Denise bundled up and headed out for her weekend hike. She hated the cold as much as Lorella did, but the brisk mountain air had always helped her asthma, and she could use the exercise. She kept a small handgun in her pocket in case she encountered any wild animals that might be dangerous.
First, I’ve got to go to the mailbox and get these bills ready for pick-up, she thought to herself as she casually headed down the road between hers and Lorella’s cabin with a handful of envelopes. She could see smoke rising from the chimney of Lorella’s cabin.
Noelle had just turned to head back down the driveway when she saw Denise pass by the opening where the drive began. Knowing she hadn’t been seen by the girl and that Lorella couldn’t have seen her approaching the cabin yet through the brush and trees, she turned to follow Denise. She remained hidden in some brush as she watched the blond go to her mailbox. The plan was to intercept her on her return to her own driveway and lure her to a place deeper in the woods, but then the bitch took off in the other direction. Noelle didn’t like the fact that it was along the main road, but she pursued the girl anyway, glad that there hadn’t been any mail to carry along with her.
The girl was walking briskly and still hadn’t noticed her. She decided not to take a chance on not being spotted until she could devise a plan in her head, knowing that if Denise did turn around and spot her, she’d be at a loss to explain why she hadn’t announced her presence sooner.
“Denise,” she called out.
Denise turned to look behind her.
Noelle trotted to catch up to the girl.
Denise eyed her curiously. “Hi. What’s up?”
“Oh, well, I was just out checking the mail when I saw you.”
“Yeah?”
Noelle nodded. “Are you heading anywhere in particular?”
“No. I just usually circle around the area for exercise. I thought I’d start by heading this way.”
Not the direction Noelle had in mind. Too many cabins and manufactured homes in the area.
“What’s up with you? You start hiking or something yourself?” Denise asked.
A car passed by, and Noelle did her best to keep her back towards it. “Uh, no. Actually, I have something I want to show you, being Lorella’s friend and all.” She tried to make her smile seem genuine.
“To show me?”
“Yes, but it’s up by the summit. Why don’t we start heading up that way?”
Noelle began guiding Denise in that direction before she could say anything.
“It’s something I’m going to surprise Lorella with, so you’ve got to promise me you’ll keep it a secret.”
“Well, yeah, I guess so, but what in the world is it, Noelle?”
“You’ll see. It shouldn’t take us more than ten minutes to get there.”
“Well, can’t you at least give me some idea?”
“It’s something I’m building, but it’d be so much easier for you to understand if I just show it to you rather than try to explain it. You’ll like it, too.”
“Something you’re building?” Denise asked with growing confusion.
“Yes, ma’am,” Noelle said, smiling, trying to muster up an air of adventure and surprise.
“What in the world could you possibly build in this weather, and why won’t you give me even the slightest hint about it? Just a teeny clue?”
“You’ll understand just as soon as you see the thing.”
“Exactly where is this thing located?” Denise asked.
“Oh, just somewhere over the rainbow.”
Denise rolled her eyes but continued to follow Noelle despite the strange feeling she had. They walked quickly and silently towards the mountain’s summit, all the while Denise grew more and more uncomfortable. Something just wasn’t quite right. “Okay, Noelle, this is as far as I go. Now, what’s going on?”
“Relax. It’s just right here.” Noelle pointed toward a cliff that overlooked the highway below.
“What could you possibly be building over there?” asked Denise as her hand reached into her coat pocket to grip the pistol within it.
They were now a few feet from the edge of the cliff. When Noelle turned to face her, her expression had changed entirely. Gone from her face was that of the happiness she had been feigning, and present now was a look of pure evil.
Denise took a few steps back, but it was too late. Noelle grabbed her and yanked her toward the very edge of the cliff before she could pull her gun out of her pocket. She fought and screamed, but Noelle overpowered her.
“You won’t be stealing the attention of my lady no more!” Noelle shouted before she shoved Denise hard.
On her way down towards the speeding semi below, Denise was cursing herself for trusting what she had always sensed to be an off-individual.
