Peggy Holloway - Judith McCain 02 - Portrait on Wicker

by Peggy Holloway

  “He chuckled like he appreciated the joke I had played on him and for the first time told me he loved me. This meant everything to me and I would have walked on hot coals for him at that point.

  “While we were waiting for the plane to Jacksonville, I excused myself and went to the ladies room. When I came back toward him, he was on his cell phone and he was saying something like, ‘wait for us at the airport and then follow us, but don’t let her see you.’

  “When I asked him who he was talking to, he hung up and said he had been arranging for someone to stay with his wife.

  “I should have been warned by this, but I shut it out of my mind. Judith could you pour me some water. My mouth is dry from all this talking.”

  We waited silently while she drank her water. Mimi looked like someone had drained the life out of her. Tracy looked both angry and like she was trying to figure something out.

  I can’t say what I looked like but I felt so sad to think Julia had been going through all this by herself. I was also angry that she hadn’t reached out to me. I could understand in a way, but it still made me both angry and sad.

  Finally Julia took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  “This part is so hard to talk about because of the shock I felt when I knew I had been betrayed.

  “Calvin rented a car at the airport and we drove to the beach house. As soon as we pulled around the back of the house and parked the car, another car pulled in behind us.

  “At first I thought it might be someone who had the wrong address, or someone turning around. He got out of his car as we were getting out of ours. I recognized him. It was Mackey Broleen.

  “Calvin laughed when he saw the shock on my face. ‘Yes, he is alive,’ he said. ‘The look on your face is priceless. He’s here to help me dispose of your body after we’re finished with you.’”

  Julia put her face in her hands and began to cry. I hugged her and she kept saying she was sorry.

  “It’s all right,” I told her. “Can you finish your story? I know it’s hard.”

  I took some tissue and wiped her eyes. “We’re going to catch these jerks and you’re going to be okay. You are so brave, Julia. Believe it or not we’re both strong women, and this experience will make you stronger.”

  She blew her nose and continued. “I started to run but he had anticipated this and grabbed my arm. Mackey came over to help him and together they got me inside the studio apartment under the house.

  “I think they thought this was the downstairs of the main house. When they realized the layout, they put me on the bed and tied me up while they explored the main house.

  “I managed to get paper and pen from the nightstand and leave you a note. Did you find it? I put it under the nightstand but who would think to look there?”

  “I did find it,” I said. “There was a corner sticking out.”

  “You’re so smart, Judith.”

  She continued. “I heard them coming down the stairs and managed to hide the note. I put the paper and pen in my pocket of the skirt I was wearing.

  “They took me upstairs and I then began to really see what a monster Calvin was. Mackey is an angel compared to him.”

  She picked up a corner of the sheet and began tying it into knots. She looked like she was trying to wring someone’s neck. We waited her out. When she finally spoke, her voice was so low we had to strain to hear her.

  “They had taken me into the master bedroom and laid me on the bed. Mackey stood looking at me like he was going to attack me and, at first, I was more afraid of him.

  “When Calvin started interrogating me I almost lost it. First he asked me how my slut sister was doing. He said you would be next, Judith.

  “I became so frightened that I almost wet myself and I asked him if I could go to the bathroom. They both went with me and watched me pee. It was so degrading, but then that’s what the first two days were about, degradation.

  “They didn’t hurt me physically at first. They made me strip and tied me spread-eagled on the bed. They openly discussed my body. Calvin told me that a grown woman’s body didn’t turn him on at all. Mackey said it turned him on all right but he had no interest in rape.

  “Then they quit talking to me. They discussed me as if I didn’t exist. A few times I tried to talk to Mackey when Calvin wasn’t in the room. I tried to reason with him to let me go but he acted like he never heard me. They gave me bread soaked in vinegar to eat and water to drink.

  “I think they had put some drugs in the vinegar, because I slept a lot. Or it might have been the hopelessness I felt. I knew I would never make it out of there alive and that they intended to eventually kill me.

