Chapter 2
Sofia stumbled through the door of her house, breathless, sweating heavily, her long blond hair matted against her scalp. She always pushed herself on her daily run, but today was even more punishing than usual. It helped to clear her mind and she spent the road time in her own thoughts, thinking back on the earlier session with Dr. Logan and the gash of memories it exposed.
It was a draining session. Sofia had put a lot of energy into forgetting what had happened that night. But now that her defences were down, her mind was swimming with images and whispers, shadows and sounds. She imagined she could smell the stale interview room where they questioned Boland. She could see the stained walls as clearly as if she was standing in the room now. She could feel the scuffed table against her elbows. Sitting against the table she pictured Boland. She winced as she recalled his stench, the spittle on his thin lips and the hate in his eyes. He wasn't a substantial man, but he exuded a hardness that was not to be messed with. Sofia had seen it all before. She'd lost count of the number of suspects she'd questioned in this room. Each one of them with whispered threats against her and her partner. It had become part of the natural cadence of every interrogation. But there was something about Boland that was difficult to shake. Or at least that's how she felt about it now.
Back then it was less obvious that this was more than just the usual bluster. Boland went through all the moves that a guy in his situation does; he stonewalled, then hurled abuse, he even tried humour. It didn't get him anywhere. Sofia was too disciplined to be taken in by such tactics. But then Boland looked her dead in the eye, holding her gaze captive in his. She could see him now, his square face beaded in sweat, his black hair scraped back along his scalp, two days of stubble on his cratered chin. She wanted to look away, but couldn't. He beckoned her to lean in closer to him. Involuntarily she complied. He smirked. Then his stare hardened. He warned her to toss the case against him or else face the consequences. By the time he had finished describing what would happen to Sofia and her partner she felt sick. She tried very hard to prevent Boland from seeing how shaken she was. He was studying her closely, looking for any sign of weakness.
Afterwards, she tried to shake it off. After all, it wasn't like she hadn't heard this type of thing before. She decided not to mention anything to Larry or the captain. It was difficult enough to be seen as an equal in this male dominated world, without inviting unwanted scrutiny such as this. Much later she would come to regret that decision.
As she ran, she continued to recall the events of that night in the alley. She could feel the same panic rise inside her again and she instinctively increased her pace. Her chest tightened as the gruesome scene unfolded in her mind's eye. She recalled the grip of hands on her arms, restraining her tightly. She remembered how her voice faltered as she tried to warn Larry. And then, she could hear the alley sounds ringing in her head. First, the steam that hissed from a nearby vent, then the rustling of small legs in an adjacent dumpster. But these sounds soon gave way her own breathless screams, followed by the sickening dull thuds as the gang exacted their revenge upon Larry. She ran harder and faster, as if she could outpace her own memory.
Afterwards, safely back in her home, she took a long, hot shower. Finally feeling cleansed, she stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel to dry herself off. Then she used the towel to mop up the condensation that had formed on the full-length mirror. As she did so, her eye was drawn to her body. She could see the lasting mark Boland's men left on her torso. As she lowered her left hand to touch the scar, she trembled, the memories of that night surfacing once more.
Boland was true to his word, his guys were clinical in their execution. They used a crowbar to subdue Larry, swinging it into the side of his skull. He crashed to the ground and they followed with further strikes and quick kicks to his head and propped him up and continued to pound and kick with hard fists and steel-toed boots until his body yielded in a bloody, pulpy mess. As they suspended his limp form, Sofia heard Boland's words in her ear. She knew what was coming next. Struggling against the gripping hands, she tried to work herself loose, but froze when she caught a glimpse of something metal. It looked sharp. By now she was wild with panic, screaming for help, willing them to stop. But it was no use. They plunged the knife into Larry's gut, twisting it for maximum effect. Sofia cried out in desperation. Then guy with the knife cocked his head towards Sofia, relishing her reaction. Through the darkness, she could sense his arousal as the pressure built within him. She heaved at the thought. But then she saw his expression change as a white light swept lazily over the scene. The white light gave way to the flashing lights of a cruiser. The gang hesitated, unsure what to do next. Two of them finally retreated back into the shadows. The guy with the knife made a decision. He turned to face Sofia and covered the distance between them with a few urgent steps, where she was still imprisoned by those gripping hands. He stooped slightly until he was nose to nose with her. His foul odour invaded her nostrils and she grimaced. He stroked her face, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She turned her head in fear and revulsion. Then without warning, he drove the knife into her abdomen. At first she felt nothing, but before long this gave way to searing pain. Her eyes widened and she dropped to her knees, unable to stay upright. The world melted away. She could barely register the sound of retreating feet. She needed to get to Larry. Shuffling forward on her knees she collapsed to the ground. With her last remaining strength, she pulled herself across the short distance until she was close to him. The alley was streaked in red and blue lights from the cruiser. As her vision clouded she extended an arm out to clasp Larry's lifeless hand. She thought she felt a faint squeeze. Then everything went black.
It was the sound of her chirping cell phone that finally broke the trance. She lunged towards the toilet bowl as the bile erupted from deep within. She wiped her mouth with her towel, no longer feeling shower fresh. Making her way to her bedroom she fumbled her cell open.
"Curtis," she answered automatically.
"Hey Sofia it's Brass. The Sheriff wants to see you."
"The Sheriff? What about?"
"I don't know."
"When?"
"Right now.""
