The Senator's Choice

by Combs, Sasha

  William tapped lightly on her door two times, he waited listening intently for her to respond to his knock. When she didn’t, he tapped again but still there was no answer.

  The next time, not only did he knock with a heavier hand, William also added his voice, hoping that this would get an answer out of his stubborn daughter.

  “Morgan...it’s your father. Open up...Greta is making breakfast for us. She will be here soon and I wanted to talk to you for a little while before she brought up our meal.”

  After his daughters display last night, William wanted Greta to see an improvement in their relationship. That would require him to be standing on the other side of the door and not in the hallway waiting for her to let him in. But as he waited for Morgan to answer him, he was beginning to believe that Greta would be seeing a repeat of last nights shenanigans.

  “Morgan...open up. We need to talk.”

  William wanted to add more to that sentence but he thought it best to say his words face to face and not on the other side of his daughter’s bedroom suite. Yet still he didn’t get an answer. He looked at his wristwatch and wondered if perhaps Morgan was still fast asleep.

  When she reached the age of nine, he made a habit of respecting her growing need for privacy. He reminded himself that she was a growing girl and as such Bianca had helped him to understand his daughter’s changing moods. But Bianca wasn’t here to give him lessons telling him about their daughter. William was alone to deal with this and his patience had worn thin, so he tested the doorknob. With a slow twist, he turned the knob, while trying to make as little noise as possible. He did this because William considered the possibility that Morgan could still be sleeping. If she stayed up late, brooding over her behavior, perhaps she was still tired. He wouldn’t want to upset her further by interrupting her sleep. Things were bad enough and he wasn’t trying to make this situation irreparable.

  William pushed the door, until it was open wide enough for him to step inside. The outer area where her sofa and desk were was relatively clean. As clean as any thirteen year old girls room could reasonably be. Morgan had never been tasked with the responsibility of cleaning her bedrooms because there was always someone else to do it for her. So, he didn’t flinch when he spotted magazines on the sofa, and the shoes that she’d worn last night, lying on the floor at opposite ends of the room. He also spotted her sweater hanging over the closet door. William puzzled over the logic of this. Why hang a sweater over a closet door, instead of reaching inside to get a hanger, then return the hanger along with the sweater draped on it. He forced his eyes from his daughter’s clutter and reminded himself why he had walked into her room.

  Through a double set of doors was the sleeping area. The doors were slightly ajar, so William walked lightly in that direction. In a low voice, he called out his daughter’s name.

  “Morgan...it’s your father. I don’t mean to wake you but it’s early and I thought we might share breakfast here in your suite.”

  Silence was his response, and all at once, William became concerned. Thoughts of every variety stormed into his brain. He recalled Pamela talking about the cycles of grief. He considered after his daughter had dealt with the pain of losing her mother, perhaps Morgan wouldn’t want to repeat the grieving cycle again.

  Without any hesitation, or regard for his daughter’s privacy, William rushed into her bedroom quarters. He flipped on lights and was surprised when his eyes landed on the bed.

  “Morgan...” her name slipped from his mouth.

  Morgan’s bed had not been slept in. Or at least, that’s what the signs pointed to. The comforter and pillows were neatly tucked as if the maid had fixed the bed. He doubted that his daughter had rose early and made the bed herself because William couldn’t recount a period when Morgan had without suggestion made her own bed. She would always leave the task for a housekeeper or one of their other servants.

  William walked across the room to peek inside of her bathroom. This area had been recently used. As he considered her scattered toiletries and a pile of large towels; he rightly assumed that she’d showered and changed but he wondered where had she slept. The moment he thought this, his brain considered the empty bedrooms in the house. In every wing except for the master bedroom wing; there were four suites and one lounging area. When the house had been built, the floor plan had been designed for the entertaining of many friends. At the time, William had thought the large house was a wonderful idea. Yet, now the house was a young girls haven filled with places to hide. If hiding was something Morgan wanted to do.

  “Shit...” he said before realizing the curse had slipped from his mouth.

  William walked out of the bathroom, through the bedroom suite, back out into the open area. He heard movement in the hallway. He thought this might be Morgan, but instead it was Greta, pushing a cart filled with breakfast goodies.

  “Good morning senator.” She said in greeting.

  “Good morning Greta. I’m sorry to have put you through all of this trouble but it would appear that Morgan isn’t in her bedroom.”

  Greta peered around him, looking into the suites outer lounging area.

  “Do you want me to set the breakfast trays up in another room?”

  At this point, William didn’t know what to say.

  “No, Greta. You’d better take the food back to the kitchen.”

  William started to leave the room, the he stopped, turning around to face a confused looking cook.

  “Greta...have you seen Morgan this morning? I only ask because her bed... Well, it’s already been made up.”

  Greta frowned, while saying...

  “I haven’t handed out cleaning assignments yet. The girls are still in the kitchen preparing breakfast carts to take to all the bedroom suites. If the bed was made up...my girls did not do it.”

