Twice Resolved, Carol Pehrson [romance book recommendations txt] 📗

Bridgette held her breath and looked at them again. Pre-occupied with other thoughts, something caught her eye. To her distant right were two men nodding and talking quietly to each other. That's when she spotted him. At the moment, he was whispering in the other man’s ear. He had his massive back turned towards her, but she knew it was him. Even now, after so many years, she could never forget him. Perhaps it was his bright red hair that caught her eye. Maybe it was the nervous tapping of his left foot against the dirty, grey marble floor. She recalled seeing that as a small child and had never quite forgotten it. Mostly, it was his unusual laugh that she remembered. It began with a low rasping giggle and grew into a full guttural guffaw, oftentimes drawing the attention of those near, just as he was doing now.

“Oh! Dear God!” To think that after all this time, “I've finally found him." Bridgette thought nervously.

Seeing him again brought back a barrage of horrible flashbacks. What had happened to her as a child was always just at the edge of her memory. She could go for months, even years without a recalling the ordeals. But now it was all rushing in too fast and the reoccurring nightmare-like scenes were almost suffocating her. She felt weak. The darkness! The dampness! The pain! The blood! The games! Especially, those ugly, dirty games that he played repeatedly. Those secret games had left her feeling filthy. Worst of all was how it affected her little sister, Barbie. Poor fragile Barbie was locked away forever in that terrible dark place because of what he did to her.

“Barbie! It is him! I'd know that ugly, sick laugh of his anywhere. Oh, God! Just hearing it again brings it all back. Good thing you can't hear it. But I'm strong, now, Barbie. I won't let him get to me like he did you. This time I swear to God! I'll get him first!" Bridgette said in silent discussion.

"I'll make you pay for what you did to my sister. You rotten bastard! I'll see you in Hell! I won't make the mistake you made. I'll see you dead and I will be sure of it," she whispered.

Anxiously looking around to evaluate her situation, Bridgette noticed how the scattered crowd was beginning to slowly, move together, toward the loading platform. A quake-like rumble sounded from a distant train.

She turned and secretly watched him from the dim alcove in the nearby stairway. His discussion with the other man had ended. He now went to join the milling crowd in waiting for the approaching train. Following in his direction, she watched him weave his way toward the front of the eagerly-waiting group. All were moving cautiously forward, but not him.

No, not him, instead, he hurriedly pushed his way forward, as pompus people often do. He had reached the edge of the platform's opening and was bending slightly forward to watch for the express train's passing. Just then, the train's shrill whistle blew one long, steady shriek of warning.

Too bad, HE didn’t heed its warning.

She moved too fast for anyone to really see what happened. Even his scream of terror went unnoticed in all the confusion and noise of the shocked crowd. One instant he was there; the next he was gone. "Probably got sucked in by the passing train's vacuum," she overheard a curious onlooker comment as she quietly exited the station.

"It's over now, Barbie. He's dead. I promised you I’d take care of him. He'll never hurt anyone again!" Bridgette thought, with a confident smile as she entered the waiting Yellow Cab, parked at the curb outside of the station.

The next morning two small stories appeared in the New York Times:

TOURIST KILLED IN SUBWAY ACCIDENT

Visiting cleric Rev. Wm. J. Clark, age 41, was found dead at 7:15 P.M. last night. According to witnesses, he apparently slipped while walking toward the platform's edge to view an oncoming train. Rev. Clark, of London, England, was visiting our country with a group of clerics staying at the St. John's Episcopal Seminary. Service arrangements are incomplete at this time.

FEMALE CONVICT STILL AT LARGE

After three days, convict Barbie Collins is still at large after escaping from the N.Y. State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Collins is considered extremely dangerous. She is suffering from multiple personality syndromes and sometimes goes by the name of "Bridgette" Collins. Collins was serving a life term after the brutal slaying of her father, the Rev. Jason Collins in 1984. Reasons for the slaying were never disclosed.

Publication Date: 11-05-2012

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