Their Only Child

by Carla Cassidy

  Donny frowned and stood. “I’m going over there and check things out. You wait here.” He pulled on his coat and left through the back door.

  Theresa moved back to the window and watched as the officer disappeared around the corner of the house. Rose and Vincent? Surely it wasn’t possible.

  Rose once told you her greatest heartache was in not having children, a little inner voice reminded Theresa. Was it possible Rose and Vincent had loved Eric so much they decided to make him their own? Take him away and keep him until he forgot Theresa’s face…her name?

  “No.” She couldn’t believe it She wouldn’t believe it. Rose had a heart of gold, and that heart would never allow her to steal another woman’s child. But why hadn’t she heard from them?

  Minutes ticked by…long, agonizing minutes. Let them be in bed, she prayed. Maybe they’d both come down with the flu…hadn’t read the papers…hadn’t seen the activity on Theresa’s lawn, didn’t realize the drama that was being played out.

  They were her friends. Since she moved here, they had become like part of her family. She’d trusted them implicitly. Surely there was a logical explanation for them not coming by here, not offering their support, not knowing about Eric’s disappearance.

  She opened the door when she saw Donny approach. “Nobody is home. The house is dark and there’s no car in the garage.” He shrugged out of his coat. “Did they mention a trip to you? Perhaps visiting relatives over the holidays?”

  Theresa shook her head. “They have no family, and they would have told me if they were leaving.”

  “I’m going to have a couple of officers see what they can find out about this. How do you spell their last name?”

  Theresa spelled the name, fighting against an overwhelming sense of betrayal. As Donny used the phone to call the station, she went back to the window. Where had they gone? “What do we do now?” she asked when Donny had finished his call.

  “We wait. DMV will tell us their license-plate numbers, and we’ll put out an alert on the car. In the meantime, there’s nothing we can do but wait.”

  “I’m going to lie down,” Theresa said, her stomach aching. She left the kitchen, feeling as though her entire world had been turned upside down. She no longer knew who to trust…who to suspect.

  In the darkness of the bedroom, she took off her clothes and pulled on a nightgown. Careful not to disturb Sully, she got into bed next to him.

  Despite the fact that she tried to be careful, Sully stirred, although he didn’t appear to awaken. In sleep, he reached for her and pulled her into him, spoon-fashion, his arm around her.

  In that instant, Theresa knew she was still hopelessly in love with her ex-husband. Instead of bringing her comfort, the knowledge merely deepened the feeling that she was helplessly alone.

  Chapter Nine

  December 24

  The stench of the alley. The long, narrow passage. Fear gripped Sully as he walked between the towering buildings on either side. Paralyzing fear… nauseating terror…accompanied him as he reached the place at the end where Louie stood. A metallic click.

  “Help,” Louie cried. “Do something.”

  Sully stood frozen. Frozen with fear.

  “For God’s sake, man,” Louie said, just before the first shot snuffed out his life. As he fell against the trash cans, his face melted, transformed into Eric’s features. “Help me, Daddy. Help me….” Eric said, just before he closed his eyes in death.

  Sully felt the subsequent bullets ripping into his own body.

  He jerked awake with a deep moan. The sheets were hopelessly twisted around him, and he raked his hand across his face, as if to prove to himself he was in bed…not in that godforsaken alley.

  “Sully?” Theresa’s voice drifted to him from the other side of the bed. “Are you all right?”

  “Fine. Just a nightmare.” He drew a deep breath, trying to steady the nerves that still jangled inside him, the horror that still coursed through him. “What time is it?”

  “Just after seven.” She sat up, her hair tousled around her shoulders, her eyes still heavy with sleep.

  “Sorry if I woke you.”

  “You didn’t I’ve been awake for a while…just lying here resting.”

  Sully rolled out of bed and padded to the window. Moving the curtains, he peered out. Donny’s car was already parked in the driveway, a sleek canaryyellow Corvette. The guys at the station gave him all kinds of static about the flashy car. But Donny had no wife, no children to support, and could indulge his passion for sports cars and expensive clothing.