  “They came and went and continued to discuss me in my presence. Sometimes they discussed me just outside the door and I knew I was meant to hear them.

  “They were always arguing about the pros and cons of using an adult woman compared to a female child or young teenager.

  “They watched me shower, when I was allowed to shower and go to the bathroom.

  “On the third day they brought me a huge steak, salad and French fries and a large coke. My stomach rebelled after being starved for two days and I was sick all over the bed.

  “They told me how disgusting I was and made me clean the whole bedroom, change and wash the sheets and shower. I was so weak by this time it was hard to do all this.

  “When they left me I curled up on the bed and went to sleep. They had left me untied. They probably knew I was too tired to escape. I slept the sleep of the dead and thought at one point during the night I was dead.

  “They didn’t come to the room at all the next day and I thought they had left. I didn’t hear them at all. I snuck down the stairs and raided the refrigerator. They had left doggie bags of food from all the best restaurants in town.

  “After I ate, I ran upstairs and got dressed. I put on my shoes and, had just as I grabbed my purse when they walked in and grabbed me. I knew then that this had been their plan, to get my hopes up and then dash them.

  “From then on it was all physical, but by this time I didn’t care to the point that I didn’t feel anything.

  “I heard Calvin tell Mackey that if he could get me to fight him maybe he could get it up and that he might as well get something out of all this before I was gone. Mackey told him that he was one sick dude. Calvin told him to shut up and rough me up. By now I didn’t care one way or the other and I was determined not to fight.

  “Things got rougher and rougher and I was going in and out of consciousness. It was like this was all happening to someone else and I was watching from above.

  “They would leave me alone for a few hours until I gained consciousness and then come back. I heard Mackey tell Calvin at one point that this wasn’t his thing. That’s when Calvin suggested that Mackey burn my feet with his cigarette. While he was doing that, Calvin started punching me in the face and rubbing himself. But it didn’t work for him and I was glad.

  “I’ve got to tell you this, Tracy. Mackey wanted to quit several times and kept telling Calvin he didn’t’ like it, that he liked a consenting woman. I think he was afraid of Calvin. When you catch them you might want to get Mackey to roll over on Calvin. Is that what you call it?”

  “It is,” said Tracy, “go on with the story. I think I forgot to tell you but I’m recording this.”

  “I’m glad because I don’t want to have to tell this over again. There’s not much left to tell. I don’t know how long the physical stuff lasted. I lost all track of time. Then suddenly Judith was there. I’ve never been so glad to see anyone. I’m sorry I’ve been so stupid.”

  CHAPTER 12

  “We’re going to get those bastards and whoever is behind all this madness,” Tracy said. “There’s some nasty shit going on here. I’ve heard rumors over the years, but every time I have tried to look into it my boss told me to stay out of it.

  “I don’t know if I can trust my boss. I don’t know who to trust. It may just be tha
t I don’t have clearance to know anything about this and this is some evidence they need.

  “But on the other hand, if I tell him and he’s in on it then we’re all in danger. It’s a catch twenty two.”

  Mimi looked worn out. We had headed over to the cottage after Julia had been given a sedative so she would sleep. She had looked so tired when we left her. She said she felt drained.

  Tracy and I insisted on Mimi going to bed when we got to the cabin. After Mimi retired, we each took a glass of wine out on the porch and sat on the swing.

  Neither one of us said anything for awhile. I think we were still in a state of shock about what Julia had been through. It sounded like something from a horror movie. I had been through a lot in my lifetime, but Julia had been through more than any ten people should ever have to go through.

  Finally Tracy tapped my leg and said, “Do you have any ideas, Judith? Maybe by looking at the situation, from a psychological point of view, you could give me some advice. I feel trapped.”

  I let out a long slow breath. “What if you presented this to your boss as a hypothetical situation? Tell me what he’s like. Have you had a good relationship with him up until now?”

