Part 18 (1/2)
Cookie's eyes became watery. ”I don't know.”
”Well, because you don't know, we don't know where she's at or what might be happening,” Shari said angrily. She looked at Tony. ”I told you we should have put a block on that computer.”
”I put a timer on it,” he said with a slightly irritated tone. ”That should have been enough.”
”I'm sorry,” Cookie said, crying heavily.
Shari rolled her eyes.
”Sorry doesn't cut it,” Tony said. ”Not only are you on a punishment for the next month, but you can forget about using that computer again.”
”Lord, please let her be safe,” Shari whispered.
Chapter Thirty-five.
Homer kept his arm around Serenity's small waist as he carried her toward the bas.e.m.e.nt door.
”Stop!” Serenity yelled. ”Let me go!” She frantically turned her body back and forth as she beat on Homer's chest.
Homer tightened his grip. ”Stop moving!” he said.
”No! Let me go!” Serenity cried. She began beating on his chest, but she was no match for his more than three hundred pounds.
”Stop hitting me!” Homer said. He reached over with his other hand and held both of her arms down.
He took her down into the bas.e.m.e.nt and held her down in an old torn leather chair as he removed her coat.
”Why are you so frightened?” he asked as he began unrolling the ball of twine he'd purchased earlier. ”You wanted to meet me, right?”
Serenity looked up at him with surprise. ”You're Saucer?”
He pulled her arms behind the chair and secured her wrists with the twine. Homer wrapped the string around her wrists several times, and then tied a knot.
Serenity sat still as tears began to spill from her eyes.
Homer pulled off the elastic band that was holding her hair together in a ponytail. Her hair fell down and stopped at the base of her neck.
”Now we've met,” he said as he ran his fingers through the strands of her hair all the way down to the red tips.
He walked away and sat down on a bench across from her. Every now and then he twisted the wedding band he still wore on his left ring finger as his hazel eyes traveled the length of Serenity's legs stretching out from the seat of the chair. He stood up and walked back over to her.
Serenity tried to catch her breath.
”You have pretty legs, you know that?” he said as he stroked the side of each of her legs.
She jumped at his touch. ”It's cold down here,” she said in an unsteady voice. ”Can I have my coat back?”
Homer scrutinized her under the 100 watt light bulb she sat beneath. Even with fear etched all over her face, she still bore a striking resemblance to her mother. He grabbed her coat from the bench and placed it across her lap.
”Can I go now?” She blinked, and the tears rolled down her cheeks.
”Can you go now?” He looked surprised. ”We're just getting started.”
”Please,” Serenity struggled from side to side.
A distant look appeared in his eyes. ”I told her I still wanted her,” he said. ”But she hung up on me. Now she won't answer my calls.” He snickered. ”I guess you'll have to do, little fish.”
”I need to go home!” she screamed. ”Let me go! The police will come!”
”No, they won't,” Homer said smugly. He poked her forehead with his finger. ”Because they don't know where you are.”
Serenity blinked quickly. ”Yes, they do. My friend knows your name. She'll tell them!”
”My friend knows your name.” He mocked her. ”Don't be so nave, little girl. Saucer is not my name.” He pulled a small key out of his pocket and began tossing it back and forth. ”If you're going to play with fire you better learn how not to get burned.”
”Please,” she begged. ”I won't tell anybody. I promise.” She started crying again. ”Just let me go home!”
He looked at her and thought about Tia. ”That will depend on your mother. But really, she should have returned my calls.”
”What . . . What are you talking about?” Serenity cried. ”What does my mother have to do with this?”
”You'll find out soon enough, little fish.”
”Please,” she pleaded again, ”let me go. I promise I won't tell.”
”Oh, you'll tell,” he snarled. ”You don't care about me either.” He stopped tossing the key. ”You're just like your mother.”
Serenity stiffened as confusion spread across her face.
Homer thought about the pain he had suffered because of Tia's rejection. It was completely unwarranted, and he was tired of it. It had been that way all his life: his mother, the girls in school, his wife, and now her. He rubbed his forehead. He needed to show Sandra-no, he meant Tia. Yes, he needed to show Tia that this time it was going to be his way. And his way was to not let the relations.h.i.+p end until and if he said so.
”I'm sorry,” he said to Serenity. He pulled the string above her head to turn off the light bulb. ”But it's your mother's fault.”
”Wait!” she cried. ”Mr. Woodard!”
Homer ignored Serenity's cry as he limped up the bas.e.m.e.nt stairs. He closed the door behind him and locked it. All this time, he had unknowingly been chatting with Tia's daughter. He felt it had been an act of fate that she had turned up on his doorstep after their failed meeting earlier. Now, he had her in his bas.e.m.e.nt.
Homer felt proud of what he had accomplished. Soon, he would pull out his phone, press the familiar number on the key pad and wait until Tia answered his call. Maybe this time she'd be more interested in what he had to say.
Serenity watched the pull string from the light bulb above her head swing back and forth. ”Please, G.o.d,” she prayed, ”please let me get out.”
She anxiously looked around the unfinished bas.e.m.e.nt and noticed a medium-size square window just above the was.h.i.+ng machine on the other side of the room. She began to cry as she started wiggling her slender wrists back and forth in an attempt to loosen the string.
The sun was beginning to set. Soon, it would be completely dark in the bas.e.m.e.nt. ”Please, G.o.d,” she whispered over and over as she focused all her energy on being freed. Sometime later, she abruptly stopped crying when she noticed the string slowly but surely beginning to loosen.