“Surely he went to the police.”
“These goons told him they’d kill her if he went to the police. That’s why he didn’t tell Jake or the FBI.”
“He hadn’t told anyone?” she responded with alarm.
“Not until he talked to me today. I told him he had to tell Jake. I had to be frank with him about what could happen to his wife if he doesn’t do something, and he finally agreed and left for Chicago a couple of hours ago.”
“I wish you’d gone with him.”
“I do too. I’m waiting now to hear from Jake.”
“What does this mean for Tina Manchester, or I guess I should say, Laura Bradley?”
“It probably means that the FBI was on the wrong trail and moved the poor woman for nothing.”
“What a way to live,” Sarah responded sadly.
Charles finished off most of the pizza, and they waited for Jake’s call.
“How about a cup of coffee?” Charles asked as they were clearing away the remnants of dinner.
“I’m jittery enough,” she responded. “Let’s sit down in the living room and watch a little television. It might help settle our nerves.”
They both jumped when the phone rang, even though they’d been expecting the call.
Looking at the display as he picked up the phone, Charles told Sarah it was Nathan calling and he answered on speaker.
“Nathan, hello. Are you on your way home?”
“No, Charles, I’m here in the police station. Jake ran out and said he’d call me here when he knows something.”
“You told him about the money and the threats, right?”
“Yes and he knows the syndicate. Chicago PD Major Crimes has been trying to break into the organization for years. The good news is that they have an undercover agent inside, and Jake’s hoping he can make contact with the guys that have Ruth.”
“And he told you to wait there?”
“Yeah. Jake had a call from someone, told me to stay put, and took off about an hour ago. I’m frantic, Charles. What should I do?”
“You should do exactly what Jake told you to do. Sit tight. I wish I’d gone with you.”
“Man, do I ever wish that too. This place gives me the willies, and what if there’s gunfire and she gets killed. Charles, I can’t stand this. It’s my fault. I may have killed my wife.”
“Okay, Nathan. First of all, don’t say that in a police station. I know what you mean, but they won’t. Second, you’ve got to trust that these guys know what they’re doing. If Major Crimes is involved, you have the best of the best on the job. Just…”
“Wait a minute, Charles. Someone’s here.” Charles could hear voices in the background. Finally, Nathan returned to the phone. “There’s an officer here who wants to take me to the hospital. He doesn’t know why. He just said Detective Krakowski told him to pick me up and take me there.” With a trembling voice, he added, “Oh Charles, something has happened to my Ruth.”
When Charles turned to Sarah, he saw that her face was white, and tears were streaming down her cheeks.
He wanted to take her in his arms and say, “Everything will be all right,” but he knew he couldn’t say that and mean it.
Chapter 25
The Cabin
Ruth had tried to keep track of time. She knew she’d been in the cabin for at least three weeks.
She was beginning to feel panicked again. The men seemed to be getting restless. One day the man with the scar down his face had come down the cellar steps while Julio was there. He gave them both a nasty leer and said, “I’ll bet you two are having a grand time down here.” Ruth felt her skin crawl, and she began to tremble.
Then the man turned to Julio and said, “We’re heading up the road for a while.” Ruth hoped they wouldn’t come back drunk. As he turned to leave, he looked over at Ruth again and sneered. “I wouldn’t mind spending some time down here with this lovely lady.” She heard them return in the middle of the night and prayed they wouldn’t come down. They didn’t.
A couple of days later as Julio was laying on the cot reading one of the books he had brought for Ruth, they heard a vehicle drive up. A few minutes later the cellar hatch was raised, and a man she hadn’t seen before came down. He looked angry, and her panic returned.
“Hey Lucas,” Julio responded looking surprised to see the man. “What’re you doing out here? We’ve already got more men on this than we need.”
“You guys can all take off,” the new man responded. “The boss sent me to take over. He wants you three at his place on the double. Sounds like something big’s going down tonight.”
