by Clare Morgan
I am still the same guy. I didn’t change my identity like you and became Andrew. I am still James and I still get haunted by my past. I still get phone calls and dreadful messages from the mafia. Over the past few months, I have tried my best to disconnect myself from that world, but you know the mafia, Andrew. You can leave the mafia but the mafia would never leave you. I was getting calls from a few guys to whom I owe a significant amount of money. They wanted their money back and even threatened to kill Nancy. I thought that it was an empty threat.
The moment Nancy told me about Janet’s wedding, I instantly agreed to attend it. I thought that I would be a perfect escape for the both of us. The mafia won’t be able to find us here and we could stay here for a few days in peace at least. Though, after when I met you, I realized that even I can get a happy ending. I was craving to get a second chance my whole life, but I was just not able to do it. I didn’t have the strength to it until I saw you here. I realized that if you were able to come out of it, then why can’t I!” he tried to make me explain everything as he sat down on his bed and broke into tears.
“What do you mean to say? You were planning to stay here?” I asked him and tried to console him a little, knowing that he was utterly sad and heartbroken.
“Yes. Last night, Nancy and I were discussing the idea of living in a small town like this. I told her that she could easily freelance and work from anywhere while I could find a job here. We gave it a thought and decided that we would try to make it work at least for a few weeks before making it official. I was ready to give it all, Andrew. I know it could be hard to believe, but I was ready to give my entire life for her.
I just wanted us to be happy. I never thought that I would end up losing her in the process of finding happiness. If I had known of this before, I would have never come to this town. I have lost everything, Andrew. I don’t know what to do. I know that the mafia is after me. They have killed Nancy and if I won’t give them their money, then they will come for me and would take my life as well.
If they would come to know about you, then they might end up destroying your whole world. They might kill your loved ones, Andrew. I know that I can’t have the happiness that I imagined but I want you to have your best shot. I want you to be happy and live your life in peace. I can’t risk of exposing you and I think it would be best for me to leave. So, I am just packing my bags and planning to leave before the mafia would come to know about you!” he said and made me explain everything from his point of view.
It was certainly too hard for me to resist. I have known James for years and somehow, I could judge that he wasn’t speaking a lie. I have been a part of the mafia and I knew that it was just a piece of cake for them to kill Nancy. He owed money to the mafia and when it comes to money, they can do anything. They could have hired someone to kill Nancy. I knew that James would never be safe in the town anymore, but it was also the safety of my family that I was concerned about.
“So what do we do know? I can’t let you go just like that. I have to go and tell the police about it. They might come up with a solution. They might keep you safe. You can’t just leave!” I said as I wanted to come up with a feasible solution. I wanted to believe James, but I knew that I had to be a little cautious with him.
“Do you really think that this town’s sheriff and his officers would be able to keep us safe from the mafia? Even NYPD or LAPD can’t do a thing when it comes to the mafia. We won’t be safe here, Andrew. You need to understand, it is not just about me – it is about you as well. If you want me to stay here and investigate the murder, then it would be fine.
I can stay here as long as you want. But you need to understand that the longer I stay here, the more the chances of you and your family being exposed to the mafia. They will come here and will look for me. If they see you around, then the consequences would be devastating. I am sure you must have done your fair share of crimes in the mafia as well, Andrew. Do you want all of them to come back to you? Do you want to involve your family in this? Are you ready to compromise their safety just because you think I murdered Nancy?” the moment James asked the million dollar question, I realized that it won’t be that easy for me to take a decision.
“Did you love her? Did you really love her, James?” I asked him.
“What do you think, Andrew? I am crying my eyes out here for her. Last night, we were making plans for our future. I was hoping to grow old with her. I loved her so much. I will love her till the end of time. Let me go, Andrew. I need to take revenge. I need to find out who did this to her and will make that person pay. Of all the people, you need to understand this. You need to understand how important this is for me. I am not asking you to do this for a friend. I am asking you to do this for a stranger. Consider me as a stranger and then make your mind. Trust me, Andrew. I will not let you down!” he said as he finished packing and was about to leave.
I knew that he would have picked up a fight at that time. I could have done something to make me suffer in order to leave, but he didn’t. Instead of fighting, he was requesting me in order to let him me. Who was I to hold him anymore? I knew that he was a changed man and that he would do the right thing.
I didn’t answer his question. I didn’t hug him in order to bid goodbye. I simply took a step towards him and looked right into his eyes.
“Don’t ever come back here,” I said as I left the room and decided not to think of James anymore. He was a part of my past that I wanted to delete. I wanted to forget everything about that man or all those memories that were associated with him. I wanted to start fresh and was ready to let him go.
Chapter 11:
I didn’t know what I did was right or wrong. I guess it was just too early to judge. The entire town was in shock and as James left, I started to assume that all my troubles would be gone soon after his departure. I was wrong. I came home to Elaine and Rosie and they both were terrified.
