The Stolen Breath

by L. G. Davis

  “It means you made your choice and now you have to live with it.” My heart jumped into my throat as she pulled out a gun and pointed it to her head, grinning madly.

  “Tina, don’t be ridiculous. Please, don’t do that.”

  “I’m not doing this to myself,” she said. “You are doing it to me. You always knew how I felt about Rob. Why would you agree to marry him?”

  “He wants to marry me and I love him, Tina. He loves me.”

  “Fine. You made your bed and now you’re going to lie in it.”

  She closed her eyes, scrunching them up tight. The next thing I knew, I was on the bed with her, trying to wrestle the gun from her hands.

  A gunshot rang out and I screamed.

  Chapter 18

  The Present

  It’s raining hard. Big, fat raindrops fall like tears from the sky, drumming on the surface of my car.

  It’s hard to see from the rain and my own tears blinding me.

  I pull to the side of the road to wait for the rain to ease up.

  Cars whiz by in the dark, headlights blurry through the windshield.

  I press my forehead against the steering wheel, my tears coating the black leather.

  The night Tina died, I made a decision that I now have to pay a price for. I guess everyone was right. I did play a part in my baby’s disappearance.

  But how can I be sure this isn’t some kind of prank that I’m falling for?

  But what if it isn’t a prank? What if I do nothing and Lea gets hurt?

  I lift my head off the steering wheel and rub my eyes.

  When I left Oakney, a month after the transplant surgery, I never planned on returning. Too much had happened, enough to drive me away.

  A new life in a new town with a new kidney had seemed appealing at the time. As long as I was away from my hometown, no one would ever find out what happened that night in Tina’s apartment.

  I didn’t have anything or anyone tying me to the town anyway. After Tina’s death, I found out that she had been right. My engagement to Rob was not real. It was a stupid bet. Needless to say, I never wanted to see him again.

  Maybe it was for the best. If he hadn’t broken things off, I probably would have. I would never have been able to live with myself knowing that my decision to stay with him had led to someone dying. Our relationship would have been doomed.

  Now here I am, forced to return to a place I never wanted to see again. I don’t even know if anyone would be happy to see me back.

  Only one person comes to mind.

  Clayton Hartnett. Things may have ended in a way that shocked and devastated me, but he had been one of my nerdy friends before Tina lured me away.

  Clayton would do anything for me.

  Before I married Andrew, he had been writing to me on and off for years, refusing to give up the idea of us.

  Unlike Rob, he was the real deal. He truly cared for me, maybe a little too much. When Rob bowed out, he stepped in to try and mend my heart, and to save my life.

  All he got was a broken heart, and I got another dose of guilt to carry with me out of Oakney.

  His emails, calls, and texts did nothing to change my feelings from platonic to romantic. He only stopped contacting me when I told him I was getting married to Andrew. I never heard from him again.

  I never thought I’d be the one to get in touch with him after all these years.

  I pull out my phone and send him a quick email.

  I keep it short, getting straight to the point because there’s no time for anything else.

  I apologize for not keeping in touch, then I ask for his help. I tell him the whole story of what happened to Lea and let him know that I’ll be at my childhood home by midnight.

  I toss the phone onto the passenger seat next to the threatening note I found in the stuffed toy.

  I pick it up and read the words again. They hit me as hard as the first time I laid eyes on them. But this time, something else jumps out at me.

  You will end up completely alone.

  A heavy weight settles on my chest as though someone is sitting on top of me.

  The person who wrote the note knows my husband is dead.

  I hate to even think it, but what if Andrew’s death had been planned? Is that what the person who wrote the note is hinting at?

  Could the search for my daughter lead me to my husband’s killer?

  When the rain stops gushing down, I start the car again. Being at the side of a dark road alone for too long is not a good idea.

  I drive slowly to Oakney, afraid of what I might find there, dreading the horrors awaiting me.

  My phone rings several times. It’s Officer Randall. I don’t pick up. I can’t. He instructed me not to leave town and I disobeyed him. I cannot tell him about the note without explaining how it might be linked to my past.

  I pray he will leave a message. I need to know if he has good news that would require me to give up my own search.

  He does leave a message, but it doesn’t help.

  “Mrs. Caswell, this is Officer Randall. I’ve been trying to reach you. Please call me back. It’s important.”

  The phone rings again, and this time, I can’t resist. Maybe they found Lea. I pull over to the side of the road again and answer.

  He sounds stressed when he answers the call.

  “I’ve been trying to get hold of you, Mrs. Caswell. I was just about to drive to your place.”

  “Sorry I missed your calls. I’ve been quite busy.”

  “That’s fine, but I need you to come to the station as soon as possible.”

  “Why? Did Madison confess?”

  “No. Miss Price is off the hook. She’s not our suspect. But we need to speak to you, Mrs. Caswell. We have questions we’d like to ask you.”

  I grip the wheel tighter to keep from swerving into the opposite lane. “Am I a suspect, Officer? Is that why you want to speak to me?”

