Chapter 12
Jill was awake for five whole minutes before she could convince her eyelids to open. When they finally did, it took just as long for her blurry vision to come into focus. She lay still, blinking and trying to figure out where she was. It took several seconds before it clicked that she was in her own bedroom. Her head still felt heavy and muddled. Whatever drugs she had been given hadn't quite been slept off yet. But despite that, she felt much better. Much more alert.
A contented sigh to her right made her lift her head. She vaguely remembered her friends taking care of her and putting her to bed last night. One of them was still lying next to her, sleeping peacefully, a pillow draped over her head instead of under it.
With some effort, Jill reached forward and gently lifted the pillow. She smiled when she saw her little sister's face, relaxed and at peace. Kris must have been just as exhausted as she was. She lowered the pillow back onto her sister's face and then yawned and looked around the room. For the first time, she noticed the steady drum of raindrops beating against the window.
The storm must have been following them. Jill shuddered, more than grateful to be warm and safe in bed, instead of outside exposed to the elements. She snuggled back into the covers and closed her eyes. It was hard to tell what time of day it was with the storm outside, but if she had to guess, she would say that it was definitely not early in the morning.
The soft creak of her bedroom door opening made her turn her head. She was greeted with the sight of Kelly standing in her doorway, hair tousled from sleep, clothes wrinkled and twisted, and one eye still squinting almost shut against the pale sunlight from the window. She had obviously just woken up. Kelly caught sight of her and opened both eyes in surprise.
"Hey, I didn't expect you to be up." she whispered. She bent down to kneel by her friend and brushed the hair out of her eyes. "How're you feeling, Yeller?"
Jill furrowed her brow, trying to remember what Yeller meant. Her head still hurt. She gave up and, just to be sure, slapped her friend's arm tolerantly and returned Kelly's grin. "Better." she croaked, her voice rustier than she had anticipated. She cleared her throat. "Still tired."
"Me too." Kelly said with a yawn. "The rain woke me up. I just wanted to come check up on you. You hungry?"
Jill was about to shake her head when her stomach protested loudly in outrage. She was hungry. Absolutely starving. "Kelly, I'm so hungry I could eat Sabrina's cooking."
Kelly laughed and patted her friend's stomach. "Haven't you done enough damage to yourself? Stay here and I'll go make some breakfast for everyone." She stopped and raised an eyebrow thoughtfully. "Or dinner I guess. Since it's nearly five."
Jill laughed. "Trust me, I won't be picky."
"Good. Because I don't think I can wait until it's fully cooked." Kelly joked. She disappeared and then popped her head back in a second later. "Hey, do you need to take your medicine?" she asked.
Jill flexed her knee and grimaced at the dull ache that consumed her entire right leg. The pain was coming back. "Yeah, I think it's about that time." she agreed.
Kelly nodded and disappeared again. She returned less than a minute later with a glass of orange juice and three pills. She helped Jill sit up and then handed her the glass and the medicine. As Jill washed down the pills, her eyes suddenly widened in realization.
"Kelly!" she whispered, waving her over excitedly. "I have to tell you something."
Puzzled, Kelly leaned in close to hear what was so important. Before she could react, Jill reached out and swatted the back of her head with an open palm.
Kelly jerked back. "Hey! What was that for?"
Jill gave her a self satisfied smirk and finished her juice.
"That was for calling me Yeller."
Two hours later found the five girls showered, well fed, and back into comfortable clothes to relax in front of the television. Jill yawned and snuggled into the thick warm blanket she was wrapped in. It felt good to have a full stomach.
And a blanket.
And a roof over her head.
And to not be in pain.
Over all, their adventure had little on being safe at home. She carefully stretched out her injured knee. Her pain medication was in full effect and though it made life easier, it also left her drowsy and sluggish. She leaned back and glanced at her four companions. The cuts, scrapes, and bruises on their faces stood out against their now clean skin, and their hair, too much of a burden to be fixed up, hung in limp, damp strands around their faces.
