by Nancy Allan
Dallas clicked off as Larson joined him on the balcony. “I can’t figure it, Sheriff. She was fine when I handed her off to Matson.”
Dallas tried to curb his anger. “Tell me again what happened.”
Larson scratched his head. “Alesha did okay coming back along the trail. She told me that likely the exposure to heights had actually cured her phobia. She was quite happy about that. At the same time, she told me repeatedly that she was terrified of what Eickher could do to Amy and Jamie. When we got to the house, we entered through the side door here,” he said pointing to the door behind Dallas. “Matson met us at the landing and I handed her off to him and went inside to catch the elevator up to the parking lot. I got into the cruiser and headed up to the north access trail. So, that was the last I saw of Alesha, Sheriff.” Larson shrugged. “It beats the hell out of me.”
Dallas agreed. “Yeah. Me too. And according to Doris, she and Alesha are very close. It doesn’t make sense for Alesha not to see her mother considering everything that’s happened.”
Dallas turned and went back inside, with Larson. Neither man wanted to say what they were really thinking.
The living room was taped off. Matson ducked under it and approached Dallas. “Crime Scene Unit says it’s pretty clear cut. Eickher pulled the trigger killing Johnstone, then fled the scene.”
The detectives had already apprised Dallas of that. He tried to contain his anger. “Larson passed Alesha Eickher off to you. No bullshit this time. Tell me exactly what happened next.”
Matson looked at Larson, then back at his sheriff. He hesitated too long.
Dallas stared him down. “We have a missing person. Not only were you the last one to see her, that woman was in your charge. Your responsibility, Matson. Now, let’s hear what really happened.”
Matson cleared his throat. “Larson brought her in through that door up there and passed her over to me. As soon as she got inside, she told me she needed to use the washroom and off she went. Meanwhile, one of the detectives had some questions for me, so I came back down here and talked to him.”
Dallas grew impatient. “And then what?”
Matson studied the floor. “That’s it.”
“Don’t give me that!”
“I got involved with things down here and—”’
Dallas finished the sentence. “You forgot about her!
Matson twisted uncomfortably.
“You stupid son-of-a-bitch! You’re the most incompetent, irresponsible, useless, sorry excuse for a deputy. If I didn’t respect your old man so much, I’d throw you out on your ear. In fact, I might just do that anyway.” Dallas put his hands on his hips and turned away in sheer frustration. Without looking at Matson, Dallas asked, “How much time went by before you remembered your charge?”
Matson scuffed the floor with the sole of his boot. “I’d guess about thirty minutes.”
“Jeez.” Dallas looked at his watch and ran his hand through his hair. “She’s been missing over an hour.”
Larson asked, “You think she went back down the trail to look for Amy, Sheriff?”
“Anything’s possible. I’ll be in with Doris Eickher, if you need me.”
Dallas found Doris down the hall in the den. She was sitting in a chair, staring at the bookcase. When Dallas walked in, she jumped up. “Did you find her, Sheriff?” she asked, hopefully.
Dallas shook his head. “Not yet.” Dallas took her elbow. “Why don’t you sit down, Mrs. Eickher. I have a few questions.”
“Please call me Doris. I’ll be legally changing my name back to Sanford.”
Dallas nodded. “Doris, tell me about Helmut Eickher and his project.”
“Well, we met at university in the late sixties. We were young. We studied together, graduated together, got our doctorates together, and did our post-grad research together. Then we married. Helmut was always intrigued with the human brain, IQ in particular. In fact, it was an obsession with him. It formed the basis of most of his research. He had no patience for stupidity. He saw it everywhere, but what infuriated him most was the fact that he thought the nations of the world were most often held back by what he called thick-headed, undereducated, inexperienced, power hungry, low-level thinkers. He was going to change that. He had this idea to create new generations of highly educated, super brains who he could strategically position globally. His vision was to see the nations of the world influenced by a unified, high-thinking race with common goals.” Doris explained the rest to Dallas, then went to the window and looked out. She continued, “We couldn’t have children of our own. Lord knows, we tried. So, when the first tiny baby arrived at the facility, I fell in love with her. That was Alesha. I raised her as my own, educated her, and taught her everything I know. She has a doctorate in biochemistry, you know. There’s so much good she can do—” Doris’s voice broke, “I couldn’t bear to lose her. She’s all I have, Sheriff. I love her so much.”
