Shadows 02 Girl in the Shadows (26 page)

I
waited at the foot of the stairway. I could hear them clearly.
"There's not enough sugar in it," Rhona complained. "Skeeter, tell her."
"I don't remember how to say that," he said.
"Damn it, why didn't April bring it up? Get April. Go downstairs and get April," she shouted at Echo.
I hurried into the kitchen, grabbed the sugar bowl and a spoon, and ran up the stairs. As I expected. Echo was standing there confused and unsure of what to do next
Skeeter was in bed beside Rhona, who was sitting up naked. I went to her quickly.
"How much more do you want?"
"A teaspoonful. Why did you send her up here? She's worthless doing these things."
"She wanted to do something for you." I said. Of course I knew she really wanted to do it for me.
"If she wants to do something for me, tell her to tell her grandmother to give me the money I need. Yeah, maybe if she tells her, she'll do it. What do you think, Skeeter?"
"I think we're just going to have to wait around for her to die," he said bitterly.
It was on the tip of my tongue to spurt out the news that Mrs. Westington was already in the process of preventing them from getting their hands on her money.
"Make us some eggs, over easy, and some toast with my mother's jam and more coffee. You want anything else. Skeeter?"
"Yeah, but I'll get it some other time," he said, smiling licentiously at me.
"You and your one-track mind," Rhona said.
"You like going down that tack, so don't complain." She laughed,
I urged Echo out of the room and we went downstairs to prepare their breakfast. The faster
I
did what they wanted, the faster I could get us out of here. I thought. I didn't want to be around Skeeter any longer than I had to and I was really worrying about Echo now.
I started on their eggs. Echo wanted to do it so I could eat, but I had lost any appetite. I told her to eat them and promised to let her make me some after I finished with her mother and Skeeter. She wasn't happy about it, but she sat and started to eat.
Just as I broke the first set of eggs, the phone rang. I was in such deep thought and full of so much worry, it stunned me. It was as if it had rung in my heart. I stared at the receiver, too frightened to lift it. Before I got to it. Rhona had picked it up in her room. I lifted the receiver to listen in nevertheless.
"Hello." Rhona said.
"Hello, this is Doctor Battie, To whom am I speaking?"
"Rhona Westington, Mrs. Westington's daughter."
"I'm glad I reached you. Didn't you get my message to have you call me?"
"Message? No.' she replied in outright lie. I was about to contradict her, but thought it better to simply remain undetected on the line. "I haven't been feeling well myself. I've been up there a few times but the nurses don't tell me anything and you weren't around. How is my mother today?"
"I'm afraid Mrs. Westington has had a bit of a setback," Doctor Battie said.
I held my breath. Setback?
"What? Why? Is she dead?" Rhona asked quickly.
"No, but she has had what we call a cardiac event. It looks like she's a candidate for a pacemaker. but I don't want her to have any procedures until we stabilize her blood pressure. I'm getting close to doing that."
"What do you mean, she had a cardiac event? What happened to her?"
"She has a heart block. The block effects the heart's electrical activity but the cardiologist believes that the pacemaker will help a great deal."
I felt like I was going to melt into a pool of shock and disappointment.
"Oh, really?" She certainly sounded
disappointed. "Is that expensive?"
"It's not the expense. Her insurance will handle it well, but she won't agree to our setting it up until she speaks with your houseguest."
"House guest?'"
"April. I'm afraid I don't recall her last name or even if Mrs. Westington told me,"
"Let me get this straight. Doctor. My mother won't agree to do what she has to do unless she first speaks to April?"
"Yes. Is she there? Do you know if she's coming up here to visit soon?"
I was about to speak. but Rhona said. "Let me go look for her."
I hung up the phone as quietly as I could and walked out of the kitchen, pretending to be busy with setting the table for their breakfast. Echo looked at me quizzically. I just smiled back, nodded at the table, and then waited in the hallway.
"Hey. April," I heard Skeeter call.
I walked to the foot of the stairway. "What is it?" I asked.
He was still dressed only in his underwear and had already started down the stairs. "Come up here." he said.
"Why?" I demanded. I could pick up the phone down in the kitchen just as easily. Why didn't he just tell me to do so?
He moved quickly until he had his right hand on my neck, his fingers squeezing like vice grips sending incredible pain into the back of my head. With his other hand, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me so I would go forward up the stairway.
"Ow!" I screamed. "You're really hurting me. I'll go up. Stop it," I said.
