When I Know Your Name

by Gemma M. Lawrence

  Her feelings towards him softened and she placed her hand over his. ‘I’m sorry Adam, I didn’t even consider how hard this would’ve been for you. I need to remember that.’ She smiled and gave a little shrug. ‘Maybe we both just need a little time to adjust.’

  He smiled too and kissed the back of her hand just as his phone beeped. He pulled it from his pocket.

  ‘It’s the New York office. Conference call. I can leave it if you want. Stay with you a little while longer?’

  She smiled again. ‘No, you take it. I’ll be fine.’

  He stood and leant down, kissing her on her good cheek. ‘I’ll call you tomorrow?’

  ‘Yes, let’s talk tomorrow.’

  He nodded and chucked her under the chin. ‘Get some rest.’

  She watched him leave, bringing up the number on his phone, already gone. The only people that would come to her now would be nursing staff, and that was fine with her.

  She readjusted the pillows and rested her head; comfortable and warm. Soon, and while listening to the nurses chatting outside at their station, the sleep that she so desperately needed carried her away.

  Chapter 13

  She was alone again, in the familiar surroundings of the old, dusty room, but now the door was open. Silence filled the air – it was her chance to escape. She drifted through the door. No one stopped her. Down the stairs. No one stopped her. She tried to ignore the crumpled, broken body at the bottom of the stairs, but the sight of it stopped her. She couldn’t get past it. Her exit was clear, but she was stuck, immobilised. She gasped for air as something wrapped itself around her ankle and pulled at her leg – a hand, dragging her down as she began to scream…

  She lurched from her nightmare with a jolt, desperate to snap the fine thread between sleep and the conscious world. Her bedcovers caught in her legs, and her clothes clung to her skin, damp with sweat. She took a moment to register the safety and peace of her room, and when at last she did, she let her head fall back against the pillow and stared at the ceiling. ‘It’s just a nightmare. I’m fine,’ she panted, taking a moment to gain her composure.

  The nurse rushed in. ‘Elena, are you all right?’ she said, checking her over. ‘We could hear you from the end of the corridor.’

  ‘Yes, I’m fine, now. Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,’ she said as the nurse checked Elena’s steadying pulse. ‘I had a bad nightmare, that’s all.’

  The nurse smiled. ‘You poor thing,’ she said as she tutted to herself. ‘That must have been horrible for you. But I guess it’s to be expected, with all you’ve been through.’ She rubbed Elena’s arm kindly, and rearranged the blankets. ‘Would you like some water?’ she asked as she went to the window and opened the curtains.

  The morning sun broke through, making Elena squint. ‘No thanks.’

  ‘Breakfast then? You must eat; keep your strength up.’

  Elena didn’t want anything other than to be left alone, but she nodded in agreement. The nurse smiled and checked her charts before leaving again.

  After a breakfast of eggs, tea, and toast, she dragged herself out of bed and showered, dressing in jeans and a white t-shirt. She scraped her hair back into a ponytail, and with nothing else to do, she waited – as she had done every day since her abduction.

  The nurse entered again with a simple arrangement of flowers. Pink and white roses, wrapped in pink tissue paper and tied with ribbon.

  ‘Now, I know we don’t allow these normally,’ she said as she bustled over, ‘but I am going to make an exception for you, my dear, because of all you’ve been through.’

  Elena sat up as delight filled her. ‘They’re lovely, thank you,’ she said as she glanced over the pretty blooms. Maybe they were from Adam, but these weren’t his style. He didn’t do simple and pretty. If he had been involved, he’d have ensured the arrangement was of expensive blooms, flowers that made a statement about the sender and his wealth, instead of the sentiment they were meant to convey.

  ‘Yes, they are,’ the nurse said as she handed them to Elena. ‘They were left on the nurses’ station. No one saw who left them, they just appeared, like fantastic flowery magic.’ She laughed and waved her hand through the air. ‘That’ll be your charming boyfriend, no doubt.’

