Kyla’s Secret

Since the perps were no longer wanted and were now in custody, there was no need for anyone to stand guard over Kyla. Therefore, Kyla would be home alone while Corrine was at work. “Any way I could use your computer until mine’s hooked up?” “I wish there was, honey, but it’s been having problems. I’d like to wait till I get home and have a chance to check it out. By then, we can hook yours up to the connection.” “Oh, you’ve been having problems? Everything ran just fine when you let me check my email yesterday.” “Yeah, I know, but I noticed it was acting funny this morning. Probably just some stupid update it was doing, but don’t worry—you’ll be back online in less than ten hours.” “Ok,” said Kyla. She was disappointed but knew she had no choice but to wait. “I can do offline things on my laptop for now.” “There you go, girl,” said Corrine as she approached Kyla for a goodbye kiss. “Just keep yourself busy, and I should have more information for you about the case when I get home. Or at least I hope I will.” Once Kyla was alone, she knew she was in for one hell of a long, boring day. First, she strolled around the grounds and walked a way up the road. The trees in the back were too thick to tell how far away the houses were in that direction, and there was nothing but grassy fields in front. It seemed the nearest homes off to the sides were hundreds of feet away. She spotted some large dogs hanging around the neighboring house, loose. Not knowing how they’d take to a stranger walking through the area, she turned and retraced her steps back to the house. Inside the house, which suddenly seemed too warm, she tried to pass the time with computer games and updating her private journal. When she lost interest in that, she turned to the kitchen and made herself some creamy mushroom soup with crackers on the side. After she ate, she headed into the bathroom to pee. When she stepped back out into the hallway, she glanced into Corrine’s bedroom. Curiosity and boredom both got the better of her. She knew she should mind her own business but wandered into the room anyway. It was large and stylishly decorated in shades of lavender and violet. There was a nightstand and a couple of dressers, one long and one tall. They were sparsely decorated. There were a few framed photographs in which Corrine posed with a couple of older people that Kyla guessed to be her parents. Along with the pictures were the usual things one would find on a woman’s dresser—but did she dare open any of the drawers? What the hell, she’d come this far, hadn’t she? Using her good arm, she pulled open the top drawer and worked her way down. She didn’t find anything exciting in the drawers of the long dresser. It wasn’t until she began going through the tall dresser that things got a little interesting. In the bottom drawer, she found a small pistol. She didn’t touch it, though. She had never touched a gun in her entire life and didn’t see why she ever would. The crime index was very low where she lived. She also found printouts of sexy women in lingerie. Most had dark hair and eyes and appeared to have been taken by a webcam. Kyla thought back to when she caught a glimpse of Corrine’s monitor and thought she saw what looked like screens monitoring various people in… where had they been? She ended up going through the entire place, though she didn’t find much—just a bunch of magazines and news articles on computer-related stuff, hacking, viruses, and other scams. Kyla was ever so grateful when Corrine returned from work early that evening because she was on the verge of going mad with boredom. “Bad news,” the officer told her, putting an immediate dent in Kyla’s eagerness to see her. “The assholes want to play hardball.” “Which means?” “Which means they pleaded not guilty when they were arraigned, and now they’re exercising their right to a trial.” Kyla groaned and collapsed in the kitchen chair. “I know. Waste of everyone’s time and tax dollars.” “How long is this shit going to drag on?” Kyla asked. “No way to know at this point, babe.” Kyla wanted to beat her head on the table she sat at. “Have a good day otherwise?” “No. I was bored out of my mind.” “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” “And I’m sorry to sound unappreciative. Really, I am. But I just worry this shit will drag on and on forever.” “It won’t drag on forever, and I know you appreciate me,” Corrine said, walking over to Kyla and putting her arms around her. “I was kind of hoping you’d stick around a while anyway so I could show you how appreciative I am of you.” Kyla’s pulse quickened, and this time it was in a good way. She blushed and was quick to return the hug. She was very attracted to the officer and really enjoyed their chats and how she motivated her to take up running. At the same time, she didn’t know her well and hadn’t planned on staying in California indefinitely. “I want to. Oh, how I want to. But I don’t know what the future holds. Right now I don’t know shit.” A thoughtful look crossed Corrine’s stunning blue eyes, fringed with their dark, lush lashes. “Well, I guess the future can only hold what we want it to hold. Bad things may arise that we have no control over, but I think it can be what we want it to be for the most part.” “Yeah, I suppose,” said Kyla. “So what do we do next?” “Next, we have you testify and help put these sickos away for life. In the meantime, you get on with your life, Kyla.” Corrine cooked them dinner, and Kyla once again helped out, even though she was limited with her arm in a sling. They decided on baked cod with potatoes and steamed vegetables. After they ate, Corrine hooked up Kyla’s laptop while her food digested, then she went out for a run. “Be back in half an hour,” she told Kyla, kissing her on the lips and sending waves of desire throughout her body. Kyla checked her email and Facebook accounts while she awaited Corrine’s return. After she came back, she showered and then helped Kyla with her bath, since showering wasn’t an option for her just yet. They enjoyed a movie together and then decided to turn in. “I was wondering,” Corrine said as she lavished Kyla with kisses, “if my Hawaiian queen would like to turn in with me tonight.” A part of Kyla warned her not to get in too deep, but she was only human and she had needs that needed to be met. “I’ll be real careful of that shoulder of yours.” Kyla smiled. “Sure, why not?” Later on, when they’d fallen asleep, Kyla floated in and out of dreams. Most were senseless, but one was vivid and terrifying. She’d gone rock climbing with Corrine in the dream, and then all of a sudden, the officer reached out with a pair of scissors and snipped her cables. She awoke as she was screaming while she fell from the mountain. Sweaty and breathing heavily, she sat up and wiped the sweat from the back of her neck. The soft moonlight from outside illuminated where Corrine should be sleeping at the moment, but instead, she found her side of the bed empty. Confused, Kyla threw the covers off her body and slid out of bed, careful not to move her injured shoulder or lean on her arm. The bathroom door stood ajar and was dark inside, so Corrine was somewhere else within the house. She stepped into the hall and glanced left into the guest room and right into the other bathroom. Both were dark and empty. Light glowed from the kitchen and living room, which she could see partway into from the end of the hallway. She slowly and quietly walked down the hall and saw Corrine sitting at her computer in the living room. The officer was drinking a glass of wine and sat leaning back in her chair as she studied something on her monitor. Something that seemed to be moving. Kyla’s first thought was that she was probably watching a movie, unable to sleep, and this was a better way to pass the time than just lying in bed staring at nothing. Kyla looked closer at the screen and saw those mysterious four-cornered frames in which people seemed to be sitting in front of their webcams. One was actually lying on a bed a couple of yards away from the camera. All were young to middle-aged women in various stages of undress. Two wore bras and panties, one wore just panties, and the one lying in bed wore nothing at all. Did the officer have a fondness for porn or something? But then it hit her—this wasn’t porn in the traditional sense. The women weren’t performing any sexual acts. They simply seemed to be ordinary women doing ordinary things. The only difference was that they were in the privacy of their own homes, and Kyla realized with sadness that they probably didn’t even know they were being watched. Corrine suddenly sensed her presence behind her and spun around with lightning speed. “What are you doing?” she demanded. “I… well… I…” “Don’t you ever sneak up on me like that again!” The officer rose abruptly from her chair and roughly grabbed her by the arm, causing her to squeal in pain.