The day came to an end and I had no idea how to go back and face my own family. How was I supposed to let them know that I let James go? Janet was inconsolable. She never thought that her wedding would end like that. Her sister died right in front of her eyes and she couldn’t do a thing to save her. She wanted to go back in time and undo it but nothing about it made any sense. She just kept crying her eyes out and didn’t really know how to celebrate her wedding when she lost her sister the same day. She knew that from now onwards, every time she would think of her wedding, she won’t complete the thought without thinking of her sister and how she died.
The incident ruined her wedding and she had no idea what to do. Everyone knew that Nancy was murdered. Almost the entire town was there in the reception hall and witnessed the murder. Surprisingly, not even a single one of them had any clue. I realized that the murderer must have been an expert who was able to come clean even after killing someone in front of hundreds of people.
The entire town was in shock. The residents were not even coming out of their houses, knowing that a killer would be out there. As I walked to our place from the house, I could see that all the streets were empty. There was no one around – any kids or even adults in the streets. They were all hiding inside their houses. Janet’s family was coming up with Nancy’s funeral. I was not even able to comprehend what she must be going through.
It was her wedding which would soon be followed by her sister’s funeral. I wanted to be with her and support her, but before that, I wanted to make sure that my family is fine or not. The locals were terrified but at the same time, they were forcing the police to take some actions. The sheriff and his team were looking all over the town for some clues, but I knew that they won’t be able to reach any conclusion.
The mafia would always be a few steps ahead of the police and I knew that no force would be able to catch Nancy’s murderer. As I stepped inside our house, Rosie welcomed me by wrapping her arms around my leg.
“I have missed you so much dad!” she said and I realized the reason why I choose my family over everything else.
There are moments like these which makes it all worth it. I was with Rosie and Elaine and I knew that all I needed to be happy was their company. I took her in my arms and passed a kiss on her forehead.
“Daddy missed you too honey! Why don’t you go to bed and sleep? It is getting late,” I suggested as I wanted to talk to Elaine about James.
“I just wanted to see you first, daddy. I was getting worried about you after what happened today,” the way she said, I realized that she knew what happened. Even though we tried to hide it from her, but she got to realize what went wrong. I didn’t know what to say to her or how to explain her, the dynamics involved in the entire situation. I knew that one day when she would be wise enough, I would explain her everything about Nancy’s death, but that day was not today. It was too early to tell her anything about the mafia or drugs. I didn’t want to let her know about the harsh reality of life or how people murder each other because of money or revenge. It was a big bad world out there and I wanted to keep my daughter safe from it.
When Elaine and I moved to Texas, we exactly knew the kind of upbringing we wanted to give to your daughter. We didn’t want her to have the kind of childhood that we had. We didn’t want her to come near drugs or have anything related to the mafia. We wanted her to have the best of education and let her follow her dreams.
Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be a pilot. Elaine, on the other hand, wanted to be an artist. Our hopes and dreams should not have taken away from us – but they were. We were robbed with every other option. The only thing that was left in our lives was drugs. We were trapped by the mafia and lost our sanity in order to save us. Little did we know that in the process of saving us, we would end up losing everything in our lives! We have lost so much already and I didn’t want to lose Rosie as well.
She was only one good thing that was mine. Both, Elaine and I made her and we couldn’t let her go. We couldn’t let her believe that her parents were involved in the mafia or that we were obsessed with drugs. We wanted her to respect us and we knew that it could never happen if we will tell her the truth.
“I am here, honey. I am not going anywhere. Let’s get you to bed, okay?” I said as I made her walk towards her room. Elaine followed my room, as she realized it would be tough to handle Rosie that night. She could have a lot of questions about Nancy and her death and we knew that we needed each other to tackle them.
“Did you have dinner?” I asked her as I tucked her in.
“Yes, daddy. It was good. Did you have dinner?” she asked me.
“I will have it in a while with your mom, Rosie. You know how much we love you, right?” I asked her.
“Yes. You love me a lot. But what happened to aunt Nancy today? Did she die?” I didn’t really know how to answer her question. What was I supposed to say? I couldn’t tell her the truth. I couldn’t lie to her as well.
“Yes. She did,” Elaine said while she held my hand tightly.
“Why? Why did she die?” Rosie asked the two of us.
“Sometimes people just die, honey. There is no reason behind it. Sometimes, things just happen without any reason and we can’t do anything to change it,” I answered her in order to give her some consolation.
“So she is not going to come back? Ever?”
“No, honey. She will never be back!” I replied.
“But I didn’t even get to say goodbye. This is not fair!”
“Sometimes, you don’t get to say goodbye to the people you love. Life is not fair, I know. We can’t do anything to change it,” I knew I was getting emotional and looked at Elaine for some assistance.
“It’s time to sleep. We love you!” Elaine said as she closed Rosie’s eyes and kissed her forehead. We both decided to leave the room in order to discuss a few things about Nancy’s murder.
“What happened, Andrew? Who killed Nancy?” Elaine asked me as she closed our bedroom door.
“It’s a really long story!” I said, hoping to dodge the question. It was a really long day and I was extremely tired. I simply wanted to go to bed and sleep.
