It was natural for me to look up to see where he meant, and then it hit me. “Was there a light on while she was in here?”
“No, sir,” the lady said to me, then turned to Alex. “Yes, sir, she was in there. It’s only used for storing the cleaning supplies in case we need to mop up quickly, so there isn’t a light.”
“Shit, did she have a panic attack?” I asked the woman.
The space was small and dark, and although Naomi might have a good grasp on her claustrophobia, who knew when something would trigger it. I’d hazard a guess that being in a small, dark space while someone was holding a shotgun to a woman’s head only feet away would probably be a trigger.
“Nope. She was okay when I opened the door, just real apologetic.” She suddenly clicked her fingers. “Oh, wait, she was holding onto the package of toilet paper she’d forgotten to pick up, and when I took it to get a roll out ‘cos she was bleeding everywhere, she asked if she had to pay for it and then passed out.”
Alex had been writing it all down as she spoke, and he frowned over the top of his pad at her. “She asked if she’d have to pay for the toilet paper?”
“Yes, sir. To be honest, I don’t know what the owner’s policy is under the circumstances. I can call and ask him if you’d like, though.”
Just then, Naomi opened her eyes. “Oh, he—” She stopped and looked around us, closing her eyes tightly for a moment. “Shit.”
“We need to get you to the hospital, baby. Your head’s bleeding.”
“Oh, my lord. Y’all are together?” the woman breathed, putting her fingers over her mouth. “This is like one of those romance movies. I love it.”
Naomi glanced over at the woman. “I’m so sorry.”
“Honey, he scared the shit out of me and stole money from the owner, who’s tighter than tight, let me tell you that. I didn’t get hurt, though, and aside from your head, neither did you.
“I can’t say for sure, but if I’d been in your shoes, I’d like to think I had the common sense to find a place to call for help, so don’t apologize. You did both of us a favor. What if he hadn’t stopped once he had what was in the till? What if he was about to shoot me when these fine officers—” she leaned in and winked “—very fine, thank you very much—turned up?”
Snorting, Naomi made to stand up, so I put my hand under her arm to help her until she was upright. Even then, I didn’t remove it, but I shifted so I had my arm around her waist now.
“Well, next time you run to a closet to call for help, and I’ll stare down the barrel of a canon. How’s that?”
“Please don’t joke about it, baby,” I said quietly, almost shuddering at the thought.
She grimaced but then started freaking out. “Oh, shit. What about Shanti and Nemi? Did you pick them up?”
“Colette’s picking them up from school as we speak.” Just then, two other P.V.P.D. vehicles pulled onto the forecourt. “Let’s just hope she takes them a different way, so they don’t see all of this and your car and put two and two together.”
“Sweet Lord in Heaven, y’all have kids together? I love this even more,” the attendant squealed.
“Not much fazes you, does it?” Alex noted dryly.
“Admittedly, at the time, I was pooping my panties, but now that y’all are here, I figure I don’t have much to worry about right now. Maybe later, when I get home, it’ll hit me again, but for now, I’m good.”
Humans didn’t realize how resilient they could be. Hysteria or tears weren’t the wrong reactions in a situation like this, but not every victim went that way.
Some never lost a wink of sleep or maybe lost a little and then recovered. Others had it catch up with them days or weeks after the incident. There were no wrongs or rights, everyone dealt with it in their own way, but this woman was proof that even after a traumatic event, we could stay rational.
I just hoped neither woman had it catch up with them.
FIFTEEN
Naomi
“Can I take you to school for show and tell?” Shanti asked with her head resting on her hands.
It was the morning after the incident, and aside from a slight panic last night, during which I made sure each door and window was locked twice, I was holding on okay.
My niece, however, had decided I was a real life superhero.
“No, honey. I’ve got to go to work.”
Carter made a noise beside me, where he was drinking his cup of coffee. “Uh, DB would understand if you took the d—”
“I’m going in to work. I want to stay busy, and I love my job.”