“I planned for you to be away from your mother for as long as possible to let her experience loss. I wanted you to be comfortable and cared for during your captivity. I knew Zelda and Kristof would care for you, protect you and keep you calm. My dear, you must have been distraught, but you were the only means I had of hurting Brenda Mears, the one person I blamed for the loss of my dear sister. Your temporary home had to be the best. I trust it was at least satisfactory.
“Once relaxed, you were to return here to visit me. George was ordered to have your cello with him. I wished him to be the first person you saw on arrival and your beautiful cello to be in a prominent position waiting to be reunited with its owner. I longed to hear you play my Francesca’s Steinway, to hear it come to life again at the fingers of her grandchild, and to hear you play your cello. Such talent! Such a gift! Such genius!
“I am tired now; my body is shutting down, the cancer rampaging through this worn shell of a person. I beg you to forgive a foolish old lady who forced this captivity on you for her own selfish satisfaction. Letters from me, exonerating those forced to execute my wishes, are lodged with my lawyer. The law will deal with them as it sees fit, but I hope sympathy and understanding will prevail.
“As for you, dear child, arrangements are in place for you to fly home. Do not judge me too harshly; love makes people do crazy things. Do not hate me; instead, hate my actions. Now, dear little one, goodbye.”
Lucy put the letter down, hugged Bud, found comfort in the wise old mutt and sobbed unrelentingly. Zelda, who had been pacing the corridor, joined the child in her room. Lucy, aware of her presence, threw herself into the arms of the woman she had come to know as a friend and continued weeping.
“I want to see my great-aunt.”
“You shall, Lucy. Let’s dry your eyes, compose yourself. We cannot let your aunt see how upset you are; she is so sick now and won’t be with us much longer.”
Zelda held Lucy by the hand and led her to Anna’s bedroom for the last time. Nurse Rita sat by the old lady, holding her hand, and gently administered to her patient as life ebbed towards its close. Lucy came to her relative’s side, held the wrinkled hand and kissed the clammy cheek. Anna’s eyes fluttered, focused on the child and a spark of recognition lit the aged face.
“Lucy,” whispered the rasping voice. “Play for me.”
Lucy moved over to her cello, caressed her precious instrument, chose Taube’s gentle nocturne for cello and began to play. The room fell silent, the occupants lost in the moment. Stillness and calm touched each soul. When the piece finished, Anna held her wrinkled arm out.
“Awesome, my dear! Awesome! Goodbye my little Francesca. Go home now… go call Mama.”
Chapter 35
Kristof returned the campervan to the hire place from where he had picked it up, which now seemed to him an eternity ago. He waited as it was checked over for damage. The mechanic reported all was well and remarked, “High mileage noted… you been round the world or something, buddy?”
“Seemed like it,” replied the exhausted man before being driven off by George.
***
Zelda led Lucy from the room. The pair walked together into the garden, Bud rambling beside them. They wiped tears from their eyes.
“She wasn’t a bad person, Lucy; she just did a bad thing.”
“Oh, when can I call Mama?”
“Kristof and George have a final assignment at the airfield. They have to arrange a flight to take us all to Chicago by private jet, which your aunt often chartered. It’s on standby, waiting for word for us to leave. They will come by, pick us up and take us to the airfield. Then you can make that call.”
“My cello! I mustn’t forget it.”
“You play beautifully, Lucy. Your aunt was fortunate to hear you play before she passed away.”
Rita, red eyed, joined them in the garden and addressing Zelda, said, “Lucy should be filled in on some things before she goes.”
Taking the child by the arm, she began. “You will be leaving here in a few hours. I have to stay and close up. The funeral arrangements are in place. Your aunt had everything organized. It’s to be totally private, with just myself and her lawyer present.”
“Where will you go, Rita?”
“Zelda, the house will be sold. Anna has made several bequeaths to people who have been working for her. I plan to go to England to stay for a time with my cousin, while I decide what to do. Before we leave, it’s only right that Lucy hears our story.”
For the next hour, Zelda and Rita between them explained the hold Anna had on them all.
“You too, Rita? She had something on you?” gasped Zelda. “I did not know that.”
“I’m ashamed to say, yes. When I was nursing I did something I shouldn’t have. I took drugs from the hospital. Anna was a patient there at the time and caught me helping myself. She had come along so quietly for some painkillers that I hadn’t heard her.”
“You stole drugs from a hospital?” asked a horrified Lucy.
“Yes, Lucy, I was desperate… you see, my father was very sick, he was in such pain. I’d used all our Medicare health insurance… he was so ill… I was desperate. I had been taking a few drugs at a time, altering records and seemed to be getting away with it until Anna caught me. She knew exactly what I was up to. I pleaded with her not to tell anyone. I needed the job and I needed the drugs. We came to an agreement that I would leave the hospital and come work for her as her private nurse when my father passed on. She knew then she had only a few years left and needed nursing care at home. In spite of the hold she had over me, we became friends.
