All right. I’ve had some sleep and my mind is marginally clearer, so I will attempt to describe the events I alluded to last week.
First of all,
everyone is uninjured and Casey is home. She has been quiet and, I’ll say, ever
since she came home. She goes to school, she comes home, she makes herself
dinner (or grabs a plate of whatever I’ve made) and she spends the rest of the
night in her room. I don’t blame her for needing time and a safe space but I
feel like I can’t help her unless I actually know what’s going on in her head.
I also don’t want to push her to talk about what happened so you can see the
bind I’m in.
James says to let
her come to us and I’ve decided to listen to my husband – just this once. When she’s
ready, we’ll be ready to help her. Until then, let’s talk about what I found
when we finally rescued her.
So, like I said
last week, Casey’s mother did not make it. I spent so much time worried that
this encounter would end with one of them dead and I was right. But Casey didn’t
kill her. In fact, I’m not entirely sure she understands that her mother is
dead.
With me, my sister,
and my husband, we spent about a week surveilling the house. The woman’s
movements were erratic and she clearly didn’t have a job that took her out of
the house. In fact, she never left for more than a few minutes when she went to
get the mail or pick up her groceries from the curb. But, it was during one of
those excursions that we struck. It was a Sunday morning so we figured a lot of
people would be asleep or, at least, inside. There had been zero activity on
the block for the past hour or so. It was a risk, but our entire lives are a risk,
so we took it.
The moment her
back was turned, I snuck in through her unlocked door and headed straight for
Casey’s room. James and my sister followed the woman up the driveway and forced
her inside, locking all of us in. I know she put up a fight because James came
back with nasty scratch on his cheek. I remember hearing tables clattering and
class smashing, but all I was focused on was freeing my daughter.
She was right where
I remember her, the same scared look on her face but instead of anger, I saw…
sadness. Freeing her was the easy part, carrying her up the stairs wasn’t fun
but I managed it well enough. I took her out the backdoor while my partners in
crime subdued my daughter’s captor and took the surveillance equipment. I
remember turning to look at their progress and saw the woman lying on the floor
with blood staining her eyes and ears. She lay prone (a word which I only recently
learned relates to something regrettable and not just something likely to
happen) with her limbs twisted around her body. And she was staring at me – or her
corpse was faced in my direction. I will never forget the red in her eyes and
the way they seemed to follow me as I moved around the room.
James says it was
my sister who killed her, but honestly, I don’t care who did the deed, only
that it was done. What I do care about is the fact that a neighbour stepped
outside with their morning coffee just as my sister was cleaning up one of the
cameras. According to the news at the motel, they went to check on the woman
and found her body, giving the police the description of the supposed intruder.
At the time, they thought it was a robbery gone horribly wrong, but soon
enough, they’ll discover what’s in the basement and start asking questions.
For the time
being, my sister has gone back into hiding – not that anyone is likely to
recognize her. I told you: my sister loves the shadows. She’ll be all right.
The rest of us packed up and headed home, stopping frequently to makes sure
Casey was staying hydrated and fed, wrapping her wrists with gas station
medical supplies. She didn’t talk the whole way back and since then, she’s
barely said a word.
I understand that…
I don’t understand what she went through. But she’s my little girl and she’s
hurting, and I just feel so helpless right now. I hope that things can improve
with time.
I had to make a
phone call to the local department to tell them they were right, Casey had just
run off with her boyfriend but she was safe at home and there was no need to
come around to check on her – I worded it less suspiciously, I promise. It
appears this incident is finally going to be behind us.
More than that, we
can actually move forward. No more woman stalking me, no more kidnappings or
threats, no more surprise family members.
I realized I just
jinxed myself but I really hope I haven’t. I want one week of peace and quiet.
If not for my sake, then for Casey’s. The poor girl has been through so much in
her life. Can’t we get a break?
As always, dear readers,
Stay Safe
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