This entire installment takes place in between the time frame where my last story ended and before the WTR episode "Lost Boys" begins.
"New Horizons" PART ONE
The hearty country tunes and upbeat rhythms of C.D.'s couldn't pick Katheryn out of the doldrums she found herself in that afternoon. Not even Molly's reassuring tones and pats on the back could stir her as she rested her forehead against the bar's surface, her nose pressed into the shiny top while she sighed. Molly occupied the stool next to her, uttering a brief and loving remark every few minutes. Still…Katheryn could not be stirred.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Molly asked for what seemed like the twentieth time.
Katheryn nodded the best she could under the current circumstances and position of her head. "I'm quite happy." She sighed roughly, her muffled voice repeating those same words each time Molly had asked over the course of five minutes give or take.
Molly was tempted to give up and let her friend be. "Are you sure?"
"Yes!" Katheryn snapped back and instantly regretted it. It was then at that very moment she knew she was fighting a losing battle. Turning her head to meet with her loving friend's gaze, she slowly lifted her face from off of the bar and swiveled right on her stool. "We kissed." It felt like a relief to spill those words before herself and her best friend.
Molly's eyes grew just a tad bit wider as she listened. "You…and Carlos?"
Katheryn nodded, the slight shock still evident in her expression.
"When did it happen?" Molly was clearly intrigued and tried to will away all desire to smile from ear to ear. Yet that too was almost a hopeless cause.
"Last week…after Trent fought Lyons."
"And I'm just now hearing about this?"
"Well, you're the first to know. Don't gloat about it any. But no one else knows."
Molly searched for Katheryn's eyes, stifling a smile. "I don't understand. Why are you upset about it?"
"I'm not upset about it," Katheryn stated quickly and matter-of-factly, not willing to chance a misunderstanding as a sly smile eased onto her face. "Believe me. I am far from upset about it." Talking and thinking it over was almost as if she was reliving the moment itself as she paused, thinking back to the rather pleasant way it had made her feel. She snapped out of it soon after, pressing onward into her explanation. "It's just…overwhelming…I suppose." Words seemed to fail her. Since making Dallas her home last year, she had fought off a serial killer, survived a near-death experience in the mountains of Utah, and had even secured her green belt just a few days ago under Trent's tutelage. Yet this one moment seemed more overwhelming than all those other events put together. But despite the shock she seemed to have difficulty overcoming, she still could not suppress the smile that willed its eager way to her face.
"I see." Molly clasped a smile together amid her closed mouth, her rosy cheeks beaming over her friend's good fortune as she reached for the coffee cup in front of her and took a sip of the comforting, steaming liquid.
"I know what you're thinking." Katheryn stared horizontally straight at the line of mugs on the counter opposite the bar, chin propped up on her fist, fully succumbing to the joy of the moment with a grin instead of letting some silly worries rob her of the moment.
Molly turned. "What?"
Katheryn was about to speak when the shrill sound of C.D.'s countertop telephone rang aloud, interrupting the already nearly stinted conversation. Her eyebrows were raised as she expected C.D. to come bounding from the kitchen, his hearty voice greeting the person on the other end of the device as he picked up the phone. But he never came.
Both Katheryn and Molly scanned the kitchen door intently…just to be sure…before Katheryn rose from the barstool and eased down the bar, circling to the other side of the counter and picking up the phone to place it to her ear. "C.D.'s," she hesitantly spoke into the device, still glancing behind her for good measure. Katheryn squinted softly as she strained to hear the distant voice that wasn't coming through the line very clearly. "I'm sorry. I can't quite hear you. Who—who is this?" She gripped the phone even closer to her ear as if it would do much good.
Molly's eyes stayed faceted upon Katheryn as the latter's face grew slightly distorted, small wrinkle lines forming at different places on her face as more confusion set in.
"No—I—I can't quite understand you. Can you speak up?" Katheryn was nearly ready to consider the phone call over when a clearer voice reached her ear. She instantly zoned her entire attention towards the voice, listening for each word distinctly.
