Demon (14 page)

“Becca, it’s all right,” Justyn pleaded. “You’re safe now.”

He tried to soothe her, but the arms that were always a safe haven suddenly seemed threatening. She didn’t really see Justyn at all. Instead, she saw the nameless, faceless monster who had tried to steal her innocence and tarnish her soul. She couldn’t bear to let him put his hands on her again. She pushed him away and kept right on screaming.

“Oh my God! Rebecca!”

Rebecca was still screaming and sobbing in the corner of her bed, afraid to even look up, when she felt another set of familiar arms wrap around her. They were arms that she didn’t want to push away. She recognized the familiar scent of lilac and jasmine as the plumb, matronly arms began to cradle her. They rocked her back and forth as though she were a little girl again, and for just a second, Rebecca felt safe. She curled into a fetal position, pressing herself against her mother’s breast. She almost wished she could crawl back into the shelter of her womb.

“Mo … Mom,” she sobbed. “Oh, Mom.”

“Shhhh, you’re safe now. You’re safe now,” her mother assured her.

Rebecca felt like they stayed that way for hours, with her balling her eyes out while her mother rocked and cooed. She was never so grateful than she was at that moment for the feel of her mother’s embrace. Even when her wild sobs softened to gentle hiccups, Rebecca still clung to her. She didn’t even realize there was still anyone else in the room with them until she heard the angry, accusing voice of her father.

“This is all
your
fault!” Mr. Hope bellowed. “I knew I was insane to trust you with my daughter! Just look at her! Is
this
how you keep her safe?”

“It’s not his fault, Stan!” her mother reprimanded. “Leave the boy alone!”

“Not his fault?” he thundered. “He left her alone, knowing that madman was running around the campus!”

It was a rare occasion when Justyn was silent, but at that moment he was. He didn’t argue. He didn’t try to defend himself. He just looked stricken. She hadn’t seen him look so defeated since one day the year before when she had pretty much accused him of murder. Rebecca knew she should speak up, but she also knew if she tried to open her mouth, she would just start screaming again. Luckily, there was someone else there to come to Justyn’s rescue. Rebecca hadn’t noticed Darlene had arrived until she moved a little closer to Justyn and put a supporting hand on his shoulder. Her lips were set in a tight frown, and it was obvious by her piercing gaze that it took all her self-control not to smite Rebecca’s father on the spot.

“I think tensions are a little high,” Darlene whispered, and somehow just the smooth, even flow of her voice seemed to ease some of the strain. “Justyn, darling, why don’t we give Becca a little time alone with her parents? I think that’s what she needs right now. Come on, we’ll go get something to eat.”

Justyn nodded, but she saw the utter devastation in his face. Rebecca felt like she was breaking his heart, but she was still too numb to speak. Too terrified to even think about calling him back to her side. She watched with a misery that matched his own as he followed Darlene out of the room. Through the doorway, she saw Darlene whisper something to him. He shook his head, looking disgusted, and laid a hand on his stomach. Whatever he replied made Darlene’s face crease with worry before she put her arm around him and they walked around the corner and out of Rebecca’s line of vision.

Poor Justyn
, she thought. He was probably still sick. After all, food poisoning was a pretty serious thing, and it hadn’t even been twenty-four hours. At least she didn’t think so. She really had no clue what time it was. In any event, Justyn was there trying to take care of her despite what he was going through, and he had received nothing for his devotion but her crazed hysterics and a verbal bashing from her father. It really wasn’t fair.

Even as she thought it, her father started mumbling under his breath again. Saying how he never trusted Justyn. How no one who dressed that way could possibly be any good. Despite the torrent of other conflicting emotions she felt at that moment, it was still making Rebecca furious.

“Stan, you aren’t helping!” Mrs. Hope said with a shake of her head. “Just be quiet!”

