by Tyora Moody
“Oh, you poor thing. Is your grandmother going to be okay?” Wanda leaned forward, her eyes filled with concern.
“Yes, she is expected to recover after some rehab.”
“Pops and I were able to attend your granddad’s funeral. Nick and my dad were good friends back in the day. It was hard for him to be there,” Wanda said.
“I was hoping to talk to Detective Cade.” Angel lowered her voice. “I had some questions about the day my mother disappeared.”
Wes, who had been very quiet, spoke up. “You don’t remember anything about that day?”
Angel turned to face him. “My memory is pretty fuzzy.”
Wanda added, “Well, you were young. I remember it was your fifth birthday.” Wanda pointed at Wes. “Wes had received an invitation to your birthday party, but he opted to go fishing with Pops.”
Wes cocked his head to the side. “Really? I didn’t know that.”
Wanda smiled. “You and Angel hung out a few times. You were older. Wes was almost nine when you turned five.”
Angel smiled. “Small world.” Maybe that was why she had always felt like Wes was a familiar face to her.
Wes shook his head. “I guess. I just don’t remember.”
“Angel, I attended your birthday party. From what I remember, there were more adults there than children,” Wanda noted.
Angel frowned. “I remember that too.” As a matter of fact, she couldn’t remember there being many children at the party at all. Or if there was a special theme. Growing up, she had had friends who had birthday parties with cool themes that included a princess or a superhero. What really bothered Angel was the lack of photos. Who doesn’t have photos from a kid’s birthday party?
Wanda twisted her hands like she was nervous. “It’s not a great time in my father’s life right now. He’s suffering from Alzheimer’s. I don’t know if there is much he can help you with, although some days he thinks he is still working a case.”
Angel’s hopes were crushed. Detective Cade was the one person she had been counting on. “I’m so sorry to hear that. I touched bases with him about four years ago, when I started working on a documentary about my mother. I just lost focus. Now I wish I had stayed on course.”
Wanda clasped her hands together. “I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine what you and your family have gone through. My dad worked a lot of missing cases over the years, but I know because he watched your mother growing up, he really was determined to help find her.”
Not wanting to waste her visit, Angel inquired, “What do you remember about my mother? Was she happy or sad the day of my birthday?”
Wanda sighed deeply. “I couldn’t tell. She seemed happy to be giving you a party. You were all dressed up in a pink sundress. I think she was wearing pink too. I know she was telling everyone she had finally received an offer for a record deal.”
“Mom, I didn’t realize you knew the Robertses so well. Were you close to Angel’s mom?” Wes asked.
“Oh no.” Wanda shook her head. “I actually graduated with Jake. Angel, it was your uncle who invited me. I mean us. Wes and me.” Wanda smiled nervously as she spoke about Jacob.
“Oh.” Angel wondered how close Wanda was to her uncle. She had never seen Jacob with any woman other than Liz and really didn’t know much about his early years.
“Elisa?”
Angel’s heart skipped a beat. A voice from behind her had called out her mother’s name. She turned to find an older man standing in his bare feet and pajamas. His shock of gray hair resembled a halo on his head.
Wes jumped up from the chair and moved toward the older man. “Pops, you’re awake. Let’s get you back in your room.”
Pops moved his head back and forth and pointed at Angel. “Elisa?”
Angel rose from the couch. “I’m sorry. Maybe I should come back another time.” Or not at all.
The detective continued to try to communicate with her. “Elisa, where have you been? We’ve been looking for you.”
Wanda moved beside her father and gripped his arm. “Pops, that’s not her. That’s Elisa’s daughter. Now, let’s get you back to your room.”
“I told Nick, he did it,” Pops shouted. “Nick wouldn’t believe me.” Suddenly looking confused, he whispered as he stared at her with wild eyes. “Maybe I was wrong.”
Angel’s eyes connected with Pops’s. She knew she should leave, but she had to ask him a question. “Who? Detective Cade, who did what?”
