Truth Out Of Darkness
Chapter 55
"Chloe, Brady, we're going to need to get a quick statement from you so we can close this case." Det. Slone said to the couple.
Chloe sat in Brady's lap with her head on his chest. She was careful not to put any weight on his sore bottom. Likewise, Brady was careful not to hurt her ribs as he held her closely to him. They were waiting tiredly for their paperwork so they could be released. Their friends and family were also gathered there in the waiting room, but they were hanging back to give Chloe space.
Chloe turned to face the detective and inhaled deeply. Brady squeezed her hand for reassurance. "Okay." She answered simply.
"Just tell us what happened; everything you remember from when you were first taken until now, okay?"
Chloe spoke haltingly, recounting the horrible events. She paused when she recalled her first encounter with him in the house, after she first woke from her drugged sleep. The memories were so strong, so vivid. She trembled and whimpered.
Det. Slone spoke soothingly to the girl. "It's okay, Chloe. Dr. Moore is dead. He can't hurt you anymore."
Brady kissed the top of her head. "You're safe, Chloe."
Chloe nodded and continued. "He yelled at me, said I betrayed him and his love. He accused me of lying about what he did to me. He was out of control… insane."
"How did he find you, Chloe?" the detective asked.
"A friend of his had found the website and sent him the pictures. He had his friend track me down."
"That's why his name wasn't on our list of suspects." Bo realized
"What happened next, Chloe?"
"He… got really angry with me. He hit me several times in the face. I was still disoriented from the drugs he had given me that I stumbled to my knees. I couldn't fight him."
Brady's eyes smoldered, recalling the dark, swollen bruises on her face. He reflexively tightened his arms around her.
Chloe hesitated and buried her face in Brady's chest. "I can't…It's too hard." She cried as tears spilled from her eyes.
Marlena moved over to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Chloe, you have nothing to be ashamed of. It wasn't your fault. You could not help what he did to you."
Chloe paused to compose herself. She detached herself mentally from the events of the evening. When she spoke again, her voice was cold and distant. She told them everything; from Dr. Moore's attempted rape and how she fought him off, to her desperate flight through the house, only to discover that the doors and windows were boarded and locked. Her audience listened to her horrific tale silently. They could almost feel her despair and fear. They could almost see her fall and hit her head on a table, almost felt the brutal pain as Moore kicked her savagely in the ribs. They felt her anger as she fought him back viciously. They felt her overwhelming sadness as he points a gun to her and pulls the trigger.
Brady and Chloe both recalled the fight with Moore and the shootings. "And that's all I remember until I woke up here." Chloe finished.
"Brady, how did you know where to find her?" Det. Slone asked.
A wistful smile formed on his face and his eyes grew distant. "I had a little help." He said and then told them the story of his supernatural encounters. He did, however, leave out Isabella's name. He simply told them about the homeless man who told him to come to Chicago, and then of hearing Chloe's cry for help in his mind.
The detective looked at him blankly. "I'm just going to put 'hunch'." She remarked. She turned to Chloe with admiration in her eyes. "You did a good job of fighting him off." Brady agreed, looking down at her proudly.
Chloe remarked bitterly. "Not good enough. He was just playing with me. I only succeeded in tiring myself out." She slumped her shoulders; ashamed of how easily she was beaten by him.
"You fought him off until help arrived. That's no small feat. You've shown amazing courage and strength of character tonight. You survived. That's the important thing."
Chloe silently processed the detective's praise. It would be along time before she would be able to feel good about tonight.
"I have just one question. Chloe, how in the hell did you stop Dr. Moore?" Roman spoke up. Soft murmurs of agreement rang throughout the room. Apparently everyone had asked themselves the same question.
Chloe looked at him blankly.
John explained. "When we entered the dining room, we found the far wall utterly demolished and Moore lay buried in a pile of rubble."
