Page 103 of Keepsake
Lark shook her head. “No, but I might as well have.”
Dr. Richards held her gaze. “Tell me what happened.”
At that, Lark slid off of my lap and walked over to the bed. I must have telegraphed my desire to follow her, because the doctor held up a hand in my direction that seemed to say, “Stay where you are.”
Lark tucked her knees up to her chest and curled into a protective ball. “I tried to get him to help me.”
“How did you do that?” the doctor asked.
“I…” She swallowed. “I talked to him alone. His name was Oscar. He was just a young kid. And he…” Lark’s eyes filled. “He liked me.”
“He liked you in what way?” the doctor pressed.
Lark looked at the ceiling with a world-weary expression. “He liked me. He was attracted to me.” She dropped her eyes. “I led him on. I encouraged him.”
“How did you do that?” The doctor’s voice was soft.
“I told him I thought he was handsome.” A single tear dripped from her eye. “I told him that if they let me go, that we could spend more time together.” She swatted at the tear on her cheek. “I implied that we could have a sexual relationship.” Her eyes were on the doctor. Her throat bobbed as though she were trying to swallow bits of glass.
“How did you imply it?” the doctor asked, his voice soft.
“It’s really not that difficult,” she said in a hard voice. “You toss your hair. You touch his arm. You stare at his lips.” Two tears tracked down her face. “I told him he was handsome.Usted es un hombre muy guapo.” She scrubbed the tears away. “I said these things so that he would take risks for me. He did favors for me. He brought me a bottle of water, and sometimes food when no one else was looking…” She trailed off. “I wanted him to figure out how to just let me go free.”
“And why was Oscar killed?”
Lark was sniffing now, trying to hold back the tears. “I’m not sure exactly how they figured out he was planning something. My guess is that he confided in someone, or was overheard. It’s possible they just got mad because he snuck me a…” She swallowed roughly. “A candy bar. But then everything happened so fast. They were shouting at him, and then all of a sudden they shoved him against me.”
She was quivering with stress, but she didn’t look at me. Not once. I gripped the arms of the ugly plastic hospital chair and worked hard at not reaching for her.
“I was down on the floor.” Her voice was shaking, and the tears were running freely now. “And they ordered Oscar to rape me.”
My throat closed up completely, and I gagged on nothing. I turned my chin to watch the doctor’s calm face and tried not to come unglued.
I had to hand it to the doctor—he hadn’t changed his listening face at all. “What happened next, Lark?”
“He…he…wouldn’t do it,” she sobbed. “They threatened him, and he didn’t hurt me like they wanted.” She was actually choking on her tears. I couldn’t take it anymore. I pushed out of the chair.
“Sit,” the doctor commanded with a single word.
I sat.
The doctor handed the tissue box to Lark, who took it with shaking hands. “Did they kill him then?”
“Yes,” she gasped. “The man in charge put the gun right in front of his chest and pulled the trigger. There was so much blood. And he wasstaring at me after he died.”
My own face was wet too, now.
“Did anyone rape you, Lark?” the doctor asked.
“NO!” she screamed. “People keep asking me that, and I keep telling the truth. But I’m not the victim. I’mguilty. This is onme…” She broke off, sobbing into her knees.
“Okay,” the doctor said, his voice reassuring. “I hear you.”
I’d had enough. I lunged for the bed, scooping her up into my arms. Sitting back down on the mattress again, I folded Lark into my lap. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
“He’sdead,” she sobbed. “And I’m alive, waiting to find out which Ritz Carlton psych ward they’re sending me to. Where a staff of thousands will tend to my every need.”
“I’m so glad you’re alive,” I said.
