Steven couldn’t be more thrilled by the way things had turned out. Sure, he was sorry for those who had lost their lives, including Janelle’s druggie—or at least former druggie—of a friend. But he delighted in the thought of Janelle being terrified and tortured. He completely believed, along with thousands of others, that she deserved everything she got. While she might not have asked to be kidnapped and held hostage, she still deserved the suffering she endured, given the pain she had caused others.
He didn’t miss Janelle’s temper and selfishness. He thought back to when he was fixing the roof. He had been neglecting her sexually—back when she was still trying to get pregnant by him. He wasn’t finishing the roof fast enough for her liking, which had frustrated her. So, she gleefully enlisted a couple of her misfit friends to help him lay down some tiles, giving the impression she was helping him so he could enjoy more free time. Of course, he wasn’t stupid—he knew she was only thinking about herself. She hadn’t wanted to help him. She had wanted to help herself.
In the end, he had to redo sections that her little friends had messed up. After they left and he told Janelle how tired he was, her mood did a complete 180. She had been furious, seething with frustration. He couldn’t tell who she wanted to strangle more—her friends or him.
“You know, people work all day and still find time to be together,” she had snapped at him. “Why can’t we? What the hell is wrong with you? I feel like I’m with an old man for fuck’s sake!”
He had told her she was free to leave, just like he always did when she went off, and then went to bed.
It shocked the hell out of him when Boris contacted him with the news of the hostage and siege. Then he caught it on the news.
“Janelle said you guys broke up,” Boris had mentioned.
“Yeah, but it wasn’t quite like that. As you know, she’s not the brightest. She thought she was under arrest when she was really just being questioned, so she and her friend ran.”
“Yeah, I saw the interview video. So she was absconding?”
“Oh, absolutely.”
“Why didn’t you contact me sooner?”
Steven, realizing he didn’t have an acceptable answer, simply said, “I knew it was only a matter of time before we spoke. I just didn’t know it would be like this.”
“She wasn’t affiliated with the cult, but do you think she had anything to do with the attacks on your family members?”
“Unfortunately, yes. I’ve peeked at her journals, and while there’s nothing that mentions the attacks, it could just be that she’s now smart enough to know that what she writes could end up online. But my gut says yes. I suspected it when Stephanie, the pregnant woman, was attacked. Then, when her mother was attacked, it was just too much of a coincidence.”
Boris explained what he knew about the hostage case and how they had made a deal with Janelle to keep her more manageable until they could transfer her from the hospital to jail. “She’s going to be charged with a lot more than just absconding and missed payments, but I can’t discuss that right now. We only learned about the incident right before the siege.”
“Oh, okay. Is there anything I can do in the meantime?” Steven asked.
“Not at the moment. She’s been asking about you and seems to regret not sticking around after everything that’s happened. But we can’t let anyone contact her or vice versa because, although she may not know it yet, she is officially in custody.”
“I understand, and honestly, I have no desire to see her.” This was true too. He couldn't ask for a better way to dislodge himself from Janelle and couldn’t wait to learn what she had done in addition to what he was already aware of.
“Alright then. Just sit tight until she’s formally charged. Once she’s officially in custody, I suggest you consider filing for divorce if you’re certain you don’t want anything to do with her.”
Steven didn’t respond, but the suggestion made him think Janelle was going down for a long time.
“Okay?” Boris prompted.
“Okay, will do. When will I know what’s going on with her before I file?”
“It’ll be in the news.”
ns216.73.216.154da2
