To Claim Her (2 page)

She turned her face into pillow and tried to tune out the hustle and bustle around her.  Her body was poked, prodded, and much to her mortification photographed.  She endured a pelvic and scrapings from her nails for a rape kit before being turned on her belly for the wounds on her back to be cleaned, sutured, and bandaged.  She felt more violated when they finished than when she’d arrived. 

When she was finally settled in a clean gown, a deputy entered with a notebook ready.   She’d seen him in town but didn’t know his name.  A nurse trailed after him to check her monitors and IV settings. 

“Just a little antibiotic and some fluids to get you well again.”  She smiled as she picked up the bandage wrappers and gauze before heading to the door.  Just as it shut, Mark entered.  He nodded at the officer and moved inside, his big body shrinking the room and making her breath shudder.

Great.  Seeing him after five years was wreaking havoc on her already tumultuous feelings.  There were things he didn’t know, things she would have to tell him finally, now that he was back.

The deputy spoke first.  “Ms. Hamilton, I’m Officer Landry.  I need to ask a few questions if you’re feeling up to it.” 

“Alright.” 

Mark sat down beside her bed and crossed his arms over the t-shirt covering his broad chest.

“You visit the Broussard residence daily?”  The officer nodded toward Mark. 

Gretchen glanced at Mark who took her hand.  “Yes.  I help care for Mark’s father.  I drop by in the mornings and again late afternoon, around dinner time.” 

He jotted on his notepad.  “Can you tell me what you remember from yesterday after you left the Broussard residence?”

Mark slid his big warm hand over hers where it pinched the blanket.  She didn’t pull away.  “I was supposed to spend some time at the clinic in the afternoon, filing insurance.”  She cleared her dry throat.  “I left Mr. Broussard, Sebastian, around ten and took highway 173 toward work.  I don’t remember much after that.”

“We found your car abandoned on the side of the highway.   The gas tank was empty and your purse was still inside.  Thankfully, you’d taken your phone in your pocket.”

She cocked her head with an unspoken question.  Mark’s hand tightened around hers. 

“That’s how we tracked you to the woods.  We found it with your clothes in the brush.”  He cleared his throat.  “The phone signal was the tip we needed to start searching.”  He shook his head.  “The signal didn’t stay on long, but it was enough to give us a starting point.  Without that… well, it’s no secret there are lots of trees and water in Caddo.  I’m not sure you would have been so lucky.”

Was she lucky?  She had been naked, tied to a tree, with a blank space in her memory.  She had probably been raped but didn’t feel any different even though she hadn’t had sex in some time.  Her pulse sped under the surface of her skin.   

“I don’t remember anything between the time I was on the highway and after you found me in the woods. Any idea who…?”

“We don’t know who did it yet, but it’s clear what they’d planned.”  He leveled his gaze on her.  “There was a shovel and a shallow hole about fifteen feet from where you sat.”

“He was going to… bury me?”

The officer nodded, his eyes narrow.  “Looks that way.”  His expression softened.  “You said he.  Do you know it was a man or have any idea who would want to do something like that to you?”

“I’m not sure why I said that.”  Gretchen ran through a mental rolodex.  There was no one.  She had some catty girls from high school that had hated her for dating Mark. Until he’d left.  Then she’d been like a leper because she’d been somehow guilty of running him away.  

She hadn’t dated anyone seriously in years so there couldn’t be a crazy ex.   The only real ex-boyfriend in her history was holding her hand, and if anyone in that relationship should have had a killing issue it was her.  She pulled her hand free to tuck her auburn hair behind an ear.

“I can’t really think of anyone.”

Officer Landry gave a sigh.  “I was afraid of that.”  He leveled his gaze on her again.  “This could have been entirely random.  Maybe you were just unlucky enough to run out of gas on the path of a deranged criminal.”  He jotted something in his notes.  “That sort of thing happens.”

She didn’t feel much relief from that comment. 

“The doctor is planning to release you by morning.  You planning to go back to your residence?”

Where else would she go?  She had no parents or extended family to speak of.  Her one family member, her sister, was hours away in college.  No way was she going to disturb her life by hiding out there in a girl’s dorm.  “Yes, I’ll go home.”