Noelle couldn’t see Denise from where she stood, but she heard the thud of her body as it hit the truck’s windshield, causing the vehicle to roll over. In a symphony of crashes, scrapes, and squeals, Noelle turned and quickly headed home. She hadn’t wanted anyone to be driving by when she pushed the bitch over because that would only speed up and increase the intensity of the investigation. It could also bring potential witnesses, though what was done was done. It had begun to snow, and this was a good thing, for now their footprints would be obscured.
“You okay?” Lorella asked a few minutes later when Noelle entered the cabin and shook the snow off of her before removing her shoes by the door.
“Yeah,” Noelle said with a smile, trying to act natural. “It’s snowing pretty hard out there!”
“What took you so long?”
“Oh, it was just a friend that drove by and spotted me at the boxes and pulled over to chat.” She was careful to say it had been a friend, rather than someone like her father, knowing that Lorella would eventually mention it to her father who, in return, would only be clueless. “Then once it started really coming down, I decided to head back so you wouldn’t be worried.”
“Any mail?”
“No, nothing.”
“Can I get you anything?”
“No, not right now, hun. I’m going to hit the shower.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Lorella said early the next day.
“No,” Noelle said, shaking her head insistently. “Why would I be kidding?”
“Okay, let me get this straight. You want me to be artificially inseminated and to have a child for us?”
Noelle grinned. “Sure, why not?”
“I thought you decided you didn’t want kids for the same reasons I don’t.”
“I didn’t for a while there, but you’ve brought back that desire. It’ll be fun, and we can still find a way to have a life together and do things. Don’t you want extensions of yourself?”
“Not really. I don’t think children should be considered extensions of their parents anyway. They’re their own individuals.”
“That’s true. You have a point on that one. But you didn’t give me an answer.”
Lorella took a deep breath and braced herself, worried about how her answer may cause Noelle to react. “I’m sorry, Noelle. I just don’t want any kids. It’s not that I dislike them, I just don’t want the burden and expense of having to try to juggle kids on top of work, leisure, and well, just life in general, you understand?”
Noelle picked at a loose fiber in the arm of the couch, obviously disappointed. Then she looked up at Lorella and said, “You’re so with the times, aren’t you? Making money and buying things is so much more important to you, isn’t it?”
“This isn’t about being with the times or about what’s hip and trendy. It’s about what I feel is right for me and also us as a couple.”
“Oh, so now you’ve taken it upon yourself to decide what’s best for us too, and to hell with what I think, right?”
“No, Noelle, that’s not right. But children are something both people have to want, and we haven’t exactly known each other that long, either.”
“But each day together is another day,” Noelle insisted with a smile, softening once again, not yet willing to give up hope of changing Lorella’s mind. “Trust me. It’ll be good for us as a couple, too.”
“I don’t think so. Kids usually add stress to relationships, and I still don’t know…”
Noelle eyed Lorella intently. When she didn’t finish, she finished for her. “Don’t know what? Don’t know how much longer you’ll want to stay with me?”
“Or how much longer you’ll want to stay with me.” Lorella countered.
“I’m not the one who has any doubts about that, Lorella.”
“We hardly have room here for a child and…”
“We can get a bigger place,” Noelle eagerly assured her before she could finish.
“Would you rather I lie and say I want a child when I don’t and string you along like your ex did, or would you rather I be honest with you?”
“Would you consider it in a year or two from now?” Noelle asked.
“I don’t know. A year or two from now isn’t here yet, so it’s hard for me to say how I’ll feel then.”
A knock on the door spared Lorella from having to discuss the matter any further, at least for the time being. When it came down to the nitty-gritty, if she hadn’t wanted to have a child with Madison, then she certainly couldn’t see herself having one with Noelle.
Noelle got up and went to the door. It was the police. “Hi guys,” she said to the uniformed policeman who stood with a woman dressed in street clothes.
“Hello, Hutchinson. This is Detective Rider,” the male officer said, gesturing towards the woman.
