Killing Him Softly: A Hiding Place

by tarskeewee08

John walked slowly around the forested trail looking back constantly to see that Evangeline kept up. She walked mostly with her head down and he smiled at her in his pants and shirt that were obviously too big for her. "You okay?"

She looked up and smiled faintly "Yes"
Turning he saw a clearing and headed in that direction. He swore he heard the sound of the ocean. Coming to the clearing he saw a small cottage and behind it was the mouth of a lake that probably flowed into the ocean. He stopped and looked at it hopeful they could use it for cover. The sun would be rising soon and he had to get her hidden.

Evangeline looked past him at the cottage. "You think anyone home?"
He shrugged "God I hope not"
"Are we in Patheni?"
John looked back at her confused "How did you know that?"
"I know this island and that looks like a fishing hut."
"A what?"

"The islanders here are very prosperous because of the fishing trade on Leros. These huts are up and down the shoreline. The dock on the side is where the boat would be posted. It's not a good season right now so if I'm right it should be empty."

John pulled his gun and checked the clip. "I want you to stay here."
Evangeline smirked "You trust me enough to leave me behind?"

"If I want you to trust me I am going to have to start by trusting you." he said smiling.
She looked him up and down. "Were we lovers?"
John blinked at her surprised. "Why would you ask me that?"
"The way you look at me. The way you talk to me."

John shook his head. "We can have this conversation later. Stay here and hidden. If anything happens go back into the forest. I will find you."

She nodded and watched him run crouched to the cottage. He went to the door and found it locked. Putting his back against the wall he circled it and went out of sight. Evangeline folded her arms and watched. She remembered the image of him coming into the shower with her. She knew him and knew him well but why did she believe him to be a liar? How did he betray her?

She saw him come through the front door smiling at her. She smiled back and walked toward the cottage. He came down the steps excited. "This place should be perfect. How long before they come back?"

Shrugging she walked past him. "A month or a day…depends on when they left."
John followed her inside and locked the door. Evangeline looked around and gagged on the fishy pungent smell inside. Going into the kitchen she went the garbage can and lifted the lid to find it full of fish heads and parts rotting with maggots. "Oh god!"

John walked over and saw the carnage, shaking his head he took the can outside. Evangeline opened windows and surveyed the place. It was definitely a fishing hut and probably had a ratty mattress in back smelling as rancid as the rest of the place. There was a table with four folding chairs, a cooler and raggedy stove. Walking out of the kitchen she went to the living area to see if there was a TV and saw a radio. Next to it was a phone. She looked back and could see John outside the window dumping the garbage can into another one. Quickly she went to the phone and picked it up.

"Montego residence"
"Marcela?" Evangeline responded in a hushed voice
"Misses?"
"Yes Marcela where is my husband get him quick!"
"One moment…"

Evangeline looked back for John and didn't see him. She shifted on her foot and hoped he'd come to the phone quickly.

"Christina!" Laredo yelled in the phone.
"Laredo oh god I'm glad…." Then she heard the phone go dead. Looking behind her she saw John glaring at her.

He was holding the phone cord he ripped out of the wall. She lowered the phone and looked at him angrily.

"Why would you do that? Why would you call that man knowing now what he did to you?"
"I don't know that Laredo did anything to me. None of my visions indicate that!"
"I told you! You were kidnapped!"

Evangeline snickers. "I know that I was kidnapped and drugged and god knows what else but that wasn't Laredo, that was you and your buddy we left behind! I can't trust you. There is more to this story than you are telling me?"

"Like what?" he yelled at her.

Evangeline glared at him. "Like why would a Prince in another country that could have any woman in the world he wanted come to this Landview place and kidnap an attorney then erase her memory!" she shouted back.

John ran his hands through his hair. "It's complicated Van…"
"I bet!" she snapped folding her arms.
"Will you at least admit that there are things at play here that you don't know anything about?"

Evangeline rolled her eyes and walked away going to the fridge and checking for something to drink. John took the phone and ripped the cord out of the base to make sure she couldn't use it again. Evangeline pulled out a soda and watched him. He turned and looked at her.

"It's time you understand some things…"
"Really?" she asked sarcastically
"Jake is not your cousin…"
Evangeline sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes.
"Listen to me. He was kidnapped like you and his name is Christian Vega, he's your client! He's the reason why you got involved in this whole mess in the first place?"

Evangeline lowered her soda from her mouth and looked at him. "Christian Vega?"
"Yes, he was in prison for killing a man. He had been kidnapped a year prior and reprogrammed to come back to Llanview as an assassin. You were working to free him and got to close to the truth. That's why they took you and him. I have no idea what they did to you baby…but you speak Greek and have no memory of your family and friends. You have no memory of us and the love we shared."

Evangeline stared unsure what to say. John saw that some of it was sinking in. He walked over to her. "I'd like to try something to help you remember."

"What?"
"Hypnosis…"
"What! You know how to hypnotize people?"
"I'm a CIA agent with the United States government."
"I thought you were an American cop. The article said…"
"The article is over 2 years old. I quit my job and joined the CIA to find you. Evangeline I have been looking for you ever since."

She stared at him confused. "Please don't call me Evangeline…I just can't accept yet that I'm her."
"Then let me hypnotize you. Let's go into your head and find out what happened. I need you back baby its killing me. Let me help you be whole again."

She saw his sincerity but hesitated "First you will have to do something for me."
"Anything…"
"Tell me why I don't trust you. Why I think you are a liar."
John looked at her stunned. "It's complicated…"
"I don't care. I won't let you into my head until you explain that argument I remembered. Why I feel like you lied and deceived me. That feeling is so strong whenever I let my guard down around you it comes to the surface and I want to slap your face. I want to kick and scream at you and its confusing the hell out of me. I want you to explain it!"

