Hidden in Harmony: Danger is Imminent (Harmony Series Book 1)

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Hidden in Harmony: Danger is Imminent (Harmony Series Book 1) Page 19

by JR Thompson


  Collin gave him a no-nonsense kind of stare.

  Taking the hint, the canoer said, “It’s a scary world out there. Do you think he ran away or what happened?”

  “We don’t have time to chat right now, buddy. If you see him, please call the police or let us know,” Collin said before turning back toward his Jeep.

  “Don’t worry,” the man hollered after him. “I’ll keep my eyes out for the little guy.”

  Somehow that didn’t make Collin feel any better. Earlier he referred to our boy as being cute. He asked where we live. He wants to know what kind of nightclothes Remmy wears.

  As far as Collin was concerned, the effeminate man might as well have had a sign on the side of his truck that read, “Free ice cream to cute little boys. Come and get it!”

  ◆◆◆

  When they got to the house, Remington was nowhere to be found. Alayna began to cry. My baby has to be okay. He just has to, she told herself.

  Not even sticking around long enough to grab a snack, they headed over to Harmony.

  As they reached the blacktop, however, a police cruiser coming up the street turned his lights on.

  It was the same officer Collin had spoken with the day before. “Where are you folks headed?” he asked.

  “We’re going to put up some missing posters,” Collin told him.

  “You’re going to have to postpone that little trip, guys. I have a warrant here to search your property. You can either turn around and head back to your house so you can let me in or I’ll bust the door in. It’s your choice.”

  Collin and Alayna looked at each other for a moment. “We’ll be right there,” Collin mumbled.

  ◆◆◆

  The officer waited patiently as Collin unlocked the front door to the house. “I need you all to wait in your vehicle,” he said.

  “In our vehicle? Why?” Alayna asked.

  “To make sure you don’t interfere with my investigation.”

  Walking inside, he closed the door behind him. Clean house. I wonder if it’s always this clean or if they spruced it up trying to cover something up?

  Not expecting to find anything in the living room, he gave it a quick search. He checked the closet, under the end table, under the couch and chair, but as suspected, found nothing out of the ordinary.

  Going further, he found the master bedroom. Twin size blankets on the floor, huh? He questioned within himself. What teenage boy sleeps in Mom and Dad’s room?

  He picked up the blankets, checking them carefully for any signs of blood. Seeing nothing, he continued his search.

  He pulled every article of clothing from the dresser drawers. He didn’t leave a single pocket unchecked. He pulled the blankets off of the bed, carefully examined them, and threw them in the floor.

  Eventually, giving up on finding any evidence in the master bedroom, he moved into the bathroom. Everything was neat and tidy, just as he thought it would be. No evidence there.

  Going into Brock’s room, the officer became concerned. The boy doesn’t have anger issues but his walls have holes punched in them?

  Looking closer, he began to realize the clothing in the room didn’t belong to a thirteen-year-old. He searched the room as thoroughly as possible, but still found no solid evidence to go on.

  When the officer came outside, Collin stepped out of the Jeep.

  “I’m not finished yet. Get back in that broken-down truck of yours!” the officer commanded.

  ◆◆◆

  Collin watched in silence as the officer went into the shed. Thirty minutes later, he came out and walked over to the Jeep.

  “Folks, I’m going to be heading back to the office for a bit. Don’t go anywhere. I may be coming back later this evening for further questioning, or possibly even to make an arrest.

  CHAPTER 31 – ONE ANGRY MOMMA

  Once inside, Collin, Alayna, and Brock plopped themselves down on the sofa.

  Alayna’s blood began to boil. My son is out there somewhere. The longer he’s missing, the less likely it is he will ever be found.

  She couldn’t believe she and Collin had been confined to their home. They should have been out there hunting for their son. She knew there wasn’t even a search party looking for him yet.

  Glaring at Collin as if he was a red flag and she was a rodeo bull, Alayna asked, “Now what? Are we supposed to just sit here and do nothing while our son is missing?”

