The FBI had kept Adrian and I away from the hospital for two days, while Maria recovered.
The extent of her injuries had come in. Two cracked ribs and a third with a clean break. A black eye, a busted lip, and a concussion from when he slammed her head into the headboard. Last but not least, he'd left her with nasty bruising all over her body, including floor burn on her legs and her arms.
The worst was still to come. The story had broken. Media outlets from all over the world had arrived overnight and were swarming the hospital. She was being discharged today and the world just had to get their first look at the only living survivor of The Doll Collector.
Backstrom had asked for more agents, so we'd been blessed with six more agents to not only protect Maria while in the hospital, but to assist in her discharge day. They were standing just outside of the hospital entrance, keeping the cameras and ornery reporters at bay.
I knew that Backstrom was keeping us away to put a thorn in my side. It was so stupid that she was my victim and I wasn't even allowed to see her.
The only good thing to come from this was the return of my private office. The FBI had taken over an interrogation room, now that the case had 'cracked wide open.'
Their confidence did wear at my anxiety. For two days they had been in close contact with Maria, and with my absence, I had no idea what she had said. Word around the station was that they hadn't gotten a formal statement from her yet. Those rumors kept me afloat, but it was only a matter of time.
Everything was business as usual at the station, with our glass walls, and lack of privacy. Positivity radiated from every officer. It was hard not to be joyous when you'd rescued a woman from a serial killer.
Conversations were mixing together as usual and the phones were ringing in a low volume. It was a steady hum, until suddenly, it was cut.
At first I didn't notice the change in sound, until the silence settled too thickly on my eardrums. I looked up spotting the cause for such quietness.
Maria.
I stood, catching her attention. A dark ring had settled around her formally swollen eye. Bruises were splotched on one side of her face, with a busted lip still healing. Two agents were holding onto her, likely keeping her on her feet.
Adrian got to her first, and invited her to sit down while another officer brought her a cup of water. She winced and placed a hand on her ribs as they helped her take a seat.
All eyes were on her, many rookies staring as if she were an oddity behind a glass. Many of these guys were straight out of the academy, and had never seen anything like this. Maria couldn't drop her eyes from me. There was no accusatory look, but it was her way of telling me that this was my doing, I had caused all of this.
Shortly behind Maria were Jenny and her parents.
Mrs. Gonzalez was in tears already, so eternally grateful to us, for finding her daughter. Adrian directed her to me, just as she threw her arms around me.
Mother-in-law, hello.
She thanked me over and over again like a broken record until her husband pried her away and thanked me with a firm handshake.
Lieutenant Baby met with us and invited Maria into an interrogation room.
As another officer led her away, he leaned into us and told us to hurry before Backstrom caught wind of Maria being here.
We nodded, hurrying in after her and shut the door.
She took a seat at the metal table, still holding her cup of water. Maria moaned in pain and sucked in a sharp breath which only made it worse. We waited for it to pass, then Adrian clicked his pen and flipped the page of his legal pad, looking up at Maria.
"How are you feeling?" He asked.
"I'm feeling okay I guess." She replied, gripping her cup. "The hospital loaded me up on painkillers."
"Did they release you from the hospital?" I asked.
Duh Kristopher, just shut up.
"Yeah, they let me go this morning. Um listen, I came here to thank you for saving me. He wasn't done with me... but I couldn't take it anymore. I blacked out for a few seconds I think and then you guys showed up. He must have heard you. He was going to kill me and if you hadn't found me-"
Her voice hitched in her throat and she sucked in a sharp breath instead. The whites of her eyes inked over with redness and grew bright with tears. We figured it was partly the memories of the experience, as well as the pain in her ribs.
Maria blinked them away, shaking her head.
"I'm sure you guys wanna know what all happened while I was kidnapped, right?"
We nodded. Needless to say I was the most interested in what she was going to say.
"He kept me in his home, with his dolls. He had a special room for them, it had no windows and was decorated in a victorian style. It was like a punishment at first, to be locked in there, but he had such an attachment to them, that I began to realize really it was a compliment from him. He trusted me with them. I know this is going to sound weird, but for a serial killer he was really nice, at first anyway. He fed me and always made sure I had water. I was like a little plant to him." she said.
"Did you ever try to get away?" I asked.
Maria flicked her eyes to me briefly, then lowered them back to her cup of water. She gripped it, then lifted it up to her lips. She nodded, as she set it back down on the metal tabletop.
"One day he brought me dinner. This was about three months into my imprisonment. He set the plate Dow , and I grabbed the fork and tried to stab him in the throat. He was bigger than me, so he caught my hand and forced the fork away. There was this look in his eyes that I'll never forget. It was so dark and frightening. As punishment for trying to kill him, he didn't allow me to bathe for three months. I had already been stuck in the clothes I'd worn on our date for three months and now an additional three months without bathing, it was hell."
"Why did it take you so long to try and attack him?" I asked.
