Serial Separation (21 page)

Chapter 55

They all had
their coffee and were seated at their favorite table in the back of the coffee
shop. Lisa felt if they were going away they needed to confirm their plans or
cancel them. She stared at Dottie, who looked like she was holding something
back, and Judy had not said much since she arrived.

Lisa couldn’t
ignore it any longer. “What are you two hiding?”

Judy responded,
“Why do you ask?”

“The two of you
are not yourselves. Do I have something on my face?”

Judy and Dottie
smiled at each other but didn’t respond.

“I was hoping we
could talk about our plans for this coming weekend?”

The other two
started laughing now.

“I think I
better leave. What’s going on?”

Judy couldn’t
hide their secret any longer. “You know how Jeremy has been acting strange for
weeks?”

“Yes, I heard.”

“Well, maybe all
of our guys should act like him—Jeremy asked Dottie to marry him.”

Lisa looked at
Dottie, who was now flashing the engagement ring on her ring finger.

“Wow, how lucky
can you get? So, tell me all about it; how did he propose?”

Dottie had
already filled Judy in while they were waiting for Lisa to arrive. “Well, he
asked me out to dinner last night but said he wanted to share something with
me. He had made reservations at
The Top of the Hub
. Lisa, it was perfect.
They treated us like king and queen even before they knew he was proposing.”

Dottie
continued, “He started by apologizing for his behavior for the last few weeks,
but I’ll get back to that. He told me I was the love of his life, and he didn’t
want to lose me. Then he said he would love to marry me. The restaurant wasn’t
crowded, but he got on his knee, took my hand, and asked me, would I marry him
and fulfill his life?”

Lisa hugged her.
“Dottie, I’m so happy for you. Wow, what a Christmas gift.”

Dottie
responded, “I think I said something similar. The maitre d’ came over with a
bottle of champagne on the house. His proposal came out of the blue—I hadn’t
expected it. He said he had been getting up his courage . . . for proposing . .
. and telling me what was bothering him.”

* * *

Lisa and Judy
looked at Dottie. Dottie held up her hand. “I don’t think I can tell you what
has been bothering him.”

Lisa responded,
“While you’re thinking about that, are we going away this weekend?”

Neither of them
responded to her question. Lisa explained, “I’ve been having some problems
involving my ordeal with Jimmy . . . but I think I’m over that now. However,
Scott and I had some words recently about his not being with me over Christmas.
He also did something I might not forgive him for.”

Judy asked,
“What are you talking about?”

Lisa took a
breath and blurted it out. “He managed to get snowed in heading to one of those
washed up torsos. It was with another detective.”

Dottie offered,
“The storm was a real blizzard; you can’t hold that against him. We all had the
same problem. At least he was safe and sound. Why did that upset you so?”

Lisa immediately
responded, “The other detective was a woman . . . and they shared a room.” She
started to cry.

“Oh, Lisa, I’m
so sorry. How did you find out?”

“He told me what
happened.”

Judy offered,
“He did?” After a pause, she added, “You know, he could not have mentioned
anything and just made up an excuse. I wouldn’t worry about what happened.”

Lisa wiped her
eyes. “I know I drove him to see somebody else. I’ve been such a fool with this
Jimmy Ballou thing. However, I think I’m over it now. I just want to have him
back. I told him I didn’t care what he did with that damn task force he’s on.”

Dottie put her
hand on Lisa’s. “You’ve got plenty of time to put things back on track. Scott
loves you. We all know that; you can plainly see it. Give it a day or two;
things will get back to normal. Just call him. Tell him you’re over this Jimmy
thing.”

Lisa held a sob
back. “I finally realized Jimmy never raped me . . . I had to remember exactly
what happened. I resisted going over it, but I remember what happened: Scott
rescued me just as Jimmy was about to rape me.”

The three of
them group hugged, and they all cried.

In a few minutes,
they were back in their seats. Lisa spoke first. “Thanks for making me feel
like there’s hope. However, we’re not going away this weekend, but you guys can
still go.”

