In His Power (Beyond Darkness, #1)

by Iris Deorre

  Victor rubbed his chin, his eyes not leaving the beautiful picture. ‘Has anyone else seen the footage?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘I will have a look at it and see if I can spot anything odd. But I’d like you to get hold of our IT expert to have a detailed look. He might see something we don’t.’

  ‘Yes, will do.’

  ‘Thanks for this Bradley. I’ll call you as soon as I find something. We’ll take everything from there.’

  Bradley nodded and left Victor. Victor sat back into the large leather chair and sighed. He would have to pull all the resources he had, to find this child. He lifted the folder and studied London’s picture. His eyes trailed down her oval face, he was sucked into her beautiful eyes and he loved her long dark locks. She had the smoothest caramel skin he’d ever seen. In the picture, her cheeks had hint of blush that enhanced her cheekbones.

  ‘Such beauty. Why did they do this to you?’ he had to ask. He studied the picture of the little girl. She had golden blonde curly locks with green eyes. She was beautiful. He rubbed his chin and continued to study the pictures of both London and Paige.

  ‘Where are they taking you?’ He picked up the data stick that had all the records of the park on that day.

  He took time to study the images. He took a while to finally spot London and Paige. They’d been on a few rides, fed the animals and taken photos with some of the characters. He took time to really study the images. He rewound, fast forwarded and sometimes just paused. Then after a while something caught his eye. He rewound to the merry-go-round ride. He leaned in a little closer and zoomed in the picture. A moment later he clicked on the second photo of London and Paige feeding the animals. Next he clicked on the image of London and Paige taking photos with the Disney characters. There was one common denominator in all of them!

  He sat back and took it all in. There was a clue, a starting point, and he knew just what he would do. After a moment he picked up the phone and called Bradley.

  ‘I have something,’ he said. ‘We need to talk and set up a plan of action.’

  ‘When do you need me?’

  ‘As soon as you can get here. The sooner we make a plan, the better. I think I have an idea of what is going on.’

  ‘Okay, I’ll be there within the next hour.’

  ‘Perfect. We’ll talk then.

  ****

  It had been over twenty-four hours and the police had come up with nothing. They were chasing a ghost. The images from the park hadn’t done anything, and Detective Gates was loosing hope minute by minute. He wanted so much to make things right for London. There was something so vulnerable about her he wanted to protect, and make things okay. He also couldn’t stop thinking about how beautiful she was. He knew it wasn’t the time and place, but it was something that couldn’t be ignored.

  He thought about the plan of action. They’d obtained a piece of Paige’s clothing. The dogs had turned up nothing which ruled out murder. He was certain that Paige hadn’t been murdered. But the trail had ended. But he wouldn’t give up, that wasn’t him. He would get to the bottom of this once and for all, and he knew just who he had to visit.

  Victor and Detective Gates hadn’t got along. Victor had tried to offer him the high life, but he wouldn’t be bribed by him. When he’d set out to join the police force, Victor was the exact person he would hunt down, and shut down for good. He wouldn’t be swayed by money, instead he was swayed by his conscious. He couldn’t prove anything yet, but he knew that Victor was an evil man, operating dark deeds.

  He’s studied him. Tried to follow his tracks, but he always came up with a dead end. But now that the missing girl had come from the park that Victor owned, Detective Gates was convinced the man had something to do with it. If not, he was certain they would still dig up some dirt on him.

  He parked outside one of Victors many houses. It was a sunny afternoon and he would’ve rather been out lounging around, than being on the property of the one man he loathed. He ran a hand through his hair a habit stemmed from anxiety. It didn’t matter what he told himself, Victor always made him feel self conscious. The man was extremely intimidating with his looks and immense wealth. Detective Gates made a mental note he would be in and out of Victor’s house as quick as possible. All he wanted were a few answers to the questions he had, that would be it.

  He stepped out of the car and walked towards the huge door. He rang the bell, and he was let in. Bradley led the detective to Victor’s study, where Victor drank a glass of brandy.