Though they had slept all day, the girls still looked tired and worn out from their grueling ordeal. Kris sat on the floor, leaning back against the arm of the couch with her eyes half closed like she was in a trance. Laura sat in a chair closer to the television, head leaned back and eyes closed in what probably was sleep or a state very close to it. She had been jumpy and anxious during their meal and Jill was relieved to see her finally relaxed. Her fidgeting and restless glances were making her nervous.
Kelly lay curled on up the couch, her head in Sabrina's lap in a rare show of neediness. Sabrina was rubbing her back soothingly and Jill couldn't help but notice that Kelly still looked exhausted. Her friend had nearly been drowned, she had been told, and she suddenly realized that it probably wasn't just the rain that had woken her from a restful sleep. Nightmares stemming from her fear of suffocation had probably kept her up as well. Jill sighed.
It was a miracle they were all alive.
To her right, Sabrina yawned and shifted in her seat, unintentionally nudging Jill's elbow. Jill nudged her back playfully. Sabrina was sitting too close to her, but she didn't care. She looked at her sleepy looking friends and sister and smiled.
It was so good to have them all back.
On a whole they were a pathetic looking bunch, Jill decided. And, without a doubt, she led the parade. She sighed and closed her eyes. The medicines were waging war with her brain and the only escape she had discovered was sleep. She nestled in her blanket and dropped her head on Sabrina's shoulder.
The evening news came on an hour later and, not wanting to get up to change the channel, the girls tuned in. By this time, Kelly and Jill had both fallen back to sleep in their spots, and Kris and Laura had grabbed blankets and squeezed themselves onto the long couch with everyone else. No one, not even Laura, seemed to mind the closeness. The girls watched quietly for several minutes.
"There's a new weatherman?" Kris asked, breaking the long comfortable silence.
Sabrina turned her head at the unexpected question and then focused on the screen she had been halfway ignoring. "Oh yeah. Bout six months ago." she answered. "You're sister and Kelly have the hots for this new guy."
Kris laughed. "Well, I can see why." she agreed. "I bet they never know what the weather is."
"No, I'm the only one who's ever dressed for it." Sabrina said with a grin towards her sleeping companions. "I think somet-"
Kris interrupted her with a startled gasp.
"Look!" she cried.
Sabrina and Laura immediately followed her gaze to the television set, where a shot of Jill's car had replaced the anchorman.
Alarmed, Sabrina quickly leaned forward, unintentionally sending Jill toppling over onto her side and spilling Kelly out of her lap and onto the floor. Kelly awoke right before she thumped to the carpet and sat up in confusion.
"Ow." she muttered sleepily, rubbing her eyes. "Was I too heavy?
"Shh!" Sabrina hushed her, peering around her to see the reporter.
Kelly, still half asleep, swiveled her head toward the television and blinked. "What are you wa-"
"Shh!" Sabrina and Kris hissed.
Kelly jumped at the harsh reprimand, but stopped talking. It silenced her, but did nothing to help her confusion. She sat blocking the screen, blinking in complete bewilderment. Finally, out of desperation, Kris leaned forward, hooked an arm around Kelly's neck, and pulled her back and out of the way. The four girls watched in growing concern at the report being delivered.
"-where police say five Los Angeles women were found and taken to Sierra View Medical Center where they were treated and released early this morning." the overdramatic, gaudily dressed reporter told them.
"What?" Sabrina breathed, looking pale. "I- I told them not to say anything about us. I told them those men were looking for us! Why in the hell w-"
"You can't trust the media." Kelly said angrily, hopping back up on the couch.
Sabrina stood up and began pacing anxiously while the story continued.
"Another man, wanted in connection with last Sunday's murder of Howard Abrams was also found."
A very unflattering mug shot of the frog looking Emmitt flashed across the screen.
