by Darrien Lee
“Where did you find her?” Ramsey asked the officer.
“Someone dropped her off at a Catholic church downtown.”
A doctor walked over to Ramsey and the officers and said, “We got the call that you were bringing in a kidnap victim. Is this the child?”
“Yes,” Ramsey replied. “I’m her father.”
“Please bring her into examination room four so we can examine her,” the doctor said.
In the examination room, Ramsey held his breath as the pediatrician examined Neariah for any signs of sexual or physical abuse. Thankfully, she received a clean bill of health, but before he took her to Keilah, the police wanted to swab her mouth to compare her saliva against any trace evidence they might obtain in the future. Afterward, Ramsey wanted to give her a nice warm bath and remove the clothes she was wearing. The pediatrician instructed the nurses to accommodate Ramsey and to bring him some pajamas for Neariah to wear.
He tried to give Neariah some food, but she wasn’t hungry, and it didn’t take long for her to fall asleep in her father’s arms. He was anxious to get her upstairs to Keilah, but his first stop was Tori’s room so he could give her and Kyle the great news. When he entered the room, Kyle stood with a huge smile on his face.
Ramsey hugged his neck and said, “We got her back, bro, and I want to thank you for being here for me, bro. I couldn’t have made it through this without you.”
“That’s what friends do. Is she okay?” Kyle said as he caressed Neariah’s curly hair.
“She’s perfect,” he replied. “Absolutely perfect.”
Ramsey handed Neariah to Kyle for a moment so he could talk to Tori. He leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek and said, “Thanks for loving us enough to risk your life to save our daughter. I’ll be forever grateful to you.”
She hugged Ramsey’s neck and said, “You know you guys are like family to me. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”
He kissed her again and said, “We feel the same way about you and Kyle.”
Tori nodded. “I’m glad she’s safe. Has Keilah seen her yet?”
“No, not yet. I wanted to stop by here to thank you first,” he replied.
“I appreciate that, Ramsey. Now, take her to Keilah so she can see her baby.”
Kyle handed Neariah back to his friend and walked him to the door, but not before giving him another brotherly hug.
Ramsey made his way down the long hallway and into his wife’s room. Luke and Roman stood and gave Neariah a tender kiss on the forehead as he passed them. Tears spilled out of Valeria’s eyes as she looked at her granddaughter sleeping soundly in Ramsey’s arms.
“Praise the Lord,” she whispered as she dropped to her knees and immediately started praying a prayer of thanks.
Marion was speechless as he hugged his wife and joined her in a prayer of thanksgiving.
Ramsey walked around to Keilah’s bed and gently laid Neariah on her mother’s chest and covered her with a blanket. Neariah snuggled against her sleeping mother’s warm neck and grabbed a handful of Keilah’s hair. Within minutes, Keilah’s blood pressure started to decline.
“Ramsey, get some sleep. You’ve been on fast-forward ever since she went missing. I’ll keep an eye on the girls,” Luke promised him.
“I can’t sleep right now. I don’t want to take my eyes off her,” Ramsey answered as he sat down in the recliner.
It was at that moment that he became very emotional and he broke down in tears. Roman covered his brother-in-law with a blanket before joining the rest of his brothers in the hallway. It had been a grueling experience for the entire family, and now all they cared about was finding the person who took her. Keytone’s emotions had gone from joy to anger—anger over the fact that someone had kidnapped her in the first place and had attacked his sister. When Neil joined them in the hallway, the Chance brothers had a few questions they needed answering.
“Did the priest say who brought Neariah into the church?” Keytone asked.
Neil opened his notepad and said, “He said it was a man who entered the confessional. However, he wouldn’t reveal what was said in the confessional, because of the sanctity of the confessional. He said the man asked for prayers and forgiveness and then told the priest not to come out of the confessional until he had time to leave the premises.”
“Do they have cameras in the church?” Malachi asked.
“No, it’s not like that at a place of worship,” Neil replied.
