by Sharon Sala
* * *
Wyrick thought of that mother again as she was going to bed and could almost empathize. Granted, Wyrick had never been a mother, and after the chemo, it was never going to happen, but she’d been a child who’d lost a mother. The fear had to be similar.
Tara had sent a picture of the missing daughter with the email, and when Wyrick had focused on her face, she knew the girl was still alive. And as long as she stayed alive, they would find her.
* * *
It was just after 9:30 p.m. when Charlie called Morning Light to check on Annie. He was in the kitchen waiting for his popcorn to finish popping when he made the call, and then it rang several times before someone answered.
“Morning Light. This is Wanda.”
“Wanda, this is Charlie Dodge. I’m calling to check on Annie. How did she do today after they brought her back from ER?”
“Evening, Charlie. Annie is okay. We just finished bed check and she’s asleep. She was a little agitated this afternoon, but the doctor had ordered pain meds, and when we gave her some it seemed to ease her and she settled down.”
“Was she able to eat? The doctor mentioned her jaw might be sore after her fall.”
“She refused food, but when we offered her a chocolate protein supplement, she drank all of it through a straw, so we know her jaw hurts. We’re watching her, but at this point, it appears she didn’t suffer anything from the fall that might cause complications.”
The microwave dinged behind him. He took the bag of popcorn out and set it on the counter.
“If anything changes, you’ll call me, right?”
“Absolutely, Charlie.”
He didn’t really want to hang up, because she was there and he was here, and talking to people tonight who took care of her made him feel close to Annie, too, but the questions had come to an end and he had no choice.
“Thank you for the update, Wanda. Have a nice night.”
“Thank you, Charlie. Rest well. We love your Annie, too. We’ll make sure she’s okay.”
Charlie disconnected, then emptied the popcorn into a bowl and carried it back into the living room to eat. He took the John Wick movie he’d been watching off Pause, and popped a handful of popcorn in his mouth, watching with interest as Keanu Reeves tossed a bad guy up against a wall.
“I could do that,” he muttered, got back up for a Coke, and then finished off the movie and his snack at the same time.
It wasn’t until he finally gave up each day to the night and to exhaustion that he had to acknowledge the emptiness of his life. If it wasn’t for Wyrick’s intermittent days of being contrary, it would suck.
* * *
Since yesterday was moving-in day and today was the official opening day at the new office, Wyrick decided to go for a subdued version of her usual self, choosing form-fitting stretch pants in a black pinstripe and topping them with a man’s white dress shirt. The diamond cuff links at her wrists might be considered a little over the top, but she liked them, and she’d left the collar of her shirt unbuttoned, just shy of revealing any part of her dragon tattoo.
Her eye shadow was black, fading into bright red. The lipstick on her upper lip was She-Devil Red. The lipstick on her lower lip was called Midnight. The name spoke for itself.
She thought about the day ahead as she reached the parking garage and drove up to the sixth level to their designated parking spots. She parked her Mercedes and got out, slinging her computer bag over her shoulder. Picking up the box of sweet rolls she’d bought for the office, she headed inside the building, then down the hall to their new office, with the key in her hand.
She walked in, flipping on lights as she went, then carried the box of pastries to the coffee bar she’d had installed in a mini butler’s pantry between their offices.
After starting the coffee, she turned on the lights in Charlie’s office, logged on to his computer and put out notepaper and pens on his desk. She aimed the remote at the window shades and raised them all the way up before returning to her desk. The office phone was already ringing as she sat down.
“Dodge Security and Investigations.”
“It’s me,” Charlie said. “I’m on my way in, but I want to get the ball rolling on that child abduction case. Call Tara Bien. Get her in today if possible.”
“I’ve already penciled her in for ten o’clock, pending your confirmation, of course.”
“Well, you have it. Call her.”
“Fine. Oh, by the way, good morning, and the word for today is please.” Then she hung up in his ear.
His eyes narrowed when he heard the click. She’d hung up on him. What the hell kind of an employee hangs up on the boss?
Then he shrugged. His kind did, that was for sure. And he had to admit he might have been a bit abrupt, but what the hell?
Wyrick knew it would irk Charlie when she hung up. It was why she did it. Now he would be on edge all day, trying not to piss her off, which was good. Yesterday had gutted him. She’d known that when she saw the papers he’d given her to file. Funeral arrangements were serious business, and now she’d given him something else to think about.
She looked up Tara Bien’s phone number, made the call and waited for her to pick up.
* * *
Tara Bien was a corporate attorney, and a good one. The day her daughter, Jordan, disappeared, she’d left her at home with Della Whitman, the woman who cleaned her house. Jordan wasn’t feeling well, and Tara had to be in court that morning, so she couldn’t stay with her. But Tara was also planning to be home before Della finished cleaning. What she hadn’t counted on was the judge giving the opposing counsel a brief recess, which wound up making the case run a couple of hours longer.
