CHAPTER 30

Mum's the Word

My mouth hung open as I stared straight into the despicable eyes of Barry Hobbs. To say I was surprised to see him in my hospital room would have been an understatement. Barry and Dickie had been Sigma Chi fraternity brothers at Princeton. I met them at a house party my senior year in college. If I'd known how it would all turn out, I wouldn't have let my best friend Micki drag me out that night. I would have stayed back at our apartment, saving myself a world of heartache.

Since Micki and I went to Douglass College, we didn't know many people at the Princeton party. Essentially, I was fresh meat and Barry zeroed in on me as soon as I walked through the door. He was one of the hottest guys at the party and at first I was flattered that he asked me to dance, but after talking with him for a few minutes I realized there was something about him that put me off. When I refused his offer to dance, he got angry and tried to make me jealous by dancing with other girls. No matter where I was in the room, he had his creepy eyes on me.

It was a lame party in a house full of preppy boys with trust funds and inflated egos. I was about to call it a night when Dickie walked in and I'm ashamed to say, I was instantly attracted. He was the most gorgeous man in the room, and he wanted to dance with me. After that night, I was hooked.

At the time, I didn't know how deep Barry's jealousy of Dickie ran. He was always trying to get me alone, taking every opportunity to touch me, lingering a little too long, and his eyes were a little too intense. He went so far as to tell me I could do better than Dickie. It wasn't until after I married Dickie that I found out Barry had been encouraging him to screw around on me all along. I never had any proof, but I always suspected he was the one who called my office at E.E. Martin and left the urgent message about water pouring from the spigot in my front yard. It was the reason I left work early that day and came home to find Dickie and Joyce doing the nasty on our dining room table. Barry had wanted me to catch Dickie in the act. He was hoping I'd divorce Dickie and use his shoulder to cry on while I grieved the loss of my marriage. Barry played his hand perfectly. At first, he was thoughtful and comforting as he pretended to be a good friend, but it didn't take long for him to get impatient and make a move. Just like I did with Dickie, I threw him out of my life and never looked back.

Hector and Zip were still on guard outside my door. While Barry glared at me, Hector shouldered his way past him and into my room, immediately coming to my side. He turned around, giving Barry a look that had him thinking twice about coming any further. Hector pulled out his phone and sent a text. I didn't have to guess to whom.

"Stay with her," Joe said to Hector as he backed Barry and the female agent out of my room and closed the door.

I thought back to the last news I'd heard about Barry. Rumors were flying that his uncle used his connections to get him a job with the FBI, but it never occurred to me that he might be working on my case. I can just imagine how hard he searched for me. After the things I said to him back then, it was more likely he'd be the first one with a shovel to bury me.

The tight feeling in my stomach was back. This was a complication I didn't need.

I knew Joe would try to keep them away, but I wasn't sure how successful he'd be. I mean… Barry was with the FBI for crying out loud. If he wanted to talk to me, he would. Any second, I expected him to barge in and start demanding I tell him everything. The longer the door stayed closed, the antsier I became. Half an hour later, Ranger walked in—alone. He came to stand next to Hector. They spoke quietly for a moment and then Ranger looked over at me. "Are they gone?" I asked.

"No." He came closer, reaching for my hand. "But you don't have to speak with them."

My stomach rebelled at the thought of telling Barry all the things Durant had done to me. He'd find some way to turn my words around and make everything my fault. But I was going to have to tell the feds something because they weren't going away. "It's okay," I told Ranger. "I'd rather get it over with."

"At least wait for your lawyer to get here," Ranger urged.

Before I could respond, the door opened, and Dr. Powell walked in, followed by Brandon, the male nurse who'd been so kind to me. They stood off to the side in an advisory capacity while Barry and the female agent filed in and took up residence at the foot of my bed. Joe was the last one through the door. He came to stand on my left, frowning when he noticed Ranger on the other side of the bed, fingers entwined with mine.

I locked eyes with Barry, in a standoff of sorts. While he was perusing me, I did the same to him. I did my best to hide my reactions, but it irked me that he wasn't pooch bellied and balding. As much as it pained me to admit, he still looked good.

"I'd like to remind you to use caution." Dr. Powell said to Barry and the lady agent. "Stephanie has been through quite an ordeal and I won't have her upset."