Julio jumped up, ready for some excitement. The last three weeks had been boring, to say the least. But then he looked at Ruth and saw her mounting fear. Her eyes seemed to be pleading with him not to leave her alone with this man. Somehow he had become her protector, and he didn’t like the role. It was making him soft.
“Look out for this lady,” Julio said, unable to just throw her to the wolves. “The boss doesn’t want anything to happen to her.”
“You got it,” the man responded coldly.
“You’ll be okay,” Julio said, looking back at Ruth as he was leaving the cellar. “Lucas is an okay guy.”
She listened as the van pulled away and with trepidation glanced over at the man called Lucas and saw that he now had a reassuring smile on his face. He didn’t look frightening any longer. “You’re going to be just fine, Ruth,” he said. “It’s almost over.”
Ruth, feeling that something had changed, looked directly into his eyes and spoke for the first time. “Who are you?” she asked.
“My undercover name is Lucas Whitmore, Chicago PD,” he responded, and she gasped. She felt confusion, fear, and hope simultaneously. “Just hang on a little longer,” he added. “They’re on their way.”
At that moment, the front door crashed open above them, and heavy boots stomped across the floor. “You down there, Lucas?” a voice called.
“We’re here, and the woman is fine.”
They could hear the cellar door being lifted and the team, running in lockstep, poured into the cellar. “You folks okay?” one of the men asked and, without waiting for an answer, added “Come on. Let’s get this woman out of here.”
“What about the others?” Lucas asked.
“We picked them up on the road a few hundred yards from here. They’re all three in custody and obviously ready to talk. As a matter of fact,” he added with a chuckle, “they were eager to tell us that this was all your idea.”
“Won’t they be surprised?” Lucas responded, helping Ruth up and wrapping a blanket around her shoulders. “Let’s get this young lady some medical attention.”
“I’m fine. I just want to go home.”
“Your husband is meeting us at the hospital,” the officer responded.
“It’s over,” Lucas reassured her as he gently led her toward the stairs.
Ruth turned to him and said, “That one man, Julio, he was kind to me.’
“You’ll have a chance to get that into the record, but these are all bad dudes. We’ve been after them for years. They’ll get what they deserve.”
* * *
The doctor told Nathan to wait until the medical staff had completed their examination of his wife. The officer that drove him to the hospital was sitting with him, trying to keep him calm and explaining that Detective Krakowski would be speaking with Ruth next, and then Nathan could see her.
Just a few rooms up the hall, Jake Krakowski was looking at the small woman lying in the bed. She seemed anxious, yet exhausted. The doctor had assured the detective that there were no signs of brutality, and he was relieved.
He introduced himself and told her that her husband was waiting to see her.
“May I see him now?” she pleaded.
“I need to ask you a few questions first, but believe me, Mrs. Weaver, you’re safe now. The men have been arrested, and you’ll be going home just as soon as the doctor r
eleases you.
“Today?” she asked hopefully.
“I’m sure you’ll go home today. Do you feel like telling me what happened?”
“There was so much…”
“Just start from the beginning,” he said patiently as he pulled up a chair and sat close to the bed.
She told him about going to her van and being grabbed by the man. She stopped to ask the detective if her friend Sarah was okay and he assured her that Sarah and Tessa were both fine. Ruth went on to describe the cellar where they held her and what happened there. “I’m not sure I remember everything,” she said apologetically. She told them about the kind man, Julio. “I think he was protecting me from the others,” she added.
She told him about Lucas’ arrival and the SWAT team and then she closed her eyes for a few minutes. When she opened them, she said, “That’s all I can remember.” He thanked her and handed her his card. He asked that she call him if she thought of anything else and she said she would.
“Will I have to testify?” she asked.
“It’s very likely, but don’t think about that now.”
“Who were these men?” she asked. “Why did they take me?”
“I’m not the one to tell you why you were taken, but I can tell you what took us so long to find you. He explained about the FBI and the U.S. Marshal’s investigation.
