Shannon finally agreed to let me drive her back. She was sobbing and crying most of the way. I wanted to comfort her, but it was just so difficult. I was afraid of saying the wrong thing.
“We’ll find her. Don’t worry,” I said for the tenth time, when I drove up in front of the motel. I had asked my mother to take care of the kids, and they were all asleep in their extra bedroom when we arrived. I let them stay in there and closed the door, kissed my mother thank you, then helped Shannon get to her room. I opened the door, and with her leaning on me, I helped her get to the bed. She took one glance at Angela’s empty bed and her stuffed animals on top of it, then burst into tears.
“Oh, my baby. Where is she, Jack? Where is she?”
I let her cry in my arms, while I stroked her hair gently. Even when crying she was beautiful. Her hands touched my face and she pulled me closer.
“You need to get some sleep,” I said. “Lay down. I’ll stay with you till you fall asleep.”
“I can’t,” she said. “I can’t sleep without my daughter.”
“Listen to me,” I said. “You think Joe has her, right?”
She sniffled. “Yes. Yes I do.”
“Would he ever hurt Angela?”
She looked pensive for a second, then shook her head. “No, not Angela. Me, he would, but Angela is his diamond. He loves her more than he loves himself.”
“So, if we assume she’s with Joe, then we must assume she’s fine, right? He’ll take proper care of her, right?”
Shannon scoffed. A hint of a smile spread across her face. “You make a very good point, Detective Jack Ryder.”
“Now, get some sleep. Tomorrow, we’ll look for Joe, and then we’ll get Angela back to you.”
Shannon put her head on the pillow and closed her eyes. “You’re a very sweet man, Jack Ryder,” she mumbled. “You’re very good at saying the right things.”
I leaned over and kissed her cheek, like I kissed my children’s when tucking them in. It made her smile.
Chapter Sixty-Five
February 2015
Shannon woke up with a start.
“Angela?” she cried wearily. “Angela?”
She had dreamt about her daughter. She had dreamt that she had held her in her arms again. Now, there was nothing but the darkness…the vast gloom of the night. Realizing that her daughter was still missing, that it was nothing but a dream, Shannon sobbed. She pulled her legs up underneath her chin and cried. She tried to close her eyes and go back to sleep, but had no success. She turned around and spotted Jack. He was sitting in the chair, his head resting on the wall behind him, his mouth open. His eyes were closed, and he was snoring lightly.
“You’re going to wake up with a pain in your neck,” she whispered, but couldn’t help smiling. Jack was usually so handsome, but right now, he didn’t look very attractive. He was drooling slightly.
Shannon tilted her head and looked at him. She couldn’t believe he had stayed here for her sake. They had only known each other for a short while, yet she felt so incredibly attracted to him, like they had known each other always.
She stared at him for a long time, wondering if he had planned on staying here, or if he had simply fallen sleep while waiting.
Either way, it was nice to have him here. He made her feel secure, like nothing bad could ever reach her. He had a way of making people feel comfortable when they were around him. It was a very rare quality in a man.
“Who are you, Jack Ryder?” she whispered in the darkness. Outside, the full moon was making it a very bright night. Shannon sat up in the bed, wondering how Angela was doing, if she was all right, if she was scared or even crying? She kind of hoped Joe had her, since she knew she would at least be safe. But, then again. Would she ever see her again? Would Joe let her? Would they have to go through a custody battle? The drug abuse would come up. Shannon traveled all the time. That would be an issue as well. She had no proof that Joe had hit her, she never reported it, and never took pictures of the abuse. They would have to rely on witnesses, and when it came to having friends who would testify on your behalf, Joe by far surpassed her. She had no friends of her own. They were all Joe’s.
“Damn you, Joe,” she whispered.
Jack grumbled something in his sleep, then moved his head. It fell down, and he started nodding. Shannon chuckled. She longed to feel the warmth of another body close to hers. She longed to have warm arms around her making her feel like she was safe. Shannon cried silently, thinking about all the nights Joe had yelled at her for hours…yelled and slapped her around. The past fifteen years with him had been a living hell. How had she not had the strength to leave him before?
