My grandparents both looked shocked. I saw them look at each other, then back at me.
“Is this real?” Grandma asked. “Madison, are you really sure?”
“Yes. And, I called the phone number they listed on the TV,” I said with my eyes downturned. I’m not really sure why I did that. I wasn’t guilty of anything. But I felt guilty anyway. I started a big problem and I knew it. How big, I wasn’t sure yet.
“What did they say?” Grandpa asked, very curious now. Both of them were watching me intently.
“Well, they didn’t say much. They just asked me where I was. I got scared and hung up. But, the internet said that I was kidnapped by the housekeeper of my parents, and that her name was Abigail.” Both of them gasped simultaneously. I started crying.
“Maddie, don’t cry.” My grandfather reached over and hugged me tight. He started tearing up too.
“This can’t be true,” Grandma said. “You are Abbey’s daughter. Why would she kidnap you? Leland.” She looked at my grandpa. “What do we do now?” I could tell Grandma was really scared.
“I don’t know, Rosie, I don’t know.” And for the first time in my grandpa’s life, I think he really didn’t know what to do. This wasn’t the type of thing that normally came up in someone’s daily routine.
“There’s more,” I said, between sobs. “They asked me about my birthmark and I described it for them. They got kind of weird after that. I think I’m a match.” Abbey had told my grandparents that my biological father had the same birthmark that I had. That's really all they knew about him.
"They also said that they could trace my cell phone number and get my address. They are sending the police here to get me, I guess.” I was so distraught that I couldn’t even speak anymore. So, my grandma walked me to my room.
“Sweetie, just lay down for a bit till you feel better. Then we can talk some more about it. We’ll figure out what to do.” She tucked me in like she used to do when I was little. She hadn’t done that in many years, but it felt really nice. She kissed me on the forehead and turned to leave.
“Grandma?”
She turned back to look at me. “What honey?”
“I’m really sorry that I started all of this.”
“You didn’t start anything, dear. It appears that Abbey did.” And with that, she walked out of my room.
I must have fallen asleep immediately, because the next thing I knew, the shadows were long across my room. What time is it? I thought. I looked at my radio and it was after 4 o’clock. What, I slept all day? I jumped out of bed to look for my grandparents. I found them in the living room, talking quietly. I stood in the doorway listening to them for a moment.
“We should probably call a lawyer,” Grandpa said. Grandma agreed.
“I’ll find one in the morning.”
It seemed like that was the end of the conversation, so I walked into the room.
“Hi, how did you sleep?” Grandpa asked, looking concerned.
“Fine, I guess. I don’t remember anything. You shouldn’t have let me sleep all day. Now I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”
“Sorry. We just thought you needed it. You’ve been under a lot of stress,” Grandma said.
“Yeah, I guess so,” I responded.
Chapter 4
Two days later it happened. I was in my room reading that morning after breakfast. I didn’t have plans with Charlie until later in the day. I heard a knock at the door and jumped up to answer it. I was kind of expecting it, but it still shocked me to see the police standing there. There were two police officers in uniform, and a man and woman not dressed in uniform. They looked official though.
“Madison Harris?” the man in the suit standing right in front of me asked. He was very tall and intimidating.
“Yes,” I answered, barely audible.
“Please go with this nice lady. She’s a social worker and will take care of you. Are your grandparents home?”
I didn’t even have a chance to answer when both of my grandparents walked up behind me. I turned and saw that they were very surprised to see the police standing there.
“Rosemary and Leland Harris?”
“Yes,” they both answered simultaneously.
“Please come with us to the police station for questioning in the kidnapping of Madison Tyler.” The two officers standing next to the main guy pushed past me in the doorway and took each of my grandparents by the arm and led them toward the squad car.
“Okay, we’re coming. You don’t need to grab my arm,” Grandma said, clearly annoyed. I could also hear a little fear in her voice.
“Grandma, Grandpa, I’m so sorry,” I called after them. I couldn’t help the tears that started streaming down my face.
I noticed that the neighbors were starting to gather.
“What, you got nothing better to do?!” I yelled at them. A few looked away, ashamed at themselves for relishing in the fact that the cops weren’t at their doors. “Stop staring. Go away!” I couldn’t help myself. I was angry and embarrassed at the same time.
Then the woman interrupted. “Madison, I’m Mrs. Roberts from Social Services. Can you come with me please?” she said, taking my arm and trying to soothe the situation.
“I don’t want to. Where are they taking my grandparents?” I answered, jerking my arm away from her.
“They are just going in for questioning, as far as I know. But, they aren’t my concern, you are.”
“Well I don’t want to be your concern. I’m not going with you.” I turned to go back into my house.
“Yes you are,” the tall cop said to me. I could tell by the look on his face that he wasn’t kidding. It was a little scary.
“Fine,” I said. No point arguing, they weren’t going to let me stay, of course.
He looked at Mrs. Roberts and shook his head in exasperation. I saw it and he knew it. I walked toward the second police car with her.
“Am I under arrest?” I asked, confused.
“No, of course not,” She answered. “We are just going to the police station to talk. You are not in any trouble at all.”
