“You know, I could use a sandwich, too,” Joshua murmurs, already heading to the kitchen. “Nathan? Aren't you hungry?”
“Now that you've mentioned it... Tom?”
“Yeah, I could use a bite,” Tom nods. “Come on, Marcus. We can't raid the fridge without the man of the house. Got any beer? I could use one after the day we’ve had.”
I follow them to the kitchen wondering what the hell Matthew has up his sleeve.
“Fix sandwiches or something,” Matthew murmurs at us. “We do need to keep our strength up. That case has the tools to pick up Hunt's mic and video. Nathan, run and put it in the garage. Marcus, we're going in your van. Hodges is a cop and he's going to meet us there, after he ditches the other trio. Everybody got that?”
“Yes,” we all say, eating sandwiches with the kids’ lunch meats and sipping their juice boxes. Nathan runs out and is back in less than two minutes. Joshua passes him a sandwich and juice and he eats it quickly.
“What about the dads,” Tom asks as we finish up.
“I've already got that covered. I talked to them after the trio attempted to shaft us. Watch this,” Matthew says as he takes the van keys off the hook on the wall and hands them to Nathan.
We follow Matthew back to the make-shift office. He nods subtly at Thomas as we pass them in the living room.
“Jesus, Cannon... how can you say that,” Thomas yells.
Dad smirks. “Very easily, I can assure you!”
“Take it back, or I will...”
“Or you'll what? Not a bloody thing!”
“Wanna bet?” Thomas crosses over to my father and Matthew runs in between them.
“Come on, guys, that's enough,” Matthew yells. “Is this about the clinic again?”
“Damn, right it is... there is nothing wrong with my clinic,” Thomas shouts.
“I feel really stupid wasting my bloody money on that crap you call medical care,” Dad snorts, glaring at Thomas.
“What the hell,” I mutter. That clinic is the best in the state, especially since Tom joined with the cardiology floor.
“I cannot believe you two are having this argument again and now, of all times! Marcus! Help me,” Matthew yells as Thomas comes at Dad again. “Joshua, help Marcus get Dad to the office. Tom and Nathan, get Thomas to the kitchen or... somewhere far away from Dad!”
“I'm going for a walk,” Thomas yells, heading to the kitchen as Nathan and Tom follow him. “I cannot believe he’s talking shit about that clinic!”
“Don't trip! You may get hurt and need to go to that disaster of a hospital you run,” Dad yells.
“That’s enough, Dad! Go to Marcus' office and cool off. I'll bring you a beer,” Matthew commands.
That's his game... there's a separate exit from the office.
“I'll go with you, Dad... So will Marcus,” Joshua tells him, pulling him away.
“Keep me posted, son. I'll hang out in here,” Dad says when we get to the office.
“I will, Dad. Thank you.”
“No need, son,” Dad says, walking me to the exit door. He hugs me quickly. “You boys go on. After Thomas is back, I shall call Evie and check on everyone.”
Matthew, Joshua and I creep to the van. Thomas pats my back as I pass him. I move Lila's car seat to the double doors in the rear and sit in the back. Nathan is driving and Tom is in the passenger seat. Matthew and Joshua sit in the middle.
“How long till we get to the Grecian,” I ask.
“Should be eighteen minutes, give or take.”
I nod at Matthew’s answer. There's a banging on the back of the van. Nathan stops and I look out. “What the hell is he doing here?”
“Who,” Joshua asks.
“Ethan!”
Matthew opens his door and Ethan climbs in and sits with me on the back bench.
“Why aren't you at the hospital,” Tom angrily asks.
“My sister is missing, who is my wife's best friend. Alissa asked me to leave.”
“Are you sure,” Nathan asks as he drives again.
Ethan nods. “Yeah, she's stressing out and can't relax. At least I got to hold him before she threw me out.”
“What’s his name,” Joshua asks.
“Alissa decided on Wallace Ethan,” Ethan smiles. “He looks a lot like me.”
“Hell of a day for Wally to join us, Ethan,” Tom murmurs.
