Take On Me

by Stacy Claflin

  They ended the call and Nick’s mind raced. Which Parker would Genevieve drop off—the one who hated him or the one who couldn’t stop calling him Dad?

  He was pretty sure he knew the answer to that question.

  Talk

  Nick paced behind the two-way mirror, eager to get around to the other side with Parker. But paperwork had to be processed and other officers had to speak with him before Nick could. The red tape was there for a reason, but times like this, he hated it.

  He hung on every word as Detective Garcia questioned Parker.

  Genevieve came in and gave him a sad smile. “I’m glad he’s back safe and sound.”

  “Does anyone know what he was doing over there?”

  She glanced over at Parker. “He didn’t say much to me, and I didn’t press anything. I can try talking to him later, if you want, but I thought you and he should speak first.”

  Nick laced his fingers through hers and squeezed. “I appreciate that, though I’m not sure he’ll have anything to say to me. With any luck, he’ll open up to the therapist.”

  “You have an appointment?”

  “He’s going to squeeze us in.”

  “Oh, good.” She glanced at the time. “I’d better get back to my partner. Have to get back to our precinct.”

  Nick stole a quick kiss. “If none of the kids go missing, we should get dinner alone.”

  She smiled. “I’d like that. Let me know how everything goes with Parker.”

  “I will.” He gave her another kiss, wishing they could melt together and leave reality for a while.

  Genevieve left, then shortly afterwards Garcia joined him and filled him in. Not that there was much to say, since Parker hadn’t told him much.

  Nick thanked him, then went into the interrogation room and sat across from his son. Parker didn’t look up, and Nick didn’t speak. His mind raced with things he wanted to say, none of which would be helpful in the long run.

  Finally, Parker looked up. Didn’t say anything.

  Nick didn’t either.

  It was a face off, and his heart thundered in his chest though he kept his expression stoic.

  Parker broke the silence. “Are you going to ground me?”

  “Would it do any good?”

  Parker shrugged.

  “Why did you do it?”

  He shrugged again.

  “You’re going to have to do better than that, son.”

  Parker looked away.

  “What’s going on?” Nick asked.

  He took a deep breath before turning to Nick. “Can we talk somewhere else? That mirror makes me feel like someone’s watching.”

  “Let’s go.” Nick rose. “But only if you promise not to take off.”

  Parker looked at him like he was crazy.

  “I’m serious.”

  “Fine.”

  “Fine, what?”

  Parker sighed dramatically. “I won’t disappear.”

  “Good. You’d better not.” Nick led him to his office and gathered his things before going out to the Mustang and hitting the road.

  “Where are we going?” Parker asked.

  “You’ll see.”

  He groaned. “Let me guess. Counseling.”

  “You’ve got it. And you promised not to go anywhere.”

  “Do I have to talk to him? Can’t we just talk—you and me?”

  “Will it do any good?”

  “What do you mean?” Parker asked.

  Nick pulled into a parking lot and turned to his son. “What I mean is, every time we seem to make progress, you either disappear or lash out at me. I realize this is big news, and it’s hard to deal with. We’ve gone over that already. What we haven’t discussed is that you’re still part of this family, and the way you’re acting isn’t acceptable. I got almost no sleep last night because I was so worried about you. Your sisters were also stressed out and worried.”

  Parker crossed his arms and frowned.

  “You can’t keep doing this. It has to stop.”

  “What are you going to do about it?”

  That was a good question, and not one Nick had an answer to yet. “The real question is, what are you going to do about it?”

  “Me?”

  Nick held his gaze. “Yes, you.”

  Parker looked away. “Does it matter?”

  “Of course it does! Why wouldn’t it?”

  He shrugged.

  Nick took a slow breath and counted to ten, then twenty. All the way up to sixty before he spoke. “It matters because we all care about you. Me, your sisters, Genevieve, and Tinsley. When you disappear, we worry. Remember how you felt when Ava was gone?”

  Parker turned his back to Nick.

  “You were scared. Remember?”

  Parker didn’t respond.

  “That’s what you’ve put us through twice now. But you know what the difference is?” Nick waited a moment. “She didn’t do it on purpose.”

  He whipped back around, his nostrils flaring. “You think I’m doing this because of you guys? It has nothing to do with you! It’s about me! Just me trying to figure everything out.”

  “Let us help you.”

  “I need to do it on my own.”

  “Why?”

  Parker sighed. “Because I’m the one who doesn’t fit in.”

  “How so?”

  “Because I’m the only one in the house not related to you!” Parker opened the door and ran.

  Nick watched in disbelief. Where had he gone wrong?

  Or had he done everything right but needed to let Parker go?

  Concede

  Alex started the car then called his sister.

  “Hey, Alex.” Macy sounded half-asleep.

  “Did I wake you?”

  “Just exhausted.”

  “Do you want me to take Ayla so you can get some sleep? I just got off work, so I can come straight over.”

  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Macy said. “She’s been calm all afternoon.”

  “And I’ll just upset her?”

  “That’s what I’m worried about. It isn’t personal.”