"Yes, doctor," the blonde woman said, but Barry gave no indication he even heard Dr. Powell's warning.

He plastered an insincere smile on his face as he stared down his nose at me, eyes twinkling with delight at my bruised and battered condition. "Playing the part of a victim never gets old, does it, Stephanie?"

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. What an arrogant ass.

Ranger and Joe pulled their hands out of mine and stood to their full height, not at all happy about the way Barry was speaking to me. I felt at a disadvantage since I was lying down, so I scooted up in the bed before crossing my arms over my chest in a defensive posture. Obviously, Barry hadn't come here expecting to play nice and after dealing with the likes of Durant for the last few weeks, I had no patience left for anyone who didn't deserve it. "I see your necks gotten even thicker," I said, giving him an innocent smile. "But I guess it has to be to support your inflated ego."

Hector chuckled, but kept his fists clenched at his side, ready to take matters into his own hands if it became necessary to defend me.

Barry was almost choking on his rage. More than anything, he hated being laughed at. His eyes wandered from one side of my bed to the other, noting Ranger and Joe's hostile stance before settling back on me, smirking. "Still can't keep those legs closed, can you?"

I had expected him to say something along those lines, so I wasn't surprised, but that wasn't the case with the rest of the men in my room. The testosterone was thick; it filled the space and it wouldn't take much for this powder keg to ignite. I didn't take my eyes off Barry, but I could feel the fury radiating off Ranger as he took a step toward him. "Watch your mouth," Ranger growled, deep and dangerous.

"Careful, soldier boy. Assaulting a federal agent is a felony." Barry was almost daring Ranger to strike him. Knowing Barry, he was probably salivating at the thought of arresting my friends.

"One more inappropriate comment like that and I'll have you removed," Dr. Powell addressed Barry, but he didn't spare her a glance. His attention was focused on me and only me.

Joe turned to me and asked, "What's going on, Stephanie? Do you know him?"

"Barry is a friend of Dickie's," I said without taking my eyes off Barry.

Barry flipped his hand back and forth between Joe and Ranger. "These two look ready to tear me apart." He cocked his head and quirked an eyebrow. "You always did like men fighting over you."

"Jealousy doesn't suit you, Barry." I sighed and picked a piece of lint off my gown. "It's been years. Get over it."

"You think I'm jealous?" He laughed, but it sounded hollow and I was pretty sure no one was buying his protests. "Over these two?" He was practically vibrating with rage as he gestured to Ranger and Joe again. "Not likely."

I wanted him gone, without my friends getting in trouble for assaulting a Federal officer, and the fastest way to make that happen was to force Barry to lose his temper in front of Dr. Powell. It wouldn't take much prodding on my part. Barry's ego was the size of Texas. A few strategic comments would be all I needed. "So… You're a big deal FBI agent now?" I taunted. "That's a pretty cushy job for a frat boy who almost flunked out of college. I guess having an uncle at the bureau comes in handy." His eyes narrowed and I knew he wanted to deny it, but what could he say? It was the truth.

While he fumed and thought of some witty comeback, the female agent came around my bed with her hand out to me and a wide smile on her face. As we shook hands, I got the feeling she was a little in awe that I'd had the guts to say that to his face. It didn't take a rocket scientist to surmise that she was not a fan of Barry's. "I'm Assistant Special Agent Piper Kinkade, and it seems you already know my partner." She motioned to Barry after schooling her features. "Would it be okay if I called you Stephanie?" she asked. I nodded as I took a closer look at her. I guessed her to be around my age, with what I assumed was the tolerance of a saint to partner with Barry. "We'd like to ask you a few questions." She looked around the room, taking note of all the people who were here to support me.

"Alone," Barry added his two cents and then crossed his arms over his chest waiting for everyone to scurry away, as if he was the emperor and this was his kingdom. I have to say I enjoyed the way his face turned red when no one moved. How stupid did he have to be to think my friends would leave me alone with two federal agents. "I believe I asked for privacy." He tried to instill authority in his tone as he made his demand again, but it came across as sullen and ineffective.

Ranger placed his hand over mine and leaned in close so he could whisper in my ear. "I think you should wait for the lawyer to get here before you answer their questions."