Noelle and the woman exchanged greetings, and then the officer asked if they’d met.
“No, I don’t believe we ever have. Won’t you step in?”
“Sure will. It’s a mighty cold one out today.”
Because the couch was mostly hidden by the open door, it wasn’t until the cops stepped inside that they spotted Lorella sitting on the couch.
“This is Lorella,” Noelle told them. “She’s been living with me.”
The cops gave a quick nod of acknowledgment to Lorella, who saw the name R. Norman on the man’s nameplate, then Noelle asked them why they were there.
“Well, unfortunately,” the woman began dubiously, “a young woman fell off a nearby cliff earlier and was killed by passing traffic below.”
“What!” exclaimed Noelle, feigning shock. “When did this happen?”
“Yesterday afternoon.”
“My God, where?”
“Just off of Boar Lane.”
“Boar Lane? That’s pretty close to the summit, isn’t it?”
The cops nodded, and Rider said, “We’ve been slowly working our way away from the area, questioning those within a few-mile radius.”
“Wow. We haven’t heard a thing. Been off the last two days and haven’t had the scanner on. Any idea who it is?”
Norman nodded and said, “The victim’s been identified by her husband as Denise Meroni.”
An audible gasp from Lorella turned all three heads in her direction.
“Did you know her, ma’am?” asked Norman.
Lorella nodded. “I – she comes – we would visit each other a few times a week.”
“Any idea what she’d be doing up there?” asked the detective.
Again, Lorella nodded. “She would hike up there. It was a regular part of her exercise regimen.”
“When was the last time you saw her?”
“Two days ago.”
They looked at Noelle.
“How about you?”
“I haven’t seen her for a few days. She was more friendly with Lorella since Lorella’s home more often. What about the oncoming traffic? Any fatalities there?”
“A man and his teenage son were in a semi, the only vehicle on the road at the time. The man died instantly, and the son is in critical condition but expected to survive,” Rider informed. “However, he’s in no condition to be questioned at the moment about anything he may have seen.”
As the detective took notes, the uniformed officer asked Lorella what kind of mood Denise appeared to be in the last time she saw her.
“The usual. Spunky, energetic, but laid back as well.”
“She didn’t seem to have an air of nervousness about her of any kind?”
“No, she was quite relaxed. Why?”
“Well, it’s just that there are a few things that don’t add up, and so we’re not sure yet if it really was an accident or not.”
Lorella’s eyes widened with surprise. “What else could it be?”
Instead of answering, Norman asked another question. “Have you any idea how she got along with her husband?”
“Fine,” Lorella replied with a shrug. “No better or worse than most couples, although she did sometimes feel neglected.”
“Neglected? How?”
“I guess he wasn’t home as much as she’d like, and he would mostly prefer to hang out and relax by the TV when he was. She wanted to be more active, including physically.”
“Would you say she felt there wasn’t enough intimacy?”
“Yes. Delbert was older, so he didn’t have the same needs and was often tired.”
“How did she feel about this?”
“It bothered her, but from what I could tell, she accepted it because they got along very well otherwise and she loved him very much.”
“You don’t suppose she may have been having an affair with anyone, do you?”
“Oh, no. She’d have told me if she had been. At least I’m pretty sure she would have.”
“How long have you known Mrs. Meroni?”
“Just a few months. We met shortly after I moved in here when Noelle and I were out walking one day.”
The detective stopped writing and said, “Okay, anything else you can tell us that might be of any significance?”
Lorella and Noelle looked thoughtful for a moment, then shook their heads.
“No, can’t think of anything,” said Noelle.
Lorella’s shock began to turn to grief, and tears began to form in the corners of her eyes.
The officers advised Lorella to be cautious when she was alone since they couldn’t yet rule out the possibility that someone had pushed Denise off the cliff. They also got her full name in case they needed her to make a formal statement later on.