  He gripped the steering wheel. “I know. Have you figured out why she suddenly hates me?”

  “I don’t think she hates you. She seems to associate you with something fearful.”

  “But you haven’t gotten that out of her yet?”

  “No. It took me so long to calm her down. Maybe tomorrow I can get her to open up.”

  “You aren’t working then?”

  “I’m only working two days this week,” Macy said.

  Alex wanted to come over but was too exhausted to argue. He needed sleep, and they both knew that likely wouldn’t happen if he tried to bring Ayla home with him. Macy needed sleep also, and for that to happen, she needed Ayla calm. No sense in giving her hours more work by upsetting Ayla.

  “You still there?” Macy asked.

  “Just thinking. If you don’t mind me going home, I’ll just do that.”

  “It’s probably for the best. If she keeps improving the way she has, she’ll open up to me soon.”

  “Let me know if you need anything.”

  “I will. Thanks, Alex.”

  They ended the call, and he went home.

  Zoey gave him a big hug. “Why don’t you lay down? You look terrible.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You know what I mean. Get some rest—you sure didn’t get much last night.”

  “I should help you with the babies. You didn’t sleep much, either.”

  “I’m fine. The twins and I had a two-hour nap today.”

  “You sure?”

  She kissed his cheek. “Rest. You need it.”

  Alex couldn’t deny that. He thought about calling Nick as he got cleaned up but didn’t want to interrupt him. Hopefully father and son were having a good talk. He fell asleep as soon as he made contact with the pillow.

  Almost immediately, his phone rang. Except the time showed i
t was nearly three hours later. It was Macy calling.

  He fumbled with the phone, trying to accept the call and nearly missed it. “Macy, is everything okay?”

  “We need to talk about Ayla.” Screaming sounded in the background.

  Alex’s stomach knotted. “What’s going on now?”

  “She had a meltdown when Luke got home. I’m beginning to think she’s not just fearful of you, but of men in general.”

  “Did she say why she feels that way?”

  “Does it sound like it?” The yelling grew louder on Macy’s end.

  “Do you want me to come and get her?”

  “No. I think we need to consider committing her to a facility, Alex. But you’re her guardian, so it has to be you.”

  “Isn’t she better off with family?”

  “We aren’t equipped for this—and I’m a child psychologist. She needs more specialized help, and there’s a really nice hospital not too far away. I’d be able to check on her daily.”

  “What do they have that we don’t?”

  “An entire team to work on her behalf. They can medicate her and—”

  “You can’t prescribe her anything?”

  “I’m not a psychiatrist.”

  Alex frowned. “You really think that’s the best thing for her?”

  “Yes. We’ve done all we can, and nobody can argue that.”

  “I just hate to have her locked away.” He tried to think of another option, but he had to admit Macy was probably right. There was only so much they could do. Ayla’s fits weren’t helping anyone—and none of them could help her, either.

  “So do I, but the facility isn’t like the movies. It’s really nice, it’s state-of-the-art, and the staff is exceptional. She’ll be in caring, capable hands.”

  “What do you need from me?”

  “I can call and let them know we’ll be bringing her down, but you’ll have to sign the paperwork.”

  “Should I pick up Ayla, or meet you two there?”

  “I’ll take her. She might calm down once it’s just the two of us in the car.”

  They ended the call, then he found Zoey and filled her in.

  She squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry to hear that. I know you wanted to be able to help her.”

  He nodded. “It’s for the best. I did everything I could, and so did Macy, yet it wasn’t enough.” He gave her a kiss, then gave one to each of his kids before getting into the car.

  The phone rang as soon as he started the ignition. It was Hoffman from Spokane.

  He undoubtedly either had good news or bad, and the way things were going, Alex wasn’t sure he wanted to find out.

  “Mercer here,” he answered.

  “This is Hoffman. I have some news you need to hear before the media gets ahold of it.”

  Alex swore. “It’s that bad?”

  “Some kids found a body near a river, and it’s a match for the girl’s mother. Obviously, we haven’t identified it yet.”

  “You’re going to need someone to confirm it.”

  “Yeah.”

  “It’s not going to be Ayla.” A lump formed in his throat, imagining his cousin dead.

  “No. It couldn’t be, anyway. She doesn’t remember anyone other than you. Or has that changed?”

  “Something has changed, but I can’t say for sure what. She had a nightmare, and now appears to be afraid of all men, including me.”

  “Interesting.”

  Alex bit his tongue. There was nothing interesting about any of this!

  “How are you handling that?”

  Alex filled him in on Macy working with her, but that only leading to more screaming fits. “So, I’m actually on my way to get Ayla checked into some kind of facility Macy thinks will be able to help her.”

  “What’s it called?”

  “I’ll have to let you know. All I have is an address right now.”

  “Yeah, let me know.” Papers rustled on Hoffman’s end. “Should I send you a picture of the body to ID, or would you prefer I ask one of her coworkers or neighbors?”

  Alex’s stomach tightened. “Send me the picture.”

  “It’ll be some time. My officers are still on route, then we have to get it to the morgue.”

