One Last Fight

by Brenda Kennedy

  Angel says, “Lilly has been here all day, and Bruce came a little later after work. They went to the Desoto Mall and were spreading the word and passing out fliers there.”

  Leah picks up an updated flier and shows it for me to read. It says, ‘$100,000.00 Reward for the safe return of six-year-old Madison Grace Sinclair.’ “Where did all of the money come from?” I ask.

  “Donations from strangers, friends, and family. The Sinclairs donated over half of that,” Adam says.

  We all walk around the room and are introduced to the volunteers. We thank them and tell them how much we appreciate their time and support. The police officer explains how the calls in the center work. All phones are hooked up to caller I.D., and all calls are traced. A large map of the city and the surrounding counties with colored pins stuck in it is hanging on the wall. The officer explains that the pins represent where each call came from.

  I lean in further to look at the map better. I see several pins in the Myakka State Park area. “Is this an area of interest?” I ask, pointing to the clusters of pins.

  “It is, we have several people out there now.”

  Bruce and his wife, Lilly, come over. Lilly hugs us and expresses her sympathy over Madison’s abduction. Although we just recently found out that Madison is our biological daughter, and we haven’t really had a chance to get to know her yet, that doesn’t matter. Our friends and the volunteers understand that she is still our daughter and we need help in finding her.

  Leah and I separate, and I speak to someone about making a donation to increase the reward. I know that $100,000.00 is a significant amount already. But if more money will help increase the chance of bringing Madison home safely, I want to increase that chance.

  We go home and Leah soaks in a bubble bath. We decided, with our parents, that tomorrow we’ll spend the day at the church. Someone will stay home with Gracie while everyone else will do what they can to offer help in bringing Madison home.

  Bruce Myles

  When Robert said that Drake denied it was him who flattened Robert’s tire the night at the hospital, I soon had other suspicions. I called the hospital security and spoke to them about viewing the surveillance cameras for the night in question.

  The next day, I go to the hospital to see Scott, who is head of security. I was excited when Scott called this morning to say the video was ready to be viewed. I couldn’t get here soon enough. “You have the video surveillance already?” I ask Scott.

  “We do. Josh will sit with you while you watch it. He can stop it, rewind it, or fast forward it if you want. He can also zoom in and out, whatever you need.”

  “Great, thank you. I appreciate it.”

  “Yeah, no problem. He can also print off some still shots if you want those, too.”

  “Perfect.”

  I sit down in front of the overly large multi-screens and wait for the image I want to appear on one of the larger monitors. A total of 12 screens are all playing current activity that’s happening in the hospital right now. The screens show the parking lot, the cafeteria, the elevators, and busy hallways. They play for several seconds before they change and display new camera viewings: the main entryways, the emergency room entrance, more parking lots, inside elevators, and the cafeteria food lines.

  Soon a monitor goes blank and then a darker image appears on it. It’s a video taken at nighttime of the parking lot. I realize it’s the video I’ve been waiting for because I spot Bobby’s Hummer right away. Fortunately, he parked near a street light. People are walking past his Hummer to their cars or in the direction of the hospital entrance. Josh zooms the camera in for a better view. “This is what you’re looking for, I think,” he says. He uses a pen to point at the monitor where there is a dark image of a person.

  “It sure looks like it.” I watch as the person hides from the passerby. The person looks smaller than Drake. He is wearing a dark-hooded sweatshirt. I watch as he walks over to the driver’s side of the Hummer, stoops down, and using a hammer, stabs a knife into Bobby’s Hummer’s tire. He stands and quickly walks away.

  Without instructions, Josh rewinds the video and plays it again. He stops and zooms in before he snaps some still shots. He forwards it and rewinds it. We watch it several times before I ask him to stop it and zoom in. The man’s hoodie fell off, but only very briefly. Josh gets several still shots of the guy without the obstruction of the hoodie covering or shading his face and then asks, “Does he look familiar?”