I knew Ranger was trying to help but having a lawyer present wasn't going to make any difference. I had no intention of telling them anything of importance. Not today anyway. I would be as truthful as possible, and when I couldn't, I would just phrase my response in the form of a question. It would make me appear cooperative and yet give them no answers. I figured I could use my head injury to my advantage. It wasn't like they could prove my memory loss was fake. After all, I had a neurologist ready to state the unpredictability of my recollection. I just needed to appear confused yet helpful.

Choosing to ignore Barry, I gave Agent Kinkade my attention. "Why is the FBI questioning me about my car accident? Did I do something wrong? Am I in trouble?"

"You aren't in any trouble." Agent Kinkade smiled reassuringly. "But I'd like for you to tell me everything you can remember about the accident."

"I'm missing a month of my life, so I don't know how much help I'll be, but I'll try to remember everything I can." I looked down at Ranger's hand still covering mine, gaining the courage I needed to get through this interview. Raising my eyes to Agent Kinkade, I drew a deep breath. "Ranger said I was the only one hurt in the accident, and that I was found in the Pine Barrens. Did I damage government property in the accident? Is that why you're here?"

"The only property that was damaged was the green Chevy Truck you were driving," she said. "Can you tell me who owns the truck?"

I made sure to crinkle my brow as if thinking hard. "I don't remember asking anyone to borrow a truck." That was technically true. I didn't ask to borrow Durant's truck. "But I keep getting flashes of trees—lots and lots of trees—and fire. I guess that makes sense since I was found in the Pine Barrens, but I don't know why there would have been a fire… unless." I let my eyes widen. "Did another one of my cars explode?"

"I'm not allowed to fill in the missing blanks of your memory. Just do your best to answer our questions and we'll get out of your hair as soon as we can. Do you remember seeing a nearby home or some other type of dwelling?"

"No." I made sure to maintain eye contact as I slowly shook my head in defeat. "I'm sorry."

Agent Kinkade was getting ready to ask me another question when Barry chimed in, making no attempt to hide his scorn. "You are aware that it's a crime to lie to a federal agent."

"Thank you, Barry." I smiled sarcastically. "But you're a compulsive liar, not me."

"Do you remember calling Rangeman for help?" Agent Kinkade tried to steer the interview back on track.

Of course, I remembered calling for help, but I couldn't tell them that. Instead, I closed my eyes pretending to think hard. I let my eyes pop wide open as if remembering an important detail. "Hal! I talked to Hal." I turned to face Ranger. "And I remember talking to you."

Excited, now that we seemed to be getting somewhere, Agent Kinkade asked, "Whose phone were you using?"

There was no way I was giving them Durant's name… not yet anyway. But I had to say something. "Wasn't I using my own phone?" My eyebrows wrinkled in confusion.

Again, instead of answering my question, she asked another. "After you crashed into the tree, what did you do?" That was news to me. The accident had happened so fast I wasn't sure what I'd crashed into.

"I crashed into a tree?" I asked as I glanced at the others in the room, hoping someone would fill me in.

Ignoring my question, Agent Kinkade's eyes darted to Dr. Powell as if she wasn't sure how to phrase her question without getting into trouble. "Do you know how you got your injuries?"

Being reminded about the many ways Durant had hurt me caused a heavy weight to settle on my chest and I started breathing harder. But now was not the time to let myself feel any of that. I had to keep a cool head. "Weren't they caused by the accident?" I innocently asked.

"Some of your injuries were from the accident, but not all." She gave me a sympathetic smile.

"Well." I shrugged and sat up a little straighter as if preparing for her to enlighten me. "What else happened to me?"

She glanced at Dr. Powell again. "I can't get into that, Stephanie. I'm walking a fine line with your doctor as it is."

It looked like Barry was done sitting on the sideline. "Your friends seem to be under the impression you were being stalked," he chimed in, obviously not worried about my doctor's reaction. "They claim you were kidnapped." He waved his hand up and down my body, motioning to my obvious injuries. "But maybe you just went off with a new man and things got a little out of hand in the bedroom." He shrugged his shoulders. "It happens."

"Watch your mouth!" Ranger leaned forward, fury rolling off him in waves. Barry's eyes bulged and he drew back out of Ranger's reach. When he realized his actions made him appear cowardly, he blustered.

