A New Journey (Second Chance #3)

by Christina Escue

  “I’m still about five minutes from you. I’ll call it in, you two just stay there and turn the volume off on the phone just in case he’s in the house.”

  “Okay.” Leslie whispered and hit the end key. She silenced the phone and wrapped her arms around Karla. “It’s going to be okay. Trent will be here in just a few minutes and he’s calling in back-up.”

  “I’m so scared.” Karla admitted in an almost soundless whisper.

  “Me too, honey, but we will be alright.” Leslie reassured her.

  They sat there for a minute before Karla stood up abruptly. “Mom, I smell smoke.”

  As soon as the words left Karla’s mouth the smoke detectors started blaring within the house.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Trent’s tires squealed on the asphalt as he turned onto the road the Peterson’s lived on. When he saw the smoke billowing out the front door and windows he immediately pulled out his cell phone and called 911.

  “911, what’s your emergency?”

  “This is Detective Trent Greeves. I am at 1714 Hunters Lane and I need the fire department and rescue personal here immediately. There are two people trapped inside the house.”

  “I will dispatch them right away, Detective.”

  Trent ended the call and called Karla’s cell phone. “Trent, we’re trapped in Karla’s closet and the house is on fire.” Leslie said as soon as she answered the phone.

  “I’m right outside and have called the fire department. Can you two make it to Karla’s window?”

  “We can try. Why?”

  “I have a rope ladder in my trunk and if you can make it to her window I can try to get y’all out.” Trent explained as he opened his trunk and took out the ladder.

  “We’ll try.” Leslie said as she grabbed Karla’s hand.

  “I’m hanging up now. Open her window and we’ll try to get you out.”

  Once Leslie ended the call she opened Karla’s closet door and pulled Karla over to the window. She threw the curtain aside and opened the window. There wasn’t any smoke up here yet, but she could hear the alarms sounding from downstairs. She saw Trent walking toward them carrying the ladder, but she also saw the car from earlier parked a few houses down on the street.

  Before Trent could get to them the night sky filled with red lights and sirens. Leslie knew in that moment that she and Karla would be alright. “Trent, we’re up here.” She shouted down and Trent waved to the firefighters on the street. She noticed the black car still sitting in the same spot and she decided it needed to be checked out. She sent a text to Trent while the firefighters approached with a tall ladder.

  When Trent’s phone vibrated he pulled it out and looked at the text Leslie had sent. He grinned to himself at her ability to keep calm and do what needed to be done. He calmly walked back to his car, which was parked pretty close to the black sedan. He climbed into his front seat, focused on the license plate through the rearview mirror and called it in. “Hey, Connie, Greeves here. I need you to run a plate for me please.” He said and rattled off the tag number.

  “Detective, the car is registered to Anthony Knopp Jr. He has outstanding warrants in Florida, Georgia, Texas, Alabama and here in Tennessee.”

  “Thanks, Connie. Can you dispatch all available units to block off both ends of Hunters Lane? Tell them to come in silent.”

  “You got it.” Connie said and thirty seconds later Trent heard his radio beep and the order come through.

  He grinned, got out of the car and walked back toward the house. He didn’t want to tip off the driver of the car that he knew who he was. When he reached the house Karla was just stepping off the ladder and jumped into his arms.

  “I am so happy you got here when you did.” She said with tears streaming down her face.

  “I am too, sweetheart.” He answered as Leslie stepped off the ladder and joined them.

  “Are you Detective Greeves?” One of the firefighters asked as he approached them. When Trent nodded he said, “The fire was contained to the mud room and kitchen area, but there is smoke damage to the living room and upstairs hall. All the doors were shut so it seems none of the bedrooms were affected.”

  “That’s something at least.” Leslie said as she wrapped her arms around Karla. “I need to call Andrew. He needs to know what happened before he comes home and sees all of this.”

