Panic

  “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 co
uldn’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.

  41

  MERCEDES, Friday, April 19 12 p.m.

  “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.

  Diamond lay against stark white sheets, her hair loose on the pillow, her face looking small and hollow, with red, welted cuts and scratches across her brow and cheeks. Her wrists were wrapped in thick white gauze, and other smaller bandages dotted her upper arms and her neck. An IV ran into her left arm, tubes snaking up under the blue hospital gown to a couple of bags that dripped clear liquids. Another machine above her bed beeped softly. Her eyes were closed.

  Her mother sat in a chair next to her, leaning over the bed and holding Diamond’s right hand as if she would never let it go again.

  “Hey, girls,” Mrs. Landers whispered. “Our Diamond came back to us.” She was biting her lips, as if to keep from crying.

  Mercedes felt small and scared, like she was six instead of sixteen. Her hands were sweaty, and her mouth felt dry—she wasn’t sure if coherent words would even come out of her mouth. But she managed to choke out, “Is she gonna be, like, okay?”

  Diamond opened her eyes then and smiled at them. “Yep. I’m gonna be, like, okay.” She sounded a little raspy, but it was beyond great to hear her voice.

  Mercedes tried not to cry, but she couldn’t help it. “We were so scared, so worried,” she burbled. “I’m so sorry.”

  Diamond untangled her right hand from her mother’s and touched Mercedes’ arm. “Look, girlfriend, what happened is nobody’s fault but mine. I can’t believe how stupid I was.” Her voice got even raspier. “Actually, all of the blame lies directly on that . . . that monster who took me.” She squeezed her eyes tightly closed and gripped Mercedes’ sweaty hand.

  Mercedes tried to imagine what Diamond had gone through, but she just couldn’t. All she knew was she had to make Diamond know she was safe forever—with real friends.

  “You must be so glad to be home,” Layla ventured after a moment.

  “Yeah, like you wouldn’t believe.”

  “Looks like you got a few, um, scratches there,” Mercedes said, not trying to pry, but not wanting to ignore them either.

  “Just a few bumps and bruises,” Diamond answered. “And I’m starving. That stuff will heal quickly. The rest”—she paused, looking away—“is going to take some time.” She let go of Mercedes and reached for her mother.

  “You had folks praying for you at church—even at school!” Mercedes said, trying to fill in the awkward silence. “We had a candlelight vigil. It was awesome.”

  “Wish I coulda seen it,” Diamond said with a small smile. “Looks like those prayers worked.”

  “Where’s Shasta?” Mercedes asked.

  “My dad just took her home to get some rest. She’d been here since I got here last night. She and my mom have been fighting over who gets to hold my hand.”

  “Shasta’s a brave little cookie.”

  “She told me she redecorated her room in black Magic Marker,” Diamond said with a laugh. “I promised I’ll help her repaint it when I get home.” Then she added, “Hey, isn’t there school today? How did you two get off?”

  Mercedes laughed quietly, as if she were afraid to act too cheerful. “You were our excuse,” she explained. “Way too much stress to concentrate on Spanish or biology.”

  “I feel you.” She turned to Layla. “How’s Donny?”

  Layla caught Mercedes’ eye for a moment, then said, “Uh, we split up. Permanently. It’s a long, really ugly story.”

  Diamond’s eyes filled with sympathy. “I understand ugly. One day we’ll have to talk about it.”

  “Yeah, maybe.”

  “You and Steve still tight?” Diamond asked Mercedes.

  Mercedes couldn’t help but smile. “We’re good. He still sends me a text every single morning. Sometimes he sends me a song.”

  “That’s great. I need to wrap myself up in as much happy as I can find from now on.”

  “We can help you there! Let’s see,” Layla said. “It’s finally stopped raining. There’s a sale on shoes at Macy’s. I’m getting a B in Spanish. How’s that for a bit of happy?”

  “I got more,” Diamond said. “Guess what? I’ve got a dog!”

  “A welcome-home present?” Mercedes asked.

  “No. She belonged to, uh, the man who took me.” She paused to collect herself. “But Bella—that’s the dog—she’s an Irish setter—stayed with me every afternoon; she’s the only thing that kept me from losing my mind. I think she even helped me when I was running away.”

  “So how did you get her home?” Layla asked.

  “Well, the life squad and Daddy and Mom got to the place where I’d been held about the same time. I was halfway hysterical, but I made Daddy put her in our car before they took me away.”

  “So where is she now?”

  “She waited patiently in the car the whole time the doctors were taking care of me. Daddy and Shasta took her home. That dog helped save my life. I couldn’t leave her alone in the rain.”

  “That’s incredible,” Layla said.

  “You say her name is Bella?” Mercedes asked.

  “For now. But I think I’m going to change it to Pixie or Tutu or something. I’m gonna let Shasta help me.”

  Miss Ginger burst into the room then, her hair a mess as usual, a bouquet of pansies and daisies in her hand. “Oh, Diamond! Oh, Diamond!” was all she could say. Mercedes could tell she was having trouble holding back her tears.

  “Hey, Miss G.”

  “It’s so wonderful to see you—so, so wonderful! We were all so worried and frightened.”

  “I think I’m gonna be fine, Miss G. And my dance train
ing even kicked in while I was running in the woods,” Diamond said proudly. “You shoulda seen the ditch I leaped over. Best grand jeté ever! I guess I have you to thank for all that practice.”

  “You don’t know how good that makes me feel. I’m gonna work everybody a little harder tonight, in your honor,” she said in a half-teasing voice.

  “Thanks so much for coming,” Mrs. Landers said to Miss Ginger. “This means the world to her.”

  “You couldn’t have kept me away,” Miss Ginger replied, turning to Diamond’s mother. “I know you’re exhausted. Try to get some rest now that she’s back.”

  “I’ll sleep soundly tonight, that’s for sure,” Mrs. Landers answered.

  Miss Ginger turned to Layla and said with eyebrows raised, “Skipping school again, Miss Layla?”

  “I promise, never again, Miss G.,” Layla said earnestly. “But I just had to see Diamond.”

  “I understand that. I canceled my class of senior citizens who take tango lessons, so we’re even. But you get your butt back in class on Monday.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Layla said. “I promise.”

  Miss Ginger looked at Layla with steely eyes. “And did you resolve that problem we talked about?”

  Layla returned her teacher’s gaze. “Absolutely. It is over, and I am taking charge of me for a change.”

  “Excellent!” Turning to Mercedes, Miss Ginger said, “I expect you both in class tonight—on time. We’ll have a wonderful celebration at the studio.”

  “What’s been going on at the studio?” Diamond asked.

  “We’ve started practicing for Peter Pan, but you take your time and come back whenever you feel you’re ready. A part in the show will be waiting for you if you want it.”

  “Thanks, Miss Ginger,” Diamond whispered.

  “We did a sort of ‘Dance for Diamond’ session a couple of days ago,” Mercedes told her. “Everybody sorta danced what they felt. It was stupid fresh.”

  “It was powerful dance therapy,” Miss Ginger explained. “And it was Zizi’s idea!”

  “I did a pas de deux with Justin,” Layla said with a mischievous smile. “It was fun. I guess that’s another piece of happy!”