Un-Sweet Dreams (BookStrand Publishing Romance)

by Shawn Wall

  Officer Riley definitely had the wrong idea. Considering the compromising position the officers had found her in, anyone would have assumed she’d been raped.

  “He didn’t hurt me. He didn’t rape me. He was about to, and if you had been even five minutes later, it would have been too late.”

  “Can you remember what happened?”

  She told the officer what she knew, beginning with the moment she woke to Peter’s admission of accidentally murdering the first victim.

  “Is there anything else you remember?”

  “Wait. There was something. I heard a woman’s voice. There was someone else here. He talked with her more than once. He was very angry with her.”

  “Did you ever see her?”

  “No.”

  “Do you know where the voice was coming from?”

  “I’m not sure. It wasn’t far away. I think it had to be in a nearby room. He said no one else was here, but I definitely could tell it was a female voice.”

  There were no noises in the house. It was an eerie quiet. Then, they suddenly heard the sound of screeching tires and gunshots being fired.

  “Officer Riley, do you know how long we’ll have to stay here?”

  “We can’t leave until we know it’s safe.”

  Suzanne’s stomach growled loudly, and she hadn’t even realized yesterday afternoon was her last meal.

  “When is the last time you ate?”

  “Not since yesterday. Can you tell me what time it is?”

  “It’s about noon. We’ll get you something to eat when we get you out of here.”

  “Can I just go home?” She knew the answer before she asked.

  “You have to go to the hospital first, just as a precaution.”

  She sat quietly just longing to see Seth, knowing he must have gone crazy with worry. Peering out the closest window, she saw policeman with numerous cars and flashing lights. She closed her eyes, picturing Seth’s face. Everything would be fine now because it was finally over. She desperately hoped they could catch Peter. Surely, if he escaped, he wouldn’t get far. When there was a sudden knock, Officer Riley stiffened quickly and backed up against the door.

  “Riley, it’s just Detective Brown. May I come in?”

  She opened the door, and Suzanne was glad to see the detective. It must mean she could go soon.

  “Are you ready to go, Suzanne?” the detective asked.

  “Did you catch him?”

  “Yes. He did try to flee in his car, but we were able to stop him.”

  “Was someone else being held captive? Did you find the woman?”

  “Suzanne thinks she heard the assailant speaking to a female. She couldn’t distinguish any words. The voice was probably from a room on this floor.”

  “We have found no one else, but we will keep searching. Let’s get you out of here,” Detective Brown said

  She was very wobbly on her feet, and Officer Riley was steadying her so she wouldn’t fall. They took baby steps at first. Her legs were stronger by the time they reached the stairs, but the officer never let go of her.

  “Thank you, Officer Riley.”

  “You’re very welcome, Suzanne.”

  Glancing down the staircase, she noticed Detective Brown was waiting for them by the front door.

  “Suzanne, there is someone here who has given me hell for the past eighteen hours or so.”

  The detective stepped back, and through the doorway, she saw Seth. She hadn’t cried the whole time Peter had held her captive, but when she saw Seth’s face, she began to weep. He looked like the ordeal had aged him a year. Dark circles were under his eyes, and his face was full of more worry than she had ever seen. In the moment their eyes met, he scaled the staircase and grabbed her, lifting her feet off the ground and crushing her to him. Officer Riley surrendered her immediately. After Seth sat her on her feet, he cupped her face between his hands, and then began placing feathered kisses on her forehead to cheeks and nose.

  “Did he hurt you?”

  “No, Seth.” She could barely choke out the words, and she continued to sob.

  “You’re safe now.”

  “Just hold me and never let go.”

  She felt her legs leave the floor. And Seth had her in his arms, cradling her to his chest.

  “I promise.”

  “Oh, Seth, I’m so sorry.”

  He kissed her forehead and squeezed her tighter.

  “Shh, none of that now, you’re safe and that’s all that matters.”

  He carried her out of house without hesitation, like she was light as a feather. There was an ambulance backed up to the door, and Seth delivered her directly to the stretcher. Two paramedics were waiting, as one hooked her up to a heart monitor and the other started an IV.

  “You’ll feel a sting,” the lady paramedic explained.

  “Is all this necessary?” Suzanne frowned.

  “Yes.” Seth answered before the paramedic could.

  “You are a little dehydrated, and this is going to give you some fluids. I will take your blood pressure and listen to your heart. Both are just making sure you’re all right.” Her voice was soothing. She was certainly in the right field.

  Suzanne leaned her head on the pillow in submission. Until now, she hadn’t noticed the paramedic was right. Her mouth felt like cotton, and her throat was tight. Seth wouldn’t have let her argue anyway. She had no leg to stand on, and in truth, he had been right all along. His fears had come to fruition. He had worked so hard to keep her safe, and she had sabotaged everything, almost getting herself killed in the process. Although she wanted to refuse, Seth insisted an emergency room doctor examine her. Her mom and grandmother doted over her and wanted her to go home with them. But she only wanted to be with Seth and declined, trying not to hurt their feelings. Everyone she loved had all been through hell the last twenty-four hours due to her foolishness.

