Shatterproof

by Jo Chambliss

  “That’s what Fish does. When someone needs him, he has to go help them. What would have happened if the person he helped before you hadn’t let him leave?”

  “The bad man would’a got me.”

  “Yeah, and I might never have seen you again. So, try not to be so sad.”

  “When will he be back?”

  Maybe never, I thought to myself. “I don’t know, baby.”

  After my lame non-answer, she quickly fell asleep, leaving me to my own thoughts.

  Despite trying to comfort Ari, I find myself wondering and worrying if we’ll ever see him again. It’s ridiculous to feel this way about a man I’ve only known for a few hours, but I felt more comfortable around Chris than any man I’ve ever met.

  Ari wakes up after about an hour, still upset about Chris leaving. To get her mind off of him, I offer, “Why don’t I show you the rest of the house?”

  “Ok.” She pouts.

  There really isn’t much to show her, but the distraction is successful… for a moment. When our search turns up little more than a deck of cards, Ari gets bored quickly.

  To keep her mind from wandering and asking a bunch of questions about Chris, I let her watch TV for a while. I drift back to the master bedroom to look through the bookshelf, but only find books on war heroes and Navy weapons manuals.

  I blow out a long breath and sit on the bed for a few minutes. I hate to admit it, but I’m kind of bored. It’s most unusual for me to not have anything to do, and it makes me anxious.

  Two hours later, I’m sitting at the dining table playing solitaire when the phone rings. Eager for some stimuli, I race to answer the phone. Picking up the cordless set, I say, “Hill residence.”

  “Willa, this is Sheriff Hudson. I just wanted to let you know that my wife, Michele, will be over in about fifteen minutes. You guys doing ok?”

  “We’re fine. Thanks.”

  “I’m hungry,” Ari yells from under her blanket on the couch.

  Mike laughs. “Michele has food and some toys. I’ll be over later with an update.”

  “Ok. Thanks, Sheriff.”

  Just like Mike said, fifteen minutes later, there’s a knock at the door. Peeping through the hole, I see a woman on the other side. “Who is it?”

  Standing on the porch is a woman with shoulder-length dark hair and dark eyes. She’s wearing a black and red plaid shirt with black leggings.

  “Michele Hudson. Mike should have called.” She smiles, and I can see dimples in both her cheeks.

  I open the door to let her in, and Ari comes running to wrap herself around the woman’s legs. Michele returns the hug and says, “Wow. After Chris came to get you, I was sure you’d forget all about me.”

  It’s weird that Ari knows all these people that I don’t. Feeling awkward and embarrassed, I pull Ari off Michele’s leg, but the woman doesn’t seem to mind the affectionate child.

  “You’re too nice to forget,” Ari tells her. Michele pats Ari on the back. “And you’re just too sweet.” She looks back up and extends a hand to me. “Hi. I’m Michele. I’m the principal of the elementary school in Stanardsville.”

  Accepting her hand, I introduce myself. “And I’m Willa.”

  “How are you? Any cuts bothering you?”

  I run my hand over my arm. Except for four of them, I don’t feel anything. Well, not anything beyond the tug of the glue. “So far, so good.”

  “Well. Now that you know who I am, I’m going to run out and grab some things from the car.”

  “I’ll help you. Ari, since you don’t have any shoes on, you stay in here.”

  “Ok, mama.”

  I follow Michele out to her car and sigh when she opens her trunk. Along with food, she’s thought to bring some things to entertain Ari. Between the two of us, we manage to wrangle all the bags into the house in one trip.

  After setting things down in the kitchen, Michele removes a puzzle from one of the bags and takes it out to Ari. When she comes back in, we begin unloading the bags and putting the groceries away. “I didn’t know if either of you had allergies, so I stuck with what I knew would be safe. Before I leave today, I’ll get a list from you so I can bring what you like next time.”

  “I know Mike said he wants me to be off the grid and refused my card, but if someone will get my checkbook out of my desk, I can cover all this.”