“Why were they looking for me? I’m not that important…”
He gave her a weak smile, knowing that the experience had robbed her of her confidence. Crimes like this often left the victim confused about their own self-worth. But everything he had learned about her convinced him she’d fight her way back.
“The FBI took over the case because they thought you were taken by mistake. It seems that you look very much like a woman who was in the witness protection program.” He went on to tell her the whole story, and she listened intently.
“So that poor lady, they gave her a new identity and moved her away because of me?”
“Not because of you, Ruth. They moved her to protect her. They thought this Dante Ybarra would try again once they realized they had the wrong person. But they were wrong about the whole thing. It wasn’t Ybarra behind your kidnapping.’
“But who was it? If it wasn’t this Ybarra, then who was it and why? Why me?”
They both looked up when the door opened at that moment. Nathan Weaver looked at his wife, his face twisted with agony. “I did this to you,” he muttered as he took her in his arms. He began to sob, “I’m so sorry…so sorry.”
Jake left the room. That man is riddled with guilt, he told himself. He wondered if she would forgive him. He suspected she would.
Chapter 26
“I don’t know why we couldn’t see her until today,” Sophie complained as Sarah parked the car in the handicapped space outside the quilt shop. It was Tuesday night, and everyone had been told to come prepared to celebrate Ruth’s return.
“She needed time to be with her husband and find her way. This has been a devastating experience for her. Jake said she could benefit from victim counseling, but she told me she wants to wait and see how she’s feeling.”
“You’ve seen her?” Sarah asked.
“No, but we spent an hour on the phone Sunday night. She didn’t say much about what she’s been through. I don’t think she’s ready to talk about it. She’s just glad to be home.”
“Did she mention Nathan?”
“Only to say he made dinner that night.”
“Well, that means he’s still living there,” Sophie concluded.
“They’ve been through a lot together over the years, Sophie. I think it would take more than this to break them apart. They love each other. In fact, they loved each other enough to walk away from their community and the Amish way of life. I think they’re committed. Besides, he borrowed the money because he was afraid his business debts might cause her to lose the shop. He didn’t know all this could happen as a result.”
“I hope no one asks about all this tonight,” Sophie said.
“It’s a party,” Sarah responded. “I don’t think they will.”
When they walked in, they could immediately see it was going to be a festive occasion. All the quilt club members were there, even ones they hadn’t seen for months. Sarah glanced around but didn’t see Ruth. As she was pouring punch for herself and Sophie, who was now sitting on one of the chairs that had been placed in somewhat of a circle in the main part of the shop, she heard the front door bell jingling and turned to look.
Ruth was standing there dressed in a soft blue pantsuit with a pastel multicolored silk scarf fashionably draped around her neckline. Nathan was standing close by her with his arm around her shoulders. Sarah noticed that Ruth’s arm was lovingly wrapped around his waist. She glanced at Sophie, who gave her an almost imperceptible wink. They will be fine, she thought as she smiled at Sophie.
“So what have you folks been working on while I was away?” Ruth asked, dismissing the few sympathetic overtures that were made and walking into the center of a group of friends.
“Fidget quilts,” Frank called out. “We made fidget quilts.”
“What?” Ruth exclaimed. “Really?” she asked, looking at Sarah.
“Really,” Sarah responded.
“Thank you,” Ruth mouthed soundlessly, and she headed for the work table where all the fidget quilts were displayed. “I can’t believe you did this. Aren’t they wonderful? Look, Nate,” she added as she explained the concept to him.
Sophie told her about the two she took to the nursing home and that the staff was ecstatic. “They want more as soon as we can make them,” she added.
“I thought about these while I was away,” Ruth said in a tone of voice one might use when they just returned from a business trip. “I tried to figure out how to attach them and how to finish the quilt, and I see you folks solved all that. These are wonderful. Oh, and you made dresses for the dolls and even for the cat,” she exclaimed.
