CHAPTER 8
Going to her closet, Jesse flipped clothes hangers forward. She stopped to consider a plain black dress. The color matches my mood, she thought. With all the excitement, she had agreed to the cookout, but now wished she hadn’t. Gabriel and Rachel would be together. She turned to look longingly at the bed. What excuse could she give for crawling in and pulling the covers up over her head? She couldn’t lie and she wasn’t about to admit the truth.
Releasing a long breath, she sat down on the bed's edge and picked up the Bible from the nightstand. Turning to the page she had marked the night before, she read the highlighted words aloud. “I will never leave thee, nor for-sake thee.” Encouraged, she went back to the closet and chose an outfit.
Applying lip-gloss and a spray of her favorite perfume, Jesse turned in the mirror to inspect the free-flowing skirt and light summer top. The colors were bright and cheerful but the smile she practiced in the mirror looked stiff. Seeing Gabriel and Rachel together as a couple for the first time would be hard, but she’d get through it, somehow.
Her grandmother was in the living room with Emma and Victoria when Jesse walked in. Looking around the circle of women, her grandmother said, “My, everyone looks lovely. Especially you, Jesse. That shade of light blue is very pretty with your complexion.”
Jesse managed a halfhearted smile. “Thanks, Grammy.”
As they crossed the back yard, her grandmother laced her arm through Jesse’s and leaned in to whisper, “I believe Gabriel will think you look pretty as well.”
If she and her grandmother had been alone, Jesse might have told her about Gabriel and Rachel. Instead, she patted her arm. She would find out soon enough. As they neared the pond, Jesse was surprised to see so many people had already arrived. Adults mingled while children ran and played. Several men stood around Gabriel as he operated a massive grill at the corner of the clearing. In the distance, teenagers tossed a football while another group played horseshoes. The atmosphere was warm and festive. By the time she and her grandmother reached the rows of picnic tables, Jesse had been introduced to more people than she could possibly ever hope to remember.
A group of women from the shelter were introducing themselves to Jesse and her grandmother when the sound of a slow-moving vehicle caught their attention. The silver minivan passed cars parked along the graveled road to pull right up to the clearing. All eyes were on the Pastor as he went around to the passenger’s side. Everyone at the table stood when they recognized Mr. Drake walking between the Pastor and Olivia. As the three neared the pond, a single hand clap broke the silence to spark a crescendo of applause and cheering.
Stepping onto a low-cut stump with Olivia on one side and Mr. Drake on the other, the Pastor lifted his hands toward heaven. A hush fell over the crowd as the Pastor’s voice rang out, “We give You glory, honor and praise, almighty God.” He looked from Olivia to Mr. Drake before his eyes swept the crowd. “You are witnesses to the healing power of God. Lift up your hearts and give thanks, glorify the living God!”
The Pastor’s shout to praise God was met with a resounding, “Hallelujah!” Jesus—the soft chant gained volume until the name echoed through the mountains. The energy all around her was intense, palpable, surpassing anything Jesse had ever experienced. Watching Olivia, Jesse swallowed back tears. “God is good,” she whispered.
Sitting at a picnic table between Olivia and her grandmother, Jesse listened to the light conversation around the table without saying much. Looking to her left, she noticed Olivia looked happy, glowing in a sage green peasant dress. The dress matched her personality, pretty and modest. Turning, Jesse met Mr. Drakes keen gaze from across the table. His expression was searching before softening with realization. Continuing to watch Jesse, he said, “When I was in the hospital, I heard a voice, a sweet voice in my ear. I love you—that’s what I heard, laying there in that hospital bed.” His eyes began to mist before repeating quietly, “I love you. I hadn’t heard those words in a long time. Just a few words—I never knew how important words could be.” Visibly collecting himself, he looked around the table. “I just want to thank you all for being my friends.”
The Pastor nodded. “It’s good to have friends. And the best friends are those who pray for us in our time of need.” As the Pastor talked about the power of prayer, Jesse caught Mr. Drake’s silent message of thanks. With an almost imperceptible nod, she returned his smile. She thanked God for giving her words that Mr. Drake needed to hear.
With casual conversation around the table and so many people stopping by to chat, no one seemed to notice that Jesse had little to say. She smiled at the right times and responded when asked a question, but she was generally distracted. She couldn’t help but wonder about Gabriel. She had been expecting Gabriel and Rachel to join them at the table, but they never did. In fact, she had not seen Rachel all evening and Gabriel spent most of the evening at the grill with a group of men.