  Michele looks up at me with a frown. She seems to be considering telling me something but doesn’t really want to. The look on my face must convince her that I won’t let it go, so she stammers through an explanation. “Oh, um, Chris took care of it.”

  What?! All I can do is stare at her in disbelief. “He what? He shouldn’t have done that. Why did he do that?”

  Quick to his defense, she explains, “It wasn’t for nefarious reasons, I can assure you.”

  Feeling guilty about how much Chris has done, I slide down into one of the chairs at the breakfast table. Michele takes the seat across from me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” I shake my head. “You didn’t. It’s just that he nearly died twice saving Ari, his bike is a wreck, he’s given up his cabin, and now this.”

  “Look, I know you don’t know any of us, but please try not to let this bother you. You’ve got enough on your plate as it is already.”

  Michele’s friendly smile helps to ease some of the tension building behind my eyes, and I nod my head in surrender.

  “I’ve got an idea,” she says. “Why don’t I fix some lunch while you go take a long, hot shower. I’m sure you’ll feel better once you’ve cleaned up and are in your own clothes.”

  I look down at the borrowed scrubs. Reaching up to feel my hair, my fingers come away with dried blood on them. “Yeah, I guess I should.”

  After taking mine and Ari’s bags to the master bedroom, I pull out some clothes and walk into the attached bathroom.

  Like the kitchen, it’s obvious that Chris has put some work into updating this room. Besides the huge tub that Ari bathed in, there’s a large, glass shower with multiple heads, the tile on the floor mimics a riverbed and goes a third of the way up the walls. The vanity has a slightly modern look to it with a beautiful quartz countertop that’s black with mother of pearl mixed in.

  I reach in the shower to turn on the water, and the bathroom quickly fills with steam. Once I strip off the scrubs, I step inside and just stand there under the spray for a long time. The massaging head works miracles on tired, tense muscles. I’d love to stay in here until all the fear and tension melt away, but that could take days or weeks.

  Somehow, I finally make myself move and take my time washing, being careful not to scrub the cuts too harshly. My god, there are so many. With all the cuts to my arms, legs, stomach, and upper back, I’m surprised he spared my face and chest. I’m thankful that he did, but still, I wonder why.

  After what had to be fifteen minutes, I remind myself that Michele has a life that she’ll need to get back to and force myself out of the shower. Pulling out my blow-dryer, I make quick work of drying my hair and put it up in a messy bun.

  When I’m fully dressed again, I go back out to the kitchen to see that Mike has arrived and is bent down talking to Ari. When he sees me walk in, he straightens. “How are you feeling?”

  “Better. Albeit, a little out of place.”

  “That’s understandable. I wanted to give you an update, but there isn’t much to tell yet. Given that your case was premeditated and had some very specific hallmarks, I’ve put in a call to the FBI to look into the case. Have you contacted Ari’s father yet?”

  Looking down at my hands, I answer quietly, “No. And I’d rather I didn’t have to. He hasn’t spoken to either of us since the divorce.”

  He doesn’t comment one way or another, thankfully. “All right. We’re going to head out then. I can see that Chris left our numbers. I’ll add Michele’s to the list. Call us if you need anything. I’ll check on you later. Don’t answer the door for anyone that I didn’t give you advance no
tice was coming.”

  “Ok.”

  Michele waves to Ari and gives me a quick hug. While leaning close to my ear, she reminds me to call her if I need anything. My eyes fill, and I don’t trust my voice right now, so I only offer her a nod.

  After they’ve gone, I take a couple of deep breaths and let them out slowly. Watching them leave makes me realize something. We’re in a strange place without transportation of any kind. Even though Ari and I have lived alone for two years, I’ve never felt truly alone… until now.

  Shaking off the wearying thoughts, I make my way into the kitchen for a glass of water. Once there, I spot the plate of sandwiches Michele made. “Ari, are you hungry?” Seconds later, she comes into the kitchen carrying crayons and a coloring book.

  “I ate while you were in the shower.” Plopping her art supplies on the table, she begins showing me the different picture options. “Look, mama. Michele brought me a fish coloring book. Do you think Fish will color with me when he comes back?”

