by Willow Rose
“They know who she is,” he said.
“What?”
“They found out who she is. They took a DNA sample this morning at the hospital and they have a match.”
Shannon stared at him, puzzled. “This morning? How is it even possible to do it so fast? I thought it took days at least.”
“Yeah, well, they used the newest technique, an entirely new method. I’ve heard about it, but it hasn’t quite reached Cocoa Beach yet. It’s called Rapid Forensics DNA Analysis. It’s a newly developed test that makes checking DNA from people arrested for crimes with DNA samples from crime scenes stored in forensic databases almost as easy as matching fingerprints. To increase the speed of forensic DNA testing, the scientists built a chip that can copy and analyze DNA samples taken from a cotton swab. Forensic technicians can collect DNA from suspects by swabbing their mouth, mixing the sample with a few chemicals, and warming it up. The DNA-testing-lab-on-a-chip does the rest. The entire process takes only four hours. But the bottom line is they had a match with a sample of DNA in their system.”
Shannon’s eyes became wide. This was good news. This was really good news. “So, who is she then?”
Jack rubbed his chin like he often did when thinking. “Apparently, she’s some girl who disappeared five years ago.”
“Five years ago?” Shannon looked at her husband to be.
“What’s wrong? You look like you don’t believe me,” he said.
“No. No. Not at all. It’s just that, well I don’t know, but Betsy Sue is around ten, isn’t she?” Shannon asked.
“Yes. So?”
“You said the doctor said she had never been exposed to sunlight. If she lived with her parents for the first five years of her life, how could that be? And that she had never seen the ocean or eaten a burger?”
Jack shrugged and put the phone back in his pocket. “I don’t know. Does it matter? Maybe she doesn’t remember anything because she was too young. Maybe five years of lack of sunlight is enough. I don’t know. It’s out of our hands. They’re coming to get her soon, and now we can get on with our lives and, most importantly, our wedding.”
Jack walked closer and grabbed Shannon around the waist. She laughed and let him kiss her.
Jack is right. It’s going to be a great relief to get the girl out of our lives. Finally, we can both focus on the wedding again.
18
May 2016
The Doctor had left the house. An urgent matter had come up. Betsy Sue hadn’t come back and the girls were beyond consolation at having lost their dear sister.
The Doctor wasn’t happy either. The Doctor had other plans for her, and Betsy Sue knew it. It was time to get her back.
Now, the Doctor wasn’t stupid. And neither was Betsy Sue. It was hardly a surprise that the girl would try and escape after what happened to Daisy, so the Doctor had placed a GPS tracking device disguised as a Hello Kitty watch on the girl, very similar to those they used at the retirement homes to track the elderly Alzheimer's patients. Now all the Doctor needed to do to find her was to follow the directions on her phone.
It took her to an old house in the historic downtown, a two-story house with a beautiful porch outside facing the square. A woman walked her dog past the house and the Doctor greeted her in a neighborly way.
The Doctor walked up to the house and looked inside a window, then heard voices coming from the back and walked around the house. It was almost dark now, but the kids were still playing in the back.
The birds guided the Doctor. The same birds Betsy Sue always played with in the attic. The Doctor knew they would lead to her. The Doctor smiled at the thought of getting the girl back. There was no escaping the inevitable. It had to be done.
The Doctor carefully opened the gate in the fence, then sneaked inside the yard and past a few windows. The kids were yelling loudly in joy. There was no one who would be able hear the Doctor over all that noise. It was perfect. The Doctor walked closer, reached a window, and peeked in. Inside stood a man with a woman in his arms. They were kissing and chatting lovingly.
They won’t see anything. Perfect.
The Doctor watched for a few minutes while the man and the woman continued their embrace. It wasn’t until they let go of each other that the doctor realized who the woman was.
Shannon King. Here in Savannah?
The Doctor was about to make a move, when something else grabbed the doctor’s attention. Something right behind the couple, lying in a playpen.
A baby.
The Doctor couldn’t take her eyes off of the small baby. Such a beautiful creature, such a perfect specimen. It had to be a boy, since it was wearing a blue outfit. It was the most beautiful little thing.
The Doctor was filled with an urgent feeling. The Doctor knew what had to be done. But the Doctor never had a boy before. Always girls. Girls were easy. They liked to please. They took care of each other. But this…a boy?
No, there’s no way around it. You know what must be done.
Before the Doctor could react, a car pulled up and someone got out. The Doctor climbed close to the wall and hid behind it while four people walked up to the front door. The doctor peeked out just as they reached the porch, then gasped when realizing who it was.
19
October 1990
“I’m telling you. It’s like the house doesn’t want us here.”
Kimberly stared at her husband across the kitchen. She handed him his coffee and he sat down to eat.
“You’re being ridiculous,” he said.
“Am I now? Am I really?”
“I think you are.” Joseph picked up the paper, probably turning to the sports section as he always did.
Is he wearing a suit?
“I’m telling you, Joseph. There’s something wrong with this house. There’s this strange smell whenever I use the dishwasher and garbage disposal, and flies are constantly circling it. There are ravens all over the place. Look at them in the yard right now; they’re constantly poking at the windows, scaring me, not to mention the flock in the attic that I can’t get rid of. And then there were the bugs?”
