Chapter 21 Chapter 21 The Secret in the Photo

Doctor, I finally got a call from Gary, but I don't think I've gotten any better since I took his call.He didn't tell me where he'd been - I didn't ask, and he didn't offer to say - which pissed me off a little.When I told him about my analysis of the timing of the theft and my speculation about the "accomplice," he said that the kid might have changed the timing of the crime to avoid the police, or that it was a random crime—he might I happened to pass by your house and saw you and Emma going out. I was still thinking carefully when he said, "Those people usually commit crimes alone." Ordinary?I asked him, "What do you usually mean?" He said, "He knew that there were a few kidnappings where two people did work together—one was in charge of finding the target, the other was in charge of doing it—but he thought that, through analysis, we The case should be done by one person.” He also said, “Didn’t he say that it was not easy for him to build that hut, but he never said or did anything that makes you think he has an accomplice ,right?"

"Probably. But he has a picture of me from before, which strikes me as weird." "What picture? You haven't said that before." Then he started asking me questions that I had already asked myself.Where might the pervert get the photo?Why did he choose that photo?Finally, he said that some things are still unclear.He said, "If this photo is in your office, then anyone can get it." His last question was, "Does anyone know that you took this photo back?" I said no , he asked me to continue to keep this secret. For the first time in my memory, after talking on the phone with him, my mood went from bad to worse.I'm annoyed, and I take it out on Luke.Anyway, I don't know what's going on with us lately.I thought that seeing each other and talking openly between us would bring us closer, but lately it's always been hard to continue, the last time he called me, I said I was going to sleep and hung up Telephone.Actually, I'm not sleepy at all.

I always seem to have a crush on Luke being late that day.When I was kidnapped, was he giving the customer a smile?When he found out that I wasn't home, why didn't he drive to the place where I was selling the house to find me?Why didn't he call the police immediately after feeling the accident?He could have called the police first and then called my mom.These thoughts of mine are very paranoid, and I know that if this happened to me, I don't know what to do, but I always think that every second he delays reduces the slightest hope of finding me. During our relationship, I always thought of him as a laid-back guy.Now, I'm starting to think maybe he's just a very passive guy.He'll complain about a certain waiter or chef in the restaurant, but he'll do absolutely nothing to change it.

He was always patient, loving, and honest when we were together.He is really nice.Before I was kidnapped, I sometimes wondered if I wanted more than just a good guy, but when I was locked up in the mountain cabin, all I thought about was his goodness.Now, he's still so patient, so loving, so honest—he's the nicest man I've ever known.what's wrong with me? After I passed out at the police station, the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Mom and Gary, standing by my hospital bed.I didn't see Wayne.I didn't notice Diane, who was sitting on the chair beside the hospital bed, until I heard her say to me, "You're awake."

Diane smiled at me, and I remember her face getting a little hot as she put her arms around me.Then Mom realized I was awake and jumped on top of me, nearly knocking the IV needle off my arm, crying, "My baby, my poor Annie the Bear." I don't know what they gave me for the infusion, but anyway, I felt very sick and nauseous, and I said "I want to throw up" and started crying.A doctor came and pulled my arm, but I pushed him away.Then, more people came to hold me down. I resisted desperately, and suddenly, I felt a tingling pain in my arm.When I woke up, my stepdad was sitting next to my bed clutching his cowboy hat.As soon as I opened my eyes, he jumped up from his chair.

"I'll call Rowling...she's on the phone." "Let her finish." I said softly.My throat was already hoarse from screaming, and the various injections made my mouth dry. "Can you get me some water?" He patted me on the shoulder and said, "I'd better find a nurse." After he finished speaking, he went out, and the potion of those medicines came up again, and before they came back, I fell asleep again. Hospitals are such a strange place, with doctors and nurses touching and poking all over your body in places you would never let a stranger touch.On my first day in the hospital, I had at least two panic attacks.They gave me some sedatives, some more at night, I woke up feeling like I was drunk, and then continued with nausea.The hospital is small, so basically the same nurse who comes to deliver my medicine always calls me darling in a soft voice.Every time, I felt very awkward and wanted her to stop screaming like that, but I couldn't say it, so I had to turn my head to the side as soon as she came.Before she leaves the ward, she touches my arm with her warm hands and squeezes my fingers.

On my second day in the hospital, when I was calmer, Gary told me that the police were analyzing what I said during the interrogation before deciding whether to charge me. "Sue me? Why?" "After all, you killed someone, Anne. No matter what the situation was, we have some procedures that must be followed." "Are you going to arrest me?" "I don't think they'll sue you, but it's my duty to tell you what's going on." At first, I was terrified, blaming myself for not getting a lawyer, but when I looked at Gary's flushed cheeks , I realized, he was actually more embarrassed.

"Well, if the police decide to prosecute me, everyone will think the police are a bunch of stupid bastards." Gary smiled and said, "You're so right." He started asking me about the pervert again, and when I raised my hand to scratch my neck, I found that the necklace on my neck was gone. Gary said: "The doctor took it off when you came in. It will be returned to you when you leave the hospital, now with your personal belongings." "The necklace is not mine. He gave it to me. He said he bought it for another girl." "What other girl? Why didn't you say that before?"