“What about fingerprints?” Genesis asked.
Neil scratched his chin and said, “It’s a confessional. Hundreds of people go in and out of those booths every day.”
“So you’re saying it’s a dead end?” Keytone asked.
Neil put his hands up and said, “No, I’m not saying it’s a dead end. The priest is being interviewed, and we have a team checking to see if they’re able to lift any viable prints. The main thing is that we have Neariah back and she’s safe.”
“Yeah, but what’s to stop this guy from coming after them again?” Luke asked. “I want everything that can be done to be done to find this person. Understood?”
Neil shook the hands of all of Ramsey’s family members and said, “I understand. I’m getting ready to go over to the church to see what CSI came up with. I’ll let you know what I find out.”
Keytone grabbed Neil by the arm and said, “I know you’ll do your best, but I need you to do more.”
“Please understand that I’m working this case like it was my own child,” Neil replied before shaking their hands again.
Malachi stepped up and said, “Let the priest know that once we have a chance to settle down, we want to meet him and personally give him the reward for bringing Neariah back to us.”
“I’ll pass the information on,” Neil answered before stepping onto the elevator.
In Keilah’s dimly lit hospital room, Ramsey sat with his eyes focused on his sleeping wife and daughter. There was a moment during this ordeal that he thought he would never see her again, and he sat there thanking the Lord over and over for bringing her back. He watched as Keilah wiggled and was gently awakened by Neariah softly calling out to her mother. When she opened her eyes, Keilah thought she was dreaming as she looked directly into the innocent eyes of her baby daughter.
“Neariah? Oh my God! My baby!” she yelled as she slowly cupped her baby’s face and kissed her chubby cheeks. With tears running out of her eyes, she asked, “How did you find her? Is she okay?”
“She’s fine,” Ramsey answered as he leaned down and kissed his wife on the lips.
“How did you get her back?” she asked as she ran her hand over Neariah’s curly hair.
“By the grace of God,” he answered. “I’ll tell you about it later. All that matters now is that she’s back, and now we can concentrate on getting your blood pressure under control so we can go home.”
She stared at Neariah and shook her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe I’m holding her. I thought I would never see her again.”
A lump formed in Ramsey’s throat as he listened to his wife’s voice, which was still full of agony. “I felt the same way,” he admitted. “The doctor said you might get to go home tomorrow if they can regulate your blood pressure.”
She nodded, and even in her joy, her concern went to her best friend, who had been injured very badly in the attack. “Did Tori come out of surgery okay?”
“She’s getting there. Kyle had her moved to a private room a little while ago so you wouldn’t be disturbed, since she has a lot of people in and out of her room.”
“I need to see her and let her know how much I care about her.”
“Of course, but wait until your blood pressure is regulated. And you still have sedation in your system.”
She held Neariah tightly in her arms and asked, “Where did my brothers go?”
“They’re outside. They were ready to kill me when they found out Neariah was missing and I didn’t call them. It was the first ti
me, I think, Luke came close to taking a swing at me.”
“You know he’s like a father to me. He loves you. They all do,” she reminded him. “You just have to understand where we’ve come from and remember that they’re very protective. They trust you, so you have to trust them.”
He smiled and said, “You’re right.”
She looked into her daughter’s smiling face and asked, “Do the police know who took her or why she was taken?”
“Not really. I’m just glad they had second thoughts and brought her back.”
“Me too,” she answered. “Has she eaten?”
“I tried to feed her, but she wasn’t hungry. The doctor said she appeared to have been well taken care of.”
“That’s a blessing,” she whispered.
Luke and the rest of the Chance clan reentered the room and loved on Neariah some more. While Keilah was happy that her family was there, it was getting extremely crowded.
“Hey, guys, I know you all must be tired, especially you,” she said, pointing at her in-laws. “Why don’t you all go back to the house and get some rest? We’ll be fine here.”