As dusk began to fall, several people gathered around a woman playing classical guitar by firelight. She was an excellent guitarist, playing impressive compositions. Just as Jesse started to think Gabriel might avoid their table all evening, she looked up to see him coming in their direction. She focused on the tablecloth she was needlessly smoothing around her drink as he greeted everyone.
She didn’t need to look around to know Gabriel was standing behind her. When he said, “I thought we might go for a walk,” all eyes turned to Jesse, knowing the comment was meant for her. When she didn’t respond, he said, “Jesse, would you care to join me for a walk?”
“No, thank you. I wouldn’t care to talk—walk,” she corrected quickly.
Her grandmother spoke up. “Jesse, I think a walk would do you good.”
She turned with a strained smile to take Gabriel’s offered hand. As they walked in silence around the clearing lit by tiki torches and hanging lanterns, the haunting melody behind them grew distant. She easily recognized the famous piece, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. After a few moments, Gabriel said, “This has been a good day to celebrate.”
“Yes,” she murmured.
As they neared a wooden bench, he said, “Would you mind if we stop here? I was hoping we could talk.”
With a defeated sigh, she sat down. She looked around to see that they were far enough away from the others to have a private conversation. He had chosen a good place to talk. Sitting down next to her, he casually placed an arm along the back of the bench before saying, “Sit back, relax.”
Releasing a long breath, she did sit back but she certainly didn’t relax. Resisting the urge to cross her arms defensively, she folded her hands in her lap and waited to hear what he had to say.
Without a word, he reached across to lift her hand before bringing it to his lips for a gentle kiss.
Her mind froze before running wild. Did that just happen? Had she gasped out loud? What was he doing? Why wasn’t he with Rachel? Pushing all the questions aside, she was left with one thought. He couldn’t possibly say anything more painful than what she already thought. With that in mind, she asked, “Do you think Rachel might misunderstand if she sees us together?”
When he didn’t answer right away, she glanced up to see his puzzled expression. “Would you mind telling me why you asked that?”
“Well, I just thought, I mean, it seems fairly obvious that Rachel is attracted to you, and I—well, I wasn’t sure how you feel about her.”
“I see. And have I behaved in a way that makes you think that I’m attracted to Rachel?”
Her face burned with guilt at the memory of eavesdropping. “I don’t know, um—well, maybe there were a few things.” She paused, wondering if what she was about to say would sound trivial and jealous. Her need to know outweighed her fear of embarrassment. She began hesitantly. “I did notice that you don’t seem to discourage Rachel’s flirting. And then you canceled plans to visit Mr. Drake so you could be alone with her for a private conversation.”
“So, you thought I chose to spend time with Rachel instead of you. I can understand how you may have gotten that impression. I should have been more considerate, thought about how that might have looked to you, and to others.”
She was relieved to hear him agree with her.
He moved so he could see her face. “You’re right, Jesse. I did want to be alone with Rachel, but not for the reason you might think. I wanted to talk to her about her behavior, about the way she treats you and her attitude in general.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “Really?”
“Yes, really. I have never had, nor will I ever have, any romantic interest in Rachel. I explained that to her very clearly yesterday.”
“Never? But I thought you dated in high school.”
“No, Jesse. We did not date in high school. We never dated. After high school, I left for college and she moved to New York to pursue a modeling career. I’m not sure what brought her home six months ago, maybe problems in her career or a failed relationship. I’ll admit that she’s shown an interest since coming home, an interest that I’ve tried to discourage without being hurtful.”
Remembering Rachel’s outburst, Jesse said, “That’s why she was so angry yesterday.”
“I’m sure it was,” he said. “I’m sorry if she took her frustration out on you. I knew there’d be drama. That’s probably why I put off talking to her for so long. But this problem with Rachel isn’t new. It started years ago in high school. My disinterest became her challenge. I’ll admit, she made high school awkward at times. I just never knew how to deal with her. As you know, I was a clumsy teenager.”
“Oh, no, you weren’t clumsy. You were—” she choked back the word wonderful to say, “kind. You were nice to everyone.”