Joseph scoffed. He didn’t even put down the paper to talk to her. She spotted the sports section on the table.
He never used to be this interested in the real news.
“I told you. The exterminator said it was just fleas. They were living in the cracks in the floor. He got rid of them. The birds are everywhere in Savannah, and I’ll have a plumber take a look at the garbage disposal.”
“We don’t have any pets! How can it be fleas if we don’t have pets? How would they survive?”
“Apparently this type of flea doesn’t care. He said they can survive for very long without a host. They lived off Rosa for a little while, and she is apparently allergic to them. It’s all just a series of unfortunate events, Kim. You’ve gotta let it go. It’s an old house. Of course there will be stuff wrong with it.”
Kimberly approached her husband and pulled down the paper to force him to look at her while she spoke.
“I’m telling you. This house is evil. I hear it at night. It’s like it’s laughing at me. I can’t sleep because of this scratching sound. It’s driving me nuts. This place is driving me nuts.”
“That’s because it’s haunted,” Rosa said, as she came into the kitchen at that very second.
Kimberly didn’t like that she had overheard their conversation. She didn’t want her to be uncomfortable here. She didn’t want her to be more scared after the incident with the fleas.
“Excuse me?” Kimberly said.
Rosa sat down and poured herself some cereal in a bowl with a shrug. “That’s what the old lady says. The one who lives down on the corner.”
“Mrs. Thomas?”
Rosa nodded. Kimberly poured the milk for her and she started to eat. “She told me everyone who has ever lived here has gone insane.”
“Don’t listen to nonsense like that,” Joseph said. “It’s just old wives’ tales.”
Kimberly stared at her daughter, not knowing what to say.
“It’s not,” Rosa argued. “The past owner killed his own three daughters. At least that’s what Mrs. Thomas said. The parents went out one night, leaving their four girls at home with their nanny. When they came back, three of the girls had been killed, and so had the nanny. One girl had survived, but she was only four years old and asleep upstairs when it happened. Mrs. Thomas said two of them were still inside the house, and one was on the front porch. Mrs. Thomas says the dad killed all of them. She says she is certain he came home earlier than his wife and did it. But the murders were never solved. His wife told the police he was with her all evening. But Mrs. Thomas said he had lost it looong before that night. He went nuts from living in this house. You could see it in his eyes.”
“Stop it,” Joseph said, spitting while he talked. “Stop it with all that nonsense.”
Kimberly didn’t know how to react. She didn’t know her aunt very well and had no way of finding out if this was a true story or not. She looked at her husband, who was now reading the business section as if it was of great interest to him. Then she wondered why she never heard him play his guitar anymore.
20
May 2016
Detective Bellini had a big smile on her face as I opened the door for them. She was with the lady from DCF and a couple I could only guess had to be Betsy Sue’s parents.
Judging from their appearance, I’d say they were very wealthy people. The woman wore heavy jewelry and the man a very expensive suit. They seemed nervous as I shook their hands and they presented themselves as Mr. and Mrs. Hawthorne.
“It has been a long road for the Hawthornes,” Detective Bellini told me, as we walked inside where Shannon was waiting with Betsy Sue. “Losing their daughter five years ago and never knowing what really happened to her. It gives me great pleasure to finally be able to bring their daughter back to them.”
“I can imagine,” I said.
We walked inside the kitchen and Betsy Sue looked up as her parents entered. It didn’t look like she recognized them and soon she looked away.
Mrs. Hawthorne let out a loud shriek and clasped her mouth delicately. Mr. Hawthorne stopped and stared at the little girl like he couldn’t believe that he was actually standing in front of her. He shook his head again and again. He was a tall man, trim build, once handsome, I suspect, back when he was younger. Still had a measure of vanity, since it was clear he colored his hair. His rawboned face was pleasant. His wife appeared to be one of those immaculate women who never would leave the house without makeup and hair perfectly done. She seemed to be in the beginning of her forties, while he was a lot older than her, maybe by ten years, but I could be mistaken.
Shannon grabbed Betsy Sue by the shoulders and turned her to face them. “Look who’s here, Betsy Sue,” she said.
The girl stared at them like they were from another planet. Mrs. Hawthorne was sobbing.
“Adelaide?” she said, and stared into the little girl’s eyes, bending down to her.
The father kept shaking his head like he was in disbelief. I guessed it was hard for him to comprehend. I couldn’t even imagine how it must have felt in that instant, to go through what they had. Had they given up hope? Had they come to terms with her being gone, or do you simply keep wondering, hoping you’ll see her again somewhere, somehow?
It was a very emotional moment and I could tell Shannon was fighting her tears. Well, who am I kidding? So was I.
“She told me her name was Betsy Sue,” I said. “I am guessing that is the name the kidnapper gave her.”
The sound of the word kidnapper resonated in the kitchen long after I had said it. I guess we were all thinking the same thing:
This guy should get caught and be punished for this.
I tried to imagine what it would be like to be in the Hawthornes’ shoes. To have been deprived of five years of your child’s life. To stand in front of her again now and see that she doesn’t recognize you, that she responds to a different name, to not know what she has been through, what kind of scars she has been left with.