Because she was afraid of him. She was terrified that he would do something like what he had done today. She was so afraid she would never see her daughter again. And now, it had happened. He had taken her, and for all she knew, he could be on his way to Mexico with her in the car.
Shannon sobbed at the thought. She loathed how she had felt angst every day of her life. Anxious about what he would come up with next, what would set him off. The man she was supposed to feel secure with, the one person in the world that was supposed to protect her, had been the source of all her misery. It was all so clear now. But it wasn’t over, just because she had decided to leave him. That was very clear to her now. Was it ever going to be over?
Shannon couldn’t stop the tears. She tried to wipe them away, but more came as fast as she removed them. Suddenly, she felt someone come up behind her. Warmth spread over her entire body as he leaned in and kissed her on the neck.
“Jack,” she whispered. He put his arm around her and pulled her close to him, while kissing her neck and throat. Shannon moaned and leaned her head back. His touches made her tears stop. She whispered his name again, right before she closed her eyes and let herself get into the moment.
Chapter Sixty-Six
February 2015
I woke up in Shannon’s arms. It was still early morning. I managed to get myself out of her embrace, then kissed her on the cheek before I reached for my pants and my phone. It was still only a quarter to six. I had fifteen minutes before the kids had to get up and get ready for school.
I looked at the sleeping Shannon. I couldn’t believe myself. I never did anything like this. I had taken a chance. I had woken up and found her crying. I couldn’t believe I had dared to simply kiss her, but I had wanted to so badly. I wanted to be close to her. She was in such deep pain, and I wanted to simply comfort her, but one thing let to another.
Shannon groaned in her sleep. She looked more beautiful than ever. I felt a pinch of joy in my heart. I really liked her, and I hoped I hadn’t ruined everything by sleeping with her. It was beautiful…what we shared. It was so intimate, and even though I did feel guilty, since I was technically still married, and so was she, I couldn’t help feeling happy.
I picked up my shirt and got dressed, then leaned over and whispered in her ear. “I need to go, Shannon. The kids are waiting for me. I’ll be back once I’ve put them on the bus, all right?”
Shannon opened her eyes. She smiled. She grabbed my collar and pulled me closer, then kissed me. The kiss was soft and gentle. Kissing her stirred things up inside of me in a way it never had with any other girl. Not even with Arianna.
I just hoped she felt the same way.
“I’ll be back,” I whispered.
“Okay,” she moaned, then went back to sleep. I was glad she finally managed to get some rest. She needed it.
I put on my shoes, then went outside and closed the door carefully, to not wake up Shannon once again, then ran for my condo, where I found new clothes for myself and for the children. I took a very quick shower, then hurried to my parent’s quarters at the motel. The kids were still heavily asleep when I entered the bedroom my parents had made for them. Even Emily had crashed there on the futon.
“Guys. It’s time to get up,” I whispered.
“Dad,” Abigail moaned, while slowly coming t
o life. I leaned in and kissed her. She grabbed me by the neck and hugged me. It felt good. I thought about Shannon. I couldn’t imagine not knowing where my kids were. It was unbearable.
“Did you find Angela?” Austin asked. He was sitting up in his bed above Abigail’s. I stood up and looked at him. He looked so cute in his little PJs with airplanes on them. Part of me hoped he would never grow out of this stage.
“No, buddy. Not yet. But, we’ll find her. We believe she is with her dad.”
“Then why don’t you just call him and ask?” Abigail asked.
“We did,” I said, and threw their clothes on their beds so they could get dressed. Emily went to the bathroom and took a shower. She was always grumpy in the mornings, and I always let her take her time to wake up.
“So, what’s the problem, then?” Abigail asked.
“Well, honey, it’s not that easy. See, her father says he doesn’t have her, but he might not be telling the truth.”