“Are you defending the teenage me, Jesse?” He smiled at the thought before saying, “Well, let’s just say I wasn’t skilled when it came to dealing with the opposite sex. I remember one day in particular that highlights my teenage blundering. A few days after I started driving, the Pastor asked me to stay after church and help him with a project. Rachel was waiting in the church parking lot. She told her parents that I would be driving her to meet them at your grandmother’s house.”
Her voice was little more than a whisper. “I remember that day.”
“Yes, I think you do. I didn’t know it then but that day changed our lives. I saw you when I pulled up but you disappeared. No one seemed to know where you went. By the time I came around the next evening, you had already gone home.
She lowered her eyes, regretting the past. “And then I stayed in D.C. the next summer. You called, but…” Her voice trailed off. She didn’t need to remind him that she’d refused his call.
“It’s okay, Jesse. We both should have done things differently. I should have talked to you sooner but I was afraid of ruining our friendship.”
They sat in silence, each immersed in their own thoughts until Gabriel said, “The day the Jeep window was smashed, I was bandaging your cut and you said that I hurt you. I knew you were talking about the past but I didn’t know when in the past. And then later you met Rachel. When you realized who she was, you looked back at me. I knew then. Ten years ago, you thought Rachel was my girlfriend. I was the one who hurt you when you were very young.”
Her hand came up to rub her forehead, remembering. “I thought you asked Rachel out for a drive. Your mother said…”
“Jesse, look at me.” When she met his gaze, he said, “I never meant to hurt you. I was in love with you then and I’m in love with you now.”
She stared at him, speechless, unable to process the tidal waves of feelings at hearing the words she’d dreamed about for so long. As his arms encircled her, she drifted forward so that her cheek rested on his shoulder. She wanted to capture the moment, commit it to memory. Closing her eyes, she could hear the beautiful, hypnotic music playing in the distance. “Do you hear that, Gabriel? The Theme from Love Story. What a beautiful song. I think it was written for this moment.”
His lips pressed against her hair. “You’re so beautiful, Jesse. I don’t know if it’s a tragedy or a gift that you don’t know that.”
She looked back at him, searching his face. Did he really think she was beautiful? Yes, she could see the sincerity in his eyes.
The honesty, the emotion was almost too much. When she started to turn away, he stopped her. “Don’t look away, Jesse. I’ve waited a lifetime for this moment, imagined what it would be like. Tell me how you feel. I want to hear it.”
Her fingers came up to touch his cheek. “How I feel? You know how I feel. You see it in every glance, in every smile when you walk into a room. I adore you, Gabriel. I’ve been in love with you most of my life.”
His expression was tender as his lips lowered to hers. The kiss was soft, teasing, before deepening in a way that left Jesse breathless.
With his hand still in the curve of her neck, he drew back to say, “I’ve waited so long for you to come home.”
Later that night, as they walked back to the house, she saw people still gathered around the campfire in the distance. At the door, he kissed her goodnight. “I need to check on things. I’ll see you in the morning.”
In the doorway, Jesse turned to watch Gabriel disappear down the steps before going inside. Closing the door, she drifted back against the wood with a sigh.
As she stepped away from the door, a lamp clicked on. Startled, Jesse gasped. “Grammy, what are you doing?”
Getting to her feet, she said, “I couldn’t very well go to sleep with my granddaughter out and a question burning in my mind.”
Jesse linked arms with her grandmother as they walked toward the stairs. “I was with Gabriel so I don’t think you were worried. So, tell me, Grammy, what burning question has kept you up so late?”
Her grandmother smiled. “I just had to know, did a walk do you good?”
Remembering her reluctance to go with Gabriel, Jesse laughed. “Oh, yes Grammy, you were absolutely right. A walk did me a world of good.” She sighed happily. “We’re in love, Grammy.”
Her grandmother didn’t seem surprised. “Yes, you are, and it’s about time you both admitted it.”
“Oh, we did admit it, Grammy. It was wonderful, romantic, beautiful, with moonlight and soft music. I confess, Grammy, I’m madly, hopelessly in love.”
______________________________
Jesse woke up early the next morning, eager to embrace the day. Thinking she would be going to the shelter with Gabriel, she put on slacks and comfortable shoes but took extra time to fix her hair and add a touch of makeup. Starting past the dresser, she noticed three sticks of gum she’d left there the day before. The jingle from the commercial popped into her head—kiss a little longer. Smiling, she slid the gum into her pocket.