It was so awful to even think about.
Mrs. Hawthorne reached out her arms towards Betsy Sue. The girl looked up at me and I nodded to show her it was okay. She still didn’t move.
“It might take some time,” I said.
Mrs. Hawthorne rose to stand straight up. She looked disappointed. The father still seemed baffled and was almost as pale as his daughter.
“Why?” he asked. “How? Where…where has she been?”
“Unfortunately, we don’t know the answers yet,” Detective Bellini said.
“And you found her?” he asked, addressed to me.
“Yes. I found her at the harbor. She told me she wanted to see the ocean,” I said.
“Has she said anything else?” Mrs. Hawthorne said.
“She hasn’t spoken to anyone but Mr. Ryder and Mrs. King,” Detective Bellini said. “But I’m sure she’ll come around. And I want to assure you that my department will do everything it takes to get this guy. You can trust in that. But we’ll need your daughter’s help.”
“Of course,” Mr. Hawthorne nodded. The realization seemed to be starting to sink in properly now. He was smiling at the girl.
“Well, Adelaide…”
“It’s Betsy Sue now,” his wife corrected him. “Even though that is an awful name, we should call her that if that’s what she responds to.”
“Sorry, Betsy Sue, I must say I…am extremely thrilled to see you again. More than you can ever imagine.”
21
May 2016
What started out as a sweet reunion scene soon turned out to be a complete nightmare. Troubles began once the Hawthornes wanted to leave and take Betsy Sue with them. Of course, the girl refused to leave.
Her begging and pleading eyes landed on me as they pulled her arm. I tried to smile and let her know it was all right, that she was going to be fine, but the terror on her face was disturbing.
She can’t stay here forever, Jack. The girl needs to be with her parents. And you have a wedding to plan, remember?
Mr. Hawthorne ended up grabbing the snarling and fighting Betsy Sue in his arms and walked out to the car with her over his shoulder. I watched with a thumping heart as they drove away with the little girl.
It felt awful.
Shannon walked up to me as I stood in the window, still looking out at the empty road in the direction where the police car had disappeared.
“You think we’ll ever see her again?” I asked.
“Part of me hopes we won’t,” Shannon said.
“And the other part?”
“Wants to run after that car and tell them to bring her back here.”
I looked at my bride to be and felt such deep love for her. She was holding Tyler in her arms.
“You feel that too, huh?”
“I couldn’t stand the way they carried her away like that. And she clearly didn’t know who they were. Did you see the look on her face? She was so confused. Shouldn’t she be able to remember them?”
I shrugged and caressed my drooling son gently on the cheek. “I don’t know. It’s been five years. She was very young when she disappeared. No one knows what’s going on in that little girl’s mind and what she’s able to remember and what she’s not. I mean, being taken from her parents five years ago must have been quite the trauma for her. Maybe she blocked out all memories from before then simply to survive?”
Shannon put her head on my shoulder. Tyler was fussing and she tried to make him calm down. When she didn’t succeed, I told her to hand him to me. I looked into the eyes of my beautiful baby and wondered how I would react if he was kidnapped.
I couldn’t even finish the thought.
Shannon’s hand landed on my shoulder. “We’ve done everything we can. There really isn’t anything else we could have done. I mean, the girl is back with her real parents.”
I nodded and kissed her. We
had to let it go. Both of us.
“So, should we order in?” I asked.
“Or…” Shannon said with glistening eyes.
“Or, we could go out!” I said. “Now that Betsy Sue isn’t with us, it’s a lot easier.”
Shannon threw herself onto one of the old couches, her iPad in her hand. “I’ll find a place. Somewhere that’s fun for the kids too.”
“Oh, what about the Pirate House? Someone recommended that to me,” I said. “It’s supposed to be haunted and everything.”
“What place around here isn’t?” Shannon said, and I couldn’t stop thinking about Betsy Sue and the boy she said was constantly by my side. I didn’t believe in ghosts, yet I felt a chill run down my spine while Shannon called to make reservations for us.
22
May 2016
The Pirate’s House was a restaurant that had been there since 1753. The small building adjoining the Pirate’s House was said to be the oldest house in the State of Georgia. Situated a block from the Savannah River, the Pirate's House first opened as an inn for seafarers, and fast became a rendezvous for bloodthirsty pirates and sailors from the Seven Seas. Here, seamen drank their grog and discoursed, sailor-fashion, on their exotic high seas adventures from Singapore to Bombay and from London to Port Said.
At least that’s what the sign at the entrance said. I was reading it while we were waiting to be seated at the very popular place. The kids were already running all over the place, yelling and acting like pirates, stomping the old wooden planks and talking to the pirate statues like they were part of the game. Well, my kids did. Angela stayed close to her mother, as always, looking dazzled and amused by Austin’s goofiness.
A guy dressed up like a pirate approached them and started telling the tale of how the tunnels underneath the restaurant were used to transport shanghaied seamen to the boats. They were drugged and captured at the Pirate’s House, then shuttled to waiting pirate ships via a secret tunnel where they’d wake up far out to sea.
