In the Fullness of Time

by Sabra Brown Steinsiek

  Annie listened as she walked away then heard the door close and the sound of the water running. Waiting just a few minutes to make sure the woman didn’t come back out, Annie got up and went into the bedroom where she slept. Maybe that was where she kept the phone. Annie would call home herself and Matteo would come get her.

  She tiptoed around the room. The phone wasn’t on the nightstand or the dresser and Annie nearly cried. Maybe she really didn’t have a phone. She almost gave up when she saw a tiny piece of thin cord peeking out from under the bedspread. Lying on her stomach, Annie saw the phone tucked back under the bed so she pulled on the cord until it came sliding out.

  Carefully, she dialed the numbers that Mommy and Rosina had helped her learn. She listened to the phone ringing on the other end, waiting for Mommy or Daddy or Rosina to pick it up. She was very surprised when a strange man answered.

  “Hello?”

  “Uh…hello? This is Annie. I need to talk to my mommy, please.”

  The man’s voice got very excited, “Annie? Just stay on the phone. I’ll get someone. Don’t hang up, promise? Keep talking to me!”

  “I promise.” Annie could hear him shouting at someone to “get one of the Morgans in here, now.” She tried to imagine what was happening and forgot to listen for the sound of the water.

  Suddenly, the phone was snatched out of her hand. “Annie! What are you doing?” The woman slammed the phone down and began to shout at Annie. “What have you done?”

  Annie, who’d never been shouted at by a grownup in her whole life, began to cry again.

  * * *

  Laura woke when the phone rang. Automatically, she reached for it before the memory of what was happening flooded in. It was probably just another reporter—the police would get rid of them. Suddenly, she was aware of running feet and a voice shouting, “Mrs. Morgan!”

  Throwing the covers back she ran to the door and pulled it open just as a policeman raised his hand to knock. “Quick,” he shouted, pulling on her arm, “the phone. It may be Annie.”

  Laura turned and threw herself across the bed and snatched up the phone…in time to hear it being hung up. “Annie? Annie!” her voice rose into a scream as she realized there was only a dial tone.

  * * *

  “So you have no idea who gave you the letter to deliver?” Hobbs was grilling the messenger who was obviously anxious to leave.

  “Look, man, I just go where the boss tells me. I don’t know who brings in the stuff, I just deliver it.”

  “All right. Make sure the officer there has your name. We’ll be checking with your boss to see if you’re legit.”

  “Whatever! Can I go now? I’m already 20 minutes behind!”

  Hobbs waved him away and turned back to Taylor who was staring at the envelope on the doorman’s table. Plain white. Cheap paper. Typewritten address. Nothing to distinguish it from thousands of other letters. Everything to remind him of some. Hobbs picked it up just as a voice came crashing out of the doorman’s intercom. “Hobbs? You there? Get up here right now. The kid’s on the phone!”

  Taylor beat Hobbs and Albright to the elevator. All of them silently urged it faster as it seemed to crawl up to the top of the building. When the door finally opened and they ran down the hall, the sound of Laura’s scream was the first thing they heard.

  Chaos greeted them in the apartment. The technicians were trying desperately to get a lock on the phone number. Laura was sobbing in her father’s arms. Maria and Rosina stood frozen in the doorway as Meg arrived from the hall.

  Taylor went to Sean and took Laura in his arms, trying to soothe her, trying to make sense of what she was sobbing. “Annie…Annie called. Oh, God, Taylor, Annie…I didn’t get the phone...I heard it ring…reporter…but it was Annie.” She would have crumpled to the floor if Taylor had not been holding her.

  Hobbs turned away from the table where he’d been consulting with the techs. His face was grim. “Not enough time, damn it! Not enough time to get a lock on the number.”

  Sean asked him, “Are you sure it was Annie? Aren’t there a lot of cranks out there? Maybe it was one of them.”

  Hobbs looked at the technician who shook his head. “It sounded like a little girl. She was so polite…” the frustration showed on his face as he realized he couldn’t offer more.