Downstairs, Jesse greeted her grandmother with a cheerful, “Morning, Grammy.”
She responded with a knowing smile. “You look chipper this morning.”
“I can’t remember ever being more chipper,” Jesse said before pecking her grandmother on the cheek and smiling. Noticing the box her grandmother carried, she asked, “What’s that?”
“Recipes. I’m meeting Emma at the shelter this morning to work on menus. Gabriel said you’re coming up with him later. He wants to show you the hydroponic greenhouse he’s so proud of.” She shook her head in awe of the idea. “I tell you what, I would have never believed it, growing gardens without dirt. Beats all I ever seen, but it works.”
“I know,” Jesse said. “I was surprised myself. I can’t wait to see it.”
Jesse floated into the kitchen with a merry greeting for the Pastor and Olivia. They returned her greeting before sharing a knowing glance.
Jesse knew what all the smiles and secret glances were about, and she didn’t care. She and Gabriel were in love and she wanted the world to know. Pulling a cup from the cupboard, she paused to look out the window. With a contended sigh, she said, “The sun is shining, birds are singing.” Starting to giggle, she said, “Happiness truly does invite clichés. I should just go out and dance in the meadow and sing The Hills Are Alive.”
Olivia laughed. “We’re so happy for you and Gabriel.”
“Yes, we are,” the Pastor said, looking at his watch. Getting up to kiss Olivia, he said, “I’ll call you later and let you know how it’s going.”
Jesse replaced the carafe and turned to ask the Pastor. “Are you going to the shelter?”
“Not this morning,” he said. “We’re going to town to share the good news.”
“Really? Who’s going with you?”
The Pastor’s eyes lifted in thought. “Let’s see, Charles, Nick, Matthew and two other men from the shelter. Oh, and that reminds me, Gabriel said to tell you that he had to go into town but he’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
The Pastor started for the door but stopped when Victoria Swinney came in. She looked like she’d been crying.
The Pastor’s brow creased with concern. “What’s wrong, Victoria?”
“Rachel, she left sometime last night. She came to the cookout late, stayed a few minutes before saying she was coming back here.”
Jesse felt her stomach tighten. Had Rachel seen her and Gabriel together?
Victoria’s hand flew up to wipe away a tear before fishing in her purse for tissue.
“We couldn’t find her this morning. After not answering calls all morning, she finally texted the message, with friends, don’t worry. Now all her calls are going to voice mail. We think she’s with Tiffany. Charles is pulling the car around now.”
The Pastor shook his head. “No, Victoria. You stay here. I’ll go with Charles.”
Victoria waved a handful of tissue in protest. “Absolutely not, Pastor. Charles just wanted to let you know that he won’t be going into town this morning. He said to go without him. There’s no need to ruin everyone’s plans.” She dabbed at her nose with the tissue. “I’m sure Rachel is fine. She sometimes acts without thinking. This certainly isn’t the first time her father and I have gone looking for her.”
Seeing Victoria’s strained smile, Jesse felt horrible. She wished there was something she could do. With that thought, she stepped forward. “I’ll go with you, Victoria.”
“That’s sweet, but I couldn’t ask you to do that.”
Setting her coffee aside, Jesse went to give Victoria a reassuring hug. “You’re not asking, I’m offering. I’m sure you’re right, Rachel is just visiting friends. We’ll find her in no time.” With an arm around Victoria’s waist, they started for the door.
“Jesse,” the Pastor called, “maybe you should call Florence or Gabriel, let them know you’re leaving.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back before anyone even knows I’m gone,” she said over her shoulder.
On the front porch, Jesse heard a soft whimper before Victoria burst into tears. She was right. Victoria didn’t want the pastor and Olivia to know how upset she really was. After helping Victoria with her seat-belt, Jesse climbed into the backseat. Meeting Mr. Swinney’s eyes in the rearview mirror, she said, “I want to help.” With a silent nod, he eased the car down the drive.
Hearing an occasional sniffle coming from the front seat, Jesse knew Victoria was still crying. At first, she didn’t know why Victoria seemed so worried, but as they neared an unfamiliar part of town, she began to understand. She was shocked at what she saw—vandalized and boarded up houses with broken windows, overgrown lawns, littered streets.
