At school, Sandy felt distracted all day. If she’d been a student teacher being observed by one of her education professors, she wouldn’t have received a recommendation for a teacher’s license. She gave her students busywork so she wouldn’t have to focus on delivering a lecture. All she could think about was Dusty coming to Rutland and the meeting with Maria and Jeremy. As sixth period was winding down, Sandy looked at her phone, which was sitting in the top of her purse. It showed an unread text message. It was from Jeremy: Here at courthouse. Where is Maria?
Sandy quickly entered a reply that she’d notified Maria of the meeting and didn’t know where she was.
Can you try to reach her? Dusty will be here at 4.
As soon as her class was over, Sandy called Maria’s cell phone. No one answered. Sandy left a message and then called Jeremy.
“Is she there yet?” Sandy asked.
“No, and Dusty will be getting here shortly. I need to prepare Maria first.”
Sandy hesitated. “I’d like to help, but the cheerleading squad meets for an hour and a half immediately after school.”
“What is Maria’s address? Maybe I should try to track her down.”
“She lives in a trailer park. I’m not sure how the trailers are numbered, and she stays different places.”
“I don’t want to waste this chance,” Jeremy said abruptly.
“I don’t either,” Sandy replied quickly. “I’ll try to find a substitute to cover for me and see if I can track down Maria. Call me if she shows up. I made it clear to her where to go and when she needed to be there.”
Sandy walked as fast as she could to see Kelli Bollinger. The Spanish teacher didn’t know anything about cheerleaders, but she could be an adult presence in the gym during practice. Her room was empty, and the lights were out. Hoping John Bestwick would be there, Sandy continued to the gym. The basketball coach was rolling a rack of balls toward a storage area.
“Am I glad to see you,” Sandy said with relief.
“I feel the same way,” John replied.
“I hate asking you at the last minute, but can you cover cheerleading practice for me?” Sandy said.
“Yeah, I’ve watched the cheerleaders a lot from my spot on the bench. Just tell me what to do.”
Sandy smiled. “Huddle with Meredith and Candace as soon as they get here. They’ll run the practice.”
“Done.”
“Thanks,” Sandy said. “I really appreciate it.”
John waved his hand toward the door. “Do what you need to do and don’t worry about this place.”
As soon as she was in the hallway, Sandy phoned Jeremy again.
“Dusty just got here, but there’s no sign of Maria.”
“I’m leaving the school. What do you want me to do?”
“Try to find her. If we don’t get started in the next thirty minutes, we’ll have to scrap everything.”
“I’ll go to the trailer park and see if I can locate her.”
Sandy left the school and walked rapidly across the parking lot to her car. Her phone beeped. It was Maria.
“Where are you?” Sandy asked. “Jeremy is waiting for you at the courthouse.”
“I’m at Rosalita’s trailer. It took longer than she thought at the dentist’s office.”
“Can she bring you to the courthouse right now?”
“No, there’s no one who can watch the little girls. The neighbor who was here while we went to the dentist had to go to her house.”
“Can’t her oldest daughter babysit?”
“She doesn’t feel well. She got a shot in her mouth and had three teeth filled.”
“Okay. Stay there, I’m on my way to get you. You’re very late.”
“I don’t want to go,” Maria said.
“That’s not an option!” Sandy raised her voice. “I’m coming to get you!”
Maria didn’t respond.
“And don’t hang up on me!” Sandy warned.
Sandy looked at the phone. The call had been disconnected. She hit the Redial button and the call went to Maria’s voice mail. Sandy wanted to throw the phone out the car window. She then called Jeremy and told him what had happened.
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
“Just a minute,” he said. “Let me ask Dusty.”
Sandy nervously shifted in her seat while she waited for the two men to talk.
“We’ll go to her,” Jeremy said. “I think she’ll come around when we’re there in person.”
“I’m not sure that will work.”
“It’s worth a try. Can you swing by the court house? If the meeting with Maria doesn’t happen, Dusty can go back to Atlanta, and you and I can spend time getting ready for the hearing next week. If Maria doesn’t want to come to court voluntarily, she can be forced to appear.”