  “The tape? You got it on tape, right?” Pierce snapped at him.

  “Sure. It’s right here.” He rewound the tape and the room fell silent as each of them strained to hear the words. “… this is Annie. I need to talk to my mommy, please.”

  Hobbs looked at Taylor who nodded. There was no doubt about it. The voice on the tape was Annie’s.

  Chapter 51

  It was Maria Collins who spoke first. “Come. You all need to get some food into you. Today you are going to need all of your energy. Laura, you and Meg go get dressed. Pierce? Detective Hobbs, you and your officer will join us?” As they nodded assent, the various people in the room began to move. Maria, Rosina, and Sean went to the kitchen. Taylor took Laura back to their room while Betta went along with Meg.

  Laura walked wearily to the bed and sat down next to the phone. She reached out and ran her fingers over it. “I should have answered it, Taylor. She needed me and I wasn’t there.”

  “Laura, you had no way of knowing it was her.” Taylor knelt down on the floor in front of her, taking her icy hands in his.

  “I’m her mother. I should have known somehow.”

  Taylor just shook his head and brushed his hand across her cheek. “Go get dressed, darling,” he said as he stood then pulled her to her feet.

  Laura, like an obedient doll, went to the closet and pulled out a shirt and jeans. She put them on quickly, then twisted her long red hair and pinned it up. She didn’t bother with makeup, which only emphasized her pallor. Then, without a word, she went out into the hall, Taylor following her.

  * * *

  “Betta, I wish you were here,” Meg said to her sister on the phone.

  “Cara mia, I’m so sorry. I should be there. How are you, Meg?”

  “Me? I’m holding on. Did they tell you the whole story?”

  “Rosina only told me that someone had snatched Annie at the zoo.”

  “She didn’t tell you that it was me that let the woman take her?” Meg’s voice was bitter with self-loathing.

  “Megan Elizabeth, you love Annie almost more than anyone else does. We all know that. If there'd been a way to stop it, you would have found it! You didn’t let anyone do anything! What was done was done to you, and to Annie.”

  “But she was with me. I was supposed to be watching her, keeping her safe.”

  “Meg, sit down and tell me what happened. All of it. Maybe if you go through it you’ll see that you didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “Betta, it was a beautiful day. Annie was so happy…”

  * * *

  “Hobbs? Mr. Albright?” Cody, the sound technician spoke quietly so as to not be overheard. “I didn’t play all the tape. But there’s a little more that I didn’t want her parents to hear. It’s not much but maybe you’ll pick up something.”

  The tape began to turn and they heard again the child’s voice, the voice that reminded Pierce of his own girls. “Uh…Hello. This is Annie. I need to talk to my mommy, please.” Then the sound of Cody’s voice urging her to stay on the line, Annie’s voice again, then, in the background, the sound of a woman’s angry voice, “Annie! What are you doing?” Only Annie’s little gasp as the phone was evidently wrenched from her and slammed down was heard before her mother’s frantic words took over.

  Shaking his head, Hobbs said, “That doesn’t sound good. She’s losing control. Go ahead and make a copy of this. I’m going to have to get the parents to listen to it in case they recognize the voice.” Cody nodded then turned to his task while Hobbs stared out the window, wrestling with the feeling that there was something he had missed.

  * * *

  Maria came into the living room. “B
reakfast, Detective.” He turned and smiled at her then told Cody to go ahead and get a plate. He'd stay with the equipment until Cody came back. He could hear the sounds of chairs scraping across the floor, utensils on plates, and the occasional murmur of voices. He was pretty sure that the family gatherings in this home were rarely this quiet. It was certainly a unique family structure with the multi-cultural background and three girls related only by love.

  Cody came back out with a plate of food and took his seat back with the equipment. “Hobbs, you never did say what was in that letter for Morgan.”

