by Cole Baxter
After I was dressed, I sat perched on the end of the bed for some time. What felt like an hour was probably only a quarter of one. My heart ached every time I thought about Gregory and what he must be enduring. Was he even still alive? I shuddered and tried to shake the morbid thoughts from my mind.
Reyes had been sure that the kidnapper wouldn’t hurt him, at least not deathly. He wanted to keep Gregory as his own. Still, he didn’t know Gregory like I did. A sensory overload could send him into a complete meltdown. Someone who didn’t know him wouldn’t be prepared to handle something like that. What if he got upset and the killer lost his temper? He was such a sweet boy.
I couldn’t lose myself in the pain though. My mother walked in just as I felt my sanity slipping away. I quickly gathered my things and smiled at her. Her look was cold and calculating. A chip on her shoulder was evident. She didn’t want to be there any more than I did, but I had the sneaking suspicion that I was the reason for her hostility.
“Thank you for coming to get me,” I said softly.
“I didn’t have any choice. There is nothing more I can do for Tom, and I still have a job I need to get back to.”
“Oh,” I said as my voice trailed off. I didn’t want to know if she would have come for me if work didn’t need her. The answer would probably bring more pain.
She rolled her eyes. “Listen, it’s a shitty situation all around, okay? Can we please just get out of here? I’ve already missed two days of work. I don’t want to be late on top of everything else.”
“Sure,” I muttered.
I quickly grabbed what few things I had and shuffled out the door. No one seemed to be looking in our direction, which I was grateful for. What was the point, anyway? People got stabbed and kids went missing all the time. It was just the world that we lived in anymore. We made our way down to her waiting car. I was careful to keep my eyes on the road and not strike up a conversation. She obviously didn’t want one.
“How’s Tom?” I whispered as we pulled into the driveway.
“Barely holding on. That’s what happens when you get stabbed in the back by a psycho,” she snapped.
“The police are doing everything they can,” I reminded her.
“Right, because they did so much good when you went missing. Those dumbasses would still be spouting off about ‘no leads’ if you hadn’t broken out. Gregory is just a kid, though.” Her voice cracked. “And Tom.”
I reached across the console and took her hand. “He is a fighter. Everyone is saying so. He will pull through this and we will find Gregory.”
“I don’t think I could forgive myself if he doesn’t make it.”
She’d left out her concern for Gregory’s safe return. I knew that she was hurting and projecting that onto me. Why wouldn’t she? I was the reason all of this had happened. I stepped out of the car and unlocked the front door without saying anything else to her. I couldn’t handle the weight of my own guilt and sorrow along with the anger that she had toward me. If I could just find Gregory, then everything could go back to normal.
“You have a little time before work. Do you want to come in and I’ll make some coffee?” I asked her as I set down my bag.
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. I want to get there early. I might stop back by the hospital too.”
I folded my hands in my lap. “I’d really like to talk to you about all of this. You were pretty quiet on the way over here.”
“Look, Annabeth,” she said quickly. “I love you and your brother so much, and Gregory has been a blessing. But . . .” I could hear the catch in her throat. “Right now, I just need a little bit of space, okay? Please, just let me go to work.”
My back stiffened. It felt like eyes were watching me. I didn’t want to be left alone, but how could I ask my mother to stay when she obviously needed her time away from me?
“Fine,” I said quickly. “Then have a great day at work. Please let me know if there is any change in Tom’s condition.”
“I will,” she said, her tone full of pain.
I knew that this wasn’t easy for her. My own depression was constantly lingering in the back of my mind. I reached for the door, climbing out with shaking hands and slamming it behind me. I didn’t wait to see her pull away. All I wanted to do was get inside the safety of our home. In that moment, I was very grateful for the new security system my mother had installed.
I quickly typed in the password and slipped inside, rearming it at once. It did little to ease my fear. The house was still too bright. If I could look out every window, then anyone could be looking in. Jogging through the house, I grabbed at the blinds and cords holding back curtains. I couldn’t stop until the entire house was dark. Only the pale artificial lights that hung from the ceiling illuminated the house.
When I finally collapsed on the couch, my mind was racing. It was like the early days of my return from the kidnapping all over again. Every creaking board and dripping faucet sent my heart into a racing tailspin. I closed my eyes, thinking back to what Gloria had taught me. Deep breaths, counting backward from ten, until the room stopped spinning and I could breathe again.
Just as I was starting to calm down, the phone rang, and I jumped from the couch. I crept over to it, unsure whether it was my stalker. He never left a message. Ring after ring, I held my breath. Finally, after what felt like eons, the machine picked up.
“Hi, Annabeth,” said Detective Reyes.
My heart leapt and I scrambled to answer the phone. “Gabriel? Sorry, Detective Reyes?”
“Annabeth! I wasn’t sure if you were home. Is everything okay?”
“Um, yes. Everything is fine. Why do you ask?”
“Well,” he murmured shyly, “to be honest, I was just keeping an eye on your alarm. You know, just to make sure you made it home okay. It looked like you were running through the house pretty fast, from the motion sensors.”
