Heller's Punishment by J.D. Nixon

now suddenly had a
case of the faints because someone might see the top of her head as
she peed in the woods? I doubt it.
    “I heard
voices,” I snapped.
    “What the fuck?
Are you insane? I fell over and was swearing my head off. How the
fuck is that ‘voices’?”
    She showed me
her hands, which were grazed. I looked around suspiciously, but
nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I hurried her up and we had to
trot after the others to catch them.
    The rest of the
walk was uneventful. Felicia trailed behind everyone despite my
urges to keep up. She didn’t converse with anyone and took no
interest in the lively conversation of the other clients. Back
inside, Jorge escorted me back to the room, but reminded Felicia
that she was due for one-on-one counselling. She didn’t look
thrilled at the news.
    “Sorry Tilly,
this needs to be strictly confidential between Felicia and her
counsellor. Neither you nor I are allowed in the room at the time,”
Jorge apologised as he led Felicia away and locked the door behind
him.
    I settled back
on my bed with my detective novel. I’d reached an intense and
suspenseful part – the spunky female detective was being led into
an abandoned, isolated factory by a man who her colleagues had just
realised was a sexually sadistic multiple murderer. Why did she
trust him? I thought anxiously, stopping from biting my nails
only long enough to turn the page. The phone rang and startled me
so much that I dropped the book on the floor and lost my place.
    “Oh, damn,” I
grumbled under my breath as I sprang up to answer. “Hello?”
    “Phone call for
Matilda Chalmers in Room 212,” said the disembodied voice.
    “That’s me,” I
replied. I knew who it was going to be.
    “Putting it
through now,” the voice said and then there was a click and I said
hello again.
    “Hello, my
sweet,” said a much-loved voice in my ear.
    “Heller!”
    “You sound
pleased to hear from me for once.”
    “I sure am. I’m
so bored here. I’m locked in the room by myself at the moment. If I
hadn’t brought a book with me I’d be going insane. I’m desperate
for entertainment. Tell me everything that’s been happening
back there.”
    He laughed.
“Nothing’s been happening. You know that nothing ever happens here
if you’re not around. You’re the cause of all the excitement in the
business.”
    “Heller,” I
protested, injured. “I don’t think you’re saying that in a positive
way.”
    He laughed
again. “I hope your client isn’t causing you more trouble.”
    When I replied,
I ordered my priorities right and first indignantly told him about
Felicia’s rude rejection of my jeans. A strange muffled sound down
the phone line made me wonder if he was stifling another laugh.
Then I told him of the group counselling session and the strange
happenings in the wood that afternoon.
    “Did you search
her after that incident?” he demanded.
    “Why?”
    “Matilda! She
could have been up to anything in there. You at least told the
nurse?”
    “No,” I said in
a small voice. “She was just peeing, Heller. I saw her.”
    “Make sure you
tell the nurse as soon as you get the chance. Promise me.”
    “I will, I
promise.” I felt stupid. “I’m sorry.”
    “It’s okay,
just make sure you tell someone.” His voice softened. “I was afraid
I’d miss your call later. That’s why I’m ringing you now.”
    “You’re busy
tonight?”
    “I’m going
out.” I tried not to mind.
    “Have a good
time,” I said, forcing myself to sound cheerful and not to think
about him screwing some lucky woman a hundred times in a hundred
different positions tonight.
    “You know I’d
rather be with you,” he said easily.
    “Sure you
would.” I gave a genuine laugh at that smooth quip. “With me saying
‘no, Heller’, ‘stop, Heller’, ‘what are you doing with that ,
Heller’.”
    He laughed
again. “I miss you so much, Matilda. I don’t know why I keep giving
you these jobs that send you away