  The letter! That's what they'd missed. Things had gone to hell so quickly, he and Albright had actually forgotten about it. Without answering Cody, he barged into the dining room. “The letter, Taylor! What did we do with the letter?”

  Taylor's eyes widened in alarm. He couldn't remember picking it up—it must still be downstairs on the doorman's table. He pushed back his chair and followed Hobbs from the room, leaving Maria to explain to Laura.

  Chapter 52

  It was there, just as they'd left it. “I didn't touch it or anything,” the doorman assured Hobbs. “I didn't want to go messin' up any fingerprints.” Hobbs didn't have the heart to tell him that there probably weren't any to mess up.

  Taylor opened it in the elevator. It was a single sheet of cheap printer paper. The message had been computer generated and printed.

  Taylor, darling,

  By now you’ll have figured out it’s me who has Annie. Surprise! I’ve been watching you for the past few months—you and Annie, until I had her schedule memorized and I had only to wait for the opportunity.

  Of course, that's how I knew about Annie's dance lesson. I've watched you take her and pick her up so many times. She's a beautiful child, Taylor. The three of us will be so happy.

  Enough of that. I've left a letter for you at the theatre with instructions on how to find Annie and me. Don't bring anyone else, Taylor, especially not her! She has no place in our life.

  I'll see you soon, my love, and all will be forgiven.

  Elodie

  Taylor handed it over to Hobbs as the elevator came to a stop. Without a word, he went into the apartment and picked up the phone that was already set on speaker mode.

  “Joe? It's Taylor Morgan. No, no news yet but we're hoping there will be soon. Yes, I'll tell Laura.” Hobbs listened as Taylor tried to break in on the stream of concern being expressed by the man at the other end of the line. “Joe…Joe!” Taylor snapped at the affable theatre doorman. “Joe, I need to know if a letter's been delivered there for me.”

  The doorman chuckled. “A letter, Mr. Morgan? I'd say closer to two, maybe three, hundred. They've been arriving all morning along with flowers and lots of dolls and stuffed animals for Annie. She's going to have a ball when she gets home.”

  Hobbs met Taylor's eyes. Three hundred letters and only one of them held the key. It seemed an impossible task. Taylor thanked the doorman and asked him to have all the letters put in his dressing room. “Joe, send the flowers to the hospital. They can use them. Find someplace for the toys. We'll donate them somewhere later. Thanks.”

  Taylor turned to find Laura standing in the doorway. “What letter, Taylor?”

  Hobbs handed her the one they'd just opened. She read it and, putting it together with what she'd heard, realized the task that faced them.

  “I'll get my shoes, Taylor, then we can go.”

  Hobbs stopped her. “Laura, it's probably better if you stay here. One of you should be here if this woman calls. Or if Annie should get another chance. We can find the letter.”

  “You'll need help, Taylor.” Meg stood in the hall. “I'll come with you.”

  “Me, too,” Pierce said.

  Laura looked at Taylor. “I can’t stay here doing nothing, Taylor.”

  He crossed the room and took her in his arms. “Laura, you have to. Hobbs is right. What if Annie calls again?” He looked into her eyes then kissed her gently. “Please…”

  Laura nodded her assent and watched as they all got ready to go. As Taylor opened the door she said softly, “You'll call me, Taylor?” and he nodded before closing the door behind them.

  Chapter 53

  Annie cowered by the bed as Elodie stalked around the room yelling at her. “Annie! Now he may not come. Daddy may never come and it will all be your fault.” She jerked the cord from the wall and put the phone up high on the top shelf of a closet. She stood for a moment staring at herself in the mirror. With a conscious effort, she pulled herself together and came back around the bed and sat on the floor beside Annie.

  “Annie, Annie, Annie. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. But I trusted you to stay on the couch like I’d told you, trusted you not to sneak around behind my back. It scared me to find you on the phone. Who did you call, baby?”

  Annie only stared at her, thumb in mouth, eyes wide and tear-filled.