“Yeah,” I smile and pat his shoulder. “This day needed some good news. Glad Wally is it. Congratulations.”
Ethan nods. We ride the rest of the way in silence and I think about the last time Mariah disappeared seven years ago.
October 24, 2011
“Good night, Dr. Alexander.”
“Good night, Ms. Jones. See you tomorrow.”
“How's Mariah doing?”
“She's great,” I grinned.
“Good.” She smiled big. “So how did you take the news?”
I frowned at her. “What news?”
Ms. Jones looked flustered. “Uh, about me transferring to the birthing suites at the hospital.”
“Of course, I was disappointed at first, but you have to do what you need to do. It'll be hard to replace you.”
“Thank you, Doctor. It was nice working with you. I'll probably see you over there soon.”
“I'm sure you will when I'm paged. Have a good night,” I wished as Ms. Jones frowned.
I walked to the stairwell and ran down two at a time, anxious to get to Mariah. The night before, she allowed me to make love to her after keeping her distance from me for weeks, saying the stress of Tom and Monica's wedding was the cause. She didn't turn away every advance from me, but she didn't respond with her normal vigor, but I didn't let it get to me. Some of Mariah is better than no Mariah.
She was a bridesmaid and was overly tired and excessively eating. She looked beautiful in her blue dress and appeared wistful as she and I danced at the reception.
Last night was different, more like we were in the beginning of us. Mariah approached me, rather flung herself at me after my evening shower and pulled my head down to hers and kissed me like she did the first time we kissed in her parent's foyer, then dropped to her knees and made me come harder than I had in weeks.
From that point, we fucked each other like tomorrow wasn't coming until my cell rang, signaling an emergency. When I was leaving, Mariah walked me to the door, wearing only a sheet, and very sweetly told me to get some rest sometime that day and she loved me. She then gave me a kiss that felt odd, distant… but she giggled at the end then swatted my ass. I playfully bit at her neck and laughed as she giggled again. I left with a huge smile on my face as I pictured her in that sheet.
“Mariah,” I called as I entered the apartment. No answer. Hmm. She had to be with her sister. They didn't see each other as much as they did when they lived together, so they probably dropped her car off and went somewhere in Lisa's.
I started our dinner and thought of last night's... activities... and my cell goes off. Unknown number.
“Dr. Alexander.”
“Marcus, it's Evelyn.”
“Where are you? This said unknown number.”
“My car. I’m calling from the secure cell. Mine is off while it charges. Marcus, did Mariah tell you why she quit her job?”
“Yeah, she wants time to relax before our wedding. Why?”
Evelyn paused, muttered to herself, then said, “I don't want her to quit, Marcus. She has this...”
“This what?”
“She has an issue and you should discuss it with her sooner than later, all right?”
I frowned. “All right, Evelyn. I will.”
“Good. Make her tell you, Marcus. Trust me, you need to pull it out of her. Listen to her and take a deep breath before you respond. Call me after you talk.”
I stared at my phone after she ended the call and try to think of what was bothering Mariah. Must be her dress, or some other banal thing about our wedding. I tried telling her to relax about it, that
I'd marry her in a paper bag, or lying in the bed naked if she wanted.
She did look good in that sheet. Really good.
After I get our dinner ready, I glance at the clock and am shocked to see it's almost ten p.m. I scowled. This is not like Mariah. If she's going to be late, she calls or texts to let me know. Grabbing my phone, I called the beloved iPhone Ethan gave her. I heard Prince singing somewhere in the apartment, his voice was telling someone they owned his heart and mind. Mariah didn't answer so I left a voice mail.
“Baby, where are you? I miss you. Call me.”
I sat alone and had my dinner. After, I put Mariah's in the warmer then had my shower. While I was in there, I questioned if I actually saw her car in the building's lot.
I pulled on shorts and looked. Yep, it was there. I stepped into our bedroom and called her again, and again I heard Prince singing again, only louder. I looked around; her cell was on the table. Damn it... she's out without her phone. She was probably in a rush, running late from over-sleeping... wait… she's not working anymore, why would she be late for something? Maybe Lisa knew. I scowled again as I dialed her.
