Daughters

by Florence Osmund

  While Marie didn’t have strong religious convictions, she was certain some higher being was responsible for bringing her and Rachael together, and for that she was grateful. But she had to keep reminding herself that Rachael already had a mother and father, regardless of their insubstantial relationships among themselves.

  They met Karen for breakfast on the last day of Rachael’s visit. Karen presented her with a stylish young person’s purse as a parting gift—a shoulder bag with a thin rope strap made of brightly colored fabric in an abstract design. “I just got these in last week, and they’re selling like hotcakes.”

  “Cool. Thanks, Karen. And thanks again for the earrings too. I can’t wait to wear them.”

  Marie and Rachael proceeded to the train station. Both had tears in their eyes as they said goodbye. Rachael promised to call her after she talked with her father. Marie promised to think about their talk. Rachael took a seat next to the window on the side of the train, where she waved goodbye to Marie and mouthed, I love you.

  As the train left the station, Marie sat in her car, staring straight ahead but not seeing anything, listening to it roll away on noisy rails, until the noise faded into the distance, the lump in her throat refusing to go away.

  “What would you do?” she asked Karen after she explained her last twenty-four hours with Rachael.

  “Don’t know. You could call her father, give him a heads-up, but then you told her to handle it like an adult, so he should hear it from her first. Then again, maybe she’ll think it over on her train ride back home and chicken out.”

  “Oh, I doubt that.” Marie shook her head. “I guess I should just let Rachael handle it in her own way. I gave her some examples of how to start the conversation. From what I know of Ben, he may not handle it well.”

  “Marie, would you let her live with you?”

  Marie sighed. “I’ve thought about it, believe me. On one hand I think it may be the right thing to do, but then I think, what do I know about raising a teenager? And what about Ben? He’s the controlling factor here.”

  “If he’s really her father.”

  “I don’t think that matters. He’s assumed that role. And we can’t forget about her mother either, even if she is missing.”

  “Wonder what a lawyer would say.”

  “God, I hope it never gets to that.”

  Ben called Marie the following Sunday. “You know the reason for this call,” he began.

  “Yes, I believe I do.”

  “Rachael is at her grandparents’ house, so I can talk freely. Marie, I don’t know quite what to say to you.” She shut her eyes and waited for what was to come next. “At first, I was so grateful that Rachael took a liking to you. She went from being a mopey little girl to a happy, smiling young lady, and I credited you with that. But now this? I don’t know what to think. Quite frankly, I regret having allowed her to come stay with you.”

  Marie didn’t know what to think either. Was he referring to Rachael questioning her parentage, or wanting to come live with her? She blew out a gush of air through her lips which she hoped he didn’t hear.

  “To be honest,” he continued, “I myself have questioned whether or not I’m Rachael’s father as well. But what could I do? They needed a place to live, and I wasn’t about to turn Judy and a ten-year-old away. I know I did the right thing.” He paused. “Marie, I’ve treated Rachael as my own, so when she raised the question to me, what could I say? It was more than just an awkward moment.”

  Marie swiped one sweaty palm on her trousers, then the other. “I know. It was awkward for me too.”

  “What do you mean, for you too?”

  “When she told me she didn’t know whether or not to believe you were her real father.”

  “So you didn’t put that notion in her head?”

  “Of course not. Did she tell you that?”

  “Well, no, I just assumed…”

  “Ben, I would never do such a thing. No, she asked me in the car one day how I knew Jonathan was my father. I figured she was raising the question because of our different skin colors. But the more she asked, the more I knew she was really talking about her own situation.”

  “Did you tell her to talk to me about it?”

  “Yes, I did do that. It was so heavy on her mind, I thought that was best. I hope you’re not upset with me.”

  His tone softened. “Well, I was, but now that you’ve…now that I know how this all got started…I just wasn’t prepared for her questions.”

  “Believe me, I thought about calling you as soon as she got on the train, but…”

  “No, I understand. You didn’t want to betray her. You did the right thing. And the more I think about it, even if she hadn’t ever met you, she probably would have asked the question eventually.”

  Marie sighed. “When did she ask you this?”

  “This morning.” He laughed. “She’s a very bright girl. She spent all day yesterday giving me a blow-by-blow description of how the two of you spent the week. I’ve never seen her so upbeat. She even got excited about the trip to Topeka and all the history you bestowed upon her.” He let out a sigh. “So that little stinker made sure I knew what a great time she had, and then the next day she dropped the bomb on me. Maybe that’s why I thought you put the idea in her head, by the way she wanted to build you up so I wouldn’t be mad at you.”

  “If I’m not being too nosy, Ben, how did you respond to her?”

  “I told her we’ll probably never know for sure, but as far as I was concerned, she is and will always be my daughter. How’d I do?”

  “I think that was a perfect response.”

  “Now about the other thing.”

  Marie’s chest pounded. “Other thing?”

  “Yes, the earrings. The ones Karen gave to her.”

  “You don’t approve?”

  “Don’t you think they’re a little too grown up for her?” Ben asked.