" Police took thirty six year old Emmitt Tierson of Fresno into custody early this morning. Tierson has revealed that two of his accomplices in Abram's murder were killed in the escape and one still remains at large. Police have just issued a statewide manhunt for the missing suspect and feel confident in an arrest by the end of the week. More to come as this story unfolds."
The girls stared in shock at the screen for several seconds. The news reporter signed off with a flashy grin and the camera switched to a recap of a baseball game. After a few stunned seconds, Kris stood up and turned it off.
"Gary and that long haired guy are dead then." she said quietly.
All eyes immediately swept to Laura, who sat on the end of the couch in shock. She bit her lip and looked away.
Sabrina resumed her pacing.
"So, if that other accomplice they just mentioned saw this, he's gonna know that Laura already made it out of the woods and has already talked to the police." she said, sorting her thoughts out loud.
"He'll be on the run, though." Kelly pointed out. "She might be ok."
Before Sabrina could offer another opinion, Laura stood up.
"He's lying." she said quickly. "He's lying to protect Gary. I don't think Gary is dead, there's no way."
Kelly, Sabrina, and Kris shared a look and then waited quietly to see who would speak up first. Kris lost the silent lottery and sighed as she took Laura's hands.
"I shot him in the thigh, Laura." she said gently. "Without medical care, it's very possible that he could have bled to death."
Laura shook her head. "But there was no fourth accomplice. I only saw the three of them. It was only ever those three!" she insisted. "I think he's saying anything to make it look like he's cooperating. Gary is still out there, I know it. And they had radios, remember? He's gonna know that we made it out and he's going to come find me."
Her voice quavered as she spoke, her tone betraying every bit of fear and dread she was feeling. Unsure of what to say, Kris turned back to her two friends for help.
Kelly's face darkened slightly. By far the most skeptical of her friends, she was always first to question sudden good luck. Before she even spoke, her demeanor indicated to both of her friends that she had both considered and then accepted Laura's theory.
"If that's true, then they know where we all live because they took our purses. So, it's only a matter of time."
The girls let out a murmur of concern as this realization sunk in. Sabrina turned and resumed her pacing.
"Ok. Say those guys aren't dead." she said calmly. "If they saw this now, they would start looking and be here within a few hours."
"And if Laura's wrong and they really did have a fourth accomplice?" Kelly asked, crossing her arms.
Sabrina stopped walking and looked around. "Good point. Wake up Jill. We can't stay at any of our places. We'll get a hotel or something." She reached out and took Laura's arm.
"Look, I don't know what's going on, but I think you'll be safer with us until we can get you under police protection. Do you have someone you need to call?"
Laura shook her head, trying to slow her thoughts and clear her mind. After a moment she managed to answer. "My parents. They don't know what happened. They live in here in L.A." she said in a weak voice. " I need to tell them before they see it on the news and have heart attacks."
Kris looked up from the couch, where she had been busy rousing her sister out of a medicated sleep, and narrowed her eyes.
"Does Gary know where they live?" she asked.
The implications of the question startled Laura. The color drained from her face and she took a step back as if Kris had slapped her.
"I-no- no, I don't think that he does. He met them once, but it was at my place." she choked, her voice breaking. "I need to call them."
Kelly nodded. "Can you wait and call at the office? The phone lines are more secure over there." At Laura's panicked look, she raised a hand and smiled gently. "Just a precaution. But, I don't want to take the chance of them getting tangled up in this when they don't have to be. Just a few more minutes, alright?"
Laura let out a slow, ragged breath and blinked, trying to rid herself of the tears that were already beginning to shine in her eyes. "Ok. Ok. I'll wait." she warbled nervously.
"It'll be alright, Laura, don't worry." Sabrina reassured her. She clapped her hands together and bit her lip as if trying to decide what to do. "I guess we need to stop and grab some clothes at our places, huh?" she asked the group. The girls nodded in agreement, save Jill, who was still blinking rapidly in an attempt to wake up.
