She's Not Coming Home

by Philip Cox

  ‘Is that how you tracked me down last night?’ asked Matt.

  ‘Hell, no. I did that the old-fashioned way. Staked out where you were and followed you everywhere.’

  ‘You didn’t use GPS, then?’

  ‘What? Listen, you’ve been watching way too much TV. What am I going to go? Slip by one evening and shove a transponder up your tailpipe? No, the City of Boston’s budget doesn’t stretch to that kind of expenditure. In any case, I’m on sick leave, aren’t I?’

  ‘So where exactly are we headed?’ Matt asked looking out at the buildings and streets they passed. The Sunday Manhattan traffic was building up. The sky was an iron grey.

  ‘They pinpointed the location as a building on Sutton Place. On Sutton and East 57th. Just by the East River.’

  ‘East 57th? But that’s just -’

  ‘Up the road from where you’re staying? Ironic, isn’t it?’

  ‘What do we do when we get there?’ asked Matt.

  ‘We do nothing. We just sit there and assess the situation. Or should I say I will assess the situation. If and when I think the time’s right, I’ll call for back up.’

  ‘We can’t just sit there!’

  ‘Oh yes we can. For the moment. We need to get it right. We can’t just go storming in there, on our own.’

  ‘But there are two of us -’

  ‘You are a civilian. You stay put, or I’ll cuff you to the wheel here. When it’s time to make a move, I’ll put in a call. There’s a big operation going down near Wall Street this morning – and I haven’t told you that – so manpower is in short supply right now. Another reason to sit and wait.’

  Matt made a tutting noise and looked out of his window.

  ‘Look,’ said Weber as he swung the Audi onto First Avenue. ‘Think about it. If Nathan’s been taken, he’s most likely with his mother. So is he likely to come to any harm with her?’

  ‘No,’ said Matt, not entirely convinced. ‘I guess not.’

  ‘And don’t forget: this location is where the message was sent from. There’s no guarantees she’s there now. She could have been walking past when she sent it.’

  Matt said nothing; just nodded.

  Weber took them further up First Avenue: past Bellevue Hospital, past 42nd Street and past the United Nations building. Made a right when he reached 54th; one block later they were in Sutton Place South. Weber pulled up outside an apartment bock.

  ‘Is this it?’ Matt asked.

  Weber nodded across the street. ‘It’s that building over there,’ he said. ‘For now, we can get a clear view of the entrance. Tell me if you recognise anyone going in or out.’

  Matt looked around the street. ‘Quiet, isn’t it?’

  ‘That building over there,’ said Weber pointing to the next block, ‘was where they shot part of that movie How to Marry a Millionaire. You ever seen it?’

  ‘Can’t say I have.’

  ‘That was where Marilyn Monroe’s character lived.’

  ‘And how do you know that? You a fan or something?’

  ‘Not specially. Just know. Might have had to come up here when I was on the streets.’

  There was a pause in conversation. They both watched a smartly dressed man lead an equally smartly dressed boy down the street. Both were dressed in dark suits, white shirts, shiny black shoes and bright orange ties.

  ‘All dressed up,’ Matt remarked.

  ‘Probably off to church.’

  ‘Oh, yes. Of course.’

  Another pause.

  ‘You’re pretty close to your boy, aren’t you?’ Weber asked.

  Matt looked over at the Lieutenant, puzzled. ‘Isn’t every father?’

  ‘No. What about your own old man? You get on with him okay?’

  ‘Yeah, I guess so. He’s not very demonstrative, if that’s what you’re getting at. But yeah, we get on.’

  ‘Always have?’

  ‘Yeah. Why? Where are going with this?’

  ‘Nowhere in particular. Just curious. On account of seeing that guy and his boy, I guess. Fathers and sons should always get on.’

  Matt wriggled round in his seat. ‘What about you? You got any kids?’

  ‘Two. One of each. The boy – Sam Junior – is twenty now. His sister – Shanice -’

  ‘An unusual name. Nice, though.’

  ‘Thanks. It’s an old African American name. She’s eighteen now.’

  ‘They live with you?’

  Weber shook his head. ‘They live with the first Mrs Weber in DC.’

  ‘Right. I’m sorry. How often do you see them?’

  ‘Two or three times a year. Maybe.’

