Finding Gracie's Rainbow

by Deborah A. Price

  Paige glanced up and noticed Gracie as she poured herself a glass of water. Gracie had started to walk back to Sammie’s room when Paige stopped her. “Freeze! Turn around.”

  “What do you want me to do? Do you want me to freeze or do you want me to turn around? I’m confused.” Gracie turned around, and Paige stared at her as smiled.

  “Welcome back, Gracie.” She had Bea stand up as she walked over to where Gracie was standing. “That’s the way I remember you. I picked that dress out for you, by the way.”

  “I thought it was Sammie’s.” Gracie watched as Paige took her phone out and took her picture.

  “I wanted you to have something that didn't yell out that you worked in an office.” She sent the picture to Steven’s cell phone. “You aren't allowed to hide anymore.”

  “Maybe I like hiding, Paige,” Gracie walked back to Sammie’s room and grabbed her clothes to change. “Sometimes hiding is a good thing.”

  “Not anymore,” Paige studied her as she followed close behind her. “I would want to remember the times when you danced for charity or played piano at your recitals. You were good.” She studied the dress. “No, you were awesome. That part of your life needs to come back.”

  “That was over a decade ago.” Gracie walked away from her. “That person doesn't exist anymore.”

  Kim shook her head. “She does. We just need to find her. All of a sudden, I feel like doing the Macarena.” Sammie and Bea both looked at her and laughed. Gracie had taught them both how to do the dances that they talked about.

  ~

  Christian was sitting at Janet’s table talking to Gracie's parents trying to learn more about how Mark’s Amish family fit into what was going on now.

  “Why are you asking about Mark’s family?” Chandler looked angrily at him from across the table.

  “I can’t tell you everything but there have been a few things said that I can't put into place.” Christian had his file open. “The day that the hospital called and told you where Gracie was. . .”

  Janet stared at him because she hadn't given Chandler every detail about where their daughter had been or what had happened to her. “What about it?”

  “Before I go any further, how much do you know?” Christian had noticed that Chandler was puzzled whereas Janet wasn't.

  “Mark had taken Gracie to his parent’s farm up in Pennsylvania. He had been beating her, but his parents didn't know until Mark’s sister had called his mother upstairs to look at Gracie.” Janet looked over at Chandler. “I'm sorry, but she asked me not to tell you.”

  Chandler got up from the table feeling hurt that he hadn't been told. “We don't keep secrets about our children. At least, that was what I had thought.” He walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a Miller Lite. “Please, do go on, so I can hear all the details nine years later.” He glanced over at Janet angrily.

  “I got the phone call while Chandler was at work, so I called and told him that Gracie had called and wanted to come home.” Janet watched as her husband started drinking from the bottle he had opened. “It was going to take me a couple of days, but I was going to bring her home.”

  Christian was watching Janet as she talked, and he wrote while she continued to tell what she knew. “I flew up there and took a taxi to the hospital. I felt sick the minute I saw her. Her arm was in a cast, and they informed me that she was expecting. I think she was two months along.” She noticed that Chandler had sat back down beside her as he listened. “It took more than a couple of days because Gracie wouldn't wake.”

  Chandler took her hand. He was sorry that he had gotten angry at her. That was one thing that rarely happened between them. “I remember you were gone for about two weeks. Kim and Steven would call every day to see if you were back yet.”

  “And then they flew her in a plane that was equipped for a hospital bed, so I could bring her back home. Two weeks after the phone call, I had her in a hospital down here.” Janet looked over at Chandler then. “The bruises were gone, but she was still in a cast, and she would only wake up for a few minutes at a time. They were feeding her through an IV.” She paused. “Gracie was like that for about four months.”

  “I remember when we brought her home.” Chandler could start adding into the conversation. “She never talked, and she was always nervous. Gracie was not the same girl who had left a year earlier.”

  “A year?” Christian asked as he looked up. “Mark has an uncle and a cousin who isn't Amish. How did that happen?”