The cops left, and Lorella never felt more alone in her life. Madison was gone, her parents, sister, and best friend were in another state, her brother and his new wife were in another country, and now her neighbor-friend was dead, possibly murdered. That left her all alone with good old unpredictable Noelle. She couldn’t hold the tears back any longer.
“Hey, hey,” Noelle cooed gently as she came and sat next to her. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
“Is it?” Lorella asked sharply. “Denise shouldn’t be dead. It’s just not right. She was so full of life.”
“I know, honey, but life just isn’t always fair, and if you’re worried about your own well-being, you’ve got nothing to worry about.” Noelle rose from the couch and pulled something out from the bottom drawer by the sink in the kitchen. When she turned to head back into the living room, Lorella could see she had a gun. “Here. I keep this as a backup. If it will make you feel any better, I’ll take you out and teach you to shoot. Then, when I’m not around to look out for you, you can keep it close by, but I don’t suspect foul play where Denise is concerned. They still have to follow routine, though.”
“I already know how to shoot. Noelle, I think someone did this. I mean, don’t you think it’s weird that first that guy disappears, and now Denise is dead? Something’s going on around here, and I don’t like it. It scares me.”
Noelle smiled lovingly and gathered Lorella in her arms. “The guy must’ve left town, and Denise had an accident, is all. There’s no serial killer running around here if that’s what you’re worried about. I know you and Denise were good friends, but things like this just happen.”
Lorella pulled away from Noelle and said, “I can’t believe she’d simply fall off a cliff. Better yet, I can’t believe she’d be dumb enough to get too close to the edge of a cliff in the first place. Especially with the snow making things more slippery and dangerous. Can you take me to see the cliff they say she fell from some time?”
“Well, I suppose I could, although I really don’t see what good that’ll do. Judging distance in the snow is tricky at times, and people really do slip.”
“Shouldn’t she have known this? Shouldn’t she have known not to take chances in the snow?”
“I’m sure she did, but sometimes people get so comfortable in a setting they’re familiar with, and that can lead to carelessness that’s got nothing to do with people being stupid or not exercising proper common sense.”
They sat in silence for a while. Lorella’s thoughts were churning rapidly. Although she stared straight ahead at nothing, she could see Noelle out of the corner of her eye. She seemed to hold a hopeful look as if she were hoping Lorella would simply put Denise out of her mind like a pair of old shoes or something. “She was a good friend,” she finally said softly, more to herself than to Noelle.
“I can be a good friend, too.”
Lorella looked at Noelle. “You know what I mean. I mean a good friend other than you. Someone to visit with every so often while you were at work, and I’d be bored shut up in this cold, cramped place all day.”
The faint beginnings of irritation began to show in Noelle’s eyes. “You think you have it so rough here, huh? So rough with your free room and board since I don’t take any money from you. Well, think about what Denise’s husband must be going through right now and how her parents must feel.”
“Oh, here we go again. I’m sad and crying over my lost friend, so I must be one hell of a selfish bitch, right?”
“I didn’t say that, Lorella.”
Lorella rose from the couch.
“Where are you going?” Noelle asked.
Lorella turned to face Noelle and said. “I just want to be alone for a while.” Then she turned and headed up to the loft, grateful that Noelle let her go without another word. She lay on the bed and shivered in the chilled air. Or was it more than just the chilled air that made her shiver? Next, she wondered why Noelle didn’t seem more concerned for her safety if she loved her as much as she said she did.
“What did you think?” asked Detective Rider after they left Noelle’s cabin.
“Of Hutchinson’s girl?” said the uniformed cop. “Seems credible enough.”
“No, not her. What did you think of Hutchinson?”
“Of Hutchinson?” Norman asked, brows now raised with surprise. “What do you mean, Detective?”
Rider looked as if she were deep in thought and said, “I don’t know, but it’s something.”
“Such as?”
“I wish I could put a finger on it. All I know is that I got the feeling she knew more than she let on.”
“Then why wouldn’t she have told us what she knew?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
“I’ve known Hutchinson and her father for some time. Never knew either one to be less than honest.”