Mark stiffened.  “I’ve never believed much in coincidences.  She’ll stay at our place.”

She cut her eyes at the comment.  “No way.”  The idea of staying with Mark, having to come clean with him now, on the heels of the abduction made her want to stay in the hospital instead.

“There’s no way you can go back alone.  What if he comes after you?”

She would have to be alert.  In protective mode.   It wouldn’t be the first time, but it would certainly be easier if she knew who she was protecting against.  The alternative, though, seemed even more daunting than the faceless abductor.  She could hear Mark’s molars grind at her stark expression and silent response.  His protective response was misguided.  He had left without a backwards glance five years before.  Back when she had needed him more than anything.  She couldn’t forget that.

Officer Landry scanned Mark’s scowl before nodding and glancing at his paperwork.  “We’ll put a patrol car outside your place while we collect information.  We need to find out if this is personal.  I can’t promise how long the surveillance will last but it might give you some relief for now.”

Sitting in front of the deputy with Mark looking on, it certainly felt personal.  Gretchen was ready to crawl out of her skin with the tension.  Mark was saying little but his teeth were still clenching.  He’d broken her heart years before, leaving for the military without even glancing back.  No letters, no apologies, no regrets.  Why the change of attitude now?

Mark leaned closer.  “Why would you insist on something so ridiculous?”  His position and tone told her how sincere he was trying to be.  She wasn’t making that mistake again.

His care would last until he found out her secrets.  Then all hell would break loose.  She didn’t want to live in the same house when that happened. 

Life had taught her to be a realist.  “I have to go home eventually.  I might as well start out there.”  Now was no time to cave to tender feelings that he would stomp on later.  Pity wasn’t a reason to edge her way back into his life.  It would get her in the door, but for how long?  She’d been there and done that.  She had become an independent woman and intended to stay that way.

The officer paused at the door.  “I’ve got a few things to check into.  I’ll get back with you tomorrow.  Try to get some rest tonight, Gretchen.” 

The nurse slid back inside and quietly administered a syringe into the IV port, calling the meeting to an end.  “The doctor has ordered a sedative for Ms. Hamilton.  You’ll need to wrap this discussion up pretty quickly, folks.”  Then she turned to Gretchen.  “Let me know if there is anything I can get you before lights out.”

And it was.  Her eyes were heavy within minutes, and the last thing she saw before sleep overtook her was Mark leaning against the wall, watching over her.

Chapter Two

Gretchen dropped the curtain back into place.  The patrol car sat on the street outside her quiet house.  She turned for the bed, creeping back under the covers, and relaxed with a sigh.  Settling noises had kept her awake all night.  It was completely unlike her to be the damsel in distress.  Instead, she was the caretaker, first for her sister when their mother died leaving them alone.  She swore then, as a freshman in high school, that she would strong.  Watching her needy mom for too many years convinced her never to fall into that trap.  Later, she had become the caretaker for Eddie.  She had never regretted a moment of that role.

She was usually snarky and tough, taking crap from no one, except possibly her sweet younger sister.  Tonight, though, the events of the last few days caught up to her.  The house had gone from old and charming to something out of a midnight movie.  Dark shadows seemed to dominate every room.  The sounds that were once comforting were eerie reminders that someone had snatched her from the middle of her day and planned to bury her alive.  Unbelievable. 

The doctor hadn’t found any signs of rape.   Thank goodness at least that hadn’t occurred in the forgotten hours of her captivity.  She’d been bruised up, probably from being hoisted through the woods and fighting for freedom against the restraints.  Otherwise, though, nothing but a few stinging, seeping cuts on her back and arms, likely from the rough tree bark. 

She moved to the bedroom beside hers and snapped on the bear lamp.  Eddie’s room.  She sat on his twin bed and looked around at the toys stacked neatly on the shelves.  Military organization from the time he could manage it.  Just like his father.  Gretchen sighed and rubbed her temple.   The headache from the date rape drug they found in her system was finally letting up.  Physically, she was fine.  But emotionally, she was a wreck. 

