I looked in the mirror. Gray bags hung under my tired eyes. You look like shit, Shelly. I brushed my teeth and washed my face. Maybe I needed some fresh air.
It was too early to call my attorney, so after eating breakfast I headed to the rock outcropping. I thought being outside would help calm me, but every little sound made my heart race. I was still spooked from last night. I had a weird feeling I wasn’t alone.
The rain the night before had made the rocks extra slippery. My foot became stuck in a crevice between two rocks, and I had to wiggle it free. It made me think about what I’d do if something happened and I didn’t have a cell phone to call for help. I remembered reading a story about a mountain climber who fell into a crevice and cut off his arm. He survived.
Sometimes in life you must cut off a limb to save the body. I had to do that with Eric. I knew there’d be no middle ground with him. He wouldn’t forgive and forget or move on easily. He’d make me pay emotionally, financially, any way he could, claiming I’d abandoned him.
I sat down on the large rock Jackie and I had sat on the day before. I watched two sailboats in the distance. They seemed to dance on top of the water, gliding gracefully forwards. Eric had suggested buying a sailboat but he seemed more of a speedboat type of guy. Fast and dangerous.
I wondered about his first wife, Lisa. I doubted she was the psycho Eric had portrayed her as. I hadn’t tried to find her before, but I wondered if I could.
I found a couple of sites where you could put in a person’s name and get a report on them. I typed Eric J. Talbot. Bingo! Along with several aliases, the report also listed relatives. My name was there, but so was Lisa’s. I read it multiple times. Lisa Danner Talbot. She must’ve taken her maiden name for her middle name.
Someone yelled and it startled me. I turned around to see two kids climbing the rocks closer to land. The parents – I assumed they were the parents – watched from their perches on a fallen tree.
I turned back to my phone, wondering if Lisa was among the billions who used Facebook. I searched for Lisa Danner and I couldn’t believe how easy she was to find.
I was taken a little aback when I saw her photo. We looked a lot alike. Same coloring, hair and build. Was it a strange coincidence or did Eric search for women who had a ‘certain look?’
I enlarged the photo of her and that’s when I saw she was wearing a necklace just like the one Eric had given me the night of my high school reunion.
I could still hear his silky voice and what he said. He even got teary eyed. And, of course, I felt so special. How pathetic!
It made me sick just thinking about it. He probably said the same things to Lisa. I was tempted to message her, but I didn’t want to do anything rash.
I checked other social media to see if Lisa was on any of them. I found her profile on LinkedIn. She was a women’s clothing buyer, and had earned her undergrad and graduate degree from New York University. Her work history and education were impressive.
I wondered how they’d met. Did he woo her like he had me? Did he insist she wear sexy lingerie to bed? How did their marriage end? I had so many questions I wanted to ask but I wanted to see if Jackie thought contacting Lisa was a bad idea. I texted her.
Found Eric’s ex Lisa on Facebook. We look similar.
Jackie texted back: OMG!
Exactly! She’s wearing same necklace he bought me!
WTF? Bastard!
Should I message her?
Hell yeah. If she went through what you have, might need her to testify if things get nasty.
Let me know when she responds.
K. Love you. Talk later.
Yep! Love U 2!
I must’ve started my message to Lisa half a dozen times. I didn’t want to scare her or evoke memories she had long laid to rest.
Hi, Lisa. You don’t know me but I’m married to Eric Talbot. Things are very bad between us and I wondered if I could talk to you. I’m sorry for any pain you might have gone through, and if you are willing to speak with me, I’ll share my story with you. If you don’t want to speak with me, I understand and please forgive me for asking. I’m just trying to understand what happened over the last few months. Regardless of your answer, thank you for your time and I hope that in moving on with your life you’ve found happiness! Shelly.
I didn’t expect Lisa to respond so quickly, but a few minutes later she wrote:
We need to talk. What’s your number?
I gave her my number and she called immediately. The first thing I heard when I answered the phone was Lisa shouting. ‘Get as far away from that bastard as you can.’
‘I’m safe. I’m staying at my friend’s cabin.’
I could hear Lisa breathe a sigh of relief. ‘And he doesn’t know about the cabin?’
‘Right. He doesn’t know. Lisa, what happened? You sound as scared as I am.’
‘I don’t think I’ve ever stopped being scared,’ she said. ‘I jump at every little sound. I’m always looking around, frightened that he’ll show up in my life again. Look, I can’t talk now. I’m at work and stepped out of the building to call you because I wanted to warn you. But I can call you later. Just please take care of yourself. He’s a psychopath who doesn’t like losing or not being the one in control. If you ran from him, he’ll be extremely angry about it. He’s the one who does the discarding, the one who decides when it’s over. I still think I’m going to wake up in the middle of the night and feel his hunting knife running over my breasts and see his evil face staring down at me.’
I gasped.
‘Whatever you do, do not go back to him. He’ll say he’s changed and he might put on a good show for a while, but he’ll never change. He’s incapable of changing. He’s heartless, callous, cold and calculating. And he’s the most dangerous man I’ve ever known.’
‘Thank you, Lisa, for calling me back. There’s so much I want to talk to you about. I just don’t understand how I let this happen.’
‘Don’t beat yourself up. If I know Eric, he’s done plenty of that. Narcissists prey on a certain type of woman, women who don’t have a lot of self-esteem, who are gullible and naïve and believe in happy-ever-afters. Believe me, I’ve learned a lot since I was able to get away three years ago. I’ll call you later.’
‘Thanks.’
I sat on that rock for a long time thinking about what Lisa had said. I feared that Eric was even crazier than I’d thought. I needed to get a protection from abuse order. It was time to call my attorney.
As I walked back to the cabin, I couldn’t shake the thought I was being followed. I stopped a few times and turned around to check, but no one was there.
I figured I’d find Izzy lying on the recliner when I walked inside. It seemed to be her favorite perch, but she wasn’t there.
I went into the kitchen to boil some water and nearly fainted.
Eric’s satchel was on the table!