  The guy is small in stature with shaggy hair, or maybe it’s a girl. Maybe Bobby will recognize him or her. “No, not at all. I was hoping I would know him right away. Can you print these off for me, please?”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  I stand up and wait for the photos to print. Once they are all printed, I take the pictures and tuck them into my jacket pocket. “Thank you, I appreciate it.”

  I call Bobby and he tells me he and Leah are at the church. I’m not surprised. I rush over to the church to see him. I want to show him the pictures to see if he knows the person. The photos are grainy and blurry, but I hope they are clear enough for Bobby to recognize who it is.

  Leah

  Mom and Dad stayed at the house with Gracie this morning, while Robert and I go to the church to help out. We didn’t get much sleep last night. It’s hard to sleep when your six-year-old daughter is missing. I called Chelsea last night and again this morning to see if there is any news on Madison and there isn’t.

  Robert watches the news for any updates although I try very hard to avoid it. I know the media will do and say almost anything for a story, so I try not to feed into it. When we arrive at the church, it is already very busy. Emma and Angel are already here managing the phone lines. Walter and Margie are also here. I see Drake standing with a man near the fax machine.

  Molly and Adam come over and lead us to the coffee maker. “Is there any news?” Molly asks.

  I say, “No, nothing.”

  “Here, get some coffee. I’m sure we’ll hear something today. They had to bring in more phones last night.”

  “Are the calls leading to any confirmed sightings or anything?” Robert asks.

  “There seems to be a lot of activity in Myakka, Florida. Here, come see,” Molly says as she walks towards the map hanging on the wall.

  Several new pins are stuck into the map, all near the same area in Myakka. “What does this mean?” I ask.

  “It might mean several people have seen a little girl who looks like Madison or it may mean some wacky people are out there looking for their fifteen minutes of fame. Andy Warhol said that everyone gets fifteen minutes of fame,” Robert says. “Am I correct in assuming they have sent cruisers out there to check it out?”

  Adam says, “They did. Since the reward has increased, we are receiving a lot more calls. As you can see, they had to bring in more phone lines and phones, just to keep up with the calls. The call center has been very active.”

  Molly says, “They just sent some police officers out to check on something.”

  Bruce walks in and makes pleasantries as he makes his way over to where we are. He leans in and hugs me and he pats Robert on his back. “Any news?”

  “No, not yet,” I say. “We just got here.”

  Robert adds, “They went to check on a few leads. Maybe it’ll turn up something.”

  “Let’s hope,” Bruce says. He removes some pictures from his jacket pocket and hands them to Robert. “It’s a little hard to see, but do you know this person?”

  I watch as Robert looks over the pictures. He stares at a few of them for several seconds and hands them to me. “No, I’m sorry. I don’t. Is this who flattened my tire?”

  “It is. When you told me that Drake said he didn’t do it, I called the hospital and spoke with their security department. I went to the hospital this morning to watch the security video. These are the best still shots they could get. The image is dark and a little hard to see.”

  “I’ve seen her before,”
I say. “It looks like it could be a guy in the picture, but it’s a girl. I have seen her not long ago.”

  “Leah,” Bruce says, focusing all of his attention on me, “do you know who this is?”

  “I don’t know her, but she was at the house last week.”

  “Are you sure?” Robert asks.

  “Yes. It was the day you returned from Vegas and we had the cookout.”

  “What did she want?” Bruce asks.

  “She was looking for someone, but I told her she had the wrong house. I thought it was odd that we had the same hairstyle.”

  Robert looks at me and asks. “Did you think it was odd that we live in a gated community and she would have had to enter a code to get in? So why would she be looking for someone in a gated community?”

  “I do now, but I didn’t think about that then. I noticed she looked like me and then she left.”

  “Can you remember who she was looking for?” Bruce asks.

