Shadows and Dreams (Dream Series Book 2)

by Braxton Hicks

  Trey had pretty much cleared his calendar for the next week so that he could be home and focus on any other avenues we might pursue to expedite our baby’s return.

  Tristan and I had shared the information we'd gleaned from Sheila Bradley’s interview. I shared what I'd learned from my visit with Jean. Tristan had met with the building management. Unfortunately, identifying the doorman that had initiated the conversation with Jean around the time Preston was born wasn't going to be easy.

  Apparently the building manager used a temp agency to fill doorman slots because it was cheaper and presented less headcount to the corporate board who oversaw maintenance and operating costs. The temp agency was one of questionable repute, being that many of the doorman candidates were found to be illegal citizens; the background and reference checks on these individuals were non-existent. Trey had hit the ceiling upon hearing that. I'm sure he'd put that on his agenda once we got Preston back home.

  Tristan had gone to his room earlier to call Libby. Trey and I busied ourselves folding laundry and loading the dishwasher. I'd taken the last load out of the dryer and was folding it when I came across several of Preston’s sleepers and tee-shirts. Tears had immediately streamed down my face. Trey came into the laundry room to ask me something and stopped when he saw my emotional meltdown.

  He immediately pulled me into his arms and consoled me; assuring me that our baby girl would be home soon.

  It was just past dawn when my cell phone chimed on the nightstand next to the bed. I disengaged myself from Trey’s arms, quickly grabbing for it. The caller I.D. wasn't recognizable simply showing "Indiana Call." It was Daniel’s voice on the other end.

  “Tylar, it’s Daniel Henderson. I’ve heard from Maggie. I think I can help you.” I sprang up immediately; he had my full attention.

  “Where is she?”

  “Whoa, wait a minute. I want to make sure that if I give you this information that I'm not going to be dragged down with her for this. That’s why I'm calling you first. If you can’t give me that assurance, then all bets are off.”

  “Daniel, don’t fuck with me,” I hissed. “If you don’t give me the information, then you're withholding evidence in a felony kidnapping. If she's taken my baby across state lines, it’s a bigger felony. Besides, there's a reward being offered if, in fact, your information nets us the return of Preston.”

  “Really?” he asked. “Well, I wasn’t looking for any monetary reward, just your assurance that I won’t somehow be incriminated in all of this shit.”

  By this time Trey was up hovering over me as I continued the conversation. He was shaking his head at me, indicating he wanted me to back off of Daniel. “You have my assurance. Please tell me what you know.”

  "I got a call from her a few hours ago. She ditched my SUV because the heat's on and the word's out. She gave me a sob story about how she only took your baby because she'd lost mine and she wanted us to be a family, again. I didn’t mention that you had been here. I acted as if what she was telling me was the first time I'd heard it. She asked me if anyone had contacted me or if the authorities had been around questioning me. I told her no. She admitted to having a nice chunk of change stashed away and wants me to meet her at a Greyhound Bus station in Wheeling, West Virginia."

  Wheeling, West Virginia??

  "She gave me the arrival time of her bus and said she'd be looking for me. I agreed to be there. She wouldn’t tell me what city she was departing from. She probably doesn’t trust me a hundred percent, since she’s screwed me over so many times.”

  “Did she call you from a cell phone?”

  “Nope, she's playing it cool. She called from a pay phone that had a Georgia area code on it; same area code that your phone has, as a matter of fact. I wrote down the number of the pay phone if you want it. She had to keep feeding change into it. Now, I won’t hear from her again before the bus arrives in Wheeling. Oh, and just so you know, I did hear your baby crying in the background.”

  My heart lurched. Oh, dear God, Preston was crying.

  “I asked her if she felt like she'd be recognized and she said she'd taken care of it. She wouldn’t tell me anything further. She said that I'd see for myself when she found me at the bus station.”

  “Daniel, I'm going to put Trey on the phone. You give him the details, okay?”

  “I guess,” he replied, somewhat reluctantly. “Don’t fuck me over on this, Tylar.”