  “I think that Mark’s father converted.” Janet stood and grabbed the letters from Mark’s mother from her desk drawer. “I have stayed in contact with Mrs. Cameron, and have been sending her pictures of Bea.”

  Chandler looked at her puzzled. “Why have you been in contact with them?”

  “They disowned Mark when they figured out what he had been doing, and Bea is their granddaughter.” Janet answered him honestly glad that the secret she had been keeping was finally out. She handed the letters over to Christian, including the last one that said if they needed them to come down for the trail that they would be more than happy to accommodate them.

  Christian looked up after he read them. “Write them back and ask them to come out. Gracie said that she had been keeping a journal while she was there, and she had given it to Mark’s sister for safekeeping. She had written in a code. She also said that there was only one other person able to read that code.”

  Janet nodded her head. “We invited the code when she discovered that Steven was reading her journals when she was younger.”

  Chandler smiled. “Oh, I remember how upset she got because Steven was telling his friends about it, and they were teasing her heartlessly.”

  “She said the day that Bea was born Mark had beaten her.” Christian looked at Janet again and watched as the smile disappeared from her face.

  “He found out that she was here a week before Bea was born and came over when Chandler and I were out.” Janet looked over at her husband as they both remembered. “Our neighbors said that she was screaming and trying to fight because she didn’t want to go with him.”

  “And then they said that Mark had said something to her, and she had just got into his car without a fight.” Chandler added. Neither Chandler nor Janet knew what he had said to their daughter to make her do what he wanted.

  “We got a phone call on the night that Bea was born, and it was like I was in Pennsylvania all over again. The bruising was bad and Gracie was scared enough not to press charges against him.” Janet could feel the tears start to sting her eyes. “After that he just left her alone. I' assuming that was when Susan came into the picture.”

  “That fits the timeline.” Christian stood as his phone started to ring, and he answered it as he walked out of the room. He came back in and thanked them for time they had given him. “It filled in a lot of holes. Thank you and let me know what the Cameron’s decide to do. I would love to have a look at that journal if the sister remembers what she did with it.” He shook Chandler’s hand and looked over at Janet, who was frowning. “One more question.”

  She looked at him solemnly. “That’s fine, Detective LaVern.”

  “How old was your daughter when she married Mark?” He had been puzzled by the dates that were written down in his file.

  “She would've been almost eighteen.” Chandler answered for his wife.

  “Did you give your consent, Mrs. McBride?” Christian opened his file again and looked at his copy of the Wedding Certificate.

  “No, neither of us did. Gracie had broken up with him the week before because she had found out something she didn't like.” Janet looked up at Chandler as Christian took the document out of the file.

  “So these aren't your signatures?” He laid it down on the table in front of Janet.

  “Absolutely not,” Janet looked up at him feeling a lump in her throat. “She handed me a letter before they left. I have watched the video from that night a million times trying to figure o
ut what had happened. . .” She paused as Chandler walked over; placing both of his hands on her shoulders. “We were having one of those dances for charity. Gracie and Jackson won, but she had left before they announced it.”

  “That was when Janet had opened the letter.” Chandler continued for her. “Is there anything else?” He handed the certificate back to Christian. “Why are you investigating Gracie so much? I thought this was about Bea.”

  “I promise that I will tell you more later. It seems that Bea’s case has opened up another one.” Christian noticed that Chandler was frowning now. “May I have the video?”

  “How about I make you a copy?” Chandler put the video in, and they all watched it while Chandler copied it to a DVD. He took the DVD out. “She has never danced competitively since then, and I think that it’s a total waste.”

  “What about Jackson?” Christian asked. He had been impressed by all of them, but he had never known that Jackson could dance.

  “No, I think he pretty much quit after Gracie left.” Janet answered as they walked to the front door. “I think that Gracie has been teaching Bea though.”

