Panic (22 page)

“Please, Diamond,” he begged. “If you help me, I'll take you home, and our little adventure can be forgiven and forgotten.”

Diamond thought back to the horrors of the past few days. Then she recalled all she'd learned in church about forgiveness. She leaned over the ditch.

The wind was slowly subsiding. Diamond barely noticed the rain. Another flash of lightning showed Thane moaning, blood now pouring from his leg.

Carefully, Diamond lowered herself down to where Thane lay.

He looked up at her beseechingly. “I knew you'd help me. I knew you were special from the moment I first saw you, Diamond.”

She touched his slacks, near the pocket.

“It wasn't all that bad, was it?” Thane whimpered. “I'll make it up to you—I've got money—lots of it. I'd planned to pay you all along. You deserve it.”

Diamond didn't say a word as she reached quickly into Thane's pants pocket. The moment she grabbed his cell phone, she scrambled out of the ditch and away from him, elation flooding her.

“I hope you rot in Hell!” she finally screamed at him.

The rain had slowed to a soft drizzle, and the wind had lost its fury. The thunder rumbled only in the distance.

Diamond trembled as she punched in the first phone
number she had ever memorized. The dog huddled close.

“Hello?”

When she heard her mother's voice, Diamond could barely speak beyond the gasps and gulps of tears.

“Mom?”

“Diamond? Diamond?” Her mother began to shriek. “It's Diamond! It's Diamond! It's Diamond, honey! Where are you? Oh, Diamond, I knew you'd be alive. Where are you? Where are you?” Now her mother was sobbing.

“I'm not sure where I am, but please come get me. Please hurry! I'm so sorry for all the bad things I've done. Oh, Mom, please come bring me home.”

“I am your friend no more. Begone from me forever.”

—from
Peter Pan

When Mercedes answered the door the next morning, she was still in her pajamas. Layla shivered in a thin jacket, the cool morning air seemingly blowing her into Mercedes' living room. The sky was ruddy, as if struggling to throw off the clouds of past week.

“What's up, girl?” Mercedes asked as Layla tossed her purse to the floor. “You look like you had a rough night.”

“It was pretty bad—but nothing compared to Diamond's
night.” Layla rubbed her arms and blew on her hands. “I can't believe she escaped. She's back! She's back! She's back!”

“Yeah, awesome, huh? I've been up all night, girl, trying to get information,” Mercedes told her, “but there aren't many details yet. Come on up to my room—we gotta talk.”

Layla and Mercedes hurried upstairs. Layla pulled a blanket around herself, climbed onto Mercedes' unmade bed, and tried to make her thoughts stand still so she could focus. “This is the second day in less than a week that I've skipped school,” Layla admitted.

“My mom actually insisted I stay home today—how 'bout that?” Mercedes told her. “Besides, who could concentrate on Baxson's biology or Senora Sanchez's Spanish? This is life-and-death stuff.”

“Yeah. True that.”

Both girls checked their phones for messages, but there just weren't many details yet. All the kids kept repeating and resending the same info.

“So they found her
naked
in some woods?” Layla whispered, pulling the blanket close around herself.

“That's all my mom would tell me. She used the dude's cell phone to call her mother, and they used that signal to find her. She must have been terrified out of her mind.”

“And totally embarrassed,” Layla added, realizing how much she could empathize with Diamond on that part of it. She understood shame. “How'd she get his phone?”

“I'm not exactly sure. Her mother told my mother that she'd been held about five miles from the mall, and
she finally escaped by stabbing the guy with a knife or something. I think.”

“Oh my God! She stabbed him?”

“In the neck. He sure had it coming.”

“You got that right. Who was he?”

“Not sure. But my mom told me the police said he's a known pedophile and this wasn't his first abduction.”

Layla huddled under the blanket. “
Abduction.
Even the
sound
of that word makes me gag.”

“Yeah, me too. Mom said he was a registered sex offender. In several states. What I don't get is why wasn't he locked up? Why is somebody like that allowed to roam free and hang around malls and stuff?”