She tried to move closer, but Wes stepped in front of her. “I think it’s best you go now.”
Angel looked over Wes’s shoulder and watched as Wanda guided the ailing man back down the hallway. She looked at Wes. “I’m sorry.”
Wes walked over to open the front door. He stared at her intently, his face displaying a mixture of emotions. “Don’t be sorry. I’m sorry Pops can’t help you. Maybe I can. Let’s stay in touch.”
She nodded and then walked briskly out the door, with Pops’s voice filling her head. “I told Nick, he did it.” Angel doubted Wes meant what he’d said. The reporter probably just wanted to get rid of her. Could she blame him?
Pops’s statement pounded her until she was inside her car. She struggled through tears as she fiddled with the keys. Finally, she found the right key, pushed it in, and turned the ignition. She pulled off, tears streaking down her face.
At least the detective had confirmed what she had always known in her heart. Her mother was dead. In the back of her mind, she was scared the person responsible was someone close to her mother. The same person who had abandoned Angel the night her mother vanished into thin air. What really was his excuse for never contacting his own daughter?
Chapter Eight
Wes unloosened his tie as he sank down into his desk chair. This morning the top news story continued to be about the missing American Voices contestant, Melanie Stowe. He couldn’t help but think back to yesterday afternoon with Angel Roberts. He meant what he’d told her. Wes wanted to help her and felt horrible about asking her to leave. Pops’s confusion was not only upsetting, but disturbing. Despite his affected mind, Pops was still determined to bring the person responsible for Elisa Roberts’s disappearance to justice. But who?
He sensed a real story right under his nose. The last story Wes followed was the trial of Hillary Green. The woman was sentenced to life for the murder of defense lawyers Pamela Coleman and Mitch Harris and Detective Frank Johnson. Twenty years had passed, so it was doubtful Elisa hadn’t fallen victim to foul play. Where were her remains?
Growing up without her mother and not knowing what happened had to have been tough for Angel. His dad had died in a car accident when he was still a toddler. While Wes didn’t remember his father, he visited the grave site with his mom each year.
Wes tapped his keyboard to wake up the sleeping monitor. He clicked on a folder he’d created a few months ago. Inside the folder were photos and a few video clips from the station’s archives. He studied the last photo taken of Elisa Roberts. Angel had inherited her mother’s sculptured cheekbones and big brown eyes—the kind of eyes that made his heart flip-flop. Angel had a fairer skin tone, but she could have been her mother’s identical twin.
He decided to see what else he could find on Angel. Wes did a quick search on Facebook. Everybody, including his own mother, had a Facebook page. Sure enough, several Angel Robertses appeared in the search results. After a quick scroll, he found her avatar. She didn’t post on her wall much. Every few days she shared an inspirational post and videos. Most of the recent videos posted on her wall were from weddings. He noticed her Facebook profile gave him a link to her Web site.
He clicked the link and watched the Web site load. Angel Media. He remembered her mentioning she was working on a documentary. It appeared there were even more wedding videos in her portfolio. He put on his headphones and clicked on a video. He loved the camera angles Angel used as she focused on the bride and then the groom. She was good, capturing the romance and joy of t
he couple’s special day. He wondered if he would have that moment. As he approached thirty, the bachelor status had grown pretty lame.
A tap on his shoulder interrupted his musings about possible nuptials. He pulled off the headphones and spun around. He groaned inside as Serena stood with her hand on her hip, looking way too seductive for the work environment.
“Are we looking to march down the aisle soon? I certainly hope not. I would be really disappointed.”
“Hey, Serena. I was just checking out something for a friend.” He closed the Web site. The last thing he needed was Serena snooping in his business. He was entirely clear what her motivation was for being so friendly lately. “What can I do for you?”
“That’s a dangerous question, Wes. There are a lot of things you can do for me.”
Wes sputtered, “Work related, Serena.”
