Heartwood

by L. G. Pace III

  We pulled into the driveway and saw that Mac and Mason had returned my truck. We climbed out and I trotted up to inspect my vehicle. As promised, it looked and smelled better than it had when I’d parked it for the wedding.

  Molly was on her way into the house with the groceries when Robin pulled up.

  “How was Cabo?” Robin called, opening her back door and removing Logan. “Did you get any tattoos?”

  “Yep.” I replied, as Molly came back out. “I got a tramp stamp that says ‘Molly’.”

  “Ooooo. Sexy!” Robin replied, as Molly went to claim our son.

  “Hello, big boy!” She exclaimed, and he flailed with excitement when he saw her. “Look at how much hair you have! I think we’ll have to stop calling him Lex, Joe.”

  I sat down the luggage to go greet my son. He was all smiles, and his hair was indeed growing back, thick and dark like his mother’s.

  “You have more hair than Uncle Mac does, that’s for sure.” I kissed him, and he cooed. Later, I’d reflect on that moment and wish I’d taken him from her and given him a proper hug. “I’m gonna go get Eva. Robin, do you mind helping Molly with the luggage?”

  “Not at all.” She replied, scooping up a bag. I waited until they were both safely on the front stoop before I backed out with a quick wave. Molly took Logan’s wrist and made him wave at me. I blew them a quick kiss and set off for my meeting spot with Tamryn.

  When I got to the parking lot of the pizza place we’d agreed to meet at, Tamz was parked under a streetlamp. When I opened the door and reached into the car to remove Eva, the smile on my daughter’s face floored me. It had only been six days, but it seemed like she’d grown a couple of inches. For the first time since she was born, I saw a twinge of Molly in her happy expression. For the next few minutes, I kissed and snuggled her while she jabbered happily away at me.

  Tamryn climbed out of the car and we chatted a bit about what a production it had been to move all of the wedding gifts to our house. She informed me that they were in the dining room, for lack of a better place to put them.

  “We all thought we’d invite ourselves over on Saturday and have a potluck so we could watch you open them. I’d love to hear about the honeymoon.”

  “No. You wouldn’t. Trust me.” I coughed out a laugh, trying to imagine a PG version of events.

  Tamz laughed. “Okay, fine. But we’re coming over and I know mom and dad want to come too.”

  “Of course they do.” I sighed, shaking my head a little.

  “Joe...” She started.

  “Tamryn...” I replied, in the same long suffering tone of voice.

  “He’s trying.” She stated pointedly.

  “No shit.” I joked. “Very trying.”

  “Meet him halfway, Joe. Life’s too short for all this drama.” She kissed Eva, and popped her door open, pulling out the diaper bag.

  Seeing the sad look in my sister’s eyes made me feel like a dick. She’d suffered my bullshit for a long time and never made me feel unwelcome. I figured the least I could do is offer my father the same courtesy.

  “Fine.” I said, and the shocked look on her face was worth the concession. “Tell them to come. But tell them I want kolaches from that place mom loves.”

  “Deal.” She replied, taking Eva back while I moved the car seat from her BMW to my truck.

  Eva jabbered and babbled all the way home. When I pulled up into the driveway, her antics distracted me from noticing anything was out of the ordinary. That is until I saw the front door standing wide open. Alarm shot through me and that feral animal sleeping inside of me came awake at once, alert and cautious. Dropping the diaper bag just inside the door I called out for Molly. There was no answer.

  Rushing past the mountain of gifts in the dining room and into the kitchen, the first thing I saw was the apples that Molly had just handpicked at the grocery store. They were scattered all over the kitchen floor. Her purse was on its side on the kitchen table, and her keys lay in the middle of the floor like the focal point in some abstract art piece. The pepper spray on her key ring drew my eye, and I felt my blood turn to ice.

  Holding Eva to my chest, I looked around for any sign of what was going on. I pulled out my phone and dialed Molly’s number. I nearly jumped out of my skin when her ringtone blared from the purse on the table.