“She confided in me, trusted me and I loved her for that. Lucy, it must be hard for you to understand the hold your aunt had over us all. I would have been imprisoned if she had reported me to the authorities and there was always that fear in me that she might renege on her promise to protect my actions. In the end, I was dismissed from my job for bad timekeeping. I had to stay home so often to tend to my father and was regularly turning in late. I’m not sure if they ever knew about the drugs. I feel deep down that Anna would never have reported me. I think she saw my plight as a way of procuring for herself a qualified medic for the last stages of her illness.”
“And Kristof and I, we could have been deported,” said Zelda, as she related to the stunned girl the events of life in Bosnia, leading to their arrival in America. Lucy wept as Zelda told of the carnage and destruction of her country.
“You lost your little baby?” wept Lucy.
“Sadly, yes, and I can’t have any children now. Lucy, you will never know how caring for you helped me heal emotionally.”
Rita spoke up. “Zelda, what you and Kristof didn’t know was that you would not have been deported. Anna told me that humanitarian measures had been put in place to help people like yourselves settle in America. She withheld that information from you as she needed your continued fear in order to carry on with her wild idea. She forbade me to talk to you about it. I think she used me like her confessor to get things off her chest before she went to her maker.”
The two hugged and sobbed in each other’s arms, weeks of pent-up emotions released like a river in spate.
“That’s some story, Zelda. Wow! You’ve been through so much. I just knew, when we talked in the cabin, that you were afraid of someone or something. But, George, how could Aunt Anna have anything on him? He lives in my house, he’s so kind and loves Nora, and he’d do anything for her.”
“That was his problem! He was ambitious for them both,” continued Rita as she related Anna and George’s connection with Barclay Jones and his sordid money-lending business. I never liked him at all, nor his buddy Alf. Another guy, Les, is a much nicer guy. They did various jobs for Anna. I kept well out of their way, but I knew they were dangerous, devious people to deal with. Your aunt was in complete control of them… she was a strong character. They needed her money and she needed their ruthlessness—”
Lucy butted in. “But
surely Mother would have lent George money if he had asked.”
“He was a proud man and would not ask for help and he suffered the consequences.”
Rita filled Lucy in with the connection with Clara and Dale.
“They were victims too of the money-lending scam. They couldn’t go to the authorities for fear of reprisals from the thugs. There was such a hold over them that Anna was able to ensnare them too. It was she who put up the money to fund the whole sorry business.”
“So that’s who took me on that long bus journey? Dale Greer? He rarely spoke, looked scared, and the lady I stayed with, she was kind but quiet too. I seemed to sleep a lot.”
They sat in silence for a while, each deep in thought. Then Lucy remembered something.
“Bud! What about Bud? Who will care for him? Can we bring him home with us?”
Rita gently replied to the excitable girl. “No, Lucy. Bud is too old to travel; you can see how slow he is. Your aunt has arranged for him to go stay with her lawyer and his wife who have recently lost their dog and long to have another pet. The arrangement will work well. He will be well looked after.”
“Oh Bud, I’ll miss you!” said Lucy as she snuggled beside the aged animal.
George and Kristof arrived back, both looking exhausted. Lucy sat with George as he drank coffee. They spoke little; Lucy from confusion and George more from shame.
“I have one more thing to do, Lucy. I have to run some guys to the airfield, then we can all go home. I’m sorry about all this, honey, I truly am sorry.”
George, with Alf in tow, met with Les and made arrangements at the airfield to hire the plane regularly used by Anna for her various exploits. As they completed the documentation, they were given the news that their usual plane was not available.
“Got something kind of similar,” they were informed. “Not as big, but reliable like the Gulfstream.”
Les, who was to pilot the plane, was anxious to have it checked out to ensure it would suit the purpose. He made a detailed inspection of the aircraft and declared it suitable.
“Why don’t you and George go get coffee, Les,” suggested Alf, “while I fuel up? We want this baby up to scratch and ready for take-off.”
While George had coffee, Les excused himself to visit the restroom. As arranged and with dollar signs in his eyes, he called Detective Harvey.
“I have flight information for you, sir, like you asked.”
George arrived back at Anna’s house, helped load the luggage and the treasured cello into the sedan. Lucy and George talked as they walked for the final time in the garden.
“Everything has been explained to me, George. Let’s go home.”
“Honey, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to work for your mother. She won’t want me anywhere near you and I might be arrested in spite of what your aunt said about giving letters to her lawyer to vindicate us.”
George wiped a tear from his eye and continued to explain to Lucy.
“I’ve messed up and I’m just going to have to face the consequences, whatever they are. We’ll leave it to the law. Poor Nora, we had such plans.”
“She will understand when she hears about things. I’ll make sure she does… and Mama too.”
“If only, honey, if only.”
Kristof called them over. “It’s time to go. Let’s get this young lady home where she belongs.”
He hugged Lucy and handed her his mobile phone.
“Lucy, at last, you can go call Mama.”
The only number she could remember took her straight through to her mother’s private number.