“We did that,” Penny announced. She had come to the meeting with Caitlyn, who promised to teach her how to quilt. Caitlyn had asked Sarah if Penny could come, and Sarah said she could come any time she wanted. Ruth looked at the young girl as if she were trying to remember who she was.
“You two haven’t met officially,” Sophie said, “but she’s been in the shop with me. “Ruth, this is my granddaughter, Penelope…Oh, I’m so sorry, honey.” Penny was clearly fuming about being called Penelope. ”I mean this is my granddaughter, Penny Ward.”
“I’m very happy to meet you, Miss Ward. Are you a quilter?”
“Not yet,” she responded, “but I’m going to learn.”
“Well, you come in here and take some classes,” Ruth said. “We offer beginning quilting classes every few months.”
They didn’t get around to their regular meeting for another hour or so. They had spent most of the time laughing and enjoying the fact that they were all back together again.
Sarah had called Charles and asked him to come by, thinking that Nathan was feeling a bit out of place. Once he arrived, Charles became the center of attention for a while, as he always did when he was in a group of women. He finally turned to Nathan and said, “Let’s grab a beer at Barney’s, and let these quilters get to work. Do you want to join us, Frank?”
Frank dropped his eyes and blushed. “I don’t drink beer. Could I get a Coke?”
“Sure thing. We’ll see you folks later,” he called as the three went out the door. Sarah noticed Frank was walking especially tall, obviously proud to be one of the guys.
Everyone was too excited to work, but they pulled out the box of accoutrements and began choosing the ones they wanted to use on their next fidget quilts. “Let’s look around at home and see what we can find to add to our collection,” Sarah suggested.
“And I’d like to go to a craft supply store and poke around,” Ruth said. “I need some shopping time, and also I’ve had some ideas for how we could make these for men as well
. I want to get some John Deere fabric, maybe some miniature tools, and I’d like to figure out how to fashion something that looks like a tool belt.”
“I love that idea,” Myrtle called from the back of the room. “My husband’s been down with this old-timers thing for a while now. He doesn’t recognize anyone but me anymore, and he can be a real handful. I’d love to make something like that for him.” Sarah could hear enthusiasm in her voice but saw traces of sadness in her eyes.
As the meeting was breaking up, Sophie called to Sarah saying, “Andy’s here to pick up Caitlyn and Penny. I think I’ll ride home with them.”
“Fine,” Sarah responded. “I’ll see you tomorrow for coffee and stitching.”
As soon as everyone had left the shop except Sarah and Charles, Ruth asked them to stay for a few minutes. “I want to thank you, Charles. Nathan told me what you did, and I realize that without you, I might still be in that cellar.”
“Not true, Ruth. Nathan knew what to do, and he would have done it without my encouragement. He was just afraid for your safety. Those thugs told him not to go to the police.”
“That’s true,” Nathan said as he came out of the storage room where he’d been restacking the folding chairs. “I knew the FBI was involved. If they hadn’t been so secretive about what they were doing, I could have told them they were on the wrong track. I tried to talk to them, and they dismissed me, saying they were on the trail of the men who took you and I should go home and wait. I figured they knew what they were doing and would have you home in no time. I had no idea they were on the wrong trail.”
“Well, it’s over now,” Ruth said with a certain finality in her voice.
“And it’s time to celebrate,” Sarah replied as she reached into her tote bag and pulled out a bottle of champagne and four glasses.
EPILOGUE
Five years later
Laura Bradley, aka Tina Manchester, aka Teresa Lang, and now Laura Bradley again -- the name she was born with -- sat in her bungalow on the outskirts of her hometown and looked out over the valley and the mountains beyond, a view she had looked at from this very room for the first twenty-two years of her life. She smiled as she thought about the call from the U. S. Marshall: “Dante Ybarra is dead. It’s over. You can go home.”
Missing Memories Page 16