  The irony wasn't lost on me with his warning. I handed the phone to Trey and scrambled to get a pen and paper for him to jot down the information. For the first time, I held out hope that this would lead us to getting our baby back.

  Trey was scribbling away and responding to Daniel in a very reassuring and encouraging tone. That's why I let him take over; I knew he would handle it more diplomatically than I ever could. I wasn’t above thinking that perhaps Daniel had been involved all along. As long as we got our baby back, we could deal with the rest of the issues later.

  Trey ended the conversation by telling him that he'd phone him within the hour to work out the details. He made sure he mentioned to Daniel that he'd be financially rewarded if this led to our getting Preston back. He thanked Daniel for ‘doing the right thing.’

  As soon as Trey was off the phone, he swung into action, phoning the detectives and relaying the information he'd gotten from Daniel. I scrambled to get dressed and get an overnight bag packed before he finally noticed what I was doing.

  “What are you doing, baby?”

  “I’m getting packed and ready. We’re going to West Virginia, aren’t we?”

  “Sweetie,” he sighed, sitting down on the bed and pulling me onto his lap. “The feds are involved now. We have reliable information that she intends to take Preston across state lines. I know, as screwed up as this is going to sound to you, this is actually a good thing. Up until this point, while we'd notified the FBI of her abduction, the jurisdiction remained in the hands of state and county law enforcement officials. Now that it's likely she's taking Preston out of state, the FBI can step in because they have jurisdiction in every state. This is mandated by the Federal Kidnapping Act, also known as the Lindbergh Law.”

  “Okay, Trey, I appreciate the government lesson and I’m glad that the FBI's on it, but why does that prevent us from going to Wheeling? I want to make sure they recognize Maggie! She’s not entirely stupid, you know? If she smells trouble closing in on her, she may very well be disguised to the extent that she can elude the FBI agents.”

  “Okay, baby, let’s presume for a moment that your mother, I’m sorry, your aunt is the absolute master of disguise; what makes you think that you'll recognize her?”

  “I have instincts where Preston is concerned. I don’t understand how you could not want to be there.”

  Trey shifted a bit and hesitated before speaking again. “Well, actually, baby, I intended to fly to Wheeling.”

  “And there's no way that I'm not going with you."

  By this time, I'd teared up; she belonged to both of us. Trey was emotional now; torn between telling me something I might want to hear and the truth. He opted for the truth.

  “The reason I don’t want you there is to protect you just in case things are not what they appear to be.”

  “What do you mean by that?"

  “I'm only considering the worst case scenario which is one where this all was a hoax and when we get to the bus station, we find out Daniel fabricated it all in an effort to throw us off of her path. Or what if she does show up in Wheeling, but Preston isn't with her? You heard what he said, what she told him about not worrying; she'd find him at the bus station and that she'd covered her risk of being identified.”

  “But he said he'd heard Preston crying…"

  “I know, baby,” his voice cracked. “But you have to realize that we're dealing with a sociopath here. The most important thing to Maggie is self-preservation.”

  I didn’t want to think about what that meant as far as Preston’s well-bei
ng. I refused to give up faith that this would turn out alright; I believed Maggie would be on that bus and I believed Preston would be with her. It was my turn to remind Trey that we were in this together.

  “Trey? Remember our wedding vows? Remember how I promised you that we'd be together during good times and bad? That time's now. I'm going to Wheeling and that's that.”

  Our discussion was interrupted when Tristan knocked on our bedroom door.

  “Good morning, you two,” he greeted, still in his sweats with his sleep-tousled hair. “Mom just called to let us know they took Dad into surgery.”

  It had completely slipped my mind. Shit! So much was going down right now it was difficult to remember what day it was.

  “Tristan, would you feel better being in Bristol with your mom?” I questioned softly. “I know Trey and I have not been as supportive as we should have been due to our situation…”

  “Hey, no, you guys. You're not to worry. Mom and Dad both know what you're going through. I’m going to fly home to be with Mom. You two need to continue what you’re doing to get Chubbers home.”