Sandy drove as fast as she dared across the school parking lot and into the street. As she approached the courthouse building she saw Jeremy, Dusty, and a woman she assumed was the translator standing at the top of the steps. The two lawyers were both wearing tan slacks and blue sport coats. They could have been part of the same college fraternity. The sight of Jeremy and Dusty dressed alike and standing so close together sent chills down Sandy’s spine. Jeremy motioned to her and came down the steps to her vehicle.
“Can I ride with you?” he asked. “Dusty is going to take his car. You can help us find out if Maria is going to cooperate, and we’re going to leave the translator on standby. If we end up taking Maria’s deposition, can we use Ben’s conference room?”
“Probably, do you want me to call him?”
“No, let’s talk to Maria first.”
“Okay.”
Jeremy settled back into the passenger seat.
“Things are never easy,” he said. “Why do you think Maria balked?”
“She didn’t say, but I’m sure she’s afraid. This is all so unknown and intimidating to her. I blew up when she told me she wasn’t coming. That probably won’t help when we get there.”
“I have a good rapport with her,” Jeremy said, turning around to look out the rear window of the car. “Dusty is behind us. Let’s go.”
The trailer park was on the east side of town. Sandy stopped for a red light next to the veterinarian’s office where she took Nelson.
“The more I get to know Dusty, the better I like him,” Jeremy said. “I’ve met a lot of lawyers like Dusty. He’s ambitious and doesn’t know what’s really important in life. But I think he’ll listen to me if I tell him about my faith.”
Sandy gripped the steering wheel tightly with her hands. The light turned green.
“I wouldn’t expect you to be able to separate the lawyer from the man at this point,” Jeremy continued. “But you may get a chance to see him in a different light in the future.”
“I already do,” Sandy replied grimly.
“Good.” Jeremy nodded. “That’s hard for someone in your position to do. What brought about the change?”
Sandy turned her head toward Jeremy for a moment.
“Do you really want to know?” she asked.
“Sure.”
“It started with a phone call I received yesterday afternoon from a good friend who knows you’re my son.”
Sandy told Jeremy about Jessica’s conversation with Lydia. When she glanced at his face, he appeared slightly pale.
“And this is legit?” he asked.
“Why in the world would his sister lie about it?”
“Yeah,” Jeremy admitted. “When are you going to tell him?”
“I don’t know. He’s only known that he’s an adoptee for twenty-four hours. You’ve had a lifetime to adjust to that fact. Just promise that you won’t say anything to him until we agree it’s time to do so. I think it’s my right as his birth mother to break the news to him.”
“Maybe, but only if you don’t wait too long.”
“I’m not negotiating with you,” Sandy replied firmly. “Trust me. All I’m
thinking about is you and your family.”
Jeremy had a puzzled look on his face.
“What does that have to do with telling Dusty who he is?”
Sandy didn’t answer.
THIRTY-SEVEN
They reached the intersection for Haggler Road.
“It’s not far now,” Sandy said.
“Are you going to answer my question?” Jeremy asked. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
Sandy sighed. “You and Dusty may be twins, but as people you’re from different planets.”
“That can happen even when siblings grow up together. It doesn’t change the fact that we’re brothers.”
“And you have to think about your family first. Before me, Dusty, anybody.”
“You’re not making any sense.”
Sandy turned into the trailer park. “Right now you need to focus on Maria. We can talk later.”
“That’s going to be a challenge after the bombshell you just dropped on me.”
Sandy glanced in the rearview mirror. Dusty was behind them. It hadn’t rained recently, and the cars were kicking up dust. Sandy slowed down and stopped.
“This is Maria’s trailer.”
“Let’s check there first,” Jeremy said.
There were two battered pickup trucks parked in front of the trailer. Sandy squeezed between them. Jeremy got out and walked up to the door and knocked. No one came. He banged the flimsy door harder with the side of his fist. It remained shut. He reached down and grabbed the knob.