Dottie replied,
“I think we’ll just stay close by. The Balsams is a long drive, and if it’s
just four of us, it won’t be the same.”

Judy nodded her
head. “Neil and I will just enjoy the weekend. We might not have done much
skiing anyway. Why waste all the time driving.”

They all laughed
at her comment.

Judy added,
“Dottie, you were going to let us know what was bothering Jeremy.”

Dottie stared at
her friends, then her ring, and then wondered if she should tell.

* * *

Lisa and Judy
stared back at Dottie. Neither said anything. It was up to Dottie. Judy gave
Lisa a sign to get their coffee cups refilled. They left the table. Dottie was
still staring like she was miles away.

Judy whispered
to Lisa, “Isn’t that great Jeremy proposed?”

“Yes, but she
seems very distant thinking about what was bothering him.”

“Let’s give her
a minute or two. Hopefully she will deal with how to tell us—or maybe she
won’t. Lisa, I’m sorry to hear about Scott. Things will be okay, but the ball
is in your court, based on what you said to him. Please call him. The more time
passes, the harder it will be.”

Lisa did not
respond but stared back to the corner table at Dottie, who was still looking at
her ring.

Judy pushed on
Lisa. “I had been wondering if Jeremy had been seeing someone else, causing him
to act strangely around Dottie.” She realized her timing was poor, saying that
to Lisa.

They filled
their cups, bringing a new cup back to the table for Dottie. Judy put it on the
table.

Dottie smiled at
them. “I’m okay now. I have to tell you what was bothering Jeremy, but you need
to keep it to yourselves. Jeremy didn’t want me to mention it to anyone, but
Lisa, you especially need to hear this.”

* * *

They all took
sips of their coffee in unison. Lisa was thinking about whether Jeremy and
Dottie’s engagement would have Scott thinking about their future together.

They both waited
for Dottie to elaborate.

Finally, Dottie
whispered, “Jeremy told me about something, something so dreadful he’s lucky to
be alive.”

Lisa and Dottie
looked at each other. Dottie had their attention.

“He was
kidnapped. It was early November. Neither Neil nor I knew where he had gone
that weekend, but, looking back on it, it makes sense now. A gang overpowered
him. The next thing he knew, he was naked and tied up.”

Dottie noticed
their expressions were frozen.

“He was held all
weekend, he thinks by three or four women. They tortured him during the
weekend, but he wouldn’t tell me exactly what they did to him. He wouldn’t make
love to me these past weeks because of the scars they left.”

Dottie tried to
hide the small smirk, remembering how she cared for them last night.

“Anyway, someone
else arrived on Sunday afternoon. They left him tied to this platform. When
they returned, they took him to a car, drove him to the Medford woods, and left
him there. He was lucky to get free. A bunch of college kids picked him up,
gave him clothes and a ride to Kenmore Square.”

She held up her
hand. “But wait—he thinks they might be killing those men, the ones who are
dumped and found washed up lately. He thinks their real target was his cousin
Jason Johnston, who shares the same nickname.”

Lisa had to
interrupt her. “Are you sure he’s not making this up?”

Dottie smiled.
“No, Lisa, I used my nurse’s training and treated all those scars last night.”

They laughed
with her.

She continued.
“What he said really happened. He also mentioned the murdered men all played in
the same hockey league together.”

Lisa immediately
recognized the importance of this to Scott and the task force.

Chapter 56

I was thinking
of Lisa, wondering if she was still mad at me. If I were to call her and it was
too soon, it might just lengthen the time it takes her to get over being upset.
Maybe she would think about our conversation and call me.

It was tough
earlier today working with Mercedes. My mind wasn’t totally on researching
properties. I kept thinking about how Mike had led her to believe she might be
a suspect.

She handled
herself well, but I could tell she was a little hot under the collar. When Mike
asked her about what she really did weekends, she said it was none of his
business. He didn’t pursue it any further. He just smiled and looked at her.
That’s easy to do unless you’re like me and turn red when you do.

