When her body had warmed, and she could no longer bear the thought of sitting in filth, she shifted to her knees and used the wall for support to push her wobbly legs to a standing position. Melanie pulled the plug, listening for a moment to the gurgle of the water as it drained. Each sound amplified as if she were hearing it for the first time. Similarly, her actions seemed overemphasized and calculated. Melanie wondered if that happened as a result of a near-death experience, and if one gained a new appreciation for the tiny things in life. The thought overwhelmed her, and she decided to bask in those things for a while and force the horror of the night into the back of her mind.
She reached for the faucets once more, pulled the lever for the shower, and clean, hot water spilled out to rinse the remaining grunge from her body. Melanie watched the sediments swirl around the drain before plunging into the sewer. Grabbing a bar of soap, she lathered over and over again, then scrubbed her tangled mass of chestnut brown curls three times for good measure.
She’d hoped to feel cleaner on the inside once the outside bathing had been completed, but the dirty scars sadly remained in her thoughts as evidence of the abuse she’d suffered. Melanie did, however, feel warmer, and her scattered thoughts were beginning to clear. On the hook was a housecoat, compliments of the motel. As she slipped it on, it registered for the first time, where she was. Why would Drew have brought her to a motel? She wrapped a towel around her wet hair and opened the door.
Drew stopped pacing when he spotted her. “Thank God. I was so worried about you.”
Melanie stared at him. In her mind, she’d said goodbye to him at his home in Georgia a week ago. Now, he was in South Carolina. Nothing made sense. She shook her head free of the fog that refused to dissipate. Her head throbbed.
“Do you have any painkillers? I have a beast of a headache.”
“Sure.” Drew fumbled in his suitcase and brought out the bottle of pills. He handed it to her on his way to the sink, filled a glass of water, and brought it to her. “Sit down over here at the table so we can talk.”
They sat, and he studied her. When Melanie didn’t initiate the conversation, Drew egged her on. “Well? Talk.”
“I know nothing. The last time I remember seeing you was at your place in Georgia. You had Chrissy and me over for brunch just before we flew home. Chrissy started back to work yesterday whereas I still have a few days off before my shift at the precinct begins.” She downed two pills and the water in the tumbler. “Last night, we’d just finished watching our chick-flick when the doorbell rang. We weren’t expecting company at eleven o’clock. We shouldn’t have answered, but you know how curious Chrissy can be. Two men pushed their way inside and then…nothing until I woke up in the back of a car with my captors who planned to dump me in the river.”
“They planned to kill you? What trouble are you into, Sis?”
“None before tonight. I think it was Chrissy’s trouble.” The memory of the lake scene flooded her mind. “Oh, Drew. There were two of us in the trunk! Tell me you’ve talked to Chrissy. Is she okay?”
“Sorry, but I haven’t talked to her since my place.”
“They shot the other girl when she woke up screaming. I couldn’t make out her identity, but if they took me from the apartment, I can’t imagine Chrissy walked away free.” Melanie jumped from the chair, causing her head to spin. She dug her fingernails into the edge of the table for support.
Drew stood and reached for her. “Whoa, girl. What’s gotten into you? Did you remember something?”
His persistence angered Melanie. “I just told you that I didn’t remember anything after the men entered my apartment – what we did or didn’t talk about or if we talked at all. I only recall her body lying next to me in the trunk of the car when I came to. We were both zipped into separate bags. I never saw the other person, but it was a woman.” She gasped and covered her face to stop the cascade of tears.
“What now?”
“What if she were Chrissy?” Melanie asked.
“Chrissy? Hardly. There is nothing complex about that girl that would send killers to your door,” Drew said.
“You’ve only met her once. Don’t bundle all women into your limited chauvinistic, female categories.”
“Sorry. Guess it comes natural to me. Reading women is what my life has become.”
“A life of your own choosing, little brother.”
“Let’s stick to the business at hand. No one hurts you and gets away with it.” His voice sounded serious and concerned, so Melanie backed down. Maybe it would take her predicament to waken him from his party lifestyle.
“I’m just trying to figure this nightmare out,” Melanie said.
Drew nodded toward the phone. “There’s one way to find out about Chrissy – call her at your apartment, and see if she answers.”
“Good idea.”
As Melanie reached for the receiver, Drew spoke. “Mel, if your friend doesn’t answer…I mean, if someone else is on the other end of the line, don’t speak, okay?”
“Do you think the men from the woods returned to ransack the place? Maybe they were looking for something.” Melanie grew excited. After her rookie days on the police force, she planned to apply for a job as a detective.
“I can check that out later,” Drew
