Moira rolled her eyes profusely at Angus. "Oh piss on your penny loafers! You knew it was going to snow, get some boots!"
Jack let out a huge bellowing laugh at his mother. She was actually egging him on. Angus really must have done a number to her nerves on the trip.
"The reason I didn't shovel a path is because there were only three inches of snow out there when you arrived. We are expecting much more than that...and your shoes will dry. I promise," explained Jack.
"She paid one hundred and fifty dollars for those shoes at Finton's Fine Menswear! They better!" threatened Gus. Suddenly, Moira's face froze as she stared at her belligerent husband. Slowly a smirk formed on her beautiful but aging face.
"They are old as dirt! And if you want the truth, I got them off the clearance rack at Clover!" Angus glared at his wife sternly as a loud harrumph escaped his mouth.
"Clover?!" Angus asked incredulously. Moira simply shook her head in acknowledgment.
Jack’s three eldest sons squirmed in their seats, hoping their father would forget about the complaint Angus made about them. Suddenly, Thomas, age four, began to giggle uncontrollably, giving away their secret. “Oh, right! The constant whinging and whining of my three eldest sons! That could only be a learned skill…or an unwanted inheritance!” Jack noted.
A sheepish look crept onto Angus’ face as he spoke, “They didn’t learn it from me!”
The entire room roared into laughter at Angus’ bold declaration. Finally a smile formed on his face.
* * *
After dinner Bridgette and Moira ushered the children off to bed, while Jack listened as Frank and Angus continued to argue about whose turn it was to kindle the fire as the storm raged on outside. Letting out a yawn, he wearily rose to his feet as crumpled up bits of Christmas wrapping paper fell to the floor. Nearly an hour had passed since he’d escorted Catherine to bed and he had a sudden urge to check on her. He climbed each step gingerly, his knee protesting in anger with every movement. Jack’s heavy footsteps thumped down the dark hallway, only slightly illuminated by the lit candle in hand, as he approached the door. The door was ajar, and as he peered in, he realized the bed was empty and still made, as if no one had even attempted to go to sleep. Scratching his head, he began to turn as he set out to find his wife. In the background he could hear the faint groan of a door opening. In the frame of the bathroom door, Catherine stood clutching her burgeoning stomach, with a look of panic on her face.
“It’s time.”
Chapter Seven
Elkhart, PA
October 8, 1997
Early Morning
"Gone? What do you mean gone?!" demanded Jack, shooting an irritated look at Tommy over his morning paper.
Tommy, visibly shaken repeated his words, "Tristan... she's gone! I cannot find her anywhere!"
Jack sprung from the table, causing his coffee to spill onto the floor. He sped across the linoleum floor and disappeared from the kitchen. He raced up the steep staircase and threw open the door to Tristan's tiny bedroom. He ripped the purple curtains that hung above her alcove bed, only to find a neatly bed made with a journal lying on top. Jack frantically looked around the room, his sanity barely hanging on. His handsome face a dangerous shade of red, he cried out for a source of reasoning, "FRANK!" Jack's bellow echoed throughout the massive house. Still asleep, utterly exhausted from his overnight shift, Frank was startled awake by Jack's cry for help. He jumped out of bed, alarmed by the sense of urgency in his friend's voice. Hurriedly, he threw on a pair of beat-up jeans and ran into the hallway bare-chested to see what the matter was.
A look of frenzy clear in Frank’s still tired eyes was apparent to everyone in the hallway, “What’s wrong? What the hell is going on?”
“Tristan! She’s gone! We cannot find her anywhere!” The breath was taken from Frank’s lungs as an awful sense of déjà vu kicked in.
“Okay, hang on a second. Let's think things through rationally. When was the last time you saw her?”
“I checked on her last night before I went to bed, she was in bed, asleep.”
"She wouldn't run away... I know she wouldn't." said Frank.
"You guys did just have that argument last night," reminded Liam.
“Your sister didn't run away!” Jack yelled, his face a threatening shade of purple.
