Fancy Gap (8 page)
“Terrible thing, just terrible, especially in these parts. Couple from the fog wreck was staying at the old motel and let their kids go outside by themselves, and the kids just, like, disappeared. Not a trace so far. Every deputy in this neck of the woods is out looking for them.”
“Yeah,” Quinn said. “I can understand that. Abductions are just about the toughest cases. See you tomorrow then. Best to Kathy.”
So I’ll finally get to meet the sheriff,
Quinn thought, opening the Petite Petit and heading back toward the hot tub. Maybe he can tell me why I never see any deputies around here.
He tossed off his robe and had one foot in the tub when his phone rang again. He quickly picked it up but didn’t look at the caller ID.
“Hey, Nat!” he said.
“Who’s Nat?”
“Louisa? Is that you?”
“In the flesh, my dear—well, in a cellular sort of way. Who’s Nat?”
“Natalie, my daughter. I…I just…I thought you were in California at your sister’s. What happened? She throw you out?”
“Well, no, but her roommate would have if she could have.”
“Sounds like the roomie has a great deal of affection for you.”
“Affliction might be a better word. I’d never turn my back on that one. But that’s a story for another time.”
“You headed home now?” he asked.
“Yeah, but only long enough to pack a few things, load up my bike, and drive down your way…if that’s OK with you.”
Quinn eased into a deck chair by the stone fireplace. “Of course, it’s OK,” he said. “Hope you like Hamburger Helper.”
“Listen, if it’s not a good time to come, just tell me. It’s just that I’ve been thinking about you—and me—a lot for the last couple of days. And, well, I’d sort of like to find out where we’re headed.”
“Are you kidding? It’s a great time to come. I’ve got a few unanswered questions of my own,” he suggested.
“Quinn, listen, just let me—well, let me be frank about this. I’m a sixty-year-old woman who’s never really been in a relationship that amounted to anything. My career was probably to blame for all of that, of course, but I don’t have that particular excuse anymore. And what I felt with you the other night was, quite frankly, scary. And the scariest part was that I liked it.”
Quinn chuckled. “Ahhh, the story of my life yet again. Believe me, you’re not the first woman I ever scared without meaning to.”
“No, listen, I’m not kidding. Maybe I shouldn’t tell you this, but I wanted you so badly the other night that I could barely control myself. I almost decided to get it on with you right then. And I have no idea why I changed my mind.”
“Well, your mind’s not the only thing you changed. I gotta tell you, certain parts of me reacted in ways they haven’t in many years. I’ve been thinking about it ever since. The only thing I want to know now is how fast can you get here?”
“I’m out of Frisco tonight on the red-eye back to DC. I haven’t really looked it up yet, but if that Fancy Whatchacallit is in the general area I think it is, I could be there around, say, late afternoon.”
“Fancy Gap. What you like to drink? And eat?”
“Well, all of your wine is at risk, and we can worry about food later. Now just give me some directions to that mountain lair of yours.”
After he hung up, Quinn sat very still for a moment and let the realization sink in:
She’s coming here. Louisa is coming here. So what you gonna do now, Mr. Hermit?
Perhaps the answer was not so far away, as he discovered when he finally got up and headed toward the hot tub again, this time with a definite reaction that got his attention.
Pointer was back!
he chuckled as he sunk into the tub.
Susan was waiting for Tim at the Greensboro Airport when he flew back from Miami. The ride back to Hillsville was full of details of his mother’s funeral and the family’s offers of support for them. She filled him in on her meeting with Scott Cohen. The Amber Alert had been issued the day before. Already, the sheriff ’s office had received several calls and e-mails, but none of them provided any useful leads. She told him of her daily calls to Levi Blackburn at the sheriff ’s department. They had not developed any new information on the case.
They soon arrived at the rented apartment in downtown Hillsville. Just as they stepped out of their car, a Carroll County sheriff’s car pulled up alongside them. It was Sheriff Pierce.
“Mister and Mrs. Preston, I’m Sheriff Pierce. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to meet you both. I know that Levi Blackburn has been in daily contact with you, Mrs. Preston.”
