Disappearance

by Ryan Wiley

  “Oh, Andrew. That’s horrible,” my mother says as she wipes tears from her eyes. My father, who rarely shows emotion, is even fighting back tears. Before I have a chance to say anything, Nurse Jackie comes in.

  “Hey, so sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to let you know there will be an officer coming in shortly to speak with you. I did everything I could to prevent it. I told them you weren’t in good enough shape to be interrogated at the moment, but they insisted it was urgent.”

  “It’s OK,” I tell her. At this moment, I’ve never liked Jackie more. Just based on her expression I can tell she’s on my side and looking after me. “I’d rather talk now and get it over with. Nurse Jackie, go ahead and let the officer know I’m ready whenever they are.”

  “Sure thing, hon.”

  As she leaves, I scramble my brain to think of anything I need to tell my parents. I imagine it won’t be long before the officer is here to see me.

  “Mom, dad, don’t tell anyone what I just told you. Let me be the one who tells people what happened.”

  “Sure, Andrew. Of course,” my mother says.

  Why do I want to keep it secret? I can’t think of a good reason why I should, other than I naturally tend to keep things to myself. I suppose it doesn’t really matter if they know the details. They found me and they know I didn’t do it. Since I was found they must already know about the hole and Abby’s secret spot. Now that I think about it, how did they find me? I didn’t tell anyone where I went, and there’s no way anyone could just stumble on Abby’s place.

  I imagine this officer as a real dick — someone who doesn’t take shit from anyone and yells and gets in your face. I hope he’ll go easy on me because I’ve just been in a coma, but the man I’m envisioning would do nothing of the sort.

  There’s a knock on the door.

  “Excuse me, so sorry to interrupt. I’m Deputy Vogul.”

  I look up to inspect what I’m up against and see Deputy Vogul is… a woman. OK, not the big macho deputy I was imagining but that doesn’t mean she’s not about to make my life miserable.

  “Hi there, are you Andrew’s parents?” My parents nod. “What a tragic thing that’s happened. I want you to know you have my deepest sympathy. I can’t imagine what you must be going through.”

  “Oh, well thank you,” my mother says.

  “I hate to do this, but I need a couple minutes with your son. The media is going nuts over this. I just need to ask Andrew a few quick questions so I can get these vultures to go away. I promise I’ll make it as brief as possible. We both know Andrew’s gone through a lot.” Deputy Vogul’s attention turns toward me. “Is that OK with you Andrew? Can I ask you a few questions?”

  “Sure, of course,” I say but don’t really mean. Deputy Vogul seems nice on the outside, but let’s see what she’s really like when it’s just her and me with the door shut.

  She walks my parents out with a big smile on her face, and closes the door behind them.

  “Andrew. Andrew. Andrew. How are you feeling?”

  “I’m fine, thank you,” I say.

  “I know it’s just awful, Andrew. Have you had a chance to see your wife yet?”

  “No not yet.”

  “Oh, I do apologize. I hope she’s all right. I know you’re probably exhausted so I’ll get straight to it. What can you tell me about that day? Did you speak with the kidnapper?”

  “No.”

  “Then how did you know where to go?”

  As friendly as Deputy Vogul seems to be, I want to tell her as little as possible. Abby’s phone call is something I know I can’t lie about, though. At the very least, police are able to track and see she called me. They may even have a tape of the recording.

  “She called me and told me where she was. It’s somewhere her and I go frequently when we want to get away.”

  “I see, and what happened when you got there?” I’m glad she doesn’t ask why I didn’t call the police first.

  “She was in a huge hole. The kidnapper came from behind and pushed me into it, then I grabbed him as I was falling and pulled him in with me.”

  Deputy Vogul, surprised by my answer, pauses and thinks before asking her next question.

  “So, let me get this straight. The kidnapper pushed you, and then you grabbed him. Then, you both fell into a hole, and then you don’t remember anything after that. Is that what you’re telling me happened?”