  To my right, I saw something splattered on the floor and cupboard. Stepping closer, I realized with a sinking stomach that whatever it was, it was red in color...like partially dried blood.

  There wasn’t a lot of it, in fact, it was barely enough to notice. I tried to convince myself that the stuff on the cupboard was just dried tomato sauce or baby food, but Molly kept an immaculate kitchen. I knew in my bones what it was and that knowledge nearly paralyzed me.

  Logan’s baby seat sat on the kitchen counter, empty. As I looked around, I realized that his diaper bag was gone. Rushing through the house, I clung protectively to Eva as I checked every room and every closet. As I approached our bedroom door, I imagined Molly and Logan asleep on the bed.

  Please, God. Please please please.

  But the bed was cold and empty.

  I ended up back near the still open front door just in time to see Penny, our neighbor, cutting across the lawn.

  “Hey, Joe, welcome back.” I stepped out onto the porch, Eva nuzzled into my chest and gave a hiccup.

  “Penny! Have you seen Molly?” She gave me a quizzical nod and then gestured toward the road.

  “Yeah. She left just a little bit after you dropped her off.” Her cheerful smile gave me an inkling of hope that there was a rational explanation that my tired mind hadn’t been able to extrapolate. “She was with your brother. I have to say, I was pretty surprised that they didn’t put the baby in a car seat.”

  I felt like my heart stopped in my chest and a heavy weight settled onto me making it hard to breathe.

  “Penny....I don’t have a brother.” I spat the words out with effort.

  The look of confusion she gave me was replaced by genuine wide-eyed concern.

  “Oh my word, Joe! He was around the entire time you were gone. He knew where Molly’s spare key was... he stayed here every single night! I thought he was a prowler at first, but he seemed too well dressed. I almost called the police the first time I saw him skulking around. But then he came over as friendly as can be and introduced himself. He said he was your brother and told me he was watching the house for y’all.”

  “What did he look like?” I could barely keep my voice steady.

  “Kind of like you. Tall, blonde, handsome.” She held a hand up and dug her cell phone out of her pocket “You know what? I can do you one better. Before he approached me, I took a few pictures of him to show the cops. I still have them on my phone.”

  I was shaking so hard that I had to wrap both arms around Eva for fear I might drop her. Penny flipped through the pictures, showing me a digital slideshow of Draven Cirone letting himself into my house. Right before my eyes in high res living color.

  That bastard had been in our house.

  That bastard had my wife and son.

  I have to confess that I don’t remember much at all about the next few hours. I called 911 and then, with Penny’s help, I called everyone I knew. Tamryn pulled up just after Molly’s brothers and Betty did. The Austin police department questioned me and Penny and took copies of the pictures on Penny’s phone including a few shots of the car Draven had been driving. When my parents arrived, my mother rushed over to me and embraced me. She was hysterical, and she cradled Eva and me, rocking back and forth. My father didn’t even make eye contact with me. He was already on his cell phone barking orders and within twenty minutes a pair of FBI agents were taking charge of the investigation.

  I refused to let anyone else hold Eva. I couldn’t have if I wanted to. My hands seemed glued to her. I’d had one job. One. To protect my family. I’d already failed two of them. There was no way in hell I was going to let Eva out of my arms much less
out of my sight.

  As the evening wore on, the Austin PD left and the FBI settled in for the long haul. They moved our wedding gifts out of the dining room and into Logan’s room and then set up a bunch of equipment on the dining room table. They attached something to my phone. They said it was to trace and record any calls coming in...that they’d be ready if Draven called with demands.

  I knew down deep it was a waste of time. That crazy bastard wouldn’t call me. Not with ransom demands at least. Maybe to taunt me...or to gloat about...I couldn’t even let the thought finish in my head.

  Turning away from their fruitless efforts, I found Tamryn and Robin standing behind me.

  “Jojo, let us take Eva.” Tamryn’s level tone was soothing and practiced. “She needs a bottle and it’s past her bedtime. I promise we’ll guard her with our lives. At least, let us help with this.”

