The Wrong Sister

“Bad news,” Mariska said, entering my hotel room the next day. “What’s wrong?” I asked, thinking that the worst possibility was that I might have to be moved right then and there. “I take it you haven’t been listening to the news on either the TV or the radio?” I shook my head. “They’ve been found not guilty.” I stumbled back a step or two as if I had been slapped hard. “What? WHAT?! How could that be?” Mariska looked as disappointed and as pissed as I felt at that moment, right along with stunned. “I don’t know. Some stupid technicality or something like that.” “Oh my God,” I said, my legs buckling as I dropped my weight onto the bed. “That is so wrong. Just so, so wrong.” “I know it is, honey.” I put my head in my hands and cried. Then I looked up and said, “I swear I want to strangle those involved in botching this case as much as I do Lisa.” “I don’t blame you.” “I’ve totally lost my faith in law enforcement and the whole fucking system altogether.” “I get that, but please keep your faith in me long enough to get you moved.” I inhaled sharply. “Oh God, that’s right! She’s totally going to be after me now.” Mariska nodded dubiously. “Yes, unfortunately, the rumor is that she was overheard swearing revenge.” “To whom?” “I don’t know, but that doesn’t matter right now. All that matters is that we get you out of here.” “Am I going to your place now?” “You sure are. Nothing’s changed other than that she’s still free. Let’s gather up what you’ve got, quickly.” Mariska then pulled a cell phone out of her coat pocket. “Jonathan, we’re ready.” A few seconds later, there was a knock on the door, and then a black, plainclothes detective I’d never seen before was let into the room by Mariska. I carried the small cage with my rat in it down the short corridor to the elevator while the others carried the rest of my meager belongings. I tried to move quickly, but my body suddenly felt like it weighed a ton. “We’re going to take a little detour to make sure no one’s following us,” Mariska said. I nodded, still shocked and sickened by the unfair verdict. “An officer is downstairs in the lobby looking for anyone suspicious. As soon as the coast is confirmed to be clear, you’ve got to move fast, okay?” I nodded again, feeling as if I were moving through a dream. A nightmare. I was rushed out of the elevator, out of the building, and into a waiting SUV. Mariska got in the passenger seat while I got in the back with my rat. I looked at the back of the driver’s head. He was an older guy with curly gray hair. “Get down, hon,” Mariska ordered. I slumped to the floor and remained hunkered down on my knees. As the officers spoke to one another about things that didn’t have anything to do with the case, we wound through various side streets throughout the city for what seemed like forever. Eventually, we were dropped off at Mariska’s two-bedroom condo. The building was laid out differently than Lisa’s had been, and it wasn’t on the beach. Lisa’s had been at the end of a strip of four condos. Those four condos were only one story and formed a square, with each one being on a corner. It was quieter and on a less-traveled street. Where the back of Lisa’s condo had opened onto the beach, this one opened onto a private patio and garden. I would have normally liked the sense of seclusion and privacy, but I realized it would be a lot easier for somebody to hide if they wanted to sneak around and spy, unlike at Lisa’s place, where there were no trees or bushes big enough to hide in. My mind was in a whirl. I was pissed. I was scared. I was confused. I didn’t buy the technicality bullshit. I bought the law enforcement–being–above–the–law bullshit instead. Never before had I hated God more than I did at that moment, assuming there was one. Two people I had loved dearly had died tragically. Another had become a monster. What might I be in for with Mariska if I stuck around long enough to find out? I even had a fleeting thought of getting a gun and killing Lisa just so I would no longer have to live in fear of her, but of course, I wasn’t about to go to prison for her either. But little by little, life slowly did go on, and I was able to adapt to my new environment. I cooked, cleaned, and did the things I usually did online. I just had to do them from brand-new accounts and under the alias of Holly Watson. When names weren’t required, I didn’t bother to give one. But Holly was my new name, like it or not. I didn’t like or dislike it, to be honest. It was just average. I hoped that Lisa had assumed I went back to the desert and wasn’t hiding out in plain sight right under her nose. I had to admit it kind of made me giggle to think of her reaction if she knew that one of her own was hiding me out—and just fifteen minutes away, too. Since I hadn’t returned to the desert and was really just a stone’s throw away, I couldn’t go out anywhere, anytime. Lisa had really stolen my freedom. My outings were limited to necessities, which mostly meant going to my new doctors who were part of the program. And I didn’t go there dressed as myself either. I wore a baseball cap and dark sunglasses. I also dressed in several layers to make myself appear bigger than I was. My long caramel-brown hair was now short and red. “Is there a list of people in the program that Lisa could get a hold of?” I asked Mariska one day. “Or a way to access the list of patients that the doctors in the program treat?” “There shouldn’t be any way to pull that information up, so no.” “I hope not. It’s been eight months, and yet I still fear being found. Lisa’s not the type to cut her losses and give up so easily. She’ll always be looking for me, probably even if she got a girlfriend to distract her and take up some of her time.” “Yeah, you’re probably right. That’s why we need to hide you out—probably for life.” Mariska and I got along well, but our relationship was strictly roommates and nothing intimate. She knew I didn’t want that. Mariska was attractive and had a great personality, but I honestly couldn’t see myself with anybody ever again. And if I were to, it would be a very long time before I even thought about it. For now, it was enough for me to concentrate on my daily tasks and simply stay alive. I just wished I could get Lisa off my mind. I feared her. I missed her. And I also wished her death. Funny how we sometimes get what we wish for—but I’ll get to that soon.