“Thank you so much, Mrs. King,” the lady behind the counter at the hairdresser said. She had that smile on her face that Shannon knew so very well. She couldn’t wait to tell her friends and family whose hair she cut today. It was always the same.
Shannon gave her a smile, then left the store, thinking she could soon go under the name Shannon Ryder. She wondered if she would take his name. King was, after all, only a stage name.
Shannon turned the ring between her fingers. It was a big ring, and didn’t fit any of her fingers. She was on her way to buy herself a new dress, when she found herself stopping in front of the jewelry store. She looked down at the ring, then decided to go in. The woman behind the counter looked at her and smiled.
“Welcome. What can I do for you?” she asked. She looked at Shannon, scrutinizing her. “Say, aren’t you…?”
Shannon nodded. “Yes, I am,” she said.
The woman behind the counter blushed. “Oh, my. I’m so honored to have you in my store, Mrs. King.”
Shannon smiled too. She never knew what to say when people said things like that.
“How may I be of assistance?” the woman asked.
“I…I found this ring. I was just curious as to what kind of stone that it is,” she said, putting the ring on the counter.
The lady picked it up and studied it, then froze. She looked up at Shannon with startled eyes. “Where did you get this?”
Shannon felt slightly self-conscious. The way the woman looked at her made her uncomfortable.
“I found it, why?”
“Because it’s tortoiseshell. It’s illegal here in the U.S. It is banned in most parts of the world as an endangered species.”
Shannon looked at the lady. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
The woman handed back the ring. Shannon took it.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t show this to anyone,” she said. “It’s extremely beautiful, but…”
Shannon put the ring back into her purse, then closed it. “I didn’t know. Thank you for your help.”
The woman smiled again. “Anytime, Mrs. King. Let me know if there is anything else I can do for you.”
Shannon left the store, then drove back to the condo, where she took out the ring once again. She turned it between her fingers, and then decided to put it away. She pulled out a drawer in the hallway and put the ring inside, then closed it.
Chapter Fifty-Two
May 2015
We held a brief press conference outside of Cocoa Beach City Hall. I was standing next to Ron, who spoke about the search for Noah Kinley and the finds of the two bodies believed to be of Scott Kingston and Jordan Turner.
“Is it the police’s theory that this is done by the same guy?” A reporter from Florida Today asked.
Ron leaned over the microphone. “That is our theory, yes.”
“So, Vernon Johnson is out of the picture?” a female reporter asked.
Ron looked at me. I nodded and took the microphone. “Since Vernon Johnson was in prison at the time both Scott Kingston and Jordan Turner were killed, we don’t consider him to be a suspect anymore, no.”
“Could he have worked with someone else?” another reporter asked.
“We don’t know at this point, but that is not our theory so far,” I answered.
“Do you have other suspects?” one of the TV reporters asked.
“The investigation is still ongoing.”
They all knew what that meant. No, we don’t.
Weasel took over and asked the public for help in finding Noah in time.
“The entire city is holding its breath,” she finished.
I drove back to the Sheriff’s Office with Ron and sandwiches from Juice N’ Java in a bag. We ate at our desks, since I had a ton of paperwork to finish. I kept thinking about Shannon and wondering how this was all going to end. I considered calling my colleagues in Nashville and asking them for details in the case, but was afraid I might end up making matters worse instead of helping her. I had to leave it to her lawyer to fight her case. I just felt so damn helpless.
When I finished my sandwich, I received a call from Roosevelt Elementary. It was Abigail.
“Dad, you’ve gotta come down to the school. I need new shoes.”
I sighed and leaned back in my chair. Abigail’s shoes had broken that morning when she was about to go out of the door, and I didn’t have another pair for her to wear, so I had let her put on flip-flops.
“I know you need new shoes. I’ll buy them after work,” I said.
“No, I need them now,” she said. “I’m not allowed to wear flip-flops to school. The front office will send me home if I don’t get new shoes.”
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. “You’re kidding me, right? But I wrote a note and everything? I wrote that we didn’t have any other shoes for you to wear.”
“I know. But I’m not allowed to be in school wearing flip-flops.”
I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead. I knew the rules, but still, it was kind of an emergency. The schools were so strict about these things, it was ridiculous. Abigail had once been sent home from school for wearing a spaghetti-strap shirt. Apparently, that wasn’t allowed either.
“Alright. I’ll buy some and bring them to you.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
I told Beth what was going on and drove to the mall in Melbourne, where I found a shoe store and a nice pair of sneakers for my daughter. I rushed to the school and made it inside just before it started to rain again. The front desk didn’t allow me to go down to the classroom, so Abigail came to me. She brought Austin with her and they both hugged me and kissed me. I handed her the shoes, then took the flip-flops and said goodbye to them again. I watched both of them as they disappeared down the hallway. They had grown so much lately.
