A Life Unplanned (22 page)

"I can see this is all very upsetting to you. I hope you'll consider helping me," he said and slid me a business card.

I blinked blankly at him, not sure what to say.

"I'm going to be in town for a few more days, Ms. Sharp, trying to find more people to help me. All I ask is that you sign a testimony that I'll have written up. You'll need to memorize it in case you're asked to testify in person, but I'll do my best to have my lawyers prevent that from happening. In return, not only will you get the satisfaction of putting a rapist behind bars, but I'll pay you twenty-five thousand dollars for your trouble."

"The same amount he paid," I said numbly.

He chuckled. "I think you're the only one who's ever made that connection. I know this is a lot to take in, but I hope you'll truly consider helping me. Do I need to have a car take you home?"

I shook my head no. "I drove."

"Will you be alright to drive?" He seemed genuinely worried for me.

"Yes, I think so." I had to pull myself together.

"Are you sure?" he asked kindly, and it made me feel sick. He wasn't as evil as I'd thought he should be.

I took a deep breath and nodded yes.

When I made it home, Trent was frantic. He could tell something had happened, but I wasn't sure what to say to him. I didn't know how to tell him the truth, but I knew I needed to.

Chapter 27 – Denial Runs Deep

I sat feeding Katie, trying to piece my thoughts together. I didn't know where to start. I felt lost and numb, not sure of anything. I did know one thing for sure, Trent wasn't a rapist. I believed him. After the kids were settled in their beds, I sat at the table. I wasn't sure what to say to Trent about Emily and his father.

"Clara, you're really starting to worry me. Please, tell me you don't believe what Hamilton told you."

I looked up at him, still trying to find words. "I do, but not what you think. There's something else going on here, Trent, and I'm not sure what it is."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know!" I snapped, upset. I realized I knew very little about Roger, but if I brought this to Trent, he might not believe me, or he'd think I had been tricked.

"Clara, just…start from when you first walked into the restaurant and go from there. Walk me through your conversation."

"We didn't eat at a restaurant."

"I thought-"

"I thought we'd be eating there, too. He had me directed up to his room, so we could have a private conversation."

"Are you alright? Did he hurt you? Is he trying to blackmail you or-"

"No, he was perfectly nice. I…" I closed my eyes, trying to gain some courage. "How well do you know your father?"

"My dad? He's my dad. I'd say pretty well."

"And you know what he does on his business trips?"

His brow furrowed. "What are you getting at? What does any of this have to do with my dad?"

"I don't know. I'm lost in this, too. I have this information, and it doesn't make sense, at least not in a good way."

"You need to tell me what he told you. Whatever he has on my family, I need to know. I have to know, so I can fix it, Clara," Trent insisted.

"Mr. Hamilton had a little girl with him. Her name is Emily. He brought her with him, when he came to my work looking for Melissa. I can only guess, but she looked to be around ten-ish. He claims she's yours."

"Easy fix, I'll get a DNA test."

"Trent, there's more."

"Okay, but I really don't think she's my kid. I did use a condom back then, and I recall very clearly that it didn't break. I highly doubt that child is mine."

"Then you should tell your father that."

He sat back stiffly. "My father?"

"Those business trips he's always taking are trips to visit Emily. He's been seeing her since she was born. She lives with Roger's sister, Katherine."

"MY AUNT?"

"That's what Mr. Hamilton said."

"He has to be lying. He had to come up with a good sob story."

"He had pictures-"

"They're Photoshop fakes."

"I don't think they were. I had met Emily. It was her scrapbook. Mr. Hamilton had no plans of showing me that book, but he could tell I didn't believe him. And Trent, your dad did pay the witnesses. He paid them each twenty-five thousand dollars."

"No, he's lying. Four people came into the room that night. There was no need to pay anyone."

"Unless they couldn't find those exact people. Did you know them? Did you recognize the people who testified?"

He was silent, but then he shook his head no. "He's lying," Trent insisted.

"Trent-"

"No, he's lying." He got up and slammed the chair against the table. "He's lying, and when Kelly gets word back on Sabrina, she'll prove it!"

"Sabrina's in a mental hospital, Trent. If anything, she's a dead end, unless Kelly can illegally acquire her medical records."