Ramsey stood and said, “Keilah’s right. Dad, you have your keys to the house, right?”
“I do,” Marion answered as he reached in his pocket and checked his key ring. “Some of you can ride with us if you like.”
Ramsey handed his car keys to his father and said, “Take my truck. It has enough room for everyone.”
Marion nodded and handed his son the keys to his vehicle. “Sounds like a plan. If they discharge Keilah, just bring her home in my car. Let’s go family. Ramsey and Keilah need to rest and spend time with Neariah. Dinner’s on me.”
Once everyone was gone and the room was quiet, Ramsey made his way over to the bed and picked up his daughter. He held her high above his head. Neariah looked down at her father and giggled.
He lowered her and held her close to his heart and said, “Neariah, you don’t ever have to worry about your dad not being there for you, because as of today, your mom and I are official retired. We’re going on an indefinite vacation as soon as your mother is well enough to get out of here.”
“Are you serious, babe?” Keilah asked.
He stroked her hair and said, “Of course I’m serious. This experience has been eye-opening, and I’ll never take life for granted again.”
Overcome with joy, she caressed his arm, and with tears in her eyes, she whispered, “Thank you, Ramsey.”
Andria and Rico finished their meal, and after a long debate she convinced him to go with her to Long Island, to her parents’ second home, to lay low until the heat from the kidnapping died down. Rico slept as she drove down I-95.
A while later Rico stirred in his seat and asked, “Are we there yet?”
“We will be in about two hours. Go back to sleep.”
Rico closed his eyes and drifted back off to sleep.
The caretaker entered the cottage where the kidnapper had been staying and began to clean up the rooms. She emptied garbage cans full of dirty diapers and found a baby bottle full of milk in the refrigerator. Something was strange. She didn’t remember seeing a baby when the guest checked in or out. Most of their cottages were used by tourists or for romantic getaways, but this guest didn’t appear to have any luggage and didn’t request any food service. Then, as she began vacuuming, she noticed something shiny sticking out from under the sofa chair. She reached down and picked it up and noticed the name Andria Rockwell engraved on the front of it. She tucked it in her pocket and called her husband on her two-way radio.
“Howard, I found a credit card belonging to an Andria Rockwell in the Cherry Blossom number two cottage. Do you have a number to contact her?”
Howard punched the name of the cottage into the computer and said, “Rockwell? I didn’t have a Rockwell there,” he answered. “A man named Ramsey Stone rented that cottage. He paid with cash too.”
“Well, the card says Rockwell. I’ll bring it to you when I finish cleaning up all these dirty diapers.”
“Ramsey Stone. Where do I know that name from?”
“Did you say Ramsey Stone?” his wife asked.
Howard studied the name on the computer screen and then looked at the name he had scribbled on the piece of paper. Baffled but thankful he hadn’t got stiffed with the bill, he twirled around in his chair and turned his attention back to the TV and the nightly news when a breaking story came on with an update on Neariah’s kidnapping.
“The AMBER Alert issued yesterday for one-year-old Neariah Stone has been canceled as the child was found safe in a local church. A police spokesman said that the child was returned in good health. However, the child’s abductor is still on the loose. Anyone with information leading to the arrest of the suspect is to call police at five-five-five-oh-one-oh-one. The family is offering a reward of one hundred thousand dollars for information that will lead to an arrest and conviction.”
Howard picked up his radio and said, “Helen, get down here with that credit card. It might be related to that kidnapping case. Ramsey Stone is the father of that missing baby.”
Chapter Twenty-seven
Two days later, Neil showed up at the Stones’ house to notify them of a development in the kidnapping. Marion let Neil in and escorted him to the family room, where everyone except Malachi and Genesis was watching TV.
“Hello, everyone,” Neil said and hugged Keilah. “It’s nice to see you up and around.”
Keilah smiled. “Thank you, Neil.”
He picked Neariah up and gave her a kiss on the cheek and then handed her back to Keilah. “Have the detectives working the case been by to talk to you?”
