Chapter 4
Margo drove the car home utterly exhausted. After making sure one of the uniforms would get Marianne home ok, she was finally able to go home. She told Jack everything: the striking similarities between these recent rape cases and her rape twelve years ago, as well as the peculiar fact that Marianne was dumped right outside her house. Now she just had to tell Tom. She waved to Shanks as she pulled into her driveway. Jack had told her that he would post a uniform outside her house. At first she refused, because of Tom and the boys, but Jack insisted and he was right. If someone was trying to send her a message with these similar rape cases, then she and Tom needed to be prepared. The only problem was that meant she could no longer put off telling Tom.
When Margo walked in the back door, she didn't even bother to turn the light on. She just threw her keys on the table and sat down. All the emotion that she couldn't show earlier that night started to come out and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She put her face in her hands and sobbed.
Tom was in their bedroom with a book in his hands that he wasn't really reading. He couldn't stop thinking about Margo. It was getting late and she should be getting home soon. He thought about calling her but if she was still at the hospital, she probably wouldn't have her cell phone on. He was relieved when he finally heard her car pull up and the door open as she came in.
When Margo didn't come up right away, Tom went downstairs to see if she was ok. He went into the kitchen and heard what he thought was sobbing. "Margo?" he called, just as he saw her sitting at the kitchen table with her head in her hands. "Honey?" When he turned the light on, she looked up. Just seeing her face like that broke his heart. She looked so pale and tired. "Oh, baby," he said as he went over and took her in his arms. They stayed like that for several minutes while Margo sobbed on Tom's shoulder. He just rubbed her back, stroked her hair, and reassured her until her sobs subsided.
When it sounded like she had stopped crying, Tom took her face in his hands. "Sweetheart, it's ok. I'm right here. Just tell me what happened," Tom said as he wiped her tears away with his thumb and then waited patiently for her to begin. She was about to tell him everything until, she stopped. Tom saw her turn even more pale as she ran to the bathroom.
When Tom reached the bathroom, he saw Margo on her knees, heaving into the toilet. He quickly went to her. He put one hand on her forehead to give her head support as well as hold her hair back and used the other hand to rub her back. He had done this countless times, especially during her Hepatitis C incident when the side effects of the interferon and pain medication also had her vomiting in the toilet. He only wished he knew what had caused her to be so upset. Right now, however, he just had to put that out of his mind and take it one step at a time. "It's alright, baby, I'm right here," he comforted her as he continued to rub her back.
When she was finished, she collapsed against him. "Thanks," she mumbled as soon as she found her voice. He pushed a few stray hairs behind her ear and said, "No problem." Once Margo was feeling a little better, Tom got her a washcloth and let her wipe her face with it. "Come on, let's get you to bed," Tom said, as he put his arm around her and she leaned onto his shoulder as they headed toward the bedroom.
Once they were in bed, Tom reached over, took her hand, and asked, "Margo, can you tell me what this is all about? Why are you so upset and why has Shanks been outside our house for the past few hours? Hesitant, but knowing it couldn't be put off any longer, she decided it was time to tell him. "Ok, I'll tell you, but its not something you are going to like," she prepared him. Tom put his arm around her as she put her head on his chest and said, "Whatever it is, we'll get through it together."
Margo thought for a minute about this wonderful man that she had married. He was so great and supportive. He made her feel like she could handle anything. "Alright," she began, "Marianne Winters fits the description of two other rape cases that Jack and I have been investigating. All have happened within the last month and involve a woman being followed to her car after some social outing, forced into the assailant's car, raped, and then dumped out on the road somewhere. That was the case I was working on earlier today when you walked in" "So, you're thinking serial rapist?" Tom asked. "Yes, but there's more to it than that. Did you notice anything about Marianne?" Margo asked him. "I guess I was too shocked to notice anything, why," Tom asked trying to figure out what his wife was getting at.
Margo took a deep breath and then continued, "When we got into the light of the house, and I saw her, it was like looking in the mirror. Maybe not literally, but she had red hair, the same eye color, the same age." "Same age as what," Tom asked still not following. "Me," Margo explained, "When I looked at her, I saw me twelve years ago. And the other two rape victims had the same features as her" "Honey, is that what this is all about? Those women, that was probably just a coincidence. Maybe the bastard had a red headed girlfriend that dumped him or something." "No, Tom, this is more than that," Margo said, more sure than ever that she was right.
"What are you saying?" Tom asked not sure he wanted to know the answer. "I'm saying that I think someone is trying to send me a message with these rape cases. It was a gut feeling I've had ever since the first case. The second one made it stronger, but Marianne being dumped right outside our house. That's not a coincidence, Tom. Some psycho is messing with us here and we have to be prepared."
Tom took a minute to absorb what Margo was telling him. He tried desperately to find some way to convince her she was wrong, but he couldn't. Even the lawyer in him was convinced with everything she just told him along with the seriousness in her voice. Margo snapped him out of his trance when she said, "Hey, you ok?" She took her hand and started rubbing his chest. "No," he said honestly, "You're sure about this," he asked looking into her eyes. He was sure they were going to wake up and this would all be a dream. Margo got up her courage and said, "I wish to God I weren't, but yes."
With that, Tom reached over and turned the light off. They both knew they weren't going to get any sleep, but were just content to lay there and hold each other.