I was a little saddened by his sudden questioning, and I said, "I'm so used to wearing it, I forgot. If you hadn't been asking so many questions, I probably wouldn't have forgotten to tell you. Besides, you Maybe I didn’t notice, but I was really busy.” I raised my hand and showed him the needle still on the infusion in my arm. He calmed down and said, "I'm sorry, but you're right, Anne. We asked you a lot of hard questions, but it's important that you tell us everything." Over the next few days, I told him everything I knew about the freak—his mother, his father, and the female helicopter pilot.Gary would often interrupt my narration to ask questions, and sometimes he would tense up all over his body, and he would lean towards me, but he would be careful to keep his tone calm, and he would let me go at my own pace Tell the whole story.When I talked about the pervert's rape of me and various punishments for me, he would hold the pen tightly while taking notes, but he could maintain a calm expression all the time.Half the time, I couldn't even look at him, so I just stared at the wall, counting the cracks, and I made a list of all the abuse the freak had done to me, like a list from hell.

Mom insisted on staying with me when Gary questioned me, and every now and then she sent my stepfather to buy a cup of coffee.I've never seen the look of relief on Wayne's face every time he goes out.If I hesitated for even a second when Gary asked me something, my mother would jump up and say I looked tired or pale and suggested that we call the doctor and I I think she's the one with the pale face, especially when I talk about the pervert raping me.She also developed a habit of constantly helping me tuck the quilt tightly.The more horrible the things I said, the tighter she tucked the covers in, as if trying to keep all the bad experiences under wraps.I don't like this kind of concern, but I know that she must feel helpless hearing what I'm going through, and whatever, if it makes her feel better, then let her... Besides, I didn't strength against her.

