Looking Behind the Mask: Second Chance Series - Book 2

by Joan Davis

  “I don’t understand. Didn’t anyone report Honor as missing?” Gabriel demanded.

  “Oh Mama Leone was in the police station the next day filing a missing person’s report and asking that an Amber Alert be put out for her,” Lane said and then sighed. “The detective that was assigned to her case in Atlanta was a short-timer and looking towards his retirement. When he read her case file with social services, he saw that she had been a chronic runner and in his mind the case was closed.”

  “You mean he did nothing?” Gabriel asked, appalled. He knew an Amber Alert was a release that went out all across the country notifying all authorities about a newly missing child. It provided a recent picture of the child and vital statistics and information so that police could be on the lookout for the child. One had been sent out for Lela.

  “Not a damn thing,” Lane said derisively. “He just kept giving Mama Leone the run-around and telling her he was working hard on the case. I wish I could say that his attitude and lack of caring were isolated to him, but unfortunately, when a child in the system is labeled that way, the label tends to follow them around forever. I’ve seen the same thing happen here in San Francisco.”

  The detective sighed and then said, “That little girl was lucky, Gabriel. I still think it was a miracle that she was able to escape the way she did.”

  “Wait, I thought you said someone found her,” Gabriel said confused.

  “She was, but from what little I could piece together during my interviews with Honor, she is damn lucky to still be alive. Her memories of the escape were spotty since she was so heavily under the influence of a tranquilizing drug. The only things she could remember were a white room, a long driveway and a big black fence that she squeezed through to escape. Unfortunately, that description matches a majority of houses in the area where she was found.”

  “You mean she just walked away, and no one tried to stop her?” Gabriel asked in disbelief.

  “That’s exactly what she did. I still find it hard to believe to this day. The doctors at San Francisco Memorial said that Honor had enough drugs in her system to knock out a full grown man. Once they got her to the hospital she was unconscious for three days straight,” Lane said.

  “It used to give me nightmares thinking about that little girl struggling to get out of that place and almost being too incapacitated to do it. I mean, think about it. At any time someone could have caught her, and who knows where she’d be now, or if she’d even be alive. Anyway, Honor said she had to walk down this long drive and fell quite a few times before making it to a big security gate.”

  “You mentioned before that she squeezed herself through the gate? I still find it hard to believe that no one noticed her, and she was able to just walk out,” Gabriel said. The back of his neck was tingling. Something wasn’t right.

  “Yeah, Honor told me that she tried several times to open the gate, but it wouldn’t budge, so she finally wedged her way in between two of the railings of the gate and wiggled herself through to the other side. That poor kid cut herself up pretty good doing it, too. I didn’t tell you before, but she was only wearing a little white cotton nightgown that came to just past her knees. The doctors at the hospital had to treat several scrapes and wounds on her arms and legs. Going through that gate was the last thing Honor remembered before waking up in the hospital.”

  “A woman found Honor sitting on a neighborhood bench when she was out walking. She called 9-1-1 and said that Honor was barely coherent and bleeding from all the cuts on her arms and legs, but she was able to give the woman Mama Leone’s phone number. Long story short, the police were called, the kid was taken to the hospital and Mama Leone flew out to be with her.”

  The detective paused and ran an agitated hand through his hair. “The only thing I still have guilt over in this whole thing is that Honor overheard me tell Mama Leone what I suspected about Honor’s abduction being connected to human trafficking.”

  “Why, what did Honor overhear you say?” Gabriel asked.

  Sighing, Lane said, “I took Mama Leone out into the hospital corridor to let her know that the day after Honor regained consciousness in the hospital the police recovered a body from the bay,” Lane paused and looked down at his hands.

  “Whose body did they find?” Gabriel asked, not sure he wanted to know.