  Mesmerized by a salt shaker on the coffee table, Collin didn’t hear a word she said. He was too upset to listen. Too upset to speak. Too upset to do anything but stare at the grains of salt.

  Brock spoke up in his place, “If we violate the patrolman’s orders, we might be placed in a correctional facility.”

  Alayna said, “You’re right, Brock. And what did he say might happen if we stay here? He said he might come back to make an arrest. So, what? We’ll go to jail if we stay and we’ll go to jail if we leave. I say, it’s time to go out there and find my boy.”

  With an open palm, she smacked Collin in the back of the head. “Come out of it!” she snapped. “We are not just going to sit here waiting to see if or when that stupid police officer might come back. Our son is missing. It’s our job to protect him. Collin, we are going to leave here right now to go look for our son. Let’s go!”

  For thirty seconds, the room was silent. Then Collin spoke up, “Hon, you don’t wear the pants in this family. I do.”

  Alayna stood up and crossed her arms, “Then perhaps you better start acting like a man and making some good decisions. The first decision you need to make is for all of us to get out of here and continue looking for Remmy.”

  Brock tried to deescalate the situation, “This disturbing matter has muddied the waters of your relationship,” he began to say.

  “Shut up!” Brock and Alayna shouted at him in unison.

  They looked at each other for a second and Alayna smiled. “You owe me a coke,” she said softly.

  Collin tried to stay mad, but he couldn’t do it. He chuckled a bit.

  Brock said, “I’m going to leave you two alone to talk this over. I’ll be in my room.”

  “Alayna,” Collin said as soon as they were by themselves, “I really don’t know what to do. You’re right, Remmy is missing. I love him so much that it hurts. He’s as much a part of me as he is you. He’s my own flesh and blood. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him.”

  “What about me, Collin? Is there anything you wouldn’t do for me?”

  “Of course not. When we got married, we became one.”

  “Then what’s stopping you?” Alayna asked.

  “Stopping me from what?”

  “From doing anything for me. I told you I want us to go out and look for Remmy. What is stopping you from doing that? You said there is nothing you wouldn’t do for me, remember?”

  Collin smirked. “Hon, you know that’s not fair. I thought we had come to an understanding. I’m the man of the house. God gave me the responsibility of making decisions.”

  “There was more to our understanding than that dear,” Alayna said softly. “You said, and I quote, ‘Even though I’m supposed to be the decision maker, this house is not a dictatorship. I’m not the king. God is.’ Sound familiar?”

  Oh, that woman — does she have to hang on to every single word that I ever speak?

  “Let’s pray, hon,” Collin said, reaching for his wife’s hand.

  “What if I don’t want to pray right now?”

  “Have it your way, dear. I’m going to pray.” Collin laid himself flat on the floor. “Dear God,” he prayed out loud. “Please help us! I’ve always believed that you never put more on a person than they can handle. This is too much for us. I know your Word says we can do anything in your strength. Please give us that strength. Give us that wisdom.”

  Collin began weeping. Not because God had answered him, but because he felt like his prayers weren’t going anywhere. He felt like he was saying idle words and nothing was changing
.

  Alayna stood up and walked out of the room, leaving Collin there on the floor by himself.

  He laid there for more than an hour before finally crying himself to sleep.

  When he woke up, Brock was sitting on the sofa where his wife had been earlier.

  “Where’s Alayna?” Collin asked.

  “Uh,” Brock stammered. “Um, she left you a note. It’s on the fridge.”

  “She left me a note?” Collin asked. Where is she, Brock?”

  Cringing, Brock replied, “Out looking for Remmy.”

  ◆◆◆

  Alayna was a basket full of mixed emotions. She was terrified, hurt, confused, determined, angry, depressed, and anxious at the same time. She didn’t understand Collin’s hesitance to leave the property — regardless of what the officer thought about it.

  I’m going to find my baby, even if I have to find him all by myself, she thought, while strolling through the Harmony Community Park. “Good afternoon,” she said to a lady pushing a stroller. “My boy is missing. Can you help me?”