  “Thank you again for your time.” He smiled as he left. Christian wanted to call Annie to tell her what he had just found out until he noticed what time it was. He was supposed to meet up with Dylan and Jackson in thirty minutes. Christian was still thinking as he pulled up to his apartment and carried in the briefcase that held the DVD tucked inside it. That would have to wait until after he hung out with his friends. It was too bad that he couldn't talk about the video; he would love to tease Jackson about the dancing. He changed his clothes and was out the door in plenty of time to make it.

  Jackson and Dylan were playing a game of pool when Christian walked up to them.

  “Seems like you lost your bet, Dylan.” Jackson nodded at Christian as he shot at a striped ball.

  “What bet was that?” Christian looked over at Dylan, who had put his hair up in a ponytail.

  “I tried to bet that you would be late because you love to work.” Dylan watched as Jackson took aim at the eight ball. “Seems I was wrong. You're never late for anything.”

  “I love the punctuality thing, which is more than I can say about Jackson’s cousin.” Christian smiled at Jackson, who had looked up enough to miss the ball he had aimed at.

  “Annie?” Jackson asked as Dylan chalked his cue. “She's usually pretty punctual.”

  “Couldn’t tell it by me.” Christian walked over to the bar to order a drink and then walked back over to the table. “How is it going with you two anyway? We haven’t done this in a while.”

  “Gracie told me to get lost.” Jackson was smiling as he said it. “I don’t know why Dylan is here.”

  “Addie’s parents are spending the weekend.” Dylan looked over his glasses as he grimaced. “That apartment is only so big, so I decided to be the big man and give them some room.”

  “Yeah right, we all know you can't get along with her old man.” Jackson looked over at Christian. “So where were you when I called this morning?”

  “At the office scolding Annie because she was late again for a meeting.” Christian smiled at Jackson. “She really irritates me.”

  “Hate to break this to you, but I figured that out last night.” Jackson pulled the balls tight in the triangle on the pool table. “And I believe, Christian, that the feeling was mutual.”

  Dylan glanced over at them puzzled. “Did I get lost in the conversation somewhere?”

  “Gracie and I decided to treat them to dinner to thank them for their role while Bea was missing.” Jackson grinned. “It was a civil war at the table and later I found out that they had been assigned a case together.” He looked at Christian. “She had taken yesterday off so she could do some of her errands, and she never got any of her phone calls. Christian got lucky because she had gone into the office to drop off a file.”

  “She was still late.” Christian said defensively. “I had been there for an hour waiting on her to show. She used her kid as an excuse today. Why doesn’t she have her husband do some of that stuff?”

  “Uh, because she’s divorced.” Jackson straightened from where he had been bent over the pool table and asked. “Why do you think she would be staying with Gracie if she had a husband?”

  “She is divorced?” Christian looked at him squarely. “I was told she was Mrs. Roberts not Ms. Roberts.”

  “Some people don’t know the difference.” Dylan spoke as he waited for Christian to break. “Are we playing pool or discussing your women problems?”

  “I don’t have women problems.” Christian took his cue and broke the balls as Jackson smiled at him.

  “You thought she was married, and she gets on your nerves, yet you don’t have women problems.” Jackson sat down at a little table as he watched the game. “Where is Claire?”

  “Last I heard she found someone who could spend some time with her.” He bent over and looked at the balls scattered around the table. “She wasn’t really my type anyway.”

  “You’re solids.” Dylan looked over at Christian. “I thought you were dating someone named Danielle.”

  “She was a little too scatter-brained for me.” He walked around the table looking for another shot. “Why are we talking about my love life?”

  “Beats me. It sounds like you don’t have one.” Jackson was laughing at him. “I can’t stay out too late. I have call duty tomorrow.”

  “What does Gracie usually do on Sundays?” Christian looked at him. “I need to talk to her and Annie again.”

  “Don’t bother Gracie on Sunday.” Jackson looked at him seriously. “That is strictly a Church and family day with her whole family.”