"I—I need help. Somebody…." A whimper mingled with what sounded like a soft sob as the feminine voice struggled to carry on.
"What's the matter, miss?" Katheryn tried prying more information from the frightened young woman.
"He'll kill me if he finds out."
"Who are you? What's your name?"
The voice hesitated. "Annie."
"Annie, have you called the police?"
Silence. "A friend gave me this number. Said a man named Parker helped her years ago. And he could help me…since he's a Texas Ranger and all."
"Mr. Parker is semi-retired now, Annie. But I have some good friends that can help you. Tell me your phone number. I'll pass it on." Katheryn prayed silently that Annie would give in to the small request. For she sensed that the girl was definitely in some sort of dire straits.
"Um, I can't. Not this number. Can I meet you somewhere?"
Katheryn was apprehensive to comply. She wasn't going to make any of the mistakes she had made in the months past. She had learned her lesson concerning diving into situations with no help. "I—I think I can do that. I'll be bringing someone with me though."
"Oh…Okay." Annie detailed an address before hanging up quickly when someone had seemed to enter the room, stinting her moment of escape.
Katheryn sighed and returned the phone to its home. "That—was rather odd."
"Who was it?" Molly readjusted her arm in the sling as it grew numb.
"She said her name was Annie. She'd like to talk with someone. Said a friend gave her C.D.'s number because she trusted him."
"Hmm." Molly's forehead was creased as she was beside herself with intrigue. "Did she say what was wrong?"
"Not in those words. But I could tell she was trying to keep the conversation as secret as possible."
"You going to call Carlos?"
"Yup." Katheryn reached for the phone again and dialed that familiar number.
"You two make a good team." Molly smiled from ear to ear.
Katheryn only rolled her eyes and grinned, not willing to admit that her best friend was right…although she agreed with her completely. The only matter of concern in her mind at that moment was this mysterious "Annie" and what she might be dealing with. It didn't seem like something to take lightly. And then again, it could all be a hoax.
A brief phone conversation later, Katheryn parted ways with Molly, aiming for her Stingray and the road that would lead her to meet this mysterious "Annie" along with Detective Sandoval by her side.
##
Katheryn carefully found her footing against the pavement beneath her as she eased from Carlos' unmarked police issue and shut the door firmly behind her. She scanned the structure before them warily, a frown gracing her typically jovial features as she didn't see a living soul anywhere in sight. Carlos was right behind her, one hand securing his firearm to his side as he slipped on his sunshades with the other hand. He then shut the driver's side door to his vehicle and traced a careful path to Katheryn's side.
"Snazzy place." Katheryn grimaced, noticing the broken windows, ugly graffiti, and bullet holes that grace the isolated two-story brick structure. No one could tell what the place had been in a former life. But one thing was certain. It had not been a usable facility for quite some time.
Carlos noticed an open doorway with a plastic tarp hanging over the entrance as a makeshift door. "Over there." He pointed towards it briefly before settling his hand back at his side. Subconsciously, his hand stayed hovered over his firearm as undetectable as possible. This place didn't seem very safe from the outside and prompted his sense of urgency.
Katheryn fell into step behind Carlos as he eased forward, bringing the plastic tarp away from the entrance and to the side to allow them to enter. It took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the rather dark interior before they simultaneously spotted a young woman in the far corner. She was crouched low to the ground with a blanket secured tightly around her as she tried not to shake from the shivers that seemed to consume her.
Katheryn briefly thought to herself that the building didn't seem very cold. Yet perhaps it was something else…something unseen and of the heart that caused the young woman to tremble.
Carlos arrived at the young woman first and bent down to her level. He softly laid his hand on her shoulder as he found his voice. "Annie?"
The young woman was startled, jerking her head around to face Carlos with wide eyes that spelled out the feeling of a very frightened person. She didn't speak. She only glared into Carlos' eyes as if he were ghost of her past…what seemed like a very horrendous past.