  “Sure. What can I do?”

  “Well, first of all, have you seen him?” Alayna asked, handing her a flyer.

  The lady gave it a quick once over. “I’m sorry, but no. How long has he been missing?”

  “About twenty-four hours or so. I’m terrified,” Alayna began to sob.

  The young mother gave Alayna a warm embrace and assured her everything was going to be okay. “I know it’s hard, sweetheart, but just give it time. He’ll come back.”

  “You don’t have a clue what I’m going through, do you?”

  The lady looked hurt. “No, I’ve never had a child missing. I don’t know how you feel. But if something were to happen to my baby, I would be petrified.”

  After Alayna finally pulled herself together, the lady volunteered to walk around the town with her, aiding her in the search for Remmy.

  ◆◆◆

  “Brock, is somebody out front?” Collin asked. “I thought I heard something.”

  “It’s the law,” Brock replied, staring out the window. “What are we going to do?”

  Don’t panic, Collin told himself. Everything will be fine.

  “Brock, why don’t you go hang out in your room? Say a prayer, please.”

  Collin forced himself to remain seated until the officer knocked on the door. Playing stupid, he hollered, “Who is it?”

  “Open up. It’s the police,” a voice thundered.

  Opening the door, Collin felt a bead of fearful sweat rolling down his spine. “How can I help you, officer?”

  “I’m here on an informational visit only. Since you don’t have a phone, I had to come out in person to let you know a search team will be going out looking for your son in about an hour. We are doing everything in our power to find him,” the officer said.

  Collin was relieved. “Are we still considered suspects or have we been cleared yet?”

  “You will be considered a suspect until that child is found.”

  “So if Remmy remains missing for five years, we’re never allowed to leave our property?”

  “I apologize. I misspoke earlier. You are free to leave your property just as long as you do not leave the state.”

  “Thank you, officer,” Collin said.

  ◆◆◆

  After several hours of searching, Alayna decided it was time to head for home.

  “If you give me your phone number, I can call you if I see him,” her new friend said.

  “I don’t have a phone. Just call the police if you find him, okay?”

  “Sure thing.”

  All the way home, Alayna thought about the fact that she had sneaked out of the house while Collin was asleep. How terrible. I was so upset with Collin before when he left work and went to The Creepy Masselli Place and look what I’ve gone and done. Hypocrite much?

  Her behavior reminded her of the time, as a teenager, when she had sneaked out of her mom’s house to attend a party. She couldn’t believe she was stooping to the same level of immaturity now that she was not only an adult, but a wife and a mother.

  Alayna had gotten to the place in her life where she had been enjoying allowing Collin to lead her home. How had she permitted negative circumstances to completely knock things out of whack?

  She knew Collin would forgive her, but how would she even begin to apologize? Collin was probably worried sick. She could only hope the police hadn’t returned.

  A few miles from her turn-off, Alayna saw Mr. Canoe Guy again. Like before, he stuck his arm out and flagged her down.

  “Found your sweet little fellow yet?” he asked.

  “No, I haven’t. Have you seen him?”

  “I’ve been keeping my eyes out for him.”

  Pulling out, Alayna thought she was going to burst into tears again. That man is a pedophile. I wish we had never even stopped to talk to him. He’s hanging out in our neighborhood now. What if he finds Remmy before we do?

  ◆◆◆

  “Collin, your wife is back,” Brock said a few minutes later.

  Good, he thought. I have a few things I’d like to say to her.

  He sat at the dining room table for fifteen minutes waiting for Alayna to walk in the door. She didn’t come in.

  Collin, beginning to worry, walked out on the front porch. Alayna was sitting on the steps with her head on her knees. Tears were running all over her face.

  “I’m so sorry, Collin,” she said. “I am a horrible wife. I don’t know what I was thinking. I hope you can forgive me.”

  Everything Collin had planned on saying fled from his mind. He wrapped his arms around her and said, “I love you, honey. It’s going to be okay.”

