Chapter 4

By the time I finished cleaning up, Duane was sitting on the living room sofa, waiting for me.

He tapped a knuckle against the coffee table. My phone was lying on it.

"You're sleeping in the guest room tonight. I'll hold onto your phone for now."

He picked it up and slid it into his pocket.

I stood in the guest room doorway and looked at him for two seconds, said nothing, then turned and shut the door.

Once the lock clicked, I leaned back against the door, and the watch face on my wrist lit up.

My best friend had given me this watch last month for my birthday. It could sync with a phone to send and receive messages. I'd always thought the feature was pointless and had barely used it.

Now the phone was sitting in his pocket, but the Bluetooth was still connected.

I opened the messaging screen, thumb hovering for a few seconds, then typed.

"Muriel Henson, I'm being held at Duane's place. They took my phone. Can you come?"

Three minutes after I sent it, the watch buzzed.

"Send me the location. I'm rounding people up now."

I pushed her the address downstairs.

Muriel didn't ask a single extra question. The chat window went quietly dark.

A little after two in the morning, the watch buzzed again. She sent only four words: "Text me before you leave."

Outside the window it was too dark to see anything. The guest room bed was hard as a board, and the blanket smelled of mothballs.

I didn't undress. I lay there with my eyes open, checking the watch face every little while.

A little after four, Muriel sent: "On our way. Three cars."

I pulled my hand up into my sleeve and gripped that thin strip of watchband.

Dawn came slowly.

In the living room, Duane's mother's footsteps went back and forth, pots and dishes clattering. She knocked twice on the guest room door and yelled, "Get up and cook." I didn't answer.

She knocked twice more, shouting, "Quit playing dead." A key turned in the lock, but I'd bolted the door from the inside. She couldn't get it open, and she stomped off cursing.

At ten past six, I heard the elevator doors open in the hall.

I heard Duane go to answer the door.

Muriel's voice carried in from the entryway, even and level. "You're Duane? I'm here on Carissa's behalf."

"She was trapped in your home last night, her phone was confiscated, and her freedom of movement was restricted. I'm here under an emergency personal protection procedure."

Duane's mother came charging out of the kitchen. "Who the hell are you?"

"Ms. James," another voice caught her, "I'm Ms. Fox's attorney. My name is Floyd."

"Under the law, unlawfully restraining another person's freedom carries ten to fifteen days' detention. We've already documented and preserved evidence of your conduct last night."

The living room went quiet for two seconds.

Lester poked his head out of the bedroom, hair sticking up, mouth opening to say something.

Muriel's voice came again, slower now than before. "Duane, think carefully. Last night you took her phone, held her here and wouldn't let her leave, and made her do labor. That's called unlawful imprisonment."

"Your mother and your brother went along with you. Not one of them walks away clean. I've already sent someone to pull the security footage. The hallway camera caught all of it, clear as day."

Duane's voice finally came out, much rougher. "Are you people reasonable at all? She came to my home and made a scene and made my mother sick with rage."

Lawyer Floyd cut him off. "Did you bring the medical records? Which hospital? What illness?"

"Show me the diagnosis. If you don't have one, I'll call an ambulance for you right now. The police station is running its process in parallel, and filing a false report and false accusation are separate charges."

The living room went completely silent.

I opened the guest room door and walked out. Muriel was standing in the entryway, four people behind her, one carrying a briefcase, another holding up a phone and recording.

She saw me, ran her eyes over me once, her brow tightening, then gave me a nod.

"Let's go," she said. "The car's waiting outside."