  I brush an errant lock of white-blond hair out of her eyes and absently answer her. “I’m sure he will, baby.”

  For the rest of the day, Ari plays while I putter around the house, intermittently reading one of the books Michele brought and just looking around. I fix Ari and me a simple dinner of soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, and we go to bed early together in the big bed in Chris’s room.

  It makes me jealous when she’s asleep in minutes, holding tightly to her stuffed fish. I, on the other hand, can only lie there watching her. Well, watching her and thinking a mile a minute. For a while, I torture myself wondering why we were targeted. There just isn’t anyone that I’ve come in contact with that is even remotely reminiscent of the man that took us. All I can come up with is that maybe he saw us and became fixated.

  After that, I worry about my financial situation. We’re not poor, but we’re not rich either. I’ve got about six months’ worth of my monthly budget put into savings, but Chris’s bike looked expensive. I’m sure that’ll eat a big chunk of it. Not to mention all the work I’m not doing right now. That’s enough to keep me up all night.

  Finally, I allow myself to think about Chris. Seeing him in my hospital room scared me until I heard him speak. After that initial shock wore off, his calming demeanor and voice were rather comforting.

  Even more surprising than my reaction to him was Ari’s. Ari has never had a positive male figure in her short life. Her father simply didn’t care about her or me by the time Ari was born. My dad was a doting grandfather until his stroke a little over two years ago. Ari doesn’t even remember him. Well… for that matter, Ari doesn’t remember her own father. She was only two when she last saw either of them.

  I guess that’s why she became attached to Chris as quickly as she did. He showed more care to her and me than anyone I’ve ever known outside of my parents.

  With a sigh, I turn from my side where I’ve been watching my daughter, to my back. While staring at the ceiling, I picture the man that saved us. Chris is rather handsome. Well, he’s more than that. So much so that I’m sure he’s starred in plenty of women’s fantasies. While impressive, his looks do nothing for me after what I went through with Jonathan. That man taught me that a pretty face does not a good man make.

  No, what intrigues me the most about Chris is his absolute honesty and straightforwardness with Ari and me. Not once today did he sugarcoat anything or capitalize on his hero status. In fact, when I tried to get more information about his rescue of my daughter, he sort of clammed up.

  I’ll bet my camera that he’s the kind of man that would never bullshit anyone for any reason, even for their own comfort.

  Careful, Willa, you’re talking yourself into something here… “Too late,” I whisper to myself.

  I squeeze my eyes shut in frustration. I’m talking myself into an attraction to a man that I might not ever see again. And I was worried about Ari becoming attached. Well, I’m just as bad. The memory of being held by him this morning is better than I want it to be. Both in the hospital when he was holding my hand and here when he wrapped his arms around me. Maybe he’s just as taken with me… us.

  Don’t be stupid, Willa. Chiding myself for the foolish thoughts, I close my eyes and go to sleep.

  The next day passes much like the previous, minus waking up in the hospital. I fix a simple breakfast of eggs and toast and let Ari watch some educational programs on Nickelodeon.

  As the day drags on, I try to not become frustrated by boredom in our necessary seclusion. I spend a lot of time staring out the windows, wishing I had my camera. There’s beauty in many different forms here. It’s in the pattern of the bark on the stacked wood, the moss growing on the tree trunks, and even in the subtle roll of the earth as it climbs up the mountainside.

  My imagining seeing these surroundings through a lens is interrupted by the ringing phone. Seeing Mike’s number on the screen, I answer, hoping he’s got good news.

  “How are you two doing today?”

  “We’re doing fine. Thanks for asking.”

  “Hmm.” He doesn’t say any more for a moment. “So, no cabin fever then?”

  I sigh audibly. “Ok, I won’t lie. It’s a little unsettling, not working or participating in our usual activities. But I’d rather be bored doing nothing than doing nothing because I’m dead.”