  CHAPTER 32 – TOLD YOU SO

  For the next week and a half Collin forced himself to go to work every day. While he was busy selling shoes, Brock and Alayna kept the Jeep and searched for Remmy.

  From time to time, the police would show up at the house or even at Just Right Shoes to touch base. In other words, to let them know nothing had been found.

  On a regular basis, different members of the household would have terrible nightmares — that is, when they were fortunate enough to even fall asleep. Nightmares involving Remington being murdered or about someone breaking in and kidnapping one or all of them. Sometimes they would dream Remmy had come back and would wake up to find out he was still missing.

  ◆◆◆

  “Collin, did you see this yet?” Nikki asked one morning, waving a newspaper in front of him.

  On the front page was a headline — “Two Badly Beaten Bodies Discovered In Dumpster.” Those bodies weren’t just found in any random dumpster. They were in the dumpster behind Tessa’s Café, the same one Collin had woken up inside of. The bodies belonged to an adult female and a juvenile male. The article also described an unusual piece of hand-written paper found in the boy’s front pocket which read, “I told you this would happen.” The press was not releasing the victims’ names until the families had been notified.

  Collin read the article in disbelief, dropped the newspaper, and fell backwards, hitting his head on some metal shelving as he went to the floor. Nikki screamed and called 9-1-1.

  Fortunately, while she was waiting for the paramedics to arrive, an emergency room doctor just happened to enter the store. He wasted no time in rushing over to Collin and checking his pulse. He asked Nikki to hand him several boxes of shoes so he could elevate his feet.

  Keeping Nikki’s mind occupied, the doctor grilled her with questions. He wanted to know if Collin had been sick, if he had a history of seizures, if she saw him hit his head, and if she was aware of any blood pressure issues.

  The questioning continued until Collin regained consciousness about a minute later. The doctor did everything he could to keep Collin alert until the paramedics arrived and the questioning began all over again.

  They started to help him out to the ambulance, but Collin refused to go to the hospital. He told them he was fine
and he did not have time for a thorough medical examination.

  “While you’re here,” Collin moaned, “could we interest either of you in purchasing a new pair of shoes? Both of you look like you could use a pair.”

  The paramedics gave each other a look that said, “This guy is nuts.” Once they left, Collin reread the article. This time, instead of passing out, he seemed to be taken over by an uncontrollable rage. He dropkicked a box of shoes as if he was trying to kick a field goal. The shoes slammed into a mirror, cracking it in two. Collin was far from done. He ripped what was left of the mirror off of the wall and flung it in the opposite direction. He went to one of the shelves and started knocking a whole row of shoes off into the floor.

  Nikki started screaming at him to stop. She grabbed his arm, but he jerked away and continued his rage of fury. Nikki went back to the employee counter and grabbed her thermos of Mountainberry Blast Powerade. She ran back over to Collin, called his name, and then splashed the Powerade right in his face.

  Collin stood still in his tracks, staring at her like a deer caught in a four-wheeler’s headlights. He stayed that way for a moment, before coming back to his senses. He asked Nikki if she would mind cleaning up his mess while he tried to find out if one of those bodies belonged to Remmy. He promised to secretly replace or repair the damages if Nikki could keep management from finding out about his temporary loss of sanity.

  Borrowing Nikki’s phone, Collin called the newspaper reporter. He told him his son had been missing for three weeks and he needed to know if it was his son’s body that had been found. The reporter told him he would have to obtain that information from the police. He was not at liberty to disclose the information to anyone until he had received word from higher ups.

  Collin dialed the police department, just to be bounced from person to person and eventually to a voicemail box; he didn’t leave a message. Instead, he called the same number again and told them he needed to talk to whoever the highest-ranking official was who was currently on duty.

  The call was transferred to Sergeant Leon Mahoy. Sergeant Mahoy said he could not release the names of the deceased to any non-relative. He did, however, confirm that neither of the bodies was Remington’s.

 

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