Suspicions (4 page)

But lately things had been different. She
hadn’t said as much to Amanda, but Stacey could empathize with the
comment Amanda had made about difficulties in marriage. Recently
she and Jason had been having their own difficulties. He’d seemed
distant at times lately and Stacey didn’t know why. She just knew
they’d been fighting more.

Even so, she felt optimistic that things
would improve. Jason looked up from the book he was reading and
smiled as Stacey entered their room.

“Any news?” he asked, setting his book
down.

“No. But Mark said they were searching the
neighborhood. Did they come by here?”

“They could have come by, but I took the kids
out for ice cream and then stopped by the library, so I guess we
missed them.”

“Oh.” Stacey paused. “I’m going to check on
the kids.”

As she walked down the hall, she thought
about her children. Robby loved school and his third grade teacher.
He was learning so much this year and having fun with his friends.
And that nice Mr. Gowen, letting them build a treehouse in his
orchard. Robby and Kyle loved to play there.

Then she thought of her precious daughter,
Nikki, who loved first grade and had taken to reading so quickly.
What a horrible thing to have your children missing, she thought.
School is supposed to be a safe place where we send our children
and not worry if they're going to come home to us. A little shiver
of fear shot up her spine.

I think I'll walk Robby and Nikki to school
and back until Kyle comes home.

When Stacey tiptoed into Robby's room, she
was surprised to see he was still awake.

“What's wrong, Robby? You should be asleep by
now.” She sat on the edge of his bed, automatically laying the back
of her hand against his forehead to check for warmth.

“Why were the police at Kyle's house?” His
eyes were enormous and his brow puckered with worry.

She stroked his cheek. “They just had to ask
his Mom and Dad some questions.”

Robby's brow relaxed, although he still
looked anxious. “Can I play with Kyle tomorrow?”

Afraid of scaring him, she was hesitant to
give him all the details. “Are you sure you don't know where Kyle
went after school today?”

Tears formed in his eyes. “I told you, Mom. I
don't know where he went.”

“Okay. I'm sorry. I believe you.” She smiled
gently. “Now go to sleep. You have school in the morning.”

“I don't want to go to school tomorrow.”

His comment surprised Stacey. He usually
loved to go to school. “Why not? Isn't tomorrow the assembly you've
been looking forward to? The one with the magician?”

“Yeah, I guess.” He looked at Stacey with
hope. “But will you walk to school with me?”

“I'd love to,” Stacey told him, glad he asked
but not understanding why. It was usually a point of pride for him
to walk to school without mom tagging along.

“Okay, Mom. Goodnight.” He turned his head on
the pillow and closed his eyes.

Stacey stayed a few minutes longer, until she
heard the telltale sound of his even breathing. What would it be
like, she pondered, to not have a care in the world?

She wondered how long it would take her to
fall asleep this night.

Day 2 – Tuesday

Soft music woke Stacey from her fitful sleep.
Forcing her eyes open, she looked at the clock and saw it was
six-thirty. Reaching over to turn off her radio alarm, she glanced
back at her husband and recognized the peaceful expression on his
face. Coupled with the sound of his quiet snoring, she realized he
was a long way from consciousness. Typical, she thought. He could
sleep through an earthquake.

Morning sunlight worked its way through the
closed blinds and she knew it was time to get up. A soft sigh
escaped her lips as she pushed herself out of bed. Once she was
fully awake, the events of the previous day crashed into her mind.
Was Kyle back? Had they found him? Though desperate to know, Stacey
didn't want to call Amanda at this early hour.

I'll go over to her house as soon as the
children are off to school, she decided.

After she showered and dressed, she went into
the kitchen to prepare breakfast and wait for the rest of the
household to come to life. While pouring the pancake batter onto
the hot griddle, Jason strolled in looking wide-awake. The aroma of
bacon mingled with the smell of warm pancakes as Jason wandered
around to Stacey's side of the counter.

“What are your plans today?” he asked,
leaning against the counter.

“As soon as I get the kids to school, I’m
going to Amanda’s to see what’s happened with Kyle.” She scooped up
the golden pancakes and put them on a plate.

