Page 34 of Hunting Justice
Jonah’s teeth clenched, and his jaw twitched.
Noelle recognized the signs of the man barely holding his temper in check. She appreciated his anger on her behalf. “Fast-forward to the day I escaped. My assailant had a thing about bodily waste. Not that he fed me, but he made sure I had enough water to keep me alive. He’d allow me to use the restroom three times a day, and if I didn’t hold it, let’s just say he wasn’t happy about it.” She waved off the stray thought. “Anyway, on that day, a noise caught his attention before he finished securing me to the chair. He rushed from the room. It gave me the opportunity to work free.”
“Do you know what the sound was?”
She shook her head. “No. But I didn’t care. I staggered to a door on the opposite side of the room from where he’d exited and prayed it led to the outside. It did. I was barefoot, half naked, but I didn’t care. I ran as fast and far as my abused body allowed. I ended up at an old farmhouse. An elderly couple took me in, wrapped me in a blanket, and called 911.”
“And since you’re looking into the cases, I’m assuming the guy got away.”
“Correct. I had no idea where he’d held me, and by the time the police interviewed me, my brain had shut down to protect me. I knew what had happened, but the details, like his face or his location, my mind had wiped from my memory.”
“And today?”
She sighed. “It’s still gone. After enough time had passed, my therapist told me that I’d probably never remember.”
The crease in Jonah’s forehead deepened. “Did the guy ever try to get to you again?”
“Until about eight or nine years ago, I sensed someone watching me. Needless to say, I became fanatical with my safety. But no. He never tried to abduct me again.”
Jonah’s gaze went to the pictures. “No one before you?”
“Not that I can find. But who knows?”
“And the one eight years ago was his last?”
“Looks that way. I checked over the next year or so and didn’t find any cases that matched.” And she lived in fear on the daily that he might return.
“Any idea what happened to cause him to stop?”
She paused to think over his question. The last thing she wanted was to give him a flippant answer. “The only things I can think of are, number one, he’s in prison for an unrelated crime; two, he’s dead; or three, he moved from the area. However, the last one is unlikely since I have contacts all over the United States and would know if a similar crime had been committed around that timeframe.”
“Could he have just stopped killing?”
She shook her head. “Highly unlikely. People like him don’t up and quit without a life-altering reason.”
“Yeah, I assumed that, but a guy could hope, right?” He shrugged.
Even with her raw emotions and nausea swirling in her belly, she smiled at Jonah’s comment.
He released her and ran his hand down her arm.
She flinched and jerked away, the memories too fresh.
“Elle?”
“Sorry. I…why don’t we get some rest and start fresh in the morning searching Ken’s office.”
His shoulders sagged. She knew she’d hurt his feelings, but his touch—what would it be like to lean into him? Have his arms around her? Kiss him? Have a relationship with him? All the things she wanted and could never have with anyone. Not even Jonah, her best friend. Her psyche was too broken. Her body too damaged. The killer had robbed her of any possibility of a normal future.
She shook herself off the dark path of regrets her thoughts had taken her down before the emotions overwhelmed her. She stood and held out her hand to help him up. “I called Raven when you went to get your shower. She’s picking up several changes of clothes for you and your mail, then plans to drop them off in the morning. She also promised to visit your house often to feed and pet Samson. Raven knows how special he is to you. She’ll take good care of him.”
He accepted her gesture and pushed to his feet. “Please thank her for me if I don’t see her. And Elle, thank you for telling me about your past.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. “I’ll see you in the morning.” Without another word, she rushed from the room, leaving Jonah alone in her office. Retelling her story had opened old wounds, the events vivid and alive in her mind like they’d just happened. Her skin crawled at the recollection of her experience, making her want to take a shower and scrub away the memories.
Moments later, standing under the stream of hot water, she rested her head on the cold tile. Sobs tore through her until she had no more strength to hold herself upright. She slid to the floor and hugged her knees.
God, why?