Estelle In Denver (In Denver Series Book 2) (5 page)

Rhydian's POV

The three of us stand against the SUV until the plane is in the air.

“Sal, the guards? “Antonio asks.

“The wood chipper” is the only thing he says.

We load back into a different truck.

“Mr. De Luca, I know you just met her, but I want your permission to marry your daughter.”

“You know Rhydian, you Kerrigan’s are a good lot. I see how your brothers treat their wives, I see how your father treats your mother, and I see how you treat my daughter. You were an accomplice in murder today. You didn't have to be. but you wanted to make sure when Estelle was ready she could be yours with nothing stopping her, I think you're exactly what Estelle will need once she gets back, but you gotta give her time to deal with what just happened. You seem patient, I'm asking you to keep doing what you're doing, but I would be honored to have you as a son-in-law.”

“Now back to the task, did you reroute the security feed?”

“Yes, I did it as soon as we pulled away from the building.”

“The police are going to notify the next of kin. They already know Estelle is staying with you since the break in, it's late enough they won't call the hospital to reach Estelle, but they are more than likely going to question you about her whereabouts and yours.”

They drop me off in front of my building and I walk in. I am just getting out the shower when I get a call from the front desk that police are requesting to come up. The clothes on the bathroom floor I put on at the air hanger and since we got in a different car, there is no chance to trace evidence. I let the officers in.

“Hello, Mr. Kerrigan. We are looking for Estelle Roux. Is she here?”

“No, she went to an inpatient mental health hospital for thirty days. She checked in yesterday under the care of Dr. Franklin.”

“Where is this hospital, is it in Denver?”

"No,” I answer, “it’s in New York City.”

“Do you have a number by chance?”

“I do, let me grab the information."

“You didn't ask why we are looking for her.”

“I assumed it had to do with the break in at her apartment last week. Is that not what it's about?” I look at the officers with confusion.

“No, sir. We are here because her father was found dead. He went head first over the balcony of his fortieth floor penthouse apartment.”

“Well, I can't say I'm surprised with all the stress of the investigation and trial.”

“Are you and Ms. Roux in a relationship?” the officer asked.

“We have never been more than friends. She is dealing with a lot of issues right now and being in a relationship is not her priority.”

“Mr. Kerrigan, can you tell us where you were today?”

“Sure, I had a business meeting this morning, from there I popped into Easton's office and had lunch with him and my dad. We discussed the meeting I attended that day, and I asked their opinion on whether it's something I should pursue. I then went to The Hope Music Conservatory to set up their system, so it could be accessed remotely and came back home. I went out for dinner around seven this evening, came home after I ate and watched a movie, I was getting ready for bed when you guys showed up.”

“Where you at nine fifteen this evening?

“I was here watching a movie on demand.”

“What movie was it and what time did you start it? Can you pull up your menu screen and show me your movie purchase?

I walked over to the TV and handed him the remote.

“Riley, please note that Mr. Kerrigan started Fifty Shades of Grey at five after nine and paused at nine twenty then resumed four minutes later at nine twenty four and watched the movie until it ended.” He hands me back my remotes and wipes his hand on his pants leg while trying to hold back a snicker.

“Thank you for your time, Mr. Kerrigan.”

The officers leave my apartment after that. When I see Kennedy, I’m kicking her ass. Of all the movies to watch as an alibi, she chose that movie. I swear these officers were looking for a bottle of lotion and a box of Kleenex.

I don't cry when I get on the plane, I don't cry when I land in New York, I don't cry when the car picks me up, I don't even cry when I make it to the hospital and get checked into my room. I don't cry until four days later when I see a commercial of a man teaching his daughter how to ride a bike. I cry because that could have been my life, it should have been my life a life with a brother and a father and a stepmother, who was loving and caring. I should have had a first day of school, a first crush, a clumsy grope in a closet at my first boy/girl party, my first school dance, years of report cards, or maybe even a few detentions. I had none of that. All I had was my prison and my abuse. And now that I was free, I didn't know how to deal with it.

Three days later, I sat across from Dr. Franklin on a bright Saturday morning and poured my heart and soul out. I told him about the resentment of all the normal things I missed, how in some fucked up way I envied Kennedy for going to college and having friends. “Dr. Franklin where do I begin? I tearfully ask.