“They should make weirdos like that wear T-shirts that say ‘Pedophile' in big red letters to warn people off!” Layla agreed angrily.

“Not likely,” Mercedes said with a shrug.

“What did he, uh, do to her?” Layla asked carefully.

“The very worst you can imagine. And then some.”

“I can't . . . I just can't even make myself think about what she went through,” Layla said, pulling the blanket tighter around herself.

“Six days. Six nights.”

The two girls sat in silence for a few minutes. Mercedes grabbed the other half of the blanket and tucked it around her feet.

“When we get the chance to talk to her again, we gotta let her know we'll be there for her,” Layla said.

“I know,” Mercedes replied, “but what do you say to make her feel better? I have no words.”

“Maybe I do.”

“So, how are
you
holding up, girlfriend?” Mercedes asked Layla.

“Donovan's photos went viral, no shocker there,” Layla said sadly. “But it's nothing compared to what Diamond's gone through. I've just got to get over it and move on somehow.”

“Compared to Diamond, yeah, but it still sucks scissors, Layla. You have every right to be upset. I'd be crazy mad.” She paused, then asked, “Your parents are really pissed, huh?”

“Yeah.” Layla tried to smooth a wrinkle on the bedspread. “Somebody showed them to my mother at her job last night. She left in the middle of a shift to come home and yell at me.”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing. She'd never understand.”

“What did your father say?”

“You know what he did?” Layla looked at Mercedes, her eyes desperate. “He sat in the kitchen and started to cry. Then he ripped down the yellow curtains. That hurt me more than anything. So I locked myself in my room. I left this morning without talking to either of them.”

“Hey, the photo stuff is gonna to blow over. People are like dogs fighting over garbage—they'll get bored soon. Besides, I imagine they're probably all gossiping about Diamond now.”

Layla shook her head miserably. “Maybe.”

“You talk to Donovan?”

“No. I don't plan to waste another breath on him. I just wish I understood how could he do this to me.”

“What about Justin?”

Layla felt her cheeks grow warm. “He sent me a text with a picture of some yellow roses. No words, just the roses.”

“Nice touch.”

“At least he doesn't seem to think I'm trash.”

“He never did. I don't think he ever will. And you know what? You can take it slow. He's waited this long—he'll wait until you're ready. That guy really cares about you.”

“I'm trying.” Layla's phone buzzed, and she jumped, startled. She checked the caller ID, opened it cautiously, and said, “Hi, Daddy.”

“Did you sleep well?” he asked.

“Not really.”

“I didn't either. You left this morning without saying good-bye,” he told her, his voice slightly accusing.

“I'm so sorry, Daddy,” she blurted out. “I've been looking forward to you coming home for so long, and I had to mess it up.”

Her father paused. “Layla, I was up all night thinking, and I realized it's not you I'm upset with—it's that animal who texted those pictures!”

Layla choked back a sob.

“Don't cry, Layla. I gotta take a little bit of the responsibility too. I shoulda been here for you. I haven't been much of a father,” he admitted. “But what that boy did is unforgivable!”

“You know, there was a time when I would have defended him, Daddy, but no more. I'll never let anybody do anything like that to me again.”

“Let me tell you something, Layla,” her father said, his voice laced with fury. “I just got out that stinkin' orange jumpsuit, but I'd let them put it on me again if I could get my hands on that piece of scum.”

“Oh, Daddy, please don't do that! We just got you home, and believe me, Donovan is not worth it. If you do that, he will have managed to hurt
me
again!” Layla spoke in a whoosh. “Can we just start over? Can you forgive me?”

“I already put the curtains back up,” her father replied.

Relief spread through Layla's entire body. “Thanks, Daddy,” she whispered.

“When are you coming home? And isn't this a school day?”

“I'll explain everything tonight, Dad. I have
so
much to tell you. I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you too, Layla. We'll talk more later.”

Layla shut her phone off and gave Mercedes a shy smile.