Sitting back in her seat, Jesse wondered why there was so little traffic. Where was everyone? Why did the area look deserted? She knew prices on everything, especially food and gas, had risen over the last months. Maybe people had nowhere to go, no gasoline, or both. Recent news reports said families and groups were starting to ban together for protection and to pool resources. She also wondered how many people from town were staying at the shelter.
As the car slowed to pull onto the drive of a white ranch-style house, Jesse could see the lawn hadn’t been cut and there were no cars in sight. Mr. Swinney blew the horn and waited several seconds. “No one’s home,” he said after the third blast of the horn.
“Go to the door and make sure, Charles,” Victoria urged.
He pressed the horn, holding it down for another long blast. “You can see no one’s home,” he said, looking around nervously.
Victoria grabbed for the door handle. “I’m not leaving here until I know Rachel is not in that house. If you won’t go, I will.”
Taking hold of his wife’s arm, he said, “Stop it, Vickie. Calm down.”
Victoria was struggling to pull her arm from her husband’s grasp when Jesse opened the back door. “I’ll go,” she said, getting out of the car without waiting for a reply. She hurried up the cracked walkway to the front door. Pressing the doorbell, she leaned close to listen before knocking with an open hand. When the door jarred forward, she hesitated only a second before stepping inside to call out, “Is anyone home?” Hearing a noise, she moved quickly through the entryway into a large room to see overturned furniture and papers scattered across the floor. “Rachel, are you here?”
“In here,” came the faint reply.
Without stopping to think, Jesse skirted an overturned chair to rush across the room toward an open doorway. “Rachel, where are you?”
On the other side of the door, she stopped, caught off guard to be coming face to face with a woman sitting on a kitchen counter. Before she could speak, an arm snaked around Jesse’s throat to jerk her back against something solid. Her scream didn’t make it past the crushing pressure on her windpipe.
“Move it,” the woman barked, coming off the counter in one fluid motion.
Jesse clawed at the arm around her throat steering her toward the door. Outside, a shove sent her stumbling forward, but before she could take in a breath of air, a hand in her hair yanked her head back. Her screams were choked hisses as she was propelled forward at a quick pace. When she lost her balance, the iron grip on her hair kept her upright, half dragging her until she managed to get back onto unsteady legs.
Less than a block away, Jesse was thrust through an open door to fall to her knees wheezing. When she could take in air again, she sat back on her heels with a hand at her bruised throat. Her eyes darted between the man and woman watching her. The woman crouched down to look at Jesse, her lips puckered into a jeering pout. “What’s wrong, princess, having a bad hair day?”
Aside from a sneering expression, the woman looked ordinary. She didn’t look like a criminal. With her dark blonde hair pulled back into a short ponytail, she might have been any soccer mom. “Please,” Jesse begged, “please let me go. I don’t have anything, no money.” By the woman’s disinterested response, Jesse knew she didn’t care about money. The question came in a frightened whisper. “What do you want?” On the brink of hysteria, her voice began to rise. “What do you want?”
Without standing, the woman twisted her upper body to the right to talk to the man behind her. “Seems the princess here thinks she should ask questions.” Jesse looked up to see the hulking man shake his head slowly before a blow to side of her face left Jesse crumpled on the floor. “Don’t try me again, princess,” the woman warned.
Stunned, Jesse pushed herself up into a sitting position. She pulled her legs up to hug her knees before dropping her head to hide the tears. Pray, her mind screamed, pray, but she couldn’t. Sickness, nausea—the taste of metal in her mouth, blood. Pressing her forehead against her knees, her upper body began to rock, quick thrusts, back and forth. After a few minutes, the rocking tempo slowed and she calmed down enough to listen to her surroundings. She could hear the woman’s voice in another room. Had she been left alone? Slowly, she lifted her head. The burly man sat in a chair between her and the door. Arms crossed over his massive chest looked like tree trunks. Watching her, his head tilted slightly to the side. His expressionless, dead stare caused the blood to drain from Jesse’s face before lowering her forehead back to her knees.
Hearing footsteps, Jesse looked up to see the woman coming back into the room. Falling into a chair, she draped one blue jean clad leg over the chair’s arm. Disgust, anger, whatever the look, Jesse knew this woman hated her. Her lips curled into a cynical smile. “Don’t worry, princess, I called for your chariot,” she said as she tapped the cell phone she held against her leg.