“Well, Estelle,” he said as he twirled his glasses with his fingers.

“You began when you took charge of your life over a year ago, when you took that file and gave it to Kennedy, you took charge when you went back to Denver your own person, not the woman Edwin created, but the real Estelle. You continued when you got a job, signed up for school, learned to defend yourself, and confronted your abuser. The real questions you want to ask me about have nothing to do with you living, Estelle, you've been doing that and very well.”

“Your questions have to do with intimacy, love, relationships, and I'm sure sex. Those things are the hardest part to overcome with the history of your abuse, but they can be overcome. You have to look at things in a different way. What happened to you was horrendous, but you also have to think on things that have come to light. Edwin wasn't your father, he wasn't anything to you, and you have to look at him as just a man. You have a father who loves you and wants to have a relationship with you— he wants to connect to you. You have a brother that calls me twice a day to see if you can have visitors yet; he wants a relationship, he wants a connection. You have the entire Kerrigan clan, Tristan, and Kennedy who have become surrogate siblings to you, and most importantly, you have Rhydian, who knows every horrible detail and still sees you as this amazing woman. You are worth love and compassion. You have value, Edwin devalued sex, relationship, and love, but you have all these other people ready to guide you to show you what a family can be all about. You equate sex with violence, pain, and being forced. But sex is enjoyable and not something to be used as a weapon.”

He thinks before continuing “Estelle, I would like to bring in someone that specializes in your specific issues. She was a child bride at fourteen, she escaped a cult, got a PHD in both Psychology and Psychiatry, and has specialized training to deal with victims of incest and rape. She has six doctorates. I feel it best if you have someone to talk to that can guide you in questions you may have about your body and sex who’s better qualified."

“Ok, when do I meet this new doctor? I asked with reluctance.

“She will be here in about thirty minutes. Why don't you go grab a coffee and by the time you get back we will all meet for an introduction.”

Grabbing my coffee and a scone, I make my way back to Dr. Franklin's office. I knock and walk in. The doc is standing next to a very tiny woman with strawberry blonde hair with hot pink streaks through it and blue eyes. She seems in stark contrast to his big frame and dark features.

“Hello Estelle, I would like you to meet Dr. Melody Franklin,” he sees the look of confusion on my face. “Melody is my wife and is one of the world's leading experts in psychological rehabilitation of sex trafficking victims. Is it ok if I leave you?”

I nod.

“Hey Estelle, please call me Mel.”

“Umm," I hesitate before extending my clammy hand to shake hers “Hi Mel.”

“Why don't you grab your scone and coffee and we can go out by the lake” she says.

We walk to the lake, and she lays a blanket on the floor and unpacks a fruit salad and bottle of water. She hands me a bowl with some fruit salad and says, “There isn't any melon in it because I hate all kinds of melon so I'm not really sure if it's a proper fruit salad but whatever.”

She seems so young. She looks about my age, but I know she has to be a lot older because she has like twenty degrees and Dr. Franklin doesn't seem like a creepy old man with a super young wife kind of guy.

“You keep staring at me, Estelle. You obviously have something on your mind so spit it out!” she says flippantly.

Is a psychiatrist supposed to talk to a patient like that? Hell if I know, her husband told me to kill my father and then helped me cover it up.

“How old are you, you look young?” I inquire.

“I'm forty-six and I have a love-hate relationship with Botox. You caught me in a love phase, I'm freshly injected.”  She says with a serious face.

“No, seriously how old are you?” I ask, unconvinced.

“I told you I'm forty six, but I was joking about the Botox. If you look at my hands, they are old lady hands, my face hasn't caught up yet. I'm pretty sure any year now it's all going to go to hell in a handbasket," she shows me her hands and I laugh because she isn't talking to me like I'm damaged.

“So on to the heavy shit, Estelle. I read your file. I was with my husband the day you told your story, I saw the video. I was there as a fellow professional, not as his wife so everything discussed was confidential. Did you do it? Did you toss his ass over the balcony?”

“No,” I answered “I wanted to, I dragged him out there, but my real dad did the actual throwing," she hands me some weird ass white sugary cream.

“You dip your fruit in it," she says, when I look at her confused, she shakes her head “Ahhhhh you fucking west coast hippies with your good eating habits and legal weed."