He was shaking his head no, not wanting to believe it. I didn't want to believe it, either.

"We need to talk to your dad, Trent. If this is all lies, then he'll be able to clear it up. We just need to ask him."

He stormed out of the room and came back holding his phone. "You're right, we'll ask him, and you'll see. I'll prove Hamilton's lying, and then I'm taking that bastard down for messing with my family!"

He dialed Roger's number, putting it on speaker phone. It only rang twice. His father answered jovially. "Trent, how are you and my grandbabies doing?"

"Where are you?" Trent snapped.

"I'm in Livingston. I just got in three days ago. Do you need me in Waco? I can be there tomorrow morning." Roger really was a good father.

"Dad," Trent's voice broke, "Do you know a little girl named Emily?"

The silence was telling.

"I need to know, do you know a little girl named Emily?" Trent pushed.

"Emily what?" Roger asked.

"Emily Carrington," I spoke, bracing myself for the fallout.

"I…yes," he finally admitted.

"Who is she? Is she who you're always running off to be with? Where's her mother?" Trent snapped.

"I need to come see you in person for this conversation. How did you find out about her?"

"I met her earlier today. She was with Mr. Hamilton, when he came in to my work looking for Melissa," I told him.

"What? WHERE IS SHE NOW? You have to tell me right now! Call the police immediately! I'm on my way."

"Roger, what's going on?" I heard Maylene ask in the background, sounding worried.

"I'm sorry, Maylene, I'm so sorry, but my daughter's been kidnapped. Clara, where is she?"

"Daughter?" I heard Maylene ask, shocked.

I told him what hotel, even what room. Roger hung up immediately, I assumed to call the police.

Trent looked sick, but if Emily had been kidnapped, then we needed to do something. "We have to go get her."

Trent looked at me and started crying. His phone started to ring. I answered it for him. It was Roger. He asked that we go to the hotel and pick up Emily from the police. I promised I would and told him to give the police my name specifically, since Trent was out of commission at the moment.

"I understand," was all he said and hung up.

"I'm going to go get her. Do you want me to call my mom so you can come with, or…"

"I…"

"It's okay, Trent. You can go to bed, and I'll get her settled in Tyler's room."

"You're bringing her here?"

"Where else did you want me to take her? I can't leave her with the kidnapper!"

"Call your mom to come watch the kids."

She was at our house in five minutes flat. I was standing at my car door, ready to leave the moment she drove up. Trent hadn't said a word, since he'd decided to come with me.

It seemed to take forever to get to the hotel. I was so thankful the cops were all still there when we showed up. I hurried in and saw them clustered in a corner of the restaurant. I rushed toward them and was halted immediately by an officer. "I'm Clara Sharp. I'm supposed to pick up Emily Carrington."

The cop looked over my shoulder at Trent. "I'm Trent Carrington."

"I'm gonna need I.D. from both of you."

I quickly dug mine out, and Trent handed his over.

"Is she alright?" I asked worried. Tyler's kidnapping was still a fresh wound.

"Yeah, a little confused, but she's okay. She's having some cake to kill time until you got here."

"He didn't hurt her, did he?" I asked, my chest tightening in panic. I had left her for so long. It had been hours since I had last been at the hotel, and I hadn't even questioned Mr. Hamilton about why his daughter had stayed in her room. He could've had her restrained in some way and done anything to her after I'd left. I was so thankful she was still there.

"No, as far as she knew, she was chosen to go on a tour of the country to see different music sights because she's so talented. She thought Mr. Hamilton was a camp counselor. She had no idea she was in any danger."

I burst into tears of relief. Trent pulled me into his arms, trying to settle me down.

"She's safe, Clara. It's okay, she's safe. We're here now. She's going to be fine," Trent promised.

I was offered a napkin to wipe my nose. "Are you ready to see her?" the officer asked.

I took a deep breath and nodded yes.

Trent's hand tightened, as we approached the table and she came into view. "Hi, Emily, do you remember me?" I asked.

She looked at me nervously and then at Trent. "Are you Uncle Roger's son?" she asked.

"Yeah, he's my dad," Trent confirmed.

