Chapter 16 — Short Escape from Nightmare

The next day, on October 3rd, Leo woke up early in the morning, way before the time to get up. It was Saturday, but for him and Esther, no weekend was really free, unless they had a pre-arranged day off. Even then, they had to keep their phones turned on, ready to be called to the police station at any moment. They had a day off on Sunday this week, and Leo thought to himself that he should take Esther out of town somewhere so she could rest for a while, and he prayed that nothing would happen on Sunday, so there would be no phone calls from the police station.

Leo got up and sat on the couch, slightly rolling the blanket. His neck ached, so he massaged it while looking at the clock on the wall. Leo had about two more hours until they needed to leave to work, so decided to slowly get up and make breakfast for him and Esther. He wasn't a very talented cook, but he could make very tasty cheese toast and pretty good scrambled eggs and bacon. Plus, Leo set the carton of orange juice on the table that he had always had in the fridge since Esther had infected him with her love for that fruit. When the full breakfast was ready, Leo went to the bedroom to wake her up. It turned out, however, that Esther was already awake and was sitting on the bed, staring at the opposite wall. Only when she heard his voice did she turn towards him and scramble out of bed.

"Maybe we should drive up to your apartment before work to get you changed?" Leo asked, disapprovingly seeing her slightly crumpled clothes she was sleeping in due to lack of pyjamas.

"There is no such need... Why waste time? I don't look that bad." Esther replied, trying to smile but she looked very pale and the shadows under her eyes didn't disappear but seemed to deepen. She looked like didn't get any sleep at all.

"Did you sleep well?" Leo asked as Esther left the room with him. "Because you look like you haven't slept at all..." he explained as they sat down at the kitchen table.

"I was sleeping, just had a nightmare, I guess." Esther replied as she started eating her breakfast. The food was quickly disappearing from her plate, and Leo was pleased to see it.

"Nightmares?" he asked then, a little worried.

"It's nothing, they're just dreams, after all." Esther replied shortly.

Leo also started eating his breakfast, and Esther, after emptying the plate, went to the bathroom to fix hair and clean her face a bit before leaving. When she returned, Leo had already eaten and put the dishes in the dishwasher. They both gathered quickly, got into their cars, and drove to the police station.

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Surprisingly, Esther responded positively when Leo offered her a short trip out of town on Sunday. After her last behaviour, when she had dismissed him on every occasion, when he offered her some sort of outing, Leo was afraid that Esther would come up with an excuse this time too. But fortunately, he didn't even have to convince her because she agreed immediately. Even more, Esther decided that they should leave shortly after work, find a place to stay and then have a whole day to rest.

And that's what they did, but first each of them went home first to grab a few necessary things, and then Leo drove up to Esther's block, because they were going to drive in his car. It was a newer model than the Esther's, so it was more suitable for the longer journey. He didn't have to wait long, for Esther quickly appeared downstairs. But the look on her face struck him. She looked frightened again, just like then when she visited him unexpectedly in the middle of the night.

"Everything all right?" Leo asked as she got into the car, tossed her small bag over the back seat, and fastened her seatbelt.

"Hm?" Esther looked at him, evidently torn from her thoughts. "Yes, everything's alright, don't worry." she added quickly, when realized what he had asked about.

"Are you sure? You look like you did that night..." Leo began to say.

"I'm sure, for God's sake." Esther interrupted him, with a little bit too aggressive tone for his taste. "Let's go now, okay?" she asked after a short while, but much calmer.

Leo said nothing, just fired the engine, focusing on the view in front of him, but out of the corner of his eye he noticed Esther staring at her apartment windows with a clearly frightened expression. He sighed a little and completely concentrated on driving the car as he pulled out into the street. Esther still seemed uncomfortable being in her apartment, but he couldn't understand why was she so scared after sudden turning off the lights or the computer? The more that Leo had already explained the whole situation to her logically. She should go to an electrician and have him check the electrical installations in her apartment, and maybe the entire building.

They went not far, because only on the outskirts of Cardiff, to the coastal areas, specifically near Cardiff Bay Wetlands Reserve. There was a footpath that crosses the reserve from St. David’s Hotel to the Yacht Club on the River Taff. At the end of this footpath, a boardwalk goes out into the water, allowing good viewing across the Reserve, and also provides a good spot for watching the fish shoaling in the shallow waters. In addition, there must have been less people at this time of year, which would have ensured peace. Leo was sure Esther would get a good rest there.

They stopped for the night at St. David's Hotel, and the next day, on Sunday, October 4th, they set off down the Cardiff Bay Trail, walking around the Cader Idris mountain and onto the boardwalk, where they could admire all of Cardiff Bay and the Wetlands Reserve. The calmness and closeness of nature clearly had a soothing effect on Esther, which in turn made Leo very happy. He felt as if an enormous weight had fallen from his heart.

Unfortunately, when evening came, they had to go back to downtown Cardiff, because they had to be at work on Monday. Leo took Esther to her apartment building first, then drove to his place.