  I think for a minute and I remember it was a popular name. “It was Smith, or Jones… no wait, she was looking for the Evans residence. That it. It was the Evanses’ house.”

  “Are you sure, Leah?”

  “Yes, I’m sure.”

  “Bruce, does this have something to do with Madison?” Robert asks and I can see hope in his eyes.

  “Robert and Leah, I’m not sure yet. Can you recall anything strange happening at home, or at the shop?”

  “I haven’t been at the shop since Gracie’s birth. We only go home and to the cemetery.”

  “Anything strange or unusual there?”

  “Other than the Sinclairs leaving a lot of things for Jamie at the cemetery, no.”

  “What kind of things?” Bruce asks.

  Robert says, “Since we found out about the baby swap, wreaths, flowers, balloons, and stuff like that have been left at the grave site.”

  “Are you sure Drake and Chelsea left them?”

  “I just assumed they did. I have never asked them about it, though.”

  “Do you mind if we talk to him about it now?” asks Bruce.

  “I’m not sure he’ll speak to you, but go ahead and try,” Robert says.

  “May I?” Bruce asks, looking at the pictures in my hands.

  I give him the pictures and Robert and I watch as he walks over to Drake. They move to a quieter corner of the room and talk.

  My mind replays the day the woman in the pictures came to my house.

  A knock sounds at the door and when I go to answer it, an attractive woman in her thirties is standing there. Her short black hair is cut almost identical to mine.

  “Hi, may I help you?” I don’t know her, but she looks vaguely familiar.

  “I’m sorry, it appears that I may have the wrong house. I was looking for the Evans residence,” she says, looking at the address on the house.

  “Yes, you do. There are no Evanses in this house.”

  “Thank you, I’m sorry to bother you,” she says and walks away.

  Why didn’t I think it was odd that she would have had to have known the code to enter and so she would have lived here or known someone who lived here? She would have known the Evanses. She wouldn’t have just been driving by. Not unless it was her first time there and the first time she used the code. That’s a possibility.

  I remember the day when Jamie was born. “Aww, she’s beautiful,” the nurse says.

  I remember Robert and me holding Jamie briefly and then the nurse took her out of the room for something. It was one of the few times that Jamie was separated from us. Jamie was born full term and healthy. The hospitals encourage mothers and fathers to bond and keep their infants with them in the same room during their hospital stay.

  When I woke up, Robert was holding Jamie. The nurse came into the room and helped me to breastfeed her. I remember thinking how different my baby looked. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want Robert or the nurse to believe I was crazy. I decided it was because my baby’s spikey hair was combed over and lying flat against her head.

  The nurse had long dark hair and beautiful brown eyes. She was so nice and I remember thinking how pretty she was. She always commented on how beautiful our baby was.

  “Oh. My. God.” I grab ahold of the wall and lean against it.

  “Leah, what is it?” Robert asks. I can hear the concern in his voice.

  “I know her. She looks different, but it’s her,” I say blinking. My head is spinning and I suddenly feel nauseous.

  “Bruce,” Robert yells. “Who is it, Leah? Who’s the woman in the photo?”

  Bruce runs over and he and Robert help me to a nearby chair. “That woman is the nurse. Jamie’s nurse,” I say slowly. My head is still trying to process the truth, the realization that this is actually happening.

  Drake is also standing nearby. “Are you sure, Leah?” he asks.

  I nod my head. “She cut her hair to look like mine, but it’s her.” I look to Robert and say, “I’m sorry. It didn’t click until just now.”

  “There’s no need to apologize,” he says, sweetly. Robert reaches up and brushes my hair away from my face.

  “Do you think she took Madison?” My mind flashes back to her being at the house, and saying she was looking for someone. Then it flashes back to her haircut. Why would she cut her hair to look like mine? Has she been watching us? Has she been to the cemetery? “Oh, God, she has Madison. I know it.”

  Robert

  Bruce and Drake go and talk to the detective. I stay with Leah and hold her hand in mine. We watch as they leave the room and close the door behind them. “What are they doing?” Leah whispers.

