled forward several steps. By the time Lianna regained her balance, the woman was at her side, her long nails cutting into Lianna’s injured forearm. Tears clouded her vision.
“I’m not falling for that again. Walk.”
“Too bad it must end this way. I had fun bothering you. See, that’s where I went wrong with Justine. When I found out about them, I let my anger get the best of me. But with you, listening to you stammer ‘hello’ when I called, watching you shriek like an idiot when you found the spiders.” Diane sighed, “I should have known you’d run to Tim. When he figured out what I was doing he had the nerve to be angry with me! Begged me to stop or threatened to tell you. Then you found a new boy toy to run to and his feelings got hurt.”
The pain in Lianna’s arm was making her nauseated, Diane’s insinuations making her dizzy.
“Tim’s up north at his brother’s place, so it’s the perfect chance to get rid of you without the police blaming him. We’ll walk to your special meeting spot by the stairs, then you’ll have a little accident.”
Lianna’s chest was so tight she struggled to pull in a full breath.
“Or maybe we’ll go to the rocks by the ocean, and you’ll slip and bash your head. Poor thing. Seems a lot of moms are slipping on the rocks these days.” Diane said the words in a sing-song voice, clearly amused by the idea.
“You’re overreacting, we can find another way,” Lianna pleaded but knew her words didn’t matter.
“Not anymore, Tim doesn’t want to come home to me…”
“Surely you can go to him and talk?”
“He doesn’t want me! He wanted her and now he wants you! Which is why I need you gone. It’s simple.”
The ups and downs of Diane’s disposition had begun to scare Lianna as much as the knife.
“It’s your fault and you need to pay. Now shut up and walk.”
Lianna was silent as they marched down the deserted street. She tried desperately to come up with a plan before they reached the end of the road and slipped into the forest where no one would see them. Oddly, she had a vivid recollection of an episode of Oprah .
The renowned host had told her female viewers in a kidnapping situation the number one thing to remember was never let them get you to point B. Take your chances of escape at the point of abduction, because once they had you in solitude your chances of survival drastically diminished. Lianna had no intention of getting to point B.
In a truly ironic curse, Lianna and Scott had chosen this street to build their dream home for the two reasons that burdened her now. First, it was close to the ocean, and second, it was very quiet. The homes sat back off the road and they were lucky to get one car per hour down here. Regardless, Lianna knew she would have to stand her ground soon. They had traveled past both of their own homes, far enough away that Annie would be safe.
Lianna quickly came up with a plan—turn and run. She was no action hero. Trying to kick Diane or fight her would be both dangerous and a waste of time. Simply fleeing was her best option.
Lianna was half a foot taller than the woman and even with her bum ankle, she would bet on herself to win that race any day. The sticking point was where would Lianna run to? Would she risk going home? There was a landline at her house and if she did make it, she could lock the door safely behind her.
But what if she didn’t make it? What if she got to the driveway only to have her daughter wandering around looking for her? What if she brought Diane back to the girl, putting Annie in harm’s way? But it was the only option she had because if Lianna did get away, Diane might go back to her house anyway.
Diane had freed Lianna’s arm once she regained her balance after the shove, but she still walked unnervingly close. The tip of the knife pressed against Lianna’s sweater as they walked. She could hear Diane still speaking, her tone bitter and harsh but she was no longer processing the words. Lianna had to act now, before she got to point B. Inhaling a final steadying breath, Lianna channeled the images of her children, then pulled away and ran.
****
As soon as Gabe turned onto Lianna’s street he saw the pair walking ahead. They were about halfway between her home and the end of the road. The women stuck out like the odd couple—Lianna tall and dark, Diane short and blonde. Slowing his car to a crawl to stay undetected, he pulled into Lianna’s driveway and out of sight.
After considering retrieving his firearm from the trunk, he quickly dismissed the idea. There was no time to waste. Lianna was in danger, and she needed him now. He didn’t know exactly what kind of danger she was in, just that she was in it, and that was enough for him.
Luckily, Gabe had peeled out of work the minute he listened to Lianna’s voicemail, hearing the tension in her voice. He was only a handful of miles away when he had finally gotten through and heard the women’s exchange. The anger and contempt in Diane’s voice shocked him. It also fueled him, as he obliterated the speed limit trying to reach her.