“Why wouldn’t he tell the truth?” Abigail asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe because he doesn’t want us to find her.”
“That’s stupid,” Abigail said, and started putting on her clothes. I could hear my mother in the kitchen. I was starving.
“Grown-ups do a lot of stupid things,” I said. “Now, get ready. I don’t want you to miss the bus again.”
Chapter Sixty-Seven
February 2015
Shannon had no idea what to do. She took a shower, while wondering if she had made a mistake. It was way too early for her to get involved with someone else, wasn’t it? But how could it be wrong if it felt so good? If it felt so right?
The old bathtub was clogged, and soon her feet were in ankle-deep water. She put shampoo in her hair and rubbed it thoroughly, then rinsed, and soon the water in the tub was up to her shins. She turned off the water for a little while to let it run down the drain. It went slowly. As soon as it reached her ankles again, she turned the shower back on and put conditioner in her hair. She shaved her legs while the conditioner sunk in, then rinsed it all out. She closed her eyes and thought about last night with Jack and how wonderful he had made her feel.
What is this? She thought to herself. Did she want to be with him again? Yes. She desperately wanted to feel him close to her again. But, was it right? Was it too early for her? Joe would kill her if he found out. And he’d kill Jack as well. She was terrified of dragging Jack into her complicated life, into something he couldn’t get himself out of.
It was all a mess.
Shannon let the water wash over her face, thinking about Angela and how she was the only thing that mattered now. The rest had to wait.
“I miss you, baby girl. Where are you?” she whispered, when turning off the shower. The water was now to her knees.
The plumbing at this motel is awful, she thought to herself, and walked out of the tub, expecting the water to drain. It did a little while she got dressed, but as she turned on the faucet to brush her teeth, something happened. Instead of water running down the drain, water spurted out of it and hit Shannon in the face. The water smelled terrible, like it was rotten, and Shannon shrieked. She looked at her face in the mirror.
What is this?
Shannon looked down at the sink, where murky water was rising from the drain. She turned and looked at the bathtub, where the water had suddenly sucked out, and now it was spurting what looked like muddy water back out of it.
Shannon clasped her face, then ran out of the bathroom while yelling.
“Jaaack!”
She opened the door and ran out to the parking lot. Jack was standing by the road with his kids waiting for the bus. He turned to look at her when he heard his name. The bus came at the same instant, and he helped the kids get inside, then he hurried towards her.
“What’s going on?” he asked, terrified. “What’s that on you?”
“I…I don’t know. It just came out of the drain, it spurted right into my face. It smells disgusting.”
“I think we need to call for a plumber. I’m on it. Do you have some other clothes? You can shower at my place. It’s a newer condominium; we have better plumbing. My parents constantly have problems down here.”
Shannon went back to her room and found a dress she could change into. She felt nauseated by the smell in the room and on her. She hurried out of there and followed Jack to his condo. They met his parents on the way.
“The plumbing is acting up again, Dad,” Jack said. “Tell the other guests to not use the showers or flush the toilets until it’s fixed.”
Jack showed Shannon into his condo, which turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Shannon had expected it to be a real bachelor pad, but it was nicely decorated and, of course, filled with children’s toys everywhere and drawings they had made and that he had put on the walls. It was big too. Four bedrooms.
Shannon hurried into the shower, while Jack called the local plumber. She scrubbed herself thoroughly to get the smell away. When she was done, she still felt like it was in her hair, and on her body. What was it? Sewer mud? It smelled so rotten. The mere thought of it made her want to throw up.
Shannon put on her dress, and then returned to Jack in the living room. The condo was located on the third floor and had spectacular views of the Atlantic from every window. Jack hung up the phone just as she walked in.
“The sewer is probably just clogged up again,” he said. “The guy will fix it. Now we need to focus on finding Angela. I just got off the phone with one of my colleagues at the station. He tells me Joe has been seen in one of the resorts downtown. He checked in two days ago.”
