“When did you last eat, Mallory?”
She put a large forkful of eggs into her mouth and shrugged. She chewed it and swallowed. “Maybe four days ago, if I was here for two.”
Frowning, I tried not to let my anger show. It was clear she was still afraid.
Then she suddenly blurted, “I hit him over the head with a brick and ran. I ran as fast as I could, for as long as I could.”
“Who?”
Shaking her head, she wiped a tear away. “I don’t know. I don’t rememberanythingbut that. All I know is, I was in this basement, a dungeon of some kind, underneath a barn. I’d been there for a few days, two…maybe three. I could see the sunlight shining through one of the floorboards above me. The floors creaked when he walked on them, so I figured it was old. An old barn. I didn’t look back to see once I was outside, but when I was running through it, I saw old stalls.”
My fork fell as I listened to her.
“The walls in the basement were brick. I worked for hours to get one of them free. Whenever he entered the room, I would crawl to the same corner. He would tell me all the things…”
A sob slipped free before she went on.
“All the things he was going to do to me. I knew it could be any day before he did everything he threatened, so I had to get out. He always kept the door open when he came in. I figured I just needed a few minutes to get away from him, out of that basement. Then I could run.”
“You were…kidnapped, Mallory?”
She nodded. “I think so. I woke up in the basement, and I had no memory of who I was orwhereI was. I was so scared.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat before I asked, “So you hit him and got free?”
“Yes. With every ounce of strength I had, I hit him with the brick, and I ran. I ran so fast, and I didn’t stop. It stormed the first night, but I knew I had to keep going. I didn’t have shoes, and my feet were cold, and I kept stepping on things and cutting my feet, but I had to get away.” More tears fell as she continued. “I ran through some small creeks and across huge fields. I climbed under and over fences. I was exhausted…but so afraid if I stopped, he’d find me. Some of the hills were steep and I was terrified I’d slip and tumble down.”
Holy. Shit.
“I tried to pay attention to where the sun was, you know, so I knew which direction I was running. I didn’t want to run in circles. But there were so many trees, and then then storms blew in, and ultimately…I had no idea. I just ran until I couldn’t physically run anymore. Then the second storm came, and I collapsed. I kind of remember you lifting me up.”
Scrubbing my hands down my face, I stared at her. I had to call the police.
“Mallory, I need to call the police and a doctor to take a look at you.”
She jumped off the stool. “No! Please, don’t! He’ll find me if you call the police! He told me the police wouldn’t help me! He told me he had friends everywhere and if I got out, he’d find me. Please. No police. No doctor either.”
I stood and gently grabbed her arm. “Hey, hey, calm down.”
Mallory melted into my body when I slowly drew her toward me.
“I just need to figure out who I am. Once I can remember, then I can go home. I’m sure I must have family looking for me. Please,pleasedon’t call the police! I don’t know where else to go.”
When she started to cry once again, I ran my hand gently up and down her back. “Shhh. It’s okay. I won’t call the police. I’ll help you figure out who you are, I promise.”
Mallory drew back and looked at me with hopeful eyes. “Thank you so much for helping me.”
Taking a step back, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the locket. “I’m helping you because you asked me to, but I need to know where you got this locket, and why you were wearing it when I found you.”
“The locket,” she said softly as she ran her thumb gently over the name engraved on the outside.
Emily.
“I found it in the basement. When I crawled over and sat in the corner that first time, I felt it. It was buried in the dirt. With the little bit of light that came into the room, I saw the name, and I just knew it must have been one of the women who’d been in that room before me.”
My knees nearly gave out at her words. I turned abruptly and said, “Excuse me.”
I ran as fast as I could to my bathroom and threw up.