“No,” Sandy said under her breath as Jeremy tried to open the door.
It was locked, and he descended the steps. He went over to Dusty, who lowered the window of his car. Sandy couldn’t hear what the two men said to each other. Jeremy returned.
“Where is Rosalita’s trailer?” he asked.
“Down this row and to the left,” Sandy said as she pointed.
“We agreed to try one more place. If Maria isn’t there, Dusty is going back to Atlanta.”
Sandy drove slowly between the trailers.
“It was odd talking to him just now,” Jeremy said. “It’s not right that I know and he doesn’t.”
“Jeremy, please—”
“Relax. I’m going to obey my mother. For now.”
They reached Rosalita’s trailer. Her car was parked out front. There was no sign of activity outside.
“I think Maria was in the other trailer and didn’t want to answer the door,” Jeremy said.
“Maybe, but she spends a lot of time with her cousin.”
“I’ll check.”
“I should come,” Sandy said. “Rosalita knows me.”
Sandy glanced over at Dusty, who opened his door when he saw them both get out of Sandy’s car. He joined them. There was barely room for the three of them on the rickety wooden landing in front of the door. Sandy knocked and waited. There was no response. She knocked louder.
“Rosalita!” she called out. “It’s Ms. Lincoln from the school!”
A window near the door was covered with a flimsy curtain. Sandy thought she saw movement as the curtain was quickly moved back, then closed.
“Someone is there,” she said. “Rosalita has several children.”
“Try again,” Jeremy said.
Sandy banged on the door.
“Rosalita! Maria!”
Jeremy put his ear to the metal door.
“There’s someone inside,” he said. “I can hear a voice speaking in Spanish.”
“But if they don’t want to open the door, there’s nothing we can do to make them—” Jeremy reached for the door handle.
“No!” Sandy said. “Stop!”
Ignoring her, Jeremy turned the handle and pulled the door open a few inches. Before Sandy could see inside the trailer, the door was shoved violently into them, knocking Sandy off the landing onto the ground. Dazed, she looked up as a stocky young Hispanic man with closely cut hair appeared in the doorframe. He had a pistol in his hand. Jeremy stepped back. Dusty inched toward the edge of the landing.
“What are you doing here?” the man demanded in Spanish, pushing the revolver into Dusty’s chest.
Dusty raised his hands and gave him a blank look.
“Looking for Maria Alverez,” Sandy replied in Spanish, her voice trembling. “If she’s not here, we’ll leave.”
The man glanced over his shoulder and swore. He pointed the gun at Jeremy, then Sandy.
“Get inside. All of you. Now!”
“He wants us to go inside the trailer,” Sandy said.
“What do you want?” Dusty asked.
“Shut up!” the man shouted in English. “No talking!”
Sandy gingerly got up from the ground. She’d landed on her tailbone.
“Are you hurt?” Dusty asked from the porch.
Before Sandy could answer, the man with the gun shoved it into Dusty’s stomach so hard the lawyer doubled over. He grabbed Dusty by the arm and dragged him into the trailer.
“Lie down!” he commanded in Spanish.
Dusty, still stooped over, hesitated, and the man sharply kicked the back of Dusty’s legs, causing his knees to buckle.
“Stay on the floor!” Sandy said to Dusty in English, then repeated the phrase in Spanish.
The man looked at Sandy and nodded. Holding on to the thin wooden railing, Sandy climbed the steps. Jeremy took her arm to steady her. As soon as they were inside the trailer, the man jerked Jeremy to his knees and pointed at the floor. Jeremy lay down on his stomach beside Dusty. They were in a small living area with the kitchen to the right. A tattered rug partially covered the floor. There was no sign of anyone else inside the trailer. Sandy started to lie down too, but the man held his arm in front of her and shook his head.
“Don’t move!” he said to Jeremy and Dusty.
Sandy translated. The man was wearing a dirty gray T-shirt, ragged jeans, and cowboy boots. His pants were held up by a belt with a large shiny buckle. He’d not shaved for days. Sandy heard a muffled sound down a hallway to her left but saw no one.