  ‘Ah detective.’ He smiled. ‘Can I offer you a drink?’

  ‘A bit early in the day, and I’m on duty.’

  ‘Well, it’s never too early for a drink. Life is for living. If you want a drink, one should always have one. But then again, like you said, you’re on the job.’ He walked around to the large oak desk, and sat in an equally large chair. ‘Please, have a seat.’ He nodded at the seat opposite him.

  Detective Gates adjusted his tie, and then sat down.

  ‘What can I do for you?’ asked Victor.

  ‘I think you know why I’m here.’

  Victor sat back and smiled.

  ‘It’s about the missing girl.’

  ‘Yes, that’s a sad thing. And for it to happen at my park is even more dreadful.’

  The detective watched the way Victor avoided his eyes. He also noticed how he touched his face from time to time as he spoke.

  ‘Mister Adamovich, I will cut to the chase.’

  ‘Go on.’

  ‘You have tampered with the evidence.’

  Victor looked at him a moment.

  ‘I know you have. Not all the tapes we retrieved from the park are there. There are some gaps in some of them.’

  ‘Are you accusing me of something, detective?’

  ‘Is there something you want to tell me?’ He looked him in the eye and this time Victor didn’t look away.

  ‘No there isn’t.’ He kept his gaze.

  ‘This is serious. A child’s life could be at stake, and you choose to lie to me.’

  ‘Do I need to ring my attorney, detective?’

  Detective Gates knew it was a long shot getting what he wanted from Victor, but it had confirmed his suspicions. This meant he would keep a closer eye on, Victor Adamovich.

  ‘No, but you might.’

  ‘I see. I think Bradley will show you out now.’ He looked over at his right hand man.

  ‘Detective.’ Bradley opened the door.

  ‘I’ll be in touch. Don’t leave town.’

  Victor laughed lightly. ‘You should consider working for me. We’d make a good team.’

  ‘I doubt that.’ The detective said without turning.

  Bradley shut the door behind them, and was gone for a couple of minutes. The minute he walked back into the room, Victor was ready to make the next move.

  ‘Did you hear from IT?’

  ‘Not yet.’

  ‘Okay, get everything we’ve got so far together. Time isn’t on our side, and the quicker we stay ahead of the police, the better.’

  ‘Yes sir.’

  ‘I must see her,’ he said. A strange feeling drifted through him. He’d studied her picture a lot.

  ‘She’s not speaking to anyone, not even the police,’ said Bradley. ‘Inside information said its stress and shock.’

  ‘But she will speak to me.’ He smiled lightly. ‘I’m the one who will make this right. It was my park. No one shits in my park and gets away with it.’

  Bradley studied him a moment.

  ‘What?’

  ‘You like her,’ he said as he pulled out the seat.

  Victor was silent a moment and then spoke. ‘I do. There is something about her. I want to protect her. I have to, and I will make sure whoever took her baby, pays with their life.’

  ‘But what if she doesn’t like you back?’ He knew he was treading on rocky ground, but he also knew where he stood with him.

  ‘She will.’ He smiled. ‘She will.�
�� He was so confident about it.

  ‘She might not like what you do.’

  He was silent. He pulled the folder from the side draw of the table and opened it. He pulled out the enlarged picture of London. He studied her a moment. Strange things happened within his body when he gazed at her photo. After a while, he pushed it over to Bradley. He studied it a moment.

  ‘She is beautiful.’ He had to admit it himself.

  ‘It’s not only that is it? There is something intriguing about her. I can’t say what, but if you just look at those lovely eyes.’

  Bradley studied the photograph; he understood exactly what Victor was talking about.

  ‘It’s important we act as soon as possible.’

  ‘Yes, I’ll get in touch with our IT guy.’

  ‘Great. I know I’ll find her child. I just know it.’

  ‘I don’t doubt it.’ And he really didn’t. If there was one thing he knew about his boss, was that he always got what he wanted. The people, who had taken Paige, had no idea what was coming their way.