  I knew it was only a matter of time before the police ate up the lies fed to them by the press.

  He lets out a frustrated breath. “It would be much easier for both of us if you come to the station so we can speak in person.”

  “Sorry, Officer. I have to go.” I end the call and send him a short text.

  Officer, my battery is low. I’ll be out of town for a few days. I’ll explain later. I promise to come to the station after I return.

  My hope is that by the time I get back to Sarton, I would have found Lea on my own and there would be no need for me to be questioned.

  I ignore Officer Randall’s next calls.

  When the calls finally end, silence falls. The rain has stopped as well.

  I blink away the tears. I have to be strong now. Getting emotional is out of the question. My baby’s life is at risk. She’s somewhere out there waiting for me to come for her.

  This is my chance to make up for all the times I neglected her. Facing my demons is a small price to pay for getting her back.

  Chapter 19

  Iarrive in Oakney like a thief in the night.

  My mother’s house has been unoccupied since I left town. I didn’t have the heart to rent it out or even sell it. I did not want anyone disrupting our memories.

  At 1:00 a.m., Beta Street is like a graveyard, so no one will notice I’m back until morning. I’ll have a few hours to prepare for all the questions.

  A feeling of discomfort unfurls in my gut and I glance in the review mirror. There’s a car behind me, which in itself is not unusual, but I have a feeling it has been trailing me for a while.

  What if it’s Lea’s kidnapper or my husband’s killer? Or the same person?

  I slow down. I might be risking my life at this point. The person behind the note could be dangerous, but if they have my baby, I might not have any other choice but to come face to face with him or her.

  Despite my fears, I force myself to pull up on the curb to see if the person is brave enough to do the same. I remain in the car with all doors locked, t
aking deep breaths. My courage is starting to melt away.

  To both my disappointment and relief, the car behind me drives past without slowing down. The driver, a woman with dark hair, doesn’t even glance in my direction.

  After calming my heart, I start the car again to drive to my mother’s house.

  After we got married, Andrew had wanted us to visit Oakney, so he could see where I came from, but I refused. Even though I haven’t set foot in the place for seven years, the key is still on the keyring that carries all my keys in Sarton, one-half of a heart engraved with Andrew’s initials.

  I make it all the way into the house before it occurs to me that I didn’t bring any clothes with me. On my way out the door, I only grabbed my phone, my keys, and my handbag.

  It doesn’t matter. There should be something in my old room that fits me, especially now that I’ve lost more than the baby weight from all the stress.

  When I open the door, it creaks with age. A cloud of dust meets me in the small hallway, making me sneeze. Fortunately, the furniture will be free of dust since I covered it all up before I left.

  Since the electricity is switched off, I turn on my cell phone flashlight and take a look around the house.

  I stand in the doorway of the kitchen watching the film of dust covering the plastic protecting the table and chairs. There are cobwebs in the corners of the room.

  I remember my mother and how she used to sit with me at the kitchen table at every meal, telling me how much she loved me. She wanted to love me so much that I wouldn’t miss the father I’d never had. My senses remember the aromas of the fresh breads and cookies we baked on Saturday nights to share at church. I remember her laughter even when it was wrapped in pain.

  “I need you, mom.” Tears gather in my throat. “Everything is falling apart and I don’t know what to do.”

  In the silence, I listen for a sign that she’s listening, but it never comes. I’m all alone in this.

  Chapter 20

  In the morning, Officer Randall calls me several more times. I still don’t answer his calls.

  I’m in deep trouble. The fact that I left town without telling the police, after being told to stay put, must make them think I’m running, that I’m guilty of doing something to my baby.

  I stare out the windows, watching the ocean that’s not too far from the house.

  My mother was an excellent swimmer and she did everything to teach me, but I had a fear of the water from an early age. I preferred to watch the ocean from afar, but never liked to step foot into it. My fears of the deep sea magnified when one of the kids I went to school with drowned while out surfing.

  I jump when my phone rings again. The call comes from an unknown number. I answer quickly in the hopes it could be Clayton.

  “Mrs. Caswell, where are you?” Officer Randall’s voice booms down the line.

  “I can’t tell you, but I’ll be back in a few days. I’m searching for my daughter.”

  “Leaving town was not a good idea.” He sounds like he’s cursing under his breath. “I need you to come back to Sarton. We need to talk to you at the station.”

  “You mean you want to arrest me? You really think I had something to do with the disappearance of my daughter?” The silence that follows tells me everything I need to know.

  “Come back to Sarton,” he says again.

  “Not yet. Goodbye, Officer.” I hang up on him again. There’s nothing else I want to say to him.

  I call Anita next. The phone only rings once before she answers.

  “Delia, where are you?” She sounds out of breath.

  “I’m out of town. Don’t worry about me. How are you doing?”

  “The police came to see me.”

  “They came to the Ranch?”

  “I...no. They came to my house.”

  My heart falls at hearing that she has left rehab. She must have returned home right after I left town. Or maybe she was hiding in the house for a while without my knowledge. But why would she do that?

