The Wrong Sister

After a few more hours of sleep, I got out of bed and brushed my teeth with the no-frills, non-electric toothbrush that had been placed in the bathroom. I already missed my electric toothbrush and my dental floss. There was a knock on the door just as I was rinsing my mouth. My pulse quickened, and I gingerly stepped up to the door to peer through the peephole. It was Mariska. I opened the door. “Uh-uh,” she said in a scolding tone of voice. “But I recognized you through the peephole.” “You should still ask for the code word no matter what.” “Ok, what’s the code word, Detective?” She smiled at my attempt at humor, and then she asked how I slept. “Horribly. I had an awful nightmare about Lisa finding me and dragging me out of here. I was screaming the whole way, but everybody around us was deaf and blind—thank God.” “Classic nightmare,” she said with a knowing expression on her face as she placed a few bulky bags down on the table, “especially given all you’ve gone through.” “What’s this?” I asked, stepping up to the table. “Clothes from the condo.” “Really?” I peered into the bags at the familiar items. “I always appreciate my own things as opposed to stuff chosen for me by a stranger, but how did you manage to get into the condo and get these things? Lisa’s going to notice they’re missing, and that’s going to ruin even the slightest possibility of her thinking that I was abducted.” She turned to face me. “Actually, she knows we’ve got you in hiding.” “What?” I said in surprise. “There’s been a slight change of plans.” “It can’t be too slight if she knows where I am.” “Don’t worry. You’re perfectly safe. But we really need you to testify against her in court, and therefore she has to know that you haven’t been kidnapped or anything.” “Testify? But what can I possibly testify about other than that she threatened to sell me?” “The abuse she put you through.” “How will that help?” “By showing her true character. If the jury can see that she’s not a very nice person, and how easily she could assault you and make it look like you tried to kill yourself so you could be hospitalized, then they’re more likely to buy the fact that she was involved in human trafficking.” I chewed on this for a moment and then said, “I get your point, but it would’ve been nice if somebody had asked me first. Now she knows for sure that I’m alive. And close by.” “But not obtainable. I understand you prefer to be asked first, but we had to act quickly. Think about it, Shaylin. Do you want to see her simply get on with her life as if nothing happened, while you have to start all over again from scratch, after all you’ve already been through? Or do you want to see her held accountable for at least some of her actions? If she’s convicted as a co-conspirator in this case, then by the time she’s released from prison, she’ll be too old to do you any harm.” I thought about it some more. “Even as a former cop?” “Even as a former cop.” “I just worry about her getting special breaks because of who she is.” “She won’t. Not when it comes to something like this. But we can’t do it without witnesses like you, as well as a few others she attempted to sell.” “Why aren’t she and the others in jail pending the outcome of the trial?” Mariska shrugged. “The judge decided they weren’t a flight risk.” “Oh, please,” I snorted with disgust. “That’s one hell of a stupid judge, then. These are cops. They know how to hide, don’t they?” Mariska looked at me with empathy evident in her eyes. “I don’t know what department the others were in, but Lisa makes a living by finding those who don’t want to be found. She knows every trick in the book.” “I agree with you. I totally and honestly agree with you. Judge Weiner made a bad decision.” “Well, let it be known right now that if that decision costs me my safety, that’s Judge Weiner’s ass, and I don’t care how threatening that may sound. Consider it a fact. If anything happens to me and I live to tell about it, both he and Lisa will be held accountable.” “Ok. Fair enough.” “Tell me more about the trial.” “She was in on it with one other female cop and four male cops. The other woman has agreed to testify against everyone else involved in exchange for immunity.” I stared at Mariska incredulously. “She’s involved in the selling of human beings and she gets to get off scot-free?” “Better to nail five out of the six than none at all. Doing it this way gives us a much better chance than having them all turn against each other and point fingers at everybody but themselves.” “But how will the jury know they can trust this woman? She’s a criminal, too.” “That’s just how these things work, honey.” She sat on the edge of the bed. “But I’m not going to lie to you. There is a chance that everyone might be found innocent if any of the members of the jury are afraid to rule against law enforcement. We screen for these things up front, but sometimes people see celebrities, doctors, lawyers, and police officers a little differently than they see everybody else.” “It’s too bad, too. Their blood runs just as red as ours.” “Well, you and I are smart enough to know that and to know that people are still human beings regardless of occupation, but not everybody sees it that way. Plus, you’re going to be under fire during cross-examination. The defense is going to try to paint a negative picture of you.” “Yeah, I’ve seen enough movies and read enough books to know that’s what they do. Are they being tried separately?” Mariska shook her head. “No. All defendants will be tried together.” “Well, at least I’ll just have one greedy lawyer to deal with and not five of them tearing into me.” Mariska smiled softly. “It always pays to look at the positive side of a lousy situation, I suppose.” “Yeah, it’s just not always easy to do. Was she home when you got my things?” Mariska nodded. “She was.” “Well, this ought to be interesting. I can’t wait to hear all the details. What did she say? How did she act?” “Defiant, but cooperative at the same time, since she’s about to be prosecuted for a very serious crime and probably convicted as well.” “So what did she say?” “I went there with my partner, Nick, and Nick stayed with her while I gathered some of your things, so he talked to her more than I did. I get the impression she thinks she can beat the trial and that you’ll be back with her soon enough. Meanwhile, I got as much as I could for you.” “Thank you very much for that. Any sign of my laptop?” “No. We weren’t looking for that, to be honest. A device you’ve already used could be traceable. I’m sorry, but we just wanted to get your necessities—clothes and some shoes.” “Those will be very helpful.” “Since we don’t want to risk your safety by taking you to a drugstore to pick up personal items, I thought you could make me a little list and I would pick up what you need as soon as I can. I just didn’t want to get anything like shampoo, mouthwash, or toothpaste from the condo that could have been tampered with.” After a few more minutes, Mariska left me alone with my boredom and unhappy thoughts. I was depressed, angry, and going a little crazy. I looked forward to the day this finally ended. If it weren’t for my little fur baby to keep me company through the long, lonely hours, I think I might have cracked up completely. But sleep was no relief from my boredom and worries. Lisa waited for me in my nightmares, so not even the thought of sleep cheered me up anymore, since it was no escape from reality. I found my thoughts turning darker—cooped up in a hotel room by day, tormented by nightmares at night. Was life really worth it?