“We were outside when it happened,” Lucilie clarified.
“Did you see who was driving? Or can you describe them?” Officer Perdue continued.
“No, officer. He was wearing a black ski mask. He had been sitting at the park for a while, but we never paid him any attention until he tried to hit the young lady.” Continued Lucillie.
“When did you first notice him at the park?” Officer Vaden asked.
“Probably around six thirty, he was there when I went out to get the paper,” said Walter. “People park there all the time to run along the trail.”
“Is there anything else you can add? Do you have any enemies? Anyone who might want to hurt you? Or do you think this could have been random?” Officer Perdue continued.
“Craig Grasso,” I answered, “her ex-boyfriend.” Perdue made another note in his notebook as a call came in through the radios on their shoulders.
“Has he had a history of violent behavior?” Officer Vaden asked as Perdue stepped away to talk back into the radio.
“He tried to kill me a few weeks ago and has been stalking me and my sister,” Raelynn answered confidently.
“Have you made a report about the stalking?”
“Officer Johnson took the report about that,” I said, though he wasn’t an officer with any authority over them, he had been on the force long enough to earn a decent amount of respect.
“We’ll look into it and speak with him,” He said as his partner came back into the room.
“We need to go, an accident on Riverside Drive with possible entrapment.” Said Perdue, tucking his notebook back into his breast pocket. They made sure there was no other information we could give them before departing. Sirens wailed as they pulled out of the driveway and sped toward the accident.
“Thank you all so much for taking care of her,” I said as I got Raelynn to her feet.
“If either of you needs anything else or if we can be of any assistance, please let us know,” Lucilie had written their number down on a piece of paper and handed it to Raelynn, who took it with a smile.
“Thank you, it means a lot,” She said, tucking the piece of paper in her pocket.
As we walked out of the older couple's home, I shot Dr. Stephens a text saying I had an emergency come up and that I wouldn’t be coming in. He didn’t respond; he never did, and he likely wouldn’t care. They’ll just reschedule my appointments for tomorrow, which means working on a Saturday, I didn’t mind since there was no way I was leaving Rae right now.
“Do you need to go to the hospital?” I asked her as I got her into the Jeep.
“No, please. No hospital, I promise I’m fine. I just want to go home and get cleaned up.” I didn’t press the matter, after the last time she went to the hospital and got slapped with a mandatorystay, I didn’t blame her for not wanting to expose herself to that experience again.
“Was Riley not with you this morning?”
“No, I was going to stop at the bakery down on the corner and get breakfast and coffee before walking home. They don’t let dogs inside, and I’m not one of those people who will tie him up outside.”
“Let's get you home. Did you call your sister?”
“Not yet, I’ll call her once I get home. I just needed you.”
A possessive beast reared its head in my chest, pride swelling in the creature as the words ‘I just needed you’ resonated within me. Rae was safe, though I couldn’t say the same for her ex whenever we were able to locate him. The more he tried to hurt her, the more he built my desire to end him. Not peacefully like my victims at the clinic had been. I wanted to see him suffer for as long as possible.
February 15th 2022
Nothing calms me down quite like dragging a blade across my own flesh.
When I had first stopped cutting, I started working on a tattoo sleeve on my left arm to cover most of the scars. They were still there, and still visible, but you had to look really closely to see them.
Now, so I don’t mess up the beautiful purple wildflowers, complete with vines and a few bees amongst them, I cut my thighs. The pain is grounding, anchoring me into a reality that I can deal with. Physical pain is controllable; emotional pain sends me in a tailspin that I worry I’ll never find my way out of.
He makes me feel out of control. My thoughts aren’t my own anymore. He’s in my head, taking over it. I want nothing more than to be free, but I feel trapped.
Two cuts, not deep enough to be concerned about, just enough to where I don’t feel lost and confused anymore. I watch, fascinated, as the blood drips down my legs onto the tile of my bathroom floor. Riley whines at the door. He always wants in; he always wants to take care of me.