Chloe looked puzzled. "The last thing I remember is Brady being shot. He was so still, I thought he was dead. I held his body and Fath… Dr. Moore pointed a gun at me. He pulled the trigger and everything turned dark. I thought I was dead until I woke up in the hospital room and I saw Craig and Nancy." She smiled at them warmly. "When I realized that I was alive and Brady was too, well… I can't describe it…" she trailed off, unable to voice her extreme happiness at that moment.
Det. Slone looked at her notes. "This case is chock full of mystery. Besides the someone or something that managed to drop a wall on Moore, we also have a psychic homeless man and telepathic lovers. Well, we'll just leave this part out of our report. I don't feel like messing with it. The important thing is Moore is dead, you two are safe, and I get to enjoy my Christmas." She closed her notebook and stood up. She shook both Brady and Chloe's hands. "You should be very proud of yourselves. Take care of each other and have a Merry Christmas, understand?" Det. Slone then turned to leave with her men.
Nancy and Craig came over to the sitting couple. Nancy beamed at her daughter, so happy to have her safe and alive. "I am so proud of you, sweetie. Of both of you. Brady, if you hadn't…. I can't thank you enough." Nancy stumbled over her words.
Brady blushed slightly. "Um… you're welcome." He didn't know how to respond to all of the attention. John and Marlena came over to bail him out. "So, you two ready to leave?"
Chloe and Brady sat beside each other in the back of the plane, apart from the others. She laid her head on his shoulder and they both drifted off to sleep, to the delight of their fellow passengers.
Brady and Chloe stood on her front porch. They looked at each other awkwardly; there were so many things they both wanted to say. Chloe gazed into his eyes for strength and cleared her throat.
"I'm sorry. For driving you away in the park. I didn't want to, but I…"
"Sssh. It's okay. I understand." He smiled at her warmly, his blue eyes sparkling. His soul mate was alive and safe. That was all that mattered.
"There's something I've been wanting to tell you for awhile." She began. "When you were shot and I thought you were dead, I was so sad because I knew I'd never be able to tell you what I feel inside. I couldn't tell you before, because He had screwed me up so much I didn't even know what love really was. But I know now, and I can say it now."
She looked up into Brady's deep blue eyes and smiled. "I love you Brady. Now and forever. I love you." She repeated as tears formed in her eyes.
Brady gazed in surprised wonder into her swirling blue eyes. He found himself speechless in joy at her words. So he simply lowered his lips to hers and kissed her gently, love and happiness flowing through him. He ended the kiss and hugged her to him with great care.
"Brady, it's going to be awhile… take a long time for me to get through this, but I want you to be with me by my side."
He smiled at her wickedly. "There's no place I'd rather be. Thank you for my Christmas gift. Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas." She kissed him playfully. "Now where's MY present?"
"Here." Brady reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, white cardboard box. "I didn't have time to wrap it, what with saving your life and everything."
"Oh, Brady. I was just kidding. I didn't expect you to get me anything." She opened the box and exclaimed in wonder. "Oh, it's beautiful!" she breathed, picking up the small silver ring.
"Here, let me put it on for you. It's a Celtic promise ring. It's a symbol of how my feelings for you, my commitment to you. I don't know where we are headed, but I wanted you to know that this isn't some fling for me. I love you, as much as I have ever loved anyone."
Chloe gazed at the ring speechless. It was so delicate and simple, and so very familiar to her. She frowned slightly.
"What is it? Do you not like it?"
"Oh no, I love it. It just, well, for a second it felt like I had seen this ring before. Oh well, it's gone now."
Brady laughed. "I felt the same way when I first saw it. Funny." He leaned down and kissed her again. "Merry Christmas, my love. Now get to bed. You are supposed to be resting."
"Okay. That goes for you too, Brady. Thank you, Brady. For saving me. You were really amazing tonight." She said, awe reflected in her voice.
"Yep, I kicked major butt." He grinned mischievously.
"Yeah, one of your good qualities." She joked back. "Alright, goodnight. I love you."
"I will never get tired of hearing you say that." He kissed her again. "Okay, goodnight."