  “We went out together a couple of times, years ago, Alan Coleman and I. He is one of those men who is too perfect looking. You know what I’m talking about, broad shoulders, narrow hips, tight butt. He works out all the time and keeps his body in perfect shape.

  “Anyway, I didn’t think it was a good idea to get involved with my boss, so I didn’t go out with him again. Come to think of it, he’s also too smooth. He knows just what to say at any given time, a real charmer.”

  I wanted to give her information but I didn’t want to insult her intelligence.

  After hesitating, I said, “You know, don’t you, that most sociopaths are very charming?”

  She laughed. “You don’t need to be so hesitant about telling me, Judith. You have the PhD in Psychology. But remember, I worked for awhile as a profiler and I know how charming serial killers can be. I also know not all sociopaths are serial killers.”

  “That’s right. A lot of them end up in politics or head major corporations. They make great salesmen and women. Could they also be attracted to the FBI? Why not? But I don’t think sociopaths are ever pedophiles, at least I’ve never heard of it happening.”

  “I’m going to have to think about all of this…,” Tracy said as Mimi stepped out on the porch.

  “Anna just called and wants us for a meeting, Judith. I insisted that you come too, Tracy. After all you are part of the family, now.”

  When we were seated in Dr. Anna’s office, with cups of coffee, she told us something I was dreading.

  “Okay, here’s the thing. Although Julia has been functioning and has even been successful over the past years, she is still very ill. Her actions over the past few months have shown that. She has decompensated to the extreme. Do you agree with me, Judith?”

  As bad as I didn’t want to admit it, I had to agree. I nodded.

  Dr. Anna looked at Mimi. “What do y’all want to do? She’s no longer a minor so, if she’s not willing to admit herself, we would need a court order. You might want to take her nearer home, Mimi. I think we should approach her together and do a sort of intervention like they do with alcoholics.”

  The intervention wasn’t necessary. When we got to her room Julia asked Mimi if she could come home with her.

  “I need to get away, Mimi. Is there a place out there I can check myself into, to get some help? I intend to take it seriously this time. I’ve been fooling myself. I’m not well at all.”

  Dr. Anna looked pleased. “Well it’s settled then. I would like to continue working with you, but I think you need to be in Houston with family and away from this area.”

  The next day Julia was pronounced physically healthy enough to travel. The four of us said goodbye to Dr. Anna and caught a flight home.

  CHAPTER 13

  When we got home Tracy went out back to check on Mark and Brad. I put Julia and Mimi to bed. Julia was still on a lot of drugs and needed to sleep. Mimi looked worn out. I went out back to the old servant’s quarters to talk to Tracy and Mark. Tracy was going through her mail. Mark and Brad were wrestling in the couch. Tracy motioned for me to follow her into the kitchen.

  After we were seated with coffee she said to me, “My boss called. He wants to see me ASAP. He said it was very important. I reminded him I was still on vacation but he said he still needed to see me. We compromised and I will see him at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. I think I’m going to try to feel him out.”

  “Be careful,” I said. “He might have more information than you think and he might try to catch you off guard. I have a few patients to see tomorrow and then I’ll be home. Mimi is going to call around and find a place for Julia. I have a few ideas myself, so we should have her settled in by tomorrow night. Why don’t you and Mark plan to have dinner with us tomorrow night and we can catch each other up.”

  The next day we were able to get Julia into a psychiatric hospital I worked out of, Westpark Psychiatric Center. It wasn’t very far from us. It wasn’t as plush as where she was in Florida but it had a lot more programs for her to interact with others, which was what she needed.

  We left her there after she promised to work hard on her issues and be honest about what she talked about. I knew she had some rough times ahead, but it would pay off eventually.

  We stopped off at Rice grocery and bought a pot roast. Mimi made the best and it was Mark’s favorite. By the time we got home it was around 3:00 p.m. Mimi said she would nap for awhile. I decided to go see Tracy. I couldn’t wait any longer.