Dallas put his hand on her shoulder. The woman had succumbed to tears. There was no point in continuing. His questions could wait while he checked in with the search team. “We’re doing all we can to find her. The minute we hear anything, we’ll let you know."
Before he left the room, he turned and said, “The FBI will be here soon. You realize that there’ll be a federal investigation into the abduction of the infants from the US?”
“Yes, I know.”
“Your involvement will be scrutinized.”
Doris sat down heavily, her head downcast. “I understand.”
Dallas was about to leave when she looked up and asked, “How is Amy?”
Surprised, Dallas told her, “She’s recovering in the hospital, but I don’t think she’ll be in there for long.”
Walking out of the study, Dallas wondered how he was going to tell Amy that her sister had disappeared.
CHAPTER 71
Amy was sitting up in bed when Dallas walked into the hospital room. Jamie slept soundly in the next bed. Happy to see Dallas, she swung her legs off the bed and stood up, throwing her arms around his neck. “My dear Dallas,” she whispered.
He kissed her tenderly and pulled back to look at her. “How are you?”
She sat back down on the bed and pulled Dallas down beside her. “I’m okay. Took hours to warm up. Lots of bruises. Lots of terrible memories…”
Dallas put his arm around her and pulled her close. “I know. How’s Jamie?” He asked looking over his shoulder at the boy.
“Poor little guy was exhausted. They immersed both of us in the warming tub. Afterward, I helped him put on hospital pajamas and held him for a while. He fell asleep right away.” Amy snuggled into Dallas and closed her eyes. “I’m glad it’s over. Finally.” She felt him stiffen. She looked up at him. His pale blue eyes searched her face and she got that feeling again. “What?” she asked. When he didn’t reply, she repeated, “What is it, Dallas?”
He turned to her and put both hands on her shoulders. “It’s not good news,” he said gently. “It may not be bad news either,” he said, “but right now we just don’t know.”
Alarmed, Amy stared at him. Her mind raced across the possibilities. Jamie was right beside her, so it wasn’t him. Gramps was up to see her a few hours ago, so it wasn’t him. He’d told her Grams had improved significantly, so it wasn’t her. Even better, the doctors had nullified the Alzheimer’s diagnosis. That left one person.
“Alesha,” she whispered, dreading what Dallas was going to say.
“Yes, it’s Alesha.”
She saw the pained look on his face and turned away. Fear and dread filled her heart. “No, please, no. Not Alesha.” Her twin’s beautiful face flashed before her, choking Amy with tears. She could still feel the warmth of her sister’s hug. There was so much for them to learn about one another, so much to share. “Oh, no, Dallas.”
Dallas reached across and rubbed the tears from her cheeks. “We’re not sure what happened. The teams are still out there looking.”
Amy put her
hands over her face. A sick feeling flooded her chest. Alesha, Alesha. No!
Then Amy sat bolt upright. Her hands dropped to her lap. Her eyes grew wide and she was still. She reached across for Dallas’s hand and sat for a few minutes struggling to understand what had just happened to her. “Dallas,” she said softly, “you know they say that monozygotic, or identical twins, intrinsically know things about each other, even when they’re miles apart?” Amy’s voice was hushed. “Well, I know this is going to sound very odd,” Amy hesitated, trying to understand the sudden knowledge and awareness that overwhelmed her. “But Alesha’s okay. I know that for certain.”
CHAPTER 72
Paraguay
Friday, November 20 3:12 PM
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Hi Amy,
I arrived back in Paraguay this afternoon. With connections, it took two long days of flying. I stepped off the plane into our hot, stifling, humid air and immediately decided that when I’m finished here, I’m going to return to Oregon to live.
I want to tell you why I left so quickly. Deputy Larson brought me back to The Cliff House and told me you and Jamie were okay, and that Helmut had drowned.
I knew that with his and Johnstone’s deaths, the FBI would likely raid the facility, here in Paraguay. I had to get back here right away. The research done here is invaluable and could do a lot of good, so I’m currently having all the computer hard drives and documents removed.
