Baby Doll(23)

Lily didn’t understand. She found Dr. Amari lingering at the entrance of the room. Lily surveyed the empty spare bed in the room and then looked at the doctor.

“Dr. Amari, is there any way Abby can stay in here with me? We both need… we need to be together.”

“If I consent to that, it’s important that you both rest.”

“Absolutely. You have my word.”

“I’ll make the arrangements with the nurses. And, Sheriff, I know you have questions, but if you can keep this visit short, I would appreciate it.”

“I won’t be long,” he said. Dr. Amari left, leaving Lily alone with Mom and Sheriff Rogers. He cleared his throat, shifting from side to side.

“Lily, your statement can wait until the morning, but it’s important that we find the location where Rick held you and Sky. We’ve asked Hanson, but he’s not talking. If you can remember any details at all…?”

Lily recalled the route—her route to freedom—in vivid detail. Each step, each twist and turn, was seared into her brain.

“There’s a cabin off Highway 12. It doubles as his office. He tells his wife he goes to write. He kept us underground… in a basement. There’s a door in the back of the cabin that leads downstairs. His wife probably knows where the cabin is located, but if you have a pen, I can draw you a map.”

Sheriff Rogers pulled out his notebook and a pen from his front jacket pocket. Lily’s hand shook as she carefully drew the map. She handed it back to him.

“Has Rick…? Did he say anything?”

“Not a word. But don’t worry. He’s not going anywhere. You and Sky are safe now. You have my word. Get some rest, and I’ll see you first thing tomorrow.”

“Thank you again.”

Sheriff Rogers gazed at Lily, clutching his hat in his hands.

“We worked like hell to find you all those years ago. I’m sorry we failed you, but I’m so damn glad you’re here. That you’re alive. Today is one helluva good day.”

Lily gave him a big smile.

“It’s better than that, Sheriff. It’s spectacular.”

Lily heard her mom half sob, half laugh, no doubt remembering her girls and their game. Startled, Sheriff Rogers moved closer to Mom.

“Eve, are you okay? Did I say something?”

She shook her head, squeezing his hand.

“It’s okay. We’re okay now.”

It seemed like he wanted to say something else, but he just tipped his hat and headed out. Eve wiped away her tears, hovering over Lily.

“I really need to get it together, don’t I?”

“You’re fine, Mom. But can you check and see when they’re moving Abby?”

Mom relented, apparently sensing Lily’s concern.

“Okay. But if you need anything, you’ll have the nurses text me?” Mom said, still nervously hovering at the door.

“I promise,” Lily said, hugging her mother again. Lily knew she would never tire of these hugs. From here on out, she’d mentally record each and every hug and kiss, every single moment of kindness she experienced.

Lily watched her mother disappear down the hall and she realized for the first time since they’d escaped from Rick, she was alone. Only this time it was different. It was so different. Rick was locked up. There was a guard stationed outside her room. She was wearing clean, comfortable clothes. She had food in her belly. Her daughter was safe. She had her life back. It was almost too much to comprehend.

Overwhelmed by her thoughts, Lily leaned back against the pillows. Her eyes slowly fluttered closed. Images of Rick in shackles, lying awake in a dark, dank room with other inmates screaming obscenities consumed her. She imagined the inmates tormenting him the way he’d tormented her.

“You stupid piece of shit.”

“You worthless maggot.”

“You’re no one. No one at all.”

She doubted that the criminals in the county jail could ever match his depravity. As Lily closed her eyes, she felt a wave of sadness wash over her, so profound she couldn’t quite explain it. The emotion was fleeting, almost as if she’d dreamt it. Lily forced the feeling away, letting sleep claim her. Rick was gone and she was free. That’s what she wanted. All she’d ever wanted.





CHAPTER FOURTEEN


RICK


Lying on the cold metal cot, his hands cuffed so tightly he was losing circulation, Rick continued replaying the day’s events over and over again, trying to reconcile where he’d gone wrong, how this had happened.

At first when he’d spotted Lily outside his classroom, wearing that ridiculously oversized sweatshirt, her blond hair in a messy braid, he thought it had to be the other one. It couldn’t be his Lily. His baby doll would never break the rules. She’d never violate his trust.

But then she made eye contact and he knew it was Lily. That was his girl, standing in the middle of the hallway, surrounded by police, staring at him with an expression he hadn’t seen in years—one of total defiance. He couldn’t believe her insolence, but there wasn’t time to react. The cops descended upon him, shouting and yelling, bending his arms back, cuffing him as they read him his rights.

A feverish hysteria grew in his classroom, the kids’ excitement building and their iPhone cameras flashing. He noticed students filming videos, which he knew they’d probably already uploaded to various websites, hashtagging and geotagging, sharing them on YouTube channels and Instagram profiles. Within moments, he’d known his undoing would be transmitted to the masses. But all he kept thinking was, How? How could she have deceived him? After all the training, all those hours and days and weeks he’d spent teaching her what she needed to know, making her love him the same way he loved her, she’d done this. Trapped him in public like some pathetic animal, humiliated in front of the world. This betrayal was unbearable. He loved her—truly loved her—and she’d done this to him.