Red Tape

by Michele Lynn Seigfried

  I held the door open just wide enough to grasp the pizza box. Two men wearing dark tactical gear ran toward me from the sides of the building, but stayed along the siding, away from the glass doors. One shouted to me, “Are you okay?”

  I pulled the food into the municipal building without answering him. I didn’t want Triggers to hurt Rodney, so I wasn’t about to say anything that would cast doubts in Triggers’ mind that I would return. I hurried down the hallway and into Rodney’s office. Triggers ate in silence. He indicated that Rodney and I could eat. I forced myself to take a couple of bites. I didn’t have an appetite, but I knew I needed to keep my strength up in case an opportunity to run presented itself.

  Rodney spoke up after a while. “Why don’t you let Chelsey go? She is a single mom and her child needs her. You can keep me and still get what you need by holding me hostage,” he said to Triggers.

  Triggers looked at him for a very long time without saying anything. I spoke up. “You should let Rodney go instead of me. Rodney has a terminal illness and is going to die anyway. You’d be more likely to get your dunes if you have a young, single woman that you are holding hostage.”

  “What are you doing?” Rodney whispered. “Your daughter needs you.”

  I was torn. I knew my daughter needed me, but I thought I could talk my way out of the situation better than Rodney could. I felt that if Rodney stayed, Triggers would definitely kill him and Rodney looked worse than I had ever seen him at this point. He was sweaty and twitching. He needed medical attention and I felt I had a better chance of making it out alive. I was torn between doing what was right and doing what was right for me. I chose to do the right thing.

  “Mr. Triggers, you could bargain with them. Tell them that in exchange for three truckloads of sand being deposited at the end of your street, you will let one of us go.”

  Mr. Triggers still sat silently. He seemed to be pondering the idea.

  “Get them on the phone,” Triggers said.

  I dialed the number. Romeo answered again. Triggers told me to tell them the bargain.

  “He has a proposition for you,” I said.

  “Put him on the phone,” Romeo said.

  “They want to talk to you,” I said to Mr. Triggers.

  Triggers shook his head. “They talk to you or no deal.”

  “He won’t get on the phone and he said he won’t provide this offer again.”

  “I’m listening,” Romeo said.

  “Mr. Triggers would like three truckloads of sand delivered to the end of his street. Once the loads are delivered, he will release one of us.”

  “Tell him to release one of you now and we’ll consider the offer.”

  I relayed the message. Triggers would not allow it and told me to hang up. I hung up the phone like I was told. I felt hopeless. We sat without speaking for the next several hours. The sun was starting to set. It was getting dark. Triggers did not want the lights on. It was growing darker and darker. I had to pee again, but was afraid to ask.

  “Would you consider letting us go?” I finally asked.

  “No,” Mr. Triggers said. “Not until I get my dunes and I get my revenge on Bitch-face O’Donnell. If it takes days or weeks, then we’ll be here for days or weeks.”

  The only hope I thought we’d have was if Triggers fell asleep and we were somehow able to sneak out. I didn’t have a choice but to wait it out.

  By ten p.m., the day had taken its toll on me. I was spent. I didn’t have an ounce of energy left. I wanted to close my eyes and fall asleep, but my nerves wouldn’t let me take even a small catnap. Mr. Triggers was sitting behind Rodney’s desk and he had kicked his feet up. At the moment he put his head back and I thought he had dozed off, I saw a small red light appear on his neck. I looked around to see where the light was coming from. It appeared to be coming from the small square window in the door to Rodney’s office. I squinted my eyes in an attempt to see better in the dark, but I couldn’t tell what was making the light appear.

  A moment later, Mr. Triggers lifted his head and the small, round, red light appeared in the middle of his forehead. It was then that I recalled seeing such a light many times on TV and in the movies. I sunk down into my seat and closed my eyes as tightly as I could. My heart started pounding in my chest. I thought, Please don’t miss.