  “Go ahead and call him. He won’t be able to get down the street for a couple of hours though. Which brings me to ask, Karla, what can you tell me about Tony?”

  Karla stood there for a minute before she answered. “Not much really. Diane was with him for about two months before the night he raped me, then a few days later he took off with someone and we never heard from him again.”

  “Does he have any tattoos or scars that you can remember?”

  Karla thought again for a moment. “He has a tattoo on his chest of a scorpion with the initials AK above it.”

  “That’s good. I think you were right about it being him who as following you tonight, but I need to be sure.” Trent said just as his cell phone signaled an incoming text. When he looked at it he grinned. “Now we find out if we’re right.”

  When he turned and ran toward the parked car the driver started it and peeled away from the house. When he reached the road block he slammed on the breaks and jumped out of the car. Before he made it five feet Trent tackled him from behind. Two uniformed officers stepped up to assist Trent and in a matter of seconds they had him cuffed. “Anthony Knopp?” Trent asked.

  The man just stood there in silence. “Okay, if that’s how you’re going to be that’s fine. You are under arrest for arson and two counts of attempted murder.” Trent said and went on to read him his Miranda Rights before handing him over to a uniformed officer. “Take him to Central, process him and put him in holding. Be sure to run his prints through AFIS. I want to be sure we have the right scumbag. Also check to see if he has a tattoo on his chest of a scorpion with initials above it.”

  “Yes, sir.” The officer responded before he loaded the suspect into the squad car and pulled away.

  When Trent made it back to where he’d left Karla and Leslie, Leslie was on the phone with Andrew. “We got him, Karla. He wouldn’t tell us his name, but that doesn’t matter because his fingerprints won’t lie.”

  Karla sank to the ground at Trent’s feet, hugged her knees to her chest and started sobbing uncontrollably.

  Chapter Twenty

  The next morning Karla, Leslie, Andrew and Elliot walked through the house with the Fire Marshall and insurance agent. “Dr. Peterson, since the fire has been deemed arson we cannot start your claim until the investigators release the scene. Upon that time we will have a contractor evaluate the foundation and see if the house can be repaired or if it needs to be torn down and rebuilt.”

  “That’s understandable.” Andrew said and turned to the Fire Marshall. “How long do you think the investigation will take?”

  “We will have it wrapped up by Tuesday, Wednesday at the latest.”

  “So if all goes well we should be back in the house by Christmas.” Andrew said to his family.

  “What you can do is go up to the bedrooms and get whatever you need for the next couple of days. Once we wrap this up you can start moving things out.” The Fire Marshall told them.

  Andrew nodded and led his family upstairs. When Karla stopped in front of her room, but didn’t try to go in Andrew became more worried than he had been. She hadn’t spoken much since he got to them last night and she’d barely eaten this morning. She wouldn’t even answer Conner’s phone calls. “Honey, are you okay?” He asked as he stopped beside her.

  “It’s still locked.” She replied in a soft voice that reminded him of the first time they’d met.

  “We’ll get it open for you.” Elliot said from beside her. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into his room as Andrew went to get a screwdriver. “Stop blaming yourself for this. It wasn’t your fault.” Elliot said after Karla was sea
ted on his bed.

  Karla didn’t respond. She just sat there and stared at the wall. When Elliot stepped into her line of sight she looked up at him and he could see the emptiness in her eyes. “Leslie could have died.”

  “You could have too.” Leslie said from the open doorway. “But neither of us did.”

  “The house.” Karla started to say, but was interrupted by Andrew when he walked into the room.

  “Can be repaired or replaced. You and Leslie are okay and that’s all that matters to me.”

  Karla dropped her head and looked at the floor again as tears pooled in her eyes. She wanted to believe them, but she couldn’t. Tony had done this, but it was because she was here.

  “Let’s get you some clothes and everything else you need for school tomorrow and head back to the hotel. Conner can pick you up for school for the next few days until we can get your car out of the garage.” Leslie said and pulled Karla to her feet. “This is not your fault.”