  “Well, maybe just a little, but remember she is a teenager, so she’s constantly going to test the waters. You know what I would do?”

  “No, what?”

  “I would tell her she could only wear the fancier ones on special occasions. That may be a reasonable compromise.”

  “You know what?”

  “What?” Marie asked.

  “I like the way you think.”

  She let out a silent sigh. “Rachael is a very special girl. You’re lucky to have her.”

  “Can I call you from time to time when she’s driving me completely crazy?”

  Marie laughed. “Any time, Ben. Any time.”

  “So she didn’t tell Ben she wanted to come live with you?” Karen asked the following evening.

  “Apparently not.”

  “Wonder why.”

  “I don’t know. I’m hoping she thought it over and decided maybe living with Dad isn’t so bad after all. I kind of wish she would call me, though, to let me know what she’s thinking.”

  Marie didn’t have to wait long to find that out. A letter from Rachael came the following week.

  Dear Marie,

  First of all, I want to thank you so much for the crazy time I had with you. It was such a kick! Thank you for all the places we went, that cool outfit you bought me, and especially our talks. No one has ever done anything like that for me before – ever.

  I thought about what we talked about on my way home. I thought about it a lot. I was glad there wasn’t anybody in my car to talk to, cuz I really wanted to be alone. At first, I rehearsed how I was going to tell Dad I wanted to come live with you. But then I decided maybe one thing at a time would be better. So I’m going to wait.

  You were right about so many things. Like the way Dad acted when I asked him how he knew he was really my father. He didn’t blow a fuse like I thought he would. He was pretty cool about it. He told me no matter what, I’ll always be his daughter. I have to admit that felt pretty good.

  One more thing. Mom called Dad while I was with you, and boy was s
he mad!!! Dad didn’t tell me everything she said, just that she didn’t like some other woman taking care of me. Ha! But I don’t really care what she thinks. She’s such bad news.

  Well, I gotta go. I have a mess of homework. Please say hi to Karen and Maurice for me. I think they’re cool.

  Love,

  Rachael

  P.S. Dad’s making me save the earrings Karen gave me for special occasions. I guess I’ll have to get creative on just what a special occasion is. Ha Ha

  “Writes a nice letter for a teenager. What do you think of it?” Karen asked after Marie read the letter to her.

  “I think she handled herself very maturely. And I also think she has every intention of moving down here with me. She’s just strategizing.”

  “What do you think about her mother calling Ben?”

  “I’m not sure what to think. But I know she must have been referring to me when she said she didn’t want some other woman taking care of Rachael.”

  CHAPTER 23

  Judy

  It was Good Friday. Marie was sitting on her sun porch sipping tea, too deep in thought to realize it had started to rain. Rachael had been gone two weeks, and Marie had to admit not a day had gone by that she didn’t think about her. She thought about her own teen years and how much harder a time Rachael was having in hers. “I just want to fit in somewhere,” she had said—a sad, unsettling statement. The phone interrupted her thoughts.

  “What?!” Marie couldn’t believe she had heard Claire correctly. “When did this happen?” She sat down, afraid her knees would buckle from underneath her. “Have they checked with all her friends?”

  Marie hung up the phone and let everything Claire had said sink in. Then she called Karen.

  “I have some terrible news. Ben’s been shot and is lying in some hospital room, and Rachael is missing.”

  “What?!”

  “Claire just called me. I don’t know what to think or what I should do.”

  “Are you thinking of going there?”

  Thoughts raced through her mind. “I would, but what if Rachael tries to call me? I’d want to be here,” she said with a tremorous voice. “On the other hand, if something’s happened to her, I want to be there for her. I’m not sure what to do.”

  “Well, if you want me to stay in your apartment while you go there, I can do that.”

  Marie mulled that over for a moment. “You wouldn’t mind? What about your shop?”

  “Don’t worry about the shop. I’ll have someone look after it.”

  Marie was on the next flight to Chicago. Jonathan agreed to send a car to pick her up. By the time she arrived at Jonathan’s house, Ben had taken a turn for the worse. “Is he going to make it?” she asked her father.

  “It doesn’t look good, Marie.”

  “Any news on Rachael?”

  “I’m afraid not.”

  Marie sank into the living room sofa and stared into space. Claire brought her a glass of wine. After taking a sip, she turned to Jonathan. “I just don’t understand who would do such a thing. What are the police saying? How much does anyone know?”

  “Greg said Ben’s next door neighbor heard a loud bang shortly after midnight and went outside to investigate. He found Ben half-hanging out of Rachael’s bedroom window, like he was trying to climb out of it. The neighbor called for an ambulance and then got his wife, who’s a nurse, out of bed, and I guess she at least got the bleeding to stop. As soon as the neighbors realized Rachael was missing, they called the police.”

  “That poor child,” Marie said. “Like she hasn’t gone through enough in her life. Is Ben conscious? Has he been able to tell the police anything?”

  “No, at least not as of a couple of hours ago.”

  “How are Gregory and Gloria holding up?”

  Jonathan shook his head. “Gloria is still at Ben’s in case Rachael shows up there. Greg is at the hospital hoping for a change in Ben’s condition.”

