“Please, I want to go to the light; I need to be in the light!” he cried out, but the darkness swallowed his words.
He watched as the light became dimmer and further away when he suddenly heard laughter echo in the darkness that made his blood run cold in his veins. “You’ll never feel the warmth of the light again. You’ve sold your soul to the darkness, and that’s where you’ll remain for all eternity.”
Tyrone frantically paddled in the water with his hands trying to stop the raft from flowing away from the light, but the harder he paddled, the further away the light grew.
“Gran, Jenni… please, I want to be with you in the light!” he cried out with the growing darkness swallowing in around him.
“Tyrone, hurry and join us in the light. We love you and want you to be with us for all eternity,” Jenni’s voice cut through the darkness and touched his soul.
“I’m trying, but the current is too strong! Please God, help me get to them,” Tyrone prayed, but the light grew fainter in the distance.
He fought against the steady flow of the water that took him away from the light, but he soon realized his efforts were all in vain. “Gran…Jenni, I love you both, and I’m sorry for everything I’ve done,” he cried, but the darkness absorbed his pain-filled words along with his hope of escape.
***
Tyrone awoke from the nightmare with his heart pounding, and his body dripping with sweat. “Damn, what time is it? He rolled over and looked at the clock on the bedside table.
“That can’t be right.” He reached for his cell phone and looked at the time. “Crap! I slept over twelve hours!”
Tyrone decided to take a shower hoping it would wash away some of the guilt he felt, but he knew nothing could ever ease those feelings. He destroyed the only family he had, and he knew he would pay for it with his eternal soul. He thought back to when they would all go to church together, and how his grandmother told him to protect himself from the temptations the devil would place before him.
She would say; Once you choose to dance with the devil you lose your soul for all eternity, and it’s only through the grace of God that you can escape the pits of Hell.
“Is that where I’m headed, Gran? I’ve done the bidding of the devil himself, and for that I know my soul will burn,” he closed his eyes and let the warm water flow over him.
Tyrone was lost in his thoughts until he noticed the water felt cold on his skin.
Damn it, how long have I been in here? He turned the water off then reached for a towel. He was thankful to find some of his clothes were still in his old bedroom, so once he was dressed; he walked to the kitchen to get something to eat.
As he sat at the table, he realized that he no longer had an appetite. When he opened the refrigerator, the vision of the uncooked Thanksgiving turkey caused his heart to break. He had always looked forward to his grandmother’s Thanksgiving dinner, so seeing the turkey waiting for her to do her magic was a pain he could not escape.
“Oh Gran, what have I done?” He sat at the table and shed the tears of his shame. The sound of the telephone ringing brought Tyrone back to awareness. He figured more than likely, it was Ruth, and he knew she wanted to know when he would return with Jenni.
“Damn it, woman, leave me alone!” he yelled, smashing his fist on the table.
The phone rang several more times but went unanswered. He knew he should have answered it, but her constant questions and disapproving looks were more than he wanted to face.
As he sat there, caught up in the memories of the past couple of days, a terrifying image popped into his mind.
“Crap, I forgot the kid!” He jumped to his feet and rushed out to his car.
It was nearly a forty-minute drive to the warehouse to where he hid Joey Afton. Tyrone stopped at one of the hamburger restaurants on the way and bought him something to eat and drink. He knew he needed to check on the boy because if anything happened to him it would not be good for Jenni. He also believed if he made sure the boy was unharmed and cared for, it would help ease his guilt.
What will she be like, after all, this is over? Will she ever forgive me?
He could see her big, beautiful, brown eyes in his mind, and he could hear her laughter as she watched her favorite cartoons.
Will she ever be able to laugh again, after what she has gone through?
Tyrone pulled up to the building where he hid the boy. He sat for a few moments and prayed this would all be over soon, but he knew he would walk inside and find that little boy seated in the dark room, scared and all alone. “Pull yourself together; you need to stay focused for Jenni.” He got out of his car and walked inside hoping this would all be over soon, and Jenni would be back home.