  Elena didn’t reply but smiled at the nurse, not wanting to burst the happy bubble she was in. She found the small white envelope with her name handwritten across it. She didn’t recognise the writing but dismissed it as she laid the flowers in her lap, ripping open the card. The nurse busied herself with Elena’s chart, giving her privacy. Elena was glad of it, because when she pulled out the card it was clear they were not from Adam, her circle of friends, or anyone else in her family.

  They were from him.

  She sat rigid, unable to move as she stared at the sequence of numbers, a mobile telephone number, written across the white card, by hand. His hand. It was enough to destroy the small amount of calm she had managed to build. He had been here, in the hospital, right outside her door. It was so blatant and bold, and she understood clearly the message that he could, and would, do anything to get to her. The knowledge caused her heart to race and her stomach flip, and it threatened to expel her much-enjoyed breakfast. He was true to his word, and he hadn’t wasted any time finding her.

  She collected her thoughts as heat flushed her cheeks. She needed to relax, but every part of her was taut with the need to rush out into the corridor, to see him again.

  The nurse finished her notes and looked at her with an enquiring expression. ‘So, are you going to put me out of my misery? Who are they from?’

  ‘Oh, some people from work,’ Elena said, without hesitation. ‘They must have seen how busy you all were and decided against visiting.’ She wrapped her fingers around the card to obscure it from view.

  ‘Oh,’ the nurse said with a little disappointment in her voice. It was obvious that she wanted a more romantic explanation as she admired the flowers once more.

  Elena smiled apologetically and shrugged her shoulders. ‘Sorry it wasn’t more exciting.’

  ‘Don’t mind me, dear,’ she said in her cheery voice. ‘I’m glad you’ve had something good happen today. Something to put the colour back in your cheeks, as it so clearly has.’

  Elena smiled again. If only you knew.

  ‘So, all observations are normal. The wound on your leg is looking better, and apart from your nasty bruise, you’re recovering well. I wouldn’t be surprised if the doctor lets you go home later today. After the police have visited.’

  ‘That’s great,’ she said with more enthusiasm than she felt. She should want to get back to living her life again, but she didn’t want to leave the safety of this room. She sighed. All she had managed to do was to substitute one kind of captivity for another.

  ‘I’ll go and find a vase for the flowers,’ the nurse said, patting her on the arm, leaving Elena alone with her whirring thoughts.

  She turned the card over in her hand and stared at the number again. He had given her no time at all. Her body trembled as she placed the flowers on the bedside locker, unnerved by them, as if their very presence willed her to make contact. She carefully tucked the card into her back pocket. That decision was for another day.

  ***

  ‘The police are outside,’ the nurse said. ‘Are you happy to see them now?’

  Elena had been dreading this moment, but it wasn’t going to go away. ‘Yes, send them in, let’s get it over with,’ she said as she sat up in the chair and prepared herself.

  Two men entered. The first was a short, bald, overweight man dressed in a well-used suit, his age she couldn’t decide. It was clear he did not look after himself, so a late-fifties guess could have been a generous one. Behind him, was a slightly younger man, who was tall, a little better presented, and with a full head of hair. Elena stifled the laugh that threatened. She didn’t know if these two contrasting men had been paired together for the ‘double-act’ humour or if she was losing her mind.
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  You’re losing your mind, girl. You’re losing your sweet mind.

  ‘Elena Dumont?’ the short man asked.

  She nodded her reply.

  ‘I’m Detective Sergeant McAllister, we met yesterday, and this is Sergeant Jacobs,’ he said as they both held up their ID cards. Sergeant Jacobs smiled but said nothing.

  ‘I’m the investigating officer for your case. We need to get a picture of what happened. Are you up to it?’

  ‘Yes, I think so,’ she said, keeping in check the tightening knot in her stomach.

  They moved the two tub chairs over to her and sat as the sergeant pulled out a notebook.

  The Detective Sergeant smiled.

  Trying to gain my trust.

  He pulled out a small notebook, opening it. ‘Let’s start at the beginning. Walk me through the events prior to your abduction.’