  Press trucks had begun to arrive for another day of news. No sun peeked down from the gray, thick clouds. The sky looked as dismal, as full of tears as Sully felt.

  Sully had a bad feeling in his stomach…a feeling not unlike the one he’d had the night when he walked into that alley of death. He rubbed his stomach, vaguely aware of the sounds of Theresa getting dressed. Maybe it’s just left over from the dream, he told himself. Maybe it has nothing to do with what’s going to happen today.

  Theresa came up behind him, wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his back. He wanted to turn around and fall into her arms, tell her all the fears he’d hidden since the night of his shooting.

  He wanted to confess to her how he feared he’d lost the edge that had made him a good cop, how afraid he was that if he was a cop again and found himself in a threatening situation, he’d freeze. But, of course, he couldn’t…wouldn’t…talk about his fears to Theresa. He’d never expose his vulnerabilities, his weaknesses, to her.

  “I went to talk to Burt Neiman last night.” He turned and faced her.

  “And?” The hopeful expectation on her face broke his heart.

  ‘’And he had nothing to do with Eric’s disappearance. I gave him a good incentive to spill his guts, but there was nothing to spill.”

  “If the Neimans had nothing to do with it, then maybe it really is Rose and Vincent.”

  Sully frowned. “Rose and Vincent. Aren’t they your neighbors? I think Eric has mentioned them before.”

  She nodded and quickly filled Sully in on what she and Donny had discussed the night before. “Oh, Sully, they were our friends…good friends. If they had anything to do with this, I’ll feel so betrayed.”

  He knew all about how betrayal felt, knew intimately the bad taste it left in your mouth, the sickness that invaded your soul. A sickness that never really healed.

  Theresa squared her shoulders, a look of grim determination on her face. “I’d better get out there and talk to Donny, see what he’s learned.”

  Sully nodded. “I’ll be out in a few minutes. I want to take a fast shower.”

  Minutes later, as he stood beneath the shower, Sully once again thought of the betrayal he’d felt after his shooting. He’d been certain that he’d been set up. Although the official ruling was that Sully had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and the target had been the snitch. Sully had believed with every fiber of his being that it was just the opposite. Louie had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Sully had been the target.

  But when Sully went to the chief with his suspicions, the old man had exploded. “You’re accusing your brothers, your fellow officers,” he’d ranted. “Think about it, Sully—what possible motivation could those men have to want you dead?”

  And now there was another crime with no obvious motivation, for there was no way Sully could believe that Eric’s kidnapping was about money.

  But to think that the two incidents were related was crazy. Or was it? Two of the officers he’d told he was meeting Louie at the usual place were assigned to Eric’s case. Donny and Kip. He ducked his head beneath the water, knowing he was reaching for straws, clutching at fantasies, to find answers.

  Donny had been a terrific partner, and they’d shared a friendship in the years they worked together. Kip had become a valuable friend to Sully since the night of the shooting. Both were doing everything in their p
ower to get Eric back.

  By the time he got out of the shower, his head was back on straight. Today was the day, hopefully, they’d get some answers. After the drop was made, surely Eric would be released. Please God.

  Walking through the living room, he kept his eyes averted from the Christmas tree, with its flickering lights and its yawning emptiness at the top. When he got to the door that led to the kitchen, he paused, his gaze reluctantly going to the tree.

  Tonight was Christmas Eve. Let Eric be here for me to lift up. Let him be here to place the angel where she belongs. Sully wondered whether God accepted bargaining. Let him come home, and I’ll never drink again. Let him be safe, and I’ll be the best damned father in the entire universe. Just give me back my son safe and sound, and I’ll do whatever you want me to.

  Tearing his gaze from the tree, Sully entered the kitchen. Half a dozen policemen stood around the table, where Donny had blueprints spread out before him. Sully looked at the prints and realized it was a drawing of the Pineridge shopping mall.