  With a single shot, a sharpshooter took out Mr. Triggers with a hit between his eyes. My ordeal was over. Mr. Triggers was dead. Law enforcement rushed into the room, grabbing Rodney and me by the arms, and escorting us swiftly out of the municipal building. It all happened so fast. I was thankful it was still dark in the room when they pulled us out. I didn’t want to see the gory scene that was left behind. Rodney and I were taken to an ambulance, wrapped up in blankets, and given a once-over. Within a few minutes, I saw my mother being escorted by an officer through the police caution tape. My father was a few steps behind.

  I stood up and collapsed into my mother’s arms. Dad came up and embraced the two of us tightly. We all cried.

  “Where’s Mandy?” I asked.

  My mother took my face in her hands, and wiped the tears from my cheeks. “She’s fine,” she said. “She’s with your cousins, Daisy and James. They drove here when they heard the news.”

  “Bonnie?” I asked while I sobbed. “Is she dead?”

  “Bonnie was in surgery last we heard, to remove a bullet,” my father reported.

  “I want to go to the hospital. I need to see if she’s okay.”

  My parents didn’t argue with me. They knew I had been through an ordeal like never before. My father wrapped his arms around me and walked me over to where they were parked. He drove directly to the hospital.

  I saw Jayce immediately in the waiting area. He looked distraught. I walked up to him with tears streaming down my eyes. He hugged me and started to cry.

  “Is she okay?” I asked with my voice shaking.

  “She’s still sleeping off the anesthesia, but she’s going to make it,” he said. “She was shot in the shoulder and chest. She managed to drag herself out of the building to safety. It was touch and go there for a while. Her lung collapsed. She lost a lot of blood.”

  Bonnie was in the ICU, so we were not permitted in to see her. I told Jayce to give her my love and tell her I was concerned. I wiped my tears on my sleeve, then I gave him another big hug. My parents drove me back to their house. I immediately checked in on Mandy. Normally, I wouldn’t want to wake her, but I had to hold her in my arms. I lifted her from her crib and carried her to the rocking chair. I gave her a little kiss on the head and said, “Mommy loves Mandy.”

  She looked up at me with her big eyes and said, “Ba ba.” Her tiny eyelids closed and she nestled into my chest to fall back to sleep. I rocked her and cuddled her for over an hour.

  After I put her back in her crib, I took the longest shower of my life. I couldn’t get rid of the feeling that there was blood on my skin, even though I washed myself over and over. I also could not get the brutal images of Bonnie lying in a pool of her own blood and the dead bodies in the lobby out of my head.

  I curled up in a ball on the shower floor and wept until I had no tears left. Then I crawled into bed and slept for two days.

  Chapter 24

  A year had passed since the traumatic events in my life. Frita O’Donnell and Lorraine Paso were both found guilty during their trials and were sentenced to a very long time behind prison walls. It was stressful to testify against them, but my parents hung in there with me, encouraging me, making me feel less afraid.

  Bonnie recovered from her injuries after a few long and difficult months. She eventually quit her job at Sunshine Township, as did I. Rodney had taken a disability retirement last I heard. I was trying to get on with my life.

  It was Christmas morning and my almost two-year-old was opening the presents Santa left for her under the tree.

  “You forgot one, Mandy. Let’s go in the kitchen. Santa left another present for you in there.”

&nbs
p; Mandy ran into the kitchen. When she got there, she froze with her eyes wide and her smile even wider. Her present, complete with a big red bow, was wagging his tail and barking at her.

  “Puppy!” she yelled.

  “Yes, baby, that’s your puppy. Santa brought him for you.”

  Santa partly brought him for me too. I wasn’t afraid of my own shadow any longer, but I decided I wanted a family companion…and watchdog, anyway.

  “He’s a German Shepherd. What do you want to name him?”

  “Snicues.”

  “Snickers? Okay, that’s a good name.”

  The phone rang.

  “Merry Christmas!” It was my mom.

  “Merry Christmas, Mom. Mandy says Merry Christmas too!”

  “How does she like the puppy?”