  Elena took a deep breath, her mouth dry. ‘In the beginning, everything was normal, except for one particular man. I’d seen him out in the street or passing by, and it was only a couple of times. It shouldn’t have unnerved me, he wasn’t doing anything wrong, but it did. There was just something about him, you know?’

  ‘And did you not think about reporting it?’ Sergeant Jacobs asked. ‘If it worried you?’

  ‘Yes, of course I did,’ she said with a glare to the Sergeant. ‘I’m not stupid.’

  ‘No one’s suggesting you are, Elena,’ DS McAllister said as he glanced at his colleague. ‘We’re just trying to understand why you didn’t feel the need to contact us, for support.’

  She sighed. ‘Well, you see, I’ve done this before,’ she said. ‘Five years ago, I met a man at a party, had a few drinks with him and didn’t think anything more of it. That was until I started seeing him everywhere. Wherever I went, he’d be there too. Glancing at me, giving me an ‘oh look, we keep meeting like this’ expression. But the more it happened the stranger it became. It was quite creepy actually and I started to question why I’d had a drink with him in the first place. He would be everywhere, always hanging around. He was very odd and together with everything that my parents had instilled into me, I got a little paranoid. When he started showing up near my house, I panicked and reported him to the police. The poor man lived nearby, that’s all. He was questioned by the police, hauled out of his home for all the neighbours to see, for no reason at all. If I did happen to see him after that, the glances were always bitter – if he even bothered to look my way. I felt terrible and tried to apologise, but he wasn’t having any of it. I vowed not to be so paranoid in future. The man who abducted me was literally there for a moment one day and a moment the next. He wasn’t acting suspiciously or anything like that. And I didn’t want history repeating itself, so I tried to put it out of my mind. I did try to speak to my parents, get their opinion, but it didn’t happen.’ She shrugged. ‘I didn’t want to make a fuss.’ She looked into her lap.

  ‘I understand,’ McAllister said reassuringly, sensing that his sergeant had knocked her off balance. ‘Hindsight is a wonderful thing.’

  She managed a smile as he checked his notes.

  ‘Yes. A Mr Richard Casey. Your parents mentioned him too. We’ve checked him out. He left the country three years ago. Lives in New Zealand now with a wife and family. His passport records show that he has not returned to the UK since, so no chance of retribution there.’

  The sound of his name made it all come flooding back. All she went through, and all she put him through.

  ‘Okay, so let’s move on,’ he said, keeping on track. ‘Let’s talk about your friend. A Charlotte Lacey?’

  Elena blinked back her surprise.

  ‘We spoke to everyone while you were gone. We needed to get a picture of what happened, any leads that would help.’ He flipped the pages of his little book. ‘You and your friend discussed a man, is that right? That you met in your local coffee shop?’

  Her cheeks burned, and she fought to keep her composure. ‘That was nothing,’ she said. ‘I bumped into a man that morning. Knocked my coffee straight into him. It was an embarrassing moment, and I had a laugh about it with Charlotte. Nothing more than that. I couldn’t even describe him now,’ she said and waved her hand away, dismissing it. ‘I’m a little embarrassed that you know about it actually, and I’d rather keep this from Adam if you don’t mind. Things have been very stressful since my release.’

  He listened and nodded. ‘I understand. What we discuss here will remain as private as I can allow. Within the realms of the investigation, of course.’ He paused for a beat and continued. ‘But to be clear, this wasn’t the same man that abducted you?’

  ‘God, no,’ she said quickly. If it was as black and white as that, she could be truthful on that score.

  He nodded. ‘So, Friday was your first day missing…’

  ‘Wait. What’s today’s date?’

  ‘Seventh of May. Why?’

  ‘And the Friday I went missing was the thirteenth of March?’

  ‘Yes, that’s right.’

  She inhaled. ‘Wow,’ she whispered as thoughts swirled in her mind. ‘So it was almost two months. I was in that room for all that time.’

  He looked uneasy and checked his book. ‘Fifty-six days. An unusually long time.’