She was still in court when Della finished cleaning, which left twelve-year-old Jordan alone. In itself, that was not a big deal. She was old enough to stay home alone, but Tara hated it when she had to leave her there, knowing she was sick. And because of the delays, Tara was still in court when her ex-husband, Jud Bien, showed up at their door.
* * *
Jordan was a tall, skinny twelve-year-old with black hair, blue eyes and a face that would one day be beautiful. She hadn’t felt well all night and was still sick when she woke, so after a short consultation with her mom, she stayed in bed and slept through most of Della’s cleaning.
Jordan began feeling better as the morning passed, and by the time Della left, she’d gone downstairs to the kitchen for something light to eat. She was having a cup of microwave noodle soup when the doorbell rang. But she’d been cautioned too many times about never answering the door when she was home alone, so she just kept eating.
The doorbell rang again, then again, until Jordan got up and sneaked into the living room and peered out of a window to see who it was, then she squealed with delight and ran to open the door, her heart pounding.
“Daddy!”
Jud opened his arms and caught Jordan as she leaped, delighted and smiling at the welcome.
“Lord, child, but you have grown. You look like a young lady now. You’re not my little girl anymore,” he said and then put her back down on her feet.
“How did you know I was here?” Jordan said.
Jud ignored the question. “I brought presents,” he said and went back to the porch to pick up the sack he’d dropped, then came back inside.
“Mama should be here any minute,” Jordan said. “She’ll be surprised. We didn’t know where you were in Dallas. Why didn’t you ever call me, Daddy? I missed you so much.”
“I’ve been studying,” Jud said.
Jordan frowned. “In a school?”
“Kind of like a school,” Jud said. “Let’s sit in the living room so you can see what I brought you.”
Pleased by the idea that her absentee father had brought gifts, Jordan was easily distracted and opened them with delight, and then gasped at the array of makeu
p.
“This is more stuff than Mama has,” Jordan said.
Jud reached out and stroked her hair from the crown of her head down to the middle of her back.
“I like that you’ve let your hair grow,” he said.
Jordan grinned. “Boys like long hair.”
Jud frowned. “You have a boyfriend? As in dating?”
Jordan rolled her eyes. “No, I don’t date. But I do like boys,” she said and then giggled.
Jud relaxed. “Oh. Good. I was about to object.”
Jordan didn’t like the tone of his voice. He didn’t really have a right to disapprove of her life, or what Mama was letting her do—not after moving away without a word to either of them—but she stayed quiet.
Jud felt the emotional shift and realized he’d forfeited his right to object, by his absence. He needed to made amends.
“Hey, honey, would you like to come spend the night with me at the Hilton Anatole? It’s where I’m staying for now. We’ll do pizza and a movie...or shopping at the mall. Whichever sounds the most fun. And there’s always room service for late-night snacks. I have a lot to make up for, you know.”
“I’ll need to check with Mama,” Jordan said.
Jud nodded vigorously. “Oh, definitely. In fact, considering everything, I think I should be the one to talk to her and let her know. You go pack.”
Jordan got up. “Yes, okay. I won’t take long,” she said and took her presents with her as she ran upstairs.
Jud watched his daughter leave, her long legs flying and her dark hair swinging as she ran. He smiled. The Seraphim was going to be pleased with his daughter.
Jordan had pajamas and underwear in her overnight bag, and was adding an outfit for school tomorrow, plus an extra one in case they went somewhere special to eat. She knew her daddy was calling for permission, but she felt obligated to contact her mother, too. He had abandoned them without a word, and she didn’t want Mama to feel hurt in any way that she was leaving with him, even if it was just for the night. So she sat down on the side of the bed and sent her mama a text.
Mama, you won’t believe it...but Daddy came back. He brought me presents, and I’m going to spend the night with him at the Anatole. We’re doing pizza and a movie, and he said he’d take me shopping at the mall if I wanted. I feel better. I’ll be fine. I’ll have Daddy drop me off at school in the morning, and I’ll see you tomorrow after school like always. Please don’t be mad. I am so glad to see him.
Then she hit Send and tossed her phone and charger on the bed. At that point, Jud knocked on the door and walked in.
Startled that he’d just walked in without waiting for her to answer, she frowned.
“Dad! Really? What if I’d been changing clothes or something?”
Jud frowned again. He was out of practice with this older version of his daughter.
“Sorry. I keep forgetting how much you’ve grown up. I’ll carry your bag down to the car while you get dressed. Do you have everything in it you want?”
“The phone and charger go in,” she said, pointing to them near her bag. “It won’t take me long to get dressed.”
She grabbed underwear and the jeans and T-shirt she planned to wear, and went into the bathroom to change. Then did something very out of the ordinary and locked the door between them.
Jud’s eyes narrowed as he heard the lock click. He shoved her phone and charger beneath the pillows on her bed and took her bag out to the car. He paused a moment at the doorway to look up and saw the cameras. He’d almost forgotten about them; he took off down the hall to the room where the security equipment was kept.
He’d been the one to install it all, so he knew what to do to disable it. Within moments, he’d erased all the footage featuring him, then disabled the entire system. He wiped it down so as not to leave fingerprints, and was on his way back to the foyer when Jordan appeared on the landing above him in skinny jeans and a pale pink T-shirt.