  This knowledge didn’t sit to well with William, and he noticed that Greta did not say if she’d seen Morgan this morning. He wondered if his cook was covering for his daughter.

  “Greta...did Morgan ask you to move her to another room? I’m only asking because...well, you know that we had a little disagreement last night and I was wondering if she moved to another room to avoid having to deal with her father.”

  Greta’s eyebrows rose in confusion, then she said...

  “I’m sorry senator but... I wouldn’t know if Morgan switched rooms. Last night before I went to bed, I did as you asked. I brought her dinner to her bedroom and before we closed down the kitchen, Rosa came back to get her empty plate. She didn’t eat everything but she did eat enough so as not to make anyone worry about her. As far as I know, that was the last anyone saw her.”

  William pondered this thought. Morgan had been in her room while the family sat downstairs talking late into the evening. The house staff had left the kitchen before they left the sitting room. That left a large gap of time that Morgan had not been accounted for.

  When his eyes fell back on Greta, William didn’t want to keep her from her work and he noticed that she was waiting for him to dismiss her.

  “Thanks Greta. I’m sure she’s somewhere in one of the other bedrooms.”

  “I’m sure that you’re right. If you haven’t found her by the time we’ve finished serving breakfast, let me know and I’ll have the girls to check every room in the house.”

  William nodded but he wouldn’t wait because he intended to check every room before breakfast had been served. He intended to give his daughter a stern talking to for upsetting her father and having him thinking the worst has happened.

  William watched as Greta traveled down the hall, until she finally reached the elevator that would take her back downstairs with her wheel cart. When she was no longer in view, he started by opening the empty bedroom on the east wing, to see if Morgan was in one of these bedroom suites. This action was repeated in the west wing as well as the north wing which was empty. It had taken him nearly a half of an hour searching all of these areas, until he finally found himself back in th
e east wing standing at his parents door. He wanted to slam his hand on his head for not considering this bedroom suite first.

  If he was right, and he was hoping that he was; Morgan had been angry and more than likely she’d sought out the counsel of her grandmother. If they talked like most granddaughters do when they have a willing ear, he expected that the conversation went well into the late night hours. The sofa’s in all the bedroom suites were sofa beds, and could be let out to use for sleeping. William believed that this was the scenario that played out in the east wing in the early hours of the morning.

  He tapped lightly on his parents door, and a second later the door was opened by his mother. She was already dressed wearing a cream colored pressed shirt and a pencil slim black skirt.

  “What a surprise... Come in William.” Mildred turned to look over her shoulder at Wallace.

  “Dear...William has come to join us for breakfast.”

  “Come in, come in...” his father sang. They both were in good spirits and he took this as a good sign, so he mirrored their jubilation.

  “Hello. You two are certainly chipper this morning.”

  “You know how much your mother and I enjoy this mountain air. It’s good for the circulation and we always sleep so soundly when we come here.” His father said. Mildred laughed when she added...

  “You sleep soundly dear but I’m always bothered by your snoring. Your father gets so relaxed that this mountain air that he raves over loosens the muscles surrounding his diaphragm, causing him to snore like a freight train.”

  “Oh bah humbug.” He said in jest.

  As his parents playfully joked and traded harmless wisecracks, William noticed the place setting on their breakfast table only had two settings. This unnerved him so he asked... “Mom...have you seen Morgan this morning?”

  She swallowed her tea, then responded by saying... “No, dear. I thought that you two would have patched things up by now.”

  “That is why you’re here...right son?” his father inquired. “To tell your mother and I that all is well in Denmark?” his father giggled over his joke. But this was no laughing matter. William had checked every bedroom on the upper floors. Every room except for the master suite, and Michael and LaShawn’s room. Not to mention Frederick’s suite and he knew that she wasn’t in either of those places. Mildred spotted his agitation first, causing her to lay the toast that she’d just picked up, back on her plate.

  “Dear...is something wrong?”

  William didn’t know yet. He didn’t want to needlessly alarm his mother over a possible misunderstanding.

  “I’m not sure mom. When I went to Morgan’s room this morning, she wasn’t there and her bed had not been slept in. I’m beginning to get worried.”

  “We are in the middle of no where son. The only cars that are available are the SUV’s and the drivers have them locked away at the cabin over a mile from the main house. Morgan must be in one of the other suites.” His father said.

  “But dad she isn’t. I checked them all, and Morgan isn’t in any of them.”

  Now Wallace was just as concerned as his wife appeared to be.

  “Have you talked to the staff? Maybe one of them has seen Morgan.” his mother said.

  “I saw Greta and she said that the last time Morgan was seen was last night when they removed her dinner tray from her bedroom.”

  “What about this morning dear.” His mother said. “Has anyone seen her this morning?”

  “Greta said that her girls have been in the kitchen all morning...and they couldn’t have seen her.”

  “Greta said... Greta said... How would Greta know who her staff has seen? Does she have eyes for all of them?” Wallace was wisecracking but he had made a valid point. William had gone on the assumption that as the head house keeper, Greta was the right person to talk to but he had to admit that his father could be right. Someone else might have seen Morgan this morning.