  I shifted my eyes from Tamryn to Robin and grudgingly handed Eva over. They were right, she needed a quieter environment. Granny Hildebrandt’s sobbing made my mom seemed subdued. Betty didn’t look much better, but she was thankfully silent at least. Betty hugged me hard and I was too numb to offer her any comfort.

  She and Granny joined Tamryn and Robin on the far side of the room. The four of them huddled together in our living room like a pack of lionesses guarding my daughter. I kept my eyes on them. They took turns holding her, but I still couldn’t let her out of my sight. I stood in the entryway, trying to decide what to do. I needed to do something, but what? Drive around Austin looking for a dark sedan?

  As I wandered the house aimlessly, I heard the two agents discussing the situation quietly with each other.

  “She’s been gone a long time without a phone call. Any luck with the APB?”

  “No. It’s only been a couple of hours. Austin’s a big city. There are too many places he could be hiding to expect results this quickly. If he stops somewhere for gas, someone will spot him.”

  “You would think it would be easier to find a guy that abducted a woman with a baby. Especially one that looks like her.”

  “That’s if he’s still traveling with them and didn’t dump them somewhere.”

  My mind instantly produced images I wished I could unthink. I almost jumped out of my skin when a hand came down on my shoulder. Turning, I saw Graham standing behind me in the open doorway. I hadn’t even heard him come in.

  “Joe...” he trailed off and I saw a portion of my own agony reflected in his face. I disintegrated at the familiarity of his expression, remembering it from the day Jess and Jack had died. I fell into his embrace and choked sobs ripped their way out of my body. He hurried me away from everyone and out the front door. Whether it was to spare me some embarrassment or to keep me from upsetting the baby I still don’t know.

  I sat in silence as he spoke to me of faith and prayer for some time. He tried to comfort me, but there was nothing he could do or say to take the blade out of my chest. To ease his mind, I said what I needed to...what was expected. I was a pro at lying about my pain. Graham’s expression accused me of being full of shit, but he nodded as if he understood. When he left me alone to get me some water, I covered my soggy eyes with the palms of my hands. Someone gripped my shoulder and slid down to sit beside me. At first, I just assumed it was Graham. Then I looked over into the anguished face of my father.

  Tears streamed down his cheeks. He took me into his arms and held me in a way he hadn’t since I was a child. I welcomed his embrace, far too defeated and hopeless to fight against him. In that moment, I just wanted my dad.

  When my tears subsided, I felt empty and exhausted. He handed me a handkerchief and wiped his own face with a second one. Once he’d pulled himself together, he put a hand on my shoulder and held my eyes with his.

  “Joseph. I want to help, if you’ll let me.” His manner held no trace of condescension or guile. It was simply the tone of a parent trying to reach an obstinate child. He was asking me to let him in.

  “If he does anything to them so help me...I can’t lose them, Dad. I’m not strong enough.” Waving me to silence, my dad fought back tears for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice sounded thick.

  “We’ll find them, son. There are things we can do that the police cannot.” He stood and hit a button on his phone. “Stay here in case this lunatic calls. I need to get some of my people on this.”

  He wandered down the steps and I could hear him speaking into the phone again, but couldn’t make out his words. Feeling directionless, I checked on Eva and found her sleeping in Betty’s arms. Tamryn rose as if to come over to me and I gave her a pleading look and waved her back. I was on the razor’s edge of breaking down. I just needed some time by myself.

  The agents were still working in the dining room, so I went into the kitchen. The coffee Robin had brewed for the police was long cold so I poured a cup and went to put it in the microwave. When I opened the door, I saw Molly’s forgotten mug sitting inside. I froze, staring at it as if it were a dangerous animal that might attack at the slightest provocation. Then I pulled it out and looked inside. It held water, as if she’d been heating it for a cup of tea.

  She’d done the same thing a million times, but this time the sight of her black tattoo-covered cup knocked the wind from my lungs. The weight of her and Logan’s absence crashed down on top of me and I sank to the floor as my legs failed me. The cup toppled out of my hands and shattered on the floor.

  Staring at the ceramic shards on the tile around me, I ran my hands through my hair and tried to inhale breath into my empty lungs.