"The pendejo (asshole) is not worth it," Hector sneered at Barry as he held his hand up to try to block Ranger from lunging. "Estefania can take care of herself."

"Go ahead," Barry said. "Lay your hands on me. I dare you!" He straightened to his full height and adjusted his tie, feeling secure as he hid behind the protection of his badge. "I'll have your ass in jail so fast your head will spin."

The atmosphere in the room was highly charged. Joe, Ranger, and Hector… three powerful men with guns were ready to defend me if need be. I was afraid to take my eyes off Ranger. If Hector hadn't stopped him, Barry would be lying on the floor and Ranger would be on his way to jail. And Joe wasn't handling his anger much better.

"That's enough, Agent." Dr. Powell's stern voice reverberated throughout the room. "You're out of line. I will personally be filing a complaint with your supervisor."

Barry lifted his hands and pasted an insincere smile on his face. "Sorry doctor. Won't happen again."

I'd like to wipe the smug smile off his face by telling him that I'd been abducted by a serial killer and I could lead them to his lair where the bodies of eight women were waiting to be found, but it was too soon for that. I wasn't ready. I wanted this interview to be over, so I blinked my eyes as if they were getting too heavy to keep open and then I sighed. It wasn't a stretch of my acting skills because I really was tired. Everyone else immediately noticed and I could see that they felt bad for keeping me awake, but Barry didn't appear to be moved… at all.

Agent Kinkade gave Barry an incredulous look that was laced with anger and then turned back to me. She gestured toward Hector. "Mr. Sanchez has stated that you were being stalked before your… ah… accident."

"I thought someone was coming into my apartment and moving my things around, but I wasn't sure." I paused. "But what does that have to do with my accident? Do you think whoever was in my apartment caused me to wreck?"

Barry stepped closer to the side of my bed, looming over me as he edged Agent Kinkade out of the way. Even though I was sitting up in bed, I still had to look up to meet his eyes and I hated that. He was giving me a smile similar to the one Joyce Barnhardt would give me right before she'd spit in my lunch. "I'll ask the questions… not you."

His smug tone pissed me off, but I'd spent twenty-nine days with a madman, and I wasn't willing to let Barry intimidate me. "If you expect anything from me, you'll answer whatever questions I ask."

His mouth snapped shut and I noticed an irritated tick in his right eye as he glared at me.

"Stephanie." Agent Kinkade rubbed her forehead as she tried to find a way to salvage the deteriorating interview. "Can you tell me why you were wearing men's clothing when you were found?"

Being reminded of Durant's penis touching my cheek as I took his clothes off had me struggling to breathe. My mouth started watering and there was an uncomfortable feeling radiating down my chest to my stomach. I pretended confusion. "I was wearing someone else's clothes?" I asked.

Agent Kinkade remained quiet; a common interrogation tactic designed to make a person fill in the uncomfortable silence with a confession. But I'd learned from the master how to tolerate silence.

Joe sensed my unease and leaned over to kiss my forehead. "Are you okay?" He glanced again at my hand tucked into Ranger's.

I gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Can I get some water?" My voice was starting to shake. I needed something to settle my stomach and to buy a moment to get myself under control.

While Joe refilled my cup at the sink, Barry took the opportunity to step into Joe's vacated spot. I could feel the impatience emanating from him. "Where have you been for the past month? If you were abducted, what did this person look like?" he demanded as he started hitting me with rapid fire questions. "Where were you being held? Can you even tell us how long you were driving before you wrecked?"

My stomach lurched. "I don't know." I gritted my teeth, barely holding back the acidic taste in my mouth.

"Tell us how you really got those marks on your back." He spat. "A little S&M gone wrong?"

My stomach turned over with a sour feeling at the same time complaints erupted from everyone in the room including Dr. Powell and Agent Kinkade. "I'm not feeling well," I moaned and rubbed my chest as I concentrated on taking small breaths.

"This interview is over." Dr. Powell stepped forward and began urging everyone out.

Barry snapped his fingers in my face. "Focus!"

Ranger placed his hand on my shoulder for support. "Don't say another word, Babe."

I could feel my skin getting wet with sweat and the unpleasant feeling in my stomach was getting worse. I could taste the vomit filling my mouth. I barely had time to lean over the side of the bed before everything came up.