  “She loves him! She named him Snickers.”

  “Are you coming over today?”

  “We wouldn’t miss it.”

  “Bring the dog.”

  I dressed Mandy in her pretty red and black dress. “Pittie,” she said.

  “Yes, you are, sweetie. Mandy is very pretty,” I told her.

  I loved that she could talk and communicate more with me since she was a little older. She was the center of my world. If it wasn’t for her, I didn’t think I would have been able to make it through the post-traumatic stress. She gave me a reason to keep going, keep living. I had been in counseling for the past eleven months and my psychologist said I was ready to stop the sessions and get on with my life.

  If there was any good that came out of my horrible experience of working at Sunshine, it was that I had gotten my wish. I was suddenly a stay-at-home mom. Bonnie, Rodney, and I each won a $500,000.00 settlement from the town for their failure to maintain a secure working environment. This was plenty of money for me to be the full-time caretaker of Mandy until she was at the age to start school. Still, there was something missing. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life. Did I want another job? Or to go back to school to study something else? Or to meet a nice man to date? There was a lot I needed to figure out.

  We drove over the bridge to my parents’ house. The island was starting to make a comeback from last year’s dreadful storm. Many businesses were back up and running. Everything was starting to look bright and shiny new. Time heals all, I supposed.

  “We’re here!” I announced.

  “Me-ma and Pa Pa?”

  “Yes honey, we’re at Mom Mom’s and Pop Pop’s house. I bet they have more presents for you!”

  “Yay!”

  My parents had finished their remodel of the entire downstairs six months ago. It was nice. They added granite countertops, hard wood floors, and top-of-the-line appliances. The smell of turkey and stuffing filled the air when we walked into the door.

  “Smells good in here,” I said.

  My parents made a big fuss over Mandy in her dress and since the patience of a child her age isn’t the greatest, they let her open her presents before dinner. We sat down to eat. I was barely able to spoon the mashed potatoes onto my plate when my mother started.

  “You know, Chelsey, it’s been a year.”

  “I know, Mom,” I said with a condescending tone.

  “I know you don’t want to hear this from me again, but you need to get out of the house and have a social life again.”

  “My psychologist says I’m fine.”

  “Yes, fine, but you don’t have a life.”

  “I have a life. I have Mandy to worry about. And I have a dog. That’s all I need.”

  “I just wish you would take care of yourself too. Taking care of yourself doesn’t mean you won’t be taking good care of Mandy.”

  “I do take care of myself. I never missed a counseling session.”

  “You know what I mean. You don’t go out with friends, you don’t date, and you basically don’t leave your house except to come here.”

  “I don’t feel much like going out these days.”

  “You’re not the same Chelsey that you were before the ordeal.”

  “I don’t know if that Chelsey is ever coming back, Mom.”

  “We’re just worried about you.”

  “Don’t be.”

  “You know Jose and Stephanie are having a New Year’s party. Why don’t you and Mandy come?”

  “Mandy goes to bed by eight and Snickers needs to be let out. You know I can’t go to a New Year’s party.”

  “The party starts at seven. You can bring the dog here and leave him in his crate. Just go for an hour,” she pleaded. “If you are having a good time, then we’ll take Mandy home with us and we’ll take care of the dog so that you can stay and enjoy yourself.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You haven’t seen any friends in a year. Getting out will do you good. Just go for an hour with us.”

  “If I say I’ll go, will you leave me alone and never bring up this subject again?

  “Yes, okay.”

  “Fine then, I’ll go. I’ll meet you here a little before seven.”

  * * *

  I arrived at my parents’ house at six forty-five on New Year’s Eve. I decided to wear the little black dress that I had bought over a year ago when I went shopping with Bonnie. I never had a chance to wear it, so that seemed like a good occasion to dress up. I knew my parents were just looking out for me. I did want to get out and start enjoying myself again. It was time. I deserved to take pleasure in the little things again, like friends. I was nervous because I hadn’t seen Tex since that day and I didn’t want to discuss or think about Mr. Triggers ever again.