Tyrone hated to come here. It was filthy; full of cobwebs, and with rat droppings covering the floor. He walked to the door that led into the room where Joey was kept and pounded on the door.
“Cover your face, I brought you some food!” Tyrone slowly opened the door and stepped inside, but what he saw caused rage to surge throughout his body.
Joey lay unconscious on the floor with two rats nibbling on his shirt.
“Get off of him!” Tyrone yelled as he threw the food on the floor and ran over to Joey. “Oh, my God, what’s wrong with you? Please, you can’t die! Please, wake up, please!”
Tyrone picked up Joey, placed him on the cot, and then covered him with the blankets. “I don’t know what to do. Oh, God, what should I do?”
Tyrone reached down and touched his forehead, “You’re burning up! You need to be in the hospital,” but no sooner had he said those words than he knew it was impossible.
“Come on man, I know you must be watching. Please, tell me what to do!” Tyrone knew if he did not act soon, Joey would die. The worst part was if he took him to the hospital, Jenni would die.
“Dear Lord, please show me what to do. Gran always told me to put my faith in you. I know that I’m not worthy of your help, but please I don’t want this little boy to die,” Tyrone sat in silence, praying for an answer. The problem was he knew that whatever choice he made an innocent child would die.
“I want to go home,” Joey said in a soft and pleading voice.
Tyrone opened his eyes and looked at Joey then realized this was the answer to his prayer.
“Please forgive me, Jenni,” were the only words he said as he picked Joey up in his arms and rushed out to his car.
Tyrone had decided to take Joey to a hospital in one of the outlying towns hoping they would believe his cover story, and not alert the authorities. He pulled into the emergency room parking lot of a small hospital and carried Joey inside. He was relieved the room was empty, so he knew there would not be a long wait until they saw Joey. When he walked to the admissions desk, the woman looked up from her magazine and gave Tyrone a concerned look. “What’s wrong with the boy?”
Tyrone walked up to the desk and sat in one of the chairs, still holding Joey in his arms. “He’s running a high fever; he needs to be seen by a doctor.”
The woman turned to face her computer. “Okay, what is your name and the name of the child?”
“My name is Ty….ah, my name is Tyler Jones, and this is my wife’s son. His name is Joseph Atlers, and his mother’s name is Susan,” Tyrone held his breath, praying that she believed his lie.
“Why isn’t your wife here with you?” the woman looked up from her computer.
Tyrone swallowed before speaking, “She’s in Baton Rouge with her mother who’s in the hospital, and she won’t be here until tomorrow. I called her when he seemed worse, and she told me to bring him here. Please, you need to help him,” Tyrone pleaded.
“Mommy…,” Joey whimpered as he lay limp in Tyrone’s arms.
“Okay, follow me. We can fill out all the paperwork once we’ve examined the boy,” the woman stood, and then motioned to Tyrone to follow her.
They walked through a set of doors and to a large room with two gurneys separated by a curtain. “Lay him do
wn here, and a nurse will be in momentarily to check his vitals.”
She looked down at the little boy who was pale as death and smiled. “You’ll feel better soon, sweetheart.” She tenderly brushed her fingers across his forehead and then left the room.
Tyrone pulled a chair up to the bed and sat beside Joey. “I know you want your mommy, but you need to get better first.” Tyrone gently took Joey’s hand in his and felt the heat radiating from his hand while his body shivered from the fever. “Hang on, little guy, the doctor will be here soon.”
“I understand we have a sick little boy here,” the nurse said as she walked into the room. “Let’s see what’s going on with you.”
Tyrone watched her walk to the counter, take a thermometer from the drawer, and then put the pointed end into Joey’s ear. “This isn’t the most accurate, but it will give us an idea of how high a temperature he has.”
She waited a couple of moments until she heard a beep, “Damn; this isn’t good at all.”