I stepped up, but he kept his grip on the back of my neck. What did they want to do, listen to what
I
said to the doctor? When we reached the top, he shoved me hard to the left instead of toward Rhona's room as I was expecting.
"What are you doing?" I cried.
He put his left hand over my mouth and grabbed my hair with his right hand, forcing me to walk toward Mrs. Westington's bedroom.
As we passed Rhona's room. I could see her standing by the night table, holding her hand over the mouth of the receiver and looking out at us. I tried to resist. but Skeeter had a very firm grip on my face and my hair felt like it was being ripped out of my skull in clumps.
That were they doing?
"Oh, Doctor Battie." Rhona said. loud enough for me to hear. "I'm sorry I took so long. but I've just learned that April has left. Yes, she went off to meet her sister and live with her. She's no longer here.
"But tell my mother I'll be up to see her as soon as I get dressed."
I tried to shout. but Skeeter's fingers pressed down on my tongue and made me gag. I squirmed and twisted to get out of his gasp.
Rhona hung up the receiver. "No!" I finally managed.
"Yes,," he said. He lifted me
and
carried me into Mrs. Westington's bedroom., and he shut the door behind us.

Skeeter dropped me to my knees hard and then pushed me to the floor with his foot.
"Stay down," he said, keeping his foot pressed on my lower back. "Don't you move."
"What are you doing?" I screamed.
"Don't move. So where's your friend now, huh?" he asked, his foot twisting on me. "I don't know what the hell that was about. but I know I was right. There was someone here, but don't think she's going to help you now,"
He went over to the telephone and tore the wire out of its socket. Then he brought the wire to me and twisted my arms behind my back, wrapping the wire around my wrists and tying them tightly. I cried out in pain, tears coming into my eyes. I gasped, trying to catch my breath.
"Don't start shouting for that Trevor, either." he warned,
"You don't have to worry about him," I heard Rhona say from the doorway. "His truck's gone. He's off somewhere already."
"Oh, really? That was thoughtful of him," Skeeter said.
"What do you think you're doing?" I cried, still on my stomach on the floor because Skeeter had his knee on my buttocks. "Why did you lie to the doctor about my leaving?"
Rhona walked into the bedroom. I turned my head and looked at her feet and then up at her.
"You should have left when I told you to leave. Now you're going to be cooperative whether you like it or not." She smiled. "My mother ever tell you how she locked me up once for nearly three days? I got into trouble with the police when I was a little more than eleven, and she was so angry and embarrassed she decided to show me what it would be like to be in prison or something.
I
guess she thought the prison would be in a Third World country. She dug up one of her antiques, a chamber pot, and gave me a roll of toilet paper, water, and that was it. Nice mother. huh?"
"You probably deserved it." I said. squirming. The wire was tied so tightly. I was afraid it was shutting off the blood to my hands. Skeeter took his knee off me and stood up. I turned on my side.
"Sure. I deserved it. April. Just like you deserve this."
"You'll both get into serious trouble for this. You'd better let me go."
"As soon as I get what I want. we'll let you go," Rhona stated.
"In fact, we'll kick you out the door and if you go running to the police or anyone, we'll tell them how we caught you in bed with Echo doing all sorts of ungodly things." She turned to Skeeter, who was looking down at me with a satisfied, insanely sadistic smile on his face.
"Yeah. I'm sure Rhona can come up with them, too." he said.
"Never mind all that. Skeeter. You take her car and drive it to Bill. Tell him to keep it there for us and explain about the money. When Trevor comes back from wherever he is today. I'll tell him she left to go live with her sister. We'll tell Echo the same thing," she added. "She won't see her or of course hear her."
"Very good plan. Rhona," Skeeter said, smiling with admiration, as if she had come up with a cure for cancer.
"Get a sock or something and gag her so she can't shout loud enough for Trevor to hear her."
I debated telling them the truth just so they wouldn't gag me. but I was afraid of letting them know how much in control they really were and giving them more confidence.
"No one's going to believe you when you tell them I've left, least of all Mrs. Westington," I said.
"Oh, she will when I tell her what we learned from Mrs. Monahan and how when we confronted you with it, you just picked up and ran out of here because you were so embarrassed. She'll be so disappointed. With her health problems. I'll have an easier time taking charge of Echo and she'll know that. too. I'll tell her that either she'll sign what I want her to sign or well leave with Echo and she'll never see nor hear from her again. What do you think she will do then? Do you think she'll be so high and mighty and write 'NO' over my papers?"
"How could you be like this to your own mother?"