Her face lit up, and I felt Trent start to shake. "So I get to go home with you tonight then?"

"Yes," I answered, because I wasn't sure Trent would be able to. "You get to come to our place. Your…Uncle Roger will be in late this evening. He lives farther away than we do, but he's coming as fast as he can, okay?"

"Alright," she said completely relaxed. She wasn't letting on if she picked up on the tension.

The ride home seemed to go fast, but everyone was quiet. Emily looked at my apartment strangely. I could only assume Roger took very good care of her, and this place was a dump in her eyes. "We'll call Roger as soon as we're inside," I offered.

My mother must have heard us drive up, because she met us at the door, holding little Katie. Emily seemed to settle down a little more when she saw the baby. "Is she alright?" I asked my mom, taking her.

"Yes, she woke up shortly after you left. She's fine as long as I'm holding her," my mother said.

Katie started fussing and reaching for me immediately, once she realized I was home. I took her and cuddled her to me. I knew she wasn't hungry, but she was rooting anyways.

"Who is this lovely young lady?" my mother asked, smiling at Emily.

"This is Emily Carrington," I offered, but I wasn't sure what to say beyond that.

"It's very nice to meet you, Emily. I'm Karen Sharp. I'm Clara's mother, and hopefully someday, I'll be Trent's mother-in-law."

"Mom, now is not the time. We've got it from here. I'll call you tomorrow," I said dismissing her.

She got the hint and gave me and Katie a kiss, and she hugged Trent goodbye.

Emily walked into my little apartment and looked around at the pictures of the kids. The more she looked around, the more relaxed she became. "Do you know Roger's number?" I asked, because I didn't have his number programmed into my phone, only Maylene's.

She shook her head no. "I had it in my cell phone, but you're not allowed to take those to camp with you."

"Trent, can she use your phone? I'm sure your father is anxious to hear from her."

He surprised us when he dialed the number and hit speaker phone, setting it on the coffee table.

"Hello," Maylene answered. She sounded like she'd been crying.

"Mom, is dad with you?" Trent asked.

"Yes, he's driving. Did you get the little girl?"

"Yes, Emily's here with us. She wanted to talk to Roger. She's a little shaken up and was hoping to hear a familiar voice. She doesn't know us," I tried to explain.

"Just a moment," Maylene said, and we could tell she put the phone on speaker.

"You have Emily?" Roger asked frantic.

"Yes, we have her. She wasn't hurt. She's safe. She just wanted to talk to you," I reassured him.

"Thank you, Clara. You don't know how much this means to me."

"Uncle Roger?" Emily cut in.

"Hey, button, are you alright?" he tried to sound cheerful.

"Yes, I was kind of worried, though. The police said I wasn't on a camp field trip."

"No, honey, you weren't. I'm so glad Clara found you," he sniffled. "He didn't hurt you or…or…"

"No, he wasn't mean. When are you coming to get me? Are you going to take me home or back to the music camp?"

"I'm going to take you home, button. I'm on my way there right now. It takes three hours to get there, though, but I'm on my way. We have a lot to talk about. You're going to finally meet my wife."

"The magnificent, marvelous, imaginative Maylene?" Emily asked excitedly.

"The one and only," he promised.

"Awesome!" she cheered.

I could only imagine what Maylene was going through right now. She and Roger had a good three-hour drive to talk and work something out. I hoped for their whole family's sake they'd come to a resolution quickly.

Emily insisted on staying on the couch, instead of resting in Tyler's room. She wanted to know as soon as Roger arrived. Trent was in our bedroom pacing. I was glad he knew not to take his frustrations out on Emily.

I was thankful when we were able to get little Katie back to bed. Of course, that didn't mean I was settled enough to sleep myself. Once I was sure Emily was asleep, I stopped Trent's pacing in our room and pulled him to bed.

"He had an affair," Trent sighed.

"It looks that way."

"We don't know who her mother is. Mr. Hamilton could be lying about that."

"Maybe."

"My dad's not a rapist. He wouldn't do that. He wouldn't have had sex with Sabrina. He's twenty-eight years older than her! Emily can't be her kid. It was someone else, Hamilton's lying about this mess, and my dad is caught up in it now, too."