  “I guess I could wait until Monday then.” Christian said as he shot the last solid into a pocket and started looking for a shot for the eight ball. “Ready to lose, Dyl?”

  “I always do to you.” Dylan hadn't taken one shot the entire game. He looked over at Jackson. “Do you usually spend the whole day with the family on Sundays?”

  “Except for when I'm on call, I just hang around the apartment.” He watched as the eight ball went into the corner pocket and glanced at his watch. “What time is your ball and chain expecting you home?”

  “You know Addison isn't like that.” Dylan laughed at his old friend. “I told her I would be home in enough time to tell her parents good night. What time is it?”

  “Almost eleven,” Christian had looked at his watch. “I guess this is a night then. We should do this more often.”

  “We should.” Jackson agreed with him. “I had better go and get to bed. The weather is supposed to be pretty tomorrow, which means at least two accidents if not more.”

  “Better you than me,” Christian sometimes envied him his job until he talked about losing a child to some freak accident or a sickness.

  “I honestly think I would rather do my job than yours.” Jackson studied him as they started walking out the door.

  “I would rather be doing something else right now.” Christian looked at him as he thought about everything he had learned about Gracie in the last couple of days. “Sometimes it can be a little much.”

  “Christian, I know what you're working on right now, and I can't say that I like the tone that you're using at the moment.” Jackson was disturbed as he looked at his friend as Dylan had walked up and heard the same thing.

  “I can agree with Jackson on that. We all know Gracie and would do anything we can for her.” Dylan added.

  “Then give her all the support you can. I want to, but I have to be a hard ass.” Christian told them good night and headed out to his car as Jackson and Dylan stared at each other.

  “I don’t like what he isn't saying.” Jackson mumbled as he thought about Gracie.

  “If you two ever need anything, I expect you to call. If you don't, I won't be only one that gets upset.” Dylan looked after the car that just left the parking lot. “Addison is really close to her.”


  ~

  “Gracie, Gracie, Gracie.” Kim walked up to her the minute she walked into the Church with Bea.

  “What do you want?” Gracie looked at her sister after she hugged her mother who was studying her hair.

  “I need a pianist.” Kim smiled as their mother nodded her agreement over Gracie’s new haircut.

  “I hope you find one.” Gracie hugged her father before sitting down beside Bea as Kim shook her head.

  “I need one now. Today.” Kim was begging her with her eyes. “Peggy isn't going to be here today.”

  “Be serious, Kim. It’s been a very long time since I tickled the ivories of a piano.” Gracie was looking hard at her. “The only things I remember how to play are Christmas carols.”

  “You know how to read music. I heard it’s like riding a bike.” Kim sat down next to Bea as she continued to beg. “I really need you.”

  “Do they know how to sing Jingle Bells?” Gracie was smiling as Bea looked up at her and then at her aunt.

  Kim looked over at her parents in frustration. “I could use a little help here.”

  “You want us to sing Jingle Bells, too?” Chandler winked at Gracie as he had asked Kim.

  Janet looked over at both of her daughters and then directly at Gracie. “Let’s see what all those piano lessons did. Go play for your sister.”

  Gracie stood as Kim looked gratefully at Janet and mouthed thank you before they left. “You so owe me for this, Kim. I hope your chorus can cover up any mistakes I make.”

  “You’ll do fine.” Kim squeezed her hand, “How about a solo?”

  “How about you be happy with what I give you.” Gracie looked at her hard as she glanced at the music that was on the piano. “I vote for Jingle Bells.”

  “Fine. You can play Jingle Bells in December.” Kim looked at Robert, who had been watching them. “Where’s Jackson?”

  “He is on call today.” Gracie answered her as she sat down on the piano stool. “You probably won’t see him until Wednesday.”

  “So he won’t be over at Mom’s house today?” After Gracie nodded her head, Kim had the chorus come over to them and had them tell Gracie what they were planning on singing. “By the way, Mom really loves your hair.”