Serena laughed. “Wes Cade, you are so fun to mess with.” She flipped her hair over her back and smiled down at him. “I was going to head down to Melanie Stowe’s high school to talk to some of her former teachers, but I have had a change of plans.”
“Yeah? How’s the story coming?” As the senior reporter, Serena took on the big stories and was known to dig deep and sometimes too far. He could never figure out why someone with her incredible looks didn’t go for the anchor role. She’d been at the station for at least five years, two years more than him. The two anchors at the station had both been here for ten years. Maybe Serena was just waiting. Whenever he had a chance to fill in in the anchor role, he could see himself being there one day. If it wasn’t for his mom and Pops, he’d consider moving to another market.
Wes tuned back into Serena’s update. “Melanie’s ex-boyfriend is of interest. He sounds like he is the jealous type and was not too crazy about her being on a national talent show. You know the deal. An abusive boyfriend. Girlfriend goes missing. In this case, the girlfriend was a Charlotte native who had her fifteen minutes of fame on a national talent contest. Sounds like a real winner to me, but I will leave it to you to find out the dirt.”
“Me?” Wes responded. “What’s going on?”
Serena licked her lips. “I have another story to pursue.”
Wes raised his eyebrow. “Really? A bigger story than Melanie Stowe?”
Serena leaned forward. She was close enough for Wes to smell her expensive perfume. He slid his chair back. Serena looked him in the eyes. “This missing person case is right up your alley. If you can get the real truth, this will boost your career beyond what you can imagine.” She stood upright and then asked, “By the way, how’s your grandfather doing?”
Wes swallowed before answering. He was still grasping the fact that Serena had just dropped her assignment in his lap. “Uh, not too good.”
“That’s a shame. It sure would be nice to know his take on the case.”
He frowned. “There are others folks in the missing persons unit we can talk to, Serena.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Is there a reason in particular why you are interested in my grandfather?”
“I’m just curious about an old case. That’s all. Look, I will catch you later, kiddo.” Before walking away, she pointed a manicured red-tipped finger at him. “Get the truth.”
Wes watched as Serena sauntered out of the newsroom. What is she up to?
He walked across the newsroom and knocked on the news producer’s door. Alan James called out, “Come in.”
“Hey, Alan. What’s going on?”
Alan put down his cup of coffee and looked up from his laptop. “I should ask that of you. I take it Serena has shared her news.”
“I’m shocked. She must have a pretty big assignment to let this opportunity go.”
“Something she’s been working on for a while.”
Wes threw up his hands. “Any clues?”
“The only thing I can tell you is she will be leaving for New York tonight.”
“New York?”
“Yep. You, in the meantime, need to pursue any leads about Melanie. She’s a Charlotte native. We need to be at the head of this story.”
Wes shook his head. “I’m well aware. Serena dropped a hint about the boyfriend.”
“I think we should pursue him hard. Right now, he’s been dodging interviews. We need an exclusive with him. Can you pull it off?”
“Hey, I’m on it.”
“All right. I’m counting on you, Wes.”
“Yes, sir.” Wes walked out of his producer’s office. He wasn’t sure how he would pull it off. While the way Serena went after a story was a bit manipulative, Wes chose to use his good guy charms. When he sat back down at his desk, he opened the Internet browser to surf to the Facebook Web site. Social media had become an excellent source of information for him. Being the web-savvy guy he was, he had been the first one in the newsroom to open accounts at all the popular social networks. He liked talking to fans and getting information. Sometimes the information didn’t pan out, but he had verified several leads in the past and had brought the story back to Alan later.
Right now he wasn’t so much looking for any leads. He would after he connected with someone who was on his mind all night. He wasn’t sure if Angel was interested in hearing from him again, but he pulled up her Facebook profile and made a friend request. Wes wanted another face-to-face with her. Their first meeting was pretty awkward.