I remember
Mercedes telling Paddy that she tutored on many weekends. However, it wasn’t my
place to say anything to Mike. I tried to think about where she lived, but
either she never told me or I forgot what she said. If she did tutor, I
wondered who she tutored, and what subject.

It didn’t take
me too long to go from thinking about Lisa to concerning myself with Mercedes. I
recalled her behavior under the table and was glad it didn’t show on my face.
She liked to play me like a toy puppet.

I almost wish
classes were back in session, which would give me less time to think about
non-school work. The phone interrupted my thinking.

“Hello.”

“Hi, Scott, this
is Lisa.”

I was almost
floored she actually called. “Hi Lis, how are you?”

“I’m fine,
thanks for asking. I’m not calling to carry on a long conversation, but I have
some things I need to tell you.”

“Lisa, I do like
hearing your voice.”

“Thanks. You
could have called me, you know.”

“I know that,
but you sounded like you didn’t care to hear from me . . . for a while.”

“Scott, please
don’t get me going. Let me tell you what I called for.”

“Sorry. Go
ahead.”

“First, I’m
confirming we are not going away this weekend.”

I didn’t think
she needed to call about that. “I thought that might have been the case.”

“Speaking of the
case . . .”

“Do you mean the
torso slayings?”

She was quiet on
the phone. “Yes, that’s what I am referring to.”

* * *

I could tell she
was uncomfortable calling. “Okay, I’m sorry.”

“Scott, I know I
said I didn’t care what you did on the task force, but I . . . but I have some
information you need to know about. Do you have time to talk with me about it?”

Here was my
opportunity. “Do you want me to come over?” I asked.

She responded,
“I was planning on talking to you over the phone, but people are already
hovering around the phone. Can you come over?”

“Sure. I just
have to put some clothes on.” There was no response from her, and I didn’t want
her to get any wrong idea. “I just got home from the task force, and I was
planning on showering. Do you want me to come right away?”

“Suit yourself.
Just tell me when I need to be in the reception area.”

I wasn’t going
to jeopardize this opportunity. “I’ll be there at six.”

“Thanks, Scott.
I’ll see you then.”

I thought about
what could be so important to the case that she needed to talk with me in
person. I took a quick shower and was on my way. Her Christmas presents were
still in the car trunk, but I wasn’t going to just walk in with them. It might
just set her off about not being there Christmas.

* * *

I was a few
minutes early, but better to be early than late. When I entered the reception
area of her dorm, there were a few women hovering. I noticed Lisa get off the
couch and start toward me. She had her coat with her. I went to kiss her, but
she just grabbed my arm, heading me toward the door.

I could tell the
others were checking us out and noticed her pointing me in the other direction.

As we were
leaving the building, she said, “We couldn’t talk there . . . too many ears. Is
your car near?”

“It’s just
around the corner.”

“Good.”

We walked
together, but we didn’t hold hands like we always did. I thought to myself, I
know what this is about—she’s going to break up with me. She let me lead the
way, but she was keeping up with me. Other than the concerned look, she looked
like the Lisa I used to know.

I unlocked the
car and opened the door for her. She slid into the bucket and smiled at me. Maybe
there was some hope for me, I thought. I quickly got in the other side and
looked at her. “I missed you, Lis.”

She didn’t
respond but looked out the windshield. “Scott, this is hard for me.”

Yup, I thought,
I’m doomed. She was breaking up with me. I just looked at her, waiting for her
to look at me. I sensed I needed to say something quickly. “Lisa, I can’t tell
you how sorry I am about Christmas.”

“Scott, please
stop. This isn’t about Christmas, or us—I told you it’s about the case. Those
murders you’re involved with.”

She had my
attention now, and I thought about hope. “I’m sorry—go ahead.”

She turned, and
I could see the tear running down her cheek. I could feel the ache in my chest.