  “Oh, Annie, sweetheart. Did you try to call your Daddy? I told you he’d be here today. He will! I promise. Then the three of us will go away together and be a family. Won’t that be nice?” Elodie got to her feet and began to brush her hair, chattering away about the new life they would have, how Daddy would love being with both “his girls”, how Annie would like living in someplace called “the continent”. Annie wrapped her free arm around her middle and let the words wash over her in a never-ending stream.

  * * *

  Matteo dropped Taylor and the others at the stage door. The theatre was still mostly deserted at midmorning, most of the cast and crew not coming in until the afternoon. Taylor led the way to his dressing room and opened the door.

  There were letters everywhere! The makeup table was covered. So was the small table by the chair he kept in there. The chair and the loveseat were also covered. Letters had spilled off of surfaces and formed drifts across the floor.

  Hobbs commented, “Well, it would have helped if you weren’t quite so popular. Let’s get started. I’m willing to bet that the letter we’re looking for will look the same as the one I showed you in the car,” he said to Meg and Betta. “For now, let’s skip all the pretty ones and concentrate on the plain janes.”

  Each of them staked out an area in the dressing room and began to sort. Everything went unread as they searched for that plain envelope. They’d open envelopes and take a look at the contents later if it was necessary. Taylor’s director appeared in the doorway. “Any news, Taylor? Anything I can do to help here?” He was quickly filled in on the task at hand and found a space on the floor and began to sort.

  It was almost noon when they found it. She must have had it delivered late yesterday or early this morning. It had fallen off the makeup table and was half hidden under it on the floor. Taylor was the one who found it and he knew that it was the one they’d been looking for. With shaking hands he opened the envelope and pulled out the single sheet of paper. As he unfolded it, a bright red curl of hair spiraled down into his lap and his cry brought the others’ attention. Meg reached out and picked it up. Annie’s hair. Bright, vibrant, beautiful as she was. Taylor read the letter aloud.

  Taylor, darling,

  It’s time. I’ve been waiting ever so long for you to see that you’d married the wrong woman. But once you see me again and with your darling Annie, you’ll know how perfect it will be.

  So, come to me, my love. Today. As soon as you get this. We’ll be waiting. You’ll know where I’m hiding.

  Elodie

  Pierce was the first to speak. “Where? Where would she be hiding, Taylor?”

  “I don’t know. It must be someplace from the early days. How am I supposed to tell how her wretched mind is working? Her Central Park apartment?”

  “Not there,” Pierce said. “Sorry, Detective, I pulled rank and checked out all the logical places last night. No sign of her at any of her regular places here or in Europe.”

  “Then where?” A brooding silence fell over the room. Only Taylor had the answer and he couldn’t find
it. “Damn it, Elodie. What game are you playing? Why would I know where to find you? You never…” Taylor’s voice trailed off. No one dared to break the silence. Finally, Taylor spoke. “Her Aunt. Elodie had an aunt who lived here in the city. When she got tired of being around us or just wanted a little pampering, she’d head over to her Aunt Deborah’s. It was a house in an artist’s colony in the Village, just off Tompkins Square I think. I don’t remember the address but I think I might recognize the building. Can we cruise the area?”

  “It’s all we’ve got. We’ll have to run with it.”

  “Meg, you go on home. Matteo will take you. Laura needs you nearby.”

  “Bring her home, Dad.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  * * *

  Pierce rode with them in the unmarked car. As they neared the neighborhood, Taylor stared out the window as the car passed the parade of identical brownstones. One of them had to be Elodie’s hiding place. Deborah had been a well-known glass artist and the house had featured a beautiful stained glass fanlight over the door. He had to hope the window was still there. Without it, it would be just another brownstone.

  “Stop! That’s it! Number 603!”

  “You sure, Taylor?” Hobbs asked as he eased the car to the curb. “Let me go see whose name is on the mailbox.”

  As Hobbs started across the street, Pierce asked, “What are you going to do if it’s the right place? Hobbs will want to play it by the book.”