Fade to the Edge

by Kathryn J Bain

  “You wouldn’t believe what’s going on.” Tracy curled her knees against her chest as she leaned against DJ’s nightstand.

  “What do you mean?” Jenny asked.

  Tracy hesitated. Would she understand? “The police think I might have had something to do with Daniel’s death.”

  “They always look at the spouse.”

  “You don’t get it. Last night…I-I broke into Kimi’s condo,” she whispered.

  “I know. Swenson mentioned it.”

  “It was stupid.” She pressed her hands against her head. “But I thought DJ might be there so Vonnie and I went over…”

  “Vonnie. Figures.”

  “It wasn’t her idea. It was mine.” Tracy shoved a finger into her own chest. “She just went with me. But that’s why the police wanted to talk to us.”

  “And Daniel?” The words came out slow.

  “What? No.” Tracy shook her head. She jumped up and stomped to the window, pressing a hand against the cold pain, longing to see her son come across that bridge. “He wasn’t there. No one was. He came after we left. I’d never…” Her shoulders slumped.

  “No one would blame you if you did.”

  “How can you say that? No matter what he’s done, he’s still DJ’s father.” Tracy pressed her fists against her head. “I’m losing my mind. I don’t know what to do. Can’t Gary do something? Get the National Guard to search. Something?”

  “Unfortunately, no.” Jenny raised her brow at the silly request.

  But that was all Tracy had left: ridiculous demands. “I know I sound stupid, but I’m desperate. Even the FBI doesn’t seem to be much good.”

  “FBI?”

  “Yeah. They apparently get involved any time a child goes missing. Something called the CART unit or something like that.” She waved her hand in the air. “But don’t ask me to tell you what it stands for. I don’t remember.”

  “I didn’t know the FBI would become involved so soon.” Jenny’s voice trailed off.

  “I’m not sure most people do.” Tracy’s shoulders sagged even further. “Where can he be?”

  Jenny got up. She took Tracy’s chin in her palm. “You listen to me, and you listen good, DJ is going to be home soon.” Tears welled in Jenny’s eyes. “I promise you that.”

  “How can you be so sure?” Tracy jerked her face away. “How can anyone be sure he’s safe? Tell me!” She shot up around Jenny. “Maybe the person who killed Daniel has him. He could have seen his dad’s murder. And if so…” Tracy closed her eyes trying to get the horrible visions out. She didn’t want to think her son had gone through such things.

  “Tracy−”

  “Don’t say it. Don’t you dare say it again.” Tracy pointed a stiff finger at her sister. “You can’t guarantee he’ll be okay, not with Daniel dead. For all we know DJ’s gone too.” Tracy’s heart thudded to the floor.

  “DJ’s not dead,” Jenny insisted.

  “How do you know?” She turned and faced her sister. “How can you possibly know whether he’s all right or not?”

  Jenny stared back, concern in her eyes. She let loose a loud breath and turned her eyes downward. “I know,” she said, “because I’m the one who took him.”

  Chapter 57

  Tracy opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Maybe she’d heard wrong. “What did you say?”

  Jenny’s face reddened to the shade of her hair. “I took DJ,” she whispered. After a few seconds, she asked, “Did you hear me?”

  They stared at each other until Jenny blinked.

  Tracy’s heart pounded in her chest. “I don’t need this right now.”

  She stormed from the bedroom and down the stairs to the living room. The boxes brought by Officer Thomas were still in the middle of the living room. She jerked the laptop from one of them.

  “Please, stop.” Jenny chased her down the hallway to the home office. “Say something.”

  Tracy placed the laptop on the desk then jerked back around passing her sister, hoping she’d disappear and this would just be more of the nightmare that was now her life.

  “Tracy, wait.” Jenny grabbed her arm.

  “Wait for what? More of this crap?”

  “I know you don’t want to hear it, but it’s true.”

  “No, it’s not.” Tracy flung her arm free. “I won’t believe my sister would do something like this to me.” She returned to the boxes where she grabbed more files.

  “Please, Tracy.” Jenny pleaded “Talk to me.”

