“Go get dressed now,” Mama Claudette said, changing the subject. “You’re well ahead of the schedule right now so let’s keep it that way.”
Minutes later the twins were still chatting back and forth as they dressed. They moved between their two rooms, stealing glances in the adjoining bathroom mirror as they passed by it.
“The blue looks really good,” Claudia said. “Good choice.”
“It picks up the blue stripe in our shoes,” Cleo said, kicking out her foot to look at the canvas Toms her sister had chosen.
Mama Claudette’s voice echoed from downstairs. It was her second time calling and there was a hint of frustration in her tone.
Cleo stuck her head out the door and called back. “Coming, Grandma. We just have to brush our teeth!”
“Hurry up, please!” the matriarch called back. “You don’t want to be late!”
Both girls hurried into the bathroom. After a quick brush and swish they parted in opposite directions to retrieve the last of their belongings. With book bags tossed over their shoulders, Claudia grabbed a sweater and Cleo her cell phone as they headed for the door.
Cleo came to an abrupt stop, staring at her cell phone screen.
“What?” Claudia asked, turning to stare at her. “What’s wrong?”
“I got a text message from Mommy,” she whispered, her voice low, tension rising in her tone.
Claudia rushed to her sister’s side, pulling her own phone out at the same time. The same message was registered on her device.
The two girls stared at each other.
“What do we do?” Claudia asked.
Cleo shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“Should we tell Grandma?”
Cleo shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. She’ll call the police and Mommy will get into trouble. Daddy says that she can’t contact us until after she goes to rehab for her drug problem.”
“Maybe we can tell Mimi. She’ll tell us what to do and she won’t tell if we ask her to keep it a secret.”
“Daddy will get mad at her if he finds out and I don’t want him to be mad at her.”
“We have to do something,” Claudia intoned. “What if Mommy keeps texting us? We can’t just ignore her.”
Mama Claudette yelled from the bottom of the stairs. “Cleo! Claudia! Now!”
Claudia nodded. “Don’t say anything. We’ll figure it out.”
Her sister nodded her agreement but her expression said something else altogether.
Malcolm was laughing as he disconnected his cell phone.
Romeo shook his head as his friend moved back to the table and sat down. “How’s your girl?”
“Missing me!”
Romeo tipped his head toward Walter “Lightning” Lewis, the young piano player who’d been bemoaning his woes with the opposite sex. He laughed. “Young blood, you don’t have any problems right now. Just wait until you get like Malcolm here. Then you’ll know what real problems are.”
Malcolm laughed with him. “Don’t listen to him. The only issues I have in my relationship is that there aren’t enough hours in the day for me to get all the time with my girl that I want.”
Walter shook his curly head. “I can’t be tied down to one woman. I don’t know how you do it.”
“Keep on living,” Romeo said. “You can only do that juggling act you do for so long. Those games will wear thin quick!”
“You better listen to Romeo,” Malcolm said with a nod. “He knows. Boy’s been there, done that, and patented the logo on the T-shirt. Got him a doctorate in Women 101.”
Romeo pointed a finger at his friend as he laughed again. “Don’t listen to this fool.”
Malcolm’s laugh was rich and deep as it filled the room. “You better set him straight before he hurts himself.” He turned his gaze to the younger man. “I can’t give you any advice. I didn’t have the nerve to juggle more than one woman at a time. The women I dated all scared me. I was afraid of what they might do if they caught me. But Romeo, I’ve seen him have three, sometimes four women sitting right here in this room while he bounces between them like a ping-pong ball.”
“I was never that bad,” Romeo intoned, humor painting his expression.
“Yes, you were.”
“Yeah, I guess I was! But my baby changed all that. I’d never cheat on Taryn. Not in this lifetime or the next.”
Walter rolled his hazel-toned eyes. “So now you’re off the market. How’d you know she was the one?” he questioned.
“When a woman has your back like no other woman has ever had before. When you trust her with everything you have. You know.”
Malcolm interjected. “You’ll know she’s the one when you stop thinking about all the others.”
