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Chapter Nine
Immediately after thestranger left, Elise fell on the bed and burst into tears. Her hands smashed at the mattress, and the bed creaked beneath her. Her rage overwhelmed her. She thought back to every self-defense class she had ever taken, every YouTube video she’d ever watched about protecting yourself as a woman.
None of it had prepared her for this.
Why had that guy decided to threaten her? What had she done wrong? What kind of man did that? And who the hell was he?
So much for Midwestern hospitality.
Her phone buzzed in her purse. She glanced at it to find her daughter’s name. Of course. Penny. Her light. Her love. How had she run so far away from her? She sobbed a final sob, dotted her cheeks with her fingers, and then answered the phone as brightly as she could. It was something mothers could do, she’d learned a long time ago. Mothers could pretend to act any which way they wanted to, as long as it made their children happier.
“Hello, honey. How are you?”
“Mom! Hey! I just had my audition.”
Elise felt as though Penny now lived on another planet. It took a full second before she remembered: Penny had had her play audition at Berkley that morning. Of course. She had helped her memorize all her lines. Yes. This mattered to both of them. This mattered a great deal.
A man just broke into my room and threatened me.
Wayne told me that I shouldn’t spread the identity of my father.
He told me to keep it to myself.
But I didn’t know, Penny. I didn’t know any of this would happen.
It was all just me being curious, Penny.
And now, a man has broken into my room and—
“Oh my, gosh, Penny. Tell me everything. How did it go? Did you make it through that really difficult part?”
“Yes! I think I killed it,” Penny announced. “Remember that other part I always stuttered on? I just tore right through it. It was a snap. It made me second-guess why it ever bothered me.”
What if he kills me? What if he breaks back into this room and slits my throat? I’ve heard worse things happening. Maybe I’ll be on the next Dateline. Maybe they’ll make a Netflix documentary about me. Maybe Dean Swartz sent him to threaten me.
Maybe...
“That’s such good news,” Elise said, attempting with all her might to remain in the moment, here on the phone with her daughter. She had to play the part. “When do you find out?”
Penny paused for a moment. “Mom, is everything okay?”
“Yes, honey. Why?”
“You just sound a little weird.”
“Oh, I was just kayaking. I think I’m just tired,” Elise said.
“You? Kayaking? Had you ever kayaked before?”
“The concept isn’t the hardest one to figure out, Penny.”
“Right. You’re right. It’s just funny thinking of you all the way in god knows where...”
“Michigan.”
“Right. Michigan. Kayaking.”
Elise swallowed.