"As quick as possible." Kelly suggested. "Kris already has a suitcase packed here. Bri, why don't you pack Jill a bag and me and Kris will get her in the car."
Sabrina nodded and hopped off toward Jill's room, leaving Kris and Kelly to coax a very groggy Jill outside and to the car. Laura followed Sabrina to Jill's room and grabbed up what she guessed to be Kris's suitcase.
"Do you have the key to your place?" Sabrina asked from inside Jill's closet. Laura dodged the stream of clothing Sabrina was haphazardly tossing onto her friend's bed. She watched for a few moments before answering, wondering if her new friend was paying any attention to what she was throwing out of the closet.
"Yeah, I have my key." she said finally.
Sabrina smiled at her and begin rooting through Jill's drawers.
"Good. That's our first stop."
Twenty five minutes later found the girls pulling up to Laura's apartment complex in Kelly's car. Laura seemed anxious, her hand already turning the handle of her backseat door before Kelly had fully parked.
"I'll be right out." she blurted, as soon as Kelly had shifted into park.
The four girls immediately protested.
"Whoa, no way." Sabrina said emphatically from the front passenger seat. "We're all coming with you. We don't know what to expect right now, so no one flies solo anymore."
Jill, who had managed to wake up with the help of an open window, grabbed a firm handful of Laura's shirtsleeve.
"Trust me. You don't want to fly solo." she said solemnly.
The contrast of Jill's serious face with her wind tousled hair brought a smile to Laura's lips. She relaxed a bit and waited until her four companions climbed out of the car and got Jill situated with her crutches before walking the short distance to her apartment door.
Laura dug her key out of her pocket and, though she was extremely nervous, took the lead. Her hand trembled slightly as she unlocked her door. There's nothing to be afraid of, she told herself. She glanced around her, finding comfort in the four faces around her that appeared to not notice her fear and stepped inside.
The five girls piled into the one bedroom apartment and looked around appreciatively. Laura's apartment was neat, clean, and very tastefully decorated. She must have been an avid reader because there was not only a shelf full of books in the corner, but books stacked on the coffee table, kitchen table, and counter. The entire room gave off a very scholarly and studious atmosphere.
Laura closed the door behind them and made her way to her bedroom, leaving the four girls to wander around her living room. Though everything seemed to be in order, she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that was prickling the back of her neck. Something about her place made her nervous, but try as she might, she just couldn't place it. With a sigh of defeat, she opened her closet and reached up to pull her suitcase off of the top shelf.
The cold, unsettling feeling continued tingling down her back. There was something not quite right. Something was very wrong and by this time, she was more than certain that it wasn't just nerves. What was it? What was making her so uneasy? She took a deep breath and tossed her open suitcase on her bed. Now she could understand Sabrina's hurried packing earlier.
She just wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.
Clutching a random armful of clothing from her closet, Laura turned back to her waiting suitcase. Before she could dump her load in, she suddenly caught sight of something that made her heart leap into her throat and her blood run cold.
The sheets were slightly rumpled towards the head of the bed, sunken in consistent with the way they would be had someone been sitting there not too long ago. Had she not been so paranoid, she probably wouldn't have even noticed it, but there it was. Proof. Someone had been here.
Suddenly all of the other unnoticed clues that had caused her to be so uncomfortable seemed to be scream out at her. The pillows were off center on her couch. The books on the coffee table were all closed, when she now clearly remembered having left one open facedown to answer her door right before being kidnapped. She now remembered leaving her closet door open before she left. Gary. Gary had been here.
And he could come back here.
The thought fluttered her insides with sheer panic. With a frightened moan, Laura shoved as much as she could into her suitcase, slammed it closed and rushed out into the living room. Kelly looked up as she blew past her.
"What's wrong?" she asked quickly.
"He's been here!" Laura whispered, her eyes darting around frantically as if expecting Gary to pop out from a closet. In her terrified state, it seemed completely plausible. "He's been in my room! I told you he wasn't dead!"
