Good Tidings (8 page)

Bradley paused for a moment as he negotiated the entrance ramp from Highway 20 onto Interstate 90 going southeast into Chicago. The roads on the Interstate where much clearer and traffic was a little heavier. Bradley moved into the left lane, passed a few slower moving trucks and merged back into the right lane.

“
She got my attention when she asked for a divorce,” he said.

“
That must have been a shock.”

“
It was a punch to the gut,” he replied, “I honestly never thought it was that bad for her. I thought she’d just get used to my way of handling the job. But, I was wrong.”

“
So, what did you do?”

Bradley shrugged. “I decided she… we… were more important than the job. It took me three years of married life to actually start acting like a husband. Six months later, she was pregnant and I was floating on air.”

He drove for a few miles in silence. Mary watched as he worked to control his emotions.

“
Six months after that, I lost her.”

“
She died?”

“
I don’t know. That’s the hell of it. I got a call when I was on patrol that there was a breaking and entering, and then I heard my address. I don’t even remember driving home. When I got there, the chief was at the front door to hold me back. He said he didn’t want me storming around in there, messing up evidence.”

“
What happened?”

“
I still don’t know. The house was torn apart and Jeannine was gone. No notes, no kidnapping demands… no blood, thank God. But she was just gone. The chief asked me if she could have staged it, if she was unhappy with our life…”

His voice cracked and he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He shook his head. “We had just found out we were expecting a little girl. We had just bought the pink wallpaper for her room. I was going to put the crib together that night. She was happy. I’m sure she was happy.”

Mary reached over, placed her hand over his and squeezed. “I agree with you, she was happy and she wouldn’t have left of her own free will,” she said, “I’m not saying this as a friend who wants you to feel better, but as a trained professional. She didn’t leave.”

Bradley stared ahead at the roadway, but nodded his head. “Thanks. That means a lot to me.”

They drove in silence until they reached a toll booth that flashed the Amber Alert about Jeremy across an electronic billboard.

“
I searched for her,” he said suddenly, “for eight years. I followed up on any leads, checked out all of the Jane Does, made calls and worked the case twenty-four-seven. I never came up with anything.”

“
So you don’t know…” Mary paused.

“
Whether she’s dead or alive. Whether I have an eight year-old daughter out there somewhere. Whether she even remembers who she is,” he shook his head. “No I don’t know anything.”

Mary looked out the window to the snow covered fields surrounding the highway.
How would it be to live each day, searching and not finding anything?

“
I think I’d go a little crazy,” she murmured.

He nodded. “I think I did. I was totally obsessed. I lost my job, my house, my savings - trying to find them.”

She shrugged. “What else could you do? You would have to do all you could.”

He smiled. “Thanks, not many people understand.”

He took a deep breath. “So, about eighteen months ago, I looked around and realized that I was no closer to finding her than I had been eight years before. I didn’t have money or a job. And considering my recent history, it wasn’t going to be easy for me to get another job.”

“
Why?”

“
I went off the deep end with the investigation,” he said. “I pestered the investigators, told them they didn’t know what they were doing, interfered and generally made an ass of myself.”

“
It’s hard when it’s personal.”

He nodded. “So, when I contacted my captain, he made a call and I got the job in Freeport. I think I got the job because the mayor wanted to hire someone who was crazy. He didn’t really like having a Police Chief who might catch on to him.”

“
Funny how things work out,” Mary said.

He nodded. “Yeah, funny.”

“
You know, I was talking to Joey just before we left. Telling him that the phone number he got could have saved his brother’s life. And then he said…” she paused as emotion choked her voice.

“
What did he say, Mary?” Bradley asked gently.

“
He said ‘Good thing I died, huh?’” she replied softly.

“
Damn. Do you really think that God allows bad things to happen to people in order to serve some grand plan in the future?”

Mary shook her head. “No, but I think God gives us opportunities to turn bad things into good things and to make a difference in other people’s lives.”

They drove in silence for a few minutes.

“
Mary, we are going to find Jeremy,” he said.

Mary smiled. “Yes we are!”

*****

A narrow path had been plowed through the snow on the Chicago side street, enough for a car and a half to drive down. “This makes no sense whatsoever,” Bradley said, navigating the four-wheel SUV around the cars coming from the opposite direction. “Why don’t they just plow it wider?”

Mary smiled. “Welcome to Chicago.”

She turned and looked out the window at the shoveled out parking spaces that either held vehicles or an assortment of chairs, tables or other large objects claiming ownership of the spot. One particularly religious person had placed a five-foot high statue of the Virgin Mary in their spot.

“
Turn right at the corner,” Mary instructed.

A few moments later they were in front of her parents’ brick bungalow on the northwest side of the city. “We can park here,” Mary said.

“
What is that holding our place?” Bradley asked.

Mary laughed at the trio of plastic ghosts normally used for decorating the lawn at Halloween. “My brothers’ sick idea of a joke,” she said.

She hopped out of the car, moved the five foot high structure and stepped back so Bradley could park. He got out of the car with their gear and took a good look at the ghosts. “I think I’m going to like your brothers.”

Mary nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of.”

No sooner had they walked up the steps than the door burst open and Mary was engulfed by a pair of strong arms that lifted off her feet. “Mary-Mary, it’s great to have you home,” her father said.

“
Dad, I was home two days ago,” Mary teased.

“
Ah, but when you’re here, the house seems a wee bit brighter.”

She laughed and turned to Bradley. “Dad, this is my friend Bradley Alden. He’s the Police Chief from Freeport. Bradley, my dad, Timothy O’Reilly.”