“Maybe so, but call it a gut feeling.”
“Think of what you’re saying,” said Norman. “If she knows something and the Meroni woman really was pushed, then that could only mean she was there when it happened.”
“Or did the pushing.”
“Hutchinson? C’mon!”
“It’s happened before. Why should we assume our department is free of corrupt cops when they’re popping up everywhere these days?”
“But why would she do it?”
“Well,” Rider began, “if Hutchinson and that girl she’s with are more than friends as you say you’ve heard, and if the girl was friends with the Meroni woman, maybe Hutchinson got a little jealous over it.”
The officer shook his head but kept his eyes on the road. “I don’t know. The idea of Hutchinson pushing some girl onto a semi out of a fit of jealousy seems a bit of a stretch.”
As soon as they entered the small police station a few minutes later, the commanding officer for that shift told them they had a phone call that one of them would be quite interested in. “It’s about the woman gone off the cliff,” was all he’d say. “She’s on line three.”
Rider and Norman looked at each other. “I’ll take it,” Rider finally said.
Norman followed the detective through a large room and then to a smaller one in the back that was more private. Rider picked up the phone as the uniformed cop took a seat nearby. “This is Detective Rider. How can I help you?”
“Hi. I – well – I don’t know for sure if this means anything, but…”
“Can I have your name, please?”
“It’s Eshoni Hackett. I’m calling from Sacramento.”
“Yes, Miss Hackett. What can I do for you?”
“My sister lives in Klamath Falls and she told me about some things she heard on the news.”
“Yes?”
“About the guy who disappeared and the woman who went over the cliff that may’ve been pushed.”
“Yes?”
“Well, I never went to the authorities with this because I was afraid I wouldn’t be taken seriously. After all, there are a lot of prejudiced folks up in that area.”
“I’m sorry. I’m not sure I follow you. Never went to the authorities with what?”
Eshoni went on. “I was in a relationship for a while with a police officer named Noelle Hutchinson. She works the Bonanza area mostly.”
Norman caught the detective’s look of surprise and interest as he studied her. He leaned closer in his chair.
“Officer Hutchinson?”
“Yes, but please don’t let my name get back to her. Just because I’m down here and she’s up there doesn’t make me feel much safer where she’s concerned.”
“Don’t worry. We don’t reveal our sources. But what does the officer have to do with any disappearances or other matters?”
Eshoni took a deep breath. “Because she nearly killed me when I tried to leave her.” She then went on to explain that while making her escape from the cabin, Noelle had chased her down and hit her on the head with a rock, knocking her out.
“When did this happen?” Rider asked.
“Last spring. I totally believe she left me for dead. She had to believe I was dead. She wouldn’t have left me there if she didn’t.”
“What was the next thing you remember after she knocked you out?”
“I came to a while later and scrambled down the mountain in the opposite direction from her cabin. A man drove me into town to my sister’s house. I came down here a few days later.”
“You haven’t been here since?”
“Just to visit my sister a few months later. She teaches kindergarten, and so she had some time off, being that it was June.”
“I see,” Rider said with a sigh. “Well, I’ll certainly keep this information under wraps. Anything else, ma’am?”
“No. I just couldn’t keep silent any longer after I heard about the others. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if there really is a connection.”
“We’ll be sure to check into it.” Rider hung up the phone a moment later and relayed the conversation to Norman.
“And she suspects Hutchinson’s involved somehow?”
Rider nodded slowly. “Funny, ain’t it?”
It was now just a few weeks before Christmas, and the weather was getting excruciatingly colder by the minute. Despite being bundled up well, Lorella shivered as she and Noelle got into the SUV to take some old DVDs to a store that bought used ones. The cabin wasn’t big enough to let much unwanted junk pile up.
They entered the empty store, and a black salesman said hello from behind the counter.
“Hi,” said Noelle. “Got some DVDs to sell. You interested?”
“Don’t know. Let’s have a look at whatcha got.”