“Mary, how can you defend that—”

“Dad, stop!” Rebecca finally found her voice, even though it was a little too late. She cut off whatever unflattering adjectives her father was going to use to describe Justyn. “This isn’t Justyn’s fault, okay? He was sick.
Really
sick. I think he’s
still
is sick, but he’s here worrying about me. He wanted to drive me to class, but I told him I had someone else to walk with me. It just turned out that guy was sick too. Long story.” She held up her hand when they wanted to question her. “The point is—the only person you can blame for this is
me
.
I
should have been more careful.
I
should have paid more attention. I should have … I should have…”

Rebecca fell apart again. Instead of fear, it was a pain and guilt so deep she could barely stand it. She felt like someone had ripped all that was good from her and left her just an empty, painful shell. A part of her felt like she was the one to blame for all that had happened. Her mother held her close, but even that couldn’t take away the feelings of self-loathing that suddenly consumed her.

“It’s okay, baby,” Mrs. Hope soothed. She squeezed Rebecca a little tighter, and though it hurt her bruised and tender body, she didn’t complain. “You didn’t do anything wrong. The only person to blame is the animal who did this to you. Oh, Becca, sweetie…did he…did he…”

Her mother’s voice finally broke too, and for a moment Rebecca found herself being the one doing the soothing. “No, Mom,” she told her as she wiped the tears from her mother’s cheeks. “I got away.”

“Which makes you a very lucky girl.”

Rebecca looked toward the door when she heard the unfamiliar voice. She wanted to argue that she didn’t feel very lucky, but the words died on her lips. There was a pair of grim-faced officials standing in the entranceway, studying her. One was a female police officer in full uniform. The other was a man in plainclothes, his badge clearly visible on his belt loop.

“If you are feeling up to it, Miss Hope,” the detective said, “we would like to ask you a few questions.”

“Can’t you do this later?” Mr. Hope demanded. “It’s obvious our daughter is in no condition to handle this right now.”

“No, Dad, it’s okay,” Rebecca interjected. “They need this. I want them to catch this bastard before he hurts anyone else.”

She blushed after she said it, because she had never actually cursed in front of her father before, but he didn’t seem to notice. Her parents asked if she wanted them to stay, but she didn’t want to subject them to the awful details. They were distraught enough. There were some things they didn’t need to know.

“You’re so brave, baby,” Mrs. Hope whispered, her eyes misty.

Rebecca gave her a weak smile, but bravery was just about the last thing she felt at that moment. They each kissed her cheek and told her they would be back after they got some coffee. Rebecca nodded and put on a strong face, but she trembled as she leaned back into her pillows and prepared to relive her worst nightmare. The two policemen entered, one holding a bag that was marked evidence. They asked her to make an official statement, which they recorded. She had no idea how she managed to tell them the story so calmly, but her voice barely wavered. It was as if she were listening to someone else altogether, or playing a part like she did on the stage. As she spoke, the female officer took photos of her injuries, from her scabbed knees to the large gash on her arm that she was told needed more than a dozen stitches. Rebecca didn’t even remember anyone cleaning the wounds. She’d been so hysterical they had to sedate her to treat her injuries.

Once they were done with the humiliation of publicly documenting her story, they sat down to ask her some more specific questions. Rebecca pulled the blanket up as high as it would go as she spoke, but she still felt naked in front of them. They didn’t seem to notice her discomfort as they casually jotted things down in their notebooks.

“Did you notice any details about the assailant that might help us identify him?” the detective asked. He never even told her his name, but she really didn’t care to know. She hoped she’d never have to see him again once the interview was complete. “Eye color? Hair color? Height? Any discerning features like tattoos or scars?”

Rebecca shook her head, frustrated that she couldn’t be more helpful. “No, it was too dark to see his eyes, and the mask was covering his face. He had me on the ground the whole time, so I couldn’t even say for sure how tall he was. He was strong though, with broad shoulders and big hands. His voice was really gruff, though I got the feeling he was trying to disguise it.”