  ‘What about your father?’

  ‘He died years ago. My mother passed away two years later.’

  ‘Sorry to hear that. You got on?’

  ‘Not really. Not sure if anybody did. He was an elder or something in the local church. Always quoting from the Bible at us. Keen on retribution and punishment.’

  ‘He was a disciplinarian?’

  ‘He was strict to the point of being cruel.’

  ‘Shit. I’m sorry.’

  Weber shook his head. ‘Too long ago to be sorry.’

  There was another pause.

  ‘He used to beat me and my brother at the slightest opportunity. With his belt,with a paddle, with his fist.’

  ‘Jesus.’

  ‘I must have been six or seven when it started. Then when I was thirteen – maybe fourteen – and by that time taller than him, I hit him back.’

  ‘Good on you.’

  ‘I’d just had enough. I turned round, said “never touch me again”, and hit him in the jaw. Clean knocked him across the room. It must have hurt him. My knuckles were sore and drew blood.’

  ‘Jesus,’ Matt said again. ‘What happened then?’

  ‘He stood up, wiped his mouth, and walked out the house. Was out for hours. He died a couple of years later, and hardly spoke to me after that night. I sat on the porch for a long time also.’

  ‘How did you feel?’

  ‘Mixed feelings, I guess. Hitting him, I never felt better.’

  ‘It had to be done.’

  ‘I know, but at the same time, I never felt worse. It was something I never should have done.’

  ‘You were forced into it, though.’

  ‘I know. But you want to know something: like I said, for the rest of his life, he hardly spoke to me. But the bastard never laid a finger on me again. Or my brother. Or my mother, for all I knew.’

  Matt nodded silently, nodding.

  ‘So,’ said Weber. ‘That’s why I think fathers and sons should get on.’ He could see Matt starting to well up. ‘Don’t worry, Matt. We’ll get your son back.’

  ‘I need the bathroom,’ Matt said, looking around.

  ‘There’s a Walgreens over there on the next block. See? There’ll be a restroom there. I ain’t going anywhere.’

  Matt crossed over the street and into the store. He located the restroom, and bought a couple of candy bars for himself and the Lieutenant. As he crossed over the road on the way back to the Audi, he heard a voice cry out.

  ‘Daddy!’

  He spun round and saw on the corner of 58th, Gail carrying Nathan. Nathan was waving at him. Matt froze in the middle of the street and called out, ‘Nathan!’

  Gail also froze momentarily, then, still carrying the boy, began to run back up 58th Street. Dropping the candy bars on the pavement, Matt ran after them.

  ‘Matt, wait!’ Weber called out as he leapt out of the car. ‘Wait!’

  Half way up the street, Gail turned and entered a building by a side door. By that time, Matt was only twelve or fifteen feet behind. Weber was half a block back, still calling out for Matt to wait.

  Gail had almost closed the door when Matt reached it; the opening was only six inches wide. He could see the expression on her face: anger and exertion as she tried to push the door with one hand. Matt leapt at the door, pushing it open.

  �
�Daddy,’ Nathan called again. Matt was inside the building. He could still hear Weber’s voice from outside. Then he felt in intense pain at the back of his head. He reached up to feel it, but by that time he was crashing to the ground.

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  ‘Matt? Are you all right?’

  Matt groaned. He tried to rub his head, but his arms wouldn’t move.

  As headaches went, this one was off the scale.

  He squinted as he tried to get his bearings. He realised he was sitting on a chair, his arms tied with duck tape behind the chair. As he began to come to, he recognised two sensations. The smell was familiar; a perfume he recognised, although he couldn’t remember the name. Then there was the voice.

  It came again. ‘Matt? Can you hear me?’

  Still blinking, he looked up into Ruth’s face.

  For the last two weeks, ever since the night she failed to return home, he had visualised this moment, and gone over in his mind time and time again what he would say to her when – if – he saw her again.

  Only one thing came into his mind now.

  ‘Where’s my son, you bitch?’

  Ruth recoiled as he shouted at her. She looked around as the door opened. Gail walked in.

  ‘He’s come round,’ Ruth said.

  ‘So I see.’ Gail walked over and looked down at him. ‘Someone’s going to have a sore head.’

  ‘Where’s Nathan?’ Matt asked again.