Noelle placed the box on the counter.
The salesman skimmed through the titles of the DVDs. A moment later, he said, “We can’t use most of these right now, and we definitely can’t use junk like this,” he said, pointing to a DVD with a gay-themed story. “Not in this town.”
“Yeah, it’s a shame so many people here are so damn prejudiced,” Noelle said. “Especially those who should know how it feels to be discriminated against,” she added, implying that the salesman ought to know better since he was black.
The black man ignored the comment, although he took on a bit of a snobby tone as he said, “I can still take most of them.”
“That’s okay,” Noelle said, gathering up the DVDs. “We’ll sell them all online.”
They left the store, and as Noelle was putting the key into the SUV’s ignition a moment later, she said, “I don’t know what’s worse, this guy or the assholes at the diner.”
“Maybe you should think of moving to a gay-friendlier place.”
They headed back to the cabin.
“Noelle?”
“Yeah, babe.”
“Think you could take me to the cliff Denise fell from? You keep saying you will yet you never do, and I figured now would be a good time.”
“Oh, all right,” Noelle said with exasperation. “If you insist. But I don’t understand why it matters to you, Lorella. You didn’t even know her that well or that long and you gotta move on.”
“Maybe so, but first I’d like to have a look, then I’ll move on.”
Noelle drove past the turn-off leading to the cabin and they went higher up the mountain. They rode over the crest of the mountain and stopped at a place that was about a 10-minute walk from the cabin at the end of Boar Lane. Without saying anything, they exited the SUV. Lorella looked upwards. There was a thin, even layer of clouds above, which made the sky look more white than blue.
“I don’t get what you’re looking for,” said Noelle.
Lorella shrugged and said, “Nothing in particular. Is this it?”
“Over there.”
Lorella’s eyes followed where Noelle pointed.
“How do you know the exact spot?”
“I don’t. I only know what my fellow officers have told me.”
Noelle stood back as Lorella slowly made her way to the edge of the cliff. She’d been expecting more of a sharp drop-off, but that wasn’t what she found. It was no gentle slope, but it wasn’t as steep either. In fact, there was no way to see any vehicles passing by below unless one did get dangerously close to the edge, but even then, they should be able to get enough leverage to keep from falling. “No way,” she finally said, shaking her head adamantly. “Snow or no snow, there’s no way she’d accidentally fall off. Someone pushed her.” She swung around to study Noelle.
Noelle eyed her intently.
“I tell you, somebody pushed her!”
Noelle sighed, looked down at the snow-patched ground a moment, then back up again. “Even if someone did, Lorella, what can I do about it?”
“What can you do about it? Well, last I knew you were a cop, if that still makes any difference or not.”
“Yeah, but I’m not a detective. I’m just your typical beat cop, and this ain’t my beat. If something happened to her, then let the detectives handling the case investigate things, okay?”
Although frustrated, all Lorella could do was shrug. They got into the SUV without another word, all the while Lorella was bothered by Noelle’s apparent indifference to Denise, as well as her own well-being.
“What!” screamed Noelle. “Why do you want to leave me?”
“Because all you ever want is sex, that’s why,” Lorella said firmly. “Along with someone to cook and clean for you. Well, I need more than just sex, cooking and cleaning, Noelle.”
“Fine!” Noelle spat. “You want more, you’ll get more. Just tell me what you want and I’ll…”
“No!” Lorella shouted. “You just don’t get it, do you? I don’t know how to say this without hurting you, but I don’t love you. I just don’t love you. It’s that simple. I’ve tried and I’ve tried, but I can’t make myself feel something I don’t. It wouldn’t be fair to either one of us to stay together. The relationship would be basically built on lies if we did. I’ve already been in touch with my parents and Trevor. Trevor and Shayla are to be driving down to visit our folks for Christmas and I’m to be going with them.”
Noelle had a hurtful look in her eyes, but it quickly turned to red-hot rage. “Oh, how sweet of you. You go and you tell them you’re dumping me before you even have the decency to tell me about it? Damn you!”
