Mr. Big (17 page)

She reached for the door handle.

“Don't touch it,” said Nelson.

Jennifer could tell right away, by the look in his eyes, he hadn't slept at all. She could see the stress in his face, and she knew there was something serious going on in his mind.

“You're staying aboard this car,” he said. “I'm not getting out, and you're not getting out, either.”

Jennifer didn't believe he could last like this much longer. The car was uncomfortable and they were hungry. So she didn't say a word. She waited and watched as the sun climbed higher in the sky, and eventually people began making their way to and from the mall.

It was the only thing she could do. She watched the teenagers waiting at the bus stop. None of them seemed to be in a hurry to go anywhere, and she kind of admired them for it. But her daughters would never get to be teenagers. They would never get to hang out like these kids. Then there were the women. Women carrying bags of items, some pushing strollers, and some with their children skipping along at their sides. It was too much for her. She snuggled down in the seat. The hunger finally passed and she fell asleep.

When she woke, it was nighttime. Theirs was the only car in the mall parking lot.

Maybe now would be a good time to get out and stretch. But no, Nelson wasn't about to let that happen. When Jennifer looked over, he was sitting up and looking straight ahead.

For the first time since they had parked here, Jennifer was genuinely beginning to worry about what he had planned. He couldn't keep her here forever. What was the point of this? Was he going to starve her to death?

She wiped everything from her mind, reclined her chair, and went back to sleep.

The next time she woke up, it was daylight again. This time there were people all around, but she didn't have the strength to watch them. She felt sick, and the situation was getting desperate. Fortunately, she no longer felt the urge to pee, but she wondered what her body was doing with the fluid.

“Nelson,” she said. “Let me call someone in here. Mom's got two brothers and a sister who live in here. Let me call them, and they'll help us out.”

“No,” was all he said.

“They will give us money for gas,” she pleaded. “Let's at least call them for some food, or to let us wash up.”

The next morning, Jennifer was starting to feel very sick. “Nelson, can I at least get into the back seat where I can stretch out?” she asked. She knew that if she didn't soon get food she would end up in the hospital, or worse. She barely had the strength to move.

Nelson got out of the car and opened the door for her to climb into the back.

The feeling of her feet on the pavement felt so good she felt like running, but she knew there was no way she'd have the strength. So she lay on the back seat and watched Nelson.

He was thinking about something. She was sure of that. And whatever it was, it was really making him anxious. Jennifer wondered if he had even closed his eyes to nap for the past four days.

But as she watched him, she noticed that his head was dropping forward from time to time. She suspected he was more tired than she thought. Suddenly, she saw his head slump forward. He was asleep.

Quietly, she opened the door. Her hand trembled as it grasped the plastic lever. She was very weak, and she hoped she wouldn't have to go far for help, because she didn't know if she was strong enough to stand upright.

She paused as her feet rested flat on the pavement, and then, with a push, she did stand. And as she looked inside at Nelson, she realized that he was not going to wake up any time soon.

She looked around the parking lot. Desperate. What could she do?

Suddenly, she spotted an older man who looked to have a friendly face. He had spotted Jennifer first. With the way he was staring, she wondered what she must look like. His jaw literally dropped as she walked toward him. For a moment she thought he was going to run.

“Hi,” she said. “I'm really hungry. I've been here in this car for the past four days, and my husband won't let me leave. I . . . I've been looking at that Chinese restaurant right there. Can you go get me something to eat?”

Jennifer wasn't sure if the man wanted to help her, or if he was afraid of her. But she'll never forget the way he looked at her that day.

“I don't have any money on me right now,” he said. “But I have to come back here at seven o'clock tonight. When I do, I will bring food for you.”

Jennifer struggled back to the car. The man watched as she got into the back seat and lay down.

Little did she know, the police had been searching for her and Nelson for the past four days. When the man called the police that afternoon to report what he had witnessed, it didn't take long for them to show up on the scene.

Jennifer was taken to the police station in the first cruiser. Nelson was put in handcuffs and put in another car.

At the police station she was given food and a chance to wash up. With the first couple bites of her hamburger, Jennifer thought she was going to be sick. The whole ordeal had been a lot harder on her body than she realized. Then the police officers sat down to give her an update.

“Nelson had a couple of seizures while we were on our way here from the parking lot,” the officer informed her. “We have taken his driver's licence, so you're going to have to drive him back to Gander. That is, if you're comfortable going back with him.”

“Are you sure you are feeling well enough?” the officer asked.

“Yes,” she said, “but I don't have any money to buy gas.”

The officers gave her enough money to make it home. When she was walked toward the car, Nelson was already sitting in the passenger seat.

For a moment, Jennifer dreaded getting back into the car. But she knew the police were keeping an eye on them, so she got in.

Nelson was reading a letter the police had given him.

“How did the police find us there?” he asked. “Was it you? Did you tell them?”

Jennifer denied finding help, and for the next four hours she listened endlessly to Nelson complaining. He was furious that his driver's licence had been taken because of the seizures. And he blamed Jennifer.

55

In Gander, Jennifer was grateful for her first night's sleep on a real bed. The next morning, her legs were still a little sore, but she was eating normally again, and she was well on the way to recovering from her ordeal in St. John's.

But getting out of bed was also a problem for another reason. The girls were on her mind all the time.