“Most people say Midwest, but we aren't Midwest we are more west.”

“Is there a point to your geography lesson, Estelle?”

“No, but you're kind of bitchy.” I say
playfully, and she turns toward me.

“Am I kind of bitchy or a bitch?

“No, you’re really a sarcastic bitch, but I like it.”

“Well, Estelle, I live to please. Now, you stop trying to hijack the conversation."

"So you find out the man who spent nine years raping, torturing, and using you as a sex slave for his business purposes, all while beating you, and keeping you a prisoner isn’t your father, is it a relief to know that it was just rape and not incest?”

I'm shocked. ”What do you mean just rape? Is that not fucking awful enough?” I narrow my eyes and ask bitterly.

“Pump your brakes” she says “you jumped in front of the statement. You yourself have never had a bond with the man you thought was your father, he was a man who raped you—a man. Knowing the difference will allow you to form a healthy relationship with your actual father. I want you to digest what I said and give it back to me.”

I wait a minute to let that sink in.

“Edwin was just a man, he was a child rapist, child torturer, and slave owner, but he wasn't my father. He wasn't anything to me.” I feel like a twenty ton weight has been lifted off my chest. Edwin wasn’t anything to me. For the first time in a long time I feel free.

“Exactly, I want you to sit here, close your eyes, eat your strawberries, and say that over and over until I tell you to stop.” I recited the saying over and over.

“Now, did you enjoy being forced to have sex? Did your body react?” I nod my head. “Your body and your mind are connected, but they are also not. When a person has sex, whether forced or willing, the body has a physical reaction. Your body having a reaction doesn't imply consent, so I need you to digest that and give it back to me."

“I was raped. I was raped. I was raped, just because my body reacted doesn't mean I wanted it. I was raped.”

“Good job. Eat some fruit tell me about this Rhydian guy.” I know I'm blushing.

“He is the brother of my best friend’s husband. I met him when I was originally dating Easton. We reconnected again when I first escaped my father. We have been dancing around each other for about a year and a half, and he told me he loves me and had been in love with me since he first saw me" I feel the smile spread across my face, Rhydian makes me feel loved.

“How do you feel about him?”

“I get butterflies in my stomach when he is around. Sometimes when he talks or a certain look he gets on his face, makes me you know?”

“No, I don't,” she says. “Come on use your big girl words. Sex is completely natural and pretty spectacular when it's your choice. So he makes you feel what?”

“He makes me feel horny, and I get wet, and I want to kiss him, and feel him, and I want to do all the things I read about in books. I want all that with him. I kissed him right before I got on the plane. I walked right up and kissed him on the lips, tongue and all.”

“How did you feel, Estelle?”

“I felt like I never wanted to stop, but the minute I got on the plane I felt dirty, like I shouldn’t have those feelings or urges.”

“Thank you for being honest, Estelle. I know that was a big step for you. I would like to continue to work with you while you're here. You can continue to work with Pat on your regular therapy; I will work with you on rehabilitation."

“Dr. Franklin's name is Pat?” I ask with curiosity.

“Yup," she chirps “you can call him that. I have like five more degrees than him and I let you call me Mel. He likes Dr. Franklin because it makes him feel smarter. He gets pissed when I tell him if he makes patient call him Dr. Franklin for his one degree, then I'm doing to make my patients call me Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Franklin, just so everyone knows who's smarter.” She says with a mischievous grin on her face.

“You are not just kind of a bitch, you're like a super bitch.” I'm trying to hold in the chuckle but failing miserably.

“Yeah, let's go have a chat with Pat," Mel says. We head back to the office.

“Hey Dr. Franklin, Mel says I can call you Pat."

“No, you cannot. You can call me Dr. Franklin.” Mel winks at me.

“Ok, well Dr. Franklin, I need to add Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Franklin to the list of treating physicians.” I say trying to look serious but I can't seem to manage keeping a straight face, it doesn’t help that I hear Mel whistling behind me.

Dr. Franklin narrows his eyes at his wife, while she is looking around the office whistling 'Fancy' by Iggy Azalea.

“I will add her to your list and please call me Patrick then. You pat a dog, I'm not Pat, I’m Patrick” he says resignedly.

“Ok, I will see you later at group, Patrick. See you tomorrow, Mel.”