“Hi, Marcus.”
“Hi, Lisa. Is Mariah with you?”
“No; I thought she was home. I haven't seen or heard from her since last night.”
“Hmm. She left her phone and her car's outside.”
“What? She doesn't leave her phone. Hang on. Puppy?”
“Yeah?”
“Have you heard from Cookie today?”
“Not since she called me this morning.”
“Did she tell you about her day, what she was doing?”
“No, just called to say hi and she wanted to hear my voice.”
“Funny... Marcus, she said the same thing to me last night.”
I scowled again. “Exact same phrase?”
“Yes.”
“What? Call your parents, Lisa. I'm going to call mine.”
“All right, Marcus. I'll do it now.”
I dialed Mother.
“Hello, darling. How are you and my daughter-in-law tonight?”
“She’s not there, Mother? You haven't heard from her?”
“No, not today. She called me last night.”
“Let me guess, she just wanted to hear your voice.”
“Why, yes, Marcus, how did you know that?”
“Did she speak with Dad?”
“Stephen? Did you talk to Mariah today?”
“Yes, I did. She joined me for lunch. Why?”
“Marcus, she's not missing, is she?”
“She's not here and Lisa hasn't seen her. Let me speak with Dad.”
“Yes, son?”
“Dad, did Mariah seem upset or something when you saw her?”
“Not to me. We laughed and had a good talk. As we were leaving, she said she loved my name and kissed my cheek.”
“Did she say where she was going after lunch?”
“No, only thing after that was she thought it was lovely to hear my voice.”
“Shit! I gotta go, Dad. I'll call you later.”
I hit the end button and call Joshua.
“What's up, Cramp?”
“Did you or Mandy talk to Mariah today?”
“No, we talked to her last night.”
“She said she just wanted to hear your voices, right?”
“What are you, psychic now,” he chuckled.
I ended the call and phone Lisa back.
“Marcus, she's not with them; they haven't heard from her since this morning.”
“Shit! She's calling everyone, telling them she just wanted to hear their voices!”
“Why would she do that?”
“No idea. Is there anyone else? Did you call your brothers?”
“No, I will now.”
“I have to call Evelyn and Matthew. I'll call you back when I'm done.”
“All right, Marcus.”
Evelyn answered my call nervously.
“Evelyn, Mariah's not here and I haven't heard from her. Have you?”
“Not since this afternoon, after lunch. She said she just had lunch with Daddy and was just popping in to say hi.”
“Anything about your voice?”
“Just that she was happy to hear it after her long day.”
“If she calls you, Evelyn, call me right away.”
“I will, Marcus.”
Next, I called Matthew.
“Hey, Cramp. What ya need?”
“Have you heard from Mariah, in the last twenty-four hours?”
“Sure. I went to breakfast with her this morning. She called and asked me for a date. I even got a nice kiss on my cheek afterward. Aren't you jealous,” he laughed.
Shaking, I drop to the bed. “Jesus Christ. Matthew...”
He sobered quickly. “What? I didn't make a pass at her, Cramp. You know I love Mariah but not in that way.”
“I know; she's been making the rounds with the family, telling them she just wanted to hear their voices.”
He paused. “Shit, Marcus! She said that to me after breakfast!”
“I think... she left me, Matthew,” I quietly told him.
“I'll be right over,” he answered quickly, then hung up.
I looked around the room and I couldn't see anything out of place. I moved to the walk-in closet and it looked the same. Her clothes were there and her shoes. Looking closer, I notice all her sweats and tees were gone and so were her trainers. Maybe they're all dirty.
I ran to the bathroom and checked the hamper. Empty. I looked on the bathroom shelf and all her oils and scents were gone. My heart rate excelled. I slowly walked to the dresser... her dresser... filled with all the lacy and sexy things we'd bought, and her daily underwear. It was all gone.
Suddenly, my knees buckled and I fell to the floor. Mariah... gone... again! Why was this happening again? What happened?
