Janelle fought tooth and nail, but even she couldn't outwit her captors. There were too many of them, and they had weapons. Other than being able to sneak some outside calls to alert the authorities about her whereabouts and what was going on, she was trapped and helpless. The enraged woman could do nothing but wait and hope for the best. Hope to escape alive and use the experience as a get-out-of-jail card if they suspected she was absconding as she truly was. Or at least had tried to do.
Janelle did most of her communicating with a guy named Rick, a detective who was in close connection with Boris, along with the FBI. They both agreed that Rick was a better actor, able to sound kind and more sympathetic. Plus, he didn’t have the negative history Boris had with her. It wasn’t that either of them didn’t feel bad about the fact that she and others were kidnapped and abused, but they weren’t buying the day trip story.
Yet Janelle was quick to claim that she had simply been on a day trip with her friend to check out new locations to move to since she didn’t see herself getting back with her husband. She always insisted that her friend believed the trip could be made in a day and denied any hints or allegations of running.
"Why would I run after all this time? You don’t put in nearly three years and then run when you only have a few months left," she insisted.
In between updates about what was going on at the compound—which usually wasn’t much that Janelle knew of since she was locked away for her less-than-appealing appearance—she told Boris that her marriage had fallen apart and that she didn’t see them getting back together.
One day when she called to provide an update, Rick answered as he usually did. "Hey, Janelle, we’ve homed in on your location and are getting closer to your freedom. Got you on speakerphone in the meantime. That okay?"
"Yes," Janelle said before she reported that her friend had been raped and murdered before her eyes. She cried hysterically and said she felt helpless and hopeless.
Rick tried to console her, but Janelle had become very emotional and doomed-feeling. "My husband doesn’t give a shit about me anymore, I have no family to go to, so what’s left for me if I ever escape this hellhole? Life on the streets?"
"Janelle, there’s plenty left for you. We’re working on things on our end night and day, and we’re going to do everything we can to get you out of there. There are plenty of people who are willing to help you start over."
Rick and Boris both spoke to Janelle's husband, who confirmed what they had already suspected—that Janelle was gullible and not very bright. Despite expressing some hesitation and insisting on having the agreement in writing, she quickly believed the deal Rick and Boris offered her: that the remainder of her sentence would be scrapped and she would be free from probation in exchange for her eventual testimony against her kidnappers.
What Janelle didn’t know were four critical things. First, there was no “deal.” Second, convicted felons were considered unreliable witnesses and were forbidden from testifying in court. Third, there was a warrant for her arrest for assaulting Ramona and Deanna. Fourth, there was another warrant for killing—whether accidentally or not—a personal friend of Boris's. This man had been in the courtroom when Janelle unsuccessfully tried to "divorce" him and had taunted her as she stormed out through an empty part of the building. He had laughed and swatted at her, not intending to harm her, but merely to tease her.
Janelle, however, didn't find it funny at all. Enraged, she threw a punch at him. He responded by taking a serious swing at her in defense. Janelle dodged the blow and then, in a fit of rage, punched him with all her strength, landing a blow on his temple that caused him to lose consciousness immediately. He pitched forward, hitting the cement floor headfirst, breaking his neck upon impact, and dying the next day in the hospital. By then, Janelle had already absconded.
No one witnessed the incident, but the court’s security cameras captured everything. Janelle had turned and walked away before Boris’s friend even hit the ground, likely unaware that she had killed a man. She probably assumed he had simply stopped messing with her.
“There’s a life for you out there,” Rick had assured her. “Meanwhile, We’re doing everything we can to get you out of there. No more probation, no assault charges.”
"Thanks so much. I sure hope so there’s an end to this,” said a tearful Janelle. “Wait! Assault charges?”
After a moment of silence, Rick said, “Are you aware of your sister-in-law and another family member being attacked along with her?”
"No. When did this happen?"
"I believe it was the day you left," Rick said.
"Who else was assaulted and are they okay?"
"I believe it was your sister-in-law’s aunt. They got a little banged up, but once the man of the house entered, the attacker ran."
"Oh my God," said Janelle. "And they’re trying to say it was me?"
"Why would they accuse you if you didn’t harm them?" Rick asked, trying to keep his voice as neutral and curious-sounding as possible.
"Because they’ve always hated me. So if they don’t know who really did it, then why not pin it on me? That’s just the way they are, unfortunately."
"Why do they hate you?"