Margo drove the car home utterly exhausted. After making sure one of the uniforms would get Marianne home ok, she was finally able to go home. She told Jack everything: the striking similarities between these recent rape cases and her rape twelve years ago, as well as the peculiar fact that Marianne was dumped right outside her house. Now she just had to tell Tom. She waved to Shanks as she pulled into her driveway. Jack had told her that he would post a uniform outside her house. At first she refused, because of Tom and the boys, but Jack insisted and he was right. If someone was trying to send her a message with these similar rape cases, then she and Tom needed to be prepared. The only problem was that meant she could no longer put off telling Tom.
When Margo walked in the back door, she didn't even bother to turn the light on. She just threw her keys on the table and sat down. All the emotion that she couldn't show earlier that night started to come out and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She put her face in her hands and sobbed.
Tom was in their bedroom with a book in his hands that he wasn't really reading. He couldn't stop thinking about Margo. It was getting late and she should be getting home soon. He thought about calling her but if she was still at the hospital, she probably wouldn't have her cell phone on. He was relieved when he finally heard her car pull up and the door open as she came in.
When Margo didn't come up right away, Tom went downstairs to see if she was ok. He went into the kitchen and heard what he thought was sobbing. "Margo?" he called, just as he saw her sitting at the kitchen table with her head in her hands. "Honey?" When he turned the light on, she looked up. Just seeing her face like that broke his heart. She looked so pale and tired. "Oh, baby," he said as he went over and took her in his arms. They stayed like that for several minutes while Margo sobbed on Tom's shoulder. He just rubbed her back, stroked her hair, and reassured her until her sobs subsided.
When it sounded like she had stopped crying, Tom took her face in his hands. "Sweetheart, it's ok. I'm right here. Just tell me what happened," Tom said as he wiped her tears away with his thumb and then waited patiently for her to begin. She was about to tell him everything until, she stopped. Tom saw her turn even more pale as she ran to the bathroom.
When Tom reached the bathroom, he saw Margo on her knees, heaving into the toilet. He quickly went to her. He put one hand on her forehead to give her head support as well as hold her hair back and used the other hand to rub her back. He had done this countless times, especially during her Hepatitis C incident when the side effects of the interferon and pain medication also had her vomiting in the toilet. He only wished he knew what had caused her to be so upset. Right now, however, he just had to put that out of his mind and take it one step at a time. "It's alright, baby, I'm right here," he comforted her as he continued to rub her back.
When she was finished, she collapsed against him. "Thanks," she mumbled as soon as she found her voice. He pushed a few stray hairs behind her ear and said, "No problem." Once Margo was feeling a little better, Tom got her a washcloth and let her wipe her face with it. "Come on, let's get you to bed," Tom said, as he put his arm around her and she leaned onto his shoulder as they headed toward the bedroom.
Once they were in bed, Tom reached over, took her hand, and asked, "Margo, can you tell me what this is all about? Why are you so upset and why has Shanks been outside our house for the past few hours? Hesitant, but knowing it couldn't be put off any longer, she decided it was time to tell him. "Ok, I'll tell you, but its not something you are going to like," she prepared him. Tom put his arm around her as she put her head on his chest and said, "Whatever it is, we'll get through it together."
Margo thought for a minute about this wonderful man that she had married. He was so great and supportive. He made her feel like she could handle anything. "Alright," she began, "Marianne Winters fits the description of two other rape cases that Jack and I have been investigating. All have happened within the last month and involve a woman being followed to her car after some social outing, forced into the assailant's car, raped, and then dumped out on the road somewhere. That was the case I was working on earlier today when you walked in" "So, you're thinking serial rapist?" Tom asked. "Yes, but there's more to it than that. Did you notice anything about Marianne?" Margo asked him. "I guess I was too shocked to notice anything, why," Tom asked trying to figure out what his wife was getting at.
Margo took a deep breath and then continued, "When we got into the light of the house, and I saw her, it was like looking in the mirror. Maybe not literally, but she had red hair, the same eye color, the same age." "Same age as what," Tom asked still not following. "Me," Margo explained, "When I looked at her, I saw me twelve years ago. And the other two rape victims had the same features as her" "Honey, is that what this is all about? Those women, that was probably just a coincidence. Maybe the bastard had a red headed girlfriend that dumped him or something." "No, Tom, this is more than that," Margo said, more sure than ever that she was right.
"What are you saying?" Tom asked not sure he wanted to know the answer. "I'm saying that I think someone is trying to send me a message with these rape cases. It was a gut feeling I've had ever since the first case. The second one made it stronger, but Marianne being dumped right outside our house. That's not a coincidence, Tom. Some psycho is messing with us here and we have to be prepared."
Tom took a minute to absorb what Margo was telling him. He tried desperately to find some way to convince her she was wrong, but he couldn't. Even the lawyer in him was convinced with everything she just told him along with the seriousness in her voice. Margo snapped him out of his trance when she said, "Hey, you ok?" She took her hand and started rubbing his chest. "No," he said honestly, "You're sure about this," he asked looking into her eyes. He was sure they were going to wake up and this would all be a dream. Margo got up her courage and said, "I wish to God I weren't, but yes."
With that, Tom reached over and turned the light off. They both knew they weren't going to get any sleep, but were just content to lay there and hold each other.
