The Love I Lost (Ariadne Silver Romance Mystery #2)

by Morris Fenris

  Lucien’s mind was flooded with thoughts. Among the first was wondering what he could possibly do to find his little girl. Though he had been in the United States for five years, he had spent two of them carefully studying law and English, and the last three building a business and a home with his family. He didn’t even know where to begin.

  When the phone rang a second time, Lucien made sure that he was the one to answer it. It took every ounce of willpower he had not to scream into the receiver when he heard a strange man’s voice on the other end in place of his sweet daughter’s.

  “Where is my baby?!” Lucien almost shouted, but restrained himself.

  “Your girl is safe and sound, she won’t wake up for a while now.” The man whispered creepily. Lucien guessed that he had a device to disguise his voice. No human being would sound like that naturally.

  “You had better tell me where you’ve kept my little girl, you psycho.” Lucien said in a low but very grave tone.

  “Listen real close, Frenchie. You wanna see your crippled little freak again, you and your Mrs. better show up tomorrow at the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Park with two million dollars, cold, hard cash. You got ‘til midnight. And don’t even think about callin’ no pigs if you want your baby back alive.”

  Chapter 2

  I

  By the time Lucien hung up the phone, Ariadne was looking alert. Her tears had ceased flowing and Lucien could see the look of strength and determination he knew so well in her come back into her eyes. She was giving him an imploring look, waiting to see what had transpired between him and who she hoped may have been Eugenia on the other end of the line.

  Though he was a strong, intelligent, and rational man, when Lucien heard the inhuman voice of the psycho who had possessed his daughter, he fell into a moment of weakness the moment he understood that his wife had regained some of her strength. He had no words to utter in response to her look of consternation, but to add to her dismay, just burst into tears. He wrapped his arms tightly around his Alice and sobbed on her shoulders. Ariadne was baffled, wondering what could possibly be wrong. She had never seen her husband act this way. For a moment she wondered whether it was the police on the line to inform him that Eugenia had been found dead somewhere. As she held Lucien in her in her arms, she went completely numb. Her emotions were suddenly transported back to the way they were during her former life of prostitution. The only way she had survived those days was to shut herself down and become desensitized to all of the terrible things in life. She hadn’t felt this way in decades. It was awful. She needed Lucien to be strong.

  Ariadne lifted Lucien’s head off of her shoulder, took his face in her hands, and wiped away his tears. She looked him in the eyes, and before questioning him or saying anything, she gave him a tender kiss on the forehead.

  “Come, mon ami.” She said softly in his ear as she took his hand, stood him up, and walked him to the sofa in their large living room. Lucien sat down and heaved a deep sigh.

  “Some fou has Eugenia.” He uttered weakly.

  “Who? What do you mean?” Ariadne asked, trying to remain calm and keep her composure.

  “He said we have to meet him in the valley tomorrow, at the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Park…with two million dollars.” Lucien slowly and lethargically repeated what the man on the phone had told him as he fought back the tears which were involuntarily welling up in his eyes. He desperately needed Ariadne’s strength at this moment, and he was grateful that she was able to compose herself. He had to continuously fight away the thought of living without Eugenia. His imagination couldn’t help but wander. ‘What would life be like without my little angel?’ the horrid thought kept creeping into his consciousness, but trying to imagine the answer was like trying to imagine life after death; he couldn’t.

  Ariadne put her arm around Lucien and tried her best to console him.

  “We need to go to the police right away.” It was the first thought that came to her mind.

  “No!” Lucien exclaimed, “He told me if we ever want to see her alive, do not call the police.”

  There was a long silence between them. Finally Ariadne broke it.

  “I have a friend who can probably help. He’s one of the top private investigators in Phoenix. No police. If anyone can help us find Eugenia, he can.”

  They both sat in a silent reverie for some more time. Lucien was trying to convince himself that everything would be okay, and Ariadne was hoping that her friend would be available to help them in this time of crisis. Lucien never imagined that anything this horrific could ever happen to him. He had lost Isabelle and could not bear to lose his only child. Ariadne still couldn’t remember going through anything so difficult and painful since the days she was forced into prostitution. Both of them kept reminding themselves that if they could make it through such traumatic events in the past, they could make it through this now, together.

  II

  Lucien slumped forward on the couch and rested his head in his hands. His mind was spinning. He was completely distraught and decided to just try Ariadne’s suggestion of calling the private investigator without arguing. His head was spinning and he didn’t know where else to begin. He closed his eyes and watched the image of his daughter’s beautiful face linger in his mind. His heart was broken and he was afraid. Until this moment, he thought that his happiness had rested in Ariadne’s heart. Since he had met her, he felt a comfort and serenity that he hadn’t known since he had lost Eugenia’s mother. He never thought he would or could feel that way again. Ariadne was the missing piece in his puzzle of a life, and for the last five years he had been truly happy. This moment, however, was the closest he had come to falling apart since he lost Isabelle. She had died for Eugenia. She had given her life to bring his beautiful little angel into the world, and now that he was faced with the threat of losing her, he understood that it was actually his daughter that he needed to be happy.