“You were watching me?” I blurted out. My fist hit my palm the second I said the words.
“Yeah, I guess I was. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to freak you out. I was just worried.”
“That’s okay,” I said. “I’m fine, though, just adjusting to being in the house alone.”
“Your mother isn’t there with you?” he asked.
I cringed. It was an innocent enough question but still, it struck me wrong. I didn’t want him or anyone else to know that I was alone. I knew it was impossible for him to be mine and Gregory’s abductor. After all, Reyes was new to our police force for the most part, and he’d been nothing but kind.
“It’s fine,” I said softly. “She just ran out for a second. Thank you for calling to check on me. Do you have any new leads on the case?”
“One,” he said in an uncertain tone. “But I wouldn’t even call it a lead yet. As soon as I know more, you will be my first phone call.”
“Okay,” I muttered.
An awkward silence fell between us before he cleared his throat. “Well, as long as you are okay, I should get back to work.”
“Sure. Thank you for checking,” I told him.
He floundered in the dead space for a few seconds longer before telling me goodbye. As I set the phone back on its cradle, I sank down to the ground next to it. Even hearing someone’s voice had done wonders for the fear that raked through my body. Reyes was on the case, and that gave me comfort. I stood up slowly, letting the dark room penetrate my mind as I tried to get control of it.
I heard the footsteps before the doorknob started to move. The fear that I’d felt when the phone rang was nothing compared to the crippling anxiety that was taking over now. Outside, the intruder tried to get into the locked door. My fingers flew to the phone once again, ready to call back my knight in shining armor at the first sign of trouble. I still couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching me very closely.
Someone pounded on the door, and my heart thumped.
“Damnit, Annabeth! I forgot my keycard for work. Let me in!” my mother yelled.
I sighed, slipping back against the wall for a second before she pounded on the door again. Jumping to my feet, I ran to the door and quickly jerked it open. She glared at me, shoving past where I was standing and heading for the kitchen.
“Jesus, it’s like a mausoleum in here!” she hissed. “Why is everything so dark? Did you go around and close all the blinds?”
She looked back at me and I nodded my head sheepishly. “It was . . . it was just a lot of light.”
Rolling her eyes, she snatched her work badge from the counter and stormed past me. “This is getting ridiculous! I wasn’t even gone for five minutes and look at you. You look like you’ve seen a ghost. I’m wondering if I should have taken you out of the hospital at all. Are you sure this is where you want to be?”
She was scolding me like a child. My cheeks flushed red. I felt like a scared little kid and I hated every part of it. I didn’t want to be the weak and timid creature waiting to be rescued like the woman in fairy tales. I wanted to make my own destiny. Shooting her a stern gaze back, I nodded my head in defiance.
“This is my home. Of course this is where I want to be. Like I said, it was just a little too bright. I was thinking about taking a nap.”
Her knowing eyes traveled up and back down my body. She knew I was lying as much as I knew she wasn’t happy about my being there. Even behind the looks of anger and pain that she kept shooting in my direction, I knew that there was care and concern. My mother was never great at expressing her emotions.
“Fine,” she muttered as she jerked open the door again. “I guess you should get back to your nap then.”
“Have a great day at work,” I hissed.
I already had a plan for my afternoon formulating in my head. I wasn’t going to sit around and wait for Gregory’s kidnapper to make contact with me again. No, I was going to take action and prove to my mother that I was capable of being more than a scared barn mouse. The time for action had come, and I was through letting other people tell me what was best for myself and my son.
“Are you sure you are okay?” she asked softly one last time.
I smiled at her. I could hear the change in her tone. She was worried about both of her children, not just the one in the hospital.
“I really am, Mom,” I whispered earnestly.
“Good,” she said quickly before jerking open the door. “I believe you. Have a good day, honey. I hope you can find some answers.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I whispered. It felt like the first genuine moment we’d had since the whole ordeal had started.
My heart raced when I saw that the front porch wasn’t empty. My mother spun around to see who the shadow belonged to. Her glare leveled as her body stiffened.
“Hello, Jacob,” she hissed.
Chapter Six
“Hello, Amy,” Jacob said, his voice thick with loathing. “How are you doing on this fine afternoon?”
“My son is clinging to his life and my grandson is missing. How do you think I am doing? What do you want? I don’t remember needing any work done,” she snapped back.
“You know, you didn’t always dislike me so much. Remember when we used to get along?”
“We all make bad judgement calls. I asked you a question,” Mom hissed.
“Mother!” I hissed at her. “What has gotten into you? Jacob is here as a friend, I’m sure.”
“You can have all the friends you want. Doesn’t mean I have to like them,” she snapped back at me. “I have to go to work.”
She shoved past him, to my surprise. Given how much she disliked Jacob, she didn’t often leave the two of us alone. It didn’t matter that I was an adult. Her distrust for him ran deep. So, when she didn’t try to make him leave along with her, I wasn’t sure how to react. Part of me hoped that she’d finally seen that Jacob was big and burly but ultimately harmless. The sinister side of my mind knew that she was simply giving up.
“Mind if I come in?” he asked, looking past me to the living room.