  “I don’t know. I think they are getting a game plan together on finding the nurse.” I watch Leah carefully. I look for signs that this may be too much for her. I don’t see anything that says Leah can’t handle this. My girl is stronger than I give her credit for.

  “She won’t hurt Madison, will she? Leah doesn’t give me time to answer before she says, “She wouldn’t go to all that work to take her if she wanted to hurt her.”

  I know Leah is trying to work it out in her head. “No, Leah, I don’t think she’ll hurt Madison,” I say it and I want to believe it, too. The truth is, I have no idea what that nurse is capable of. I can only hope we find her and Madison soon. Madison will be frightened even if the nurse, Melissa Simms, doesn’t hurt her. She needs to be returned to her family, even if it isn’t Leah and me.

  Bruce, Drake, and the detective return from the back room. The detective goes over to the computer, and Drake and Bruce join Leah and me. Mom and Dad see that something is going on and come over to where we are.

  “What’s going on, Son?” Dad asks.

  I tell him and Mom about the nurse and that she may be the person who kidnaped Madison.

  “The detective is running her name now. They’re checking for family names and addresses, her current jobs and residence — anything that can lead us to her and Madison, if she has her,” Bruce says.

  I look at Leah and say, “Leah, I think you should go home.”

  “No, I want to stay,” she demands.

  “Honey, he’s right. We should leave and let them do their job,” Mom urges. “Gracie needs us to be at home. There isn’t anything we can do here.”

  “Maybe you’re right,” Leah sighs.

  “Chelsea’s home alone. I need to call her,” Drake says, reaching for his cell phone.

  “Drake, if it’s all right, Margie and I will go over and give her an update,” Leah offers. “I think she’ll need someone there with her. I would go stir crazy if I had to wait for news alone.”

  “You would do that?”

  “Yes, this is big news. They are closer to finding Madison. I’ll even stay with her if it helps.”

  “Thank you, and please tell her I’ll call as soon as we know something.”

  I walk Mom and Leah out to the car. Dad stays at the command post with Tim. I have no idea what is going to happen, but I know I don’t want
Leah around when all of this goes down. There is no telling what an un-medicated, psychotic person will do.

  “You’ll call me when you know something.” It’s not a question, but more like a demand.

  “Leah, I’ll call you as soon as I hear something.”

  “Okay, I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” I kiss her and tap the top of the car to signal for my mom to leave. I stand there and watch as they drive off.

  Drake walks up beside me and says, “I think I owe you an apology. Perhaps I misjudged you. Truce?” He offers me his hand to shake.

  I think about what he said and under the circumstances I think we both misjudged each other. I offer my hand and say, “Truce.”

  We go back inside and I search, using Google, for information about Melissa Simms. You need very little information to find additional information on a person. I use a piece of scrap paper and jot down some information that I find online about the psychotic nurse who may have kidnaped Madison. Bruce is with the detective and Drake is standing in the corner on his cell phone. I am excited to find on the Internet a list of relatives and the phone numbers of Melissa and her mother. I’m sure the police are already on it, but this is my daughter we’re talking about. I don’t plan on wasting any more time waiting for the search and rescue to go into effect.

  “Are you ready?”

  I look up from my phone and Drake is standing over me. “Ready for what?” I ask in confusion.

  “To go and get our daughter.”

  Chapter Two: Going After Madison

  Leah

  “Do you think we should take Gracie over to Chelsea’s house? I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” I say to Mom and Margie.

  “I think the distraction will be good for Chelsea and you. She has a son, I’m sure he’s there with her. I think if it were me, I would be going crazy in that house alone,” Mom says as she puts more diapers into the diaper bag.

  “Maybe you’re right.”

  I call Chelsea and she invites us all to come over. I’m relieved. I think it will be good for us to be surrounded by people in the same situation.