  Ariadne sat quietly, running her hand across Lucien’s back as she watched him cradle his head in his hands. Her heart was broken too. She was torn. Though she loved Eugenia to death, she could not imagine the pain that her poor husband was feeling in that moment. The terror, the anguish, and the helplessness had to be magnified in his heart and in his mind. He was a strong man and a smart man who never let his emotions get in the way of his actions. He was always thinking logically and rationally, and he always had an answer for everything. It was these exact traits which made him one of the top lawyers in France, and were now paving his way to the top in Arizona. She was witnessing her husband’s helplessness for the first time, and this hurt her just as much as losing Eugenia could. Like Lucien, her imagine involuntarily wandered into a dimension where they may have to live life without Eugenia. She immediately fought the notion out of her consciousness and focused on taking action. At this very moment, for the first time in her life, she thanked her lucky stars for the cards she had been dealt in the past. She was used to making it through tough times, and she drew on that past strength now for Lucien. She leaned forward and kissed her husband on the back of the head as she got up to grab her phone.

  Ariadne grabbed her iPhone from the kitchen counter and started looking through the contacts.

  “Daryl…Daryl…Where are you? Come on…” She whispered to herself as she tapped her foot on the floor. “Ah! There you are!” She exclaimed out loud as she found the number and hit the call button. Every ring felt like an eternity as she listened closely, anxiously waiting for the man to pick up. After six rings, she was about to give up and end the call, but she kept thinking of poor Eugenia and her husband sitting in agony with his head in his hands. She didn’t care how long she had to wait or how many times she had to call the man. She was determined to get through, and nothing could break her determination, especially in this case. After ten long rings and what felt like a lifetime, Daryl finally answered her call. When she heard his voice on the other end of the line, she felt a million heavy weights being lifted
off of her heavy heart. It had been years since she had spoken to her friend, but she was sure that if anyone could help Lucien and her find Eugenia, Daryl was the man for the job. His simple and professional greeting, “Daryl Hanson here” was enough to make Ariadne burst into tears.

  III

  “Daryl!” Ariadne wailed into the receiver.

  “Alice? Is that you?”

  Ariadne managed to respond through sniffles and a waterfall of tears, “yes...it’s me…I really need your help…”

  “Woah, woah, calm down there, darlin’! Tell me what the trouble is. You know there isn’t a case too big for me to handle!”

  With the help of Daryl’s confident words, Ariadne managed to get a hold of herself. She thought of Lucien and regained her strength quickly. Most importantly she thought about Eugenia. She knew that it was up to her to start taking care of things. She wiped away her tears and got to talking.

  ***

  Daryl Hannah was a private investigator and a friend of Ariadne. The majority of his clientele consisted of the very rich and the very famous. His home was in Phoenix, but he had solved many high profile cases throughout most of the big cities across America. In Arizona, Mexico, and the rest of the south and mid-west, he had worked for members of various cartels, drug lords, and smugglers. In Los Angeles, he mostly helped very rich women spy on their husbands to find out if they were faithful and get revenge on the ones who were not. Most of them were not. In New York City, he worked for various CEOs and big bankers to help make them even bigger in not-so-legal ways. Daryl knew how to be smart. He knew how to be fast, and most importantly, how to be discreet. His job, and in some cases, his life, depended upon his intelligence and attention to detail. He prided himself on his discretion.

  Ariadne met Daryl during her darker days. It was toward the end of her career as a prostitute. She was saving all of the money she was making and planning on making a big move out of the business. One night, she brought a client back to her apartment with her. He had a reputation of being a big man with a lot of money, and she was hoping to make enough out of him that he would be her last. She took him inside, and he offered to make a couple of drinks for them. She showed him to the kitchen and went to the bathroom to freshen up. When she came back, he had her drink waiting. They gulped their drinks down and that was the last thing she remembered. When she woke up it was afternoon. Her head was throbbing and her mind was hazy. It took some time for her to figure out where she was. She couldn’t remember anything that had happened after getting home with her client. She had missed her big opportunity. She stood up and walked groggily to the briefcase where she had stashed her savings in. Her heart froze. It wasn’t there. She always kept it in the same spot. It couldn’t be anywhere else. She fell to her knees and burst into tears. After some time, she dressed lethargically and took her last $50 with her to the bar near her place.

  She took a seat at the counter next to a tall, muscular man who was sitting alone. She ordered a drink and sat frozen in place, staring into the glass, not moving. She was trying to figure out what she could possibly do from here. She felt helpless and lost. Her eyes filled with tears and she watched as one fell from her lashes into her drink, and then another. She put her face in her hands and silently cried.

  Ariadne jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see the big guy next to her looking back with concern on his face.

  “Sorry to startle you, ma’am, but I couldn’t help notice the tears and it kills me to see a pretty woman cry. If I may ask, what’s the trouble, little lady?” He asked.

  Ariadne didn’t usually share her personal life with anyone, but she was desperate and glad to have someone to talk to. She spilled everything, and to her surprise, found out that her new acquaintance was well equipped to help her. In less than a week’s time, Daryl had found her client, recovered all of her savings, and took the money from the client for his services as well as the money the client owed to Ariadne. When she met Daryl that night, he handed her the briefcase and an additional sack of money. She threw her arms around him and told him that she would never forget what he’s done for her.