  Molly.

  Where the hell are you, baby girl?

  I BLINKED SLOWLY. My eyelids felt as if they weighed a thousand pounds. Sunlight hit my face and I winced, shading my eyes against the sudden assault. The entire right side of my face throbbed, and I felt pain shoot through my lips as my movements caused my lip to split open again. My tongue felt too big for my mouth, and I suddenly remembered that I’d bitten it hard the night before.

  That’s when I remembered exactly where I was and how I got there, and I choked back a wail.

  It took far too much energy to sit up, but I managed anyway. I was still on the floor by the thick wooden door. My throat was killing me, and I realized it was from screaming myself horse the night before. My hands were bruised and bloody from beating on the walls and door for what seemed like hours.

  It was probably for the best that I’d finally passed out. I needed to conserve my energy.

  No one could hear me.

  No one was around for miles.

  I listened at the door and heard nothing. This actually was a relief, because the night before Logan had been crying his little heart out and no amount of screaming, swearing, or pleading on my part could convince Draven to bring him to me. I hoped the silence meant that Logan had finally exhausted himself as well.

  I wouldn’t consider any alternatives.

  Pulling myself to standing, I tried to ignore the stiffness throughout my entire body. I shuffled slowly to the single bed which was made with tight military style corners.

  Signature Draven.

  Some things never change.

  Still, after a night on the cold hard wooden floor the bed called to me with its soft welcoming comfort.

  I reached down to pull back the blanket and climbed underneath the covers. I grimaced as I settled into it, rolling onto my side. I quickly flipped onto my back when I felt sharp pain shoot through my injured face. The bed frame creaked loudly and I frowned. I hoped Draven was still sleeping soundly and wouldn’t hear. Staring fixedly at the large crack running the entire length of the ceiling, I tried to think. I didn’t make a lot of progress; I hurt far too much and my lack of sleep twisted my thoughts.

  I couldn’t get over his audacity.

  He’d been waiting for us.

  He’d been in our house.

  I forced myself to review the events of the previous evening as if analyzing a puzzle, because that was exactly what it was.
/>   Puzzling.

  Draven’s actions made no sense to me, and I knew him better than anyone.

  Robin hadn’t stayed long. She helped me carry Logan’s car seat and diaper bag into the house and politely asked about our honeymoon. As I hit the broad strokes of our trip, she fidgeted anxiously.

  “What’s going on?” I shuffled my giant baby from one hip to the other. He stuffed his fist in his mouth, and I fastened him into his seat so that I could give him a snack.

  “I have a job interview tomorrow.” She grinned, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen her look so genuinely happy.

  “Robin!” I hugged her and she giggled in a very un-Robin like way.

  “I’m so nervous.” She drawled, tucking her hair behind her ears. “It’s for a cardiologist’s office. I’d be his primary nurse. It’s a pay cut, but it would be Monday through Friday and I’d be off for all of the holidays.”

  “Oh, honey! I’m so excited for you!” I grinned. “Go! Go home and get some sleep.”

  “Yeah, I have to help get the kids to bed. Sorry to run off...I want to hear all about it this weekend when you open all those gifts.” She headed toward the door.

  “Sounds good. Bye!” I waved. “And call me right away after. I want to know how it goes.”

  “I will.” I heard her say through the closing door.

  I zipped back into the kitchen, planning to puree some fruit for the twins. Logan was jabbering and the sound was delightful. As I replied seriously to all of his babbling, I could tell by his bright blue eyes that we’d be up late.

  I poured some water into my mug and put it in the microwave to make some tea, knowing I would need the caffeine if I was going to keep up with him. I pressed the power button and moved back to the sink. I chopped some organic banana and sat the knife aside so I could set the hunks in front of him.

  “Such a hungry boy!” I exclaimed as he pinched two banana bits in his hand and stuffed them awkwardly in his mouth. He seemed to be having a good time trying to feed himself, so I turned and tossed a colander into the sink. I stole glances at him as I went about my business. When I heard the familiar sound of the creaking door swing open, I thought nothing of it.