“Why can’t we talk here?” I asked, very concerned for my grandparents.
“Because you are a minor, young lady, and your grandparents will be at the police station. So, that’s where you are going,” the officer answered back.
“All right, I’ll go.”
“Well, thank you so much for your cooperation,” he said. The sarcasm was not lost on me.
I got into the back of the police car. The officer and Mrs. Roberts both sat in the front. I felt like a prisoner in the back seat with the metal cage between us, and I’m sure the doors wouldn’t open from the inside if I tried them. At least I don’t have hand cuffs on, I thought.
We rode in silence for a couple of minutes.
“Are my grandparents going to jail?”
“It depends on their answers,” the cop replied.
“What is your name, anyway?” I asked him.
“Sam Perez.”
“Well, Sam Perez, my grandparents have absolutely nothing to do with this. They didn’t even know about it until I told them.”
“Is that right?” he asked me. Of course, he didn’t believe me.
“Yes, that’s right,” I answered, just as curtly.
“When we get to the police station, we’ll get to the bottom of all this. Don’t you worry,” he replied.
I just sat back in my seat and didn’t say anything else for the rest of the ride. What was the point? They didn’t believe me anyway. We arrived at the station few minutes later, right behind the car carrying my grandparents. They were just getting out of the car and seemed distraught.
“I’m so sorry,” I cried to them.
They both looked my way and my grandpa said “It’s okay, sweetheart. We’ll be fine. We are going to get this taken care of and be home in no time.” His voice told me that he wasn’t so sure if he was telling the truth or not.
As soon as
we walked into the police station I had to squint my eyes. It had some seriously harsh overhead florescent lighting. It took just a minute to adjust. Once I could see clearly again, I noticed that my grandparents were nowhere to be seen.
“Where did they go?” I asked Mrs. Roberts.
“I don’t know. Somewhere to talk, I guess. Come with me, Madison.” She took my arm to turn me in the right direction. I jerked it away.
“Stop grabbing my arm,” I said, a little too loudly. I noticed a few people in the police station look our way.
“Okay, fine. Just walk down this hall please.” She pointed the way and I walked.
“How long is this going to take? I want to see my grandparents. Please.”
She walked around me and opened a door at the end of the hall. We walked in and saw that it was an office. I didn’t notice the name on the door. I did notice a nice looking man and woman in their late thirties or so, sitting when we walked in. They stood almost immediately.
“Oh my god. It’s her,” the woman said to the man. Then they both looked at me and smiled. I was confused.
“Madison, these are your parents,” Mrs. Roberts said, not taking her eyes off of me.
“What?” I looked at her, then to the strangers standing in front of me, then back at her.
“Madison,” the man said to me. “Are you okay?” He looked concerned.
“You better sit down dear.” Mrs. Roberts took my arm and led me to a nearby chair. “You look a little pale.”
I didn’t jerk my arm away that time. I just went with it and sat down. I think I was in shock.
“Would you like some water?” the woman asked me. She seemed very sweet and genuinely looked concerned for me.
I looked her in the eyes. “Are you really my mother?” I asked her. I know I had a look of hope on my face. I never had a real mother. Mine dropped me off at two years old and never looked back. My grandmother tried and she is a wonderful person, but she wasn’t my mom. I desperately needed that.
“Yes sweetie, I am,” she said. She had tears running down her cheek as she reached for my hand. I let her take it.
“My name is Sarah,” she told me. She was pretty, not beautiful. Kind of average looking, but she had a nice face. Her hair was cut short and was dark, like mine. I think I could like her.
“And this is Adam, your father,” she motioned toward the man and I looked in his direction. He was very good looking and tall, with sandy colored hair, not at all like mine. He had a very nice smile, and a look of hope on his face. Was that hope that I would like him? That I would love him? Probably.
Wow, I thought. A new mother and father all in one day. This was really a lot to take in. I burst into tears. My new parents didn’t know what to do. They both stepped back in surprise. Mrs. Roberts reached over to the desk, pulled up a tissue out of the box and handed it to me.
“Thanks,” I said.
I wiped my tears and tossed the tissue into the trash can sitting next to the desk. I then took a deep breath and realized I wanted to know everything about them. But, I had no idea where to start.
“Madison,” Mrs. Roberts said, looking directly at my parents, “why don’t you stay here and talk to your parents for a few minutes. I’m going to give you all some privacy.” Without waiting for a response, she walked out of the small office and closed the door behind her.
"Adam, look. There's the birthmark, like yours." She was looking at my neck." It made me feel self conscious. Adam just smiled as tears welled up in his eyes.
“Madison, we want you to know that we spent years looking for you. In fact, we never really stopped. I can’t believe that you are really here,” Adam said, with a sad tone in his voice. He reached over and touched my shoulder. “We didn’t even know if you were still alive,” he added.
“I didn’t know,” I said quietly. “I didn’t know that I had parents out there. I didn’t know you were looking for me.”
“We know,” Sarah said. “It’s not your fault. It’s Abbey’s fault. She did this, not you.”