  Without telling them where he was going or what he intended to do; William left their suite, and was headed for the main staircase. He took the stairs, two at a time and he could hear footsteps in the rear of him. He knew that his parents were following close behind.

  When William walked into the kitchen, the staff each stopped their working, Greta spoke first because she’d already guessed the reason for his presence in her kitchen.

  “Senator...I’ve already asked everyone here this morning if they’ve seen Morgan. No one has seen her. Even Miguel...and he just arrived not to long after I returned to the kitchen.”

  William wanted to take everyone at their word but his father’s words rung in his head. They were in the middle of no where. There were few places that Morgan could hide and someone in the house had to know where she’d gone off to.

  “Look everyone... I’m sure by now, you’ve all heard about the disagreement that occurred at dinner last night. Morgan is upset over a few things and she’s acting out by not letting us know where she has gone. If any of you know where she is, you mustn’t be afraid to tell us. We won’t be angry and no one will be in any sort of trouble.”

  “What’s the problem?”

  William heard the familiar voice coming from behind him. He turned and was surprised to see that Michael had joined them and was standing in the threshold underneath the archway leading into the kitchen. Michael had come to the kitchen to prevent the kitchen assistant from having to come back to his room. Earlier when Greta had called to write down their breakfast request, Michael had neglected to tell her to add catsup on the tray for his eggs. After their food had been delivered by one of the staff who had identified herself as being Mara; it wasn’t until she’d left his suite that Michael realized his mistake. He slipped one of his university sweatshirts over his head, then left his room in a hurry, jogging down to the kitchen to grab a bottle for himself. Due to the size of the house, Michael didn’t want to trouble Mara, especially since he’d been the forgetful one and not her.

  “Is Morgan missing?” he said in a concerned voice.

  William looked at Michael then at both of his parents. In some small way he was relieved to see his friend.

  “No one has seen her this morning and except for the rooms on this level, I’ve checked every bedroom suite upstairs and she’s nowhere to be found.”

  “Then lets check the entire estate. She has to be somewhere in the house or on the property.”

  When he’d realized that Morgan wasn’t in any of the bedroom suites, William had not been thinking clearly. Without meaning to, he’d flipped over to panic mood. It had taken Michael’s calm suggestion to guide them along and focus their energy on a course of action. Michael had gone back upstairs to get LaShawn and Frederick, while William and his parents began searching on the main floor. Since he knew that Morgan wasn’t in his bedroom suite, William saw no need to wake Pamela. He’d felt guilty for keeping her up most of the night and he didn’t want to disturb her sleep.

  Without telling the people employed to work for him what needed to be done, Greta went into action by sending the kitchen staff to the basement and the cellar to check those areas of the house. She wasn’t excusing anyone from the search. Everyone had a section of the house to comb. No place was to be considered odd, impossible or unlikely. Michael had given instructions to tear the house apart if necessary. They searched everywhere. Any place that a girl of Morgan’s size could possibly hide. They looked in corners, closets and storage areas. William even checked between the book shelves in the two story library. While they searched the inside of the house, Miguel and the two drivers sweep the area around the property. Miguel didn’t think the tool sheds or the barn would be a place that Morgan would hide, but he didn’t risk leaving these areas unchecked. He even walked beyond the house, leading out towards the woods. Miguel directed the men on other places that needed to be investigated.

  William felt his heart pounding in his ears and he didn’t want to end the search. All the same, when he reached the front foyer, seeing the faces of
everyone else, their frustration could be mistaken for nothing else. He could only imagine what his face looked like because no one had good news.

  Just as Michael was about to suggest to Frederick to contact the local sheriff, he heard the sound of swiftly moving feet coming in their direction. Miguel was leading the pack and he was being followed by William’s driver Glen and the other driver, whose name he didn’t know.

  “Senator Hudson...I think your daughter has taken a walk beyond the gardens. I saw a small footprint in the mud, leading in a direction away from the house.”

  Miguel looked troubled when he said this and William wondered what concerned him.

  “Is there something else that you want to say Miguel?”

  “Yes,... A few days ago, my brother said that he spotted a mountain lion in the area. I’m always in the woods hunting or fishing and I haven’t seen any tracks but you know as well as I how animals can change their feeding grounds over the course of a few days.”

  “Michael...” William said in a low voice and he didn’t know why he’d called out the name of his friend. When Michael came to stand in front of him, it was then that William knew why he’d asked for him. Michael had always been a constant in his life. The one person he could count on in a pinch. As friends, they each had been devoted to one another, and had never let the other down. This had been the reason William had toiled over his relationship with Pamela because he didn’t want to hurt Michael or LaShawn. But now, William was banking on the solid foundation of a friendship that had lasted for over twenty years. He needed Michael’s support because William doubted if he’d be strong enough to handle a disastrous outcome and he didn’t want to tempt fate.