"Liam, you're not helping matters," said Frank earnestly, as he shot a knowing glance at Jack's face. His sanity was hanging on by a thread. Jack could do nothing but stare at his long-time friend, motionless and in shock. Jack, feeling completely helpless, stood there looking for Frank to give him direction. Adam, used to taking direct orders from his uncle obediently waited for instructions. Frank, in a bark of a Scottish brogue, addressed his brother-in-law.
“Get yourself together! I need you in one piece to figure out what is going on here! Have you reported it yet?!”
"Not yet."
"Well get on the phone, then!"
"I don't want those idiots in Elkhart anywhere near my property!”
“Do want to find her or not?!” Frank yelled.
Jack ran down the steep stairway and entered the kitchen where Blake and Tommy stood still and stoic, tears welling in their eyes.
“We need to figure out where she might have gone,” Jack said to his sons. “Did she say anything about running away?”
Blake gave his father a quizzical look and replied, “She wouldn’t run away!”
Tommy added “After coming home last night, she went right up to her room and was reading. It sounded like she was up for a while, then when we went to wake her up she wasn’t there. She wouldn’t have run away.”
Jack took in their words, unsure where to turn next, when he picked up the receiver to the rotary telephone in the kitchen. His shaking fingers dialed the number for the Grier Mountain Medical Center emergency room. Jack clicked on the receiver before dialing out again. Jack knew from personal experience that whenever someone went missing that you always check with the local hospitals, just in case. Being that his sister is a registered nurse in the emergency room of Grier Mountain Medical Center, he already had the number memorized. “Nurse Kilpatrick, please! This IS an emergency!” Jack screamed into the phone giving the receptionist on the other end quite a shock. After a moment, Jack spoke again.
“Bridgette, have you heard from Tristan?... No, she wasn’t in her bed this morning… Taken? Why would you think she was taken? … No, I don’t think she ran away either. Okay, please keep an eye out. Wait, coming home? Why?”
On the other end of the phone, Bridgette cursed at Jack’s stupidity, “Because she is my niece and you cannot seem to find her! I am on my way!”
Adam and Liam ran out of the house in the hopes that Tristan was out for an early morning walk. Although Tommy had already checked, they would check again, and scour the grounds for their sister.
"Where the hell can she be?" Liam asked Adam.
"I don't know. It’s not at all like her though. She never goes anywhere alone, especially this early."
"Let's check the barn."
Adam and Liam approached the aging blue barn as the sun rose over the valley. The rusty door was banging loudly against the side of the barn, causing the horses to become agitated. Adam went to secure the door as Liam went inside.
"Someone's been in here,” said Liam with a worried look upon his face.
"Yeah, Tommy was earlier,” Adam replied.
"No!" said Liam as he bent down to pick up a red t-shirt from the ground. "An outsider has been in here."
Liam showed Adam the red t-shirt. Adam took the shirt from his brother and held it up to see if he could recognize it. The filthy shirt was covered in dirt and grime, and across the chest the shirt read “Trafford’s Auto Body.” That is when Adam saw it. Specks of blood covered the front of the shirt, causing Adam’s mind to reel.
"We have to show this to Dad...Trafford’s..."
"Why would any of those guys come up here?"
“H
e sells these t-shirts. It could be anybody.”
The horses were bucking and neighing in their stalls; something had clearly startled them. Adam began to check on the horses, smoothing their manes in an attempt to soothe them from their agitated state, while Liam climbed into the barn loft. Over the noises of all the horses, a creak could be heard. Adam continued to talk to the horses, in an attempt to calm them down. In the corner of his eye he could see a quick movement, but it didn’t register until it was too late. A thin, bare-chested man in grimy blue jeans and a blue trucker’s hat ran out of the last horse’s stall with a brown satchel and barreled out of the barn towards the valley.
Adam, furious, chased after him. He had only caught a glimpse of his profile, and he swore he recognized him. The intruder was fit, thin and lean with slight muscles and a fast running gait.