  The doctor gave her a clean bill of health, and there would be no overnight stay. Detective Brown questioned her again, this time taking a formal statement and informed her Peter would probably be convicted.

  “I drove your car. I didn’t think you’d want a bike ride after what you’ve been through,” Seth said.

  “Thanks, I guess I didn’t hide it well.”

  Seth glared at her for that comment. Although he didn’t mention it, she knew he wouldn’t be happy about her hiding the car or the lies. In the very near future, she’d have to explain her actions. But, for now, she focused on how everything looked so different and vibrant, even the colors of the bushes and trees. The officer had given her a card for a counselor, encouraging her to go for at least one session under the circumstances. She stuffed it in her pocket because her only focus was to be alone with Seth and feel his arms around her. As he parked her car in the closest space outside her dorm, they noticed there was a crowd of students gathering. She hadn’t thought about all the stares and didn’t want to face anyone, not yet. There would be too many questions that she was not ready to answer.

  “Can we go to your room instead of mine?” she asked shyly.

  The car was in reverse in a second and headed for the Seth’s dorm. She crashed on his bed, pulling her knees to her chest. Seth knew what she needed, and without a word, he removed her shoes and crawled in bed behind her, holding her tightly.

  “Don’t leave me alone, just hold me all night,” she said

  “I was going to whether you asked or not.”

  “Seth, I’m so sorry. Don’t be mad at me. I love you so much.”

  “I love you more than my own life. Just rest now. You’re safe. I’m never going to let you go.”

  Feeling the heat of his chest on her back, she quickly gave in to exhaustion.

  The next morning, Detective Brown called, and Suzanne had to meet with the district attorney for a final statement. She requested Seth stay with her, but until that moment, she hadn’t thought about him hearing the awful details. Sitting at a large table across from the DA, she exp
lained again the horrific events for hopefully the last time. Seth held her hand and squeezed tightly when she described Peter’s fascination with sleeping with her. Afterward, they asked her to wait, leaving them in the same room for what seemed like hours. As she leaned against Seth's chest, he rested his left arm around her shoulder holding her tightly. Even though they were sitting in a police station, he would hardly even let her to go to the bathroom. At around noon, the DA finally returned.

  “Peter confessed to everything. He has accepted a deal. You’ll be glad to know there will be no trial. You’re free to go, Suzanne.”

  Her life over the last twenty-four hours would read like a prime time crime show.

  “What about the woman?”

  “Peter has denied any person being present,” the DA said.

  “What? That's a lie,” Suzanne said

  “There is no evidence that suggests any other person was being held at the house,” Detective Brown said. “I know you believe you heard someone. Although he has confessed, we will continue to investigate. But we can’t ignore the facts. Every young woman enrolled at the university has been accounted for.”

  “I don’t know how that is possible. But I would rather have just imagined it than for him to hurt another person.”

  “If we find anything, I will contact you.”

  "Thank goodness," she said with a relieved tone, "it's finally over then. Am I free to go now?"

  Chapter Ten

  Walking toward her dorm, she was in awe of their March miracle. The snow was beautiful glistening in the sunlight. When the snow melted, maybe it would wash the fear and horror that had plagued their campus these many months.

  “You can finally get a full night's sleep since we don’t have to have sleepovers every night now."

  "I'm coming up to your room,” Seth said. ”We have some things to talk about."

  Neither of them spoke until they were in her room. Seth sat on the edge of her bed with his face in his hands.

  "Look, I know you’re angry, but I had to do something. I had to stop it. Don't be mad at me."

  "Mad does not cover it, Suzanne!" Seth said, and then raised his hands in the air. "Have you even contemplated what could have happened? You could have been killed. At this point, no one knows why he was choosing his victims. It could have been just an unlucky soul in the wrong place at the wrong time. None of the victims had a connection to one another. And just what would you have done? Do you really think you could have stopped him?" His voice was getting louder.

  "Shh, someone will hear you. You know, I am the one who was taken. I am the person who had to play along with the sick sucker. I think I realize more than anyone what could have happened to me.”

  He paused for a moment, taking deep breaths before he spoke again.

  "Why did you lie to me? The day with your grandmother was just a hoax, wasn't it? You had another nightmare. How else did you know when to be in the courtyard?"

  He got up off the bed and began pacing.

  She took a slow, deep breath of her own and began to explain.

  "Sunday night, during my nap, I dreamed of the snowy courtyard, and when the stalker didn’t take the girl, I thought I’d be safe to."

  His eyes narrowed, but he didn't interrupt her.

  "I thought I could just hide and see his face, maybe identify him. Surely you must know I never thought he would take me instead."

  He waited before he spoke.

  “That doesn’t matter. He did. My God, I can’t even say it. Did you even think about that?"

  "No, not at the time.”

  "How could you not trust me? We could have done something together, none of this sneaking around. The simple fact is not trusting one another could have cost your life. How foolish, no ignorant.”

  Fire burned deep within her from his last words, and she squeezed her hands so tightly her knuckles turned white.

  "So now I’m a fool and stupid. Is that it? You would have never allowed me to come along, and you know it. You had become so obsessed with this it had become an addiction. I knew there was a chance for me to stop it. Hey, speaking of lying, you hid another vision from me. How did you know where to find me?"