  “Sully.” Donny nodded a curt hello, then went back to instructing the men.

  Sully walked over to where Theresa stood, near the back door, a cup of coffee in her hand. “This all seems so unreal,” she said softly.

  “They know what they’re doing,” Sully assured her.

  “Okay…we meet in the security office at the mall at one o’clock,” Donny finished, then waved his hands to dismiss the men. When all of them had left the kitchen, Donny turned to Sully and Theresa. “I got a court order late last night to check out your neighbors house. Nobody is home, and it looks like they left in a hurry. Clothes were tossed helter-skelter on the bed, and there were enough missing hangers in the closets for us to surmise that they packed a bag before leaving.”

  “I can’t believe this.” Theresa squeezed her eyes tightly closed, and Sully put an arm around her shoulder. She leaned into him for a moment, then straightened once again. “So what now?” she asked, looking at Donny.

  “Their license-plate number, along with the make and model of their car, has gone out to every station in four surrounding states. If they made the ransom demand, then they haven’t left the city yet. They’ll want to get their money before heading out. And if they show up at the mall, we’ll get them.”

  “So, you’re sure it’s them,” Theresa asked dully.

  Donny looked at her sympathetically. “No, we aren’t sure. But at this point they certainly can’t be discounted as suspects.” He gestured them into seats at the table.

  “There’s good news and bad news,” he continued as they both sat. “The mall is going to be packed. That’s good because it will allow all my undercover men to blend in easily. It’s bad because it will make everything more difficult to control.”

  “What happens after I drop off the money?” Theresa asked.

  “Nothing. We monitor the trash can, wait for somebody to retrieve the ransom,” Donny explained.

  “And once that person is in custody, he’ll tell where Eric is, won’t he.” Theresa’s words weren’t a question, but rather a statement of belief. She looked at Donny, then at Sully, waiting for confirmation of her statement

  Sully and Donny looked at each other. Both knew these cases didn’t always have positive outcomes. The sick dread that had begun when Sully awakened once again filled his chest

  THE MORNING PASSED in a haze for Theresa. The kitchen had the feel of a command post in a war. Plans were drawn and redrawn, strategy weighed and evaluated. Policemen came and went like waves of ants, getting orders, receiving commands, either unable to meet Theresa’s gaze or offering pitying glances that made her want to scream.

  Robert arrived at ten, bringing with him a briefcase filled with money. Tens and twenties, nonsequentially numbered, the bills filled the case. Donny took the case, then dismissed him with a curt nod of his head.

  Robert took Theresa’s hand and led her into the living room. “Terri, honey. I know this must be horrid for you.” He pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair.

  Theresa stood stiffly in his embrace. Although his arms offered comfort, she found none there. He couldn’t know what she was going through, couldn’t begin to fathom the utter terror she’d felt for the past two days. Only Sully could now. And only Sully’s arms comforted.

  Gently but firmly, she pulled away from him. He caught her hands and squeezed them tight. “I know you don’t see it now, but going through this is just going to make us closer, bond us through trauma. Adversity like this always brings people together.”

  “Robert.” She freed her hands from his and took a step back. “I really appreciate your help with the money. And I consider you a dear friend, but our relationship isn’t going any further.”

  He frowned and reached for her again, but she sidestepped his advance. “You’re upset…not thinking clearly. Once Eric is home safe and sound, we’ll talk again.”

  Theresa only nodded, too overwhelmed with thoughts of the ransom-money delivery to argue with Robert about a relationship that didn’t exist…would never exist.

  “You sure you don’t want me to stick around here?” he asked as she led him toward the front door.

  “No. Officer Holbrook doesn’t want anyone here.” It was a lie, but she considered it a forgivable one. She didn’t want Robert here. She needed to be focused solely on Eric and the delivery of the ransom-demand money in a couple of hours.

  “I’ll call you later,” Robert said at the door.

  “I’ll call you,” she countered.

  He kissed her on the cheek, then left. She watched him as he walked to his car, fighting the impulse to swipe at the place where he’d kissed.