As this facility is close to the capital city of Asuncion, I’m giving the building over to be used as a hospital and research center to benefit the Paraguayans. I’m trying to get everything done before the investigators arrive.
I’ll be back very soon. Please apologize to Dallas for me.
My love to you, Amy,
Alesha
CHAPTER 73
Four Weeks Later…
Slashes of yellow and lavender streaked across the evening sky, reflecting off the glassy surface of the Pacific. Dallas walked with Jamie down the old boardwalk bordering the beach, the little boy holding tight to Dallas’s hand. In his other hand, Jamie hugged the Frisbee. As they approached the pathway to the beach, Jamie tugged Dallas’s hand. “Come on, Dallas, this is the best spot.”
Amy watched them run down to the packed sand and hooked her arm around Alesha’s. “Jamie idolizes Dallas.”
Alesha nodded in agreement. “I sense he’s not the only one.”
A smile played on Amy’s lips. “What do they say? Smitten, enamored, head over heels? I qualify on all counts. And speaking of which, I noticed Deputy Larson came by the other night.”
Alesha flashed her gray eyes at Amy. “Kev. He’s a really nice guy. He’s asked me to the office party this weekend.” She heard Jamie calling her and looked up the beach. “Oops, looks like it’s my turn on the Frisbee. Here comes Dallas.” She gave Amy a squeeze. “You two can have a romantic moment and enjoy the sunset while I wear Jamie out. Then, it’s over to the restaurant with us. I’m famished.”
“Your turn,” Dallas told Alesha, passing her on the boardwalk. He put his arm around Amy and led her to a sun-bleached log, where they sat, their eyes following Alesha and Jamie, on the beach.
Amy dropped her head on Dallas’s shoulder, “Jamie finally asked me what happened to his dad.”
“What did you tell him?” Dallas asked, concerned.
“I told him that Daddy loved him very much, but he got hurt badly, and we couldn’t make him better.” Amy looked up at Dallas. “That’s enough for now. He’s only five. One day he’ll ask more questions and then I’ll have to answer them best I can.”
Dallas looked down at Amy. “What about you?”
Amy slid her coat sleeves over her hands. “I’m relieved it’s over, for all our sakes, but especially for Jamie’s. You know, Dallas, life is strange. Everything is completely different from what it was six weeks ago. I don’t even feel like the same person. Yet, in spite of everything I went through, I came out the other side with so much to be thankful for. I have you, and Jamie, and Alesha. And of course, Gramps and Grams. Amy put her hand on Dallas’s cheek and looked into his pale blue eyes. “How about you?”
He hesitated. “I never realized how alone I was. Always coming home to an empty apartment. No one to share a meal with or a conversation. Only company I had was my memories.” Dallas reached for her hand. “Truth is, Amy, I can’t wait until we move into our new place.”
Amy looked at him skeptically. “You sure it’s not too much—too fast?”
“No, I’m happy, Babe. What more could a man want?”
Amy smiled up at him. “Well…I was thinking of a little girl.”
Note To My Readers
The Oregon coast is unique and spectacularly beautiful. It was during one of our camping trips on this pristine shoreline that my husband and I experienced the sudden onslaught from a fall storm so fierce that it not only gave us pause, it became the inspiration for this novel.
I enjoyed writing WINTER'S DESTINY and would love to hear from you. To send me your thoughts, please click this link or visit my website www.nancyallan.net
If you have a chance to write a review either on Amazon or on Goodreads, I would appreciate it so much.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 42
CHAPTER 43
CHAPTER 44
CHAPTER 45
CHAPTER 46
CHAPTER 47
CHAPTER 48
CHAPTER 49
CHAPTER 50
CHAPTER 51
CHAPTER 52
CHAPTER 53
CHAPTER 54
CHAPTER 55
CHAPTER 56
CHAPTER 57
CHAPTER 58
CHAPTER 59
CHAPTER 60
CHAPTER 61
CHAPTER 62
CHAPTER 63
CHAPTER 64
CHAPTER 65
CHAPTER 66
CHAPTER 67
CHAPTER 68
CHAPTER 69
CHAPTER 70
CHAPTER 71
CHAPTER 72
CHAPTER 73