As Jason sat down to eat, Robby wandered in
rubbing his eyes. He was still in his Superman pajamas and his
brown hair stuck up in places.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” Stacey said.
“Come and have some pancakes and then go get dressed for school.
Remember I get to walk to school with you today.”

“Can Kyle walk to school with us?” he asked
as he poured syrup on his pancakes.

“Not today, honey. I don't think he's going
to school.”

Robby looked from one parent to the other.
“Why not? Isn't he home yet?”

“I don't know, honey. I haven't talked to his
mother. I was going to check with her after I took you and Nikki to
school.” She paused, wanting to change the subject. “In fact, I
need to wake Nikki.”

Curled up on her bed and clutching her
special pink blanket, Nikki slept soundly. Stacey woke her and
helped her pick out her clothes.

“Mommy? Robby said something bad happened to
Kyle. What was it?” Nikki looked at her mother with wide, innocent
eyes.

Stacey suspected he had told her that because
he had seen the police car parked across the street the previous
evening. “Nothing's happened to Kyle, sweetheart. He's probably
home right now.” At least Stacey hoped that was true.

“Okay. Can I have lots of syrup on my
pancakes?”

Robby dragged his feet as the trio walked to
school. Several times Stacey had to tell him to hurry up or they
would be late. When they neared some low bushes near the school,
Robby stopped dead in his tracks and stared at a spot about a
hundred yards away.

“Robby, come on. You don't want to be late do
you?” She gave him a gentle shove. He didn't seem to hear her at
first and just continued staring. Finally he moved forward,
dragging his feet even more than before.

When they reached his classroom door, Stacey
bent down to give him a kiss. He hugged her tightly and didn't let
go for several seconds.

What is going on with him? She thought. She
didn’t think he’d heard anything about Kyle yet, but wondered how
long that would last. “I'll meet you here after school. Don't leave
until I get here, okay?”

He nodded and went in. Stacey watched him go
and saw the bright green clovers hanging on the wall and remembered
that just the day before Kyle had helped Mrs. Hershfield hang them
there.

After taking Nikki to her first grade class,
Stacey quickly walked toward home. She headed directly to Amanda’s
house, but before she was able to cross the street, her next-door
neighbor, Margie, ran out the front door and grabbed her arm.

Margie Thompson was a short woman. Her thin
hair was tightly curled and she wore no makeup. Wearing sweats and
a T-shirt, she still had slippers on her feet as she rushed toward
Stacey. “Do you know why the police were at the Stone’s house
yesterday?” she gasped.

Anxious to know whether Kyle had been found,
Stacey didn't want to stop and speak with her neighbor. Not only
that, she’d had problems with Margie in the past and didn't want to
tell her anything more than necessary. Besides, Stacey reasoned,
Kyle could be home right now.

“Were the police there?” Stacey asked,
deciding to play dumb.

“Oh yeah,” Margie said, as if she had the big
news of the day. “They were there last evening.” She looked over
her shoulder at her house. “It was right after I got home from the
store. I saw them pull up in front of the Stone's house. They were
there for about twenty minutes. And then I saw them talking to some
of the neighbors.” She looked disappointed. “I had to leave before
they got to my house.” She looked at Stacey with open curiosity.
“Did they get to your house?”

She shook her head. “Not while I was
home.”

“Oh.” She paused. “What do you think’s going
on?”

Stacey gave Margie a small smile. “Have you
spoken to Amanda?”

“No.”

“I've got to go now.” Stacey began backing
up.

Margie wasn't willing to release her from
questioning yet. “Where are you going?”

“Over to Amanda's house.”

“Oh! Tell me what happened. Okay?”

“I’ll see you later,” Stacey said before
turning and crossing the street to Amanda’s house. Hesitating
before knocking, she wondered what news would be waiting inside.
She had to knock several times before Amanda answered the door.
There were dark circles under her eyes and she confirmed Stacey’s
guess that she hadn’t slept much the night before.

