by Stacy Eaton
“Thank you, Gloria—for everything, not just for paying off my debt, and giving me the guest house, but for believing in me.”
“If anyone deserves it, you do.”
Back in my bed, I pulled Barb closer to me, kissing the top of her head. Did I love her? Yes, I was pretty certain that I did, but with her life in upheaval, I wasn’t sure if this was the time to make declarations.
Until she was ready, I would do everything I could to show her, and leave the words for later.
Barb awoke when I climbed back into bed. “I can’t believe I fell asleep. I should get back up to the house.”
“Allie is fine. She’s with Amelia. I just checked on her a few minutes ago.”
Barb looked over her shoulder at me, “You called to check on her?”
“Yes,” I kissed the tip of her nose and pulled her closer to spoon against my body. “I wanted to make sure you got a good night’s sleep, so I made sure Allie was alright.”
“How did I get so lucky to find a man like you?” She turned in my arms and kissed me.
“I could say the same thing. How did I get so lucky to find a woman and child like you two?”
Barb examined my face, “You really care about Allie, don’t you?”
I kissed her, “And her mother, yes, very much.”
“Why?” she asked, and I leaned back from where I was nuzzling her neck.
“Why?” I laughed, “I don’t know. The moment you two walked into the house, I was a goner. One look at Allie and I was smitten, she’s gorgeous, just like her mother.” I went back to nibbling her neck.
She giggled, “You think I’m gorgeous?”
“Yes,” I whispered in her ear, “and sexy as hell.”
She spread her hand on the back of my head, burying her fingers in the locks, “Show me how sexy you think I am.”
“Oh, that’s going to be easy.” I rolled over so she was on top, her eyes wide, “I want you right here, where I can watch.”
She giggled and fell to my chest to kiss me.
The sun rose to find us tangled in the sheets and each other’s arms. It was the most blissful night of sleep I had ever had, and I dreaded getting up.
Barb kissed my check, “I need to get to the house. Allie will be waking up soon.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” I grabbed her hand before she could climb out of bed.
“No, I know you have work to do. Just don’t miss breakfast. I don’t think I could handle not seeing you until lunch.”
She kissed me again and was gone.
I showered and made a pot of coffee, taking a cup with me downstairs to work. This morning I felt like I was on top of the world, and I turned up the stereo and sang along to the music while I started laying out pieces to carve more spindles for the rocking chairs.
At nine o’clock on the dot, I showed up in the conservatory, and Allie ran right into my legs, yelling for me to pick her up.
For the next two weeks, that was how life went. Every morning, Barb would leave my bed and go back to the house before Allie woke up. The nanny had moved in, so Allie had someone all the time, and Amelia wasn’t responsible for watching her every night. At nine, I would come up to the house for breakfast. At one, I would return for lunch, or Barb would join me, and we would have a picnic at the lake. We brought Allie a couple of times, too.
Dinner time would arrive, and we would all eat as a family, and I soon began helping with the ritual of getting Allie to bed. I was even given the honor of reading the bedtime story to her at the end of the second week.
It was after Allie had fallen asleep that Barb and I would fall into bed and make love with a passion that most people only dreamed about. I never tired of touching her body, or hearing the little cries that escaped her lips as I made her feel satisfied and desired.
At night, she slept in my arms, and I felt a peace I had not felt in years begin to push out all the bad memories.
Nate’s turtle was now washed and sat on the center of the bed during the day. He was a good memory from my past, and one I would someday share with Allie, at least I hoped.
Fifteen days after Barb and I had first made love, she left me with a kiss in bed, like she did every morning. I showered and went to work.
I was running the router when Amelia threw open the shop door, a crazed look on her face, and I turned off the machine. “Amelia, what’s wrong?”
“Mr. Bloodstone, it’s Barb, the police are here. They are arresting Barb and taking Allie.”
“What?” I yelled, but my feet were already rushing past her and I was running up the path to the house. When I arrived in the foyer, it was a madhouse.
“Please! Oh, God, please don’t take Allie. Let her stay here. Please don’t take her.”
“What the hell is going on?” I shouted when I entered the room and saw the pandemonium. Barb was in handcuffs being held back by two officers, while another woman held a screaming Allie.
Gloria grabbed my arm, while Barb cried out to me, “Grey, he filed charges of kidnapping. Tell them I didn’t kidnap Allie, tell them.”
“Of course she didn’t kidnap her own daughter,” I stated to the officer that approached me. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Grey, man, I’m sorry about this.” Tom, a guy who up until now I had considered a friend and who worked at the local police department, stopped in front of me.
“Tom, what the hell?”
“The State of California put a warrant out for Barbara Murphy’s arrest for the kidnapping of Allie and for wiretapping charges and identity theft fraud. There’s nothing I can do. They have an extradition warrant for her.”
I stared at Barb. It had been so quiet lately—too quiet—and both of us had been waiting for something like this to happen.
“Why do you have to take Allie?”
“She is going back to her father,” he stated blandly.