She had made tough choices years before when faced with an unexpected pregnancy.  Of course she had tried to tell Mark but when he had told her he was leaving, the news seemed to take on the air of burden rather than joy.  She didn’t want to share it with someone who would see it as a miracle. 

So she’d let him go, off to prove something to himself and his military retired father.  Now, though, faced with telling him the truth about their four year old, she doubted her decision.  Eddie was a happy child, surrounded by a loving mother, aunt, and friends, but that might not be good enough.

She smoothed her hand over his soft forest creature bed spread.  He was spending a few days with her dear friend from high school who had a son the same age.  Whether she was safe or not, at least he was.  

She returned to her bed for a while longer.

A car engine from outside drew her attention.  Just a passing motorist.  The police car still sat right outside.   She blew out a breath and considered checking the locks once more.  No.  No way.  She’d already made rounds twice since coming upstairs.  She’d even turned on the flood lights in the backyard to check out the nearby tree line earlier.

She rolled her eyes at herself.  She wasn’t needy.  She was tough.  It was time to remember that.  She pulled the baseball bat from the corner of the room onto the bed with her and settled in again to try and get some rest.

After a handful of hours of sleep, Gretchen dragged herself down the hall for a quick bath.  A hot shower pounding her skin would do wonders to relieve her tension, but the bandages on her back needed to stay in place until she got to work this afternoon.

The phone rang in the bedroom as she lifted herself from the water.  She ran, dripping, to the nightstand and answered. 

Silence.  

She glanced at the window.  Were the police still outside?  She glanced at the phone and then sat it quietly on the base.  Maybe she was too late.  Or maybe someone was listening on the other end of the call. 

She turned to check the window, and the ringing clanged out behind her again.  She flinched and picked up again but remained silent, clutching her towel around her.  Was she giving someone pleasure by being afraid of the unknown?  The thought irritated her. 

“Hello?”  The voice warbled unmistakably. 

She sighed with a smile. “Nora?” 

“Yes, Gretchen.  I tried to call but no one answered a moment ago.  I hope I didn’t wake you.”  The nurse practitioner was her boss and sometimes pushy friend. 
              “I’m up.  I was just getting ready for work.”

“Wonderful.  That’s why I was calling.  There’s no reason to hide out at home.  Come in today.  You should get back into the swing of things if you’re able.”

No nonsense Nora. 

“I need to run by to check on Sebastian, and then I’ll be in.  You have lots of work stacked up for me?”  Gretchen imagined her desk buried under mounds of paperwork and the computer database full of visits that needed filing with insurance companies.  It was a never ending job, thankfully, that helped keep a safe place for them to live. 

“Good.  I wanted to talk to you about that, too.  Maybe it’s not the best idea for you to continue assisting Sebastian.”

She hoped Nora wasn’t planning on assigning someone else to the task.  Of course, Sebastian Broussard would have the final say, but she didn’t want him to even consider replacing her.  It might be a little uncomfortable with Mark back in the house, but Sebastian was the closest thing she’d ever had to a father.  He was an important part of her day, every day, and she didn’t want to give that up until he had no need for her anymore.  It also kept an important link for Eddie.

“I hope you’re not suggesting that I stop.”

“That’s exactly what I’m doing.  It is obviously not safe for you to drive out to that place alone.”

Gretchen pursed her lips.  Was it unsafe?  It certainly hadn’t seemed that way before she was snatched.  “I’ll give it some thought.  I’ll see you this afternoon.”

“We’ll talk more then, Gretchen.  Take care.”

As she hung up the phone, Gretchen wondered what ‘taking care’ involved.  How could she protect herself from a threat she couldn’t even identify?

Sebastian watched as Gretchen moved stiffly through the living room.  “I don’t want you doing anything but the absolute necessities these next few days.  You need to heal up.”

She smiled back at the older man who sat in his recliner. 

“Come sit over here and talk to me.” 

She did.  “I’m doing okay.  Just a little tender from some scratches.”

His mouth settled into a grim line.  “I can’t understand how this happened.  How someone could take a feisty girl like you without a trace.  Or why.”

“I’m not coming up with many answers myself.”  She shook her head.  “I guess my hope is that it was just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”