Episode Seventeen: An Unexpected Meeting

     Elizabeth's shoulders shuddered with the force of her repeated sobs.  She pulled her knees up to her chest and let the tears flow freely.  The computer had lengthened her deep brown hair, accurately duplicating the natural gentle waves.  The added weight and feel of hair on her shoulders remind her of  college days before she had cropped it short.  But instead of feeling joy at the happy memories she was overwhelmed with pain.
    The faces she had tried to banish from her mind slowly crept from the dark corners of her mind and paraded before her: eyes without sight that search in vain seeing nothing, limbs that twitched and stabbed bereft of human control, and wide-eyed children who ran from her in fear.  These and a host of others danced around the fallen citadel of her mind filling her empty soul with horror.
    In time the shadows faded, and her tears dried, leaving only husk of a heart remaining.  Although the day was not cold, she lay spread eagle eager to feel the warmth of the sun.  She lay there, no longer caring what happened to her.
    She was still there almost an hour later when William and Jim saw her from their canoes.  They came after paying a silent visit to the lodge to get a some supplies.  She didn't stir as they landed the canoes and approached her.
    When they stood at the edge of the origin William called out, “Miss Stratford, what are you doing here?”
    She lifted her head up for a moment to look at them, then resumed her spread eagle position.  “Dean was afraid I was going to call the cops on him.”
    When she didn't bother explaining William walked over to her.  His shadow fell on her eyes getting her attention. “Were you going to?  Call the cops I mean.”
    Elizabeth put her arm over her eyes after glancing at him.  “I wish I'd never seen the man.  I hate him.  But it doesn't matter now.  I'm stuck here just like the rest of you.  Without me Dean will have to do all the feeding and monitoring himself.  He hates that kind of work.  I don't think it will take him very long to decided to kill us.”
    “Why didn't you go to the police if you hate him?” asked Jim in a hard voice.
    Elizabeth sat up while she answered him, but kept her eyes lowered avoiding eye contact.
    “Blackmail—and no I won't tell you what he has on me.  Things got out of control so quickly I didn't know what to do.  At first I told him I wouldn't do it, but I was afraid.  I agreed when he promised we wouldn't kill you, Mr. Lombardi.  I almost went to the police when he captured you, Jim.  But by then it was to late for me.  No, I can't go to the police.”
    She closed her eyes, ran her fingers down through her hair and took a deep breath.  When she again spoke it was through barred teeth.  “If you laugh at me and spit in my face I'd understand.  William you were right.  There are hidden cameras all over the lodge.  Dean and I heard what little you three said before going out on the lake.  Dean knows you are looking for something, but he doesn't think you can do it in a week.  If there is any change of finding whatever it is and getting out of here I am willing to help.”
    “Get yourself lost.  Wander around out in the wilderness.  That's all the help you can be to us,” said Jim.
    William gave Jim a cool look, then turned back to Elizabeth, “Give us a moment please.”  He lead Jim a short ways away where they had a short but intense conversation.  Elizabeth couldn't understand what they were saying, but it was obvious that Jim wanted nothing to do with her.  When they were done talking Jim headed strait for his canoe.
    “You can come with us if you want, at least for a while,” William told her,  “Jim and I want to discuss a few things, but would rather wait till we are sure that Dean isn't watching.  You can come with us at least until we get out where the landscape is random and can't have hidden cameras.  We'll talk it over once we get there.  There are more canoes at the lodge. Get one and just head down stream.”  Without waiting for a response he turned and left.
    Elizabeth could feel Dean's eyes on her as she gathered food and a few extra sets of cloths from the lodge.  She knew that even if he wasn't watching right then that he would check the recordings.  Before she left she looked up at one of the corners where she knew a camera was hiding.
    “They haven't told me anything yet, but they are going to let me travel with them.  I'll hide my phone so they think I am on there side, but I'll call you when they spill the beans.”
   Even as she said them the words left a sour taste in her mouth.  She left the lodge as quickly as possible.