Page 76 of After Midnight

She came in and gave me medication for the pain and a glass of water. “You were so dehydrated. We promised to push fluids for the next few days while you recover.”

I smiled and nodded.

She sat down on the chair next to my bed and waited for me to finish drinking.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” she asked.

I shook my head. “Right now, I just want to rest.” Would I ever want to talk about it? I knew I should and I knew I’d have to but, honestly, I’d rather forget it happened altogether.

“The police have questions, but I can hold them off for the moment, if you wish.”

I sighed, dreading having to suddenly relive those several terrible days. “No, I’d prefer to get it out of the way. I was going to come down, but I’m still so worn out. Can you send them up here?” I asked and she nodded.

She looked at my stripped bed and scooted me into the chair as she quickly made it up with fresh sheets we kept in the linen closet next to the bathroom. I happily slipped into the clean sheets and was almost asleep when I heard a knock on my door.

The man who entered my room was the same one who’d rescued me from the tomb the night before. I couldn’t help but feel gratitude flow through me at the sight of the man’s face.

I grinned at him as he came to stand at the foot of my bed. I gestured to the chair and pulled myself up so I was sitting upright against the headboard. “Sorry, I’m still feeling weak. All I managed was a shower this morning, and it pretty much wiped me out.”

The officer smiled in understanding. “Mr. Lawson, I’m Detective Jerimiah Gustafson. This won’t take long, but we do need your full account. Can you tell me what happened when you were abducted? Starting from the time you pulled your car into the garage.”

I knew I’d be emotional, but I wasn’t prepared for just how much. My sobs began even before I’d gotten a minute into the story. “Sorry. Um, give me a minute to get myself together,” I replied through the tears.

Detective Gustafson didn’t say anything, but he kindly handed me the tissue box from my nightstand. When I finally got control over myself, I wiped at the tears and said, “I really thought I was gonna die, even prepared myself for it in my head. As much as I could anyway. So, this is sort of a lot to process.”

He sat quietly and took notes as I walked him through the events still fresh in my memory. “Margarette appeared out of nowhere and started banging on my car’s hood as soon as I pulled into the driveway, then some guy knocked out the driver’s side window. He pulled me out of the car after I’d dropped my phone, then he hit me with something hard. I didn’t ever see what exactly, but it knocked me out.”

“Did you recognize that man, the one who hit you? If not, could you describe him to a sketch artist?”

I thought for a moment, and the memory of a man’s face came flooding into focus. I nodded. “He was a stranger, but I could describe him. If I saw a picture of him, I’d recognize him.”

Detective Gustafson jotted down more notes. “What about any others? Did you see anyone else while still here at the house?” he asked.

“No, not that night. I woke up at some point, maybe the next day? I don’t really know when, to be honest. The place they kept me in was so dark, time got away from me. But there was a woman who took my picture next to a newspaper, something about proof of life. I think I would recognize her in a picture as well.”

“Do you remember anything striking about her?” he asked. “Physically or otherwise.”

“Margarette called her Lolli, and she smelled terrible, like she hadn’t bathed in weeks.”

The detective wrote down everything I said and asked if there was anything else I remembered.

“No, sorry, they never came back to the room. As far as I could tell, the place was soundproof, so I never heard any conversations. The next person I saw was you.”

He smiled then and patted my hand, which surprised me a little. I appreciated how compassionate this man seemed, and Iwas glad it’d been him who'd rescued me. “That’s all I need for now,” he said. “Thank you, Mr. Lawson.”

Then he put his notepad in his pocket and got up to leave. “Detective?” I began.

“We can forgo the formalities, if you’d like. Feel free to call me Jerimiah,” he said and I nodded, trying to maintain my composure but failing.

“Jerimiah, thank you for saving my life,” I said. “If you hadn’t arrived when you did…” My voice trailed off and I reached for another tissue to blow my nose. I was such a mess.

“You’re welcome, but it was a team effort. Your sister, Olivia, should get the most credit for saving your life, Mr. Lawson. We wouldn’t have known where to look for you had she not provided what proved to be crucial information regarding Ms. Shipley’s prior movement patterns. That little girl is a big hero.”

I gave him a wobbly smile. “Don’t worry,” I said through tears, “I’m already cooking up several ways to thank her. Starting with a lot of ice cream and, God help me, months ofThe Princess Bridemovie nights.”

The detective chuckled. “My daughter loves that movie too. I’d tell you I’m sorry, but if it’s what she wants, it’s a small price to pay. But then again, watching Ingio Montoya get justice for his father in the end never gets old.”

We shared a small chuckle at the truth of that before he took his leave. Once he’d gone, I fell back to sleep.

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