Trapped

The sun begins to push through plastic blinds of a half furnished apartment. Lainey is a curvy cute young woman, trying to navigate 2020 quarantine standards.

Her current relationship is weighing thin on already heavy tested layer of patience.

Lainey moved to New Orleans to be closer to her online love. Before her big move the world was in what was considered a normal state. How was she to know Craig was so controlling and overall disgusting.

Not to mention, she had become aware that Craig was hiding something and whatever it was, it was written in his Little Black Book.

Lainey started the first Monday of 2021 no different than the others from 2020 but today, Craig wasn’t home. Usually in the kitchen frying something to slurp up with syrup and leave for her to clean; this odd morning was quiet and grease scented free.

Pulling down on the blinds strings to expose a huge bay window overlooking Canal St., Lainey let the light illuminate the foreign fabrics and tapestries about the room. A year and two months feel like more than five. Craig would have come in by now and shook the bed, slammed books or used the bathroom with the door open. All to get her active for the day as he planned it for her.

A typical day presented as; wake bathe, brush teeth and hair, dress and makeup; Craig told Lainey on her first night in his bed “ You’ve got to keep yourself up or you’re not going to be happy”. Lainey had no idea he absolutely without a doubt, meant every word.

Craig made his position and her role clear. At first Lainey thought she could handle being a trophy but being a captive is completely different.

Snapping from her mental pity party to again be hit with the realization, Craig wasn’t home.

Lainey looked out the window again, this time counting the cars in the lot. Searching for his black Explorer with dark tint in the parking garage across from the building. “Hmmm!” Lainey not really accepting he wasn’t home. She began to search the loft area, back to the kitchen and study, even briefly stepping out onto to balcony. She wasn’t allowed to leave, let alone be on the balcony without Craig. Lainey laughed to herself for thinking Craig got drunk and went home with some random.

She wished.

Lainey stepped back into the dwelling and sprinted to the main floor to stand inches away from the front door. Gazed as if it was some entryway to a forgotten realm.

Lainy looked to her left. The foyer table with two locked drawers and a mail basket that hung from its side, was cleared except for Craig’s precious Little Black Book.

Looking to her left and right, stretching her neck to peek out the window of the door and again scanning her surroundings before calling out, “Craig, Craig!” No response, no one screaming back.

Lainey shook for a second that felt like an hour passed as she stared at the book. Torn between do I open this door and just run until my fist burn or open this book and know this mans thoughts.

To any other woman this would be a no brained (Grab the book and run) but her trepidation lead her feet and hands to the book.

Flipping through page after page filled with numbers and dates. Some of it looked like account number and social security numbers, even addresses. Lainey made it half way through when she just closed the book, losing her grip and dropping it onto the hard wood floor.

Snapping out of her minor panic just in time to hear the key clang. Lainey reached down an lefted the key, it was attached to a bookmark ribbon; being careful not to lose the page.

Lainey was taken back a bit! The only thing on the page was a sketch of an old trunk. This surprised her, just two days ago while attempting to clean an old closet she saw a beautiful antique steam trunk. Her admiring the piece greatly upset Craig. He began ranting about how she lacked respect for his personal space Blah Blah... Lainey let the thought fade and preceded to get the trunk.

Thinking now to herself, “He isn’t here. What if he is setting me up?” Lainey stood up from her kneeling position in front the trunk she dragged into the middle of the room.

Again with a quick sprint throughout the residence, calling for Craig, checking every closet and even under all the beds.

Lainey stopped and thought to herself “I better double check the kitchen and get the dishes out the sink.”

She walked into the kitchen as she has done many times before like nothing out of her ordinary. Flipped the faucet on, grabbed the dish liquid and froze. Nothing had been touched, not a dish or a greasy pan.

Lainey ran back to the study, grabbed the Little Black Book, rolled her fingers across its pages until she came to the key.

Shoved the key into its lock, said to herself with a sinister chuckle “Please don’t be a dead body.” Flew the top open and she gasped as of it was King Tuts Tomb and she had cracked the code.

Again looking around and observing her surroundings, Lainey pickup a bundle of no doubt what was money and counted it out loud until finally yelling “$20,000”.

Lainey sat back on her heels while clutching the Little Black Book and money like a new born baby close to her chest. Tears filled her eyes as thoughts of freedom filled her head. She took a huge breath before looking up at the shadow now canopying the light from the hallway.

A voice says “ You must be Lainey.”