"She was never much of a mother to me as far as I was concerned, so don't even ao there. Now guess what I saw the other day in my mother's room. Yes, that's right." she said. "That same old chamber pot. Aren't you happy. You won't have to mess your panties."
She looked around. "Find something to tie her feet with. Skeeter, and put her in the closet and close the door. I'll bring in the chamber pot for her."
"How am I going to use that if my hands are tied?"
I
asked.
"No problem. Skeeter. would you be so kind as to remove her jeans and panties so she simply has to sit on the pot to pee. And do it all quickly and nothing more," she added. "I want you out of here with that car before Trevor returns.."
"I'll get right on it," he said.
She smiled as if he was doing her a wonderful favor.
"We'll keep the door closed, but you're banging or knocking anything won't help, since poor Echo couldn't hear you anyway. My advice to you is to be as cooperative as you can be, otherwise you'll make it even more difficult for yourself, understand?" she added, her eyes cold and her lips tight. She turned to Skeeter. "Gag her first," she decided. "I don't want to hear any more of her lip. I'll bring her some water when we return. I'm getting dressed and getting over to the hospital to break the news to dear old Mom." she told him, and left.
He searched one of the dresser drawers and found a pair of socks. I shook my head and tried pushing myself away from him, but he gabbled my ankles, straddled me, and then put the sock to my lips. I kept my mouth locked shut.
"Rhona's not going to like your resisting like this," he said. "She's very imaginative and clever. She can come up with worse and more painful things for you," he warned.
He grabbed my jaw between his fingers and thumb and squeezed. It was so painful. I couldn't keep up the defiance. As soon as my mouth opened a little, he shoved the sock into it and then, using a belt, he wrapped my face so I couldn't spit it out. It was hard to breathe and
I
began to panic.
"Relax and it won't be so bad," he said. "If you struggle, you only make it worse for yourself. I know, Something similar was once done to me by this girl I met in New Orleans. but I enjoyed it."
He began to undo my jeans. I tried to make it difficult by twisting and turning, but he sat on my ankles and then began to lower my jeans and panties together. Once he was below my knees, he rose and pulled off my shoes, and then the jeans and panties. He tossed them across the room and stood there, smiling down at me.
"I kind of like your tummy." he said. "It turns me on."
He located another belt and wrapped it around my ankles. Then he lifted me under the arms and pulled me to the closet. He took clothing out to make room for me. I tried desperately to keep him from getting me into the closet, but it was a useless effort with my hands and feet bound.
"I'll be back." he said, smiling, and closed the door.
I tried to push out the sock with my tongue. I managed to get a little more breathing space. but I couldn't get it out far enough for me to make any loud sound. The belt was too tight around my face. Who would hear it anyway? I thought, and fell over on my side. The tears from my left eye ran over the bridge of my nose to join the tears from my right. I squirmed and struggled against the wire around my wrists. It loosened a bit, but not enough to get my hands free and it hurt terribly to pull and push against it. I had skinned off my wrists a bit and it was raw beneath the wires. Helpless. I stared at the little light coming from under the closet door.
Suddenly, it was thrust open and Rhona, now dressed, stood there with the chamber pot in her hand.
"Here you go. sweetie. Try not to fill it up too quickly. I'll bring your regrets to my mother. She'll be so very disappointed.'
I cried out against the gag. She shook her head and closed the closet door. I felt horrible for myself, but all I could think was poor Mrs. Westington. She was liable to believe them and then she would become so despondent. She was too proud and independent a woman to permit herself to be bamboozled like this.
It
would break her heart, but there was probably not much she could do under the circumstances. She wouldn't even understand why Trevor wasn't coming around. I hadn't had a chance to tell her about his mother dying. She would feel totally deserted.
And Echo? What would she think when they told her I was gone? How lost she was going to be in just a little while and there was nothing I could do about it, do about any of it. The ironic thing was that when someone has done such terrible things to you and made you so defenseless and incapable of doing anything to help yourself, you end up hating yourself more than you do them,
Why hadn't I anticipated this or something like it? Why did I put up with them after last night? Why didn't I just take Echo and run out of here when I had the chance? I let myself get trapped like this. I am stupid and my worse enemy, and because of me, other people will suffer, people who don't deserve it. I was drowning in self-disgust.
With all my strength. I shouted and pulled against the binding on my hands and feet. My muffled scream died inside me and I collapsed with the effort. I closed my eyes and fell back, looking up at the ceiling of the closet and listening as hard as I could. By now Echo was surely running about looking for me. Would they be leaving her here? Would she see Skeeter drive my car away?