  “Just take this money and make a good name for yourself.” Daryl told her, “I never want to see you around these parts again, you hear?” Ariadne smiled and her eyes shone brightly. Daryl never saw her around those parts again.

  ***

  Ariadne explained everything to Daryl, who was listening very intently. She told him about the issues that Lucien and she had been facing with Eugenia of late and about the phone calls they received after her disappearance. She told him that she is ready to pay the ransom, but they need to know what kind of sicko could be responsible for kidnapping their fourteen year old girl and once Eugenia is back home, safe and sound, they want to see justice served to anyone involved in the kidnapping.

  IV

  Daryl was already formulating a plan as he listened to Ariadne. As she was speaking, he was noting down the details and the exact location the kidnapper had asked them to take the money to so that he could look into the geography and the surrounding areas.

  “So, you think you can help? I hope you have the time…” Adriane asked desperately.

  “I’ve already begun.” Daryl replied confidently, “I’ll meet you and Lucien tomorrow at 6:00am. We need to move quickly if we want to get to the bottom of this.”

  “Oh! Thank you so much, Daryl! I was really hoping that I could still count on you. You don’t know what it means to me!”

  Ariadne hung up the phone and rushed back into the living room to share the news with Lucien. He was still sitting in the same position on the couch, with his head in his hands, wishing that this was all just a nightmare.

  Ariadne sat down next to him and rubbed his back. He lifted his head and looked at her helplessly.

  “I spoke with my friend, Daryl,” explained Ariadne slowly, “He’s a high profile private investigator and he agreed to help us find Eugenia and whoever is responsible for this mess.”

  She saw a spark of hope in Lucien’s eyes which disappeared in a moment as he slouched back onto the couch and shifted his gaze to the ceiling.

  “That’s great, mon ami.” Lucien finally replied, trying to regain some of his strength. Ariadne leaned back on the couch with him and rested her head on his shoulder.

  “Everything will be okay.” She whispered.

  “I hope so…” Lucien whispered back.

  ***

  Daryl took out his computer and pulled up the advanced mapping programs that he used for his investigations. He entered the information for Organ Pipe Cactus Park, the location where Ariadne and Lucien were expected to make the ransom drop, and began making notes. After he studied the park geography and obtained information about the surrounding area and towns, he picked up the phone he used to make anonymous calls and dialed the line for the rangers at the park. Without giving any details, he asked them about the number of cabins they have on site, how many caves they have on record for the land, and patrol times for the guards and rangers. His first instinct for a plan was to try to determine where the captor might be hiding with Eugenia. After gathering his information and speaking with the rangers at the park, he had a sneaking suspicion that if someone had taken Eugenia anywhere, they would probably be hiding out in Ajo, a small town near the border.

  V

  It was 6:00 sharp the following morning when the doorbell rang at the Valier residence. Neither Lucien nor Ariadne had slept a wink. Ariadne rushed to the front door and opened it to find Daryl waiting, equipped with a briefcase, a laptop, and a bag.

  “I see you came prepared!” She greeted him with a smile.

  “As always,” Daryl said confidently as he stepped inside.

  She walked Daryl to the kitchen where Lucien was seated at the table with a cup of coffee, staring out the window.

  “Daryl, meet my husband, Lucien,” Ariadne said as she led Daryl to the table. Lucien stood and shook his hand.

  “
It’s a pleasure to meet you, monsieur,” Lucien greeted Daryl, “I hope you can help us find Eugenia…” he trailed off, fighting back tears.

  “I’ve been in the business a very long time and I’m the best at what I do, sir,” replied Daryl with confidence.

  They welcomed him to the sofas in the living room, the room silent to the point of suffocation. The silence was so tense it could be sliced through with a blunt-edged knife.

  Barely had he sat before Daryl got down to business. “So, I did some background research. It is unlikely the kidnapper would be on any of the cabins on the Park. I dug around from some information—there aren’t many cabins in the first place, and the Park is quite tightly managed with many guards and rangers. No, it is much likely—and smarter, too—that the kidnapper would hide in the nearby town of Ajo,” Daryl told the worried parents. “It’s closer to the border in case you needed to escape. It could be easier to find quiet accommodation there. And the Park is very close by. You could easily hide yourself amongst the people who travel back and forth,” he continued.

  “So what do you suggest, Daryl?” Ariadne asks. “Are you going to notice the authorities in Ajo to look for my baby girl?”

  “No, I don’t think it would be prudent to notify the authorities there. It’s such a small town; word would go around easily, notifying the kidnapper. Our best plan is to keep an eye on the approach road from Ajo. So once he gives our girl back, we could follow him and then nab him.”

  “Ok, that makes sense. So we just wait until then?”

  “Well, the Park is quite huge. So it really makes no sense for us to go there and scout around. What I suggest is we wait for the kidnapper to call us and name the time. I want to hear his voice, so we get an idea about him; voices can say a great deal about people—their age, accent, background and so on.”