“Well, I guess that’s my issue right now because I’m thinking about Keisha and Beverly. Trying to figure out how to get them to do a threesome with me.” The young man grinned, grabbing at his crotch with one hand as he leaned back in his chair.
Malcolm laughed again. “Sounds to me like you’re trying to get hurt!”
His cell phone suddenly vibrated against the table, the ringer chiming loudly in the room. He stared briefly at the number displayed on the screen, trying to recall if it was someone he should have recognized. But he didn’t. He answered it on the third ring.
“Hello?”
“Good morning. Malcolm Cobb, please.”
“This is he.”
“Mr. Cobb, this is Mrs. Winters from the attendance office at Ravenscroft School.”
Malcolm sat forward in his seat. “Yes, Mrs. Winters, hello. How can I help you?”
“We’re just calling to verify your daughters’ absences. We didn’t get a call or message from you saying they wouldn’t be at school today.”
Malcolm felt himself tense. “I’m sorry but Cleo and Claudia should both be in class.”
“No, sir. They didn’t report to homeroom this morning and neither has been in any of their morning classes.”
There was a pregnant pause as Malcolm’s head was suddenly spinning. His eyes flickered back and forth as he tried to reason why the twins weren’t headed to their math and science classes.
“Mr. Cobb? Are you still there?”
He sputtered. “Yes . . . I’m . . . I apologize.” He took a deep breath as he collected his thoughts. “I wasn’t aware of any reason the girls wouldn’t be there, Mrs. Winters. It was my understanding that my mother, their grandmother, was dropping them both off this morning. Let me give her a call and I’ll be sure to send a note with them tomorrow to clear their absence.”
“Thank you, Mr. Cobb, and if for any reason you need to speak with me, please don’t hesitate to call either myself or the headmaster.”
Malcolm nodded into the receiver. “Thank you,” he said as he disconnected the call.
“What’s wrong?” Romeo asked, concern shining in his eyes.
The two men locked gazes. Malcolm didn’t respond as he dialed one daughter’s number and then the other’s. Neither girl answered. He typed a quick text message to both but minutes later was still waiting for a response.
He shook his head. “I’m not sure,” he said as he pushed the speed dial button to reach his mother.
Mama Claudette answered cheerily. “Hey, Son-shine!”
“Are the twins with you?” he asked abruptly.
His mother bristled. “No. They’re at school. Why?”
“The attendance office just called me and they didn’t show up today.”
“That’s ridiculous. I dropped them both off myself.”
“Did they go inside the building?”
“They . . .” She paused in reflection, trying to recall what the girls had done. “They walked toward the door. I saw them stop to talk to that Murphy girl from Claudia’s dance class and then one of the teachers spoke to them. That’s when I drove off. I didn’t actually see them go inside.”
“I need you to go to the mall for me and see if they’re there, please. A
nd call Cilla for me. Let her know what’s going on. I’ll give you both a call back in a while.”
“Do you think they’re playing hooky?”
“That’s what I’m praying they’re doing!” Malcolm quipped. “I’ll call you back,” he said, disconnecting the line.
He dialed a second number. “Hey, Maxine, it’s me. Is Shanell there with you?”
His ex-wife’s mother answered, anxiety rising in her tone. “Boy, you know better than that. Shanell can’t stay with me. Not while she’s using. I know someone bailed her out of jail but I haven’t seen her. Why? What’s wrong?”
“The girls are missing. They didn’t show up at school today.”
Maxine seemed to read his thoughts. “I’ll put the word on the street that I’m looking for her. If the twins are with her it’ll get back to me.”
“Thanks, Maxine. Keep me posted.”
Neither needed to say good-bye.
Malcolm stood in the center of the room, suddenly seeming deflated. His daughters were gone and truth be told he didn’t have a clue where to start looking for them. This was out of character for both girls and he was suddenly scared, the emotion creasing his brow.
“How can I help?” Romeo questioned, moving to his side. He dropped a heavy hand against his friend’s shoulder.
