Chance Of Rain (19 page)

I walked over to her then followed her a little ways to a very large bathroom. Though it was still dimly lit inside, I recognized it. I was in the hall at the fairgrounds. I wasn’t very far from home! I kept my face expressionless, not letting on that I knew where I was.

After I did my business, with Erica standing right outside the stall, I came out and went to the sink. I did my best to wash up a little and splashed some water on my face. It was freezing. As I did, I tried to plan what I would say to Erica.

“This isn’t a spa, ya know. Hurry up! You never mentioned you were going to take a bath.”

Here goes nothing
. “You know, Erica, my dad didn’t kill Jessie in cold blood. He’s a police officer. She was running a meth lab with her father, and she shot an officer before aiming her gun at my dad. It was self-defense.”

Erica didn’t respond. Not a word. She didn’t even look at me. I didn’t want to push my luck with her, but she was my only hope, and I didn’t know when I’d get another chance. “If you help me get out of here, I won’t say anything,” I told her. “You can walk away.”

Still nothing. Stone…cold…silence.

“Why would you do this for him? Risk going to jail for the rest of your life?”

She finally turned toward me, and through gritted teeth, with vitriol dripping from every word, she said, “Jessie was my sister!”

XXXII

Regret

“I
-I’m so sorry,” said Angel.

“Sorry for what? Talk to me,” Mark said, growing more impatient.

“I was going to walk Ashley to her car like she asked me to the other night. But I got sick and had to go home. I told her I was leaving, though. I asked her to make sure she got someone else to walk her to her car. I did. I promise.” He shook his head and held it in his hands as he rested his elbows on his knees. “I should’ve stayed. I should’ve stayed.”

Mark patted him on the shoulder, grateful Angel hadn’t confessed to being involved in Ashley’s demise.

“It’s OK, son. It’s not your fault.” Mark rubbed his scruffy face and scribbled some notes on his legal pad. He leaned back in his chair and exhaled. He thought about what Angel had said.

“Why did she ask you to walk her to her car? Did something happen that made her afraid?”

“No. Well, not that I know of. Mack has always asked us to park at the far end of the lot so customers can have the spaces up front. It’s been getting darker earlier, and Ashley hasn’t being riding with Bri. I think she just didn’t like walking in the dark alone.”

Mark sat quietly and listened. “You’re probably right.” He stood and walked over to the window and peered through the blinds for a while. Finally he turned back around. “Well, I appreciate your time, Mr. Martinez.” He extended his hand to Angel.

Angel stood and shook his hand. “I’m sorry, sir. If there’s anything I can do…anything…”

“If you think of something, or if you hear something…” He handed Angel his card. “…don’t hesitate to contact me.”

“Yes, sir,” Angel whispered with his head down. He took the card and headed toward the door. He stopped and turned back around. “Hey, I just remembered something.” Angel perked up just a little.

“What’s that?” Mark asked with hope.

“It may be nothing, but Ashley was pretty upset when she arrived at work yesterday. She made a comment about it just being ‘one of those days.’ It was probably nothing,” he said with a shrug.

“I’ll see what I can find out. Thanks again, Angel.”

Not feeling much better than when he first arrived, Mark headed home.

XXXIII

I’m Fine

E
rica’s words stung my ears. There was nothing left for me to say. There was no way she’d help me go anywhere. She wasn’t going to help me at all.

I found my way back to my corner, sat down, and pulled my knees up under my chin. I wanted to cry, but I knew it wouldn’t help, so I didn’t. Besides, I didn’t want to give Erica the pleasure of watching me. She’d probably just tell me to shut up anyway.

As the minutes slowly ticked by, my thoughts drifted, as they always did, to Trent. I concentrated on sending him telepathic messages about my location. I would’ve given anything to see him bust through the door.

The door
. There were many doors to the hall—four that I knew of, one on each wall. They were probably all locked. Anthony could come back any minute now, but the next chance I got, I was taking Erica down and walking out of here. I had to do something.

I jumped when Anthony stepped into the room. Light streamed in and temporarily blinded me. He smelled like cigarettes. I guess he was on a smoke break.

Good thing I didn’t try anything. He would have stopped me and then most likely tied me up. Then I’d never get away.

He ripped open another phone from its package. “Number!” he barked at me.

I gave him my home number again. My heart thumped loudly with the knowledge that soon my mom or my dad would be on the phone with Anthony. He turned the speaker on.

“Hello.” My mom picked up on the first ring.

Mom!
I wanted to cry.

“Mark. Now.”

“He just pulled up. Can I please speak to Ashley,
please
?” I could tell my mom was holding back tears.

“Mark!” Anthony demanded.

A few seconds later, my dad was on the phone.

“This is Mark.”

“Give me your cell number,” Anthony demanded.

Anthony scribbled my dad’s phone number on the wall with a small clod of red dirt he found on the floor.

“You need to put ten thousand dollars into the account I give you.”

“Hold on a second. Let me get a pen.” After Anthony gave him the information, my dad said, “I’ll put the money in the account once I know Ashley is OK.”

With his jaw clenched, Anthony stepped over to where I sat in the corner. He towered over me like a skyscraper. He covered the phone and whispered, “You say, ‘Hello’ and ‘I’m fine.’ That’s it!”

He held the phone and inch from my mouth.

I swallowed. “Hello.”