"I don't know. I didn't want to upset him, I was frightened of him. He was a serial killer after all, and the fact that he had kept me alive for that long told me that something was holding him back. If I was good, he'd be good. I always expected that whenever he came near me it was going to be the day I died. But when days turned into weeks I figured it was because I hadn't tried anything. My courage finally returned to me and that's when I made my move... Eventually, my period showed up and he gave me a change of his clothes and let me shower." she said.
"How did you meet him?" Adrian asked.
"My ex-roommate, Jenny, which she's told me she's been very acquainted with you two," Maria joked, smiling lightly, "She convinced me to join a dating app. I was on there for a few weeks, and I kept meeting loser after loser. Just as I was about to give up, I received a message from this guy. I don't know, we just, seemed to click. Our conversations would stretch for long periods of time, and it was never boring. Finally when he asked me out, I felt inclined to go. We met at a bar, then he drove us to the restaurant. Once there, he was different from the man I'd met online. He couldn't stop talking about his dolls. I was this close to climbing out of the bathroom window, but unfortunately, my lack of exercise finally caught up with me, and I was unable to squeeze through. On our way back to the bar, afterward, he asked me if I was up for a nightcap. He wanted to make up for such a shitty date. I just... I just really wanted it to work. I know this is embarrassing, and going on the record, but I was feeling so lonely. I felt that I was going to be alone forever, so I took a chance because I felt that somewhere there, was the guy I'd gotten to know online. He gave me a glass of wine, and I guess he put something in it. I started to feel weird, like my mind was going fuzzy. He offered his bed for me to lie down while he got me a glass of water. That's when I realized that I'd been drugged and I was communicating everything to Jenny while I hid. His dog ratted me out, because he'd come into the doll room with me. I was stupid enough to hide there, but I didn't know he had that room. I realized that he was the killer from TV and that the dolls he had spoken of were human dolls. I hid in the closet of the room. He found me, and I tried my hardest to fight back, but he slammed my head into the front door and the next time I woke up, I was shackled to the bed in the doll room." she explained.
"Did he assault you sexually?" Adrian asked.
"No, he didn't touch me in any inappropriate manner. He'd never really shown any kind of violent tendencies, other than being a serial killer. He'd been docile until the night you found me. The pressure of being caught was finally getting to him, and he told me that he wasn't going to give me a chance to be found and give him away. I tried to talk to him out of killing me, but his mind was set. He was like a caged lion and he was going to take out anything that might end him.
"So you said he kept you in his home, but we found you in the cabin." Adrian pointed out.
Maria nodded.
"When it was announced that the FBI had taken over, he panicked, and moved me out of his home, to the cabin. He figured that was a place that had already been investigated, so the chances of me being found there were slim."
Adrian nodded, writing down the information.
"What kind of relationship did you guys have? It seems he told you everything." Adrian said.
"He would talk to me a lot. I didn't always respond, but he seemed to like the company... I guess he figured that I would never be in a situation like this, speaking to officers."
I stared at Maria completely shocked in the way that she was weaving a whole story together. She was too good at this, and it made me wonder again, if the feelings she admitted to having for me, was just that, a story to get me to let her go.
The door to the interrogation room suddenly opened with none other than the biggest pain in the ass ever.
Backstrom glared at us, stepping into the room.
I could say whatever I wanted about her, but there was no denying that she held a heavy presence. You always knew when she was in the room.
If I didn't want her dead, she would certainly be someone that I would never mess with. In fact I might even respect her, but regardless, I wanted her dead.
"I wish I could say I can't believe you'd interview Maria without my knowledge, but then I'd be lying to myself." she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Just warming her up." Adrian told her, standing up.
He turned to Maria, extending his hand out to shake hers.
"Thank you again, detectives. I'd be dead right now if you hadn't found me. He was very close to ending all of this."
The emotion caught up with her again, only this time she gave in and broke down crying. Backstrom placed her hand on the small of Maria's back. In a swift movement, Maria was in Elaine's arms.
There was a negative feeling gnawing at me chest. I was the reason for this, even though I hadn't been the one to beat her up. Backstrom spoke softly to her, and got Maria to sit back down.
"Gentleman, I can take over from here." she said.
I spotted an ounce of empathy in her eyes, which told me that she somehow knew what Maria was going through.
"Um, can I ask something?" Maria piped up from where she was still dissolving in her seat.
The three of us nodded.
"Th-this is going to be my first night back at my apartment. Jenny has offered to stay with me, but I was wondering if maybe I could have some kind of police detail. I don't think I'll be able to feel safe at home for a while."
"We'll send someone." Backstrom assured, petting the top of Maria's head.
It was incredibly off to see Backstrom be a normal human.
Maria nodded, using the sleeve of her sweater to wipe her nose.
"If it's okay, Maria, I'd like to speak to you about what happened." Backstrom said.
"Sure, whatever you need." Maria replied.