  “Yes,” I say. “That IS what happened.”

  “Interesting story, Andrew. Very interesting. There’s just one little problem, though. There weren’t three people in the hole when we got there. Only one person, your wife.”

  “Wait, what?” I say with disbelief. “That can’t be. I’m not lying to you. That’s what happened.”

  She proceeds cautiously, “Andrew, that may be what you think happened. I’ve seen it before; traumatic circumstances can play strange tricks on the memory. There’s no way your story can be true, though. You were sitting by a tree when we got there.”

  “Sitting by a tree? That can’t be. I remember falling. Falling down that hole with the kidnapper falling down with me.”

  “Did the kidnapper have any marks on him? Any scratches or injuries?” she asks.

  “Well, I didn’t really have a lot of time to look at him. It happened so fast. The last thing I remember is hitting the ground.”

  “Do you remember what he looked like?” she asks.

  I only saw him for a second, but I remember what he looks like quite well. I know he has black hair, stands around 5′10″, scrawny guy. I remember he was very hairy, his arms and legs were covered in thick, black hair. How do I know so much about what he looks like?

  “I… uh… don’t remember anything.” Why do I have to be such a terrible liar? I can tell she doesn’t believe me.

  “Interesting, Andrew. Very interesting,” says Deputy Vogul. “I’m sorry again though, Andrew. I think you remember more about what he looked like than that. Why aren’t you telling me the truth? I’m here to help you.”

  “I’m not lying,” I shout. “I was there and this is what I remember happening. Why don’t you believe that?”

  In a triumphant manner, Deputy Vogul pulls out a set of pictures from a binder she’s holding. My jaw hits the floor.

  Chapter 23

  The first picture Deputy Vogul shows me is an image of me lying up against a tree. That isn’t what has me in disbelief. The shocking part is that in my right hand I’m holding the ax I bought — only it’s covered in blood. In fact, my shirt is splattered with blood also. I try to have some sort of response, but nothing comes out. Deputy Vogul breaks the silence.

  “That was where we found you, Andrew. This is where we found Mr. Jones, Abby’s kidnapper.” She places another picture in front of me. The picture is of the kidnapper, at least from what I can tell. His body is completely mutilated from what looks like several crushing blows from an ax.

  It doesn’t take a genius to put this together — bloody ax and clothes on me, dead mutilated body nearby. My God, what have I done? How can this be? I don’t remember any of this. While I get memory bursts here and there, this time I draw a blank. I remember falling down that hole and grabbing this Zach guy on the way down. Did I make all of that up in my head? Did I not want to face the truth?

  “I… uhh,” this is all I can say. What is there to say? I’m sure there’s more than enough evidence to prove I did this. Am I going to go to jail for life for something I don’t even remember doing? Deputy Vogul seems to have read my mind and breaks the silence again.

  “Andrew, I can tell this is quite shocking to you and that you don’t remember this happening. Is that correct?”

  “I don’t remember this happening at all!” I blurt out. I’m not sure if I should have admitted this, but before I can think it through, Deputy Vogul continues.

  “I want you to know again Andrew I’m on your side. I can’t imagine what it must be like to find out your wife has been kidnapped. I
have two kids, and if I found out a kidnapper took them I would have done the same thing you did, maybe worse.” She gives off a half smile. “I’m going to try to help you, but you have to trust me. I think your situation deals with a case I’ve been working on for over ten years now and I get a feeling you could be a real breakthrough in solving it. It’s for this reason I’m going to help you out Andrew, so listen carefully and do exactly as I say.”

  She looks into my eyes, as if to tell me to pay very close attention to every word.

  “Andrew, I’d like to make some small modifications to what you think happened. I have some evidence that may prove your innocence, but if you use your current story we could be in trouble. Does that sound all right?” she asks.

  “Yeah, sure,” I say, very interested in what she’s going to say next.