I walked outside to the car and ran to not get soaked. I jumped in, and then drove into the street, when suddenly I spotted Emily’s old truck. It passed me in the middle of the street. I felt confused, since I didn’t believe she was off from school till three-thirty. The high school was located right next to the elementary school, so it was very possibly her. It looked a lot like it.
I decided to do what every dad would do. I followed her. She drove down Minuteman Causeway, then north on A1A. I kept my distance and spotted her as she stopped at the fitness center. She parked the car in the parking lot. I caught a short glimpse of her as she ran inside, covering her head with a sports bag to not get soaked.
Chapter Fifty-Three
May 2015
I decided to let it go. After all, skipping school to go exercise was hardly the worst a teenager could do, right? Except, it felt like she was doing something really bad. I knew she had a membership to the fitness club, but didn’t know she really used it. Maybe one of her classes was cancelled, I thought, and decided to not go back to the office for the rest of the day. I could do some work from home, and then maybe hit the waves for a little while before the kids came home from school.
Shannon was sitting in the living room with her computer in her lap when I entered. “You’re home early,” she said as I kissed her.
“I thought I’d work a little from home,” I said.
“You mean surfing,” she said with a smile.
“I don’t know,” I said and sat down. “I feel really bummed out about this case. I can’t believe we haven’t found Noah yet. Not even a trace. The areas around 4th Street North have been searched over and over again. We’ve talked to all the neighbors. Still, we have nothing.
“What about that roofing company? You said Jordan Turner’s mother told you she had recognized the guy waiting in front of their house as someone working at the roofing company in Rockledge?”
“Yeah, we talked to them, but it is now run by the son in the family, and he told us he had no idea who worked there sixteen years ago. He was just a teenager, and there had been so many men working for his dad over the years. They kept no records.”
“That
’s too bad,” Shannon said.
“So, what are you up to?” I asked, and looked curiously at her screen. “You looking at rings? Isn’t the one I gave you good enough?”
Shannon laughed. “It’s perfect, Jack. I love it. No, I just keep thinking about the ring we found in the ground. I took it to the jewelry store today. The woman there told me it was made from tortoiseshell and that it is illegal here in the States.”
“Wow,” I said. “I didn’t know that.”
“Me either,” Shannon said and looked back at her screen. “But, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Where did it come from? So, I looked up tortoiseshell and jewelry and guess what I found?”
“What? More rings?” I asked.
“No, it is illegal to sell jewelry made with tortoiseshell in most countries around the world, except one place. And that is where I figure this must come from.”
“Where is that?”
“Cuba.”
“Cuba, huh?”
“Apparently, they don’t care about the rules the rest of the world follows or about the fact that the tortoiseshell is endangered.” She shrugged. “Anyway, I just thought it was funny. I mean, how do you think a ring like that would end up in the ground on our land?”
“I don’t know. Probably would make a great story,” I said.
“It is a very rare piece of jewelry,” she said and went to the hallway to take the ring out of the drawer. She came back with it and showed it to me. “It might be something that has been handed down as a family tradition,” she said. “It looks old and it has this engraving on the inside, look.”
I took the ring in my hand and looked at the engraving. A word. A name.
“Armando?” I asked.
Shannon nodded. “Does sound kind of Cuban, right?”
Chapter Fifty-Four
Cuba, April 1980
They waited nine days at the harbor in Mariel. Hector and Raul became more and more frantic in their search for their family. Every day, more and more Cubans came to the harbor, and more and more left on boats. While they waited, thousands of Cubans had left and new boats come to pick them up.
But still they hadn’t found Isabella or anyone else from their family. All they knew was that they were on the bus that crashed the embassy and that they were among the first to receive their permits to leave Cuba.
The more the days passed, the more Hector and Raul started to fear that they had been lied to. They feared their family had been incarcerated for their disobedience by the Cuban government. They heard so many stories of people being imprisoned for standing up against the government.
On the ninth day, Hector and Raul were finally allowed inside the Peruvian Embassy. They were greeted by the diplomat, who told them he vividly remembered all five of them…the Suarez family and the bus driver.
“So, what happened to them?” Raul asked, as they sat down in the cold office at the embassy.
“They were allowed to leave,” the diplomat said.
“But, we have been here nine days and haven’t found them,” Hector argued.
“They have already left,” the diplomat said. “They were on the first boat out of here. I personally made sure my guards escorted them to the boat. We couldn’t risk the Cuban soldiers changing their minds all of a sudden. The boat took them to Miami.”
Hector leaned back in the leather chair with a relieved sigh. He looked at his brother, who smiled and laughed too.
“So, you’re telling us they’re already in Miami?” Hector asked, when suddenly a new worry appeared. Where had they been staying in Miami for nine days? Did they have any money?
The diplomat laughed and nodded. “Yes, they should be perfectly safe. But I am sorry you have come this long way in vain.”
Hector felt tears in his eyes as he got up and shook the diplomat’s hand. “It was worth it, as long as they are safe. Thank you so much!”
“You’re very welcome,” the diplomat said.