Chapter Sixty-Eight
February 2015
“WHERE IS SHE?”
Shannon stared at Joe. He was standing in the door to his room at the International Resort. I stayed a few feet behind her, making sure he knew I was there, in case he tried anything. I made my weapon in my belt visible, to make sure he knew he couldn’t do anything.
Joe stared back at Shannon. “You mean to say you haven’t found her yet?” he asked. His voice was agitated as he spoke.
“Don’t give me that,” Shannon said, and pushed him aside. She went inside the room. Joe stepped back and let me walk in as well.
“Angela?” Shannon called. “Angela, sweetie?”
There was no answer. Joe was sizing me up. It made me feel uncomfortable. He was a big guy. Bigger than me.
“Shannon, Goddammit,” Joe said. “I told you I don’t have her! Do you mean to tell me you don’t know where she is?”
I was starting to get an alarming feeling in my body. Something was very wrong here. Joe’s voice cracked when he spoke. He was clearly upset about this.
“I thought you found her,” Joe said. “Since you didn’t call me back last night, I thought she had come back. You mean to tell me our daughter has been missing since yesterday?”
“Why would I call you back, Joe? You hung up on me,” Shannon said.
“I hung up because I got so pissed at you. I thought it was some gimmick on your part to pretend like she had gone missing, maybe because you wanted to hide her from me. I don’t know.”
“Now, why would I do that, Joe?” Shannon asked.
“I don’t know. But since I didn’t hear from you again, I thought it wasn’t important. I figured that if she really had run away from you, she had come back. I expected you to at least let me know.”
Shannon approached Joe, her jaws clenched. “You’re lying,” she said. “You have her somewhere. Where is she, Joe? Tell me!”
“I don’t know,” he said.
The scene was getting absurd. I was starting to believe him.
“Yes, you do,” Shannon continued relentlessly. “You’ve hidden her somewhere, haven’t you? Taken her somewhere else to make sure I never find her again.”
“I can’t say the thought hasn’t crossed my mind more than once,” he said. “But, unfortunately, that is not the case. I haven’t seen her since you took her a
way and left without a word.”
They stood in front of each other like cocks before a fight. Shannon was growling in anger. Joe had his fist clenched. I was beginning to fear this was going to end badly.
“Shannon,” I said. “She’s clearly not here. Let’s go.”
Shannon lifted a finger and pointed at Joe. “This isn’t over yet.”
“I sure hope not,” Joe said. “She’s my daughter too. I want to find her as badly as you do.”
Shannon growled, then walked past me. I looked at Joe, then gave him my card and told him not to leave town.
“I don’t intend to,” he said. “Not without my daughter.”
I followed Shannon into the hallway. She was grumbling and mumbling and hitting her fist into the walls as we approached the elevator.
“Can you believe that guy?” she asked, when we were in the elevator and I had pushed the button.
“What if he’s telling the truth?” I asked. “What if he doesn’t have her?”
The realization made my stomach turn. If Joe didn’t have Angela, then who the hell did? Had she, after all, run into the forest…maybe to get away from her aunt and uncle? Maybe because she was going through a rough time with her mom and dad splitting up and all? I had spoken to the search team earlier on the phone, and they had searched the forest around the lake all night and found nothing, no trace of Angela, not even a footprint or a piece of clothing. The dogs hadn’t even picked up her smell beyond the area surrounding the restroom. It was all very odd.
“He has her,” Shannon said. “I know he does.”
Maybe it was for the best that Shannon insisted on believing that. At least it was a lot better than the scenarios that were playing out in my head.
Chapter Sixty-Nine
February 2015
He had done something stupid. Was this going to be the mistake that would put him in jail? The Snakecharmer wondered, while staring at the girl on the bed. He had sedated her. He had stuck a cloth with chloroform in her face and held it there till she passed out. That way he had been able to get her out of the restroom without anyone noticing. He had carried her over his shoulder, pretending like she was asleep and he was her father. No one wondered. It was the easiest thing in the world.