I thought I heard her calling me and then. I did hear the door of the guest bedroom open. Despite knowing she couldn't hear a sound. I cried as loud as I could. The sock muffled my screams and made them reverberate in my head. I then leaned back and struck the wall of the closet with my feet. I waited, hoping that somehow she would sense my being in here. but I heard nothing. The house became very quiet. I imagined Echo had gone out to look for Trevor. She would see he was gone as well and she would know that for now she was totally alone and had no idea why or for how long.
Frustration tied my stomach into knots and then my mind ran away with itself. I envisioned the hospital room and Rhona putting on her act, explaining why I had left. She would exaggerate every detail and certainly tread on the verge of being disgusting when she told her what Tyler had told his mother about me. If she aggravated and upset Mrs. Westington as much as I imagined she would, surely her blood pressure would go up and maybe she would even cause her to have a heart attack and die. Hopefully, the doctor and the nurses would prevent Rhona from doing that, but then how would they know what she was intending to do? All they would think was that as her daughter. Rhona had a right to speak to her mother.
I closed my eyes and, only as a way to avoid frustration and pain, willed myself to sleep. I did drift off, dreaming I was with Uncle Palaver again and we were traveling on some wide highway. The classical music he loved was playing and he was talking to me and telling me one story after another about his experiences on the road. I saw myself laughing and so happy that I was with him.
Then I thought about my mother and father and Brenda and put myself back in time to when we were all together and I was on the sidelines with my mother watching Brenda and Daddy play basketball in our driveway. Brenda was only about fourteen in the memory I had. She was trying so hard. Daddy would look to us every once in a while, impressed with her. She was so quick and wily, he had trouble keeping up.
"Ho," he cried, holding his side. "You're killing your old man." Mother was laughing. Daddy put his arm around Brenda's shoulders and shook her lovingly. I longed to have him do that with me and for a while, when no one paid any attention. I went out by myself to the driveway and practiced. but
I
was never any good. I was too awkward and clumsy and after a while, grew too discouraged to continue. I'd have to find another way to get my father to embrace me with such affection and admiration. Would I? Would I ever?
Not being able to see my watch or look outside. I had no idea how much time had passed when I woke from my sleep and dreams. I listened hard. I thought I heard Echo sobbing in her room, but then I realized, it was my own sobbing I was hearing. I had to piddle in the pot. It was awkward getting myself over it without tipping it. but I managed and then I rolled over and stared at the dark rear wall of the closet.
Finally. I heard heavy footsteps and then the closet door was opened. I turned and looked up at Rhona, who was carrying a jug of water. She smiled at me and knelt down, placing the jug on the floor to undo the belt from my face. As soon as my mouth was free. I took in large gasps of air.
"Well now, you'll be happy to know Mother is going to be very cooperative. Despite what you expected, she bought into the whole story, especially when I got into your love affair with your sister's girlfriend. She's also going to have her pacemaker put in, but not for a few days. The doctor won't do it right now. He said her blood pressure shot up again. I wonder why."
She poured a glass of water for me and brought it to my lips.
I
didn't want to take anything from her. I wanted to spit it into her face, but my throat felt like it was blistering from dryness. I swallowed quickly because she had no patience and was pouring it so fast. In fact. I gagged and she had to stop.
"I've been thinking," she said. "This is really a big favor I'm doing you. I'm really not going to feed you anything. You'll lose a few pounds. I'll have to keep you here a while longer. It will take until tomorrow for Mother to get what she has to get signed and then I'll return and turn you loose. If you're a good girl, that is."
"What about Echo?" I asked.
"What about her? After I'm gone and Mother comes home, if she comes home, she can put her in that school or any school that handles disabled people. Everyone will be happy, except Mother maybe.
"I see Trevor has not returned. Where is he? I don't want him coming around here looking for you or things can get even nastier."
"His mother died." I revealed. There was no point in keeping it a secret any longer. She couldn't be more confident she would succeed and I didn't want her doing anythin g with Echo. The news surprised her.
"Oh, really? You mean he left to go to a funeral?"
"Yes."
"That's treat, Why didn't you say so before? How long is he going to be gone?"
"He said a few days."
"Now isn't that considerate of his mother, dying at this time? This all may work out after all and easily. too."
She picked up the sock to put back in my mouth,
"Wait," I said. "Trevor's not here. No one can hear me shout if I shout, Please don't put that back in my mouth. It's hard to breathe with it in my mouth."