Bradley stepped forward and extended his hand to the tall, burly Irishman. “A pleasure to meet you, sir.”

His hand was accepted in a firm grip. “Good to meet you, young man.”

Timothy smiled and placed his hand on Bradley’s shoulder, ushering him into the house.

“
Welcome to our home.”

Margaret Katherine O’Reilly, Mary’s mother, came bustling forward, her petite frame covered in an apron. With arms outstretched, she gave Mary a fierce hug. “Mary, so good to have you home again.”

She turned to Bradley and, to his surprise, hugged him too. “Welcome,” she said simply and Bradley, knowing she meant it, found he had to swallow a lump in his throat.

“
Thank you, Mrs. O’Reilly.”

She smiled. “Call me Maggie, everyone does.”

The house was decorated in warm tones, with large, comfortable pieces of furniture. Mary’s brothers, Arthur and Thomas, were seated in the living room watching a football game. “The Irish are down by three,” Arthur called, “Fourth quarter, twelve minutes to go.”

“
Oh, well, then, the rest of the world and good manners should just go by the wayside,” Maggie said. “I’m ashamed that Mary’s friend should see the kind of hooligans I’ve raised.”

Arthur looked up at Bradley and grinned. “Hi, I’m the hooligan called Art,” he said. “This is my hooligan, twin, Thomas.”

Bradley grinned, “Hi, I’m Bradley,” he said and made a comment about Notre Dame’s current quarterback.

“
You know Notre Dame?” Thomas asked.

Bradley nodded. “Fighting Irish, oh, yeah.”

Mary watched Bradley slide closer to the couch, trying to crane his neck to see the screen. “Sean isn’t here yet,” she said. “If you’d like to watch the game until he comes, that would be fine.”

“
Really?” he asked, a happy grin spread across his face.

“
Hey, Bradley, have a seat,” Art called.

Mary nodded, “Really.”

Soon all four men were seated on the couch yelling at the television screen. Maggie rolled her eyes, “Well, there’s no use for sensible people in this room,” she said. “Let’s go into the kitchen and have a chat.”

“
He’s a nice young man, your Bradley,” Maggie said, as she poured Mary a cup of tea. “I like his eyes.”

Mary smiled and shook her head, “Mom, he’s not
my
anything,” she said, “Except a good friend.”

Maggie shrugged. “So, how was your drive in?” she asked, “Did you have any troubles?”

Mary shook her head. “No,” she said quickly, and then paused. “Mom…no…we had no problems at all. I’ve never driven in without at least one sighting.”

Maggie smiled. “Is that right? Hmmmm, I wonder what caused the change?”

“
Oh, no, it wasn’t Bradley, mom,” she said. “In the real world, fairy tales don’t work.”

Maggie laughed. “Mary, in the real world people don’t talk to ghosts.”

Bradley sat back on the couch and relaxed. The Fighting Irish had scored another touchdown and were now up by four. The announcer had paused for a station break and a commercial about a popular beer was playing on the screen. He turned to the other men with a pleasant expression on his face, to be met with three pairs of solemn eyes assessing him.

“
And how did you meet our Mary?” Art asked, going immediately to the point.

Bradley sat up on the couch. “We met working on her last case,” he replied.

“
And you’d never seen her before that?” Thomas asked.

He thought about the jogging encounters he and Mary had for several months before he actually knew who she was.

“
Well, actually, I had seen her before I officially met her,” he admitted. “We would jog at the same time in the park.”

“
Ahhh, jogging,” Art said. “Girls dressed in those cute little spandex shorts and sports bras. Could make a man yearn for exercising every day.”

Bradley started to smile, then, remembering who he was talking to, remained straight-faced. “Well, I could tell she took exercising seriously.”

Thomas snorted. “And how could you tell that?”

Damn,
he thought.
What do I say to avoid getting my butt kicked by three big Irish cops?

“
Because she beat me in a race nine times out of ten,” he admitted. “And it was slightly humiliating.”

“
That’s our Mary,” Thomas said, with more than a little pride. “Always wanted to be first, fastest and best. I hated when she beat me.”

Art laughed and slapped Bradley on the shoulder. “I’m in complete sympathy with you,” he said. “She enjoys showing men up. It’s disgusting.”

The game started up again and the men turned back to the screen. Bradley sat back, feeling like part of the group once again.
That went really well.

“
So,” Thomas said nonchalantly. “How many times have you spent the night at our Mary’s place?”

Bradley shrugged, his eyes on the quarterback weaving his way through the other team’s defensive line. “Just a couple of times,” he said absently.

Three pairs of eyes turned from the screen back to him.

Crap
.

Before the men could respond, the front door opened and another Irish giant entered the house.
Great, another one. I don’t stand a chance.

Sean O’Reilly walked across the room and stood before Bradley. “You must be Chief Alden,” he said. “I understand you saved our Mary’s life last month. I’d like to shake your hand.”

Bradley stood and extended his hand. “I don’t know where you got your information,” he said, “but I think your sister was the one who saved my life.”

Sean shook his head. “Let’s see if I can recall all the facts,” he said. “Someone shot at her in town; you pushed her down and covered her with your body. Someone was shooting at her in a forest preserve; you showed up in a knick of time to scare the fellow off. A serial killer breaks into her house while she’s in the shower; you pound on the door, scare him off and then spend the night on the couch protecting her. And then finally, you take a shot in the foot after you are both abducted and you make her leave you behind. Do I have the facts right?”