  “Just warn me before you send the picture, will you?”

  “Sure, and tell me the name of that facility.”

  “Will do.” Alex ended the call and drew in a deep breath. He didn’t want to be the one to have to identify Robin, but who else would it be? He couldn’t ask any of his other relatives to do it. He was a police officer and also the one who’d been taking care of Ayla.

  By the time Alex reached the mental hospital, Hoffman’s text came in, warning him that the picture would be ready soon.

  Identify

  Alex watched the nurse lead Ayla down the hall, then he held the door open for Macy. They walked out into the parking lot in silence before Macy turned to him. “This really is the right decision.”

  “I know.” He drew in a deep breath of the cool evening air. “There’s something else I should tell you.”

  She hesitated. “What?”

  “They found a body in Spokane, and it could be Robin.”

  Macy gasped. “Oh, no.”

  Grimacing, Alex nodded. “Tell me about it.”

  “When will we know?”

  Alex patted his phone. He’d been ignoring the alerts the entire time he was filling out the paperwork for Ayla. “Soon.”

  “How soon?” Macy stepped closer.

  “I think the picture has already been sent for me to identify.”

  Her face paled. “What if it’s Robin?”

  “At least we’ll know.”

  “What about Brock? Nobody’s seen or heard from him yet?”

  “Not unless he’s been traveling with her.”

  Macy leaned against the wall. “Are you going to look?”

  “I’m not sure I’m ready.”

  “Will you ever be?”

  “Fair point.” He started to say more, but his phone vibrated with another alert. “I’d better look. They’re waiting on me.”

  She swallowed. “Do you want me to look with you?”

  “You don’t have to.”

  “That’s not what I asked. Do you want me to?”

  He frowned. “It isn’t going to change anything.”

  She looked back and forth between him and the phone.

  “It’s fine,” Alex said, even though it was anything but fine. “I’m trained to deal with this type of thing.” He glanced at the mental hospital. “Just like that’s your field of expertise.”

  Then he pulled out the phone slowly, giving his sister the chance to change her mind if she wanted. She didn’t move from the wall. Probably for the best. He scrolled past the text messages until he saw the picture.

  It never seemed to get easier seeing a corpse—it was nothing like watching a movie or playing a video game, no matter how realistic. He stared at the foliage around the body. Couldn’t bring himself to look at the face yet. The hair color was a match, as was the physical shape. His stomach lurched.

  “Well?” Macy asked, her voice apprehensive. It made Alex remember when they were kids.

  He swallowed then forced himself to look at the woman’s face. The first thing he noticed were her lifeless eyes. The second thing he noticed was that he’d never seen her before.

  “Alex?”

  He looked up at his sister, the relief of the reality settling in. “It’s not her. It’s not her!”

  Macy scrambled over and took the phone. At first she grimaced, then looked up at him, her expression mirroring the same emotions racing through him. She handed it back to him. “You just got a text.”

  It was from Hoffman. Alex sent a quick message back letting him know the body wasn’t his cousin. Then he remembered to send him the name of the mental hospital and sent him a second text.

  Macy breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the building again
. “What now?”

  “Now we wait. Brock and Robin are still missing, and Ayla still can’t remember anything helpful.”

  “I think she does remember something—that’s why she’s been having those meltdowns. And the fact that she won’t go near men tells me it has to do with the kidnapper who tortured her.”

  “Wait!”

  “What?” Macy’s eyes widened.

  “Did we tell the staff that Ayla’s afraid of men? They aren’t going to give her a guy doctor, are they?”

  She shook her head. “They won’t. I told them what’s going on. Plus, you wrote it on her intake papers. Didn’t you?”

  Alex tried to remember. “Yeah, I think I did.”

  “You think?”

  “There were close to twelve thousand questions. I can’t remember everything I wrote down.”

  The corners of her mouth twitched. “There aren’t that many questions on the forms.”

  “Trust me. There were.”

  She glanced at her phone. “I’d better get back home. I want to snuggle with Caden before he falls asleep for the night.”

  “Yeah, and I want to get back to Zoey and the kids. Should also call Nick and see how the counseling session went with Parker.”

  Macy frowned. “I feel so bad for them. That has to be the worst.”

  “Tell me about it.” Alex scowled.

  She rested a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry, that was insensitive. I always forget about Zander. In my mind, he’s just yours.”

  “He is, and he isn’t. Seeing what Nick is going through really makes me nervous about telling Zander one day. I almost don’t want to, but he deserves the truth.”

  Macy squeezed his arm. “Don’t worry about it yet. I’ll help you navigate those waters when the time comes.”

  “I appreciate that.” He gave her a hug, then they went to their separate cars. It wasn’t until he tried starting the ignition when he realized he was shaking. It was a relief to know the dead body in Spokane wasn’t Robin, but it didn’t automatically mean she was fine, either. All it meant was the woman in the picture wasn’t his cousin.

  His mind raced as he drove home. It felt odd knowing Ayla wasn’t there, but the staff at the facility were professionals. They dealt with troubled kids like her all the time. And they even had the means to make sure she didn’t see any men.