“You’ll probably just want stuff for a week or so.” Nick was telling her as they neared her door. He pulled out the spare key she’d given him a few months ago when she’d gone on vacation and he’d taken care of her dog. “Unless you want to stay with me longer, but we could always come back and pick up more things."
She just gripped his arm as he unlocked the door and swung it open. Then they moved into a small, quaint apartment.
“Okay, the bedroom.” He reached out and took her hand, leading the way through the tiny kitchen and down the little hallway into her bedroom. Then he remembered Speckles, her two-year old Cocker Spaniel. “Let’s hope Speckles hasn’t wet the carpet.”
Celeste just nodded and trailed behind Nick.
They entered the bedroom and Nick ducked his head, looking for the dog. “Speckles, Speckie? Here baby…” He made a clicking noise with his tongue.
Nick dropped Celeste’s hand and dropped to the floor. He peered under the bed. “Speckles?” No dog under there. Usually she came running when someone called her name. He sat back on his heels and looked around the room. “Where could she be?”
Celeste glanced around the room also. Then she moved out and into the hallway.
Nick stood up and moved into the small bathroom off Celeste’s bedroom. No dog in there either. He even checked in the shower. Okay, now this was getting really weird. Where was that damn dog? But Celeste’s screams from the living room caught Nick’s attention.
In a panic he was out of the bedroom, down the hall, and in the living room. “What? What is it?”
Celeste stood by the sliding door that led to her little patio. The open sliding door. The open sliding door that had been forced open, proven by the splintered wood that stuck out of the doorjamb. She had her hands up over her face, covering her eyes, and she screamed again.
Nick’s eye scanned the room and then they stopped. He felt bile rise in his throat as he involuntarily stumbled back. “Oh God!” The moan escaped his lips and he reached out for Celeste.
She screamed again at his sudden touch and pulled away, hitting the couch and collapsing onto it. She drew her legs up and buried her face into her knees. Her body trembled considerably.
Nick turned away from the sight and kneeled on the couch. He pulled Celeste into his arms. “Shhh baby, it’s okay.” He smoothed a hand over her head. But he still couldn’t get the image out of his mind. Speckles, lying on the carpet, split wide open from her tail to her neck. Her insides poking out as she lay in a puddle of blood.
He felt his stomach churn again. “It’s okay Celeste.” He grabbed his phone out of his pocket, still keeping a tight grip on her. “I’m gonna call the police.”
She just sobbed into her knees as Nick talked to the cops. Then he hung up. “They’ll be here soon.” He kissed the top of her head. Thoughts were whirling through his head. Who would do this? Why would anyone do this? How could someone hurt an innocent animal like that? Better yet, why? Did it have anything to do with the rape? Was it the same person? Or could the two incidents be completely unrelated?
He tightened his arms around Celeste, drawing her closer into his chest. Poor girl, first the rape and now this. And what was this going to do to her? Draw her farther into her own little world? It definitely wasn’t going to help in her recovery. He knew that for sure.
Suddenly she pulled away from him. She stood up and bolted out of the room.
“Celeste?” Worried, he hurried after her.
Nick found her in the bathroom. She was kneeling over the toilet, her head resting on her arm. He crouched down behind her and lifted her hair back and out of her face.
“It’s okay baby.” He smoothed her back as she leaned forward and emptied the contents of her stomach again. Then he grabbed a washcloth from the cabinet, wet it, and pressed it to her forehead. “Feel better?”
She sat up and took it from him, wiping her mouth off with it. She just shook her head.
“Okay, let’s get you in the kitchen.” He pulled her up and wrapped an arm around her waist. Then he guided her back down the hall and into the kitchen, where they would wait for the police, and hopefully an answer to what had happened, and why.
He settled her into a chair and pulled a glass out of the cupboard. He filled it with cool water and handed it to her. “Drink up.”
She took a few sips, then gave it back to him, shaking her head.
Nick dumped it out in the sink and sank into a chair next to hers. He reached out and encompassed her hand in his. He wanted to say something to her, comfort her with words. But he didn’t know what to say. Besides, he doubted anything he could come up with would be what she wanted to hear. So sometimes the best thing to do is remain quiet, but let them know you’re there. And that’s just what he was doing.