  “Everything you said about getting the phone call and going to the reservoir you can keep the same. You also need to keep the bit about you going and getting an ax first, because we already have testimony from the storeowner that you bought it. That whole story about you falling down in the hole with Zach obviously has to go, but I don’t want you to say you don’t remember anything. What you do remember is looking down in that hole and then, before you could turn around, someone came up behind you and put something over your mouth. Next thing you knew, you were in the hospital.” She pauses for a second to let me digest the story. “If anyone asks you to provide any details about the attacker, you tell them you know nothing. You couldn’t tell if they were male or female, tall or short, or if their skin was brown or blue. All you know is someone put some kind of rag over your face and you don’t remember anything else. Got it?”

  “Yes, I got it,” I say.

  “OK, good. I’ll get a report drafted up. It’s imperative you remember every detail of this story. Are you sure everything is crystal clear, Andrew?”

  “Yes, Deputy Vogul. Thank you so much!”

  “Don’t mention it dear. Everything is going to be all right, I promise. I’ll make sure the nurses give you the opportunity to see your wife soon. Take care of yourself. I’ll be in touch.” With that, she gets up and walks out of the room.

  I tell my parents my conversation with Deputy Vogul, including the modified story she told me. I leave out any details about the pictures Deputy Vogul showed me; I’m not sure they’re ready to hear about that yet. I make it very clear they are not to tell anyone what I think really happened.

  About twenty minutes go by before Nurse Jackie walks in. I’m sure she’s dying to know what Deputy Vogul and I discussed, but I think she’s too scared to ask with my parents around.

  “Good news, Andrew. You can go see Abby now.” After a brief pause she continues, “I’m not sure of her condition, but keep in mind having a loved one near can sometimes help with the healing process. Be sure to give her as much love and support as you can.”

  I’m taken off guard. I finally get to see Abby! Even though she’s in bad shape, I still can’t wait to see her. I tell Nurse Jackie I’m ready and, with that, I get moved to a wheelchair. I’ve come a long way in the last few days. Eating, drinking, and all of that other stuff are becoming more normal. They still don’t want me walking around, though. They say my medications can cause sudden dizziness so it’s best that I remain sitting for a couple more days until they’re reduced. I’ve taken a few steps, though, and seem to be doing fine so far.

  Nurse Jackie pushes me in the wheelchair with my parents following along behind her. I’m really starting to like Nurse Jackie. There’s something about someone taking care of you during your most vulnerable moments that gives you a strong emotional connection with them. I make some small talk with her, asking her where she’s from and where she went to school. She’s from small-town Ohio like I am, and still in grad school at Ohio State. We talk about the football team, but when she tells me we’re almost there I start to get incredibly nervous and the small talk ends.

  I take a deep breath and think about what I’m about to see. What kind of shape will she be in?

  “Here’s her room,” Nurse Jackie tells me. Outside the door are Abby’s parents. When I’m pushed in, the room is quite large — much larger than mine. Abby’s bed sits in the center against a wall. There aren’t any tubes or wires hooked up to her, which is a huge relief to me. Maybe they’re there but at least hidden from my view. Nurse Jackie pushes me next to her bed and leaves. Both Abby’s and my parents are in the room with me — big family gathering.

  “Hey there, sweetie. How are you doing?” It chokes me just to say this. I look at Abby’s face and it’s still as beautiful as the first day we met. Even without makeup Abby is very pretty.

  She turns over slowly and tries to give me a smile. She then opens her mouth to speak, but not much comes out. I think she says “Hey” but it’s hard for me to tell so I push my wheelchair up closer to her.

  “Abby, I love you so much, it’s so great to see you. Everything is going to be OK sweetie, I promise.” I put my hand on her arm and massage it gently. I get a hopeless feeling knowing there’s really nothing I can do for her. No way to help her get better. She tries to speak again, but nothing comes out. She gives off a look of pain.

