Chapter 15 — Running into Safety

Upon returning from work, Leo had taken a shower, had dinner, watched a movie, a few entertainment programs, and was just sitting on the couch flipping channels. He felt that even if went into the bedroom and lay down on the bed, he still wouldn't be able to fall sleep even for five minutes. Leo was worried about Esther all the time and cursed himself that the Mad Dog case wasn't quite finished yet. Of course, maybe strictly for them as detectives, yes, after all they closed the case by catching Laurens Vermeulen and proving that he was the murderer, but they still had to face trials. Even if the hearing of both of them could fit in one day, both he and Esther would surely follow the course of events. They put so much effort into this whole investigation, finally caught this psycho personally and wanted him to get the appropriate punishment, so they could testify more if necessary, so that Mad Dog won't be treated indulgently for any reason. Maybe Laurens Vermeulen had a difficult childhood and had to deal with a trauma, but according to Leo, this in no way justified his raping and murdering these poor women, and only because they were perhaps more "open" to the opposite sex. If he had been hurt so badly, should have sought help from a specialist. The world was moving forward, there were more and more helplines and doctors who could conduct therapy with him and give some medications.

But Leo couldn't think about it for too long since his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of the doorbell.

"Who could it be at this hour?" he got up from the couch, clearly annoyed. He lowered the TV sound down and set the remote on the couch, then went slowly to the door where the ringing still sounded.

"I'm opening, God!" Leo shouted through the door, keeping one hand on the doorknob and the other on the key inserted into the lock, while peering through the peephole. "Esther?" he was surprised to see her, and in addition with a terrified face expression. Without hesitating too much, Leo opened the door and let her in.

"Leo..." Esther stepped inside and the first thing she did was put her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly, hiding her face in his chest.

"Hey, little sis... It's okay, I'm here." Leo embraced her without hesitating, hugging tightly and noticing immediately that she was trembling slightly. He put one hand on her back and the other stroked her hair. "God, what happened, Esther?" Leo asked, clearly worried.

"Can I spend the night in your apartment today?" Esther asked, lifting her head to look at him.

"Of course you can. I wouldn't refuse to help you, but tell me what happened first, okay?" Leo answered firmly, but at the same time very gently. Then he released her from his embrace, and when she removed her jacket and shoes, leaving them in the hall, Leo took her hand and led into the living room, settling immediately on the couch.

"Have you eaten something?" Leo asked, although seeing her pale face he guessed she most likely didn't. "I'll heat the rest of soup I got from my mom, you will eat it." he said, going to the kitchen. Leo came back about ten minutes later with a full bowl, a spoon, and a small plate with some bread in his hand, which he set on the table by the couch.

"You really didn't have to..." Esther said, but she took a spoon, a slice of bread and began to eat.

Leo watched her eat and concluded he was right—she hadn't eaten, or at least nothing decent. When the bowl was empty, he took a deep breath.

"Now tell me exactly what happened that you can't spend the night in your apartment?" Leo asked finally, looking at her.

Esther said nothing, only her eyes grew larger, and there was panic mixed with fear and uncertainty on her face.

"Someone broke in? Attacked you?" Leo continued asking, slowly losing his patience but tried to remain calm. "Tell me, please." he added pleadingly.

"Nothing like that happened..." Esther spoke up finally. "But I'm afraid to say it, because you won't believe me... And you will be mad or something..." she gave him a slightly accusing look.

"I promise I'll stay calm, just tell me, whatever it is." Leo replied, taking her hands in his.

"After getting home, I was sitting on the computer because I found the site about the Scarlet Angels... There were so many surprising things there that indicate that they really exist, but it's not important..." Esther said intermittently, looking at him uncertainly. She saw him take a deep breath, and despite his slightly annoyed expression, which said 'Oh no, this thing again?', he was really trying to stay calm, so she continued. "Suddenly, I heard something like a thousand whispers in my head, so intense that it hurt, and then my laptop suddenly shut down, along with all the lights in the apartment. I got so scared that I ran out of the apartment, then came to you." she finished.

"I understand that you might have been scared if it happened suddenly, and at such a moment." Leo began to speak uncertainly. "But don't you think it's an exaggeration to run away from the apartment because of some electric short circuit?" he continued, slightly annoyed. "These kind of things happen, especially in old buildings like the one you live in. The electricity probably came back before you even hit the main street. And I won't even comment on these whispers, because you probably know what I'm going to tell you. That's a warning sign that you need to rest." he added.

"Leo, you don't have to believe me." Esther replied more confidently. "But please let me spend the night here. I can't go back to my apartment today. I can sleep on the couch, from tomorrow I will stay normally at my place. Only today, please..." she added in an almost pleading tone.

"Okay, okay, I got it. You can sleep in my apartment today, I won't chase you out." Leo assured, raising his hands defensively. "But you won't sleep on the couch, no way. Don't even ask for it. You will take the bedroom, and I will lie down on the couch in the living room." he decided in a tone of no objection.

"If you insist..." Esther replied resignedly. "I'm really sorry for making you sleep uncomfortably..." she began, but he put a finger to her lips.

"Quiet, sis. Don't apologize to me, silly." Leo replied to her, smiling slightly, looking a little bit amused. "I'll be fine spending one night on the couch. You don't die from that." he continued, increasingly amused. "Besides, it's supposed to be for one night, isn't it?" he asked, getting up from the couch. Esther nodded and got up as well, going with him to his bedroom.

While Leo was preparing clean sheets for her and looking for some blankets in the closet for himself, Esther looked around the room. It was not the first time she had been to Leo's apartment, but had never looked into the bedroom. As one might have guessed from his behaviour and the order he had on his desk at the police station, there was also an extraordinary order here, and it was much cleaner than you'd expect from a bachelor his age. Apart from it being more clean and in order, this bedroom was not much different from her room. There was a bed, a wardrobe, a desk with a chair, and a bookshelf above it. There was a single window by the bed, but Leo had no curtains in it. His apartment was also slightly larger than hers, was on the sixth floor, in an evidently newer building.

"Well, it's all ready. Get into bed and try to sleep." Leo's voice interrupted her thoughts. "You really need to rest. Good night." he said at the end, leaving the room with a blanket and a pillow in his hand.

"Good night." Esther replied, watching him go, and when the door closed, she walked over to the bed, lay down on it, and covered herself with the duvet, trying to fall asleep.