  Blowing out a shaky breath Lane said, “She was never identified, but it was a body of a little girl about Honor’s age.” Lane squeeze his fingers between his eyes before continuing. “She was the mirror image of Honor. She had the exact same hair color, similar eyes and a matching tattoo, except that the design went up over the left side if her face, instead of the right, like Honor’s. My theory is that the two girls were being offered together, sort of a matching pair. We suspect that when the traffickers found Honor missing they cleaned house and got rid of loose ends.”

  “You’re telling me that Honor overheard you tell this to her guardian?” Gabriel asked grimly and wanted to ring the detective’s neck. How could he be so careless?

  Nodding guiltily, Lane said, “She must have gotten out of bed to come and find Mama Leone. She heard everything I said. She became hysterical. Man, I have never heard screams come from a child like that. She kept screaming that they would find her. That the tattoo was never coming off, and they would find her and kill her too. It got so bad that the hospital staff had to finally sedate her. When a nurse came at Honor with that needle, that child went nuts. It took 6 good-sized adults to hold her down until the nurse could give her the injection. God, it was brutal. Mama Leone was screaming and trying to calm Honor down at the same time. It was a real mess,” Detective Lane finished and wiped a hand down his face as if to erase the bad memory.

  “Two days later Honor was released and I came by to see her and Mama Leone before they left for the airport. It was like I was looking at a different kid. She just sat looking at me with no expression, no emotion. It was like Honor had disappeared inside herself,” Lane said sadly.

  “I’ve kept in touch with Mama Leone over the years, and I guess Honor is doing okay. The last time I spoke with her, Mama Leone said that Honor had found a job that took her all over the country, and she regularly sends money back to Mama Leone to help her out,” Lane said, shrugging.

  Holding up his hand before Gabriel could ask, Lane said, “Like I said at the beginning, there is no way to connect any of this to Maximus Dunn. There was no evidence, no leads. It just remains a mystery, one I have lived with for more than ten years.”

  Nodding and sitting back, Gabriel stuck out his hand and shook Detective Lane’s hand. “I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me about this. Sorry, I wasted your time,” Gabriel said. He kept his expression neutral. The hair on the back of his neck was still tingling. Something wasn’t right about the detective’s statement. Gabriel knew that Dunn was somehow involved, despite the detective’s words. He didn’t allow his doubts to show on his face. He just smiled his thanks for the information that Lane had provided. The two men parted ways at the front of the restaurant and Gabriel took a cab to the airport. He needed to get back home.

  *****

  CHAPTER 5

  Honor parked her truck on the edge of Sam and Risa Knight’s property, not wanting to get boxed in later once everyone arrived for the lake party. Risa had called and asked if she could come a little early and help out with the set up. Taking out the two large covered bowls that were her contributions to the party, Honor headed for the front door.

  Risa had told her it would be casual, so Honor had opted to wear a pair of comfortable turquoise Capri pants with a matching top. She had put her bathing suit on underneath for later and even brought some extra clothing, just in case. She had pulled her hair away from her face in a thick ponytail. That way everyone can gawk at one time, Honor thought, but then shook off the thought. She figured if Risa could withstand everything she had gone through, then Honor didn’t really feel like she should be so cynical about people’s reactions to her.<
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  As she approached the front door, it opened and Risa rushed out, pulled Honor inside and gave her a relieved smile. “Thank you, thank you for showing up early. Come on in and I’ll get you something to drink. Oh, you brought something, great! We are going to have plenty of mouths to feed. Only a few of Sam’s family has arrived so far, but just wait, it’s like watching a migration of Wildebeests. The lake is beautiful, not too cold. Did you bring a bathing suit? If not . . .”

  “Hey Risa,” Honor interrupted Risa with a raised brow. At Risa’s questioning look, Honor finished, “take a breath.”

  Risa did exactly that, and then again and again, an anxious look on her face.

  “Panic attack?” Honor asked, and at Risa’s apologetic nod, Honor calmly set her containers down on a side table and then helped Risa to the floor and had her lay on her back. “Okay, watch me. Breathe in through your nose and now out through your mouth. Good. There’s no rush, just breathe, in and out.” Honor kept up her calming instructions until she saw Risa’s body relaxing and her breathing become less labored. “Feel better?”