She quickly typed something on the laptop computer sitting on the counter, “I’ll be right back with the doctor.”
She left them in the room, returning in a couple of minutes with the doctor.
“I understand we have a sick, little boy here.” The doctor walked up to Joey and looked down at him. Can you tell me how long he’s had the fever?”
Tyrone had no idea what to say. How long had he been sick? Oh, God, I should have checked on him sooner.
“He wasn’t feeling well on Thanksgiving Day, but he didn’t get the fever until today. Please doctor, will he be all right?”
“His temperature is dangerously high and I won’t know what the cause is until we run a few tests. I think it would be best to admit him to the hospital, so we can monitor him, and get his fever under control. You still need to sign the admission forms, so why don’t you go back out to the admissions office. We’ll start working on getting his fever down,” the doctor smiled while he gently touched Joey on the forehead.
***
Mac and Rick pulled up to the Afton’s house and parked in the driveway. The crowd appeared smaller today with only a couple of local media crews still there. It surprised Mac to see the flowers and candles placed at the end of the sidewalk, as a show of love and support for the family.
It’s touching how people will go out of their way to demonstrate their support for strangers during a difficult time, Mac thought to herself.
They were glad the patrol officers were still there to keep the media back, allowing them to ignore the shouts and questions as they walked to the front door.
The front door opened before they had a chance to ring the doorbell. “Detective Mackey, it’s so good to see you again,” Brian Afton smiled, motioning for them to come inside.
“Have you heard anything about Joey?” Unfortunately, the look on Mac’s face told him there was no news.
Brian sat in a large overstuffed chair and motioned for Mac and Rick to sit on the sofa.
“I’m sorry, but we haven’t heard a thing. We just wanted to come by and check on you and Cheryl. How have you been doing?” Mac looked around the room, “Where’s Cheryl?”
“She’s taking a nap. It’s been rough on her, so her doctor prescribed some Valium to help her rest. I hate to see her taking that stuff, but it appears to help. I don’t know how much longer we can take this. Not knowing where he is, or if he’s even still alive…,” his voice cracked, as the tears streamed down his face at the thought of what his son must be going through.
“Mr. Afton, I understand how you feel, but you have to remain strong for your wife and son. I promise you that we are doing everything we can to find Joey, and bring him back to you and your wife. So, please, stay strong and never give up hope,” Rick said as he looked at Brian’s tear-stained face.
Rick understood the pain Brian felt because he would feel the same anguish if one of his girls were taken and threatened with death.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do. There is no way I can come up with that much money before 6 pm on Monday.”
Brian reached for a pack of cigarettes and lit one then took a long drag on it before he spoke again. “Do you want to know something funny; I quit smoking these things six years ago? I used to smoke two packs a day, but once we decided to start a family, I quit. I didn’t want my children raised in a home with a smoker.” Brian laughed as he flicked the ashes into the ashtray on the table next to him.
“But with all this going on I decided smoking would be better than Valium because at least one of us needed to stay clear headed. You can’t imagine the thoughts that go through a person’s mind at a time like this. I would do anything for my family. Hell, I even thought about trying to steal the money from my bank to pay the ransom, but I knew I would never get away with it. I have tried everything I can think of to come up with a million dollars, but I learned the only way, I can come up with that much money, is to die. Funny thing is I have a life insurance policy that will pay Cheryl a million dollars when I die. The only problem is if I were to kill myself she would get nothing,” he snickered then took another drag on the cigarette. “If I thought smoking, more of these would kill me in time to save Joey…”
Mac interrupted, “Brian stop talking like that! You will get Joey back and soon, I promise!”
Brian lifted his head and looked at Mac, “I hope you’re right because I don’t know how much longer Cheryl can hold on. I’m worried about her. She walks around the house like a ghost, and sits in Joey’s room and cries herself to sleep in his bed.”
“You need to convince her that Joey will come home soon and that she needs to stay healthy for him. I know it looks bleak now, but I have faith we will find him soon,” Mac said a silent prayer that her words were true.
