Kyla’s Secret

Kyla’s night on the couch wasn’t as relaxing as she hoped it would be. The couch was not only a bit uncomfortable, but she was haunted by nightmares all night long. It seemed she couldn’t sleep more than an hour without waking up. When she finally got up to a breakfast platter the officers had picked up for her from a local fast-food joint, she was hungry as hell and grateful for the food but felt like she’d only slept a few hours. “Sleep well?” a woman in plain clothes asked her. Kyla took the last bite of her eggs and hash browns. “I’m afraid breakfast tastes a lot better than I slept.” “Oh, sorry to hear you didn’t sleep so well. Tonight you should be back in a regular bed.” “Anything sure beats being tied to a metal table.” The woman gazed at Kyla sympathetically, then asked, “Can I get you anything else, Miss Rembler?” “No, thanks. Just a way back to my toothbrush, a shower, and clean clothes that are mine would be really nice,” she said, motioning to the loose pair of sweatpants and baggy T-shirt she wore. The woman smiled. “We’ll get you those things real soon, but first I need to brief you on what the detectives you spoke to yesterday have set up.” “Ok.” “First and foremost, you must never tell anyone where you are. It is very important.” “What do I tell friends and family back home?” “Just that you’re in a safe place. Again, it’s very important.” “I understand. Any word on the whereabouts of the guys that abducted me?” “Not yet,” the detective answered with an unfortunate expression. “Do you think they’ll be caught soon?” “No way to know that just yet. We sure hope so, though. Meanwhile, we’ve got the guys running the prostitution ring, including the former nurse. Because the abduction took place elsewhere, the people arrested at the warehouse will be tried separately from those involved in holding up, robbing, kidnapping, and shooting those in the convenience store.” “They’re in jail now, right?” “That is correct, ma’am.” “They can’t get out on bail?” “Not at all. The judge denied them bail.” “That’s a relief to know.” “They’ll be bound over for trial. While you’re testifying and while the others are being sought out, arrangements have been made for you to stay on campus. Each shift has anywhere from four to eight security guards who patrol the campus, some of whom have volunteered to protect you. Does gender matter to you?” “No.” “Oh, good. We were particularly interested in one of the day-shift guys because he’s also a detective. All have had firearms training and the like, but being in more than one branch of law enforcement always helps.” “Guess it certainly can’t hurt,” Kyla said, not sure if she liked the special treatment that being a victim and witness was bringing her. “I’ve heard that some types of security guards go through the police academy same as street cops.” “Oh, yeah, and these guys have. They’re not some independent security outfit but actually work through the police department instead. Also, a woman volunteered who is not only a detective on the side but was once a corrections officer as well. So she has hands-on experience being face to face with criminals and the like.” “It’s amazing if you can stand to work with people day after day like the ones I dealt with for just a few days.” The woman nodded politely. “Ok, so Officer Seamore will look out for you from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., then Officer Augustin will be with you from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. This is only during the week. Other officers will be assigned to you over the weekend.” Kyla’s brows knitted with confusion. “They’re going to sit with me in my room in the dorm?” “No, you’ll have a larger room near where the nurse is. Back in the early days of this campus, the nurse actually lived in the room. But the more students that started attending the school, the harder it was for one nurse to do it all. So they changed to hiring one nurse for each shift, none of whom lives there.” “Oh, I see. I was going to say, being cramped up in that tiny dorm room may seem like being cellmates in a jail cell.” “It could still feel that way at times. You can’t just come and go as you please. You can still access the Internet and communicate with friends and family, but you have to be careful what you say. You can’t mention the case at all—not to any person in a private message, not on Twitter for the world to see, not anywhere.” Kyla laughed. “Definitely not. Not to play down the seriousness of the matter, but I definitely couldn’t see anyone tweeting such things.” “You’d be surprised what people tweet,” the woman said. “That’s true. Look at the idiot teenager who just threatened one of the airlines.” “Mhm,” the woman said knowingly. “So it’s