No Way Out by Fern Michaels (great books for teens .TXT) 📗

I remember you said that the phone number was only good for a few days, so I wanted to first say thank you for letting Jackson into the yard. He has been so happy. And tired! He’s finally sleeping better.” Colleen was almost out of breath.

“I’m so glad to hear it.” Ellie waited for Colleen to continue.

“I know there’s been a bit more activity on the block lately, and I wanted to explain what happened.” Colleen took a big breath.

Ellie had a pretty good idea about what was going on but feigned not knowing anything. She took a gulp of her wine. Aside from her weekly conversations with her mother and Kara, the quick exchanges with Hector, and the occasional person who insisted on “speaking to a human,” talking to Colleen was the only real human-to-human contact she had, even if it was over the phone. The truth was that even her conversations with Kara had been getting mundane. There wasn’t much to tell her friend or her mother, if anything at all. She felt that her whereabouts had to remain secret, so there was no talking about Buddy in the yard and Jackson. For the most part, she just listened to the latest news from her mother and the family, and Kara’s accounts of her latest dustups with other members of the Junior League. Poor Kara. She was always interjecting her opinion when it wasn’t wanted. The frustrating part was that Kara was usually right. Except for one thing. And that one thing was part of the reason that Ellie had ended up where she had and, now, where she was. But she never blamed Kara for it. Ellie had made her own choices.

“Ellie?” Colleen wanted to be sure she was still on the line.

“Oh, yes. Sorry. It was looking like Buddy was going to steal a biscuit off the counter.” Gosh, I’m becoming a stellar liar.

“I was saying that I am sure you heard and saw the police car the week before last?” Colleen paused.

Ellie replied with, “Uh-huh.”

“It’s no secret. Mitchel went booze-o-gonzo on me, and I had to call the police.”

“Wow. Are you OK?” Ellie was genuinely concerned.

“For the most part, yes. We still have a ways to go. There’s Mitchel’s hearing, and perhaps trial, depending on what happens at the hearing, then the custody situation.”

“Sounds like a lot to deal with,” Ellie answered.

“Yeah.”

“What’s the next step?” Ellie asked.

“Well, there is a restraining order against Mitchel. He can’t come within a hundred yards of me or Jackson except for when he gets to have Jackson for a supervised visitation. Everything is kinda up in the air, but I feel like I’m making some progress.” Colleen paused. “I put most of his clothes—his dirty clothes, by the way—into a few garbage bags, and Officer Pedone hauled them away for me.”

“What’s he going to do with them?”

“I’d like to say ‘burn them,’ but I don’t want Mitchel to have anything negative to say about me. Officer Pedone was going to drop them off at Mitchel’s brother’s house. That’s where he’s staying now. His mother wanted him to stay with her, but she can be a real pain in the butt. Anyway, we have several more steps before everything is settled, and it can take a really long time.”

“I can only imagine.” Ellie had had her own experience with red tape.

“So, if Mitchel pleads not guilty, there will be a trial. If he pleads guilty, they will probably knock the charges down from felony domestic violence to misdemeanor domestic violence.”

“There’s a difference?” Ellie knew there was. “That was sarcasm, by the way. I cannot believe that they can actually consider any act of violence a misdemeanor. It’s infuriating.”

“It sure is.”

“So what will happen in each case?”

“If he pleads guilty, and they reduce the charge, he’ll get probation and community service.”

“That hardly seems right.” Ellie was starting to steam.

“Yes, indeed. And if he pleads not guilty, he’ll go to trial, and the jury will decide.” Colleen explained further. “And going to trial could take months. Even a year.”

“Jeez. Sounds awful.”

“So the present custody arrangement is in effect, as well as the temporary restraining order, until the hearing. That’s when we’ll know how he pleads and what comes next.”

“How are you holding up?” Ellie sipped on her wine.

“Not too bad, really. Our marriage had been in a severe downward spiral for a couple of years. I’m actually relieved.”

“Sometimes it takes a monumental eruption to move us forward.” Ellie spoke from experience.

“You got that right. Anyhoo, I had a security system installed and bought a Taser.”

“A Taser?” Ellie was curious. That was one of the first things she’d purchased when she had left the hospital. One can never be too safe. Or maybe she was just being paranoid. She chuckled to herself.

“Yep. Wow. Those things are impressive. Officer Pedone showed me how to use it.” Colleen felt herself blush. “He’s been extremely helpful.”

“Glad to hear it. Sometimes it can be very frightening when you’re faced with so much stress with little or no backup.” Ellie spoke from experience.

“And Jackson seems to be doing so much better. I cannot thank you enough for your kindness.” Colleen almost started to get weepy. She had been keeping herself in check for Jackson’s sake, trying to hold back the tears.

“I’m glad he and Buddy are friends.” Ellie paused for a moment. Was this the right time to invite her?

“Listen, I’ve gotta go and put dinner on the table. Jackson is washing up. Oh, and, if you ever need anything, say, an errand to be run, please let me know.”

Ellie was slightly stunned. “Why, thank you. I appreciate it.”

“I know Hector does a lot for you, but just in case, please know you have backup.”

“Thanks, Colleen. I’ll certainly keep that in mind. Thanks for calling. Have a good evening.”

“You, too.”

The two clicked off at the same time.

Lots of thoughts rushed through Ellie’s head. Had she found a friend? For the first time in two years, she felt that