  She’d told him the truth. She was grateful that he’d been able to make getting the ransom money together effortless. She shook her head softly, wondering how in the world he thought this kind of adversity could ever unite him and her together in any kind of relationship.

  Robert’s hope of some sort of love match coming from all this was as crazy as the crank caller telling her to bury a black cat’s whiskers in her backyard.

  “Theresa?” Sully stepped into the living room. “We need you in here. We’re going over everything one last time before leaving for the mall.”

  Shoving aside thoughts of Robert, Theresa followed Sully back into the kitchen.

  By one o’clock that afternoon, they were all situated in the security office at the Pineridge mall, waiting for two o’clock, when Theresa would make the drop.

  The office was small but technologically superb, with a bank of video displays showing various areas of the mall. Cameras could be moved with a simple switch here in the control area. Donny instructed the security cop in charge of the cameras where to point each one to get optimal panoramic views of the area surrounding the trash can in front of the Dillards store.

  Theresa stared at the bank of video displays, fighting a sense of panic. People mobbed the mall, all seeking the last of the presents to be opened the next morning. A frantic pace moved them along, children whining and tempers flaring as mothers and fathers sought to fulfill dreams without breaking their budgets.

  She studied each screen, seeking the face she loved…Eric’s face…amid the crowd. Even though she knew it wouldn’t be there, she couldn’t help but look…hope…pray.

  “Nervous?” Sully moved over to stand next to her.

  “No…Yes.” She flashed him a tight smile. “Actually, I’m terrified. Not for me,” she hurriedly added, her gaze going back to the monitors. “I’m terrified something might go wrong, the kidnapper will realize I’ve come with the police. I’ll drop the bag and the money will fly in the air. I’m terrified that when Christmas morning comes, our tree will still not have its angel…and I still won’t have my son.”

  He pulled her hard against his chest. “I’m terrified, too,” he breathed into her hair.

  She looked up at him in surprise. “Sullivan Mathews scared? I didn’t think you ever felt fear.”
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br />   His eyes darkened. “You have no idea.” The words seemed to seep out of him, as if escaping some enormous pressure.

  Theresa searched his face, surprised both by his uncharacteristic admission of fear and by the vulnerability his features radiated. During all the dangerous cases he worked when they were together, she’d never seen a flicker of fear in his eyes. And never had she loved him more than she did at this moment, with her own fear reflecting in his eyes.

  “Okay…let’s go through this one last time.” Donny’s voice interrupted Theresa’s thoughts, pulling them back to the matter at hand. “Now, when you leave this office you go down the corridor and turn left Take the escalator down to the lower level and stay to the right. Keep to the right side until you reach the trash can, then turn and come back exactly the same way.”

  Donny shoved the briefcase of money toward Sully, along with a paper bag. “Want to transfer that money to the bag?” Sully nodded and got to work.

  Donny looked at Theresa once again. “Don’t stop to talk to anyone, no matter who it might be. We have to assume you’ll be watched, and you don’t want to do anything that might be construed as threatening to the kidnapper.”

  With each moment that ticked by, with every instruction given to her, Theresa’s heart quickened with fear. So many details…so much room for error. And her little boy’s life hanging in the balance.

  At ten minutes to two, Donny handed her the paper bag with the money inside. “We’ll be watching you every step of the way,” he assured her.

  However, it wasn’t Donny’s words that assured her, it was the look in Sully’s eyes that eased her trembling, imbued her with strength. “It’s going to be fine,” he said softly, then leaned down and kissed her.

  With the imprint of his lips still warming her own, Theresa stepped out of the security office and into the chaos of the mall.

  As she walked toward the escalator, her senses seemed unnaturally heightened. The ringing of a bell by a pseudo-Santa gathering spare change for charity jangled discordantly with the soft Christmas carol wafting through the air. The scents of bayberry and peppermint battled with heavy perfumes and the smell of flavored popcorn, causing Theresa’s stomach to roll in protest.