  Tracy stopped short and turned. “Talk to you? Talk to you about what?” The files slid from her hand. Papers scattered over the floor. “About the fact I’ve been frantic since DJ disappeared. The fact that my sister, who I should be able to trust completely, kidnapped my child? Maybe we should talk over a cup of tea. And what exactly should we discuss, Jenny? What?” Tracy’s voice rose then a sudden calmness came over her. “Okay, if you took him, where is he?”

  “With Kimi?”

  “Wh-what?” Tracy walked to the fireplace and rearranged a few tchotchkes.

  “Did you hear me?”

  “Yeah, I heard you.” She pushed strands of hair from her face. “I’ll play along. If Kimi has DJ, how did she get him?”

  “This is no game, Tracy. I agreed to pay her ten thousand dollars to take DJ.”

  Tracy looked at her sister’s blotched face. There was no doubt she was telling the truth. She was responsible for DJ being gone. “You paid someone to take my son.”

  “Let me explain.” Jenny straightened her shoulders.

  “Okay. Explain how you stole my child.”

  Jenny hesitated then nodded her head. “Can we sit?”

  “No.”

  “Okay.” She paused before continuing. “The plan was for her to let DJ go at Daniel’s office.”

  Tracy’s breathing increased. “Why would you ask Kimi of all people? There was a good chance she’d tell Daniel, and he’d use it against me.” She rearranged the pictures on the mantle then put them back where they first were.

  “We need to talk about this.” Jenny’s voice lowered.

  “No, this is too ridiculous to talk about.” Tracy tossed a small vase with fake flowers onto the floor. “Why would you do such a thing? And use Kimi?”

  “I had to protect DJ from Daniel.” Jenny paused and placed a hand on her hip. “And you don’t use the DOJ for that sort of thing.”

  “This is not funny.” Tracy pointed a finger at her sister. “Well, if you took him, then bring him home. Bring him home right now.”

  “I wish I could.” Jenny walked to the patio door.

  “What do you mean, you wish you could?” Tracy spoke through gritted teeth.

  “She’s taken off with him.”

  The breath left her. “She what?”

  “Kimi changed the plan.” Jenny took a step forward. “I’m so sorry.”

  Tracy shoved her sister back. “What do you mean she changed the plan?”

  “Instead of dropping him off, she disappeared with him.”

  “Disappeared?” The word was barely audible.

  “She’s also the one who put the knife in the suitcase.” Jenny wound her hands around one another. “I’m still not sure whose blood it is.”

  Tracy bent and gathered the fake flowers from the floor. “What if I’d been up?” At once she straightened. She shoved a finger at her sister’s face. “You were the one. You drugged me.”

  “I’m sorry. I was just—”

  “You’re sorry? I might have died.”

  “I’m a nurse. I know what I’m doing.”

  “Really? You know what you’re doing? Does all this,” she spun a finger in the air, “look like you know what you’re doing? Does it?” Tracy screamed. “What if I’d taken two sleeping pills, then what? Huh?” Her palms folded into fists. “Huh?” Her hands shook.

  “I care so much for my family—”

  “You don’t care for your family if you did this.” Tracy’s n
ails dug into her palm. She took a step toward her sister, then turned around and stomped back to the fireplace. “Why would you think any of this would help?” At once a thought hit her so hard she had to grab hold of the mantel to keep from going over. “What about Daniel?” Her voice lowered. “Was that part of your little plan also?”

  “No.” Jenny’s eyes widened. “No. If I had known that would happen, I’d have never taken DJ in the first place. His death solved everything.”

  Tracy swallowed back the bile rising from her stomach.

  “Sit down.” Jenny pointed to the sofa. “Please.”

  “I don’t want to sit. I want DJ back.” Tracy pounded her thumb against her chest. Heat raced from her feet to her forehead. “I’m calling the police.” She walked to her purse and pulled out her cell. Before she pressed a number, Jenny grabbed the phone away.

  “You can’t,” she said.

  “If Kimi has DJ, they’ll be able to get him back.”