Lorella was struck down hard. Her head spun with dizziness as she hit the floor. Sparks flew everywhere in her dark, hazy vision. The swears, threats, and insults being rained upon her flowed together almost like a tape being fast-forwarded. She just wanted to get out of there. She slowly pulled herself to her feet once the dizziness settled. The door. She had to get to the door and get out of there. Too scared not to be oblivious to the cold and snow, she turned to open the door and stepped outside in just her sweatshirt, jeans and socks.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?!” Noelle screamed from behind her.
She knew she wouldn’t get far, but she couldn’t simply stand still and do nothing.
Noelle grabbed her and lifted her off her feet. She carried her back inside, kicking the door shut with her foot before throwing her on the floor. “You stupid fool,” she growled.
Noelle reached for her utility belt, which she always kept on the floor behind the door. Pulling a pair of handcuffs from it, she stepped over to Lorella.
Lorella glanced up at her fearfully. “Why are you doing this?” she whimpered.
“Get up!” Noelle screamed as she jerked her to her feet by one arm. She then forced her up into the loft where she handcuffed her to the rails of the headboard. “You won’t be running off on me now!”
Lorella sobbed loudly as Noelle made her way downstairs. Her heart hammered in her chest as she struggled to free herself from the cuffs. It was useless.
Downstairs, Noelle emailed Lorella’s brother as if she were Lorella and let him know she had changed her mind and was going to stay.
In Trevor’s reply, he wrote: Are you sure? It’s not like you to go back and forth like this. Are you sure everything’s okay?
Noelle mustered up the most reassuring reply she could and then packed up the laptop and locked it and the backup gun in an old footlocker in the back of the downstairs closet.
Lorella listened to the sounds and movements below her, trying to gauge what Noelle might be up to. She figured she’d hide her laptop. Other than cutting her off from friends and family, it didn’t matter much. Business had been lousy, and she was hardly making much money anyway. An idea suddenly came to mind as Noelle climbed back up to the loft.
Noelle reached over and unlocked the handcuffs.
“I’m sorry, Noelle,” Lorella sobbed, wrapping her arms around the tall, firm woman.
Noelle stiffened and placed her hands on Lorella’s arms. Lorella thought she was going to push her arms away, but she didn’t.
“I’m sorry I’ve been so mean to you,” Lorella said, trying to sound convincing.
“Are you really?” Noelle asked softly, unconvinced.
Lorella kept her arms around Noelle and her face buried in her chest so she couldn’t see the fear and dishonesty in her eyes. “I’m sorry it had to come to this for me to realize just how good I have it here. Not many people are willing to give someone else as much as you’ve given me.”
“No, they’re not. Now, let’s see you prove yourself to me and show me just how much you appreciate me and all I’ve done for you. Okay?”
Lorella nodded, keeping the docile front present as best she could. She knew that running blindly into the vast wintry forest was no way to go and that an escape had to be made in the city. It would be her only chance if she stood one, to begin with.
That chance wouldn’t come for two weeks. For two weeks, Lorella had to be the best actress of her life, always ready and willing to answer Noelle’s every beck and call. Pleasing her at night was the hardest, but she did her best to appear as cooperative as possible. She had to make Noelle believe she had no desire to leave her.
When she was alone, she worried about her friends and family trying to get a hold of her and probably starting to worry. She also began to wonder if Noelle could possibly have had something to do with Denise’s death and maybe others as well. Noelle had been out the same day Denise died, supposedly chatting with an old friend who’d driven by and spotted her at the mailboxes. Lorella remembered that she had seemed out of breath upon returning to the cabin and eager to jump in the shower, though Lorella had written it off to the cold and snow. Yet maybe it had been something else. Something Noelle was determined to hide. The fact that she didn’t seem to be worried about her also seemed a bit odd. Wouldn’t one naturally be worried about their loved ones if one person in the area disappeared and another died under suspicious circumstances?
ns216.73.216.247da2