Chapter 36
Brenda Mears, weary with fear for her daughter’s safety, sat at home attempting to attend to some paperwork. She thought how fortunate she was to have such a staunch team to carry on in her absence, especially, she mused, when they too were suffering with her over Lucy’s disappearance. She sobbed quietly, something she felt she had been doing every moment of every day.
Molly served a snack. “You must try to eat something, you’re fading away; you can’t help Lucy if you make yourself ill. Come on, just a bite or two.”
Molly stayed there, encouraging, cajoling and being as supportive as she could. The strain was telling on her too. She worried about Nora, who had withdrawn into herself over the fate of her fiancé. She was proving to be of little use with the household chores.
“Molly, sit by me and have something to eat too.”
The women sat in silence, words superfluous as human contact became more necessary than anything anyone could say. Molly studied her boss, her Brenda, and thought of how the years had changed the once sweet girl she had nurtured and loved into such a hard woman almost incapable of showing love to those who mattered. As they sat there, Brenda’s phone rang. The two women froze; few people had access to that number and it seemed an eternity until Brenda managed to pick up.
“Mother, I’m coming home, tonight!” gulped a weeping, breathless Lucy.
“Lucy! Lucy!”
Molly held Brenda’s hand as she listened to a garbled story unfold from the emotional girl.
“Take a breath, honey, slow down.”
She listened intently, Molly catching some of the drama.
“What?” screamed Brenda. “Anna did this? My aunt Anna stole you from me?”
“There’s so much to tell you. Anna died. I love you, Mother.” Lucy took a breath and continued. “I just want to be back home, I can’t wait, I’m so happy. George will bring me home…”
“George did this? He is with you? Put him on, honey.”
Kristof gently took the phone from Lucy’s hand.
“I am sorry, madam, but we have to go now. Our private flight will arrive at Chicago Midway late evening. Your daughter is well.”
“Who are you?” screamed Brenda, but the call had ended.
Nora, alerted by the loud voices, joined the others.
“What’s going on? Is it news of Lucy?”
“Yes, and George,” sighed Molly, elation mixed with confusion.
Between them, Brenda and Molly related what they had gleaned from Lucy, interspersed with tears and hugs.
“But George? What’s been happening? Oh God,” wept Nora. “How could he be involved in all this misery?”
“We have to get to Midway tonight. Molly contact Myra; tell her and the others what has happened. We need to let Detective Harvey know… oh… I can’t think straight.”
At the headquarters of Mears Empire, Brenda’s elated, trusted team cheered loudly, hugged each other and wiped away tears of euphoria.
“Thank God it will soon be over. Poor child!” wept the excitable Justin as he clung to his partner.
Detective Harvey, working in his office, took the call that he had so longed for and hoped would solve the dreadful crime and bring closure to so many people. With a grin on his delighted face, he almost ran into a junior officer as he rushed to his deputy’s office to give her the news. Together they drove to Brenda Mears’ home, where for the first time in many weeks the atmosphere was euphoric. There, Brenda related what she could remember of the call.
“Lucy was so excited! Someone, a foreign-sounding man, took the phone from me and spoke briefly. Oh, detectives, I can hardly believe it. Lucy is coming home!”
Chapter 37
Later that evening, a group of anxious people waiting in a private lounge at Midway International experienced an immense range of emotions: stress, euphoria, anxiety and excitement.
Detective Harvey reiterated details of what was to happen.
“Flight controllers will direct the plane to this area here,” he began, pointing to a specified part of the airfield. “We have armed officers concealed, ready to move at my command. Officer Carr and I will board the plane with two armed officers. She will escort Lucy to you, Brenda. Lucy will be reunited with you and moved swiftly from the area to Mount Sinai Hospital to be checked over. It’s going to be harrowing for you, but we are here for you. Detective Carr will be wi
th you all the way. Armed officers will impound the aircraft and take custody of the people on board. As yet, we only know the identity of Lucy and George North. There are two other, unknown passengers, plus the pilot. We will bring this nightmare to a swift conclusion.”
As time drew nearer for her reunion with her daughter, Brenda shook uncontrollably. Detective Carr held the scared woman close to her, shaking too as the drama that had coloured her life and her career for so long was nearing its end. Molly held Nora’s trembling hand, the latter’s mind in turmoil as to how her beloved George could possibly be involved in such a crime and pondered about his fate and their future.
***
On board the plane no one spoke, each kept his or her thoughts to themselves. Lucy, weary but ecstatic at the thought of coming home, clutched her treasured cello, refusing to hand it over for safekeeping.
“I’ve been without it long enough,” she told George when he suggested placing it in the hold.
Zelda and Kristof sat side by side, holding hands, their silence speaking for them. What thoughts and memories were stored in their hearts!
George appeared more agitated than the others. He suspected his life with Nora was over.
‘How could she ever trust me again? he reflected. Even if she took me back, would Molly accept me?’
The fasten seatbelt light came on. Zelda reached over, secured Lucy’s belt for her and gave her a reassuring hug.
“It won’t be long now, dragi, until you are home.”
Lucy looked out of the window and mouthed, “I’m coming home, Mama.”
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