Jesse’s throat worked convulsively to swallow back nausea. Where were they taking her? The same question kept running through her mind. What do these people want? They hadn’t asked for money or checked her pockets.
A few minutes later, the woman’s cell phone beeped. Jesse watched the man stand up, coming for her. Scrambling backwards, she shouted, “Stay away from me!” Her arms flailed at him as his hand snaked out to close around the front of her throat. Lifted to her feet, she tried to stand but her legs felt like rubber. The damp blouse clinging to her body became suffocating and everything began to move in and out of focus. Beginning to sway, she lost complete control of her limbs. The last thing Jesse saw was a hand slicing the air in slow motion coming toward her face.
Jesse heard the moans before realizing they were her own. She opened her eyes to find herself laying on a cold concrete floor in a dimly lit room. Her eyes slammed shut against images of her kidnappers’ faces. Who are they? What do they want? The throbbing in her left arm was excruciating. Clenching her teeth against the pain, she rolled onto her side before using her right arm to push herself up into a sitting position.
Cradling her left arm, Jesse struggled to her feet to frantically scan the walls and ceiling, looking for any way out. There were no windows and only one door. The mesh-covered ceiling vent was too small to climb through even if she could reach it. Holding her aching arm against her body, she moved quickly to the door. Locked. She pressed her ear against the metal, waiting, listening. Silence. There were no sounds coming from the other side.
The question kept screaming through her mind. What do these people want? The answer stopped her cold. Isn’t it obvious? They want to kill me. Clearly, the woman is a deranged sociopath, and the man—who knew what madness lurked behind his lifeless eyes. Terror wrapped around her like a boa constrictor suffocating its prey. Her heart began to hammer against her ribs before she ran to the door to kick and pound with her uninjured hand. “Help me! Somebody, help me!”
Sagging against the door, she started to cry. She was helpless and would be murdered at any moment. “Dear God,” she moaned, sliding to the floor, “help me.” Her grandmother, Gabriel, she would never see them again. She didn’t want to die. She wanted to see Gabriel, his face, his smile. He often knew what she was thinking. “I love you,” she whispered, curling into a fetal position on the floor.
Jesse’s eyes opened to stare at the gray block wall. The nightmare was real. Had she blacked out? She was cold, her body was stiff and her arm throbbed. Holding her left wrist against her chest, she used her right hand to push herself up into a sitting position. The pain in her left arm was agonizing. Was her wrist broken? Even in the dimly lit room, she could see the inside of her arm was a deep purple and her fingers were swollen to the size of sausage links.
Looking around the empty room, her eyes fixed on the doorknob. Holding her injured arm against her chest, she struggled to her feet. She checked the door again. Still locked. Big surprise, she chided herself. Her head fell back to release a long breath. At least she was calmer now. “Please, Jesus, please help me get back home to Grammy and Gabriel,” she prayed.
Pacing, Jesse stopped to stare at the door, the only way out. She had to think. Tapping the heel of her right hand against her forehead, she ordered herself to think…think…think. On television, she had once seen someone open a locked door with a credit card. And do you have a credit card, she asked before ramming her right hand into the pocket of her khaki pants. Wait—what’s that? Her pocket wasn’t empty after all. She stared at the three pieces of gum in her hand. The jingle, the reason she had taken the gum that morning, came to mind. She closed her eyes with a groan. Would Gabriel ever kiss her again? Pushing away the distracting thought, she hurried to the door.
Pressing the stick of gum into the slit between the facing and the door, she begged, “Please, let this work.” She carefully worked the gum into the opening before feeling it stop against something solid. After forcing the gum into the crack from every possible angle, she blew out a frustrated breath. The gum bent from the pressure. Multiple failed attempts later, she slid down the wall to stare at the gum before removing the tattered wrappers.
Jesse had been sitting on the floor chewing the gum for hours when she heard a noise. Someone was coming. Goose bumps ran up her arms just before a clear voice inside her head said to use the gum. Her mind began to race. Use the gum? How? Pushing herself up the wall, she got to her feet and stuck the gum on the inside of her right hand just as the door opened.
“Hello, Princess,” the woman said with fake pleasantry as she walked past Jesse and into the room. Seeing the door left ajar, Jesse hurried toward it. She had her hand on the door’s edge when the woman’s voic