My dad’s voice came over the line. “Ashley!” I wanted to cry.

“I’m fine,” I said, my voice trembling. Anthony immediately snatched the phone back.

“You’ve got one hour.”

My dad interrupted, “That’s
a lot
of money for me. I’m going to need more time.”

“One hour! I’ll be asking for more later. If anything goes wrong, you’ll receive your daughter one piece at a time.”

XXXIV

Wednesday Afternoon

B
ri drove to the Devoes’ after school.
School—
what a joke that had been. As if she could think about anything but Ash. The Devoes had asked her to go, though, to be their eyes and ears, so she was more than happy to help. Other than pray, it was the only thing she could do. Unfortunately she found out nothing that would help them. And the whole morning, her classmates bombarded her with questions.

She had about an hour until she had to be at work. Mack had offered to give her all the time off that she needed, but again the Devoes wanted her to go and see if she could gather any new information.

The driveway was full at Ashley’s house, so Bri parked on the street. She didn’t want to get in the way, but she wanted to see if they’d made any progress.

She saw Trent leaning against his car.
Great!
Now she could find out what was happening and not have to go inside.

“Hey,” he said when he saw her.

“Any word?” Bri asked. She could tell he hadn’t slept. His hair was even more of a mess than usual and he hadn’t shaved. The shadows under his eyes matched the shadow on his jaws.

She was expecting to hear “No” and was pleasantly surprised to hear him say, “Yes.”

“Anthony called asking for money. Mark didn’t get to speak with her, but he heard…” Trent choked up. “…her voice. She said she was fine. Mark said she sounded scared.”

Bri knew what Trent was expressing wasn’t the typical concern of a cop. Trent
really
cared about Ash. They had to get her back.

Bri wanted to stop by her house before heading to work. She needed to see her mom. They had texted and phoned all day, but she just needed to see her. She thought about Ash and wondered what she was doing at that moment. What was happening to her? Was she scared? Was she OK? She was so afraid for her best friend.

She thought about Trent’s last words to her before she left: “Nothing can happen to her, Bri. I don’t know what I’d do.”

Bri pulled into the drive. She ran inside, and her mom met her with open arms.

XXXV

Wednesday Midafternoon

B
eth and Mark went to their credit union and cashed in numerous savings bonds they were planning to use for Ashley’s college tuition.

Then they drove to Houston to deposit the money into the account Anthony had specified at the nearest Lone Star Bank branch they could find.

Mark and Beth were comforted to see a gray Tacoma when they got back home. Their son, Mike, ran outside to his parents the second he heard them pull up. After a long hug and many tears, he led his mother inside. Mark got into Trent’s car, and they drove to the Star-Lite Theater.

Trent and Mark’s eyes were automatically drawn to where Ashley’s car had last been seen. Her car, however, was long since gone. It had been hauled away after an investigative team had come out and taken photos and gathered forensic evidence.

Trent parked, and they walked into the theater. It would soon be open for business. They had just enough time to speak to the staff.

Mack knew they were coming and was waiting by the door. He held it open for them as he reached out to shake Trent’s hand then Mark’s.

“I want you to know how truly sorry I am, Mr. Devoe,” said Mack. “Ashley’s was—
is…
” He was so nervous. “…a great girl. And a great employee too.” Mark nodded in response. “My staff is in the café. It’s right this way,” he said, as he led them. “Everyone is here except Bri. She hasn’t made—”

“That’s OK,” said Mark, cutting him off. “I’ve spoken with Bri many times already.”

“Oh…and someone called in sick today.”

“That’s fine. Trent or I will get their information from you before we leave.”

Mark stood before the small group of young faces. Their eyes were taking in every move he made. He addressed them basically the same way he had addressed the students at Montgomery High that morning.

Afterward everyone approached Mark with condolences and well-wishes, but no one offered anything that might actually help.

Mark and Trent did the best they could to hide their disappointment. They thanked Mack and everyone for their cooperation once again; then they headed toward the exit. Just before they reached the door, a young guy with shaggy blond hair approached them. He didn’t say anything at first. His usual laid-back demeanor was gone; he seemed nervous.

Trent and Mark looked at him then at each other. “Something we can help you with?” asked Trent.

“I’m Danny. I work in the kitchen…at the café.” He searched for the right words to say. “I’m not sure. Oh, boy.” He exhaled. “I
may
have seen something, but…I’m not sure. I don’t want to waste your time.”

Trent and Mark looked at each other again. “Just tell us what you
think
you may have seen,” Mark said, feeling hopeful.

“Well…I was parked in the vacant lot across the street. I know it was dark and rainy, and I was far away and all…” He paused. “But I saw a car stop—I’m pretty sure it was near Ash’s car. I saw someone—I’m not sure if it was Ash—walk around and get in on the passenger side.” Trent and Mark exchanged glances. “Then they drove off together. That’s it.”

“Can you remember any details about the vehicle?” asked Trent.

“Like I said, it was dark and rainy out and…” Danny stopped talking midsentence.

“And what?” asked Mark.

Danny looked down, not sure whether he should keep talking.

“And what?” snapped Trent.

“And I was already getting drunk I
didn’t
plan on driving,
I swear
. My friends usually come and hang out in the lot with me. We listen to music and joke around. Harmless stuff—”

“OK, we get it, Danny. You’re not on trial here. Can you maybe give us the color of the car at least?” asked Mark.