On my third day in the hospital, Gary told me that the special design of the hut had convinced the police of my words, and he was sure that no charges would be brought against me.Diane hasn't been here recently, and Gary said she has returned to Clayton Falls to handle other cases. I tried to be patient as Gary made me tell the same thing over and over again, because I knew they hadn't identified the psycho yet.On his hand, no fingerprints were collected.They extracted his DNA, but Gary said that DNA alone is useless, there must be a sample for comparison, and they did not find any relevant records in the system that can be compared.The perverted corpse had been placed in the hot tin shed for several days, and its face was already ugly. They had no choice but to draw a sketch and input it into the computer system, but they did not find any valuable clues.When I asked if his dental records were checked, Gary said there were no special results.Even the van didn't help.The car was stolen, the license plate was stolen from another car, and the car was stolen in the parking lot of a local mall, which had no surveillance cameras. "Do you think we can find out who he is?" I asked one day. "Can we find out who the girl he hurt was?" "Everything you remember can help us." I sat up and stared straight into his face: "Don't tell me the bureaucratic tone of these policemen, I want to know what you think. What are your real thoughts?" "To be honest, I don't know, Anne, but I will do everything I can to help you find the answer. You should know the answer." There was a firmness and enthusiasm in his eyes that I had never seen before, "We Talking, my job would be a lot easier if your mom could leave. Do you think that's okay?" "Yeah, I also find it hard to talk about it in front of her." When her mother came back, smelling of cigarettes, Gary said to her, "Lowling, I think it's best for me to ask Anne alone." She shook my hand. "Anne needs family." "Mom, you're already very sad," I squeezed her hand, "I'm fine." She looked back and forth between Gary and me. "If you want to do this, so be it, Annie Bear, I will sit outside with Wayne, and you can call us if you have anything to do." Other than Gary asking me questions and the doctor prodding me all over the next few days, my memory is a blur.I was already annoyed that I couldn't leave the hospital due to my dehydration and other symptoms.My sudden fainting at the police station and my resistance to the hospital made the doctors worried that I might put myself in danger, and they wanted me to stay in the hospital for observation.After a few nights of nightmares and another panic attack triggered by Gary's questions, they started upping my medication.Sometimes I was excited, sometimes confused, and it became more and more difficult to distinguish dreams from reality.I heard the baby cry and thought they had found my daughter.Sometimes, when I woke up and saw the doctor standing next to me, I would be horrified and think he was the pervert and push him away.The last bit of self-control I had was gone under the effects of the drug, and I was living again in infinite fear. Amidst these endless questions, mom's overprotection, and doctor's substance abuse, Luke and I had an awkward meeting.Christina was on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean at the time and escaped the incident.Aunt Val was there too, with a huge bouquet of flowers, but Mom only kept her there for fifteen minutes, said a few words, and told her I needed to rest.I actually found Aunt Val to be a lot more understanding than usual, and she even asked me if there was anything I needed her to bring, but she must have said something that pissed Mom off, because I haven't been around since. I didn't see her again, and I didn't see her again until I got home later. I was eight days in the hospital, and Mom and Wayne went back to Clayton Falls—the hotel was too expensive.After they were gone, I realized that I had been letting my mom, the police, and the doctors decide what was best for me.Now, I have to make my own decision. The next morning, when the nurse was about to give me my medicine, I stopped her.The nurse called the doctor, and the doctor said, either I take the medicine or I agree to see a psychiatrist.Until then, I had been reluctant to see a therapist, but at this point, I would do anything to get me out of the hospital. This hospital is really small, they don't have a psychiatrist, and they don't have a psychiatrist, so they hired a very young psychiatrist, who seemed to have just graduated from school.Even though his questions were ridiculous, I allowed myself to answer them seriously, and wept a few tears from time to time so that he wouldn't think I was doing too well.In fact, I'd rather walk over burning coals than tell this guy how I really feel. The doctor won't let me read the newspaper, I'm so bored that I'm going crazy.When Gary came to me for questioning, he started bringing me some fashion magazines, probably because he was afraid that I would take my anger out on him. "Do you want me to cut out pictures of high-end suits from magazines?" I said the first time he handed me a fashion magazine. He smiled, and threw a few pieces of chocolate onto the hospital bed: "Here, after eating chocolate, my mouth should not have time to talk so much nonsense." He started by bringing me coffee with hot chocolate.On one occasion, he also brought a few word puzzle books.As long as he brought presents, I didn't mind answering his questions.In fact, his arrival has become the happiest moment of my day.His voice was so low, so gentle.Sometimes, I just close my eyes and just listen to his voice.I asked him to repeat some questions several times, and he never got angry—he thought it was fun, and he would never get angry. I asked him to tell me exactly what his job and rank was, and he told me he had a sergeant, two corporals, and some patrolmen.Well, he's really the boss—not the head of the whole police department, but the head of the Major Crimes Unit, which comforts me.However, if I asked him about the specifics of the investigation, he began to keep his mouth shut, saying that he would let me know when they had "something specific." Once, I was talking to a therapist when he came into the ward, and he turned to leave, and I told him to stay.The psychiatrist said to me, "Do you think you have some anger towards the man who kidnapped you?" Gary stood behind the doctor and stared at me, and I tried not to laugh. After two weeks of talking to a therapist, enduring terrible hospital meals and pacing the ward non-stop, the therapist finally gave me his final assessment and said he couldn't find anything that I couldn't go home to. Reasons, but the resident doctor still needs to check the results of the official report of the psychologist before releasing me.In the hospital, I didn't enjoy any more freedom than when I was on the mountain. Apparently the psychiatrist believed that my behavior was "consistent" with my trauma and the police had decided not to press any charges against me.I guess, after all, little people don't have bad luck, but the doctor hasn't told me when I'll be discharged. Gary told me that the police are very concerned about my case, and they hope to know everything about that pervert, which will not only help them solve some old cases, but also help future investigations.Sometimes, when we were talking about the mountains, we would stop to rest and he would tell me various current events, or just play a game of charades for a while.It had been several days since the psychiatrist had commented on me. "You gotta get me out," I said to Gary one morning when he came in with two cups of coffee. Crazy. They treated me like a prisoner. I was a victim and they were such jerks." He put the coffee on the table next to my bed, nodded firmly, and walked out the door.Half an hour later, he came back and stood at the foot of my bed. "You just need to stay one more night. You can be discharged tomorrow morning." I sat up: "You didn't shoot the doctor, did you?" "That's not necessary, I just urged them." My intuition told me it was more than that, but before I could ask him for details, he picked up the crossword book from the bedside table, sat down on a chair, and said, "Oh, it seems you You're not that smart, you haven't finished this one yet?" "Hey, I started doing well when you walked in and interrupted me." He was sitting in a chair with his long legs stretched out, and I saw a flat smile on his face, and I realized that he had managed to change the subject. My mum told me when I was in the hospital that my house was rented out and I couldn't be happier to hear it wasn't sold, I didn't even think about it until Gary said I was ready to leave the hospital, I'm out Where should I live.I thought about asking Christina, but maybe she wasn't back from the cruise.Then Mom called and said they were coming to pick me up.I knew there was going to be a big mess if I told her I didn't want to live with her, so I thought I'd just have to put up with it for a while. The morning I was discharged from the hospital, Gary warned us that there might be reporters outside the hospital and suggested we go out the back door, but Wayne and Mom said they didn't see any reporters when they came in through the front door.As soon as we stepped out of the gate, a large group of reporters surrounded us.Mom walked ahead of me, imploring reporters to "give us a moment".They didn't hear her at all, and we slogged through the crowd. We squeezed our way out of the hospital and into the car, and we stopped at a gas station outside Port Norfield, where Wayne filled the car and Mom went in to pay.I hid in the back seat of the car.When Mom got into the car again, she threw a newspaper on the seat, shook her head, and said, "These people have big mouths." Missing real estate agent released from hospital!Under the headline on the front page, there is also a photo of my previous ID.I was still looking at the newspaper in amazement as Wayne pulled the car out of the gas station."I will be released from the hospital today," said an "unnamed source".Detective Superintendent Kim Kidd of the Clayton Falls District Crime Squad also said that they did not investigate me. I am a brave girl. They will do everything possible to find out the identity of the dead kidnapper... … I never told the police what my child's name was, but someone told a reporter that I had a child, and that report also interviewed an expert who analyzed the possible impact of the child's death on me and so on.I threw the newspaper on the ground and stepped on it a few times.