  ‘You tell him,’ Gail said to Ruth as she walked back out of the room.

  Matt craned his neck so he could take in a 360 degree view. He was in some kind of kitchen. Not a kitchen in somebody’s home, rather one in a place of work. Larger, with less comfortable chairs. But there was no sign of the kitchen being in use: no pictures or notices pinned on the wall; no papers or magazines lying around.

  ‘Can’t we untie him?’ Ruth asked as Gail stood in the doorway.

  ‘I’ll go check. Leave him there for now.’

  ‘The police’ll be here soon,’ he called out after Gail.

  ‘Yeah, right. In your dreams,’ she called back.

  ‘The guy with me was a cop, you idiot,’ Matt shouted out.

  ‘The police…?’ Ruth said, looking at Gail.

  ‘Wait one second.’ With a less confident expression on her face, Gail left the room. Momentarily, she returned with Danny Clark.

  ‘You!’ said Matt as he saw Clark.

  Clark smirked. ‘Surprise, surprise.’

  ‘I knew there was something about you. That you were mixed up in this,’ Matt spat.

  Clark smirked again. ‘Untie him,’ he said to Ruth. ‘You,’ he said to Gail as he passed her the gun, ‘cover him. And her.’

  He left the room. Matt could hear him in the corridor outside, unlocking some doors.

  ‘This way.’ Gail prodded Matt in the back with the gun.

  ‘Where’s Nathan?’ he asked Ruth again.

  ‘He’s okay. He’s in here.’ Ruth opened a door and Matt saw Nathan playing on the floor with five garishly coloured plastic dinosaurs.

  ‘Look, Nathan,’ Ruth said. ‘Daddy’s come to join us.’

  ‘Daddy!’ Nathan leapt off the floor and into Matt’s arms.

  ‘Quick. This way.’ Ruth hustled Matt and Nathan along the corridor to where Danny Clark was waiting. Gail remained behind them with the gun. Once they had all passed through the door, Clark slammed it shut, locked it in two places, and pushed across two heavy bolts.

  ‘There. That should do it,’ he said to Gail.

  ‘Go on. Forward.’ Gail pressed the pistol hard into Matt’s back. ‘This leads to an adjoining building which we’re also leasing. If the police arrive downstairs, they’ll go to the building you came in. It will be some time before they figure out where we are.’

  ‘What’s going on?’ Matt asked Ruth. ‘You never show up at home, no word. Then this,’ – he pointed over to Gail – ‘abducts Nathan. Then, you send me that text message…’

  ‘You sent him a text?’ screamed Gail. ‘Then that’s how they know -’

  ‘You stupid bitch,’ Clark said, and slapped Ruth full in the face. She collapsed back against the wall, holding her cheek. Matt moved to intervene, but Gail had him at gunpoint.

  ‘She’s fucking ruined it now!’ Clark yelled at Gail. He reached into one of his coat pockets, and pulled out a gun, almost identical to the one Gail was brandishing. ‘Let’s cut our losses, do them all, then get out. Now.’

  ‘No,’ said Gail firmly. ‘We can still figure this through. If we bail out now, all the last year’s been wasted.’

  ‘The last year?’ Matt said. ‘What’s he talking about?’

  Nathan was beginning to get upset with all the shouting. He clung onto Ruth’s leg.

  ‘It’s all right, baby,’ she said softly, stroking his hair. ‘Everything’s going to be okay. Go sit down over there. Look, one of your dinosaur books is over there.’

  Through the closed windows they could hear the distant wailing of a police siren.

  ‘Listen,’ Clark said to Gail. ‘Can you hear that?’

  Gail listened for a moment. ‘It’s nothing. It’s going in the other direction.’

  Matt tried to take the initiative. ‘Who’s Ruth Dubois?’ he asked Ruth.

  Open mouthed, all three of them stared at Matt.

  ‘How – how did you….?’ Ruth stammered.

  ‘Is that you?’ Matt asked. ‘And if it is, who was that poor devil in the car crash? And is Elisabeth Dubois your mother? The mother who died years ago?’

  Ruth put her hand up to her mouth. ‘You’ve been to see...?’

  ‘Mummy,’ wailed Nathan. ‘What does Daddy mean?’

  ‘Shut that kid up,’ snapped Clark, walking over to the window. He cautiously peered out of the window, down at the street. Matt estimated they were on the fourth or fifth floors.