"It's okay." Carlos applied a kind grip to her shoulder to comfort the woman. "It's alright," he repeated.
Katheryn bent low to the ground next to Carlos and lowered her voice to a whisper. "What should we do?"
Carlos sighed. "I don't know."
To their surprise, the young woman had willed herself to trust them in that short window of time. She slowly turned around, shifting her entire body towards the two strangers before her as she let the blanket fall off of her shoulders, surrounding her on the concrete floor. Her hands still held a slight tremor, and her lip quivered ever so slightly. But she had mustered up a bravery that she had found hidden deep within her. "I—I'm sorry." Her voice was very low and raspy. "I thought you were somebody else."
"That's okay." It was Katheryn who offered the soft touch this time along with a loving smile. "Annie?" She searched for the girl's eyes as she attempted to further the conversation along. Annie nodded firmly, a slight shiver passing in the wake of her response. Katheryn smiled again before turning to Carlos. "Annie, my name is Katheryn this is Detective Carlos Sandoval. We'd like to help you if you'd let us."
Annie attempted a nod. "I do. I do want your help." She shifted her gaze from Katheryn to Carlos and then back again. "I just…" A small tear eased from eye and slid down her pale cheek, splashing with finality onto her thin blouse.
It was the first time Katheryn had noticed the young woman's attire. It seemed rather…unsuitable…for a young lady. A bit revealing in her opinion. Her skirt rode high also. One hundred questions went in and out of her mind as she sought the words she should speak next. Yet the silence overcame them instead.
Carlos detected Katheryn's hesitation and stepped in, bringing the blanket back around the woman's shoulders. "What did you need to tell us, Annie?"
Annie was apprehensive now. She turned her head to the side and refused to look them in the eyes. No matter how comforting Katheryn and Carlos tried to be, it didn't seem to help very much. "I can't." Annie suppressed a sob. "I shouldn't have called. He'll kill me for sure now." She had made up her mind and proceeded to try pushing her way past Carlos and Katheryn. "I should be leaving."
Katheryn caught her as she stumbled forward, taking her into an embrace and wrapping her arms securely about the now weeping young woman. She couldn't have been more than twenty-five years old. Not far from Katheryn's age. Yet her tears echoed against the cement walls of the tattered building like a young child's. Its varying tones showed the deep layers and shades of everything the young woman had been through that they had yet to discover.
"Please help me," Annie repeated several times through her sobs.
"We will." Katheryn rocked her as she pleaded with them. "We will." Katheryn caught a glance at Carlos over Annie's shoulder. Her eyes asking Carlos what they should do.
Carlos tipped his head forward softly amid a nod. The solution was as unclear to him as it was to Katheryn. But they now knew that this was not a trap. Annie seemed to bear all the signs of a victim. Yet…what was she a victim of?
Ninety seconds came and went before Annie pulled away from Katheryn with an apology, wiping at her eyes with the meager silk sleeve that barely covered her frail biceps.
"Don't apologize." Katheryn searched for Annie's eyes with no avail as she held the young woman by each of her shoulders. "Let's get you to somewhere safe."
"No!" Annie's stern voice broke out into an echo. She shrunk back penitently. "I mean… He'll kill you both too if he finds out."
"No he won't." Carlos spoke up, causing Annie to turn swiftly as she followed his voice. "C'mon. We'll take care of you."
Annie was far from trusting of the strangers before her...however kind they may have seemed. But if they were friends of Mr. Parker, they had to be trustworthy, she concluded as she let Carlos and Katheryn help her to her feet. Her legs were weak and she almost buckled beneath the stress had she not been held by the two people on either side of her. Annie surrendered then. She had finally come to the realization that she did need help. But it would difficult to fully receive the help. But she had to. If not for herself…then for the others who could suffer at the diabolical hand of Wade Mahoney.