“I hope you’re right, Detective because I don’t know what we would do if Joey never came home. You know, I have watched families on the television talk about the pain they felt when a loved one is missing, but I never understood how deep that pain went until now. I feel as though my heart is ripped from my chest and hidden away from me, but for some reason I just don’t die. I know all this is real, but my mind doesn’t want to accept it as a reality,” Brian put the cigarette out in the ashtray, and then leaned back in his chair. “So, what do we do now, Detectives?”
Mac looked at Rick for an answer. “We wait and pray the kidnapper contacts us again before Monday at 6 pm,” Rick said, seeing a relieved look appear on Mac’s face.
“I want you to know we’re doing everything within our power to bring your son home, and if all goes well, he will be with you soon. Tell Mrs. Afton we’re working hard on getting Joey back home with her, alright?” Rick stood and waited for Mac.
Brian stood and offered his hand to Rick, “Thank you for caring about Joey. I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate your hard work and understanding.”
Brian shook Rick’s hand and then offered his hand to Mac. “And thank you for everything you’ve done. Cheryl told me she has faith in you. She firmly believes you will find Joey, and bring him home to her.”
Mac shook his hand, and she felt tears forming in the corners of her eyes, “Tell her not to lose faith because I promise to bring him home to her soon.”
“I know you will,” Brian smiled.
Rick and Mac walked toward the front door with Brian following behind them. Rick opened the door and stepped outside, but Mac stopped and turned to face Brian. “I’ll call you if we hear anything.”
Brian only smiled, and then watched them walk back to their car and the waiting media. “Damn media vultures. Why don’t they just pack up their cameras, and leave us alone?” Brian groaned as he closed the door.
Mac and Rick ignored the questions from the reporters as they got into the car and backed out of the driveway. “I understand they have a job to do, but they sure can be a nuisance at times,” Mac groaned.
“Well, we’ve done all we can here today. Come on, let’s get back to the house bef
ore the girls get home with the pizza,” Rick grinned, licking his lips.
“You know something? It’s a good thing you stay active because with the way you eat you ought to weigh at least three hundred pounds!” Mac teased.
“Hey, it takes a lot of fuel to keep this sexy man-machine running,” Rick laughed at the surprised look on her face.
“Come on, you man-machine, we don’t want to be late for pizza,” Mac rolled her eyes and smiled.
On the drive back to Rick’s house, Mac could not seem shake the image of Brian Afton from her mind. “Rick, do you think it was wrong to make that promise?”
Rick was not sure how to answer. On one hand, he knew it was wrong to give someone false hope, but, on the other hand, as a father, he knew what he would want to hear. “I don’t know what to tell you, but sometimes we just need to follow our heart when dealing with people. They’re going through every parent’s worst nightmare. Therefore, if you’re able to help him hold on to the hope he will see his son again, I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all.”
Mac was thankful Rick was there with her today. He always seemed to know the right thing to say at the right time. She felt blessed to have him in her life because she loved him like a brother and treasured his friendship. “Thanks, I only hope I can keep that promise.”
***
“Daddy, Mac, we’re home!” Ashley cried out as she ran inside the door.
The quiet in the house now erupted into the sounds of giggling girls, and slamming doors. Mac and Rick had been back for fifteen minutes, sitting at the kitchen table, and drinking some sweet tea.
“Girls, you need to go wash your hands for dinner and please calm yourselves down!” Sharon put the pizza boxes on the table.
“Wow, you two must be hungry,” she laughed when she noticed the paper plates and napkins waiting on the table.
“You bet we are and if those crazy girls don’t hurry up, I’m going to eat theirs,” Rick grinned while reaching for one of the pizzas.
“You better come on girls, or your daddy’s going to eat all the pizza! Oh wow, my favorite!” Mac laughed as she lifted the lid on the other pizza and looked inside.
A New Game Page 13