“What? No! That child is scared to death of that man! I saw it myself. You can’t do that. Do you have any idea why he is doing this to her? He beat the hell out of Barbara for years, and she left him. She fled because she was scared for her life and Allie’s, and now he’s using the same damn control to try and destroy her this way.”
Tom put his hand on my shoulder, “I understand how you’re feeling Grey, but you need to calm down.”
I glared at his hand. “You need to remove your hand or you are going to be arresting me, too.”
“Grey,” he started to say and I moved away from him toward Barb. He grabbed my arm to stop me.
“Tom, let me go. Let me at least have one moment with her before you take her away. Give me that. You know me! Come on!”
Tom released me and nodded. I pulled Barb against my chest and glared at the officer beside her, “Can you give us a minute, please?”
He looked over my shoulder and then stepped away. Barb was shaking against me.
“It’s okay. We’ll get this fixed,” I promised. “We’ll get this all straightened out.”
I wasn’t sure how Barb hadn’t broken down and started crying, she was being stronger than I was because I wanted to throw myself on the floor and ball like a baby.
I heard her whisper against my chest. “The recordings are in her bear. Get them to the attorney.”
Tom cut in before I could reply. “Okay, I gotta break this up. We need to leave. There is also a search warrant that we have to search her living quarters for audio recordings.”
I stepped away from Barb and met her gaze. I knew what she wanted me to do.
“The recordings aren’t here,” she turned to Tom. “I already turned them over to my attorney.”
“We still need to look.” He gave me a quick glance as he spoke, “We have a warrant to do so.”
She looked at the floor. Allie cried out, “Gay, Gay, Mommy!” I saw Barb starting to crack, and I walked over to the woman holding Allie.
“Can I please have her for a minute? I want to go get her bear. If she has her bear, she�
�ll calm down, maybe.”
I knew the woman was uncomfortable about the whole situation. She handed Allie over to me, and Allie threw her arms around my neck. “Come on, sweetie, let’s go get your bear.”
I was climbing the stairs when I looked down and saw them leading Barb out the door, her hands behind her back. She glanced up and tears streaked her cheeks. I held Allie’s head to my shoulder so she wouldn’t see her mom being taken away.
Inside Allie’s bedroom, I pulled the bear from her bed. The back had Velcro that held a small sound device that played the sound of a heartbeat. I slipped my finger in and found a small clear bag. Inside the bag were three mini SD cards that were used inside electronics. I palmed the baggie and slipped it into my jeans pocket.
Back downstairs, there were only four officers standing, and the woman from what I assumed was a child welfare office was talking to Gloria. Allie had the bear curled up tightly in her arm.
“Is there any way we can keep her here?” I asked as I approached the two women.
“I’m sorry, sir. I have to bring her back to California.”
“If you don’t mind, I’ll put her in the car for you. I want to make sure she is strapped in properly.”
“Of course,” she turned to walk out. I glanced at Gloria, tears welled in her eyes.
“Go call her attorney,” I said to her, “and get him over here now.” Gloria nodded and moved off down the hall faster than I had seen her move recently.
Outside, I walked Allie to the car, “Allie, honey, you’re going to go for a ride. I want you to be a good girl, and Mommy and I will see you soon.”
“No, Gay.” She threw her arms around my neck, almost choking me, like the emotions weren’t enough.
“Allie, honey, I know you want to stay, but I will see you soon. I promise, little button.” I opened the back door and got her into the seat while she screamed and bucked against the seat belts. The whole time I fought to control the sobs that were filling my chest.
“You take good care of bear,” I whispered after I had locked her in. My voice cracked and I forced myself not to let the tears flow in front of her.
She wailed as I shut the door, and I had to finally turn away. The sound of another car engine caught my attention. A marked police car drove off with Barb in the back, her head hung down.
The tears began to fall, and as the car with Allie drove down the driveway, my knees crumpled and I fell to the ground.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Barb
Every morning I woke up feeling on top of the world, and the moment I left the safety of Grey’s arms, my feet would touch the ground and gray clouds would begin to descend over me.
Todd had been too quiet. I was on pins and needles wondering what he was up to. Carl had been in contact with me every few days, but as of yet he had heard nothing either. We had to wait until Todd did something before we could react. He had refused to sign the divorce papers, and we were now in a stalemate.
When the police showed up, I was not surprised. Well, I was and I wasn’t. I was shocked that Todd would really have me arrested, but I never really imagined he would have me arrested for kidnapping a child that he didn’t want to have anything to do with. I knew he was only doing it to hurt me in my greatest weakness.
Every fear I had ever had about what he would do to her flashed through my mind when they told me they were taking Allie back to California and putting her back in his custody.
He was lucky he was not here, because if he had been, I would have tried to kill him with my bare hands.
I saw the panic in Grey’s eyes as he took in the scene. It was the same panic I felt, but somehow I was able to hold it in.
Grey appeared to be in physical pain when he stared into my face. I wanted to tell him it was going to be alright, but I no longer thought it was. They were taking me back to California, and I was going to jail. My stomach rolled so much I thought I would vomit.