  ****

  Paige didn’t understand what was going on. The one minute she’d been asked to help a nice lady find her dog. The next moment she was driven away from the park and her mother. She sat in a cold and dirty place with just a bed with very thin covers. There were sounds of other children around, some were crying, others were screaming and some uttered random rumblings. At different times of the day, a tray of food would be shoved through a slot at the bottom of the door. It comprised of stale bread and a glass of water or milk if lucky. On good days, there was either pizza or fish fingers.

  ‘I want my mummy. When can I go back to my mummy?’ The beautiful child had asked while she’d been driven away. She hadn’t understood what had happened. ‘I want to go to my mummy.’

  The nice lady, who had taken her hand, had suddenly become not so nice. She turned to the little girl who had the golden hair and the green eyes the clients wanted and said. ‘You’re with me now, stop asking the question.’

  Paige had cried, and had asked to see her mummy over and over again, but the woman didn’t bat an eyelid. It was her job, she’d done this many times before, and she knew she’d won the jackpot with this one. The little girl, who sat beside her, ready to be transported to a location unknown, was a rare looking child.

  ‘I want my mummy!’ she’d screamed.

  ‘You’re with me now,’ the woman repeated. This had been a long search, but they’d finally found what they’d been looking for, and the little girl who sat beside her was a gold mine. She was the cash cow, the answer to a better life for all that were involved. ‘You’re with me now,’ Lucia had said again to Paige.

  Chapter Four

  Portia walked into the hospital at ten that morning. It was decided that London was ready to go home even though she hadn’t said a word in two days. She looked at her daughter, her heart painful, mourning the loss of her granddaughter and the loss of her daughter. She felt so helpless she didn’t know what to do. London’s father, Malcolm had tried his best to help his daughter, but he too couldn’t get through to her. It had been a hard couple of days.

  Detective Gates had paid a visit the day before, but he’d got no closer to solving the disappearance of Paige, and had doubted if they ever will.

  ‘Honey, I’ve come to take you home,’ said Portia.

  London looked at her mother. She could see how the past few days had aged her. There were so many things she wanted to say, but she just couldn’t articulate the words. Her world was a whirlwind of emotions. There was a dry pit of emptiness deep down within her. Someone precious to her had been taken away, and she couldn’t deal with it.

  ‘Dads waiting for us outside in the car park,’ said Portia.

  London gazed at her mother a moment. The woman seemed to be so strong, it was a quality she had always admired in her. She wondered how she could stay so cool and collected.

  ‘Honey.’ Portia took her daughters hand. ‘I know this is hard. It’s hard for me, but we’ve got to have faith.’

  London gazed at her mother. Faith? Faith in what? The words circulated her brain, but never surfaced.

  ‘Our church is praying for the return of Paige. I’m hopeful that God will make a way,’ she said.

  Anger and bitterness seeped through every part of London’s body. Where was God when her daughter was taken from her? She wanted to lash out, but the pain kept her bound.

  ‘I know this is hard for you, honey. I know that you feel like the Lord has failed you, but I know he hasn’t. I’ll be strong for both of us.’

  It won’t bring my daughter back! She wanted to say, but the words only stayed in her mind.

  ‘Come on love, let’s get you home.’ She held out her hand as if London was a little girl.

  She took a moment, but soon, London webbed her arm around her mothers arm, and allowed her to lead the way. Portia smiled and patted her daughter’s hand.

  ‘It will be okay honey. We can go to your house, pick up some clothes and you can spend some time with us.’

  London wanted to resist, but the words wouldn’t form, they wouldn’t release. She was terrified, so frightened to step into her own house. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to step onto the front drive.

  ‘We’ll take care of you, don’t you worry,’ she said as they walked.

  Portia dealt with the release forms and within minutes they were heading towards the car park. Suddenly, London stopped.

  ‘Honey, what’s the matter?’