  My father met me outside. I tried to hand the crate containing Snickers to him without messing up my dress. He put Snickers in the house for me so I didn’t have to unbuckle Mandy. Five minutes later, my parents jumped in their car after giving Snickers some water and a treat. I followed them in my car to the party. Tex answered the door and gave me a giant hug. “We’ve missed you,” he said.

  “I’ve missed you too.”

  He took our coats and pointed us toward the food. I was relieved that Tex didn’t say anything about Sunshine or the dreaded day I didn’t wish to discuss. Mandy waddled over to play with another toddler who looked to be a year older than she was.

  “Go ahead, go get something to eat, I’ll keep an eye on her,” my mother said to me.

  My dad struck up a conversation with Tex and I headed toward the food. I poured myself a nice large glass of homemade sangria. I had forgotten how good Stephanie’s sangria was. I checked over the delicacies on the table.

  “The bratwurst is awesome,” I heard a voice say.

  I turned to look and there was a handsome man standing next to me with brown hair and hazel eyes. He was probably about my age, but had a cute, boyish appearance to him. “I’ll have to try that,” I said.

  Stephanie called out, “Hey, Lance, your son is trying to eat the soap in the bathroom.”

  “I’ll be right back,” he said to me.

  He chased after the three-year-old that my daughter had been playing with and then returned.

  “Your son is adorable,” I said. “That’s my daughter he’s playing with.”

  “Yup, that’s my boy; already chasing the pretty girls.”

  I smiled. I looked at Lance’s hand. No ring. Maybe this was going to be my lucky night. I spotted Bonnie running toward me.

  “Chelsey!” she said. “I missed you so much!”

  She gave me a huge embrace. “I missed you too!” I said.

  I had missed Bonnie. I hadn’t kept in touch with anyone too much after the ordeal I had been through. I didn’t want to do much of anything except pay attention to my daughter. The moment I had thought I might never see Mandy again, I had made a promise, that if I had gotten out of that situation alive, I would spend every free moment of my time with her. As a result, I didn’t spend much time maintaining my friendships. I knew I had to change that. I didn’t want to become an overbearing, smothering parent. I was thrilled to reconn
ect with Bonnie and rekindle my previous friendships. I made a New Year’s resolution to start a fresh new life in this upcoming year.

  “Where’s Jayce?” I asked.

  “He’s on call at the hospital tonight, so he couldn’t come.”

  “That’s a shame. Where are the kids?”

  “They’re with my in-laws.”

  Lance walked away to say hello to another couple walking in the door.

  “Who’s the hottie?” Bonnie asked.

  “I don’t know. I heard Stephanie call him ‘Lance’ but I haven’t had a chance to talk to him much.”

  “I didn’t see a ring on his finger.”

  “Neither did I and I haven’t seen him with a date yet,” I said. “It really is great to see you. How are you feeling?”

  “Oh, I’m just fine, I’m all healed up, good as new.”

  Bonnie and I spent the next hour catching up. By that time, my parents were ready to take Mandy home with them. I decided to stay and spend a little more time with Bonnie. I went over to say good-bye to my daughter. I gave her a big hug.

  “You have fun at your sleep-over with Mom Mom and Pop Pop,” I told her.

  “Mandy loves Mommy,” she said as she waved to me.

  “And Mommy loves Mandy!” I said.

  A few minutes later, the little boy ran up to me.

  “Hi. What’s your name?” he asked.

  “I’m Chelsey; what’s your name?”

  “My name is Kris. Where did Mandy go?”

  “Mandy had to go home to go to sleep.”

  “Are you her mommy?”

  “Yes, honey, I’m her mommy.”

  “Will you be my mommy too?”

  “Oh, sweetie, I don’t think your mommy will like that very much. I’m sure she wants to be your only mommy.”

  “My mommy died.”

  My heart broke. I felt so bad for this little boy and I wasn’t sure what to say.

  “I’m so sorry, sweetie. You must miss your mommy very much.”