  She absorbed this new knowledge. She’d scratched forty lines into the wall during her captivity. Now, things had changed. These new dates meant that she had unknowingly lost more days of her life to the ordeal, and the knowledge succeeded in intensifying the effects of it. It also highlighted time spent with him, in his care, compared to now, which was just empty, blank space.

  DS McAllister leant forwards a little, gaining her attention again. ‘Shall we continue?’

  She snapped back to the present. ‘Yes, of course. Sorry.’

  He smiled sympathetically. ‘You failed to show up for work, and your employees were concerned when they couldn’t make contact with you. They called your parents, who reported you missing after visiting your apartment and finding it empty.’

  She nodded. ‘I had decided to go for a run. He appeared from nowhere, grabbed me as I tried to get back into my building.’

  She paused for much-needed air. ‘I elbowed him and ran. But he caught me. A car appeared and he shoved me into it. We ended up in woodland somewhere, I have no idea where. They left me alone in the car so I tried to escape and that’s when they injected me with something. After that, I don’t remember anything until I was at the house. In that room.’

  ‘It was a terrible ordeal, I can see that,’ McAllister said with a kind smile. He paused his questioning for a moment to allow Elena to calm herself before he continued. ‘These people then made a call to your father on the Monday.’

  She shuffled in her chair, uncomfortable.

  ‘Are you feeling all right?’ McAllister asked. ‘Would you like to take a break?’

  She glanced at him. ‘No, I’m fine. I want this over with.’

  ‘I’m sure,’ he said as he flicked through more pages. ‘Let’s focus on the man who abducted you. Could you describe him for us?’

  ‘He was tall, about six foot and lanky, but he was so strong…’ She drifted off.

  ‘Take your time,’ he said kindly.

  ‘He had black hair that was slicked back, and he wore jeans and a t-shirt. I think he wore a leather jacket too.’ She shuddered, remembering the distinct smell of it when he carried her into the shack. ‘Is that enough?’

  ‘Yes, Elena, that’s just what we need. Were there any distinguishing features? Tattoos or piercings?’

  ‘Yes, he had black tattoos, running down both of his arms.’

  The two policemen looked at each other.

  ‘Elena, we have to tell you that a man fitting the description you have given was found dead at the scene,’ McAllister said. ‘The day you were released.’

  ‘Oh, that’s horrible,’ she said, needing to keep calm. It was almost over. ‘But it does explain those last few hours, I suppose.’

 
‘How?’

  ‘That day, when my father refused to pay the ransom, he came to the room, made another call to my father, pointed the gun and fired it straight into the ceiling. Another one of his sick games to terrify me and my family. The bullet’s probably still lodged in the plasterwork – if you haven’t seen it already.’ She watched him write it down and waited, letting him record all the details. ‘I don’t think he ever intended to kill me, not that day anyway. But I never knew what was going on in that twisted mind of his, and I’m not sure he really knew either.’ She paused for a moment, needing to make this count. ‘Anyway, afterwards, I heard raised voices downstairs. Lots of shouting and arguing, and then there was the sound of something crashing to the floor. After that, nothing.’ She sighed. ‘I don’t know, maybe the other person did want me dead and they fell out about it. Badly. I’ll never know though as I was still held in the room. When I heard nothing else after that I assumed they’d abandoned the place. A short while later the police arrived. I had no idea he was dead.’

  I’m actually doing this.

  ‘And you were alone in that room until we arrived?’

  ‘Yes, completely alone, as always.’

  ‘I know this is very hard for you, but we need this information. We’re here to help you, so if you remember anything, however small, that may help, now’s the time.’

  She kept eye contact. ‘I know there was another person there, but I never saw him. Or her, I suppose,’ she said, shrugging her shoulders.

  ‘Never?’

  ‘Never. I only ever saw the man who abducted me. The man who is now dead.’

  He leant forward, his gaze fixed. ‘So you’re telling me that you never saw anyone else, despite being alone in a house with other people?’