Lianna must be so frightened, but she had kept her cool, wisely telling Gabe the woman’s name and that she had a weapon. After Diane had disconnected the call, he had dialed 911. They should be backing him up any minute now.
Gabe jumped out of the vehicle and cautiously took off towards the pair. Although anxious for Lianna, he was focused and steady. Snatching a weapon away from a woman half his size didn’t even make him think twice. He just needed to make sure it wasn’t used on Lianna first.
As he crept toward them, he came up with a game plan. Running through the trees on the side of the road was slower and louder, but would keep him hidden should Diane check her back. If Gabe were stealth enough, he estimated he could get within ten yards of the women before he had to reveal himself.
Listening hard, he approached the duo. If Diane was still talking, Lianna was relatively safe. For a while Lianna had been pleading her case, debating with the woman who Gabe could now see held about a nine-inch knife at her side. But for the last several seconds Lianna had grown quiet, her body seemingly on autopilot.
Within striking distance now, Gabe exited the cover of the trees ready to reveal his position. To his surprise, Lianna turned suddenly and sprinted towards him. The move caught Diane by surprise as well. The woman stood there in shocked stillness for two seconds before she reacted, swiping the knife. Fortunately, that was all the time it took for Lianna to get out of her reach as she bound towards him.
“Stop!” Diane screamed after Lianna.
Lianna slowed when she saw Gabe, her eyes wide with fear.
“Run!” he commanded, glancing down at her sweatshirt that was torn and caked with blood. “Lock the door and stay in the house,” he bellowed without sparing her another glance.
To his relief, Lianna continue past him. She was safe for the time being, and he intended to keep her that way. All his attention now focused on the woman with the weapon.
Diane stopped giving chase when Gabe stepped fully onto the roadway. She was locked in his sight, a deer in headlights appearance to her icy blue eyes. Indecision flickered across her face before she turned and sprinted towards the stairs. Gabe knew he needed to give chase. This woman had a role in all the hardship Lianna had been through recently and that ended today.
Narrowing the distance between them easily, Gabe was almost close enough to reach out and grab her. They had just passed the first evergreens, unveiling the stairs beyond, when Diane stopped and spun. The move startled Gabe. He had been sure she would flee down the steps towards the ocean and away from him. After all, it was insane that she would face off against a man twice her size. But that was exactly what she was doing.
Gabe’s momentum betrayed him and before he could pull back, she thrust the knife. He felt the pain in his left side as he simultaneously raised his arms to stop her. The force of his elbow connecting with her head sent Diane flying back into the railing of the stairs. Her foot clipped the bottom of the rail, and she lost her balance.
The scene played out in slow motion, her arms spinning several times as panic masked her face. Then she was falling backwards. With a yell, she went over the edge and down the side of the cliff.
Gabe heard her land with a sickening crunch. Just narrowly skidding to a stop himself, he used the railing as support. Leaning over in search of her body, he found it twenty feet below tangled in dense shrubbery.
She landed on the tree roots slightly uphill, then rolled into the bushes based on the sound of her landing. It was then he first heard the sirens. Lianna . Needing to be with her, more than he needed his next breath, he turned to run. That’s when the pain in his side forced him to double over. He looked down.
His white dress shirt was covered in blood.
****
Lianna didn’t stop running until she reached her house. Slamming the door behind her, she locked it then kept moving. Not able to afford the luxury of catching her breath, she sprinted up the stairs two at a time. Slowing only when she reached Annie’s room, she opened the door as calmly as possible. Her breaths were coming in shaky gasps now, and the last thing she wanted was to frighten her daughter.
The little girl had fallen asleep, her head on a stuffed unicorn, book open in her lap. Tears painfully stung Lianna’s eyes as she resisted the urge to run to the girl and squeeze. Instead, she closed the door again and continued down the hall to her office.
Hightailing it over to the desk, she grabbed the landline that she never used. Quickly she dialed 911 and detailed the situation as concisely as possible. No sooner had she hung up, she heard sirens in the distance. That was fast .