“Yes, he has, sheriff,” and it’s good that he has stayed in touch. Susan replied “Let’s go inside and talk.”
They went into the apartment and sat at the kitchen table.
“Would you like some coffee, sheriff?”
“No, thank you, Susan—may I call you Susan?” he asked.
“Yes, by all means.”
“First of all, let me say how sorry I am that this happened to you and your children. I want you to know that every resource that my department has is devoted to finding your children.”
Tim nodded. “Sheriff, we appreciate that from the bottom of our hearts. This is crazy! We still can’t believe this has happened.”
“Folks, I want you to consider something. I want to hold a press conference tomorrow with you both by my side. The big television stations in Roanoke and Winston-Salem want to cover this story. But I don’t want it to happen if you’re not comfortable with that.”
Susan spoke first. “Sheriff, that sounds like what we need to do. The more people who know about this, the better.”
“I’m all for it,” Tim offered. “Maybe someone out there knows something and can tell us where Pete and Katie are.” They both started to cry after Tim’s last words. The room was silent for a bit.
Sheriff Pierce looked at them closely. “I understand this is very difficult for you. If I may ask, do you belong to any particular church at home?”
“Yes, we do. We’re Catholic.” Susan began to cry again.
“Well, we don’t have many Catholic churches here in Carroll County. But there’s a very small parish not far from here on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Father Tony has been there for about five years now, I believe. I know he’s been a blessing to that congregation. He’s also very active in the community. He’s on the board of directors of the small house we have for abused women and children. He’s been a big influence in raising funds for it. He’s so good, even the Baptists like him.”
Tim and Susan smiled weakly.
“I believe he left a much larger church somewhere else to come here. Must have been a shock for him to end up in little Carroll County. If you like, I can call him today.”
“That would be great, sheriff,” said Tim. “I think he could be a big help to us both.”
“I truly believe he will be, folks. Oh, and I think he’s a Franciscan. He wears a long, brown robe.”
“ We knew some great Franciscan priests in a parish we once belonged to. They’re wonderful people,” Susan said.
“Great, I’ll call him later,” the sheriff said as he stood up.
“Thank you, Sheriff Pierce,” Susan said as she saw him to the door.
The sheriff climbed into his car and took out his cell phone. Not only would Father Tony be a good sounding board for Tim and Susan, he would also distract them from hindering his team’s progress in the investigation. He looked up the priest’s number and pushed the Send button.
“Hello, this is Father Tony,” a voice answered.
“Father Tony, this is Sheriff Pierce. Is this a good time to talk?”
“It is, sheriff. How can I help you?”
* * *
He knew the first week would be the most difficult for the children. The world they knew had suddenly ended. They were now in a strange place with someone they didn’t know. He knew what had to be done. He needed to change the way they thought about their parents and convince them that he was the best person to care for them now. He would provide the food, shelter, and love they needed. He would quickly become their new Daddy.
For the first few days, he had tied them to their beds and kept them blindfolded. He had them eat separately and go to the toilet alone. He took the blindfold off Pete first. Pete started to cry as soon as he saw him. He slapped Pete across the face.
“If you stop crying, I won’t have to hit you.”
Pete started to cry harder and said, “I want my mommy and daddy.”
He slapped him harder. “Your mommy and daddy are dead. I have to take care of you and your sister now.”
“Who are you?” Pete asked.
“I’m the person God put on earth to protect you from the evils of this life. I’m your redeemer. I’m your new Daddy”
Pete cried harder. He slapped him again.
“If you don’t cry, I won’t slap you. Be a nice boy, and I won’t hit you.”
“How is my sister? Did you hurt her?”
“She’s fine. She’s just sleeping a little longer. Are you hungry?”
“Yes,” Pete said hoarsely.
“What do you like to eat? Do you like pizza?”
“Yes. So does Katie.”
He sat Pete in the chair and left the room. He went into the makeshift kitchen and put a large frozen pizza in the microwave oven. A few minutes later, he returned to the room with plates and a can of Coke for Pete. Pete was staring at the wall. A little smile came across his face when he looked at the hot pizza on his plate. He ate two slices before speaking.
“This is good pizza. Can Katie have some?”
