Inachevé

One - Do Not Tell a Soul

1940 in New York City...

Silence settled on the Byrn’s New York apartment around 10:00 at night.  Like all evenings, the young wife and mother or two, Addy, sat at her desk writing her fourth novel.  She was the author of two best sellers with the titles of, “Till Morning: A Memoir” and “Entering Heaven: Meeting my Husband.”  As she sat writing, the family beagle waddled over to her chair and licked the hand resting in her lap.  She jumped at the warm touch and turned to the dog.   She exhaled slowly and placed a hand on her chest, “You scared me!”  The beagle wagged her entire, chubby body and nuzzled her hip.  “I see, you need to go out.”  Addy smiled and shoved the chair out from beneath her.  She went to the closest and pulled on a heavy coat and wrapped a thin scarf around her neck.   The dog licked her lips and started hopping in front of the door desperately.  “Hold on, Poppet!”  Addy said as she tied a knot in her scarf and walked to the front door.  “Let me get a flashlight and then we can go out.”

Addy was a beautiful woman with ebony colored hair and golden skin.  Her eyes were large, dark, and questioning.  She was a peaceful creature with no intent to harm anyone; she wasn’t innocent, though, she could be surprisingly bold when necessary.   Having a husband part of the police force, Addy learned to be more alert to her surroundings.  She wasn’t alert in the sense of better physical awareness, but knowing what to be aware of and avoiding it.     Her husband, Christopher, was very attractive as well.  He had a strong, noble face and a broad build.  He had a gentle disposition alongside his protective one, as he was the lieutenant in the police force.  

“Come on, Poppet,” Addy whispered as she opened their front door.  The beagle ran out and then turned to wait while she locked the door.  “Let’s go.”  Addy walked down the carpeted corridor and tip toed down the stairs.  The beagle raced ahead and stood impatiently in front of the door.   Addy opened the front door and switched on her flashlight.  The beagle stepped and disappeared into the darkness.  Addy lifted the light source from the ground and searched the pathway in front of her.  She couldn’t find the beagle.  “Poppet?”  Addy whispered as a cool wind whipped up her scarf.  Believing the dog had wandered to the back, where she often went to pick on the neighbor’s cat, Addy made her way to the side of the building.

The breeze picked up and Addy began feeling uncomfortable.  Something wasn’t right; even the air seemed disturbed.  Addy stopped in her tracks and every hair rose and she saw a shadow engulf hers.   Addy spun around, and opened her mouth to scream, but she was suddenly silenced by a strong hand.  Addy kicked, punched, and struggled against two powerful hands, but she was no match.  Addy immediately identified the attacker as a man.  She couldn’t see him, which told her he was dressed in complete black except for the flashing handle of a loaded weapon underneath his jacket.   The man moved his hand from her mouth and around her throat.  He pressed her against the wall.

“Money!”  Addy gasped as she tried to pick his burly fingers off of her tender neck.  “Please, I’ll give you -,”

“I don’t want your money…not yet,”  the man growled as he closed in on her.  “I want you!”  the man buried his face against her neck and took her ruthlessly.

Two hours passed and the man finally released her.  Addy slumped to the floor, whimpering and wondering if she was still alive  The man knelt before her and stared coldly into her moist eyes.  “You give me the money in installments.  I’ll be here once a month to pick up the money.”

Through tears, Addy mumbled, “How much?”

“In total,” the man tilted his head to the sky in thought.  “25 thousand.  If you don’t show up with the money,” the man grabbed her by the collar and pulled her to him, “I’ll kill your two children, your beagle, and your husband!  If you speak about this to your cop husband, I’ll do something worse.  I’ll be watching you...all the time.”  The man threw her to the ground and disappeared. Addy stared into the darkness and tried to comprehend what had happened.  She knew what he had done to her, but she tried to pretend she didn’t experience the pain, humiliation, vulnerability, and shame.   She pulled herself slowly to her feet and walked towards the apartment’s entrance.  Her whole body shook and her muscles ached, she could hardly walk.   Once she made it inside the building, she started up the stairs.   When she got to the top, there was a penetrating fear that he would be back to do harm.  Addy’s vision blurred and she collapsed.