The Wrong Sister

The days ticked by, and I began to wonder when my supposed kidnapping was going to take place. At first, I couldn’t get away from Lisa fast enough, and I had to work really hard to hide my fear of her, too. But then, as much as I hated myself for it, I started to feel more at ease with her. Initially, she really didn’t seem to catch on to the fact that I hadn’t lost my memory at all. I guess I was just a better actress than I realized. I visited my PCP and various specialists as my injuries healed, never letting on that my memory was still intact. “Sleeping well?” asked my PCP, a tall blond with gray eyes and a beautiful smile. “On and off.” “How’s the anxiety been?” “So-so.” “Have you met with Dr. Lacayo recently?” “No,” I said, glancing from the doctor and then over to Lisa. As I suspected she would, Lisa had a handy explanation readily available. “Due to her memory loss, I wasn’t sure if I should urge her to make that a top priority or not. I figured her physical health was more important at the moment, and the doctor at the hospital didn’t press the issue of her meeting with Dr. Lacayo.” “I understand. I don’t think it would hurt to make an appointment, though,” said the younger doctor. “She’s been through an incredible amount of stress, both physically and mentally. While she’s handled it very well and seems to be recovering, it’s always good to treat the mind as well as the body.” “Ok, then. We’ll make an appointment,” said Lisa. She may have hidden her annoyance from the doctor, but it didn’t escape me. “That would be great. Now, I know you’re still weak, Shaylin, but it’s important that you keep up on your exercises, ok?” “I will.” “A short walk on the beach or something is better than nothing at all. You just might want to take your hubby with you to catch you if you fall.” I had to laugh to myself at the irony of that one. This doctor had no clue whatsoever about the monster I was living with—for hopefully not much longer. Unfortunately, my weakness didn’t prevent Lisa from hitting me up for sex, nor did it stop me from desiring it as well. Dangerous or not, Lisa was just too hot and too good in bed to resist giving in to my human side. I wasn’t young, but I wasn’t old either. I still had needs. Needs that needed to be met. It also forced me to put up a good front when I really thought about it. But then one morning Lisa got a little scary and reminded me, in her own subtle yet obvious way, that I wasn’t fooling her in the least. Or at least I was getting pretty sure that I wasn’t. She was confusing when it came to that. Sometimes she seemed genuinely convinced that I had lost my memory, while other times she seemed aware that I hadn’t. “Remember anything?” she asked me one night in a tone that suggested she already knew the answer. “About what?” I asked, still determined to play dumb. She shrugged. “Lisa, what is it you want me to remember? Just tell me, and then maybe I’ll be able to remember it.” “Oh yeah?” she said again, her tone challenging. “Am I missing something here?” I asked, realizing it would be too obvious if I continued to play dumb at this point. “Oh no. Nothing at all.” “Yes, I am,” I said, following her into her office, determined to find out what she knew. “If it’s something important, then I want to know what it is.” “Sure you do,” she said, sitting down in her chair by the desk. It creaked under her weight. “I remember that I used to keep a personal journal online. If I can ever remember the password, then maybe that’ll tell me things that will trigger my memory.” She looked at me, eyes glinting dangerously. “Cut the shit, Shaylin. Ok? Just cut the shit.” “What are you talking about? You’re confusing the hell out of me.” She quickly got back up on her feet, dark eyes blazing daggers at me. My pulse quickened. She was of average height for a woman but still several inches taller than me. I took a step backward. “I have work to do, ok? We’ll discuss this later.” She guided me out of the room she used as an office, and I was at a total loss for words. I didn’t know what to say. I was afraid to say anything at all. I never knew what might set her off. I sat outside her office in the living room, my mind darting everywhere. I had a bad feeling telling me I needed to get out of there fast—the faster, the better. I just didn’t know how. I couldn’t call the police on the police, so did I just wait until I saw Dr. Lacayo? Counting on her was probably a bad idea, but what else did I have? Like it or not, the doctor truly was my only ray of hope. I couldn’t break free on my own. Lisa simply had too many connections. It wasn’t until that afternoon that things changed dramatically. I spent the next few hours sulking in the living room while patting Burke as he slept on my lap. When Lisa emerged, I knew the correct thing to do would be to ask her to clear things up for me, but instead, I said nothing at first. “Want some lunch?” she asked. “No. I’m not hungry. Confusing people who put me in foul moods have a way of snuffing out my appetite.” The look on her face suggested I should have kept my mouth shut. “Suit yourself,” she said as she noisily prepared herself some lunch—and by noisily, I mean she slammed things around. Hers was a temper I had long since learned not to mess with, so I didn’t say another word unless spoken to. She ate her sandwich in front of the TV while I continued to sit there with the sleeping rat on my lap. She never said a word to me. She didn’t even look my way. She chewed her food aggressively, slamming her soda can down on the coffee table after taking a sip and jolting Burke awake. After she finished, she turned off the TV with the remote and gathered her plate and empty soda can. She brought them into the kitchen, then reemerged a few minutes later to announce that she had to go out. “Oh, can I tag along?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood. “No, you can’t. It’s business.” “What case are you working on now?” “You know I can’t discuss that, Shaylin,” she said sternly as she holstered her gun under her jacket and grabbed her tan suede purse with fringes. “Be careful, Detective. When can I expect you back?” “As always, I never know for sure. Why don’t you do something with yourself today and make yourself productive instead of just sitting around moping?” That hurt—and angered me. Had she forgotten that thanks to her, I was still incapacitated? I was doing the best I could, given my limitations. “I’m still not as strong as we’d like me to be, but I’m trying as hard as I can. I’ll do some straightening up and maybe a little laundry.” “Ok. And maybe you can change that stinky rat cage.” “Yes, ma’am.” “See you when I get back. Lock the door behind me.” I placed the rat back in his cage and locked the door. Then I leaned my back against it and slowly slid down to the floor. Tears of frustration and fear threatened to spill over. I wanted to cry. I thought it might help if I didn’t always have to be brave and keep everything inside. But sometimes the tears just wouldn’t come. Instead of a good cry, a loud knock on the door scared the shit out of me. I shot back up to my full height, heart pounding. Did I dare answer it? What if it were an enemy Lisa had made? I shrugged. It might be worse to stay with Lisa until she killed me than to have someone she pissed off do the job quicker. I took a deep breath and opened the door. Standing there was a beautiful, tall, Italian-looking woman with dark eyes and dark hair streaked with soft mahogany highlights. Her makeup was flawless. She wore a royal blue blouse, black slacks, and a black jacket. I spotted the gun holster at her hip as she reached inside her jacket and pulled out her badge. “Hello, Shaylin. I’m Detective Mariska Benson.”