I had to get out of there. I threw on jeans and a shirt. I contemplated taking my phone and decided against it. I wanted to be alone with no interruptions. I raced out of the apartment and got in my car, driving fast and furious... trying to clear my mind... at least for a moment. I needed to think only of her and try to figure out why the hell she left. We were happy, I thought.
I hit the expressway and floored it. I didn't know how fast I was going and didn't fucking care. The low gas light popped on and I stopped at the first station. Damn it. No wallet. I used the emergency stash in the glove box. I filled up, then sped along the expressway. Again the low gas light popped on.
“What the fuck,” I muttered. “Why did I buy this useless car?”
I filled up again and hit the road, flooring the pedal. The fucking light came on again!
“I gotta get another fucking car,” I yelled.
I pulled into another station, thinking, ‘It had to be the tenth station I'd been in.’
I checked the time... shit, It's seven a.m.! Damn it...
I looked around and wondered aloud, “Where the hell am I?”
I turn on the GPS and was absolutely shocked. Fucking San Francisco! No wonder! How the hell did I get here?
Not knowing, I decided I needed a fucking drink and wandered into the first spirit store I found. Next stop, a motel where I planned to be alone with my new friend.
November 8, 2011
I walked into Mother's living room and jumped at Evelyn's scream. I stopped and looked at her, then smirked when she didn’t say anything further.
“Hello,” I murmured sarcastically to the gaped faces. “See a mouse, Evelyn?”
“M-Marcus,” Mother stammered as a tear dropped on her cheek.
“Yes,” I answered, getting a drink. I turned back to them and frowned. They were looking at me like I was a ghost. “What? Did I miss dinner?”
Matthew walked to me, scowling, his eyes burning with rage.
I never saw the punch coming.
I stumbled back, dropping my glass. I gripped my jaw as Matthew bear hugged me, sobbing loudly i
n my ear. Russell held a sobbing Evelyn, quietly staring at me in disbelief.
“What the hell is going on? Get off me, Toad!”
“Where the hell were you,” Mandy screamed at me, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“What?”
“Where the fuck have you been, asshole,” Matthew shouted.
“San Francisco,” I shouted back, rubbing my jaw. “Why the hell did you punch me, fucker?”
“Do you know how fucking worried we've been? Even I couldn't find you,” Matthew shouted again, finally releasing me. He shoved me away then Joshua took his place with the hugging. Dad patted me down, like he's checking for injuries.
“Fucking San Francisco,” Matthew scowled. “Dad! I don't care what you say, everyone's car will have a tracking system installed! Today!”
“I agree, son. Today,” Dad agreed quietly, finally taking his hands away from my person.
“I was only gone two days! Damn it! All this for two lousy fucking days!”
“You better call Lil, Stephen,” Mother said, walking to me. She tearfully held my cheek.
“Call Lil for what? Get off me, Twerp! What’s going on? Dad, why are you calling Lil?”
“No, we turned off our phones for this meeting … Yes, just now ... He doesn't seem to know how long he's been gone ... No, he hasn't ... Are you sure?... Fine.” He hung up and looked at Mother. “She's almost here and so are the Harveys. Lisa saw him getting off the expressway.”
“The Harveys? What do they want?”
They looked at one another then at me, oddly. Maybe I wasn’t out of that drunken stupor I put myself in yesterday. Why did I do that? I scowled when I hear the doorbell.
“Marcus? Do you know who I am, darling,” Mother asked as she searched my eyes.
“Mother, come on... I'm not that hung-over.”
“Thank God, Lil’s here,” Dad murmured as Lil and the rest of the family rushed in.
“Hello, Marcus,” she said slowly. “Do you know me?”
I scowled at her.
“I'm Lil... Tom, Ethan and Lisa's mother. I'm also your business partner.”
I scowled harder. “Why are you talking to me like one of your patients, Lil?”
“Your father says you've lost track of time. Any idea why?”
“Probably because I've been in a stupor for two days,” I answered with a smirk.
Marcus: The M Series, Book Three Page 15