just a large room?” “It’s laid out like a hotel room, from what I was told. A large room with a bed, TV, dresser, table and chairs, and of course there’s a full bath as well. We realize you may be bored a lot and sometimes feel the itch to get out and escape the cabin fever you may experience, but it’s important to remember that it’s better to feel bored, smothered, and claustrophobic than to be in danger.” Kyla nodded with understanding. “You’ll have a number to reach me, Officer Gannley, as well as one for the night-shift detectives you spoke to last night in case you don’t feel compatible with those assigned to you for whatever reason. You’re not trapped or stuck together. For the most part, you won’t even know they’re there. They’ll be a presence in the room, but they won’t bother you or speak to you unless it’s necessary or you speak to them.” “That’s good. Just wish I knew how long it would be for.” The woman momentarily lost her professional look and eyed Kyla with sympathy. “Yeah, I know, sweetie. We really wish we could tell you, but what we can tell you is that we’re doing everything we can to get these guys.” The rest of the afternoon was spent preparing to go into hiding. First, she was given a new ID and new credit cards, since it was unlikely that her stolen purse would ever be recovered. Then she was given a police escort to the dorm. She instantly thought of Zoey as soon as she entered it but knew that she wouldn’t be there at three in the afternoon. She found it sad that they would never get to have their nightly chats ever again but wondered if she could somehow get in contact with her later on. Kyla packed up all her belongings from the little corner room she’d called home for close to a month and then followed the officer to the main building. “Ok,” said the burly officer, “you are officially underground. All your meals will be hand-delivered to you compliments of the university’s wonderful kitchen.” “Lucky me,” said Kyla, rolling her eyes. “Aw, it won’t be that bad, will it?” said the officer as he went to fiddle with the room’s heating controls. “Depends on how long I’m here, I suppose, but anything is better than the nightmare I went through the last few days.” “Atta girl,” he said with a wink. Kyla turned and studied the room. It was simple. On one long wall of the rectangular room stood a bed and a nightstand, and across from it was a dresser with a TV on top of it. Next to that, by the door, was a small round table and a couple of chairs. A recliner stood in the corner of the room behind the table. The officer noticed her looking at it and said, “That’ll mostly be for the officers. Figured it’d be easier on them than making them sit in the hard chair at the table for twelve hours at a time.” Kyla looked at the queen-sized bed. She wasn’t sure she liked the idea of sleeping while some stranger sat next to her. As if reading her thoughts, the officer said, “You can have all the privacy you need in the bathroom for dressing and things like that. No need to worry there, though I reckon it may seem strange sleeping with someone sitting there.” “Yeah, but I’ll deal with it if it’s going to keep me safe. I could definitely use a shower and fresh clothes now,” Kyla said. “No problem. Just go on in and do your thing anytime you need to. I’ll wait out here till the first-shift officer arrives for what’s left of first shift.” Kyla brushed her teeth, showered, and shaved. It felt so damn good, too. She brushed out and blew her long black hair dry. It hung just below her waist. Then she pulled on a pair of jeans and a lime green T-shirt. She hung her towel to dry on the rod and entered the main room where the pot-bellied officer was talking to a young skinny guy with sandy hair and gray-green eyes. “Hello,” he said politely as Kyla approached them. “This is Officer Seamore,” said the older officer. “You can just call me Joe.” The two officers chatted for a few more minutes, and then Kyla was alone with Joe. Joe was quiet, almost shy, which Kyla appreciated. The last thing she wanted was to be holed up with someone who couldn’t shut up. Kyla connected her laptop to the Internet with Joe’s help. “Thanks, Joe. I wish I’d learned more about setting these things up and just about computers in general.” Joe smiled shyly. “I guess you could say I’m a bit of a nerd, though not like the lady that will be with you tonight. At least not from what I heard. She seems to know a little of everything.” She sent a quick email to her parents and closest friends letting them know she was ok but was not allowed to discuss any details. Kyla looked at the clock by the bed. She’d only been there for an hour and already she was bored out of her fucking mind. Until her nighttime protection arrived.