"They’ve always hated me, partly due to my weight and partly thanks to the media’s slander."
"Media slander?"
"People believe what they hear. You tell them I kicked someone’s baby out of their stomach just for fun and not in the name of self-defense, they’re going to believe it."
"Oh, I see. What was that about?"
"I’m sure you’ve read the news or been filled in, as well as the false accusations against me for supposed child abuse."
"You don’t sound like anyone who would want to abuse a child," Rick said, smoothly playing Janelle.
"If I had it in me to abuse my son, I wouldn’t have given him up. I gave him up because I wanted him to have a better life since both money and my health were an issue. As it is, I’m fighting to stay alive without my medication, and even if these bastards don’t kill me, I worry the diabetes will before I can get out of here."
"You’ve got to think positive, Janelle. We’re working on it, I promise you, every minute of the day and all through the night."
"It’s hard, but I’m trying."
"Janelle, I hate to break this to you, but do you know that your friend had a record?"
"No. Henrietta? No way. What for?"
"Drug possession. She didn’t do any time, just some probation."
"No. Didn’t have a clue. I’m surprised she didn’t tell me. When did this happen?"
"About a year ago. How did you meet?"
"Through a friend. She did tell me that she used to smoke pot, but she never said anything about getting in trouble."
"Well, she did have a record."
"I’m surprised to learn this, but judging her for it is the last thing on my mind right now."
"Oh, I know," said Rick, as Boris snorted in the background and rolled his eyes. That wasn’t the point, of course. The point that Janelle was missing was that she wasn’t supposed to have anything to do with those who had been in trouble with the law, something he highly doubted Janelle was unaware of.
"I just want to get out of here alive. My sister-in-law and other family members may have a grudge against me for being heavy—which is due to health issues and out of my control—but given the situation I’m in now, I’m almost glad to be this way. I’m almost positive it’s why I’m still alive."
"Oh, yeah," Rick said with a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood and get more info from Janelle.
Janelle gave descriptions of as many people as she could and anything she had seen or heard. "I can’t always tell who’s the bad guy and who’s the good guy. It’s not like either side wears a uniform or anything."
"That’s okay, hon, just do your best. Just keep on describing everyone you see and what happens, okay?"
"Yeah, just please don’t give up on me."
Rick gave a slight snort along with Boris. "Trust me, Janelle, we’ll never give up on you. We’re in this ride along with you until the end."
"Can I ask why you? I mean, you said you and Boris would be the ones to come and help me if I make it out alive."
"Yeah?"
"Well, how can Boris just leave all his clients like that? And even you would have to travel a bit, wouldn’t you? Isn’t it up to the local authorities to deal with this?"
It would be if Janelle wasn’t on probation and considered both dangerous and a flight risk. But due to the fact that she had absconded, they were responsible for collecting her, even if they couldn’t take her back to Santa Fe right away since her statement would be needed where she was.
"Because we know you," Rick said, thinking quickly. "And not just that, but also that we need to be there to ensure that no one screws you over and that they’re aware of the immunity deal we’ve made in exchange for your testimony."
"Well, for the first time ever, I can honestly say that I would absolutely love to see Boris now."
Janelle could make out Rick’s laughter intertwined with someone else’s laughter in the background as well.
"I’m sure he would love to see you as well," Rick said, exchanging winks and knowing glances with Boris. Only Boris wanted her for a lot more than her testimony, as did the DA and judge in both jurisdictions.
"You miss him, huh?"
"Well, I can’t go that far, but I could certainly say his company would be far preferable to this shithole with these crazy motherfuckers doing God knows what to God knows who."
"Yeah, we get you," Rick said, his tone turning serious once again. "What was your problem with Boris, though?"
"I just thought he was a little obsessed."
"Obsessed how?"
"Only he can tell you what it was about," Janelle said hesitantly, "but right now, I don’t want to focus on the past or anything negative. I just want to focus on getting the hell out of here and on with my life."
Eventually, Janelle was promised a place to live and help getting a new job once she was set free, along with total immunity in exchange for her testimony against any kidnappers left alive once things were over, regardless of how they ended.
Janelle ended the call when she heard voices, not wanting them to catch on and take the phone. She fell asleep on the cold, hard cement floor of the compound that night, wondering if Boris and Rick were bullshitting her and if she would even live to find out.
"I’ll kill them if they pull anything on me," she vowed and whispered to herself. "After all I’ve been through, I’ll kill them. Just fucking kill them."
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