Amanda opened the door wider and allowed
Stacey to enter. All the curtains were drawn and the lights were
turned down low.

“I'm so glad you came over, Stacey.” Tears
filled her eyes. “The police haven't found him yet. They've been
looking all night and haven't found a trace. They even called the
FBI.”

“Oh, Amanda. I'm so sorry,” Stacey said as
she felt her eyes sting with tears. “What happens now?”

“They told me to stay here in case there's
some sort of contact.” Tears spilled down Amanda's cheeks. “I can't
believe this is happening to me. This is only supposed to happen to
other people or on television, not to my family.”

They walked into the living room and sat on
the pristine couch, looking at the phone expectantly.

“Do they really think someone kidnapped him?”
Stacey asked, finally saying the word out loud.

“What else could it be?” Amanda asked with
sorrow. “I just hope they did it for the money. I'll give them all
I own if I can just have Kyle back. I don't care what it takes. I
just want my son back.”

After several minutes Stacey asked, “Where’s
Mark? Is he still upstairs?”

“No. He said he was going to look for Kyle
some more. He said he would go door to door asking people if
they've seen him. I told him the police are already doing that, but
he wouldn't listen.”

“I guess he feels he needs to do something,”
Stacey said.

“Whose side are you on anyway?”

Stacey was taken aback. “What do you mean?
Aren't you and Mark on the same side?”

Sighing heavily, Amanda was apologetic. “I
don't know what I mean anymore. I feel so helpless just staying
here, crying all the time. But the police told me I need to stay
here.”

“Is there something I can do? Anything at
all?”

Amanda shrugged her shoulders. “I don't know.
My mind's in such turmoil.”

“What about the media? Do they know yet?”

“Didn't you watch the news last night?”
Amanda asked in astonishment.

“No. After I left here I went straight to
bed.”

“The police issued an Amber alert, so his
picture was on all the television news stations.”

“What about the newspapers?” Stacey
asked.

Amanda shook her head. “You haven't looked at
the paper either?”

Stacey was beginning to feel flustered by her
apparent ignorance. “I didn't think to look in the paper this
morning. I was helping Robby and Nikki get ready for school.” She
wished she could suck the words back in as soon as she heard
herself speak.

Amanda looked stricken.

Stacey moved closer to her on the couch. “I'm
so sorry. That was completely thoughtless of me.” She tried to
smooth it over. “What was in the paper?”

Amanda recovered her composure. “Kyle's
picture was on the front page.”

Before they said another word, the phone
rang. Stacey's heart pounded as Amanda raced to pick up the
phone.

Amanda listened for a minute then said,
“Okay, I'll see you then.” Her shoulders slumped as she replaced
the receiver. “That was one of the Special Agents from the FBI.
Agent Morrison. He's coming over. He said they're having the phone
company set up something to trace our calls. Hopefully someone will
call about . . . about Kyle,” Amanda struggled to control her
voice.

Stacey felt helpless as she watched Amanda
work through her emotions. “Do they expect someone to call?”
Thinking about the abductions she’d read about, it seemed most were
committed by pedophiles.

Amanda bit her lip before speaking. “They
really don’t know, but they said because of the money I inherited,
it is possible and they want to be prepared.”

“That makes sense,” Stacey said, hoping it
was because of money Kyle had disappeared, rather than because of a
pedophile. Then, trying to distract Amanda a bit, Stacey said,
“Have any reporters called?”

Amanda shook her head. “Our number's not
listed and I guess they haven't gotten it yet.”

“That’s good.” Stacey paused. “What about
fliers? Have you thought about making those?”

“No. But that's a great idea.” Amanda stood.
“We can print hundreds of them and then get people to help put them
up around town.”

Amanda’s enthusiasm pleased Stacey. Obviously
having something concrete to do was perking her up.

The women went down the hall to the
office.

Stacey hadn't been in Mark's office before
but she could see it belonged to a man. The desk was large and dark
and had plenty of room to spare even with the computer on it. The
walls had walnut paneling with a couple of pictures of Mark and
Kyle fishing. Stacey noticed that there were no pictures of
Amanda.