“I have all the time!” she said, letting me know that she wanted to know everything about my discussion with James.
As we both got in bed, I decided to let her know everything about James and Nancy. I told her about his connection with the mafia and how I think Nancy was killed. I briefed her details of our conversation and told her why I let him go.
“You did the right thing, Andrew. I would have done the same. I am really proud of you!” she said as she wrapped her arms around me and kissed my goodnight. She knew how tired I was and didn’t want to keep me awake.
We both lay peacefully, hoping for the next day to come soon. He had too much that day and just wanted it to come to an end. We knew that the next morning would come with a new ray of hope. It was that one thing which we desperately needed – hope.
Chapter 12:
The moment I opened my eyes the next morning, I knew that something was wrong. I would feel it all around me. It was life as if a significant part of me was lost and I was not able to breathe without it. I turned around only to see Elaine sleeping peacefully. She was about to wake up and I didn’t mean to disturb her.
I left the bed and got dressed before going to Rosie’s room in order to check her. As I was changing, Elaine got up and realized that something was up with me.
“What’s wrong? Why are you up so early?” Elaine asked me as she opened her eyes and was trying to leave her bed.
“I don’t know. I just have a feeling. Let me go and see Rosie first!” I said as I rushed to her room. There was just something wrong that day, something was too different that I was not able to comprehend. It was like as if I was having a gut feeling that something bad was about to happen. Maybe, it was just my intuition or maybe, my mind was playing games with me. I decided not to think about it and first checked on Rosie before talking to Elaine and explaining it to her.
I found her room to be locked, which was really unlikely of her. We always keep her door ajar so that she would sleep peacefully, knowing that we would be there just a few steps away. The moment I saw I her door locked, I realized that something was surely wrong. I opened the door only to find out that Rosie was not there.
“Rosie! Honey, where are you?”
I screamed out loud, hoping for her to reply, but I couldn’t hear her voice anymore. Her bed was still untidy and it seemed like as if she had left it only a few hours ago. It was still undone and everything else in her room was neatly placed as well. There were no signs of any struggle. The window, as well as we door, was also safe without any sign of damage. Not even a single glass was broken, which left me baffled.
“Rosie!” I called for her at the top of my voice as I moved to the bathroom, hoping for her to find her. Elaine realized that something was wrong. She rushed to the kitchen and started calling for Rosie. In the next few moments, we inspected the entire house, but she was nowhere to be found.
“Oh my God! Andrew! She is not here. She is gone!” Elaine said as she started to cry. I was worried for her as well. She was just a little girl and had no idea about how bad the world can be. I wanted to do something and get her back. I decided to check our backyard and asked Elaine to check the neighborhood.
I looked at almost every accessible place for her but could not find her anywhere at all. Elaine asked the neighbors about her, but nobody had even the slightest of the idea about her disappearance. I called John and asked him to tell the sheriff about the incident. Elaine went to Janet’s house in order to make sure is Rosie somehow walked to her place or not. She was quite baffled by the idea of Nancy’s death and both Elaine and I knew that she wanted someone to answer her questions about Nancy’s death.
When Janet and Rob got to know about Rosie, they were as shocked as everyone. The news gradually spread everywhere in the town and people couldn’t stop looking around for Rosie. She was the apple of our eyes and I knew I won’t find peace without getting her back in my life. All the r
esidents were terrified. They all faced too much in just one single day.
The wedding was soon followed by a murder and the disappearance of a little girl. It all happened on the same day and I knew it had to do something with James. Either he was the one who kidnapped Rosie or the people from the mafia who were after he got to know about me. I could think of some thousands of people who were not fond of me and wanted their revenge. Rosie could be taken by anyone of them.
The sheriff and the local authority members arrived at our place in order to inspect what really happened. They could not find even a single piece of evidence of someone breaking in or doing any damage to the property. It was like as if nobody came to the house and still took our daughter away. It was a mystery and I knew that the local police was not competent enough to figure it out.
The entire day went like that. Our friends came and went, hoping to give us some consolation. Some came with things to eat while others came with their concerns regarding the safety of the town. Both, Elaine and I, kept sitting on our couch simply watching people. The police also came and went, but didn’t give us anything to hold on to. The day was gradually coming to an end, and it was just the two of us in the house.
The silence was haunting us as we were not able to hear her voice. It was unexpected and we wanted to do something in order to break free. Rosie was the most important part of our lives for the last four years. It was like as if our entire life rotated around her, and we didn’t know how to exist without having our beloved daughter by our side.
It was hard to even exist and breathe in the same room anymore. I looked at Elaine and realized how hard it must have been for her. Her eyes were sore and red, and it seemed like as if she had spent the whole day crying her eyes out. She was Rosie’s mother. I didn’t know what to say to her. A mother’s love can’t be compared to anything else in this world. Out of everyone in this world, she was the one who was the most concerned about her. I knew that she could do anything in this world in a heartbeat to get Rosie back. I would do the same, but that’s the tough part. We didn’t even know how to start.