“She can when she wakes up.”
Pete was halfway through his fourth slice when Katie began to stir. He went to her and untied her wrists. Katie lay there for a while and focused on Pete.
“What are you eating?”
“Pizza. Want some?”
“Yes, please,” she replied as she raised her head off the pillow.
He went to her bed, took her hand, led her to the table, and put two slices of pizza on a plate in front of her. Katie gently took one piece and took a little bite.
“Can I have some Coke?”
“Of course, you can,” he said as he went to the other room to get the soda.
Katie slowly ate two big slices. She looked at her brother after she finished the second slice.
“Where are Mommy and Daddy, Pete?”
“I think they’re dead. He told me they’re dead and he’s here to take care of us. I hope they went to heaven.”
He smiled at Pete’s words. This was a crucial step. The little girl would accept him if her brother did.
“I have to go to the bathroom,” Katie announced.
“It’s all right, sweetie. You can go on your own. It’s right over there.”
Katie walked to a bathroom that used to be a closet. The door had been removed. She looked at them both as she urinated.
When she returned to the table, she had another slice of pizza. As she ate, she looked toward the side of the beds and saw games and a Wii console. The room was very bright, but there were no windows.
Pete looked at him and asked, “Why don’t we have any clothes on?”
“In the bad world you left, you needed clothes to cover up and hide your sins. In our new world, there are no sins. We are free from our sins and free from our clothes.”
Both children looked puzzled. He wasn’t surprised. They would surely come to understand in time. They would trust him. They were his family now. They were his children.
“It’s time to bathe,” he announced. “You’re both dirty, and we must clean up.”
He had installed an extra-large claw-foot tub in the far corner of the room. There would be enough room for the three of them. He would cleanse their bodies as well as their souls. He smiled wickedly and hummed a little tune as he filled the tub with hot water.
Rub-a-dub-dub, rub-a-dub-dub.
Rub-a-dub-dub, rub-a-dub-dub.
Rub-a-dub-dub, rub-a-dub-dub.
It’s time for the tub!
The children’s tiny faces were frozen in fear.
He awoke at the crack of dawn. Hungry birds chirped at his bedroom window as the sun peeked over the eastern horizon. He could stand on the deck and see the Sauratown Mountains on his left, the Winston-Salem skyline some sixty miles away to Pilot Mountain in the middle, and the mountains of Roaring Gap, North Carolina, to his right. This was not a morning for gazing at the horizon, though, no matter how beautiful it was. He had to clean the entire house from top to bottom before Louisa arrived, including the windows in the great room and in the basement. The hardwood floors were in need of some attention as well.
Before he started cleaning, however, he needed to work up a good sweat. He grabbed his rock-hopper mountain bike from the shed behind the house. Soon, he was careening down a rough and steep mountain trail near the house. He had to tug on the brakes to slow down. This was not the day for a stupid fall on the trail, he reminded himself.
The end of the trail spit him out near mile marker one ninety five on the Parkway. He then rode an old dirt road that once led to a place called Tranquility Acres. That was a planned development off of the Parkway that never happened. The Park Service now owned most of the land as they buy whatever they can to prohibit any type of commercial development along the Parkway. He soon flew out of the woods into the open field behind the house. The sweat poured off and all bones were intact. Nothing could be a better start to his day: adrenalin flowing and endorphins pumping.
As he began the dreaded task of cleaning the house, he remembered that he had to meet Nigel and the sheriff at the deli at eleven-thirty. He danced with the vacuum cleaner a little quicker and finished with enough time to shower and shave.
As he showered, he wondered what this whole day was going to be like. This almost felt like he was going on a first date with someone. He wondered if Louisa felt the same way. He then realized that certain parts were getting those happy thoughts again; the warm soapy water was working.
He arrived at the deli ten minutes late. Nigel’s old truck was in its usual parking spot, a Carroll County sheriff ’s cruiser parked next to it. Striding inside, he saw them both sitting at a corner table. They both rose as he approached. The sheriff was much taller than he looked on TV.
“Sheriff Pierce, I’d like to introduce you to Quinn McSpain,” said Nigel.