  “It’s OK. You don’t have to say anything now. Do you want some water or anything?” This is the only thing I can think of to do for her. When she nods, I’m happy to know I can help. I take the water sitting on the tray next to her and hold it up to her mouth. She takes a few swallows and I give her a big smile that she reciprocates. I stroke her hair and take in how much I missed seeing her face.

  For the next minute, there’s really not much I can say — at least, not with everyone around me. Somehow, Abby’s father must pick up on what I’m thinking.

  “Why don’t we leave them alone for a few minutes,” he says. With that, everyone clears out of the room leaving just Abby and me. With the blinds down, nobody is there to see us. That’s why I’m shocked by what happens next.

  “Andrew, listen to me!” Abby says with surprising clarity. “We don’t have a lot of time, so pay attention. How are you doing? Did they say how much longer you would be in here?”

  “Ummm, they said they were slowly taking me off my medications. I’m guessing in a few more days they might be able to let me go.

  “Good, get out of here as soon as possible. Just as soon as they’ll let you.”

  “Abby, what’s going on?”

  “There’s no time to explain. You need to get out of here as soon as you can. When you do, a man in a black car is going to come after you.”

  “A man in a black car? Abby, what are you talking about?”

  “There’s no time to explain, Andrew! Once he does, kill him. You have to kill him!”

  “Abby, are you OK? I’m worried about you.”

  “I’m fine, just do it! He’s going to try to kill you. If the police are involved that will only make it more likely he succeeds. You’ll have the element of surprise in your favor. Buy a gun and do it. Don’t come back to the hospital until you do. Do it as soon as possible, though; I can’t fake being sick much longer. The doctors are starting to become suspicious.”

  If this were anyone other than Abby, I’d have thought they had gone completely bat shit crazy. But I know her better than anyone else on Earth. She wouldn’t be saying these things unless deep down inside she knew they were true. Still, the part of me that has to know every last detail speaks out.

  “Abby, just tell me what this is all about. Why on Earth do I have to kill someone?”

  She has no time to answer because the door opens and a doctor I’ve not seen before walks in.

  “Oh, well hello,” he says. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize Abby had company. I presume you are…” he stops himself and checks his notebook. “You must be Andrew, correct?”

  “Yes, that’s me.” He introduces himself as Dr. Stevens and we shake hands.

  “I’m terribly sorry you have to see your wife in this shape. I’m doing everythin
g in my power to help, but I’m afraid progress has been very slow. Nothing seems to work.”

  For a brief moment I think this guy is joking with me. Then I remember Abby is putting on her best acting show. I look over and she’s lying back down on her side with her eyes closed. How did she move so quickly?

  Abby is much better at acting than I am. I would never be able to pull off fake incoherence with a doctor like she’s doing. Of course, she did do plays and other theater all through college, so a comatose patient should be an easy role for her.

  Dr. Stevens politely asks me to leave, and I wonder how much longer it will take before he realizes the true state of Abby’s condition.

  Over the next couple days, I go over what Abby told me what seems like a million times. Each time it makes less and less sense. Physically though I’m doing extremely well. Nurse Jackie goes on and on about different charts and numbers. I’m a numbers guy so I listen, but I don’t know what good and bad numbers are so it’s hard for me to follow. Bottom line, though, she tells me I’ll be free to go tomorrow if I want to.

  “Yes, I can’t wait to get out of this hospital for a few days,” I tell her.

  She looks at me with some concern. Then, before I know it, she blurts out, “Don’t you want to be with your wife?”

  The truth is, of course I want to be with her. If it were my choice I would spend every last waking second with her, hospital bed or not. After being with Abby this long, I’m still just as happy spending time with her now as the first days we met. Abby has given me a job to do, though. The most absurd job ever, but a job she desperately thinks I need to do.

  “I know she’s in good hands here,” I say. “I just need to run a few errands, make sure the phone bill gets paid on time, ya know?”