  I had to smile knowing that Trey’s nickname for Preston had worn off on Tristan.

  By eleven o’clock that morning, Trey and I were boarding a flight from Atlanta to Wheeling, West Virginia. Trey filled me in during the flight on what exactly would go down. Apparently, FBI agents had picked Daniel up in Indiana and they flew with him to Wheeling. A couple of agents would be posted in the bus terminal, blending in with the usual patrons. Nothing would stand out as odd. Daniel was wired, just in case Maggie’s disguise was one that wouldn't be easily detected by the seasoned feds.

  Daniel had been instructed to just go along with it and, in fact, a Jeep Cherokee Laredo, the same year and color had been obtained and staged in the parking lot in case the agents didn't easily recognize her. If her plan was to slide by Daniel because she still had keys to my old Jeep, then she'd definitely be in for a rude awakening when the key didn’t work. There was an additional agent staked out in the terminal parking lot for just that scenario. Trey and I were to maintain our distance with several local law enforcement officers in their vehicle parked close by.

  We had several hours once we got to Wheeling because of the bus’s schedule. Maggie had presumed that Daniel would be driving, so the fact that everyone had flown in allowed time for preparation and strategic planning. Trey and I had rented a car and booked a room at a hotel, planning to stay the night once we got Preston back. I'd packed her diapers, clean clothes, favorite toys, and blankets.

  Trey and I waited nervously in our hotel room until the agents phoned and it was time to go. Trey asked me once again to stay at the hotel and wait until everything had concluded, but there was no way.

  We left together, getting into the vehicle with the local police to head towards the bus terminal, parking a block from it. The police were in mobile contact with other law enforcement as well as the feds. Forty-five minutes later, the officers received communication that everything had gone as planned. Maggie was in federal custody. Preston was in the custody of local authorities who were in transit to our stake-out position.

  I screamed in delight, throwing my arms around Trey and crying in joy. I made a solemn prayer of thanks to God for bringing my baby safely back to us. Tears streamed down Trey’s face. Within minutes, my baby girl was back with her daddy and me. The FBI agents followed us back to our hotel to discuss the particulars. I was totally involved with my baby as I held her close to me from the minute she was in my arms until we arrived at our hotel.

  Maggie had dressed her as a boy. She had blue jean bib overalls on with a plaid flannel shirt underneath. She had a miniature black Harley-Davidson Motorcycle jacket on that was clearly too big for her. Her hair was tucked up under a black knit toboggan hat; she had on a pair of black cowboy boots. Everything looked as if it had been purchased at a yard sale.

  “What did she do to you, baby girl? Did she try to make you look like a boy? My Preston's no boy. She’s our beautiful baby girl.” I cooed to her.

  I took her hat off and was shocked that her hair looked filthy and matted. She looked at me with piercing blue eyes that looked sad and confused. Her nose was running. She buried her face against me, whimpering softly. I wasn’t going to get a smile out of her at the moment. I could only imagine what she'd been through these past several days. I shuddered when I thought about it. I'd make her feel safe and secure again.

  “How about we take a nice bath, Preston?”

  She was in desperate need of one. I took her into the bathroom of our hotel suite and started a bath for her. I laid her down on the bed, removing the boy clothes and boots from her. Her diaper was sopping wet and in dire need of changing. She looked thinner.

  I lowered her slowly into the warm water of her bath, desperate to wash Maggie’s stench from her. Preston loved her baths at home, but she fussed and cried loudly as the water touched her private areas. I froze in fear, screaming for Trey who was still in the other room. He was at my side in seconds.

  "What is it?"

  “Something's wrong with her. She screamed when I lowered her into her bath.”

  Even now, Preston was squirming to the point that I couldn’t let go of her to see what the problem might be.

  “Here, let me take her,” Trey offered, grabbing a towel from the rack. He leaned down as I raised her from the water, wrapping the towel around her and taking her into the bedroom as she kicked and cried. I followed him with another fresh towel, placing it on the bed.