Lianna stood there momentarily, hesitant to make her next move. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, her heart still trying to beat its way out of her chest. Gabe . What if he needed her? It didn’t seem likely, but what if Diane had somehow gotten the upper hand?
Running back down the stairs, she pulled open the door in time to see two police cruisers speed down her street. Jogging to the end of her driveway, her mouth hung open at the scene unfolding. In the few minutes she had been inside, two ambulances and other police vehicles had parked at the bottom of her road.
At the top of her road, police were setting up crime scene tape, closing off her street to traffic. The sound of a familiar voice flooded her with relief. Charles was in his SUV having a discussion with a uniformed cop. He saw Lianna, pointed, and was permitted to proceed.
When he reached her driveway, he jumped out, crushing her in his arms before asking a single question. She tried her best to hold it together, but she felt the tears sliding down her face and knew she was failing. Lianna scolded herself. She could not break down now, not yet.
The feel of genuine support almost took her under. Her life had literally gone to shit in a handbag, but the love she felt from her in-laws was pure and true. She knew that now. It wasn’t borne of guilt or obligation—they simply loved her and her children. Instead of allowing herself the breakdown she so desperately deserved, she pulled back having gained the strength she needed from the embrace.
“You’re bleeding.” Charles grabbed her tattered sweatshirt and pulled the sleeve up to reveal a nasty cut. The injury burned like hell but wasn’t bleeding anymore.
“My neighbor, she cut me. Gabe chased her. She has a knife.”
Lianna explained what happened as briefly as possible, hoping she was making sense. Harris was inside waving at her through the tinted window, confusion on the boy’s face. Lianna didn’t need to force a smile at her son. She beamed at him through teary eyes and blew him a kiss. She turned to her father-in-law once more.
“Annie’s napping inside. Can you please sit with her? I need to make sure he’s okay.”
“You have no idea if it’s safe yet. A cop can take care of himself.”
But Lianna was already backing away.
Turning, she jogged towards the scene. An ambulance passed her, lights flashing, and she picked up her pace. As she reached the end of the road, the first thing she noticed was that neither Gabe nor Diane was anywhere to be found. That’s as far as she got before a uniformed officer approached her.
“Ma’am, you can’t be here.”
“My neighbor had a knife. I ran away. What happened to them? Gabe took off after her, she had a knife…”
Frustration coursed through her. She wasn’t making a lick of sense. The officer looked down at her arm then called over his shoulder, “I need paramedics.”
The officer guided Liana to the back of an ambulance where a kind woman in uniform immediately started inspecting her arm. As the women worked, she asked Lianna questions about her injury. Then after cautioning her that it would sting, soaked her cut in antiseptic before placing butterfly bandages over it.
“I don’t think this will need stitches. But keep it dry and if you notice it becomes inflamed or infected looking you need to see a doctor.”
“Okay,” Lianna responded. The officer she had spoken to earlier was now approaching with an older man.
“This is Sergeant McVaugh,” the younger officer said. The older man had a kind face, he smiled at her and asked if she was okay.
“I guess. I don’t need stitches so I’m fine. But Gabe…”
“Why was Detective Williamson here?”
Lianna explained that Gabe was a friend, who lived around the corner. She said she had confided in him about being harassed. That he had called about twenty minutes ago and Lianna had yelled her neighbor had a knife. Both men nodded, the younger one taking notes.
“Where is he?” Lianna asked, confused that she had still not seen him or Diane.
“I can’t give out any information,” Sergeant McVaugh said, then lowered his voice, “but I think he’ll be okay. Ambulance is already on their way to the hospital.”
“The hospital?”
The alarm she felt coursing inside her must have been palpable because the man gently ushered her back towards her home. “Let’s go sit down and talk. You’ve been through a lot.”
Just before she turned away from the scene, a stretcher emerged from the treeline. It was hard to see from this distance, but it appeared to be a woman strapped down. A woman with pale, blonde hair matted with blood. She had something covering her mouth and paramedics were actively working on her as they wheeled her to the awaiting ambulance.
“Is she…” Lianna had to stop and swallow.
“I’m not sure on her status,” the man said gently.
And this time he didn’t need to lead her away. She was glad to get as far away from this place as possible.