Later that day, Jennifer was back to juggling the household once again. She was boiling potatoes for lunch, but periodically running down to the basement to do laundry at the same time. On her last trip up from the laundry room, she discovered her dinner was starting to burn.

She shut off the pot, and at the same time there was a knock on the door. Nelson was lying on a mattress on the floor, and he turned to see who it was.

“Good morning, Constable Trainor,” Jennifer said. She had met the officer a few times before.

“Good morning,” he said. “Looks like you're cooking some lunch?”

“She was,” said Nelson. “Until she burned it up.”

“Don't worry about it,” he said. “We need to talk to both you guys, if you're able. Nelson, there's a car downstairs waiting for you, and Jennifer can come with me.”
Jennifer got into the cruiser and they headed to the police station. Inside, they walked up the stairs to what Constable Trainor called the Major Crime Unit. It was a section of the police station that Jennifer had never been to before. She didn't know where Nelson was.

“Before we discuss any of this, you're having something to eat,” said the officer. “What would you like us to pick up for you?”

Within a few minutes a young woman returned with a bag of McDonald's. The smell of the fries made Jennifer realize just how hungry she was. When the bag was opened, she devoured its contents in a hurry. She had never tasted anything so good. There were times she had to slow down simply because she felt like her body might reject such a big meal so quickly. It was a heck of a lot better than the potatoes she had left at home.

“Jennifer, we don't want you to go back with Nelson,” he said. “We think he killed your daughters, and he's probably going to be charged. Our fear is that he is dangerous, and that he might try to do something to you.”

It was a thought that had crossed Jennifer's mind several times after the death of the girls. But one she quickly abandoned to protect her own sanity. She had also tried her best to forget what he had done in St. John's. More importantly, she tried to bury thoughts of what his intentions were.

Suddenly, Nelson's words came to her mind.
I have something in the back of my mind that I'm going to take to my grave.

There were times she wondered why he didn't try harder to save Krista that day. Why didn't he wrap her up, or do anything before he came back to Gander?

Now, she understood exactly what the officer was saying. It all made sense. At that moment, she wanted nothing else to do with Nelson Hart. Husband or not, she was going to get away from him.

She wasn't sure what to think about her own life anymore. But she knew that she was safe in the hands of the police, and she would have food.

“We're going to buy you some supplies, and then we're going to bring you somewhere safe,” said Constable Trainor. “We've been talking to your sister in Prince Edward Island, and it's fine if you stay there. Are you okay with that?”

Jennifer agreed, and in no time an officer showed up with all kinds of personal items she would need for the trip.

“We're going to bring you to Corner Brook tonight, where you can stay with your sister. Then you'll catch the ferry to the mainland at Port aux Basques in the morning.”

They jumped into a big SUV, and the officers made her lie down on the back seat of the police cruiser to make sure Nelson wouldn't see her as they left the station. They drove straight to the apartment. She didn't own any luggage, so Jennifer began to round up all her belongings in garbage bags.

But when the officers looked in on her, they discovered that what she was packing included all the items belonging to Karen and Krista.

“That's going to be a lot to have to carry with you,” the officer stated. “Are you sure you wouldn't be better off leaving it here?”

“I'm not leaving the girls' stuff here, because he might do something with it,” Jennifer snapped back.

So, with $60 in her pocket, and all her possessions in the back of the vehicle, Jennifer left Nelson behind.

56

The police cruiser rolled into her sister's driveway, and Penny was there waiting in the front window. The police officers helped her carry her belongings inside, and with a few instructions, they wished her luck and were on their way.

Penny hugged her sister. “I'm glad you're here, Jennifer. Everything's going to be okay,” she said. “Things will get better.”

For the first time since the girls' deaths, Jennifer actually felt like she might be able to start getting her life back on track.
The two sisters made their way downtown to the social services offices, where the arrangements were already made. There was some spending money for Jennifer, as she travelled to Prince Edward Island, and two vouchers for the cost of the ferry.

Jennifer had told the police early on that she would not be travelling on the ferry alone. Not only was she nervous about the trip, but she couldn't handle the sight of water anymore. The other voucher was for Penny's return trip.

The next morning, she and Penny were up before the sun, and on their way to the ferry. The last time Jennifer had made the drive to Port aux Basques, the girls were in the back seat, and it was a much happier time. As they drove along the highway, Jennifer remembered that particular drive.

By ten o'clock they had arrived and were finally ready to board.

“Penny, promise me we won't have to look at the water, okay?” said Jennifer. “I just can't take it.” They managed to make the rest of the trip by sitting in the ship's interior. Jennifer and her sister chatted and watched the people passing by. Others were napping, while several people were having an early morning party at the bar.

When they got off the big ferry in Nova Scotia, her mother was there, along with her brother-in-law. They drove for several hours through the scenic countryside of Cape Breton, so far away from her home. So far away from the graves in which she took comfort.

But she knew in her heart this was the right thing to do. What if Nelson had really killed the girls? And what about the scene at the mall? Was he trying to make her so weak that he would kill her, too?

She tossed the ideas back and forth in her mind. At the same time, she tried not to think of the little white crosses where she longed to be.

Suddenly, the car was slowing down, and she looked ahead to see where they were. It was another ferry. They were getting ready to cross to Prince Edward Island.