“I still can’t believe you’re here,” she said and took the stairs down on the run.
“You are a beautiful young woman,” Jud said, as he slipped her hand beneath his arm.
Hearing her dad talk like that made her feel weird. He wasn’t acting like he used to, and she shook her head in denial.
“Dad, give me a break. I’m not even a teenager,” she said.
Then as they went out, she locked the door and dropped her key into her bag.
* * *
Tara was giving her summation when the text from Jordan came, but she didn’t know it because her phone was on Mute and in her briefcase. It wasn’t until after the judge made his ruling and the court had adjourned that she began to check her messages.
When she saw the text from Jordan, her first reaction was shock, followed by anger. How dare Jud do this without talking to her first? They hadn’t seen or heard from him in over two years, and she had even begun to wonder if he was still alive. Now he shows up like nothing ever happened and sweeps her away for good times? Oh, no way! Not when he was more than two years behind on child support.
Tara was pissed, but not at Jordan. Jordan had been such a daddy’s girl, and his absence had nearly destroyed her. She could only imagine how overjoyed Jordan must have been to see him. What bothered her most was how Jud knew Jordan was at home on a school day, and why he had waited until he knew Tara would be at work?
She grabbed her things and walked to her car, and the moment she got inside, she called Jordan. The phone rang, then went to voice mail. Frowning, she sent Jordan a text to call her immediately, then headed home. She was angry and upset at the whole situation, but fear had yet to set in. That came later, after she was home and calling every few minutes without getting an answer.
The strange part was, every time she called, she thought she could hear the Bon Jovi ringtone Jordan had set up to indicate the calls were from her mama. But every time she tried to run down the sound, it would quit ringing and go to voice mail before Tara could find it.
So she began calling the number over and over, going all through the ground floor before starting upstairs. It wasn’t until she was on the second floor that she realized the phone was ringing in Jordan’s room. She ran inside and then called again, and within moments, found the phone and the charger cord stuffed beneath a pillow on the unmade bed.
That caused the first wave of panic.
This made no sense. Jordan didn’t accidentally forget it was there. It was always in her hand. She would not have left the house with her father without it, which meant the text was sent before she left the house.
And it was obviously hidden. But why hide it? Why would Jud hide Jordan’s phone from her before he took her away?
Then came the second wave of panic.
So she couldn’t tell her mama what was happening, or where they went.
“The security cameras!” Tara cried and ran downstairs, only to find everything off. When she started it back up again and discovered it had been erased back to the point of Della leaving the house, the third wave of panic struck.
“Oh my God, Jud Bien. What the hell are you doing?”
Now she was trembling, and the fear within her was choking. She stumbled to the nearest chair and pulled up her Contacts list, then called the only number she had for Jud, which went straight to voice mail.
“This is bad. So bad. I can feel it,” Tara said. She knew calling the police was never going to help, because she and Jud shared legal custody, and she’d never changed that after he disappeared.
Jud was Jordan’s father, which meant it wasn’t stranger abduction. Right now, she didn’t have even one bit of information as to where they went beyond the Anatole, or that anything was wrong except her mother’s instinct. She knew in her gut that something bad was happening, and she needed as much information as she could get.
She called the Anatole, asking for Jud
Bien, they told her that there was no one registered there by that name. Now she knew something was wrong!
She ran to her office and began digging through the drawers in the desk until she found Jud’s old address book. She started calling the men Jud used to hang out with, hoping he’d stayed in touch with at least one of them. She needed to get a handle on what he’d been doing so she’d have a starting point as to where he might have gone.
Her hopes continued to fade with each call she made—she’d called three men on the list with no luck. The next one down was Gordon Butler. Jud had always called him Gordy, and she remembered him well.
The phone rang several times without an answer, and she was expecting it to go to voice mail when she suddenly heard Gordy’s voice.
“Hello, hello! This is Gordy!”
Just like old times, Tara thought, and then responded.
“Hello, Gordy, this is Tara Bien, Jud Bien’s ex-wife. Do you have a few minutes to speak with me?”
“I sure do, gorgeous! How the hell have you been?”
Tara sighed. It didn’t sound like Gordy had done much changing or growing up.
“Not so good right now, Gordy, and it’s why I’m calling. By any chance would you know what Jud has been doing since he left Dallas?”
There was a brief moment of silence, like Gordy was trying to decide whether to give up a brother or not.
“Uh, I might. The last time I saw him was two years ago when we went on a trip together, but we kind of parted company after that, and I haven’t seen him since.”
“Please, Gordy. This is important. Jud came by my house today while I was gone. Our daughter, Jordan, stayed home from school because she wasn’t feeling well, and somehow he knew she was there and he took her...without calling me...without letting me know a thing. We haven’t seen him in over two years and now he just whisked her away. I was in court, so I didn’t get Jordan’s text until later, but she went somewhere with Jud to spend the night, and he’s not answering his phone.”