Chapter 55
"Chloe, Brady, we're going to need to get a quick statement from you so we can close this case." Det. Slone said to the couple.
Chloe sat in Brady's lap with her head on his chest. She was careful not to put any weight on his sore bottom. Likewise, Brady was careful not to hurt her ribs as he held her closely to him. They were waiting tiredly for their paperwork so they could be released. Their friends and family were also gathered there in the waiting room, but they were hanging back to give Chloe space.
Chloe turned to face the detective and inhaled deeply. Brady squeezed her hand for reassurance. "Okay." She answered simply.
"Just tell us what happened; everything you remember from when you were first taken until now, okay?"
Chloe spoke haltingly, recounting the horrible events. She paused when she recalled her first encounter with him in the house, after she first woke from her drugged sleep. The memories were so strong, so vivid. She trembled and whimpered.
Det. Slone spoke soothingly to the girl. "It's okay, Chloe. Dr. Moore is dead. He can't hurt you anymore."
Brady kissed the top of her head. "You're safe, Chloe."
Chloe nodded and continued. "He yelled at me, said I betrayed him and his love. He accused me of lying about what he did to me. He was out of control… insane."
"How did he find you, Chloe?" the detective asked.
"A friend of his had found the website and sent him the pictures. He had his friend track me down."
"That's why his name wasn't on our list of suspects." Bo realized
"What happened next, Chloe?"
"He… got really angry with me. He hit me several times in the face. I was still disoriented from the drugs he had given me that I stumbled to my knees. I couldn't fight him."
Brady's eyes smoldered, recalling the dark, swollen bruises on her face. He reflexively tightened his arms around her.
Chloe hesitated and buried her face in Brady's chest. "I can't…It's too hard." She cried as tears spilled from her eyes.
Marlena moved over to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Chloe, you have nothing to be ashamed of. It wasn't your fault. You could not help what he did to you."
Chloe paused to compose herself. She detached herself mentally from the events of the evening. When she spoke again, her voice was cold and distant. She told them everything; from Dr. Moore's attempted rape and how she fought him off, to her desperate flight through the house, only to discover that the doors and windows were boarded and locked. Her audience listened to her horrific tale silently. They could almost feel her despair and fear. They could almost see her fall and hit her head on a table, almost felt the brutal pain as Moore kicked her savagely in the ribs. They felt her anger as she fought him back viciously. They felt her overwhelming sadness as he points a gun to her and pulls the trigger.
Brady and Chloe both recalled the fight with Moore and the shootings. "And that's all I remember until I woke up here." Chloe finished.
"Brady, how did you know where to find her?" Det. Slone asked.
A wistful smile formed on his face and his eyes grew distant. "I had a little help." He said and then told them the story of his supernatural encounters. He did, however, leave out Isabella's name. He simply told them about the homeless man who told him to come to Chicago, and then of hearing Chloe's cry for help in his mind.
The detective looked at him blankly. "I'm just going to put 'hunch'." She remarked. She turned to Chloe with admiration in her eyes. "You did a good job of fighting him off." Brady agreed, looking down at her proudly.
Chloe remarked bitterly. "Not good enough. He was just playing with me. I only succeeded in tiring myself out." She slumped her shoulders; ashamed of how easily she was beaten by him.
"You fought him off until help arrived. That's no small feat. You've shown amazing courage and strength of character tonight. You survived. That's the important thing."
Chloe silently processed the detective's praise. It would be along time before she would be able to feel good about tonight.
"I have just one question. Chloe, how in the hell did you stop Dr. Moore?" Roman spoke up. Soft murmurs of agreement rang throughout the room. Apparently everyone had asked themselves the same question.
Chloe looked at him blankly.
John explained. "When we entered the dining room, we found the far wall utterly demolished and Moore lay buried in a pile of rubble."