The girls shared a look and Sabrina reached forward and put a calming hand on her shoulder. "Hey, take it easy." she soothed. "How do you know he's been here?"
Laura sighed in frustration. "My bed! He was sitting on my bed! And-and I just know he was, I can feel it! The pillows, the books, the closet! " she choked, clutching Sabrina's arm. "Can we please go? He'll come back, I know he will!"
Hoping for evidence, Kris and Kelly quietly slipped into Laura's bedroom while Sabrina and Jill did their best to calm Laura down. They emerged a few moments later with a shrug of confusion. Whatever Laura had seen in her nervous state, it wasn't conclusive to someone sneaking into her apartment.
Sabrina took note of their confusion and patted Laura's arm comfortingly. "Ok, ok. We can go now. Let's go." she said softly. She wrapped an arm around Laura's trembling shoulder and silently motioned her friends out the door.
The girls were quiet as they got back into the car, uneasy by Laura's obvious fear, but not quite sure if there was anything to be overly alarmed about just yet. Laura was shaking in the backseat and glancing nervously out of the windows. She clearly believed in her heart that someone had been in her apartment. Whether or not her suspicions were just based on shot nerves was the unspoken question.
A definite conclusion would need more information.
With Kelly at the wheel, the rules of odds and evens no longer applied and she turned the yellow Mustang in the direction of her house next. Laura's apartment was fairly close to Kelly's house and even in evening traffic, it took less than fifteen minutes for the girls to arrive. Feeling a bit like a school bus driver, Kelly eased her car to a stop in front of the home she hadn't seen in days.
"Ok, kids! Everyone out!" she joked, as she shut off the engine.
The five girls quickly hopped out of the car and followed Kelly up her walkway. She was in a hurry. It was a horrible feeling to not feel safe, and whether it was Laura's nerves, days of being hunted, or just the situation, she desperately wanted to be at the hotel room to get a chance to sort out a game plan in peace. The quicker she packed the quicker they would leave. To save time, she began going through a mental map of the things she needed in her house.
Halfway to her door, Kelly suddenly froze in her tracks. Jill, concentrating more on the rhythm of her crutches than walking, swung herself right into her friend's tensed form and nearly lost her balance. Kelly didn't even notice.
"Kell. What's wrong?" Jill asked quickly.
Kelly was staring intently at her window, eyes narrowed in intense concentration.
"What?" Sabrina pressed impatiently. When Kelly didn't answer, she put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a shake.
"My curtain. Look." Kelly answered quietly.
All four heads turned warily to the window. The curtain rod was easily visible through the window, hanging halfway broken and leaving most of the window uncovered.
"Someone's been here too." Sabrina whispered, her tone laced with dread.
Tense and anxious, the girls huddled together and made their way to the front door. Kelly tested the handle and to her dismay, found it unlocked. If there was any lingering doubt that someone had broken into her home, it was now gone. The sense of violation that came with that thought made her skin crawl. A cold wave of dread washed through her as she braced herself for whatever was behind the door. When had they broken in? Where they still inside?
Kelly swallowed and opened the door. She was back to being lost in the woods, not knowing what to expect and not knowing who or what she would find lurking just around the corner. And she didn't like it one bit.
The girls let out a collective gasp of shock as the room came into view.
Kelly's living room was in shambles.
The couch was overturned, the coffee table shattered and its contents strewn around the room. The television lay on its side underneath the dining room table, a chair leg helpfully smashed through the glass to throw away any hope of it ever working again. Holes and dents were beaten into the walls, exposing the sheetrock underneath. Books were ripped and throw to all corners of the room and her bedroom door ripped off of its hinges in a rage.
Whoever had been here obviously hadn't found what they were looking for and had punished Kelly severely for it.
Kelly let out a stream of curses under her breath. What the men had been looking for had most likely been the five of them. And being found was most definitely not an option. She sighed and stepped away from the destruction.
"I think it's time to call Charlie."