Grey took Allie in his arms and the sight melted away the last of my strength as they led me away. The cold metal wrapped around my wrists felt as if it weighed a ton, and my shoulders sagged.
Grey would get the audio files to the attorney before the police could get their hands on them. I wasn’t sure if they would do any good, but I could only hope.
I sat in the police car and waited while the officer spoke with another officer outside the car. I could see the front door from where I sat and watched as Allie and Grey approached another car. Grey put Allie in the back, I could hear her screaming, and each burst was a knife through my heart.
As he stood up, I could see it all inside his eyes: His heart was broken. He loved Allie like his own daughter and having to force her to leave with someone else was killing him. I sobbed as we pulled away.
I had tried so hard to find freedom for Allie and live a good life. I had found a man that I could see having a wonderful life with—a man I had fallen in love with.
I should have told him.
He knew. He had to know.
Panic filled me as I thought that maybe he didn’t know. No, calm down, I told myself, he knows. You have shown him every night for the past two weeks. He knows.
He had to know—but would he want a woman like me when this was all done and over? Now that was another question entirely. I had to believe that he would. That was all I had left to hold on to as we drove slowly along the roadway leading toward an unknown destination.
I ended up being taken to the local police department and processed as a fugitive. As they rolled my fingers on the print machine, I felt numb. The pictures they took of me probably looked as dead as I felt.
I was put into a cell and told that I would be arraigned in front of a judge and then transferred to the prison to await extradition to California.
The clang of the doors rang through my head. I stared at the cold metal bench and the matching toilet in the corner. Was this my future? I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself as I sank down onto the unforgiving bench and leaned back against the cold cement wall to wait.
It wasn’t long before they called me forward and sat me in a chair to face a computer. A judge came on, asked me a few questions about who I was and other personal information, and then stated that since there was a one million dollar bond on me from the State of California, I would be remanded to the local prison until I could be transferred. I would not be given a chance to post the money here, not that I had it to post anyway.
I was returned to the small cell and locked back inside where a thousand horrifying memories smothered me as I waited. An hour later, a leather waist band was put around my stomach and my hands were cuffed in front. Shackles were placed on my ankles; the weight of the world was on my shoulders as I shuffled out to the waiting van.
There were two other prisoners in the van, both men. No one said anything as we made the drive, and as the van stopped at the first gate to the prison, panic filled my chest.
How had I gotten here? How was it fair that I was trying to protect myself and my daughter and instead we were ripped apart and I was locked up? Where the hell was the justice?
I was led out of the van and into a waiting area. Prison guards joked amongst themselves, and I stared vacantly at the wall wondering what was going to happen next.
The most horrifying part of the whole process was being told to strip naked and put my clothes in a bag. I was searched from head to toe and in places I had never expected to be searched. It was almost more violating than what Todd had done to me.
After I was told to shower, I was given sweatpants, a t-shirt, white underwear, socks, and flip flops. I looked like a homeless person as I was ushered down a long hallway carrying a sheet and a blanket.
I had no idea what questions I had been asked, or what my answers had been. My mind was not my own. I didn’t meet anyone’s eyes or even raise my chin from my chest. Once my cell door was shut, I set my things on the bed and lay down, not even unfolding them.
Within minutes, my bod
y totally shut down, and I fell asleep.
The next morning, I was awakened by the slamming of a door and the sound of a key in the lock. “You must be pretty important if they are rushing the extradition on you.” The heavyset female guard stated as she pulled the door open.
“Why?” I asked as I sat up and rubbed my eyes.
“Normally, people are here for several days or weeks before they are sent back. You are being seen in front of a judge today and being sent back right away.”
“Do I get a chance to make a phone call?”
“No, sorry, but I think I heard someone saying your attorney was going to be at the courthouse waiting for you.”
I nodded and followed her out of the cell. Since I was going to be transferred out, they allowed me to change back into my clothes.
I slipped the slacks on and thought about how it had been only a day since I had climbed out of Grey’s bed feeling on top of the world. Now, I was in the lowest echelon of hell.
The trip to the courthouse was fast, and I was taken to yet another cell. They all looked the same now, some were just larger than others. Carl, my attorney, showed up and explained that I should sign the papers immediately and get back to California to get everything moving. The faster we did it, the faster it would all be over.
I didn’t argue with that and signed where he told me. An hour later, a new belt and cuffs were put on me, and I was told they would not shackle me as long as I behaved.
I stared incredulously at the one officer. Did I look like a violent person? Within a few minutes, I was taken out of the courthouse and put into another police car. Two officers delivered me to the airport where I was handed off to yet another two other officers who wore plain clothes. We were shuffled through the security area with lots of paperwork and credentials being shown. Once past security, they led me to a private seating area and let me sit in the corner alone.
They hadn’t said much, and I knew better than to start a conversation. I leaned against the cold glass window and watched the planes land and take off—business as usual. My entire life was in upheaval, yet the world kept spinning—business as usual.