I really didn’t know how to respond, because all my life I had believed that Abbey was my mother and that she was out there waiting for me. I spent years looking for her, and then I find out that she wasn’t even really my mother. She stole me away from my family. A family that obviously loved and missed me. I did love my grandparents, though. They were always wonderful to me. Finding out that they weren’t really related to me devastated me.
“Where are my grandparents?” I asked them. “Do you know?”
“Madison, they aren’t your grandparents. They’re kidnappers,” Adam said. He sounded upset.
“No they aren’t,” I was starting to get a little angry. “They didn’t know what Abbey did. They thought I was her daughter. It’s not their fault.” I crossed my arms in a show of defiance. Like that was really going to intimidate anyone.
“How could they not know?” Sarah asked. “They are her parents. They had to know.”
“Because they hadn’t seen her in years and then she dropped me off at their house when I was two, and never came back. She told them that I was her daughter.”
“I still think they knew,” Adam said. He seemed adamant.
I was starting to get really angry. They had no right to talk about my grandparents like that. They loved me and raised me. They were the only people in the world that truly loved me.
“No they didn’t. Please stop talking about them like that!”
They both had a look of shock on their faces. It was clear they weren’t expecting that out of me.
“I want to go home,” I said and reached for the door.
“Madison, we want to talk to you,” Sarah said as she stepped in front of the door.
“I don’t care. I need to find my grandparents.” I pushed her aside and ran out the door and down the hall toward the entrance of the police station. I could feel my parents on my heels. I saw Sam Perez, the tall officer that brought me in, standing next to the counter talking to another uniformed officer.
“Sam, I want to see my grandparents,” I demanded as I walked defiantly toward him. He seemed a little surprised to see me.
“Madison, what are you doing? You can’t see your grandparents. They are being questioned right now and will probably be arrested tonight. Didn’t Mrs. Roberts explain to you what is going on?” Sam Perez asked.
“Please don’t arrest them!” I was starting to get a little hysterical. “They didn’t do anything wrong!” I grabbed his arms, pleading with him.
Sam pulled away from me. “Stop it, you’re making a scene.” He was looking me straight in the eyes.
“I don’t care. Let me see them.” I crossed my arms and stared straight back. “I’m not moving or cooperating in any way until you let me see them.” And, boy was I serious. I intended to stand in that position until the end of time, if that’s how long it took. I really hoped it didn’t take that long.
He could tell that I meant business. My parents walked up and stood next to Sam, watching to see what I would do. I think they were shocked at my behavior and didn’t know how to respond. At that point I guessed that they didn’t have any other children.
“Watch your attitude, young lady. I don’t work for you.” He was not backing down.
“Madison,” Adam said, “why don’t we go sit down for a while and talk about this?” I could tell he was trying to diffuse the situation. I turned toward him.
“There’s nothing to talk about.” I looked him in the eyes and noticed at that moment that they were the same color green as mine.
That was the first time since it all began that I almost felt like I had a connection to someone. Adam was a handsome man and we did sort of look alike. On the other hand, I didn’t think I looked like Sarah much. She seemed nice though, and I liked that.
I looked back at Sam, with the same determined look. “Well?” I said.
Sam hesitated, then let out an exasperated sigh. “Only because I want this to all be se
ttled tonight, and not because you are being a stubborn brat, I’ll see what I can do. I’m not promising anything.” He walked off down the hall. All of us turned around and watched him leave. I smiled. At that moment I remembered my grandfather always saying something about a squeaky wheel.
“Madison, do you want to sit down while we wait?” Sarah asked me.
“No,” I said and stood my ground. I didn’t want to come across as weak to anyone in that police station. So, we all just stood there in silence for several minutes. It was kind of unnerving.
Then, to my complete surprise, Adam said “When we’re done here, do you want to stop by your house and pick up your things, or would it be easier for me to just send someone to your house tomorrow to get everything?”
I had been staring out the window, but with that I spun around and looked at Adam.
“What are you talking about? Why would I need to get my things?” I knew exactly what he meant, but I needed a minute to process what he had just said.
“Didn’t they tell you that you are coming home with us today?” he responded. I could tell that he really was surprised that I didn’t know.
“I don’t care what they told you, but I’m not going anywhere except home with my grandparents.” I was very matter-of-fact about it.
“Madison, you are our daughter and of course you are coming to live with us. We aren’t leaving without you,” Sarah said.
I was just about to respond, when Officer Sam came walking down the hall toward us. We all turned toward him, expectantly.
“Okay, girl, you can see your grandparents. Follow me.” With that he turned and started back in the direction he had come, not even looking back to see if I was following him. He knew I was. I just left my parents standing there without saying a word to them. I wondered what they were thinking at that moment. They were probably thinking about what a brat I was. It wasn’t my intention to come across as one. I was just so upset at the circumstances that were thrust upon me. I followed Sam into a room near the office I first met my parents in. The room wasn’t an office though. It looked like an interrogation room. It had one long table and a few chairs. It also had a large mirror, which I assumed was two way glass, like you see on TV. I ran to my grandparents’ waiting arms and started sobbing.
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