“It’s about
Jeremy. He told Dottie something happened to him in early November. He was
kidnapped by some women. He was let go at the end of the weekend, but he
thought he was going to be killed.”

She took a deep
breath, and the tears were cascading down her cheeks.

I wanted to tell
her with all my heart how much I loved her.

“He thinks he
was mistaken for his cousin Jason. Jason Johnston and he have the same nickname—JJ—and
he thinks the gang who kidnapped him got them mixed up.”

She had blurted
it out so fast. I grabbed her chin and looked into her eyes. The tears were
running quite freely. I hugged her and could tell she was dealing with mixed
emotions.

Before I could
say anything, she pushed against my chest. “Can’t you respond? I did this for
you.”

“I can respond—I
love you . . . I missed you . . . I’m sorry, Lis.”

She buried her
head in my shoulder. She was trying to hold the sobs back. I stroked her hair
and gave her the time she needed.

I thought about
what we had—the fun times, the loving, and the plans we had for our future
together. I couldn’t control my own feelings, and the tears were running down
my face. I didn’t want Lisa to know. I just wanted to hold her like this
forever.

The windows were
completely fogged. I didn’t want to do anything to cause Lisa to remember she
was mad at me . . . so I just held onto her. She didn’t push me away either.

Minutes later,
she pushed on my chest again and leaned to look at me. I tried not to look at
her face, but it was too late. She wiped my cheek, and she started crying
again.

“I know you love
me, Scott. That’s what makes this so hard . . . I can’t go on like this any
longer.”

* * *

I thought my fear
was coming true, that she was going to break up with me. She was still letting
me hold her, but she had moved her head away from my shoulder.

She looked at me
again. “Can we go someplace to talk?”

I took a deep
breath and said a quick prayer. “Is the
Skywalk
okay?”

She nodded her
head and retreated to her side of the car. I started the car and wiped the
inside of the windows I could reach. The
Prudential
Tower
was close by. It was where we had gone when we had our first time together.

I couldn’t read
her on the ride there, but if she was going to break up with me, she wouldn’t
need to go there to do it. It would be too sentimental.

We didn’t speak
on the elevator ride to the top floor. There were other families and couples in
the elevator as well. New Year’s Eve was the next night, and some people might
have wanted to beat the crowd.

When we got off
the elevator and found a dark corner, we both studied the city lights. Finally,
we turned and looked at each other. Simultaneously, we said, “I’m sorry.” For
the first time since she was with me, she smiled. I thought,
I think there’s
hope for me yet.

“Lisa, I’m sorry
I missed Christmas with you, and I’m—” She put her finger to my lips.

“Scott, it’s my
turn. I’m sorry, so sorry. I’ve been strange for quite some time. I hadn’t
dealt properly with what happened with Jimmy. Each time we were together, his
face and the image of that night would haunt me. I couldn’t see you . . . just
him and the horror. I finally realized something important.”

I put my arms
around her back and looked into her eyes. “Scotty, he never raped me. I thought
he had, but you saved me just in time. I’ve dealt with him now—he’s gone. I
need you.”

“I care about
what happened while you had to stay at that cabin overnight, but, if anything,
I forced you away. Let’s just let the past be the past and go forward. I
couldn’t say what I needed to say to you on the phone. Thanks for still loving
me.”

She was crying
again. My eyes were watering, but I didn’t care. I had gone all the way from
her breaking up with me to her having dealt with her demons. She saw my tears
and wiped them away. We were close enough to finally kiss.

It was a kiss
that had all the passion of the past without all the frustration we had been
experiencing recently.

I was still
holding her close. “Lisa, do you remember our first time here?”

“Yes, I
certainly do. You shared some secrets with me. It was after our first series of
kisses. I think you said something like, ‘Your body certainly knows how to
react to me.’ How did I do?”

“You remembered
exactly what I was thinking. Did my body give it away?”

“Scott, I love
it up here. This is a special place—always will be. However, I think it’s time
to go some place where we both can deal with what our bodies need. Are you
interested?”