Chapter Seven

Eliza stood at the top of the hill and looked down. How had she managed the climb ten years ago? Of course, she'd been in much better shape; she'd been a runner then. She looked at David; the climb hadn't seemed to faze him.

"Do you recognize anything?" He asked. "Normally I would suggest a cognitive interview, but…" he let the sentence trail off.

"But I am a psychiatrist, and yes I've conducted my fair share of cognitive interviews. " She paused and looked at him, "There is something I can do."

He waited.

"Using meditation helped me a great deal whenever," she paused, took a deep breath before continuing, "…well, in the beginning when the post traumatic distress and nightmares were at their worst. "

David held her gaze for what felt like an eternity, then nodded.

"Just remember, I'm right here."

Eliza looked around. She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply as she tried to recall her escape.

"I was suspended about four or five feet above the floor, it smelt musty like rotting leaves and when my eyes finally adjusted to the darkness I could just make out a wooden beam above my head. My chains were attached to the beams. Whenever he…Carrington came, he would move around the room turning on lanterns, like you'd use on hunting or camping trips. Then he would sit on the steps and just stare at me. I didn't know it then but he had to….rest before…."

She rubbed her wrist, remembering the way the chains had cut into her wrist. Eliza didn't open her eyes but she could feel David step closer to her.

"I remember I had to keep focusing on the beam instead of…of him. He never stayed long, and he would tell me which areas he was going to…to cut. He kept mumbling that if he got in a hurry and cut the wrong area, I'd bleed to death, and how I would be of no use to him then."

David's voice was soft and tender as he asked, "Tell me about the night you escaped, Eliza."

"I had been trying to stay awake, but I was so tired. I looked up at the beam and that's when I saw it."

"Saw what, honey?"

Eliza kept her eyes closed knowing if she opened them and saw David, she would collapse in his arms. "The beam was coming loose, it had been raining a lot, I remember Carrington complaining about all the mud he had to go through and how difficult it was making his visits. I began to jerk on my chains, and that's when I felt the beam begin to give way in the wall. I guess the rain had penetrated enough that it had weakened the dirt around it.

The next thing I knew I was on the floor and Carrington was coming down the steps. I found a bucket and when he was close enough I hit him."

"That's good, now Carrington is probably exhausted from his climb, you've knocked him down, what did you do next?"

"I ran up the stairs. I remember there were three tall oak trees, at first, I thought they might actually be friends of Carrington's guarding the entrance, but the closer I got the more I could see they were trees."

She opened her eyes, and turning looked around, and then she saw them - three large stumps, broken in varying degrees of height – each with the same burn marks.

"These," she turned to David and pointed, "Only they were full grown trees then."

He joined her, "Looks like a storm came through," He waved at the burn marks, "Lightening must have gotten to them."

Eliza wasn't listening; she had counted the steps it took her to reach those trees. She rested against the center one for only a moment. She could remember how good it felt to lean against the tree, despite her cuts. The air was cleaner too. Everything was different.

She counted off the steps and stopped, dropped to her knees and began pushing aside the twigs and dried leaves until her hand touched metal. She locked her eyes with David's'.

He helped her up and gently pushed her aside as he grabbed the metal ring and after several pulls, the door swung open.

He stopped her as Eliza stepped forward.

"Eliza – this" he jerked his head toward the entrance, "You don't need to do this, honey."

She looked at the gaping hole and a deep shiver ran through her. She nodded. He was right, there was nothing down there she needed to see.

He patted her arm and clicked a light attached to the gun he pulled from his shoulder harness and started toward the opening.

He stopped.

Eliza looked at him, "What is something wrong?"

She watched him holster his weapon, then bend down and lift the hem of his pants. He pulled a small caliber handgun from an ankle harness. He handed it to her.

"Do you know how to use this?" He asked.

Eliza took the weapon, aimed in the distance, checking the sighting on the gun; she flipped off the safety and chambered a bullet.

David shook his head, "And to think I was worried."

Eliza shrugged, "There are three things a southern girl knows how to do, Agent Rossi." She couldn't keep the mischievous lilt from her voice. "One is cook; and the other is how to shoot."

He started down the door, stopped and looked at her, "That's two – what's the third?"

Eliza raised her eyebrow and smiled, "How to keep her man happy."

Whether he was talking to her or to himself Eliza wasn't sure, "I think I need a vacation home in the south."

Eliza watched him disappear into the darkness.