Ness sat on her bed in silence, and even though she was already 23 years old, she didn’t feel any rush to leave her childhood home; in fact, she didn’t feel much of anything anymore. Her rehabilitation period was slow and painful. Her physical injuries involved a lot more than her liver and her spleen—Ness sustained a femur and pelvic fracture with several broken ribs. She spent several months in hospital as she retrained her mind and her body to walk again. Even though she struggled through her physical injuries, they did heal with time and exercise, but her emotional struggles seemed to be getting worse.
Instead of feeling less pain when thinking about her mom, she was riddled with an onslaught of rage and guilt. Now she felt that her life had come to a watershed moment, and she would never be the same again.
“Hey sis,” Ness turned her head to the knock on her door. “I just wanted to see if there was anything that I could do for you?” Wyatt asked as he sat down on her bed next to her.
Wyatt was only two years older than Ness, and like her, he had wavy blond hair and striking blue eyes. However, where she remained petite, he packed on muscle when he joined North Utica’s football team when he was in high school. But unlike Ness who was more academically inclined, Wyatt remained a jock and wasn’t interested in an academic career. What he really wanted to do was follow in the footsteps of both his father and grandfather, and he ended up joining North Utica’s Sheriff Department. “No, I’m fine,” Ness responded. She stood up from her bed and walked to her washbasin where she filled up her cupped hands and splashed the cool water over her face and neck.
“You don’t look fine.” Wyatt answered. “Well, what am I supposed to be, Wyatt? The man that killed Mom got off without even a slap on the wrist today. How is that fair? How is anything fair that we were taught to believe in the world?” she returned to sit next to him.
“Balance will be restored, Ness. Henry Martin will get what he deserves. It might not be today, or even next year, but he will get what he deserves. You have to believe that.”
“I don’t. There’s no such thing as fair justice or karma. Life will remain unfair unless you take matters into your own hands. If you don’t, evil will always prevail,” Ness stated.
“Vengeance isn’t the answer, Ness. Besides, if you stoop to his level, you’re no better than he is, and you may end up in prison yourself if you’re caught,” Wyatt said matter-of-factly.
“You mean like he was “caught” after he got wasted and drove his car into ours? There’s no fairness within the law, Wyatt. It’s all corrupt.” “I can see this isn’t the right time to be discussing anything,” Wyatt said as he stood to leave. “If there’s anything that you need, Ness, you know where to find me. Lindsay would love it if you came to stay with us for a while,” Wyatt closed her bedroom door and walked downstairs.
Ness picked up the picture of her and her mom that was on her bedside table and looked at the smiling image of the two of them. “I’m sorry, mom. I don’t think there is anything else that I can do to stop this man,” Ness returned the picture frame back to its original spot and started pacing her room. It was at this moment that Ness knew that there was only one solution to make Henry Martin pay for his crimes—she needed him to die. That was the only way that balance would be restored.
It was at this moment that Ness stopped pacing her room and stared out her window: her mind wandering into deep and dark places. She grew up in a family with police officers.
She knew how they operated, she knew how killing someone was easy, but getting away with it could be tricky if you left evidence that could be tied back to you. Besides, the first person that they look for in a murder is for someone that has the motive to kill. Killing Martin was tempting, but she would be a prime suspect—Ness didn’t care. She needed to do something. Ness looked at her watch because she knew the drive to Chicago would take her at least 90 minutes, but she needed to go back there. During her stay in the hospital, Ness spent a lot of time researching Henry Martin and knew that he was a man that stuck to a very simple routine. Driving around downtown Chicago and popping into a few bars would inevitably lead to him. It was a longshot, but it was enough. Ness grabbed her jacket and car keys as she headed for the door.
3
Ness’ drive towards Chicago did little to help calm her growing animosity and rage, and she had little idea of what she would do if she actually came across Henry Martin.
However, in her mind, this was better than doing nothing than merely being absorbed by her thoughts as she hid away at home. Ness knew that there were multiple bars that Martin frequented, and if she didn't meet him tonight, she could always try again. She realized she didn’t have much in the way of a plan, but she was determined enough to find him and see how he was spending his freedom.
Ness drove around for a while until she came to the intersection where she and her mom were hit. This made her freeze in fear. Ness was so preoccupied by her feelings of hatred and anger