Chloe looked puzzled. "The last thing I remember is Brady being shot. He was so still, I thought he was dead. I held his body and Fath… Dr. Moore pointed a gun at me. He pulled the trigger and everything turned dark. I thought I was dead until I woke up in the hospital room and I saw Craig and Nancy." She smiled at them warmly. "When I realized that I was alive and Brady was too, well… I can't describe it…" she trailed off, unable to voice her extreme happiness at that moment.
Det. Slone looked at her notes. "This case is chock full of mystery. Besides the someone or something that managed to drop a wall on Moore, we also have a psychic homeless man and telepathic lovers. Well, we'll just leave this part out of our report. I don't feel like messing with it. The important thing is Moore is dead, you two are safe, and I get to enjoy my Christmas." She closed her notebook and stood up. She shook both Brady and Chloe's hands. "You should be very proud of yourselves. Take care of each other and have a Merry Christmas, understand?" Det. Slone then turned to leave with her men.
Nancy and Craig came over to the sitting couple. Nancy beamed at her daughter, so happy to have her safe and alive. "I am so proud of you, sweetie. Of both of you. Brady, if you hadn't…. I can't thank you enough." Nancy stumbled over her words.
Brady blushed slightly. "Um… you're welcome." He didn't know how to respond to all of the attention. John and Marlena came over to bail him out. "So, you two ready to leave?"
Chloe and Brady sat beside each other in the back of the plane, apart from the others. She laid her head on his shoulder and they both drifted off to sleep, to the delight of their fellow passengers.
Brady and Chloe stood on her front porch. They looked at each other awkwardly; there were so many things they both wanted to say. Chloe gazed into his eyes for strength and cleared her throat.
"I'm sorry. For driving you away in the park. I didn't want to, but I…"
"Sssh. It's okay. I understand." He smiled at her warmly, his blue eyes sparkling. His soul mate was alive and safe. That was all that mattered.
"There's something I've been wanting to tell you for awhile." She began. "When you were shot and I thought you were dead, I was so sad because I knew I'd never be able to tell you what I feel inside. I couldn't tell you before, because He had screwed me up so much I didn't even know what love really was. But I know now, and I can say it now."
She looked up into Brady's deep blue eyes and smiled. "I love you Brady. Now and forever. I love you." She repeated as tears formed in her eyes.
Brady gazed in surprised wonder into her swirling blue eyes. He found himself speechless in joy at her words. So he simply lowered his lips to hers and kissed her gently, love and happiness flowing through him. He ended the kiss and hugged her to him with great care.
"Brady, it's going to be awhile… take a long time for me to get through this, but I want you to be with me by my side."
He smiled at her wickedly. "There's no place I'd rather be. Thank you for my Christmas gift. Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas." She kissed him playfully. "Now where's MY present?"
"Here." Brady reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, white cardboard box. "I didn't have time to wrap it, what with saving your life and everything."
"Oh, Brady. I was just kidding. I didn't expect you to get me anything." She opened the box and exclaimed in wonder. "Oh, it's beautiful!" she breathed, picking up the small silver ring.
"Here, let me put it on for you. It's a Celtic promise ring. It's a symbol of how my feelings for you, my commitment to you. I don't know where we are headed, but I wanted you to know that this isn't some fling for me. I love you, as much as I have ever loved anyone."
Chloe gazed at the ring speechless. It was so delicate and simple, and so very familiar to her. She frowned slightly.
"What is it? Do you not like it?"
"Oh no, I love it. It just, well, for a second it felt like I had seen this ring before. Oh well, it's gone now."
Brady laughed. "I felt the same way when I first saw it. Funny." He leaned down and kissed her again. "Merry Christmas, my love. Now get to bed. You are supposed to be resting."
"Okay. That goes for you too, Brady. Thank you, Brady. For saving me. You were really amazing tonight." She said, awe reflected in her voice.
"Yep, I kicked major butt." He grinned mischievously.
"Yeah, one of your good qualities." She joked back. "Alright, goodnight. I love you."
"I will never get tired of hearing you say that." He kissed her again. "Okay, goodnight."