A Family Affair

by Marilyn McPherson

Chapter Twenty-two

  It was one week to the day when the man announced that it was finally time to leave.

  Ellen looked up and gasped to see his face uncovered for the first time. He was unshaven and scruffy with wispy hair sticking in all directions. There were dark rings under both eyes and a large contusion on his forehead. The man must have gotten into a fight recently.

  He swore, realising that Ellen had seen him and quickly returned with the balaclava on. “If you go to the coppers, I’ll come and find ya again. You got that.”

  “I won’t talk,” promised Ellen, knowingly telling a lie. She intended to go straight home and then to the police station soon after. Luckily the man seemed to trust her.

  It had been the longest week of her life. She hadn't showered the whole time; the bucket and a bottle of water had been her only bathroom. The man had emptied it once a day, but the smell had built up anyway. She knew that he would be as glad to see her gone as she was to leave.

  “So,” he said. “We're going to give your idea a go.”

  “Which idea was that?”

  “The blindfold thing, remember.” He was trying to make things seem like her idea. “You keep the blindfold on until the car stops and then you get out. You can count to one hundred and then take it off. Got it?”

  Ellen nodded. “Got it.” It wasn't worth angering him at this final stage of the process.

  “Here,” he said, passing her phone back to her. “Don't use it until I'm gone. I wouldn't want you to be stuck in the middle of nowhere without a phone.”

  “Thanks,” Ellen said, trying to sound grateful and sincere.

  He blindfolded her and led her to the back seat of his car, instructing her to lie face down. “Any trouble out of ya, and I bring the car back for another week.”

  “I understand,” confirmed Ellen, although she knew he was unlikely to want that either. From her dark cold place on the back seat, she tried to provide him with assurance, “There won't be any trouble.”

  The car took off, sending excited shivers down her body. She would soon be free, and able to get something decent to eat. He had fed her mostly pizza, and other food that could be home delivered. She would soon be able to see Tom again, and even Chloe would be a sight for sore eyes. They must have been so worried about her.

  She felt tension building in the front seat, and Ellen guessed that the man was annoyed about something. “So, I suppose you are going to see Tom again, even though you know everything about him,” he said grumpily.

  Ellen thought about the DNA test again. She knew that she and Tom were not related, but didn’t want to upset the kidnapper unnecessarily. She tried to sound convincing, “Of course I’m not. That would be disgusting.”

  He made a relieved grunt, and didn't say anything further. The car sped up, which caused Ellen to slide forward a little in the back seat. She adjusted her position quickly, so he wouldn’t notice and stop the car. Finally, the car pulled over a few minutes later.

  “This will do. There’s nobody around. Keep the blindfold on and get out slowly.”

  Ellen obliged. Feeling her way around the backseat, she found the door, then the handle. The door opened easily and sweet fresh air hit her face. She stood up and closed the door behind her. She thought he would feel more comfortable seeing her back, so she turned her back on the car and took a couple of hesitant steps in the opposite direction.

  He obligingly drove away as quickly as he could. Ellen listened to the tyres skidding and slowly counted to five, before ripping off the blindfold. The car was still close enough to note some of the characters of his number plate – JQT 4 something. If he had noticed her staring after the car, he didn't stop or turn around.

  Ellen ran as fast as she could up a nearby bank for safety. She crossed the bank onto a quiet suburban street and walked until she was standing at the intersection of two roads. Ellen was surprised and relieved to see a taxi passing, and hailed it quickly. Once inside, she explained that her wallet was at home and that she would pay him a bonus for getting her there safely. He appeared to have some sympathy towards her dishevelled appearance, and thankfully agreed to drive her.

  Once the taxi was moving, Ellen pulled her phone out. There were twenty-five messages showing. She dialled Tom's mobile.

  He answered almost immediately. “Elle. You're calling me. Does that mean you’ve forgiven me?”

  “Tom, please listen. I've been kidnapped for the past week. I know we have a lot of talking to do. But I'm free, and on the way home. I think I'm in the west somewhere. The driver in the cab has agreed to take me home, even though I don't have any money on me.”

  “What?” Tom bellowed. “What do you mean you were kidnapped? By whom? What about all those messages you sent me?”

  “They weren't from me. They were from him. The guy who took me.”

  “What guy?”

  “I don't know who he was. But I saw his face this morning, and I’ll be able to describe him to the police.”

  “Did he hurt you?”

  “I’m just hungry and tired, and sore from the handcuffs. I’ll be okay though.”

  “He kept you handcuffed? Elle...” Tom sounded horrified.

  “Tom, I’m pretty tough, and I’m free now. Don’t be upset.”

  He took a moment to breathe before asking another question. “I’m confused. Why did he send those text messages to me, from your phone?”

  “Listen, it is all a bit hard to understand. I haven’t had a chance to read any of the messages yet. But he told me that you killed someone he knows.”

  “What? I haven't killed anyone. That’s crazy!”

  “I know. He doesn’t even know you. I know you wouldn't kill anyone.”

  “I don't understand, Elle. Whom did he think I killed?”

  “Her name was Colleen Watson.”

  “Oh.”

  “He sent those messages to punish you I guess. He wrote to me before he took me. I should have showed you the letter.” Ellen suddenly realised that Tom said ‘oh’ in a knowing sort of way. “What did you mean then, when you said ‘oh’?”

  “I heard that Colleen was killed recently.”

  “Did you know her?”

  “Yes, but it’s a long story.”

  “It’s okay, Tom. There is a lot to talk about. There is something I haven't told you too. Something I found out when I went home recently. It's connected to the letter from this man. But I love you. That is what is important.”

  Tom breathed a sigh of relief. “There are a couple of things I need to tell you today, if possible. One of them involves Chloe, and one of them is related to the text messages that the man sent me. Promise me that you won’t read them, until we can talk in person. Can we meet somewhere now? Not at your place though.”

  “Um, sure. But I really need to have a shower and get something to eat. Then I should go to the police station and report what has happened. Maybe we could catch up after that?”

  “I'd like to be there at the police station with you, for support.”

  “Thank you. That would be good. Listen, the cab is nearly home. I'll call you back soon. Let me clean up first. I don’t want you to see me like this.”

  “Okay, I'll head home and be ready for your call.”

  “Talk to you soon.”

  “Elle.”

  “Yes.”

  “I thought I’d lost you. I love you so much. I love you more than I can tell you. I thought it was over, and I was devastated. I can't live without you.”

  “It will never be over between us. I love you too.”

  “Once this police business is over, let's go away together for a while.”

  “Anywhere you want.”

  “Bye.”

  “Bye.”