  ‘Can you see anything?’ Gail asked.

  Nathan started crying again. ‘Shush, baby. Mummy’s here,’ Ruth soothed.

  ‘And Daddy,’ Matt snapped.

  ‘I told you: shut that kid up,’ said Clark, still looking out of the window. ‘Or I will.’

  ‘Can you see anything?’ Gail asked again, this time more urgently.

  ‘What? No, nothing.’ Clark walked away from the window as Nathan was still sobbing. ‘I told you to shut him up,’ he yelled, taking two strides over to Nathan and slapping him round the face, knocking him to the ground.

  Then Ruth erupted. Before Matt had the chance to react, she leapt over at Clark, almost crossing the room in one bound. ‘You bastard!’ she screamed, leaping onto his back. Wrapping her legs around him, she tore at his hair, raking his face with her nails. He staggered around, trying to get her off, dropping his gun in the process.

  Gail remained frozen in shock, not knowing what to do. Her right hand was still pointing her revolver, but now she was covering a blank space. Ignoring her weapon, Matt dove down to Nathan, picking him up and cradling him.

  ‘It’s all right,’ he whispered. ‘Daddy’s got you now.’

  By now, Clark had shaken Ruth off. She lay in a crumpled heap. They both noticed the gun he had dropped lying on the floor. Both made for it, but before either of them could reach it, there was a loud crack. Silently, Ruth slid down onto the floor, and crumpled in a heap on the corner. Matt shielded Nathan from this sight, and looked up at Gail. She was standing on the same spot, her arm still outstretched, holding the gun, which was smoking slightly.

  ‘Quick. Let’s go,’ Clark barked at Gail, who remained frozen to the spot. ‘Gail!’ he repeated. ‘Let’s go.’

  Gail appeared to come out of her trance. Not even looking down at Matt and Nathan, she ran after Clark. Matt could see the door by which Clark was standing led to the fire escape.

  Matt looked over at Ruth’s still form, and stayed where he was, cradling his son in his arms.

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Matt could hear shouting and commotion coming from the fir
e escape. Then a couple of shots being fired. He could hear footsteps coming up the iron stairs. He looked up and, flustered and out of breath, Gail came running back in. She was not holding her gun. She ran past Matt and Nathan and out into the corridor leading to the building next door. He could hear her pull open the bolts, then swearing as she realised she needed keys.

  It turned out she did not need keys after all as there was a loud crash and the door flew off. Gail screamed. Still holding Nathan, Matt leaned over and looked up the corridor. The door had indeed been broken open, and Matt could see the large form of Lieutenant Weber in the doorway. Weber grabbed hold of Gail, and manhandled her against the wall, cuffing her hands behind her back. Her thin slight frame was no match for his burly figure as he almost threw her into the room.

  ‘Matt, are you and the boy okay….Jesus Christ!’ he exclaimed as he saw Ruth’s body. He rushed over to her and knelt down beside her. Felt her pulse, then put his ear to her mouth. He pulled out his phone and speed dialled.

  ‘’This is Weber here. I need an ambulance like five minutes ago. Fifth Floor, 680 East 58th Street.’

  ‘An ambulance?’ Matt croaked. ‘She’s alive…?’

  ‘Just,’ said Weber. ‘Touch and go.’ He looked over at Gail, who was sitting on the floor, her hands cuffed behind her back. ‘Was it just her?’

  ‘No, there’s another,’ Matt said. ‘Danny Clark. Remember him?’

  ‘The son of a bitch,’ said Weber. He walked over to Gail. ‘Where’d he go? He won’t get far downstairs. There’s two squad cars down there.’

  ‘Fuck you.’ Gail turned herself round and faced the wall.

  Weber turned round to Matt. ‘He must have gone up. Gotten onto the roof maybe. You stay here with her. The ambulance and back-up will be here soon.’ He coughed and took a deep breath.

  ‘I’ll go.’ Matt stood up. He stood Nathan up and rubbed his head. ‘You stay here with the Lieutenant, sport. Help him look after Mummy.’

  ‘No way,’ said Weber. ‘No way you -’

  ‘You go up there,’ said Matt, ‘and you really will have a heart attack. I owe you one. Look after my family.’