  Karla just nodded and followed Leslie from the room. Once in her room, Karla packed a suitcase with clothes, grabbed her laptop and slipped her tablet in the laptop case. The she walked into her bathroom and packed what toiletries she needed. Once she was done she grabbed all of her chargers and stuffed them into the front pocket of her suitcase. “Okay, I’m done.”

  “Are you sure?” Leslie asked and when Karla nodded she didn’t say anything else.

  Elliot and Andrew were standing in the hall when they walked out. Each one was holding a suitcase and a laptop case. When Karla noticed that Leslie’s laptop case was missing her eyes filled with tears again. “Your laptop was in the kitchen wasn’t it?” She asked with a defeated expression on her face.

  “It was, but I don’t have anything pressing to do and everything was backed up on USB drives so all of my work is safe.”

  Karla simply nodded and started walking downstairs. Andrew and Leslie exchanged worried glances before they motioned for Elliot to follow Karla and they followed him.

  “Got everything?” The Fire Marshall asked when they reached the bottom of the stairs.

  “We do.” Andrew answered and headed for the door. Once outside he loaded everything into the back of Leslie’s SUV and waited for his family to climb in. Once they were all in, he looked back at the house and sighed deeply. It was just a house and it, and everything in it, could be replaced. As long as his family was safe and together they could face anything life threw at them. As long as they had each other everything would be alright.

  ****

  Once they made it back to the hotel and unloaded everything Andrew started looking for a house or apartment they could rent for a while. The hotel was a really nice one, but it wasn’t ideal as a temporary home.

  While he was on the phone Karla walked out to the small balcony and sat at the table. When her cell phone rang she looked at the screen and sighed deeply. “Hey, Conner.” She answered.

  “Karla, I am so glad you finally answered. I have been so worried.”

  “I’m sorry I worried you.” She said and she truly was sorry, but she couldn’t face him right now. He only saw the good within her and after last night all she could see was the lost little girl she’d been the night Tony raped her.

  “I need to see you, Karla. I need to see for myself that you’re alright. Can I please come over?”

  “Yeah. You know where we’re at?”

  “I do. Elliot called me last night after you checked in and told me where you were. He also told me that you aren’t doing well.”

  “I’m fine, Conner.” She responded. Elliot needed to keep his big mouth shut.

  “I’ll be there in a few minutes. I need to see for myself that you’re okay. I love you, Karla.” Conner said and ended the call. He knew she wasn’t very happy with Elliot, but he also knew Elliot had done the right thing.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  When Conner knocked on the door fifteen minutes later Karla was still sitting on the balcony. “We are so glad you’re here.” Leslie said with a smile as she opened the door so he could come in. “We’re really worried about her. She’s blaming herself for all of this. She barely talking and eating and she had nightmares last night. We heard her screaming and went to check on her, but she was sound asleep. I asked about them this morning, but she wouldn’t tell me anything.”

  “I’ll see if I can get her to talk.” Conner said and walked out to where Karla was sitting. “Hey, Karla.”

  She didn’t look at him when she responded, she just kept staring at something in the distance. “Hey, Conner.”

  “Care if I join you?” He asked tentatively. This was not his Karla and he was going to do everything he could to get his Karla back. He needed her too much to let her slip away.

  “Sure.” She answered, still not looking at him.

  He sat beside her and just looked at her for a few minutes. He could feel the sadness radiating off of her and it broke his heart to know she was in that much pain. “Karla, baby, can you look at me please?”

  When she looked at him he reached out and stroked her cheek with one finger. She flinched a little, but he didn’t stop touching her. He spread his hand open and cupped her cheek in his hand. When she tilted her head slightly and closed her eyes he knew he had gotten in a little. He reached out with his other hand and cupped her face. “Look at me, baby.” He whispered and when she opened her eyes they were filled with tears.