  Trey instructed me to turn on the overhead light so we could check her. Once he removed the towel and lifted her legs up, we could see that her perineum area was beet red. She had a rash going, but it wasn't like one I'd ever seen. This was a reddened area with larger welts. He turned her over so that she was now on her belly. We both gasped in horror when we saw the black and blue bruises on her bottom. Tears sprang to my eyes.

  “We need to get her dressed and take her to the nearest ER. She needs to be thoroughly examined by a pediatrician.”

  I nodded, tears flooding my eyes. It was like the dream I'd had where I pummeled her bottom, only when I looked in the mirror, I had seen the face of Maggie. Maybe my dreams had been a premonition after all.

  Trey returned to the living room to fill the detectives in on what we had discovered. One of them gave Trey directions to the nearest hospital and said he would meet us there. I carefully dressed Preston in her own clothing, putting her jacket and hat on to keep her warm in the cool October evening.

  The doctor who examined Preston was extremely gentle with her. He talked to her as if she could understand everything he was saying, though I think he did it for Trey and my benefit, so we would know what he was checking for and how he needed to check for various injuries.

  Blessedly, she had no other bruises on her body, with the exception of her bottom. He checked her arms and legs, hands and feet and there were no injuries or fractures. He checked her neck glands, ears and eyes. Her lungs were clear. Pictures were taken for evidence of her bruised behind.

  The doctor diagnosed her as having a cold; contusions on the gluteus maximus and a yeast infection in her perineum area.

  Yeast infection?

  “How would she have gotten a yeast infection?” I asked.

  “Both boy and girl babies can and do get yeast infections. There are several causes, but the most likely one in this case is that the baby wasn't thoroughly cleaned up after a bowel movement, or perhaps bathed in a tub that had fecal matter in it. If your daughter has extremely sensitive skin, it could have been something as minor as being given a bubble bath or having perfumed soaps used on her.”

  “Then you don’t think she was sexually molested or anything?” Trey looked at me quickly, puzzled by my question. I had to know. I had to put it out there.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair, I've not seen anything that would indicate that during my visual examination of her. If you want me to perform a more in-depth e
xamination focused on sexual penetration, I can do that, however, it'll be more traumatic for the baby."

  Trey and I looked at one another for a moment. I didn’t want to put Preston through any more trauma than what she'd already been through. I hoped that he felt the same way.

  “If you feel that your visual examination didn’t warrant anything further doctor, then I don’t see the need for anything more in depth. Are you okay with that, Trey?”

  I looked up at him and saw a look of relief cross his face. He nodded in agreement with me. The doctor prescribed an anti-fungal cream for her and wrote down some over-the-counter items that would help for bathing and diapering her until this cleared up. He prescribed a decongestant for her congested sinuses.

  Once we got back to our hotel suite, we bathed her together. I applied the prescription ointment on the inflamed skin and it seemed to soothe her immediately. I diapered her and put her in a clean tee shirt and pajamas and then crawled under the covers of the bed with her. She was still fussing a bit, but it was her tired, cranky cry. I could feel my breasts let down and I was never so happy about anything in my life. My milk supply had responded to her closeness.

  I pulled my shirt up, cuddling her against me as she continued to fuss and pull away. She seemed apprehensive about nursing; she squirmed away from me as I continued coaxing her until finally she latched on. This was extremely strange behavior for her. She watched me with her big blue eyes. Several minutes into it, I think that she finally felt safe and secure again. She let my nipple drop from her mouth and broke out into a wide, dimpled grin, gurgling in contentment.

  I leaned over, kissing her head and face, telling her how much Mommy and Daddy loved her. I'd probably never know what the past several days had been like for her, but God willing, if it was bad, she'd soon forget. She continued nursing from me, not taking her eyes off of me. We snuggled down beneath the bed covers and finally fell asleep.

  I was awakened a little bit later when Trey came to bed, still damp from his shower. He pulled me close to him, wrapping his arm around both of us. Preston was sleeping comfortably against me.