He still couldn’t believe he’d hung out with her when they were children. At nine years of age, he was pretty sure he still didn’t like girls. Yet he had to admit there was a familiarity with her yesterday. It had more to do with the fact that she looked like her missing mother.
He clicked open a folder to access a video clip. There was one person that was questioned extensively about Elisa’s disappearance. Wes pressed PLAY and then paused the video to study the face of Angelino Mancini as he was escorted into the police department for questioning. This was twenty years before, but Angelino could have been cast as a Jersey Shore cast member. He had a bronze tan, and his muscles rippled through the polo shirt he was wearing. Angelino and Elisa, with her deep chocolate complexion, were definitely the most striking couple Wes had ever seen. Wes jotted down some questions. How did this interracial couple meet? Did their cultural differences drive them apart?
Wes could see which parent gave Angel her strong jaw structure. When she left yesterday, he noticed how her face was set as she tried to contain her emotions. Had she ever talked to the former street-tough boxer, who some thought was responsible for Elisa’s disappearance? What kind of relationship did Angel have with her Italian American father?
Chapter Nine
Angel hummed and then sang the chorus of one of her favorite songs. “I need more, more, more, Jesus more of you. I need so much more, Jesus more, more, more.” She didn’t dare sing in front of others, but in the car she felt free to sing and worship.
After leaving the Cades’ home yesterday, she had stopped to visit with Grams. The entire time she had wanted to lean across Grams’s shoulder, like she did when she was a little girl, but she couldn’t. Even after losing her granddad, Angel wasn’t prepared to see Grams struggling. She’d gone home feeling the weight of change.
Then there was Wes Cade. She would have never made that connection. He was kind to her in spite of her awkward interruption of his family’s Sunday afternoon. She could relate to the tension on his face as he observed his grandfather’s confusion. Angel wasn’t so sure she wanted Wes’s offer to help, though. She had decided she wanted to continue to find out what she could about her mother, but without telling her family. This was something she needed to do, even if it meant she had to face the man who could have been responsible.
Angel put on her turn signal as she approached her exit. It was Monday, and bills still needed to be paid. When she first joined the Bible study, Candace taught about the importance of keeping on your garment of praise. Angel felt the heaviness lift as she continued to sing along with JoAnn Rosario. “Fill me like an empty c
up, and when it seems I have had enough, I still need more, more, more.”
By the time she arrived in the parking lot of Lenora’s Bridal Boutique, her anxiety had lost the battle and she felt energized despite her lack of sleep. She parked her car and headed toward the boutique’s door. Lenora had recently changed the window to display formal wear. It’s that time of the year again. Just as she anticipated, when Angel walked through the entrance, several young women were waiting for a consultation with a member of Lenora Freeman’s staff. Some were there to be fitted for a wedding gown, but the high-pitched chatter indicated that most were looking for a prom gown.
Angel squeezed her way through the teenagers to find the queen of the shop. Lenora Freeman was well known as the first lady of Victory Gospel Church, but she was also a popular wedding planner and bridal shop owner. Lenora needed a videographer on her staff. Thanks to Candace’s swift introduction, Angel no longer worried about her next video production. This time of year, wedding season was in full swing.
Angel walked toward the dressing area in the back and found Lenora talking to a teary-eyed young woman. Angel was surprised at how down to earth Lenora could be, despite the fact that she was the most elegant woman she had ever met. Always dressed in an impeccable skirt suit or pantsuit, her makeup flawless, the woman handled her business, her brides, and her role as a first lady with perfection.
Lenora rubbed the shoulders of the young woman, who was now visibly crying. “Honey, you want this to be your day. Make sure this is the dress for you, and not what your family wants you to wear. Now, do you think you found the dress you wanted today?”
The young woman nodded. “Yes, I really liked the first one.”
“Then that’s your dress, honey. Let me talk to your mother.”
Angel smiled at the sternness of Lenora’s words but the soft passion in her eyes. She knew Lenora was for the bride, and she would make sure her bride felt secure about her day.