  “I don’t know what I would have done if something had happened to Leslie.” She said as the tears started to flow freely from her eyes.

  “Leslie is okay, baby, and so are you.” Conner told her and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “This isn’t your fault. You had nothing to do with the choices of a psycho.”

  “When I looked over and saw his face through the car window I was thrown back to that night. Conner, I was that scared little girl again.”

  “You are not that person anymore, Karla. You are strong and confident and smart enough to know that you are not to blame for any of this.”

  “I want to believe that, Conner, I really do, but Leslie could have died last night.”

  “You could have too, Karla.” Conner’s voice hitched at the words he spoke and he leaned his head down until his forehead was resting on hers. “I could have lost you last night.”

  Karla wrapped her arms around Conner and pulled him close. “I’m glad Elliot called you. I was mad at him at first, but now that you’re here I’m glad. Can you take me somewhere? Anywhere that I can think.”

  “Of course I can, baby. Let’s go in and let Andrew and Leslie know we’re going out and I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”

  “Thank you, Conner. I love you.”

  “I love you too, Karla.”

  ****

  Two hours later Conner stopped his car in front of his house. He had taken Karla to the lake and she had talked to him about everything she had been feeling since the fire. He held her while she cried and they shared several passionate kisses, but when she started to take it a step further he’d stopped her. He wanted her more than he wanted air, but not like that. Not when she was that emotional. He knew he’d hurt her when he told her no, but he hoped that when she calmed down she’d realize that neither of them would have been happy if he hadn’t stopped.

  When his cell phone rang he looked and saw that it was Andrew calling. He took a deep breath and answered. “Hello, sir.”

  “Conner, can you please tell me what the hell happened? When you left Karla looked like she was close to being her normal self again. Now she’s locked herself in her room and I can hear her crying all the way out here.”

  Andrew’s words shattered Conner’s heart and his eyes filled with tears. “When we left there we went to the lake. We sat there looking out at the water and just talked for about an hour. When she was finished talking we started kissing.” Conner paused and Andrew heard him gulp through the phone. “Umm.. we kissed for a while before Karla started trying to take it a step further. Sh
e was upset and seeking comfort, but I couldn’t do it like that so I stopped it. She was furious at me, but I couldn’t do something I knew we would both regret. When she got out of the car in front of the hotel she told me she never wanted to see me again.” Conner broke down when he said the last sentence.

  “You did the right thing, son.” Andrew told him. He could hear the boy’s heart breaking through the phone and he prayed Karla came around. “She would have hated you if you had done anything.”

  “I would have hated myself too. I hurt her by rejecting her, but I would have hurt her even more by not.”

  “I know, son. She’ll come around when she calms down. She loves you too much not to.”

  “I hope you’re right, sir. Can you please call me if she needs anything?”

  “I promise I will. Conner, she loves you, of that I have no doubt. Don’t give up on her.”

  “Andrew, even if she never forgives me I will never give up on her.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Karla?” Andrew said after he knocked on her door. “Can I talk to you for a minute?

  “Come in, Dad.” Karla responded in a weak voice.

  “Honey, what’s going on? I just got off the phone with Conner. Care to tell me your side of it?”

  “What’s the point? I’m sure he told you everything.”

  “I want you to tell me what happened, sweetheart.”

  Karla sat there in silence for a couple of minutes before she started talking. “We went to the lake when we left here and just sat there watching the water while I told him everything that happened last night. I was so sad and felt very alone so I started kissing him. Dad, I really messed up. We were kissing and I started doing other things, but it was for all the wrong reasons. I was seeking comfort and tried to take things further than we have ever been before, but Conner stopped me. He tried telling me that what I was doing wasn’t what I really wanted and that both of us would regret it later, but I yelled at him and told him that if he loved me he’d do it. He still wouldn’t give in so I told him to bring be back here.” Karla paused as tears rolled down her face. Her heart was shattered and it was all her own fault.