The detective nodded and wrote down a few notes. “Now, this may seem like an odd question, but were you ever blonde? Blond highlights? Blond wigs? Anything of that sort?”

Rebecca did a double take. “What? N-no,” she stuttered. “Never.”

“The reason we ask,” the female officer explained, “is because, until now, the assailant has only chosen victims with blond hair. It’s odd for an unsub to change their victimology this late in the game.”

The older detective gave his partner a dirty look, as though he thought she was revealing too much, but he continued, “It’s also unusual for someone so practiced to allow their victim to escape, especially after going through the trouble to set up such an elaborate trap. All the other cases seemed random. Yet, with you, he disabled your bike to ensure you were on foot. He knew your class schedule. Somehow he even seemed to know you would be alone today. This case wasn’t random at all. He must have been following you and planning this for some time. Yet, after all that work, he let you escape. You must be a very strong young lady to have not only overpowered but outwitted your assailant.”

Rebecca didn’t feel much like accepting the compliment. In fact, as she listened, she felt more and more like a fool. She had never even considered her ruined bike had been part of an attack plan. How stupid she had been to fall into his trap, and how terrifying to know she had been more than just a chance victim. How could she be certain he wouldn’t try again? The panic started to overpower her, but she swallowed it back when she realized the police officers were looking at her expectantly.

“I think it had more to do with luck than with wits,” Rebecca admitted, though she hated to agree with the detective’s earlier statement. “I just got in a good kick and then ran for my life.”

“Still, there have been seven other victims, and you’re the first to get away before he….” the man cleared his throat, “finished what he intended. All of the other girls were sexually assaulted and left with what we’ve come to know as the assailant’s signature—a jagged cut across both of their cheeks.”

“He … he did try to cut my face,” Rebecca whispered. “I blocked him with my arm and escaped right after that.”

The detective nodded and scribbled in his notebook one last time. He was just putting it away when his phone rang. Rebecca had to presume the rule about cell phones being turned off in the hospital rule didn’t pertain to detectives. The officer excused himself, but on his way to the hallway, Rebecca heard him mutter into his phone.

“Yes, sir. It’s possible we have a copycat on our hands….”

That was all she heard, but again, it was more than enough to send her mind reeling. Could there be not one, but two monsters loose on the campus? Did some crazy person signal her out as his target with the hopes of pinning it on the other guy? It was enough to make her want to pack her bags and head back home to New Jersey.

“I have your things here.” The female officer startled Rebecca from her dark reverie. She gestured to the evidence bag. “We were able to retrieve your bags from the crime scene. It appears your phone, credit cards, and cash are all still there. But when you feel up to it, you should check and let us know if anything is missing. Even if it’s something insubstantial, it might have meaning to the assailant, and could help the investigation. ”

Rebecca nodded, though she hadn’t even thought about her discarded school supplies. “Thank you. I will.”

The policewoman cleared her throat and looked like she was going to leave, but at the last minute, she turned back around. She gave Rebecca a kind, sympathetic smile. “You know, this may not mean much to you right now, after all you’ve been through, but I think you should know you have a wonderful boyfriend out there. He spent half the night driving around the campus searching for you. He called your cell phone literally every five minutes for
hours
.”

Rebecca almost smiled. “That sounds like something Justyn would do.”

“I was the one who found the phone. I was going through the calls when it rang again … and
again
. Finally, I answered it and told him where you were. Between us, I really shouldn’t have, since he wasn’t immediate family. I just figured you might want someone around until your parents got here. Once he knew where you were, he got here so fast I should have issued him a speeding ticket.” She chuckled to herself, but then turned more serious. “He sat there by your bed every second until you woke up. Schmoozed the nurses and doctors and even the detective into letting him hang around.”

Rebecca actually did smile just a little at that visual. She already knew Justyn could schmooze just about anyone. Still, it was nice to be reminded of how wonderful he was, even though it only made her feel worse after the way she had freaked out on him.