“I’m happy to be home,” he begins. “As you can imagine, this is a lot for me and my family to process. The ordeal I went through was not an easy one or one I wish for anyone to experience. What I witnessed and endured by the hands of a mad man is frankly, unbelievable. But we are home now, and we’re safe.” He looks at me. “While in captivity, I met this wonderful and courageous woman standing next to me. Although I was living a nightmare, Ember became my one light that got me through it all. Yes, she is what you are all calling the ghost of Hallelujah Junction, but she is made of flesh and bone and feelings. So please take that into consideration with your reporting. The two of us have a lot to adjust to with our new freedom, but we know that with time and understanding from all, we will recover and move on. I ask for our privacy as we take things one day at a time.”
“Christopher!”
“Christopher!”
“Christopher!”
So many questions are shooting out at rapid speed. I can’t make out any of them and wonder if Christopher can. I hear my name, I hear his name, and I hear Richard being called out. But what the sentences are exactly, I can’t tell.
“Ember and I will be answering all your questions soon enough. For now, I ask for our privacy. Thank you.”
Jason walks in front of us and calls out, “The family will be issuing a formal statement later today. But right now, Christopher and Ember need time to heal and recover.”
He then tightens his grip on mine and turns us around to enter the house once again.
Safe.
But I feel anything but.
7
Christopher
“I have a surprise,” I tell Ember after a long day fielding phone calls.
The FBI had been relentless, asking to speak to both Ember and me several times throughout the day. They kept asking the same questions over and over, and it was enough that I finally decided to hire an attorney. Although no one had gone straight out and said as much, I got the feeling they were questioning whether Ember was an accomplice in the murders Richard committed. I need to make sure they don’t paint that picture or somehow trap Ember into saying something that could hurt her.
Jason—which then means my mother as well—doesn’t like the optics of us hiring legal counsel, but I have to put my wife first. They keep saying that I didn’t do anything wrong. And that I was a victim. But not once do they say we—including Ember. And if they didn’t necessarily feel Ember is innocent, then who knows what the authorities and even a judge and jury will believe. It’s time to lawyer up. No doubt about it.
Ember lifts her eyes to me, the blue nearly being swallowed up by the dark circles underneath. Her knees are pulled up to her chest, and she rests her head on them. She hasn’t said much unless she has to answer direct questions. And though I feel like I’ve really gotten to know a lot about her with all our constant time held captive together, there is still so much I don’t know. I wish I could read her better. I wish I could hear her thoughts.
“Surprise?”
“Come on. I just got off the phone with a really good friend of mine who is doing us a favor. It means we’re going to have to make a run for the car I just ordered, but once we do, it’s going to be fun from then on.”
My mother is standing by the couch, nervously spinning the diamond rings on her fingers. “You aren’t really going somewhere, are you? With all those reporters out there? It’s not safe, Christopher. Security isn’t arriving until tomorrow morning.”
“We won’t need security. Don’t worry. I got this handled. I’m taking Ember shopping.”
“Shopping!” she spits out with shock. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am. I just got off the phone with Christina, and she’s shutting down her boutique for us. We’re going to come in from the back alley. Even if we’re followed or seen, her doors will be locked while we shop.” I look at Ember and smile. “We’ll have the entire place to ourselves.”
Rather than being afraid as I had expected from Ember, she instead seems curious and even happy to have a chance to get out of the house. I can’t blame her. It does feel as if the walls are closing in on us.
Watching the town car pull up to the front, I reach for Ember’s hand and help her up off the couch. I don’t wait for my mother to object or for Jason to tell me that I’m about to create a PR nightmare. This isn’t about anyone but me and Ember.