Chapter 17 #2
“Tell me what you’re looking for, and I’ll help,” I said softly. Her frantic eyes looked up at me as her lips trembled. This wasn’t the Carolina I remembered. She’d always been so sure of herself and went after what she wanted in life.
She moved away from my touch and raced down the hall and into her room.
I followed her just to make sure she didn’t hurt herself.
I found her standing on her bed as she looked into each globe of the ceiling fan, and then she jumped down and checked the lamps on her bedside table, then went into the bathroom.
Her chest rapidly rose and fell as she checked the room for what I didn’t know, but my mind went to the worst-case scenarios.
Her hand met my chest and pushed me back as she rushed into Luke’s room. My body instantly froze, and worry set in. If she was looking in his room, what did that mean?
I walked in the room to find her squeezing stuffed animals like her life depended on it as she tossed one on the floor before she picked up another.
Luke lay on the bed sleeping, and I worried she’d wake him.
She checked the same things she checked in the last two rooms before she paused and looked down at Luke.
A sob wretched from her as she put her hands to her mouth to muffle the sound.
With one last longing look down at our son, she turned around and walked toward me. I moved back, and she turned to the side and walked past me back toward the living room.
She stood in the middle of the room, and I stopped just beside the couch to give her some space.
“Carolina. Are you okay?” I asked as I put my hands in the back pockets of my shorts and rocked back on my heels.
Something had spooked her based on the way she wrapped her arms around herself and pulled her chin to her chest.
I didn’t know what to do.
Should I pull her in for a hug?
Should I demand she tell me what was going on?
Should I wait patiently and allow her to tell me in her own time?
I decided on the latter.
I stood there and watched the woman who used to mean the world to me fall apart knowing there was nothing I could do to fix it until she opened up to me.
My heart raced the longer it took her to come out of her shaken state.
After what felt like forever, but was likely only minutes, her breathing slowed, and she rubbed her hands up and down her arms before she breathed deeply and looked up at me.
For as long as I lived, I’d never forget the look of anguish that marred her beautiful face.
“I’m sorry, Leo. Thank you for coming over and waking me up and being there for Luke while he was scared,” she said as her eyes blinked rapidly, and she moved toward the front door and opened it. She stood there and looked to the floor as she waited for me to leave.
She was shutting me out, but this time I couldn’t let her. If something was causing her or Luke’s safety to be in question, I had a right to know.
I wasn’t leaving until she explained.
Instead of walking to the door like she wanted me to, I walked over to the couch and sat down.
“You have nothin’ to be sorry for. Why don’t you tell me what’s goin’ on, so I can help?
” I said softly. Her head slowly moved to look at me.
Her scared eyes stared back at me. She swallowed hard before she let out a huff of air.
Her head shook as she pushed the door closed and walked over to me with her head hung low.
She sat down on the love seat opposite of me and curled her legs up to the side. Her hands rested on her lap as she shivered. She pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and overtop her as she got comfortable.
“I don’t even know where to start,” she whispered as she picked at her nails without looking at me.
“Just start where you feel comfortable, and we can go from there,” I gently suggested as I sat forward on the couch and clasped my hands together, resting my elbows on my knees.
My body grew taut at the thought of what she had to tell me.
Based on her slumped, rigid shoulders, and the tears that flowed freely down her cheeks, I knew whatever it was wouldn’t be good.
“On Valentine’s Day, I received flowers from a secret admirer,” she started with a hiccup and a sob.
I remained quiet as I waited with bated breath for her to continue.
“I thought it was sweet and cute. All the nurses that worked that night were giddy with excitement over the idea and smiled every time they passed the dozen red roses. I thought nothing of it. Then a week later a letter was delivered. A poem was inside the card. ‘Roses are red, violets are blue. Do you think about me as much as I think about you?’ I’ll never forget the words or the chill that ran through me after reading them.
I was on guard after that as I wondered who could have sent the message.
For a while nothing else happened, and I thought it was a fluke.
Then the notes appeared on my front door.
Week after week they became more demanding.
Whoever sent them was lurking in the background waiting for me to figure out who they were.
The day I got into my SUV, and my phone alerted me of a new device being found, I immediately called the police.
They came and found a tracker on my vehicle.
In the place where I always felt the safest, I shook as I came home.
I put on a brave face for Luke, Lexi, and Neil, but I was scared out of my mind,” she rapidly said as she took a deep breath before she continued.
“The police couldn’t do anything because I didn’t know where to tell them to look.
I had no idea who was doing this to me. I didn’t have any enemies.
I stayed to myself except for living with Lexi and Neil.
I didn’t go anywhere but work and home and to the school events Luke had.
I wracked my brain over and over until I made myself crazy with trying to figure out who it could be.
Lexi and Neil were constantly on guard too trying to help me. ”
She paused as she looked away and put her hand up to her mouth and sobbed into it.
“Do you need to take a break?” I asked because I could tell this was hard for her.
She shook her head as she collected herself, she wiped her face and rubbed her hands on the blanket.
“One day I came home from work. I was so tired after the shift I’d had. Luke was full of energy. I made us dinner and followed our routine. When I walked into his room to collect his pajamas as the bath water ran, I froze.”
My blood ran cold. Whatever she was about to tell me, I knew it would change everything.
“There on his bed laid a teddy bear, but I hadn’t brought it.
A letter was in the bear’s arms. I didn’t touch it.
I backed out of the room and closed the door.
I called the police right away and as I waited I called my friends in a panic.
Neil and Lexi came home from the hospital to sit with Luke.
The police came and I explained everything to them.
There was a camera in the bear, Leo. Like a nanny cam.
I lost it. I knew I couldn’t stay there anymore.
I had to get away. But the kicker was, the police searched our house and found more cameras in my room, my bathroom, and the living room.
None were in Lexi or Neil’s room. The next day, I packed up what I could and made the drive here,” she explained as more tears fell from her eyes.
She pulled her legs up and rested her head on her legs and sobbed.
“Have they found him?” I asked with a hard swallow.
She shook her head as she let out a loud sob and cried harder.
I got up from the couch and moved over to the love seat.
Sitting beside her, I pulled her into my arms. Her hands covered her face as she sobbed into my shirt.
Her tears soaked the cotton fabric. I ran my fingers through her hair the same way I used to when she was upset to try and soothe her, knowing there was nothing I could do but hold her.
I sat back on the couch and pulled her with me, holding on to her like my life depended on it. My arm tightened around her shoulder and I moved my other arm around her, as I gently rocked her.
She was safe here in Haven Valley. Wasn’t she?