  "Well, actually, I didn't. I had seen the image the end of last week, and when we watched the weather report on Sunday, I knew from the snow, like you, when and where. I only happened upon you behind the bushes."

  "Well, at least he is caught and cannot hurt anyone else.”

  "Yes.” He shook his head. "But we have to get this out. You can't do anything like this again! You want to talk about addiction. You’re who needs to always get a fix. You can’t stay out of trouble. My fears were justified, quite obviously."

  "Seth, you have been too controlling, and in case you’ve forgotten, you’re not my father. You’re supposed to be my boyfriend. It's not meant to be a one-sided relationship. You've been treating me like a child, and that's why I went in the first place. I took a chance to end this—the fighting and tension between us. That was my ultimate goal.”

  "It looks like we’re not getting anywhere with this.” He threw his hands in the air.

  She crossed her arms. "No, we’re not. You can leave now. Go back to your dorm."

  "What? I’ll be damned. I’m not going anywhere.”

  "You heard me. Are you deaf now? Surely you imagined this one coming."

  “You can’t really be serious.”

  “You bet I am.”

  “After all we’ve been through? You can’t be that mad at me.”

  “What we’ve been through? Is that what you said? I am the one who was kidnapped and almost raped.”

  “I know you are. I thought I would die just thinking about it.” He murmured.

  “I just need time alone to think. Surely I’m entitled to that.”

  "I'll leave if that's really what you want.”

  "Yes, that's what I want.”

  He walked out of her room, and she buried her face in a pillow, sobbing. She wanted him to touch her, hold her, but things had gotten out of hand. Besides that, he really had been treating her like a child. She knew more than anyone the mistakes she had made and didn’t need him throwing it in her face. Things couldn’t go back to the way they were before. Everything was permanently altered, a shadow covering their relationship. No matter how much it hurt, this wasn't good for Seth. No, she was no good for Seth. He had a bright and wonderful future. He could be anything, do anything, and she was dragging him down. There would always be something he would have to protect her from, and he needed to focus on his own life.

  After what happened, his obsession to protect her would only escalate. He was only human, and she knew he loved her. Without a doubt, Seth wouldn’t be able to stop himself, and he had proved that over and over. Therefore, she knew what she had to do. She fell asleep, and the nightmare on this night was not of death or murderers, it was her empty life without Seth, and it was the worst dream she ever had.

  The phone rang over and over, the caller ID revealing Seth with too numerous to count texts following. She wouldn’t respond. Never leaving her room for the remainder of the day and night, she thought only of him. In the end, she knew she wasn’t only giving up a boyfriend. No, she was sacrificing her dreams. Although she had never spoken them aloud, her dreams are what every young woman dreams. The knight in shining armor would rescue her from the demons. They would marry and live happily ever after.

  Even when she envisioned the other victims, she had never contemplated herself as one of them. But Seth had, and this would happen again and again through their lives. Suzanne convinced herself it would ruin them. What they had was so special wouldn’t it be better to end it with beautiful memories instead of hate and regret? Her final decision was she wouldn’t let her own selfishness get in the way again. Her happiness was not what mattered any longer, only his.

  * * * *

  That was the real turning point, and the next week was sheer torture. Each morning, she woke tangled
in her sheets from a long and restless night. Just as he haunted her thoughts by day, he haunted her dreams at night. Not only did she miss him. She ached for him. She was such a chicken and almost gave in to the conflict within her. Grabbing her phone over twenty times, she almost called him back, but lost her nerve. He would take it to mean she was moving on, and that he had lost his hold on her. As days passed, he didn’t look at her in class, and when their eyes did meet, he would quickly look away. Now, his face was different, empty, not even sad.

  Work was the only place that kept her mind off Seth because it was the one place to escape his memory. Although everyone thought she was crazy not to quit her job at the hospital, there was no reason to be scared anymore. After all, Peter was jailed and awaiting sentencing. Some of the stares from the employees did make her feel uncomfortable, and everyone whispered at first with subtle hints questioning if she was raped. She hated giving out details and just wanted to put the whole thing behind her. Subsequently Peter’s father had resigned, and there were rumors of their family relocating, starting fresh. Suzanne guessed, in some of staff’s eyes, she was to blame.

  She had always been glad to only work two shifts a week because she usually didn’t want to be away from Seth anymore than was necessary. But, with the extra time on her hands, it might be a good idea to pick up some extra shifts. She really didn’t need to be going to many wild parties. After all, trouble seemed to always find her. Seth had been right on about that.

  This Tuesday seemed to be a particularly slow shift. The census was low, and there had been a decrease in hospital admissions since the breaking news of Peter’s arrest. As usual, she’d performed her mundane duties and still half her shift remained. If the census didn’t pick up, there certainly wouldn’t be extra shifts to work. Candy stripers would be the first in a lay off. Since Betty was sitting at the nurse’s station, Suzanne made her rounds back that way, trying to pass the time.

  “You know the little suck-up girl got another job.”

  “Betty, what are you talking about?”