Malcolm took a deep breath. “Pray,” he said. “Just pray.”
Shanell was talking nonstop as the car they were riding in careened down Interstate 95 toward the state of Maryland. Her chatter was nonsensical, not one word making any sense to either of her daughters. The man driving seemed oblivious.
Cleo tightened the hold she had around her sister’s shoulders, fear ringing in her gaze. Tears streamed down Claudia’s face. Both girls cowered anxiously in the backseat of the SUV they were riding in. Neither had anticipated everything going wrong when they’d agreed to meet their mother.
Shanell had been waiting for them in the school’s parking lot. The girls had gone in through the front door and straight out the back. Their mother had waved them over excitedly, hugging and kissing them both as they’d raced into her arms. And then her friend had pushed them all into the car, yelling that they needed to get moving. Before either realized what was happening the vehicle was cruising onto the highway into early-morning traffic.
The man in the driver’s seat was large and intimidating. A scar fanned one side of his face, running the length from his brow to just beneath his chin. It was dark and ugly, giving him a ghoulish appearance. He grunted and gnashed his teeth, speaking very little and the few words he did say were usually admonishments for them to sit down and shut up.
“Mommy, I have to go to the bathroom,” Cleo said softly.
Shanell tossed her a bright smile, her eyes heavily glazed. “Not much longer. We’ll be in Baltimore real soon, then you can go. Just hold it until then.”
“But I have to go really bad.”
“Me too,” Claudia chimed. “Can’t we stop someplace?”
Shanell shot the driver a look. The stare he gave her back was venomous. He didn’t bother to answer. She turned back to her children, suddenly hissing between clenched teeth. “We can’t stop. Okay? Now don’t be any trouble. I need you to be good.”
“Then we need for you to give us our phones back. We need to call Daddy. He needs to know where we are,” Cleo said, an air of defiance in her tone.
Claudia sat forward in her seat. “He’ll be worried about us.”
Shanell’s gaze narrowed. “You’re father knows you’re fine.”
“He doesn’t. He doesn’t know where we are and we need to at least send him a message to let him know so he doesn’t worry,” Cleo persisted.
“No,” Shanell said. “You’re not calling anyone.” She suddenly smiled brightly. “Let’s sing. You girls always liked to sing. We’re going to have fun. I don’t know why you want to spoil this for me. So sing!” she shouted, breaking out into a bad rendition of some Katy Perry song.
The man next to her suddenly spoke. “Shut up! All of you. Shut the hell up before I shut you up.”
The two girls sat back against the seat. Shanell continued to hum softly under her breath, seeming oblivious to what was really going on. The man cut his eye at her. He shot a quick look to the twins in the backseat but said nothing, then refocused his eyes on the road.
Cleo entwined her fingers between her sisters, the two clutching tightly together.
Claudia nodded her head. She whispered, her voice as low as it could be. “Do you remember what Mimi told us to do if we were ever in trouble?”
Cleo nodded back, neither one needing to say anything else.
Cilla was at the family’s home when Malcolm pulled into the driveway. She and his mother stood holding tight to each other, their faces creased with worry. He shook his head as he stepped into her arms, hugging her warmly.
“We saw the Amber Alert. Do they know anything yet?” Mama Claudette asked, the woman shaking nervously.
He blew a slow sigh as they moved back into the home, past the police officer stationed at their front door. Inside, he dropped down onto a padded seat in the kitchen. “I called your friend Randolph. He’s running point on this. We viewed the security tapes at the school and the girls are with Shanell and some man.”
“Well, that’s something, right?” Mama Claudette said. “Shanell loves the girls. She wouldn’t let anything happen to them.”
Malcolm shot his mother a look. “I don’t know, Mom,” he said, his shoulders slumping. “The drugs are controlling Shanell right now. She’ll do anything for them.”
“But she wouldn’t hurt the girls!”
Malcolm held up a hand and he snapped. “I can’t right now, Mom. Okay? I really can’t do this with you right now.”
