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Damn, I almost feel sorry for her.
“But that’s certainly no excuse for treating people like crap. Last year, she became fixated on Matthew. Cynthia has been eyeing him since he started coming to Aspen, shortly after he and the boys retired from the Marines,” Mary says. “I was glad to have him up here. He and Jason and Sully are absolutely delightful. They are no comparison to the other stiffs who usually spend their winters on the mountain. I started to notice Cynthia finding reasons to come over more often. I didn’t pay much attention until last Christmas, when they got together. The four of them, I mean.”
The look that Mary gives me is blatantly obvious—she totally knows about our situation and what goes on in this cabin. That brings blood up to my cheeks, making me blush as I can barely sustain her gaze. It makes her laugh.
“Don’t worry, honey. Love is love, no matter the shape or size or number it involves,” she adds, then glances down at Cynthia again. “That was her problem. She could never accept that Matthew would never be with just her. She could never accept that she wasn’t the apple of his eye, much like she was never the apple of her father’s eye. Whatever therapy and rehab she did over the summer obviously didn’t help. This has been festering inside her for a very long time.”
“Yeah, I can tell.”
“I’m sorry you got caught in the middle, Selina. You’re a good girl. The boys are so enamored with you. They’re happier than I’ve ever seen them,” she smiles lovingly, then proceeds to tie Cynthia’s hands behind her back at the first sign of consciousness. “Good thing I always keep a couple of cable ties in my pockets, just in case. You never know when the wiring gets loose up here, and with a blizzard coming, it would take a while for an electrician to arrive before some squirrel or deer chews on the wrong thing.”
I have to chuckle internally at how casually Mary talks about why she carries the cable ties as she’s binding Cynthia’s wrists with them. “Do you think she’ll be okay?” I ask Mary.
She nods once, and I help turn Cynthia over on her side. “She is as resilient as a cockroach. Chances are, she’ll survive an apocalypse. That’s the trouble with people who are inwardly miserable and thoroughly self-hateful—the universe won’t let them go out easily and quickly. The more they hurt others, unintentionally and deliberately, the longer they seem to be around. Karma is real, Selina, and something tells me that the rest of Cynthia’s life will be payback for all the wrong she’s inflicted on others.”
“Yeah, well, attempted murder will definitely keep her on lockdown for a while,” I mutter. My arm is throbbing now, stinging heat enveloping the injured area as the jitters wear off. “I just… I honestly can’t believe this happened. I thought she was gone. I had hoped she’d gotten arrested by now.”
“Matthew would’ve heard something.”
“It’s a good thing you followed your gut, then, Mary. I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for you. I can’t thank you enough,” I manage, choking up on a fresh round of tears.
She hugs me tightly and holds me close for the better part of a minute. “Honey, you don’t have to worry about a thing. You don’t owe me anything. I only did what any decent human being would do. What matters now is that you’re safe. Are you feeling alright otherwise? I heard you’re expecting.” Her concern shifts into a warm and amused smile. “A little bundle of joy to three daddies.”
“Yes, I think so. I certainly hope I’m okay and that the baby is too.”
I give myself a few moments to pay attention to my own body, to every sliver of physical discomfort. But all I’m getting is a sore ass, bruised knees and calves, and my forearm. That log did a number on me, though I don’t feel like anything is broken. My belly feels fine. I have zero pain or discomfort in that area. I will definitely need to keep an eye on the little one in the coming days, though. Sudden stress does have a way of slapping me later down the road rather than on the spot.
“We should call the police now,” Mary says. “Before the blizzard comes through tonight. Let her spend a few days in the local jail, snowed in and stuck in a cell. Can’t wait to see the look on her father’s face when he flies in. That heartless bastard deserves all the shame for this.”
I can’t fathom how a woman’s soul could degrade to such a low point. The absence of love, of a nurturing home is like poison. The slow-killing kind that takes forever to set and actually do the maximum damage. At least I had a family. I had loving parents until my sister died, and then I was more or less left to my own devices. I had my own share of trauma and irrational guilt to work through, but I never took it out on anybody else. I never sought to hurt others in order to make myself feel better.
I can’t pity Cynthia enough to ever forgive what she’s done to me, what she would’ve done if Mary hadn’t been around this time and if Matthew, Sully, and Jason hadn’t arrived at the hotel the other day when they did. Life can throw you a horrifying and dangerous curve even when you think you’re safe and finally at peace. I can’t wait for my men to get back, to allow myself to be nurtured and protected once again.
About half-an-hour later, red and blue lights dance across the cabin as the sheriff’s car pulls up. Mary sits with me on the front porch as the deputy brings Cynthia out from the back in handcuffs, while the sheriff takes my statement with a voice recorder. I tell him everything that happened—from the moment I heard the noises outside all the way through to when Mary tied Cynthia up with the cable ties.
Daylight fades slowly as the snowstorm approaches from the north. Large clumps of snowflakes are already falling, lazily gliding through the crisp air before landing on the white blanket that is already dressing the mountain. I called Matthew and told him what happened, asking him to please drive careful even though I know he wants to hurry and get back to me.
“Do you need an ambulance?” the sheriff asks once he’s done with my statement.
“I don’t think so,” I reply, glancing down at my bandaged arm. “Mary did a great job of patching me up, and the bleeding has already stopped, so I think I should be fine.”
“What about the baby?” he insists, his white brow furrowing under his dark green hat. “I understand you’re pregnant.”
“I am, yes. But I feel fine, I promise.”
Mary gives me a concerned look. “Are you sure, honey? You could ride with the sheriff at least to the hospital down in Aspen and get yourself checked out by a professional.”
“And spend the next two to three days stuck in the hospital on account of a blizzard? No, thank you. I promise, Mary, I’m good.”
It may not be enough to ease her worries, but it will have to do. I really do feel fine, much to my surprise. Perhaps it’s because it’s still early in the pregnancy, and the shock of Cynthia’s attacks didn’t have the impact one might expect if I was further along. Or perhaps it’s because I’m stronger than I ever give myself credit for. Either way, I know in my heart that everything is okay. I’m ready to put this nightmare behind me once and for all. I’d hoped the hotel incident was the last we’d hear from Cynthia, but she obviously had more sinister plans in mind.
“What will happen to her?” I ask the sheriff as I watch Cynthia get placed in the back of his car.
The deputy isn’t too rough with her and avoids putting his hand on her head injury. She’s lucky she didn’t get worse from Mary’s shovel. I was paralyzed with fear and desperate to survive, and I certainly wish I had Mary’s presence of mind in that moment, because I would’ve kicked her ass six ways from Sunday. Fortunately for Cynthia, I’m not the violent type. I abhor physical altercations of any kind, and thankfully I’ve never had to deal with physical violence in my life, which is why this whole episode has shocked me down to the very core of my being.
“I presume you will be filing charges,” the deputy says.
“Absolutely,” I reply.