  “Really? They haven’t even been able to find her yet. What makes you think they can do so now?” Jenny’s mocking tone irritated Tracy even further.

  “Give me back my phone.”

  “Kimi said if we call the police, she’d kill DJ. For all we know she stabbed Daniel.”

  Tracy’s hand went to her throat. Was he still safe or had Kimi… Tracy’s stomach jumped, and she rushed to the bathroom off the living room where she threw up. She washed her face and gulped down water from the tap. When she straightened, Jenny’s reflection stared back at her in the mirror.

  “Why?” Tracy asked.

  Jenny remained still.

  “Why? Why? WHY?” She screeched, slapping her hands on the edge of the sink.

  “To protect him,” Jenny said.

  “From who?” Her sister was a blur in her tears. “I’d never harm DJ.”

  “I needed to protect him from Daniel.”

  “What are you talking about? Daniel’s never hurt him.”

  Jenny raised her brows. “We all saw the mark on your face the night you stayed over. The abuse was getting worse. Eventually, he’d hurt DJ. I had to —”

  “You had to what?” Tracy smacked her sister in the shoulder. “Tell me what you had to do.” Another smack. “Tell me you had to take my child. Tell me.” Another hit.

  “Look at you.” Jenny grabbed hold of Tracy’s arms. “You’re a mess. You used —”

  Tracy jerked her arms loose. “I’m a mess because you kidnapped my son.” Tracy marched from the bathroom to the foyer.

  Jenny followed. “Daniel treats Kimi bad so I th—”

  “She’s a whore. Who cares how he treats her.” Tracy’s chest rose and fell with each breath. “I want my son —”

  “I’m trying,” Jenny yelled. “Everything would have been fine if she’d kept to —”

  “Are you listening to yourself?” Tracy spun. “Do you know how crazy this sounds? You and Kimi involved together in the kidnapping of your nephew? Blaming everyone but yourself.”

  “He’s like a son to me—”

  “He’s Not Your Son. Don’t you get it?” Tracy smacked the side of her head with her palm. “He’s mine.”

  “I know. I get it, I really do.”

  “No, you don’t. You don’t get it at all.” Tracy headed to the stairs then paused. “Let me make myself perfectly clear. If anything happens to DJ, I’ll see to it you spend the rest of your life in jail.”

  Chapter 58

  Jenny followed her sister up the stairs. Would she really send her to jail? Maybe this was all just emotions, and Tracy really didn’t mean it. Jenny sighed out loud. She couldn’t blame her for being upset. Kimi was the person who most likely killed Daniel, and Jenny put DJ there with her.

  Jenny didn’t know which bothered her more, Tracy’s screams or her calmness. Pain crashed into her head like a locomotive going full speed with no brakes. Jenny pressed her palm against her forehead. She closed her eyes.

  “What’s wrong with you?”

  She hadn’t realized Tracy was looking at her. “Migraine.”

  “Your headaches have just begun.”

  Jenny withered onto the bed. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’ve made a mess out of everything.”

  “That’s an understatement.” Tracy’s voice was low as she spoke through gritted teeth. “Once people find out you did this, they’ll never think I wasn’t in on it.” She tightened her sweater over her torso.

  “It was supposed to be so simple. He’d be gone less than an hour. But now it’s turned into a nightmare.” Jenny folded her hands, her knuckles white. “I’m scared. I don’t know what to do.”

  “Don’t pull the whole ‘feel sorry for me’ deal.” Nothing but wide-eyed anger on her sister’s face. “You had to know there’d be consequences.”

  Jenny stared at the floor.

  “You’ll be lucky if you don’t lose everything.” Tracy sucked in a deep breath. After a moment of pacing, she asked, “How much money does Kimi want?”

  “Twenty-five thousand.”

  “Twenty...” She took a step back. “Do you have it?”

  “No, well not all of it, not without Gary finding out.”

  “Well, he might have to find out because I don’t have it either.” She glared at Jenny. “And if it comes down to your marriage or my son, you will lose.”

  A sinking feeling set in. If Gary found out, her marriage was over. Not to mention his career.