Mama Claudette took a step back and nodded. She took a deep inhalation of air. “I’m going to my room. I need to lie down for a few minutes.”
Moving back onto his feet, Malcolm wrapped his arms around his mother and hugged her close. Her tears dampened the front of his shirt. “I’m sorry,” he said as he kissed her cheek. “I know you’re worried. And I want them to be safe just like you do.”
Mama Claudette nodded. She kissed her son’s cheek then moved up the back stairwell to her room.
When she was out of sight, Malcolm and Cilla locked gazes, staring at each other momentarily. “What are you not telling us?” Cilla asked. She reached for his hand and pulled him back to the seat beside her. “Because I know that Randolph wouldn’t be the point man on a missing person’s case.”
Malcolm hesitated, tears burning hot behind his lids. He shook his head, fighting to control a sudden rise of emotion. He lowered his gaze, his head still waving against his thick neck. He took another deep breath and held it until his lungs began to burn. He shifted his stare back toward her as he slowly blew out the stale air. “Agent Taylor recognized the man on the videotape. He has a long history of crimes against children and women. Shanell’s boyfriend worked for him. He’s not a very nice man.”
Cilla stared at him, disbelief crossing her expression. The look he gave her back gave her pause, emotion wafting through her gut. “There’s something else, Malcolm. What is it? I want to know.”
His expression was pained as he met the look she was giving him. “An hour ago headshots of both girls turned up on some underground website. That bastard plans to auction them to the highest bidder.”
“Oh, my God!” Cilla pulled a tight fist to her lips. She suddenly felt sick, bile threatening to spew. She swallowed hard, taking swift breaths. “What does Randolph say? What are they going to do?”
“He says to let them handle it but I think I’m going to Baltimore. I can’t just sit here. I need to do something.”
“Do you know that they went back to Baltimore? They might still be here in Raleigh.”
“Taylor says this man is operating a porn business that’s based in Maryland. The feds have been trying to shut it down but haven’t been able to link it
to anything illegal. And because of Shanell’s connection to the town he’s almost certain they’ll go back to Baltimore.”
Cilla nodded. “I don’t think you should go. I think you need to trust the police. You need to be here when they bring the girls back.”
He nodded. “I feel so helpless. Anything could be happening to them and I’m not there to protect them.” He dropped his head into her lap, wrapping his arms around her waist. He clenched the back of her sweatshirt with his fists.
Cilla wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She kissed his cheek. “Everything’s going to be okay. Trust your girls. I don’t think they’re going to be that easy to take advantage of this time.”
The man was on his cell phone talking to someone in a language neither girl recognized. Frustration pierced his tone. Their movements were beginning to slow as traffic began to build, something down the road slowing their path. The stops and starts were abrupt and more than once the man slammed his fist against the steering wheel, cursing loudly as he did.
Their mother had fallen into a deep sleep, snoring softly from the front passenger seat. She’d admonished them one last time to not make any noise and then she’d dropped into a drug-induced stupor.
Cleo pulled her index finger to her lips, her gaze whispering for Claudia to be as quiet as she could be. Easing her backpack from the floorboard Cleo slipped her hand inside, searching with her fingers until she found a tube of bright red lipstick she’d hidden inside an inner flap and an ink pen from the bottom of the bag. When the backpack dropped to the floor with a low thud, the man tossed a quick glance to the backseat, his gaze shifting from one to the other. Neither girl moved a muscle meeting the look he was giving them. Claudia kicked the bag with her foot. When she swiped her eyes with the back of her hand he went back to ignoring them, focused solely on his call.
Cleo shifted toward the back window, easing her body against the door. Keeping one eye on the man in front of her she began to write backward on the side window. Their Mimi’s words echoed in her memory. You have to write it in reverse or no one will be able to read it, she’d said. Cleo had practiced diligently until she’d been able to do it without thinking about it. The words HELP PLS CALL 911 were quickly printed in bright red against the glass. Easing back, she handed the tube of lipstick to her sister who did the same thing on the other side.
Playing For Keeps Page 23