  Risa nodded and looked at Honor a little miserably. “Sorry, I felt it coming on, but I thought I could out run it.”

  Honor nodded. “Feel like getting up, or do you want to lay here for a while?”

  Getting up, Risa said exasperated, “What I’d like is to stop having panic attacks. God, it’s so exhausting. I never know when they are going to happen or what will trigger them.”

  “So who or what triggered this one?” Honor asked after picking up her containers and following Risa into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and placed the containers inside before turning back to Risa.

  “One of Sam’s cousins called to ask if they had left a couple of video games here the last time they visited. Sam, Mik and Conner are down at the lake setting things up, so I didn’t want to bother them and then you showed up,” Risa said anxiously.

  “You had a panic attack over video games?”

  “No,” Risa said frowning. “The video games are in the basement. I’ve gotten really good at being able to go down there if Sam or someone else is with me but . . .” Risa stopped and bit her lip.

  Honor frowned, still not understanding, and then it suddenly dawned on her. “The basement reminds you of what happened to you,” Honor said. She could only imagine what kind of memories doing something like that brought to the surface. Wanting to help Risa without making her feel worse, Honor said, “Okay, so if all you need is someone to go with you then let’s go. Do you want to go first or me?”

  Risa stared at Honor with gratitude. She appreciated that Honor was so matter-of-fact and didn’t go on and on about her past. “I need to go first,” Risa said, and led the way down the hallway to the basement door, quickly flipped the light switches up, opened the door and headed down the stairs with Honor right behind her.

  “Where did Sam’s cousin say they say they left the games?” Honor asked, ignoring Risa’s hesitation and heading towards the cabinets near the TV.

  Honor’s brisk manner allowed Risa to focus on the task at hand. She found the games and used her cell phone to call Sam’s cousin back to let them know she had them. Once she ended the call she turned to Honor and said, “See, I’m okay once I get down here. It’s so ridiculous that I can’t overcome this fear. I know this basement is nothing like the one where I was held captive,” Risa said in frustration. “I also know that the city bulldozed that house to the ground, so it doesn’t even exist anymore.”

  Honor sat down on one of the comfortable chairs of the living area and Risa joined her, sitting in the corner on the big couch. “Look, I don’t usually talk about my past because I figure it’s nobody’s business, and I also don’t know why anyone would care, but I grew up in foster care,” Honor said.

  “I heard you say something to Lela about it when you were here the other day,” Risa said.

  Shrugging, Honor said, “It’s not a secret. I just don’t talk about it. Anyway, the reason I brought it up is that I lived with a lot of kids that went through some pretty traumatic things, similar to the kind of hell you did, except it was their parent or a loved one that inflicted the damage. Panic attacks were a pretty regular occurrence in my house.”

  “How could someone do that to their own child?” Risa asked tearfully.

  “I have no idea, but I’ve seen kids with everything from cigarette burns to scars from beatings so bad, I can’t even fathom it. My foster mother once took in a twelve year little boy that had been locked in a closet almost twenty-four hours a day for over a year. They would make him stand there in the dark for hours. They wouldn’t allow him out even to use the bathroom, and if he had an accident, his parents would beat him for messing up the closet. It was a really sick situation.”

  “How did he get away from them?” Risa asked, upset for the young boy.

  “A repairman found him when he was installing cable for the boy’s mother and father,” Honor said.

  “Is he okay now?” Risa asked, not sure she wanted to know.

  Honor nodded. “My foster mother was sort of a miracle worker. All of us that she took in came to love her. She gave us love, respect, and security. You have no idea how important those things are to someone who’s never had them. The boy I mentioned actually went on to college and is now a child’s advocate lawyer.”