  The reality of the atmosphere hit her. She stood outside, the cold wind against her face. The feeling triggered the memories of that day. She wanted to run, she wanted to hide! She wanted to hurt herself, she wanted to hit up against a tree, she wanted to do anything to make the internal pain go away, but it was impossible. The reality was staring her right in the face. Her beautiful daughter was gone, and there was a possibility she might never see her again. The realisation hit her! She couldn’t bear it.

  ‘Sweetheart?’

  London walked again until they got to the car. Malcolm stepped out and opened the back door for his daughter to get in.

  ‘Are you okay darling?’ he asked knowing she wasn’t, but he didn’t know what else to say. It pained him dearly that his only granddaughter had gone missing. ‘It’s okay, we’re here for you,’ he said then finally shut the door. He looked at his wife feeling helpless, she felt the exact same way too.

  ‘The Lord will make a way,’ she said.

  Malcolm nodded even though he didn’t have the same amount of faith as she did. They drove in silence. It was a hard drive to make, and each mile brought trepidation. London wanted to jump out of the car and run away, but she knew that wouldn’t solve anything. From time to time, Portia sneaked a peak at the back seat just to make sure she was ok. She wasn’t, how could she be. Her daughter was somewhere in this big wide world, and she had no idea what to do about it.

  The car finally stopped outside London’s house. She gazed at the bottle green door. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t go inside and not expect to see Paige. Her parents turned to her and waited. Malcolm looked at his wife, but she kept her gaze on London.

  ‘Sweetie, we can get some clothes for you and you can come back to ours if you can’t do this.’

  London was silent, but shook her head. She wanted to ask for a little more time, but the words still refused to pass her lips.

  ‘Okay, whenever you’re ready, sweetheart.’

  Ten minutes later, London pulled on the latch to the car and opened the door. She stepped out slowly. Her head felt a little light, but she took bold steps towards the front door. Portia followed behind. London put her head to the door and shut her eyes. She didn’t want to go in, but she knew she had to.

  ‘Sweetie, you don’t have to do this.’

  London shut her eyes; her head still against the door and bit her lip. Her throat felt restricted by the grief, and at one point she thought she might faint. But after a few
moments, London felt strong enough to step inside. She fumbled for the keys in her bag. She let out a sigh, and then opened the door. She stood frozen in the door way like a stranger. Her eyes wandered down the passage, towards the kitchen. She thought she could hear Paige’s voice coming from the kitchen, but she knew it was all in her head.

  She stepped into the house, and headed for the kitchen. The plates lay in the sink still unwashed from the morning of the incident. She stood in the middle of the room and stared at the empty bowl Paige, had used to eat that morning. Her heart broke into tiny little pieces, her body heated all over and within seconds she fell to the floor.

  ‘Oh honey.’ Portia was too late to help her. ‘I’m so sorry.’ She joined her on the kitchen floor and took her into her arms.

  She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream, she wanted to do anything than the silence that had arrested her body. But nothing came. They stayed in that position until Malcolm entered the house to find out what was going on.

  ‘Just give me a minute, honey.’ Portia stood up and took Malcolm by the arm, and led him to the living-room, so they could talk privately. ‘I think I will stay with her. Why don’t you go on home, come back later this evening for tea. Also bring me a change of clothes,’ she said. ‘I don’t want to push her to do anything she isn’t ready for.’

  ‘Yes, of course.’ He took Portia into his arms. ‘I just wish I could do more to help.’

  ‘You are love, you’re here with us. Your presence is what we need’

  ‘I love you.’ He kissed her forehead.

  She walked him to the door, shut the door behind him, and headed back for the kitchen. But when she got there, London was gone.

  ‘London?’ she panicked. ‘London?’

  London had gone upstairs while her parents spoke. She slowly opened the door to Paige’s room. It hit her as she looked at the tiny bed and the small clothes scattered across the floor. She’d always told Paige to pick up after herself, but it hadn’t stuck. How insignificant that was at that moment. She didn’t care about that, all she wanted was her baby back in her arms.