“What do you want with Maria?” he asked.
“To talk to her,” Sandy said, unsuccessfully trying to keep her voice from shaking. “But we can leave and come back another time.”
“And call the police?” the man sneered. “I am not a fool. Tell the men to give me their cell phones.”
“He wants your cell phones,” Sandy said.
Jeremy slipped his phone from the front pocket of his shirt and slid it across the floor, faceup. The wallpaper picture was Jeremy with his arms around Chloe and Zach.
“Mine is in the car,” Dusty said.
Sandy translated. The man kicked Dusty in the side of the face. Dusty cried out in pain. The man then leaned over and quickly ran his hands along Dusty’s body while the lawyer moaned. He took out Dusty’s wallet and car keys and placed them on a small table near the door.
“Where is your cell phone?” the man asked Sandy.
“In my purse in the car.”
The man eyed her for a moment, then raised his foot in the air and smashed Jeremy’s phone with the heel of his boot. The plastic cracked at the impact, and the picture disappeared. Sandy glanced into the kitchen and saw the refrigerator.
“Move apart,” the man said to Jeremy and Dusty. “About three feet.”
Sandy translated, and the two men moved away from each other. The man with the gun stopped Jeremy by putting his foot on top of Jeremy’s head. He pushed down for a moment but didn’t kick him. Sandy racked her brain for something to say.
“You can tie us up and take my car,” she said. “I have over two hundred dollars in my purse.”
The man grabbed her face and pointed the gun at a spot between her eyes.
“And how far do you think I would get?” he asked.
The tight grip the man had on her cheeks kept Sandy from answering. She looked in his eyes. They were cold and dark. He released his grip and roughly shoved her head to the side.<
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“Go into that room,” he said, pointing down a short hallway. “And bring me the roll of gray tape that’s on the table beside the bed.”
Sandy moved slowly down the hall. Her tailbone was aching. When she neared the door, she glanced back at the man, who motioned for her to go forward. The door to the room was open. When she looked inside, she saw two of Rosalita’s girls, their wrists wrapped in duct tape and their mouths taped shut, lying on their backs on a small bed. Their eyes were red and filled with fear. Sitting on the floor beside the bed was Rosalita. Her hands and feet were wrapped in tape and her mouth covered. Across the room from Rosalita, Maria was similarly bound. She looked at Sandy and sadly shook her head.
“Is that Emilio?” Sandy asked in a whisper.
Both Maria and Rosalita nodded. There was a large roll of duct tape on a nightstand beside the bed where the two girls were lying. Sandy picked it up.
“Hurry up!” Emilio shouted.
“Is your gun still on top of the refrigerator?” Sandy asked Rosalita as she leaned over to get the tape.
Rosalita nodded.
“Is it loaded?”
Rosalita nodded, then shook her head.
“Are there bullets in the gun?” Sandy repeated.
Her eyes wide, Rosalita grunted. Sandy reached for the tape to pull it back from her mouth.
“Get out here now!” Emilio shouted.
Sandy left the room and hobbled down the hallway with the tape in her hand.
“Come on, come on,” Emilio said impatiently.
When Sandy reached Emilio, he grabbed the tape and pushed her against the wall. A sharp pain went through her lower back.
“Stay there,” he ordered. “Keep your hands by your sides and don’t move.”
Emilio grabbed Dusty’s wrists and taped them together behind his back. He then bound Dusty’s feet together, rolled him over, and slapped a piece of tape across his mouth. For a moment Emilio had his back to Jeremy. Sandy saw Jeremy reach out toward a stool in front of the small table. He got his hand around the leg of the stool, all the time keeping his eyes on Emilio.
“Don’t!” she called out.
Emilio swung around, saw Jeremy’s extended hand, and stomped it with his boot. Jeremy cried out in pain and grabbed his wrist. Emilio threw the stool across the room and then kicked Jeremy in the stomach. He put the gun to Jeremy’s head and threw the tape onto the floor.
The Choice Page 38