  “Nothing like this has ever happened in St. Charles before,” Claire said.

  Jonathan told them the police had asked the Feinsteins a lot of questions about Rachael’s mother.

  “So they think she had something to do with it?” Marie asked.

  “We don’t know. We’re not even sure if they don’t think Rachael had something to do with it.”

  “That’s preposterous! Dad, Rachael told me in a letter that Judy called Ben while she was with me in Atchison and wasn’t at all happy about Rachael being with me.”

  “Really? You should tell the police that,” Jonathan advised. “Come in here. You can use my office phone.”

  Marie made the call and told the police all she knew about Judy. She grimaced as she came out of Jonathan’s office.

  “Are you okay?” Claire asked.

  “Not really. It just occurred to me if Judy had anything to do with this, she may have Rachael…and a gun.”

  Claire gasped.

  “Okay, let’s not jump to conclusions,” Jonathan warned. The phone interrupted his thoughts.

  He emerged from his office a few minutes later, his face pallid. “Ben didn’t make it.”

  Ben’s remains were buried the next day according to Jewish tradition. Two days passed without any word from Rachael. Claire had to force Marie to eat, reminding her if she didn’t take care of herself, she wouldn’t be of any help to Rachael once they found her. Sleep was next to impossible; whenever Marie lay down, she couldn’t even get her eyes to close, much less doze off.

  On day three, Jonathan forced Marie to go on a ride with him before the family started arriving for Easter dinner. She nervously bit the inside of her lip while the horses were being saddled. “It’s been too long,” she said to her father. “Three days is too long. Isn’t there something more we can do?”

  Jonathan helped her onto the horse and then got up on his own. “I’ve been assured the police are doing everything they can.”

  “Well, maybe that’s not enough.”

  Jonathan gave her a sympathetic look. “If I knew what else we could do, I would. You know that.”

  “I know. I’m sorry, Dad. It’s just that I’m having all these crazy thoughts about what might have happened to her or what she is going through right now, and…”

  “Don’t go there, sweetheart. Let’s keep the faith that she’s alright. And if Judy has her, we have no reason to believe she would harm her.”

  They rode for thirty minutes at a slow pace, and when they reached Tré’s favorite place on the rise, they stopped to admire the view.

  “What about posters? We could put posters all over town. Maybe someone’s seen her.”

  “Greg’s neighbors took care of that.”

  “What about a reward? Maybe that…”

  “There’s a $5,000 reward, and it’s on the poster.”

  “Who put up the reward?”

  “Greg put up half. I put up the other.”

  When they returned from their ride, Claire told them the police had called the Feinsteins and told them they’d caught up with Judy in Wisconsin.

  “Was Rachael with her?” Marie asked.

  Claire shook her head. “When they asked about her, Judy said she didn’t know where she was.”

  Marie heaved a heavy sigh, not knowing if that was a good or bad sign.

  Claire’s expression revealed she had more information. “When they searched her car, they found a Colt 38, the same kind of gun used to shoot Ben.”

  “What!?”

  “They took her into custody and questioned her about the shooting, but she wouldn’t say anything without an attorney.”

  Jonathan called Gregory. Claire and Marie listened with bated breath to the one side of the conversation.

  “How many? Which ones? What can we do to help?”

  Jonathan hung up the phone, his face as dour as Marie had ever seen it.

  “What did he say?” Claire asked.

  Jonathan took in a deep breath. “Greg asked the police how many shots had b
een fired from the gun they found.”

  “And?”

  “Two.”

  Both women gasped.

  “How many shots did Ben take?” Marie asked.

  “One.”

  Marie couldn’t hold back the tears. Claire moved over closer to her and put her arms around her. “You’ve got to stay strong, Marie. Stay strong for Rachael,” she whispered.

  Marie swiped the tears from her face. “What else did he say?”

  “He said three radio stations committed to interrupting their programs periodically to announce Rachael’s disappearance. I wrote down the station numbers. They’re on my desk if you want to listen to them.”

  “What did he say when you asked him what we could do to help, dear?” Claire asked.

  Jonathan’s voice cracked. “He asked us to pray.”

  Day five. Still no word from Rachael. While no one said it, Marie knew everyone feared the worst. Jonathan knew the police chief well and was told they were doing everything possible to find her. Every available cop was on the case, bloodhounds were searching for her throughout Kane County, and the FBI had been called in when they found Judy across the state line.

  In spite of Claire’s force-feeding, Marie had lost five pounds since her arrival, and the dark circles under her eyes made her look even more gaunt. Jonathan had his work to keep his mind off of Rachael’s whereabouts. Claire had her house chores. But all Marie had was time to think about what had happened and what could currently be happening to that child.

  Strong emotions welled up inside of Marie with seemingly nowhere to go—fear, anguish, frustration, and anger, all bottled up inside of her, ready to blow. She felt more helpless, tired, and discouraged with each passing hour. Was Rachael being held against her will? Was she physically alright? Was she wondering why no one was coming to rescue her?

  CHAPTER 24