AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I love you, girl.” She leaned over, giving me a hug. “If you need anything, call me. I don’t care what time it is. I’ll be back in a heartbeat. Those nurses will just have to fight me off.” She laughed, but sobered. “Promise me.”
I promise. I promise. That deep voice. It kept coming back, repeating in my head.
“I promise. I’ll call.”
“Good. I’ll be back before you know it.”
She walked for the door, and I gave a weak wave as she headed out and shut it behind her. For minutes I stared up at my ceiling. What I saw wasn’t large, white tiles. I saw stone. I saw dark, hidden crevices between those large rocks. It was cold. My teeth were chattering, and I hurt.
I jumped as knocking sounded throughout the room. I turned to the door, watching it open.
“Kody Marshall?” Two men in suits entered, triggering a blur in my mind. I’d seen them before. Today? Yesterday? One was on the shorter side. He couldn’t have been an inch or two taller than my five-foot-five-inch-frame. The other was six feet at best. They were both in their thirties, but by how much, I wasn’t sure.
I sat up as they approached.
“You look better.” The shorter one took the lead, stepping forward. “I’m Detective Adame, and this is my partner, Detective Mallory. Do you remember us?”
“I think so.” I reached for the water, taking a drink. “Yes, a little. It’s foggy.”
“That’s understandable. If you can, we’d like you to walk us back through what you remember.”
I nodded. “David. His name was David.”
“He told you his name?” Detective Mallory was writing on a notepad as the other came closer.
“No. The man who dropped me off—who saved me, that’s what he called him. David wasn’t happy about that. I don’t think the man was supposed to know him.”
“You’re doing great. What else can you remember?”
The room came back to me, making me shiver. “I think I was in a basement. It was…different. It wasn’t cement; it was stone. The room was voice activated. Sometimes I wasn’t shackled, but I couldn’t escape. He had…” my voice sounded so far away as I relived the last few hours of the heart-pounding nightmare. I wanted to say more, but words wouldn’t quite come.
“Take your time. What did he have?”
“Cameras.” Wetness trailed down my face, catching me off-guard. I wiped it away, blinking away the torture. “David.” Again, words got trapped. “He had people bidding to hurt me. I…I can’t really remember it very well. I kept going in and out. I—”
“Let’s try something else.” He glanced at his partner. “Did you see the man who took you?”
“Yes. He was older. Fifties, maybe? Blondish-brown hair. He was balding, but it was longer in the back and on the sides. Maybe just above his shoulders by an inch or two?”
“Perfect. What else can you tell us?”
“Mean eyes. Thin nose and lips.” My own lip trembled. My entire body was shaking. “He was tall, but not as tall as the stranger who dropped me off at the store. Not even close. The stranger looked huge when he stood from putting me on the ground. It was only a moment, and it was more his silhouette with the light behind him, but…he was so…wide and big. Not thick, just…his shoulders were wide. David was maybe the size of Detective Mallory?”
“Alright. Let’s focus on David. I want you to imagine him.”
“Okay.”
“What about his weight? Was he lean?”
My head nodded. “He was on the leaner side, but strong. Strong. I tried…I…couldn’t…” Uncontrollable gasps left me as I grabbed the railing of the bed. I was on the verge of another panic attack, and I wasn’t sure I could stop it.
“Deep breaths, Ms. Marshall. We can go back to him later. Let’s return to the man who you say saved you. Did you see anything about him, other than his silhouette?”
“No. He wore…a…mask.”
“Detectives.” A nurse walked in, heading right for me. Detective Adame lifted his hand as if in surrender.
“It’s okay. We’re done for today. You did great, Kody. You really did.”