"Shit, that's disgusting!" Barry took in a sharp breath and jumped back, giving me a dirty look as my mother's homemade chicken noodle soup spilled down his pant leg, landing on his shiny wing tips. With pinched lips, he gave me a condemning stare before storming out of the room.

Unfortunately for me, I wasn't done. I continued dry heaving while Ranger held my hair out of the way and gently stroked my back. Joe grabbed the plastic basin and placed it under my chin, while Brandon went to the bathroom for a wet cloth. When my stomach finally stopped its painful contractions, Ranger tried to gather me close to him. More than anything, I wanted to take the comfort he offered, but I couldn't let him continue pulling me in and pushing me away at the same time.

Hector sensed my dilemma and sat down on the side of my bed, holding his arms out. I leaned into him and quietly cried against his chest.

"I'm sorry, Stephanie." Agent Kinkade laid her card on the table. "If there's anything you remember, call me… day or night."

Ranger and Joe stayed for a little while after the agents left, but it wasn't long until they were both called away on business matters. Before Ranger left, he asked Hector to step into the hall with him. They both thought I was asleep and didn't bother closing the door all the way.

"Hobbs came at her pretty hard, and that was just his warm up. I've seen his type before," Ranger said. "He's a classic narcissist."

"That pendejo (asshole) is not fit to clean her shoes!" Hector snarled.

"Diesel paid her a visit last night," Ranger said. "He admitted knowing what happened to her."

I could hear the struggle in Ranger's voice as he tried to maintain control of his emotions. My heart ached. Maybe if we were together, I could confide in him about Durant and the cellar, but he'd made it clear that he wasn't interested in a relationship with me, and I couldn't keep expecting him to solve my problems. I'm the reason he killed Abruzzi. The reason he has a black mark on his karma. But Durant was my karmic debt and I wouldn't let Ranger or anyone else pay for it.

"He also warned that she could be in trouble. He advised me to get her an attorney."

"Why would she need a lawyer, she is the victim?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Ranger said.

I wasn't shocked that Diesel was watching out for me. I probably did need a lawyer since I was acting as Durant's judge, jury, and executioner. I was trying my best to convince myself I was getting justice for me and the women, but I wasn't certain I was going to be able to live with myself if I went through with it.

My stomach felt better this morning. I was able to eat breakfast and had just finished lunch when Lester walked in. He had his arms behind his back and a big grin plastered on his face. A zing of happiness went through me. Seeing Lester always made me feel better.

"I brought your favorite." He taunted me with a sing song voice and pulled his hands from behind his back as if he was performing a magic trick.

I was smiling as I waited for whatever he'd brought me, but as soon as I saw the packaging, my eyes widened in horror and my breath caught in my throat. He was waving two cartons of Chunky Monkey ice cream in my direction. Without thinking, I knocked the cartons out of his hand and practically leaped off the bed.

"What!" Lester's eyes widened as the ice cream tumbled to the ground.

The sudden motion made me dizzy. I didn't even register the pain when the IV was ripped from my arm. My only goal was to hide from him. I crawled under the bed, wedging my body between the wheels and the wall and curled into a ball. "Good morning Jenny, good morning Sharon, good morning Andrea, good morning… ," I rocked back and forth as I chanted over and over in a whisper.

"Stephanie?" I heard a voice calling to me in a soothing tone, from far away. "I'm sorry I scared you. It's okay, please calm down."

His feet were coming closer, ever closer as I shimmied as far away as possible. They stopped only inches from my head. I could see his knees start to bend and I held myself still, barely breathing as my heart beat a thunderous rhythm in my chest. Any second, he was going to pull me up by my hair and drag me to the pole. Then the belt would come out.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

Liar. All you do is hurt me.

"I'm sorry. I thought Chunky Monkey was your favorite."

I let out a high-pitched whine. "No… no… no… This isn't real. You're dead." I rocked back and forth, hugging myself. I could barely hear myself think with all the voices screaming at me. They were now coming at me from all sides. Durant. The women. Others.

"What's going on in here?"

"I don't know what happened; I brought her ice cream, then all the sudden she just jumped out of bed and hid down there."

"Step aside. I need to get closer to my patient." When his feet didn't move away, she got a little louder. "Sir, you'll have to wait outside."

I watched as the feet retreated and I started to breathe easier, then I felt a sting in my hip and nothing more.