  “That’s a good way to put it,” he says with a chuckle. After that, he turns serious. “I called to give you an update. We’ve gotten in touch with the real estate agent that the vacant cabin is listed with. They’re supposed to be sending a list of people that have been shown the place. If any of them match your physical description, I’ll get photos for you to try to make an ID. I know that you didn’t see his face, but you’d be surprised how many other features can help identify or rule out potential suspects. I’m hoping that by looking through these images, you can eliminate some people to narrow down our search.”

  “I’ll be ready whenever you are. Thanks, Mike.”

  After putting Ari to bed that night, the reality of my situation, the unfamiliar surroundings, and the dark got the best of me. My mind was playing all kinds of tricks on me, including hearing a sinister voice counting and seeing shadows moving about the cabin.

  Knowing it was irrational, but unable to stop the fear, I let it chase me into bed. In a move that I hadn’t done since I was a child, I locked my door, checked the closet, and slept with a light on.

  None of those things helped me during the night. I dreamed horrific, slow-motion dreams of a man wielding a knife. When I woke up around four, trembling and drenched with sweat, I just lay there with my eyes open, waiting for the sun to come up… and wondering if or when Chris will return.

  At the first teasing glimpses of dawn, the fear receded enough that I got up and showered. Ari, of course, rose at her normal time, not having experienced any of the fear that I felt during the night.

  The day drones on the same as yesterday, without anything meaningful to do. I’d spend some time cleaning, but the property managers must have sent someone in the last few days. There isn’t even a layer of dust for me to take care of yet.

  Not being much of a TV watcher, most of my time has been spent reading. I’ve already read through the two books that Michele left. I’m not quite desperate enough to reach for the Navy manuals, but almost.

  By now, even Ari is a little stir crazy, being cooped up in this house without fresh air. I do the best I can to keep her occupied, but it’s hard when I’m just as miserable as she is.

  After lunch, Mike calls to let me know he’ll be coming by later. Ari and I both are very much looking forward to it. I don’t know when I’ve been more relieved to have company. Even someone I barely know.

  Right around six, I hear a vehicle pulling up the drive. Since it’s already dark, I won’t know if it’s the sheriff until the car has made it all the way up to the house. When the headlights reach the porch, a quick look out the window shows that it is Mike’s large red
truck.

  In this third day of isolation, I find that I’m overly excited to have a visitor, even if it is the sheriff.

  A moment later, I open the door to let him in and smile when I see that Michele came with him. I don’t even care that I’ve only met her once. It’s just good to have company.

  Michele greets me with a hug and even more good news. “You and I are going to make dinner together, but first, I’ll give Ari a bath while you and Mike talk.”

  She turns and calls for Ari, taking my daughter’s hand when she jumps up from where she’s playing with her toys.

  Mike moves to take a seat in the living room with me following behind him. Before he even starts, I can tell it isn’t going to be good news. His eyes are worried, and he looks exhausted.

  “Willa, we haven’t been able to get any leads on the van. After looking through ViCAP, a database of violent crimes, we can’t see any crimes with the same earmarks as this.”

  Ok, so this isn’t good news, but I didn’t expect him to walk in with the guy’s decapitated head on a platter. “What about the FBI?”

  “The FBI doesn’t have any cases with similar signatures. Given that there isn’t anything pointing to a serial offender, they’re not sending someone.”

  “So that means what? This was a one-off? I would think that’s good. Maybe he even got scared off and won’t ever show up here again.”

  When he starts fidgeting with his hat that he’s holding, I know there’s more. “Mike, what aren’t you telling me?”

  He slowly blows out a breath. “Your house was broken into today.”

  The word no comes out of me in a whisper.

  “Nothing appears to have been taken, but most of your belongings have been destroyed.”

  No. No. No. This can’t be happening. No one’s this unlucky. “My camera equipment?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  I drop my head in my hands. “I don’t understand. Do you think this is the same guy?”

  “I think it’s a real possibility. Painted on your bathroom mirror was a message. I’ll find you.”

  My hands clench into fists against my forehead. A loud peal of laughter from my daughter pulls my head up sharply. “I can’t take this, Mike. I’ve got to get Ari and me out of here.” I stand from my seat on the sofa and pace the floor in front of the French doors.