  Tracy continued to wear a hole in her floor. “I can’t believe you put me through all this. Dad’s about to have another stroke.”

  “You too if you don’t calm down.”

  “Calm down?” Tracy’s jaw tightened even more. “I have every reason to be irate. Do you have any idea what I’ve been through?”

  “I didn’t think—”

  “That was the problem, you didn’t think.” Tracy bent close to Jenny’s face. “You didn’t think I’d be dragged to the police station? You didn’t think people would accuse me?” Her voice was frantic as she threw her hands in the air. “You had to know what this would do to me.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “You can say that as many times as you like, but it doesn’t make up for what you’ve done.”

  “He was never supposed to be gone this long, but you called the police too soon.”

  “Oh, so this is my fault?” Tracy placed a hand on her chest and tilted her head sideways.

  “No. No, it’s not. It’s my fault.” Jenny shook her head, strands of hair bouncing against her face. “Please realize that I did it hoping Daniel would lose custody. I never meant anyone to blame you, or for you to have to go through all you have.”

  “Well, they did blame me. And there’s a good chance they still will.” Tracy paced back and forth, her thumb and forefinger flicking off each other. “We’ve got to get DJ away from that nut before she hurts him. If she hasn’t already. But where are we going to get the money?”

  “There’s always Dad.”

  “No! He’s absolutely the last resort. This’ll kill him if he finds out you were involved. You want that on your conscience too?”

  “No,” muttered Jenny. A tear rolled from her eye. She fingered her wedding band.

  Tracy’s middle finger and thumb bounced off each other. “Do you know how to get hold of Kimi?” she asked.

  “Yeah, but she’s not answering.”

  Tracy dragged her hands through her hair. She stared at the ceiling. “Send a text to Kimi. Tell her you have the money.”

  “But I don’t.”

  “You get what you have, and I’ll see if I can sell Daniel’s car. That should put us there.” Tracy walked over to her purse and pulled out a set of keys. “If she thinks we have the cash, DJ’s safe. That is if she hasn’t already harmed him.”

  Jenny’s heart did a flip. That was a good chance with Daniel being killed. And if something happened to DJ, her sister would never forgive her.

  Chapter 59

  Jenny left
the house with Tracy still angry. No amount of apologies could sway her.

  At the next light, Jenny turned into the Regions Bank. She emptied her bank account of everything but five dollars. The only reason she even had the personal account was to purchase birthday and Christmas gifts for Gary without him knowing what she’d bought.

  Once the money was in the blue duffel bag, she returned to her car then headed up onto I-10. She merged into the turn lane behind a large RV, inhaling diesel fuel from its exhaust.

  Once they got DJ back, maybe in time things would get back to normal.

  But would Gary if he ever found out? Maybe she should tell him before Tracy let it slip. Or before the police showed up. Jenny swallowed a sob. Better to see how it ended. If she found a way out of this, then he would never need to know. Neither would Dad.

  Too many secrets. Too, too many.

  On the day Gary asked her to marry him, he’d told her the past was the past and it should stay there, so she never told him about the abortion. A day or two after that ring was on her finger, he announced his run for state representative. One of his biggest platforms was pro-life. He equated abortion to murder.

  If he ever found out, her marriage would die in one fell swoop.

  No one knew about the baby, not even Tracy. It was the darkest secret Jenny kept in her soul. And now there was DJ’s kidnapping.

  Would there be a way to keep it secret?

  Probably not. Her involvement was bound to come out once DJ reappeared. Then the world she’d grown to love would be over. Every dream she ever had would be shattered. No more man who loved her. No hope of a family of her own.

  The prepaid cell phone purchased for the kidnapping rang in her purse. She hated that word. Kidnapping. Until today she’d never seen it as such, but that was exactly what she’d done.

  The phone rang again, and she slid her finger across the screen. “Hello.”

  “I understand you have something for me.” Kimi’s smug tone grated on Jenny’s nerves.

  “Yeah. I want DJ.”

  “Then do exactly what I say or you’ll never find his body.”