Ramsey turned down the volume on the TV and said, “No. Do they have someone in custody?”
“Not yet, but they have some promising leads.”
“Like what?” Keilah asked.
“They won’t give me many details, because I’m too close to the case.”
Luke offered Neil a seat. When he sat down, he revealed more information.
“They found the SUV used in the kidnapping. It had been set on fire, so there’s no way to get any prints off it.”
Neariah walked over to her father and offered him an animal cookie. He leaned down so she could feed him. Each time he ate one, she giggled loudly.
“Who was the SUV registered to?” Ramsey asked.
Neil crossed his leg and said, “A security guard at one of the museums. He has an alibi, so he was eliminated as a suspect. He didn’t know his vehicle was stolen until he finished his shift.”
“I see,” Ramsey answered with a tone of disappointment.
“There is one more thing the detectives told me that was strange,” Neil revealed. “Someone rented a cottage under your name, Ramsey, and it may be the location where Neariah was held captive. CSI examined the crime scene for evidence, and they’re waiting on the results.”
“My name? Who the hell would do something like that? And how could they do it without providing identification ?”
“I’m sure you’ve seen as many fake IDs in your lifetime as I have. Someone who’s trying to cover their tracks,” Neil answered.
“That’s absurd,” Marion blurted out.
“The detectives don’t suspect Ramsey, but they had to show the caretaker a picture of Ramsey just to cover all their bases. As expected, he didn’t match the description of the person who rented the cottage. Ramsey is much taller and has a lighter complexion and a larger build.”
Valeria walked in, dressed in an apron, and greeted Neil. She handed him a bottle of water and asked him if he was staying for dinner.
“I’d love to Mrs. V., but I have to get back out on the streets,” he answered as he stood. “Thanks for the water, though. If I’m able to get any detailed information, I’ll let you know.”
Roman walked through the door with Target on a leash and greeted Neil. “Any news?” he asked.
“Not really,” Ramsey answered his brother-in-
law. “Seems like whoever did this is playing games.”
Keilah stood and headed toward the hallway. She patted Neil on the shoulder as she passed him and said, “Thanks for coming by.”
“Anytime.”
Ramsey picked Neariah up and said, “Come on, bro. I’ll walk you to the door.”
“Good night, everyone,” Neil said as he waved good-bye.
At the front door Ramsey thanked his friend again for updating them on the case before closing the door behind him. When he turned around, he found Keilah climbing the stairs.
“Are you okay?” he called out to her.
She stopped midway and said, “I’m fine. Just going up to take a shower.”
“Need any help?” he asked. He knew she was upset that no one was under arrest yet for the kidnapping, and so was he, but they would have to be patient until the abductors made a mistake.
Keilah turned and looked down at her husband said, “Thanks, but I think I can manage. I won’t be long.”
“Call if you need anything,” he stated before returning to the family room.
Alone with her thoughts, Keilah couldn’t help but praise God one more time for answering her prayers by bringing Neariah back home safe. She stepped into the hot shower and let the water soothe her sore body. Normalcy was what she needed, and she felt like she was finally able to exhale. Things were going to be different now, and she was going to live her life with a totally different perspective. It was going to be less about business and all about family. As the suds cleansed her body, she felt like her soul was being cleansed as well, and then the unthinkable happened. She glanced down and noticed a stream of bright red blood running down her leg and through the drain. Horrified, she quickly turned off the water, grabbed a towel, and immediately yelled for her husband.
A few hours later, Keilah and Ramsey left the emergency ward with the news that she had miscarried. With a hole in her heart and tears in her eyes, she returned home, where she sat at the window in her bedroom in deep thought. Her heart was heavy over the loss of her child. She was religious and understood that God didn’t make mistakes, so she knew not to question his will. Keilah realized she took a hard fall when she was assaulted and that her blood pressure had been high, but not once did she think she would lose her child.
