Page 38 of Don't Speak
The rest of the papers on this desk are just miscellaneous. There isn’t much else in here, so I exit the room. I make my way back to the living room, noticing that there are a few photos on the wall. Slowly passing by each one, I see that they all seem to be roughly the same. Each photo depicts a little boy, aging ever so slightly in chronological order, holding a fish. The little boy in the photo is definitely James. The last one hanging on the wall depicts him as roughly nineteen years old. That would make sense if that was around the time Sean was arrested.
Moving on from the wall, I make my way over to the coffee table, where there are more papers laid out. Sitting down, I sort through the items on the table. I flip through the magazines and mail and suddenly freeze when I recognize photos. They are the same ones Ben was leaving on Nikki’s doorstep. These aren’t the only ones, though. Other photos decorate the table of Nikki alone, Nikki and Amelia together, Nikki and Cora at the bar, and Nikki and me. James has been following her for quite some time. Putting the photos down, I move on to what looks like blueprints. Upon closer inspection, I realize they aren’t just any blueprints but those of the prison where Sean was being held. There would only be one reason James would have these. It makes sense now.
I flip through a few more items before I stumble on one last photo. This one is of James as he looks now, only what I don’t expect to see is Sean standing right next to him. Both of them are standing in front of the cabin, taking a selfie. This photo is obviously recent, which means Sean has been here. That’s who must be sleeping in the other room. If Sean’s in town, then he must know where Nikki is. But if he’s not in this cabin, thenwhere is he? It’s too dangerous to be going out in public. He’s a wanted fugitive; everyone has seen his face.
At that thought, lights flash through the window.Hello, James.I move quickly, organizing the papers back to how I found them. The car comes to a stop, and the lights turn off. Getting up from the couch, I make my way toward the kitchen but stop, pivoting to the laundry room just next to the kitchen. I close myself inside, gripping the handgun I brought with me closely.
James enters the cabin, talking on the phone with someone I can't hear.
“Yeah, it’s almost ready. Are you almost done there? What time will you be back?”
There’s a pause before he continues.
“Yeah, I’ll be ready by then. Be careful. Make sure no one sees you. Your face is still all over the news. Bye, Dad.”
DAD?! It was never mentioned during the trial that Sean had a son. I doubt even Nikki knows this. Clearly, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. They’re both pieces of shit. I half-expected Sean to be with him, but since he isn’t, I have to leave this shitstain alive. If I alert James to my presence or even kill him now, I might lose Sean forever. The thought of walking out of here with him still breathing and Sean still missing infuriates me. I wanted this to be done. I wanted to go back home to Nikki and tell her I killed the man who has haunted her nightmares. That she truly is safe. But I can’t. I clench my fists around the handgun, imagining walking out of here and up to James, putting a bullet through his brain quickly just to get back to Nikki. But for now, I wait, calming the fire raging inside me.I’m so fucking tired of waiting. It’s taking all of me not to punch a hole into the wall next to me.
I hear James rustling around in his room before he enters the bathroom and turns on the shower. After waiting for roughly10 minutes, I open the laundry room door and slip out, quietly opening the back door. Once outside, I jog into the woods, heading for my truck. I make it without issue, starting it up and heading back to Nikki’s house. Whatever they are planning, it doesn’t sound good.
From this point on, I can’t let Nikki out of my sight. Finding Sean is priority number one.
CHAPTER FORTY
Fourteen years old
The last several months have been a nightmare.
After my mother picked me up and brought me home from the church retreat, it’s been a never-ending cycle of interviews and questions. I was required to go downtown, where I sat in a room with a hidden camera and a detective asking me detailed personal questions about the abuse I endured. I hated every bit of it. Then, I was required to sit in another room, with a camera positioned right on the desk with me in full view, and answerthe same questions with another individual. From there, I was asked to complete a polygraph test. I was asked the same questions AGAIN, this time hooked up for the detection of lies.
I passed the test without issue, and I had hoped that was it.
I was wrong.
We’ve been living with my grandparents for a few months now. While I love my grandparents, I was sad to leave the school district I had attended the longest out of them all. I am entering the 9th grade, so I’m sad that I won’t be with my friends from middle school. I hate the new school here by my grandparents' house. I’m required to wear a uniform, and I think that’s just awful to do to a bunch of teenagers.
I miss my friends. One of my friends’ parents had offered for me to come and live with them so that I could attend the high school I was supposed to go to, but my mother said no. I’m slowly beginning to feel like life is imploding on me. I’m depressed, angry, and resentful. The only thing keeping me from completely losing my shit is my grandmother. I love her beyond words. She is my rock, and I know it would disappoint her if I started making terrible decisions out of anger.
My mother walks into my room, a piece of paper in her hand.
“We need to talk,” she says seriously.
I put my Gameboy down and sit up.
“I just received a subpoena in the mail. This means that I will have to testify in court.”
“Okay. Well, I figured that would have to happen, anyway. Didn’t you?”
“I honestly hadn’t thought about it. But this is going to be a problem.”
“Why?” I ask cautiously.
“Do you remember that time you told me what was happening? The time we sat down at the table and had our discussion?”
I wince, nausea forming in my gut. How could I forget? It was one of the worst days of my life.
“Yeah. What about it?”
“Well, that’s going to come up in court. I’m sure he will tell them that you already told me and that I did nothing about it. I could go to jail, Nikki.”