"Yo!" Adam called after the running man. "Yo! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!"
The man looked back for a moment as he continued to run down the dirt road towards the forest.
"What did you do with my sister?!" Adam called out, all fear erased from his voice.
The man ran even faster then, tearing across the land. Liam joined the chase, his face a ruddy shade of red and his eyes wild with fury. "Is that who I think it is?!" Liam yelled at his brother.
Adam left Liam in his dust, as he accelerated towards his target.
"You got a death wish, man! I'm coming for you! Don’t go the hell to sleep because I’m coming for you! Where is my sister?! Kendricks!" Adam threatened at the top of his lungs.
The man kept running, his speed not waning with distance. Adam was gaining on him, feet pounding against the dirt path towards the forest. It did no good though, as the man escaped into the wilderness of Cavegat Forest. Bent over, heaving from exhaustion, Adam cursed himself for not catching him. As he stared down at his dusty boots, rage exploded from his body. Adam covered his head with his arms as he cursed at the sky in a ferocious scream. From behind him, his younger brother spoke, "Was that him?"
Adam looked at Liam, his eyes full of hatred and anger, “Yes. That was Kendricks.”
* * *
Back at the house, Frank was in the den rummaging through his gun cabinet, inspecting his Remington and loading his gun with ammunition when Adam and Liam barged in.
"There was somebody in the barn!" shouted Liam with a touch of hysteria in his voice.
"What?!" yelled Frank as he assembled his rifle with brute force.
"And we found this." Liam tossed the blood stained t-shirt to his uncle as he waited for his reaction, but Adam spoke before Frank could speak. Frank gritted his teeth as he listened.
"Kendricks was in the barn, hiding in the last stall without a shirt. When I spotted him, he ran. All the way across the land and into the forest. I lost him at the tree line."
Frank's lip curled up as his worried face turned murderous and red. Jack re-entered the room, a look of complete helplessness on his face. "Brace yourself," Frank said to Jack, as he motioned for Adam to tell him what he knew.
"We found this," Adam told his father as he threw the shirt to him, "in the barn, along with Kendricks. I chased him across our land, but lost him at the tree line. I know where he lives. We need to do something now."
As soon as Jack heard the name Kendricks his sanity began to flicker out of sight. He didn't say a word as a black veil fell across his eyes, rage erupting throughout his veins. Quickly, he turned from the room, grabbed his keys off a peg in the foyer, and bolted out the door. Frank chased after his friend, but he couldn't keep up with Jack's fast gait towards his truck.
"Wait, Jack! I will go! You stay here in case she comes back!"
"I will kill him, Frank! If he's laid so much as a finger on her, I will kill him!"
"Don't say shit like that, it can be misconstrued," Frank warned.
"What's to be misconstrued?! If so much as a hair is out of place on her head, I will murder the bastard!" declared Jack, rage pouring out in his body language and in every move he made. Jack violently opened the driver side door to his truck and slammed the door shut. Before Frank could stop him, Jack was barreling down the dirt road towards the highway.
"Shit!" Frank screamed, fists clenched into balls. “What the hell am I supposed to do now?!”
He asked the question in vain as he knew exactly what he had to do. "Adam! Go get my keys. Liam, can you carefully load my Remington into the trunk? I have to make a call."
Adam and Liam nodded in agreement, and as their uncle stormed off into the house to make his call, the pair looked at each other in shock. From the foyer, Frank could be heard screaming at someone on the telephone in a muffled bark, followed by the sound of a phone being thrown back into the cradle. Adam and Liam hustled as their uncle came back out into the foyer. "Who were you talking to, Uncle Frank?"
"I put everyone at Trafford’s on alert that Bulldog's gonna pay them a visit, and he better have all his boys accounted for!"
The boys had heard stories about their uncle in his earlier years. Bulldog is what the guys in town called Frank, due to his gruff appearance, and tough-as-nails exterior when someone pissed him off. Everybody in town knew that Frank was Jack's right-hand man, and that if you threatened Jack or any of the Morrows, you had Bulldog to deal with. They had heard plenty of stories, but never believed them to be true. As an uncle, Frank was kind and gentle, but he wasn't someone you wanted to cross. They were starting to see why.