  I can’t force her to stay in rehab. At the end of the day, she’s a grown woman. She can make her own decisions, and I have more pressing matters to worry about.

  I wrap an arm around my churning stomach. “What did they want to see you about?”

  “They were asking me questions about you and your relationship with Lea.” She pauses. “How you were as a mother.”

  “What did you tell them?” I hold my breath.

  Anita was close enough to see me struggle as a mother. She also knows I love my daughter. The truth is, she could either help my case, or make things worse for me.

  “I told them the truth, that you were struggling as a new mom and widow, but that you were... I mean, you are a good mom to Lea. You would never hurt her.”

  “Thank you. I don’t care what they say. They can all go to hell. I won’t let them hold me in a cell while my daughter is out there somewhere with a sicko.”

  “You won’t tell me where you are?” Anita sounds almost hurt.

  “No.” Telling her would be a mistake. She’s the closest person to me. The police would do everything to get information from her. “I’m sorry. I’ll keep in touch. In the meantime, take care of yourself.”

  It’s only when I end the call that it occurs to me that the police might already be using Anita to get to me. What if they listened in on the call?

  It’s a good thing I didn’t tell her where I am. But if they really want to get to me, they might be able to track me down.

  I put my hands between my knees and rock back and forth.

  The ping of a notification on my phone informs me that I received a new email. It’s from the person blackmailing me.

  You have one week to settle in and confess your crimes to the police. If you don’t, you’ll never see your baby again.

  I don’t think twice before responding.

  Who are you? Where’s my baby?

  I wait an hour for a response that doesn’t come. During the wait, I read all the nasty emails I received when I wrote the blog post that went viral. One of the people who emailed could be the person holding Lea and blackmailing me.

  I don’t get anywhere. Many of the emails don’t give me much information. I’m able to link some of the names to my followers, but I’m unable to find out anything more. I realize later that all the emails could be one person with multiple accounts.

  A knock on the door is a welcome distraction. I peer through the peephole, but see no one there. Even when I open the door, I find the doorstep empty. My cheeks are burning with rage when I shut the door again.

  My tormentor is a coward, but sooner or later we will come face to face. At this point, I’m too furious to even be terrified.

  I SPEND THE WHOLE DAY inside, afraid to step out.

  Last night, I was determined to confront the person who is making my life hell, the person who might have kidnapped my baby. Today, terror has trapped me inside.

  The sun is setting, and with each passing hour, I’m more terrified that I might not find my child, that the person after me might hurt me before I do.

  I tighten my arms around my middle. Every part of my body hurts from all the tension. The only thing I drank all day was water because there’s nothing to eat in the house and I can’t get myself to go to the store.

  There’s another knock at the door. When I don’t open immediately, I hear a male voice and more knocking.

  “Delia, are you in there? It’s me, Clayton.”

  I open the door and come face to face with the man who saved my life. His amber eyes are the same, but the nerdy guy I used to know is long gone. He’s a handsome man in his thirties. His jaw is stronger, his hair full and cut close to his scalp. The glasses are gone and so is the large mole that had made him the butt of many jokes in school.

  He draws me into his arms, taking me by surprise. Then he pulls away, and looks me in the eyes.

  “You’re even more beautiful than you used to be,” he says with a smile
that causes fine lines to fan at the corners of his eyes.

  I blink back tears. It’s not his compliment that touches me, but the fact that he came. It means the world to me.

  “Thank you.” Tears smother my voice. “Thank you for coming over.”

  “Of course.” He steps into the house and closes the door.

  I can’t stop staring at him. I still can’t believe he came to help me.

  “You look dumbfounded.” He chuckles. “Do I look strange without the mole?” He lays a hand on the side of his jaw, where it used to be.

  “No,” I say. “You look great.”

  “It was time.” He pushes his hands into his pockets. “Getting it removed cost me a fortune, but it was all worth it.”

  “Yeah,” I say. I wish I had more time to compliment him on his good looks, but I need to talk about how he can help me find Lea. But there’s something I need to acknowledge first. “I’m sorry about what happened between us.”

  “It doesn’t matter right now,” he says. “You’re here and you said you need my help. Let’s focus on that. The rest can wait.”

  “I didn’t think you would come.”

  “I’m surprised you would think that. We’re friends, aren’t we?”

  “Yes, we’re friends.” As the kids who had been bullied, we naturally stuck together, both at Oakney High and later on at Oakney College.

  But at college, Clayton and I encountered Tina and her clique and everything changed.

  I follow his gaze as he takes the room in.

  “I know it’s a mess in here. I did my best to clean up, but there are cobwebs and dust on everything.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” He follows me to the living room. He knows the house quite well since we used to meet here to do homework while eating my mother’s ginger cookies.

  His eyes land on the flyers spread out on the coffee table.

  “I’m so sorry about your baby.” He pauses. “But I don’t think it was a good idea for you to come back. Oakney might not be the best place for you to stay right now.”

  “Why?” I ask.

  “Because people think you did it, Delia.”