“I could only hear half of that,” Mercedes said, “but it sounds like you and your father are gonna patch things up.”

“Yeah, I think so. Unless Donovan is unfortunate enough to cross his path. You think the curtains suffered? Oo-wee! He sounded fierce and scary.”

“I imagine Diamond's father must feel the same way. Worse! How do you deal with your anger at a monster like the guy who took Diamond?”

“I don't know,” Layla admitted. Her phone buzzed
once more. She glanced at it and looked at Mercedes in alarm. “It's Donny! What should I do?”

“Don't answer it!”

The phone kept ringing. Layla raised one eyebrow at Mercedes, then opened the phone and answered angrily. “What do you want, Donovan?”

“Hey, babe.”

“I am
not
your babe. I am not your anything!”

“Hey, don't hang up. I, uh, need your help. The cops picked me up.”

“Good!”

“No, wait! They're charging me with passing around porn! But you're no porn queen, Layla. They've got it all wrong.”

“So you're acting like this is
my
fault? You gotta be kidding!” She stared at Mercedes in disbelief.

“So prove them wrong, my sweet Layla. Prove you're not the whore folks are sayin' you are.”

“What?”

“Can you bring some money down here? I know you got a little college money saved. I just need ten percent bail—only a thousand dollars. I promise I'll pay you back.”

“You ruin
my
reputation, and you want
me
to bail you out of jail?” she screamed into the phone.

“So I guess the slut stories are true.”

Layla's voice went hard. “Donovan, listen carefully. I want you to hear this real good. Are you listening?”

“Yeah.”

“You are dead to me. Dead, you pissant!” She jabbed
at the off button and looked at Mercedes, her mouth open. “Can you
believe
him?”

“Whew! I gotta say—you told him off good, girl.”

For a moment, Layla was so angry she couldn't speak. Finally she told Mercedes that Donny had been arrested.

“What's the charge?” Mercedes asked.

“Something about passing porn. Somebody turned him in!”

“I didn't know you could get pinched for that. Kids send sext messages all the time.”

“I guess it's a crime. Who knew?” Layla said.

“I can't believe he wanted you to bring him bail money. He's beyond unbelievable.”

“I'm done,” Layla replied firmly. “Forever.”

“Good for you! 'Cause the Layla of two days ago would have brought him a pound cake with a knife baked in it like they did in those old movies.”

“No more. I'm blocking his number from my phone. No, even better, I'll change my number completely.”

“'Bout time!” Mercedes pulled out her own phone and checked for text updates about Diamond, but nobody knew anything more. “You think you'll have to go to court?” she asked Layla.

“Maybe. Probably. But I'm not scared of him anymore. I'll tell the truth, even if it's embarrassing.” Layla thought for a moment. “Boy, I bet Diamond will have to testify against that animal who took her, you think?”

“I hadn't thought of that—oh, that would be awful, to have to face him again,” Mercedes said.

“Yeah, but I bet she'll be glad to see him get locked
up. I think she had to be pretty brave,” Layla replied thoughtfully. “What she did took guts. She'll want to see it through.”

Mercedes' phone ringing interrupted them. She picked it up immediately. “Oh, Mrs. Landers, how is she doing? We've been crazy worried. I'm here with Layla. Can we come see her? Please? Oh, thanks so much. Yes, I understand. We'll be there in an hour.” She looked at Layla nervously. “Diamond's mom is gonna let us see her at the hospital! She says she's asking for us. Let's bounce.”

They hurried outside to Mercedes' car. Layla looked up at the clear morning sky. For the first time in over a week, she could see a thin haze of sun behind the clouds.

“Wendy, let us go home.”

—from
Peter Pan

Mercedes hated the smell of hospitals—disinfectant and alcohol, tinged with fear. She tiptoed with Layla down the long halls to Room 7719. Outside the door was a handwritten sign that said
LANDERS, DIAMOND
.

Mercedes grasped Layla's hand as they slowly pushed open the heavy door.