Sucking in his breath he leaned on the counter. "I knew Jake before I knew you…"
"How…"
"His wife…."
"Wife? Jake is married?"
"Yes baby he is and his name is Christian Vega."
"Okay…"
John rubbed his jaw and tried to think of how to get into all of this with her. "His wife name is Natalie…does that mean anything to you?"

Evangeline frowned. She looked down and back up. "I don't like her do I?"
John smiled lightly "No you don't."
"Why?"
"She and you have a history. You two were even kidnapped together."
"To be brainwashed?"

John shook his head sadly "This was a total different kidnapping."

"When I met Natalie I was an agent with the FBI working undercover. I wanted her to work undercover in a sting so I tricked her to play pool for me. Christian was against it and due to my lack of judgment he was kidnapped."
"Kidnapped? By Laredo?"
"At the time I didn't know sweetie. We thought he was murdered. But he showed up a year later saying he'd been on a ship tortured and escaped."
"Oh god…what did his wife do?"

John walked away searching for the right words to explain Natalie to her. "When he returned we were already in a relationship. His wife believed him to be her husband and tried to resume their life together. But shortly after he killed a man and told everyone that he was not Christian. That he was brainwashed to believe he was."

Evangeline frowned at him. "This makes no sense John…"
"I know baby it's complicated. Natalie was devastated and so was his family."
"So he's not Christian?"
"He's Christian…"
"But you said…."
"He didn't know it Van, he was confused from what Laredo's people did to him but I found out through DNA evidence."

Evangeline watched the way he paced. He was leaving something out in the story but she didn't know what. The more he spoke the more bizarre it became.

"Christian asked that I hide the DNA evidence. He didn't want his family and wife to know that he was actually a cold blooded killer. He didn't want his wife to sacrifice herself waiting on him."

"Did you keep his secret?"
"Yes….and after we broke up you found the evidence and discovered I'd lied about Christian. You felt betrayed and decided to help free Christian. That's how you got caught up in this nightmare."

"Why would I feel betrayed? Wouldn't this Natalie feel betrayed?"
"She did…."
"Why would I feel betrayed?"

John stared at her and said nothing. "Because by this time I was sleeping with Natalie and keeping you both in the dark. You thought that I kept the secret to have her. That our relationship didn't survive because I wanted her all along."

John watched her face to see what her reaction would be. She stared at him and remained silent. He went to her. "Of course its not true Van, I kept the secret because Christian wanted me too…"

"Let me get this straight. Jake is a man whose life was stolen from him and you were a man that knew this and watched it happened. Then slept with his wife?" She said looking at him in disgust.

"There's a lot more to this than that…"
"I bet…"
"Evangeline…if you let me hypnotize you…you will remember and know that I love you"
"NO! I won't let you in my head. If what you say is true there is know telling what's in there. And if you open that flood gate you my not be able to stop it!"

John nodded. "Its dangerous but I think I can help. I think you could help us uncover what this is all about."

She looked at him and rolled her eyes "If you were with this Natalie and we were over why did you come looking for me?"

John smiled at her. "Because I love you, and it took loosing you for me to realize how much!"

"I don't understand you John, I know why I don't trust you….but I also have a feeling of something else for you…."

"Love..?"

Evangeline shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not sure I want too. But if Jake is with Laredo and he is a victim like me then I have to save him. I love him, he's my only family. Are you sure you can help me?"

"No, but we can try…if it doesn't work or you become extremely stressed then I will stop it immediately."

"Okay let's do it. I want my memory. I want to know if you are telling the truth."

John smiled "Good"

The Montego Palace

"What did you find?" Laredo barked out while pacing his study.
"She was there sir but escaped with this John person. I killed the other agent."
Laredo stopped and glared at him. "Why in the hell did you do that?"
"It was necessary, he was trying to escape."

He rushed Jake and lifted him by the throat. Laredo stood 6 foot 4 and was 280 pounds of solid muscle. Jake struggled to breathe but didn't fight back. "That agent knew where Christina was. She could be off the island now!" he yelled in his face then dropped him.

"I don't think so…I think they fled on foot" Jake said holding his throat and trying to swallow.

"Then why aren't you out there hunting them?" Laredo asked glaring.
"I was sir and then I got a call that she contacted you. I thought you had a lead"

Laredo slammed his large fist into his hand "No that asshole cut her off! I want her back Jake and I want him brought to me alive. I want to be the one to dispose of him!" Laredo yelled in Greek.

Jake nodded. "He was gaining parts of his memory. He understood that Laredo was not to be trusted. That he had to save Christina and get her off this island. The things that were done to them on that ship made his stomach turn. He didn't know why or how he and she were captured, but he knew they were. He would fix this. And he would kill this John person as well because he knew he was somehow responsible for it all.

Cottage in Patheni

Evangeline sat on the stale smelling sofa that foam coming out the creases of the seat cushions. She tried to relax but she was terrified. John talked to her in a soft voice and helped still her terror.

"I want you to think of a happy time, a time that you can remember when you were at peace."

Evangeline thought about her walks in the garden behind the palace on days Laredo was away on business. The calmness and serenity of that place.

"Now I want you to concentrate on one object in your mind. A flower a chair…it doesn't matter focus and count back with me…."

Evangeline sighed and walked through the relaxation exercise and felt her conscious mind slip away. She felt herself walking into the darkness. Fear and pain were the first things to greet her…..