SHE tried to stay calm so the fear she was feeling could not be seen in her eyes. Detective Arvin was not with them and they put her in a private room with one female rank present as they questioned her about Mark. But she knew nothing of Mark’s businesses nor his associates.

They held her for the entire night and, with the one phone call she was allowed to make, she called Mark.
His phone, though, went to voicemail and she left him a message, “Please come and get me, I’m at the police station.”
By the next day and after repeated questioning, she felt tired and desperately needed to go home.
“Please, Lord, I need someone’s help.”

Late that afternoon, Detective Arvin came from a special assignment he had been on and she said, tears in her eyes, “I was hoping to see you, to help me.”
He spoke with her to get her to feel comfortable and she pleaded, a tremor in her voice, “Please, I don’t know anything, I just want to go home.”

He looked at her, feeling sorry for her, and said gently, “I want to help you but I also have to do my job.”
He gave her a glass of water, tissues to wipe her face and said, “Take a deep breath and relax. I will ask you a few questions so you can be free to go.”
Mark’s name it seemed came up because of his step-brother’s criminal record.

“We need anything you can tell us about him.”
“We live normal lives,” she said, “working towards achieving our dreams.”
“Do you know anything about his business investments?”

“No, he does not disclose anything to me and when I insist to know, he would get angry and hit me.”
Her voice broke and she started to cry.
Arvin, knowing she was a domestic abuse victim halted his questioning and got up, “Come on, I’ll take you home.”
On the way he asked, “Are you hungry? Can I get you something?”
“No, I’m fine, thanks.”

“You don’t look fine,” he said, “I’ll get you something.”
He stopped by a roadside burger stall, and at her home he said to her, “You had a tough two days, get some rest.”
Tanya found the strength to smile a little and said, “Thank you.”

She ate the burger, took a long, leisure bath and went to bed, falling asleep immediately. She did not know Mark came home not long after and stood looking at her as she slept, the gun in his hand.
She hummed softly a Tina Turner song as she busied herself with the food preparations, moments of the past two days playing in her mind. The police detaining her, the fear she felt, and the young detective’s empathy.
“He seems like such a nice person,” she mused.

Mark’s voice behind her almost startled her. He returned after reading her message, angry that the Police had detained her.
“I’m sorry something like that had to happen to you,” he said with seemingly true regrets.
She accepted his apology, just so the matter could rest and left with her containers to the food court.
The other vendors anxiously awaited her, worried about what had happened.

“It’s nothing to worry about,” Tanya assured them, “It was something about Mark.”
The older women though, still looked worried and expressed their concerns.
“Hope it’s nothing dat would drag you into trouble wid de law.”

That was the main worry on Tanya’s mind as she set up for business. Mark came by her stall just before lunch to tell her he was thinking about hiring a lawyer to protect her interests. He didn’t want a repeat of what had happened to her. It wasn’t an idea she liked, just not wanting to be associated with anything illegal and as they were debating that, a few detectives arrived.
Mark showed no fear and approached the investigators in a no-nonsense manner.

“That was wrong man, detaining a young woman selling food.”
“We are following all leads,” was the crisp response.
A look of defiance crossed Mark’s face and he scoffed, “You have nothing.”
Arvin walked up to him and stated quietly but firmly, “We are on the right track and it would be an epic takedown.”
The two men with different interests and personalities looked at each other with daring looks and Mark turned to Tanya, saying, “I’ll see you at home tonight.”

He drove off in a show of aggression and Arvin looked at Tanya, and noticing her disturbed look asked, “Is there any problem?”
“No, we just disagreed on something.”
“Are you going to be okay?”
“I don’t know.”

“I wish there is some way I can help you,” he said, with a measure of concern.
She smiled wryly, “Thanks.”
The older women paying close attention to that little exchange, said, “He seem tuh have some concern fuh yuh.”
Tanya sighed and pointed out, again, “He’s just doing his job.”

“Nice way, though,” they voiced, smiling appreciatively.
Mark came home early that night, a serious look on his face, not saying anything throughout dinner. He poured a drink of 15-year-old El Dorado rum and sat for a long while, the muscles in his face taut.
That told her something was terribly wrong.

He poured himself another drink, then said, “They have been investigating in this area too often. It means they’re onto something so we will have to leave.”
“Why are the police interested in you?” she asked cautiously.

“You don’t have to know anything now,” he snapped at her, “I have to work out some new plans to find somewhere safe for us.”
“No!” she cried out in her mind, “That’s not good,” but she said nothing further for he was in a bad mood.
He left early that morning and came back in the night, not troubled anymore but confident and he hugged her.
“A perfect plan is in place for us to leave tonight.”

“Where are we going?”
“To a place where the arms of the law can’t touch us.”
She braved her mind, knowing if she didn’t take a stance now, he would drag her into a life of crime where there would be no turning back.”
“I am not leaving with you,” she said firmly, “until you tell me the truth.”

He took a step towards her in anger, then stopped and took a deep breath, a gloating look on his face.
“Yeah, I can tell you now. I was the mastermind behind the high-profile robberies.”
She looked at him stunned, for though she suspected something illegal, the confession was a great shock.
“I’ll take you away from here, give you a better life.”

She shook her head, “We were supposed to realise our dreams through honest and hard work, not with blood money.”
“It’s not blood money!” he shouted, grabbing her by the throat, “I earned it the hard way.”
He pushed her roughly and strode across the room, punching the air angrily. She inhaled slowly and told him in a steady voice, “It’s not the life I wanted, Mark. I think we should go our separate ways.”

He said nothing, then turned around slowly, dark anger on his face. She had suffered enough from that anger and she turned to run to lock herself in the bedroom but too late. He grabbed her by the hair, punching and kicking her as she fell down. He picked her up, threw her on the sofa, and wiping the blood from her mouth, he said in a deadly, low tone.
“You are not leaving me, now or ever.”

He left her there lying helplessly and went into the bedroom to pack two bags for them to leave. She was hurting so bad, she could hardly move, but she had to get to the phone to call for help.
Arvin’s card was in one of the cookbooks, and she dragged herself to get there. She called but the phone went to voicemail and she left a message, her voice filled with pain.

“He’s taking me away, please, I need your help.”
To be continued…