“Do you need to take a break?” Officer Martin asked.

            “Yes,” Spencer said. “I need a few minutes please.”

            “That’s fine,” he said. “Just let me know when you are ready to go again.” He stopped the tape and went into the hall.

            I looked at Spencer with sadness in my eyes. She didn’t even have to finish saying what happened. I already knew what he did to her. I started crying.

            “Ash,” Spencer said starting to cry too. “Don’t cry please.”

            “I’m sorry,” I said wiping my years.

            “Officer Martin,” Spencer said. “I’m ready now.”

            Officer Martin walked back in the room. She started the tape again. “Whenever you’re ready,” he said.

            I squeezed Spencer’s hand. She looked at me then looked at Officer Martin. “He had a hammer, steel pipe, and beer bottle,” she said. “Over the next three days, he used those three items to rape me. He used himself also. He was sadistic. I was scared for my life. I didn’t think I would make it out of there alive. Then after the third day, he went back to the normal routine of feeding me a few pretzels and a few drops of water. The night before you found me, he told me he would kill me the next day. He had thought out every detail precisely and told me all about it. All I could do was cry. I thought I was going to die. Then you guys showed up and saved me.”

            “Thank you,” Officer Martin said. “You’ve been a great help. We’ll call you when the trial date is set.”

            “Trial?” Spencer asked.

            “Yes,” he said. “You will be asked to testify.”

            “Oh,” Spencer said.

            “Again,” he said, “thank you for all your help. We’ll be in touch.”

            Officer Martin took his tape recorder and left the room. I looked over at Spencer and squeezed her hand.

            “You were what kept me alive,” she said. “I had your picture in my head the whole time. When he told me he was going to kill me, I cried because I didn’t think I’d ever see you again. I didn’t think I’d ever get to kiss you again or feel your body against mine.”

            I was crying. “I’m so sorry,” I said. “You would be fine if I hadn’t gone inside to get a blanket. You’d be fine if I would have just held you close to me and made you warm myself.”

            Spencer pulled me to her and hugged me tightly. “Shush,” she said. “Stop all that talk. If it didn’t happen then, it would have happened some other time. He was stalking us. This is not your fault. Don’t talk like that.”

            “I just missed you so much,” I cried. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again. I was so scared.”

            “I was too,” she said. “But everything is ok now. I’m here and I’m fine. We’ll be together forever.”

            “Promise?” I asked.

            “Promise,” she said.

            “You look tired,” I said. “Let’s take a nap.”

            “That took a lot out of me,” she said. “A nap would be great.”

            She laid back down and I laid next to her. I put my head on her shoulder and my arm across her stomach. I held on tightly. I wasn’t going to let her go again.