  When I got there Mark told me she was upstairs packing. Brad ran up to me to be picked up and I hugged him before heading upstairs. I stuck my head into her room and she motioned me to come in.

  She looked angry. “Can you believe it? My boss gave me an assignment. He told me I could finish my vacation later. And guess what the assignment is.”

  Without waiting for me to reply she went on, “I have to try to find one Calvin Lessiter, who is missing. His loving wife is worried sick.”

  She laughed, “We both know that Mrs. Lessiter is in a home and probably doesn’t even remember who old Calvin is. I asked him where he suggested I start looking and he said Lessiter was going to St. Augustine on some business so I’m to start there.

  “I have a picture of him, see. I started to ask if I was supposed to look for Mackey Broleen also, but I decided to just play along and see where it all leads.

  “Oh, and get this, I’m supposed to tell no one. I can’t have a partner. What he doesn’t know is that I will have a partner. I trust the agent in St. Augustine with my life. When I get there I will go to his house. I don’t trust the phones.”

  “What’s his name, Tracy?”

  “George Patterson. Here’s his number in case you can’t reach me. But be careful. I’ll check his place for bugs when I get there but you never know.”

  She snapped her suitcase closed and we went downstairs together.

  Brad ran up and hugged Tracy’s legs. “Don’t go,Mommy.”

  Tracy had tears in her eyes, “I’ll be back before you know it sweetie. In the meantime, you’ll have daddy, Aunt Judith, and Mimi to look after you.”

  Mark gave her a long kiss and then held her tight. He looked at me over her head and shook his head. He must have felt the same misgivings I did. Little did we know how horrible it would all turn out.

  CHAPTER 14

  The dinner table that evening was quiet except for Brad’s continuous chattering. We were in our own thoughts. We were worried about both Julia and Tracy, but couldn’t discuss anything in front of Brad. After all, he was only six years old.

  “I painted a picture for Mimi, Aunt Judith. It’s pretty. My teacher said it was good. I’m going to be a artist like Aunt Julia.”

  “May I see it?” I said.

  He jumped down from the table and ran t
o the refrigerator in the kitchen and came back with what looked like a silo with straw coming out of the top.

  “This is really pretty, Brad. It’s a silo isn’t it?”

  “You know about silos, Aunt Judith? In school, we learnded about them. We’re going on a field trip to look at a farm. We’re going to spend the night and get up early and milk cows and feed chickens.”

  Suddenly Mark was listening, “You didn’t tell me this Brad. When are you going?”

  “I have to get perbition. Mommy knows about it. You have to sign for me to have perbition.”

  He was trying to say permission. He was so adorable and looked so much like Mark. Just then the phone rang and we all froze for the count of a few seconds.

  Brad looked at each of us then jumped up to answer. I heard him say, “Hi, Mommy. Are you having fun on your trip? You should have taken me with you. I would have been good. Okay, Daddy, Mommy wants you.”

  Brad ran from the kitchen with the cordless phone and handed it to Mark. “Hi honey. Are you all right? What? I can’t believe it. You can’t stay there. Get a hotel room. Tracy please, I’m already worried about you… Yeah, I understand what you’re saying but I don’t like it…could you at least get George to stay there with you? Oh, okay. That makes me feel better, but I don’t like the idea of you being a decoy. Love you too.”

  He was shaking his head when he hung up. “She’s staying Julia’s beach house.”

  Brad laughed, “That’s silly. Aunt Julia isn’t even there.”

  Mark looked at his son with sad eyes. “Son, why don’t you put your pretty painting back on the refrigerator, for Mimi.”

  He ran to put the picture back and Mark continued. “She thinks she can flush him out by being seen coming and going form Julia’s beach house. At least she has George with her.

  “It’s funny. The same fearlessness I so much admired about her now really makes me mad. She’ll never be a traditional wife and mother and I wouldn’t want her to be. I’m proud of her and I love her so much.”