Hector and Raul hurried back to the harbor and the old fishing boat. They couldn’t wait to get back. They were laughing and running. But as they approached the boat on the dock, they suddenly realized someone was walking around on the deck. And it wasn’t just anybody.
They were soldiers. Cuban soldiers.
“What’s going on?” Hector asked and looked at Raul. The soldiers were swarming the boat, searching through it.
With shivering steps, the two brothers approached the boat. As they did, one of the soldiers looked up and his eyes locked with Hector’s. Hector gasped when he recognized him. He knew the man was a general in Castro’s army. He had looked into his eyes once before, right before getting onto the airplane.
The soldier jumped up from the boat and onto the dock, then looked at Hector with a smile.
“Didn’t I tell you I would shoot you if you ever came back to Cuba?”
Hector had no idea what to say. He felt his hands get clammy. His legs were trembling, threating to give way underneath him. The general stared at Hector, and then burst into loud laughter. He put his hand on Hector’s neck, and then forced him to walk with him.
“Now, how do you suggest we resolve this unfortunate situation, huh?”
Part Three
THIS IS MY HEART, IT IS TURNED TO STONE
Chapter Fifty-Five
May 2015
I worked for a few hours more, then hit the waves to clear my mind a little bit when there was a break in the rain. It was warm out and the water was warm too. Waves were good, overhead high, but quite messy because of the wind. I had fun on my short board and enjoyed not thinking about work or Shannon’s case for a little while.
An hour later, I went up and showered at my parents’ place before picking up the kids at the bus stop. Abigail and Austin ran into my arms, and I hugged them tight. I felt like they were growing so fast now. Angela came off the bus as well and stayed a little behind while I hugged the twins.
Once I had let them go, I looked at Angela, then walked to her and gave her a warm hug as well. “How was your day?” I asked.
“Great,” she said smiling. I could tell she was doing well. She had been very happy lately. I believed she enjoyed having a more normal life now, a life where she went on the school bus and went to a normal public school like all other kids.
I walked up to my parents’ place, where the kids threw their bags on the floor, then threw on their swimsuits and ran to the beach. I played beach volley with them for an hour or so, before Emily drove up and parked her old truck in the parking lot of the motel.
I looked at Abigail next to me, then threw the ball at her. “I have to talk to Emily,” I said. “Be right back.”
Abigail made a disappointed sound.
“Let’s play hide and go seek in the dunes instead,” Austin exclaimed. It was his favorite game of all.
“Okay,” Abigail said. “But no hiding in the motel this time. Only outside hiding places.”
They all agreed to that and I ran to Emily who was talking to my mother on the deck. I waved and approached them. I kissed my daughter on the forehead. “How was your day?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Okay, I guess. As usual.”
“Nothing interesting happen? Any classes cancelled?”
She looked at me, and then shook her head. “No. Not this close to end of the year. Why?”
It was my turn to shrug. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because I saw you drive away from the school around lunch time?”
Emily snorted. “Are you spying on me?”
“Nope. Was just at Roosevelt with some shoes for your sister. Where were you going?”
Her eyes avoided mine. “Just getting some lunch. The food in the cafeteria is so nasty. I had a sandwich at the Surfnista.”
I sighed. “Emily. We both know that is not true. First of all, you hardly eat anything anymore, second I saw you park at the fitness center. Are you cutting classes now to go work out? Look at you. You’re skin and bones. What’s going on, Emily?”
 
; Emily looked at me. Her nostrils were flaring. “Well, if you already know everything, then why are you asking me?” she yelled, then stormed to her car and got inside. Before I could reach her, she had driven off.
I went back to the deck, where my mother was still standing. “Guess I handled that really well,” I said.
My mom put a hand on my shoulder. “She’s been through a lot. A girl her age asks a lot of questions. Where am I from, who am I going to be? What will I look like? She can’t get many answers when she doesn’t have her parents. Plus, everything around her is changing. You’re expanding the family, and that means you have less time for her. Give her time.”
“But, the thing is, I don’t feel like I have much time,” I said. “Every day that passes, she seems to be getting thinner and thinner. I can’t stand to look at it. I feel like I need to do something. I just don’t know what.”
“I have noticed she hasn’t been eating and the weight loss,” my mom said. “I’ll try and talk to her, if you think that would help.”
“Thank you,” I said and hugged her. “What would I ever do without you?”
Chapter Fifty-Six
May 2015
Shannon walked across the sand, looking at the dark clouds on the horizon. She had just watched the local news, which was all about Tropical Storm Anna. She spotted Angela playing in the dunes with the twins. Angela saw her, then signaled for her to be quiet. Shannon realized they were playing hide and go seek and decided she could hug her daughter later.
She whistled the tune to the new song she had been working on the past couple of days, when she spotted Jack on the deck of the motel with his mother. They seemed to be in a deep conversation. He looked serious, but his face lit up when he saw her. He waved and she approached them.