"Liam, you stay here with them. They are underage, I can’t leave them alone. Adam you're riding with me. I need your help. Shane, Tommy and Blake, you are ALL to stay behind and wait for Aunt Bridgette to come home. Keep the doors and windows locked. We need people here keeping an eye out in case she comes home. Stay together and if you see him you know what to do! Liam, call the cops, tell them what we know." He spoke with a bark, as a dangerous scowl covered his face.
"Dad, we can help! Let us come!" Shane begged, but he was silenced by a fierce rejection from his father.
"What did I just say?! Stay here and look for your cousin. I need you here!"
With that, Frank swung open the front door and made a beeline for the Dodge, with Adam following on his heels. With a screech, Frank sped out of the driveway as Liam slammed the front door shut with a bang.
Adam watched his uncle from the passenger seat of the Dodge as Frank maneuvered the turns of the pass at top speed. He had never seen his uncle this angry before.
"Did she ever mention anything about Kendricks?"
"Not to me specifically. Tommy told me before that Kendricks liked to keep her after class a lot, and she would always come out looking upset. Then all this crap with the school assignment came up..."
"I'm going to tell you straight out, I don't like this one bit. Your father's going to wind up getting himself arrested before we even have a clue as to where she is or what the hell is going on! And Kendricks, of all people..."
"It’s like 1981 all over again."
Frank glanced over at his nephew for a moment, and against his better judgment let out an unamused chuckle.
"Stole the words right out of my mouth. So, kid, you know where he lives?"
Adam looked over at his uncle with a deeply satisfied grin, "Sure do."
“Let’s go.”
* * *
The dodge came to a slow stall outside 10 Farringer Drive in Elkhart.
“That’s where he lives?” Frank asked, looking at the building speculatively. The building looked like it should be condemned.
Adam replied, “Yeah. Melissa lives next door.”
“You’re sure?” Frank asked, wanting to make sure he had the address correct.
“Positive.”
“Tell your girlfriend to keep an eye and ear out. In the mean time let’s go get your father before he gets himself arrested.”
* * *
The wheels of Jack's truck protested loudly as they came to a halt in the parking lot of the Steeplechase Academy. He had barr
eled down the Pass at a dangerous speed, not slowing until he had reached the school. Jack jumped out of the cab of his truck, not bothering to take the keys out of the ignition or close the door as he ran full speed towards the front entrance of the school. Wild-eyed and determined, Jack raced up the marble steps to the second floor, completely bypassing the main office. The second floor hallway outside of room 219 was crowded with students. Jack nudged his way through the sea of scarlet and gray uniforms until he reached the door.
"Why are you all standing out here?" he asked of a blond haired boy standing nearest to the door.
"Door’s locked. Teacher never came to school,” said Shawn Trafford.
Jack saw faces he recognized, including Cole who was leaning quietly against the wall opposite the door. Jack approached Cole, his temper beginning to overflow into every word he spoke. "Have you heard from Tristan?"
Cole, looking taken aback, replied, "No, I just assumed she was sick today... what's happened?"
"I'll let you know when I know," Jack said coolly.
He turned around and looked at the door again. “Locked,” he remembered hearing the blond boy say. If there was a chance that Tristan or Kendricks was inside, he needed to know. In an instant triggered by fear and adrenaline, Jack hurtled himself towards the door, the full weight of his body crashing against the wooden frame. The door cracked under the pressure. With the full force of his kick, Jack began chopping away at the wood, desperate to get inside, desperate to find his daughter. The children watched as Jack destroyed the door and finally entered the dark classroom. From inside the classroom, loud noises began to erupt, the sound of desks being overturned, and doors banging open and shut. Finally, a scream sounded in the room. The sound of defeat. Jack emerged from the room, his hair standing on end, his face stripped of emotion.
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