The Bars Between Us

30. Opening Up

Sorry for the long wait! I should have an update up next week on Thursday and after that unfortunately there will be another wait. I am trying to stick to a schedule I made a week ago so should have things up more regularly. :) Thanks for sticking with me!

The cop left an hour ago, and ever since I have not been able to move, feeling shaken and scared. I contemplated trying again with reporting it to the cops, but the fear of the same reaction, or even person, had me quickly disregarding it. Do I leave and never look back, but risk the threat being followed through with? Roman is bound to have been told by now about my attempted report. I eventually find the strength to stand up, to do what I don't know. I start towards the door, but stop and turn back, running my hands up through my hair. I let out a groan in frustration at feeling so helpless. I want to get out of here, but the threat has me around the throat, like a chain, keeping me here.

The ringtone for someone calling my phone fills the house. I feel my pocket, and find that it's empty. My phone must have fallen out during the struggle. I search everywhere that I have been, and find it on the kitchen floor near the cupboards. I bend down and snatch it up. I flip it open and see that Piper is calling. Answering it, I bring it up to my ear.

"Hey, I just wanted to call to see whether everything was okay after I left, it seemed a bit tense." Hearing her voice, I break down into tears. I hear her asking me what's wrong, but I can't draw in enough breath to answer her.

"DeeDee! What happened?" she asks frantically. The use of the nickname snaps me out of the hysterics and I manage to talk.

"Please don't call me that," I mumble.

"OK, I won't. I'm here for you. Tell me what the matter is." I recall her earlier offer, and decide to take her up on it.

"Can I come and stay with you?" I ask, feeling the chain loosening and a plan forming in my mind. If I leave Roman a note saying that I have gone to stay with Piper, Roman will know where to find me and will hopefully think that I haven't gone running off on him.

"Of course! My door is always open for you, you know that," she tells me. A small smile manages to make its way onto my face. I may not have a great husband, but my friends make up for it.

"OK, I'll be there in about half an hour. I'll speak to you then," I say.

"Are you OK? Do you want me to come pick you up?" Her concern and worry for me has tears trying to escape again. Roman would never care enough to ask me that.

"Not really, but I will be. No, I'll be fine to drive," I let her know.

"OK, I'll see you soon, and you can tell me what this is all about," she says before ending the call.

Feeling a lot freer and more hopeful, I run up the stairs and into the bedroom. I can escape. I can get out of here. I grab a bag, and blindly throw in clothes, toiletries and anything else I may need. It's the quickest I have done anything. Once the bag is full, I give a cursory glance around the room for anything else that I may have missed. My eyes fall onto the bedside table, and to where I put Nixon's case file last night. I place my bag on the bed, and lift the papers up. I look down at the top paper and see that it's one I haven't read. It's a witness account to a fight which Grace and Nixon had a week before she was murdered. I sit down on the edge of the bed, all the while knowing that Roman could be home any minute, and scan the text. The man, a neighbor of Grace's, says that shouting was heard from the apartment, the gist of which was about the potential affair that Grace was having. I knew of this already, but the details of what the man heard points even more toward Nixon's guilt. In file, there never seems to be any possibility of any other potential suspect. It all points to Nixon. But should I have expected any different? Their whole case they were building as on Nixon, so it was bound to be a bit biased. If I want to make my own suspects then I need to do my own investigation, and that means talking to witnesses and people who knew them with my own questions.

Feeling like I have wasted enough time here, I stand up, shoving the file into my bag, and make my way downstairs. As I walk to my car, I send a message to Roman.

I'll be staying at Piper's for a short amount of time. You know where to find me if you want me. I don't know when I'll be back.

My insides flutter as I press the send button. The last remnants of the chains fall away from me as I get into the car. I feel free for the first time in a long time.

Here you go! Hope you liked it!

I have also started a personal blog (not to be confused with my author one) where I will be posting book reviews, writing tips, recipes, and other blog-type posts. You can find me at: www.caffeinechocolateandbooks.com. I have parts written and set them up to post automatically each week so they are definitely weekly.

What did you think?

What will happen next?

CC ;)