My hand tightened on the door. Jacob had been a guest in our house so many times that I shouldn’t have hesitated. His gaze leveled on me, shocked that I wasn’t immediately stepping aside. As a blush rose to his scarred cheeks, I knew that I had to make a decision. The longer I left him standing there without a decision either way, the more awkward the whole situation became.
Finally, I had to make a move. “Sure, but I can’t talk long. I was just getting ready to go down to the police station.”
His eyes widened, an anger cloaked behind his thick veil. “Oh? I thought we’d agreed that I was going to handle them.”
My thoughts raced. I hated trying to lie. From across the room, I spotted a picture of Gregory and took a deep breath. “The detective just needs a better picture of Gregory.”
I went to the mantle. The Christmas tree next to it should have brought me comfort, but now it stood as a stark reminder of what and who was missing. My heart ached as I looked down at the photo of Tom and Gregory that we’d taken just days before his abduction. They were wearing matching smiles and identical hideous sweatshirts. Each green concoction had floral blubs that lit up when pressed.
“Gregory thought this was the greatest sweatshirt ever,” I whispered as my fingers ran over my son’s face. “Tom hates them, but he wore it for hours to make Gregory happy.”
“It’s okay to be okay, Annabeth. Just let me take care of everything, all right?” Jacob said.
His tone was soothing, but I could feel him standing closer to me than before. There were barely two feet between us. I shuddered, a cold chill running down my body and making my stomach churn. I gripped the picture of my son close to my chest. I didn’t know if it was the intimacy of the house, the pain in my heart, or the darkness, but suddenly, the overwhelming realization that I was alone with Jacob came flooding back to me.
Stepping away from him, I carefully took the photo from its frame and plastered a smile on my face. “Well, thank you for stopping by, but I really should get going. The detective is expecting me.”
It was so strange to be lying to Jacob, but lately, I couldn’t trust anyone in my life. He glared down at the photo, snatching it from my hands before I could stop him.
“Why don’t you let me take care of this?” he said in a sharp tone. “I told you I would, after all.”
I bit my lip, turning away from him. On one hand, it would get him out of the house. I didn’t really feel comfortable with him there, but my mother had been so pushy earlier that I’d let my emotions get the best of me. I’d welcomed him into my home to spite her. She and I both knew that what I really needed was to be alone. It was just too quiet to be there on my own. Everything made me jump out of my skin.
“Sure,” I muttered. “You know what? That would be really helpful.”
Without waiting for him to respond, I grabbed his arm and led him back to the front door. He seemed to relish the touch of my hand, even as I was shoving him out the door. Spinning back around to face me, he grabbed ahold of my hand and gently squeezed it. I clenched my jaw together and tried not to rip myself free from him.
“You don’t want me to stay and visit for a while? Your mother is at work now. Do you really think being alone is what’s best?”
“I’m fine,” I shot back at him. “You said you wanted to help, and this is what is going to help the most.”
“Annabeth,” he said. “I’m worried about you. It’s so dark in there. Should I be calling your head doctor again?”
I rolled my eyes. “She is my therapist, and no, Jacob. I am going to be fine. I just want to be alone and try to piece together what happened ten years ago. The more I can give the police, the better chance they have of catching this guy and bringing home my son.”
“We will find him,” he promised reassuringly.
“I know. Thanks for running that down for me too,” I said as I started to close the door.
“Do you want me to stop back by when I’m done? I can grab us some lunch if you wa
nt.”
I shook my head vigorously. Standing there with the door open was making my panic rise even more. The killer could be watching us, waiting to find a way to get back into my home. I slowly shut the door, even as Jacob was trying to find a reason to come back. With one final shake of my head, the door was closed and I was alone again. The alarm signaled, letting me know that no one was getting into the house without my permission.
“Come on, girl,” I told myself. “You’ve got to figure this out. You know that monster better than anyone else.”
I pulled myself away from the door and grabbed the wireless phone, tucking it into my back pocket as I jogged up the steps. When I reached Gregory’s room, my heart sank to my stomach. Everything looked just the same as he’d left it days before. It was neat and orderly, just like him. Nothing seemed out of place. I ran my fingers along his spotless desk, taking in the row of neatly lined up pencils.
Unable to bear waiting for information, I called the private number Reyes had given me. When he didn’t answer, my mind started to race.
“Maybe he’s just busy,” I told myself. “He has other cases besides Gregory’s.”
At once, my mind started to play tricks on me, wondering if the police were going to be any help at all and questioning whether I was even worthy of having a son. I shook my head, trying desperately to get the morbidly depressing thoughts out of my mind. I couldn’t call anyone else and tell them what was going on. They would just tell me to take my anti-depressants, but I knew that I couldn’t. They had a habit of blocking out my ability to remember what had happened so long ago.
I needed those memories to help me find Gregory, even if the police were too busy. Making my way back into my own bedroom, I set the phone down on the table and slumped back against the neatly made bed. My mother’s work, I was sure. She liked to clean when she had a lot on her mind. I missed the chaos that always seemed to work for me. Closing my eyes, I forced the dark images of the present out of my mind and started shuffling backward.