"Do you remember what he looked like?"
"I can never forget. For someone who looked so young, there was a lifetime of evil in him."
Backstrom had us step out of the room, and ended up speaking with Maria for over an hour. Afterwards, she sent the sketch artist in to get a drawing of what this serial killer looked like.
My heart was in my throat unsure of whether Maria had decided she was going to give me up.
I knew that it would give Elaine immeasurable pleasure to see me go down, even though she probably didn't have an inkling that the serial killer she was stalking was very close to her.
When Maria finished, she met up with Jenny and her family, whom had been sitting in the station for the duration of her interview.
Lieutenant Baby walked up to her, thanking her for coming down and giving a statement about what happened. He then took a look around the station and landed on me.
"I'll send Detective Marner to stay with you tonight, if that's okay?" Lieutenant Baby asked Maria.
"One of the men who saved me, that's okay with me. Thank you Lieutenant Carter." she smiled, though the sadness was visible on her face.
"You're welcome. I'll send Marner over tonight. In the meantime, I would suggest investing in some type of security to help you begin to feel safe."
"Thank you, Lieutenant, and thank you Detective Marner."
I nodded, but let's be real, this was the most convenient moment of all time.
I glanced at Jenny who had gone pale beside Maria.
This would be interesting.
Lieutenant Baby sent her home with a police escort then came to me with Maria's home address for me to save and be at, at 7 p.m. sharp.
I couldn't stop thinking about her for the rest of the day.
I was being sent to take care of her, which would mean that I'd have her to myself after being away from her for 4 days, but Jenny was also going to be there.
Very interesting.
I knocked on Maria's front door promptly at 7 p.m.
Inside was an officer, who tipped his head at me as he exited. I walked in, announcing my presence. Maria was on the sofa curled up to a pillow with Jenny beside her, enjoying a bowl of ice cream.
The TV was on with our favorite movie, Psycho.
"Evening Ladies, how are we?" I asked.
"Okay," Maria answered.
"Not to judge, but should you be watching a movie such as, Psycho, after what you went through?"
"That's what I'm saying," Jenny said, "But it's her favorite movie." she shrugged
I nodded, taking off my jacket. Maria unfurled herself from the pillow she had hugged to her chest, as Jenny took my jacket to hang up.
I thanked her as she offered me a seat on the armchair, diagonal to the sofa.
"Are you hungry?" she asked.
"Don't go to any trouble." I replied.
"No trouble at all. I made dinner, come I'll serve you."
Maria wobbled to her feet, asking Jenny to relax while she took care of me. There was light arguing but Maria has hobbled to the kitchen already, so I followed after her. Maria reached for a plate in the cabinet and began loading it up with mashed potatoes and two legs of barbecue chicken.
"Will Jenny be staying?" I whispered.
"She's worried about me." Maria replied, placing the lids over the pots again.
Maria turned and handed me the plate, opening a drawer to give me a fork.
I sat down at her tiny kitchen table with my warm plate. She smiled lightly as she returned to the living room with Jenny.
After I finished eating everything she had served me, I met back up with them. They spent the rest of the night watching movies until they passed out, asleep on the sofa.
You know, I thought that spending the night at Maria's apartment was going to be fun, but apparently not. I pushed myself out of the armchair and stretched my back.
Everything had fallen still, so I turned the TV off and made sure the girls were covered with blankets, then walked to the window.
How I missed being out in the middle of the night. Now I was trapped in this weird world, where my urges to kill were accepted, but also shunned.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, as a familiar pair of arms slid across my stomach.
I turned around, finding Maria looking up at me.
Her eyes were shining in the dim moonlight leaking in through her window.
It'd been a long time since I had last kissed her, but with Jenny in such close proximity it was too risky.
Maria seemed to have other thoughts, though, and tugged on my tie to come down and meet her lips anyway.
I longed for the privacy we shared in my home. Maybe it was a mistake to let her go. I pulled away, trailing a finger over the dark bruises on her face.the sight of them infuriated me.
"Maria, I-I just want to tell you that I'm so- that I'm... Hearing you in the interview room made me see that you- and I just- I'm-"
I wanted to punch myself for not being able to speak to her. Maria put a finger to my lips and shook her head.
"It's all in the past... That part is over now. It's all over now." she whispered.
"Maria, you know very well that it's not over. It's just getting started." I told her.
"Will you be here to protect me?"
"Do you trust me?" I asked.
"As much as I'd trust a serial killer."
I smiled, rolling my eyes.
"You're a little a psycho, you know that?"
"Compared to who?"
I gave into a chuckle and sent her off to bed.
Yay longer chapter! Lol
Sorry for taking so long, I've been hella exhausted from work, school, and so much emotional shit. Seriously I had the worst experience with a group and I'm just so over everything at this point. I just want to graduate and take a nap lol
How was this chapter?
Maria spoke to Backstrom and gave a description of the killer
Whose description did she give?