  “Anyway, the reason I told you this is that even today my foster brother still has anxiety attacks if he has to use an elevator or be inside a small room,” Honor said. “What you went through was ten times worse than what my foster brother went through. So give yourself a break. It’s something you will either get over or adapt to like you have so far. There’s no time limit on recovery. Nobody is waiting for you to ‘Get Over It,’ right?”

  Risa relaxed back in the couch and sighed. “I’m just so tired of not being normal. You know, besides Samson, you are the first person who seems to understand my situation. I appreciate it, thanks.”

  “You’re welcome, and maybe you need to redefine what you consider to be normal. Maybe your normal is different from someone else’s normal. Like you told me, you have a great life, and with the exceptions of a few totally justifiable hang-ups, that great life will keep getting better and better. Like the saying goes, ‘Don’t sweat the small stuff.’ Hello, why can’t you take your own advice? Honor thought, having doubts of her own.

  Risa nodded and smiled. “I guess I’m always worrying how my hang-ups affect the people I love.”

  “Well, I don’t know about everyone else, but from what little I have seen of your relationship with Sam, I don’t think you have a lot to worry about. He’s pretty much your biggest fan,” Honor said winking.

  Laughing, Risa said, “Well, that’s only fair, since I’m pretty much addicted to him.” She then blushed and put her head in her hand. “I can’t believe I said that out loud.” Risa peeked at Honor and then burst out laughing at the quirky look on Honor’s face.

  Honor grinned and said, “Not to seem like I have any interest in your husband, but I can totally see how you could become addicted to that man. He has an amazing body.”

  Risa blushed again, but then sighing dramatically, she said, “Yes he does, and it’s all mine.”

  “Oh brother, let’s get upstairs before I have to hose you down,” Honor said rolling her eyes.

  As they made their way back to the kitchen Risa said, “Everything is under control for the time being. I’m just going to finish up my potato salad. The guys are down at the lake inflating all the rafts and inner tubes and I think Lela is out on the deck hanging out, if you want to go say hello.”

  “Gabriel brought Lela?” Honor asked. Afraid that might happen, Honor refused to let it stop her from enjoying her day. Risa was fast becoming a person Honor was willing to drop her guard with, and that was a rare thing. She didn’t want to give that up just to avoid an unpleasant encounter.

  “No, he has been out of town for the whole week. He’s supposed to ge
t back today and come directly here to the party. Lela is really missing him. She worries when he is gone too long,” Risa said in concern.

  “Well, then I’ll go out and see if I can keep her company for a while. Are you sure you don’t need help?” Honor asked. “Oh by the way, I brought sliced and seeded cucumbers that have been marinating in red wine vinaigrette. The other container is Feta cheese. The two just need to be mixed up when we get ready to eat.”

  “Sounds delicious. I’ve got everything under control for now, but if you hear me screaming later, please don’t hesitate to rush to my side,” Risa said teasingly.

  “No problem,” Honor saluted and made her way out of the French doors in the living room on to the back porch and down to an amazing multi-tiered deck that led down to the lake. Honor could see Sam and Conner and a few other men working on getting all the floating devices filled with air.

  Looking around the deck, Honor saw Lela sitting alone on one of the cushioned benches that lined the perimeter. She was playing with a big guitar. It was draped across her lap and nearly covered her small body. Her silky brown hair was in a cute French braid and she was wearing a bright yellow outfit consisting of shorts, sandals and an adorable little tank top. She looked so sad sitting there all alone.

  “Hey, Lela, what do you have there?” Honor asked softly.

  Lela looked up and got a big smile on her face when she saw Honor. “Hi Honor! Uncle Zek said I could play with his guitar while he helped Uncle Sam.”

  “Wow! That was nice of him. Can you play it?” Honor asked, sitting down in a comfortable chair across from Lela.

  Looking gloomy Lela said. “No, I wish I could. Uncle Zek is really good at it. He sings too.”

  “Well, why don’t you learn? Then you could play the guitar and sing as well. I bet your Uncle Gabriel would help you find a teacher.”

  Lela’s face was sad, and she just shrugged and looked down at the guitar.