Day of Atonement

by Yolonda Tonette Sanders

  “So, what do we do next?”

  “We wait…”

  • • •

  Natalie sat in the Baltimore terminal ready to cry during their layover. Normally good at dealing with her toddler, she had neither the mental nor physical capacity to handle him. Nate displayed one of two characteristics when he was sleepy—extreme silliness or excessive whining—and he had chosen the latter. Nate had whined about everything from the minute they boarded the first plane in Texas until now.

  It started when he asked to play with a specific toy that “Gigi and Grandpa” had given him for Christmas.

  “It’s in the suitcase, honey. Here, you can play with Mommy’s iPad.”

  A suggestion that would have normally pacified him didn’t this time. Nate cried for his toy like it was the only thing he had gotten. Natalie finally got him to settle down after threatening to throw it away if he didn’t be quiet. Not her finest parenting moment. Once they got in the air, Nate began complaining that the plane wasn’t moving fast enough, it was moving too fast, and later he cried because the plane had left his daddy. Then, out of nowhere, Nate started griping about his lip hurting. The same lip he busted last Saturday during ice skating, which he had not complained about all week and was nearly completely healed by now, was suddenly “hurting.” Concerned that perhaps his ears were bothering him and causing such misbehavior, Natalie put extra drops in them hoping to alleviate any pressure. Nope. His ears had been fine. Nate finally asked to watch a movie on the portable DVD, but then started crying because there was no popcorn on the plane for him to eat while he watched.

  Natalie knew her son had been that child when the stewardess came and asked if there was anything she could do to help calm him. Embarrassed, Natalie apologized to the stewardess and other passengers nearby for his behavior. There was only so much popping and pinching a mother could do before it seemed abusive and she’d done her fair share of both throughout the entire ride. Now, in the concourse, short of purchasing a sedative from the gift shop and giving it to him, Natalie hadn’t a clue what to do.

  While Nate hopped from chair to chair complaining that they were all too hard, Natalie put her head in her hands and cried. “I’m about to lose my mind,” she confessed when she called Aneetra and filled her in on their ill-fated adventure.

  “He knows better than that. Something is going on with him. Bless his heart, he doesn’t know how to express himself appropriately.”

  Bless his heart? If anyone needed blessing right now, it wasn’t Nate! Natalie went into her rage about how inconsiderate Troy’s decision was and how she was so worried about having more kids. “I don’t know if I can do this, Nee. I feel so incompetent right now,” she sobbed as Nate continued bouncing around the concourse.

  “Stop letting your hormones dictate your words. You’re a good mother and more than capable of handling Nate with or without Troy’s help. I know you’re frustrated with Troy, and rightfully so, but remember this is a tough situation for him as well. I’m sure he feels like he’s between a rock and a hard place. Hey, do you remember the name of the FBI agent who helped him with the serial killer case last summer?”

  “Something Hunter. Why?”

  “Maybe you can contact her and she can help somehow?”

  “I’m sure I still have her card somewhere, but I don’t know if I should call her. Troy doesn’t like me talking about his cases with other people.” Natalie’s wheels turned for a few moments before she realized something. This isn’t his case. “On second thought, it might not be a bad idea.”

  “If you think calling her will upset Troy, don’t do it. I was only trying to offer a suggestion that could benefit both of you.”

  “No, I like the idea. Troy has been frustrated. I’m sure he and the investigator could use the help. I wonder why Troy didn’t contact her himself, though. Maybe he already has and hasn’t told me. It’s not like he keeps me informed about his plans. His priority should be Nate and me.”

  “You are. Troy loves you and Nate more than anything. This is hard for him. You know he’s probably overcome with guilt about Elana. He needs your understanding now more than your anger.”

  Natalie wanted to hang up the phone hearing her friend come to Troy’s defense. The announcement that boarding would soon begin could not come at a more perfect time. “Good thing I have to go, otherwise, I might argue with you about always coming to Troy’s defense. I’m starting to think you like him more than me.”

  Aneetra laughed. “I always have your best interest at heart. Sometimes you need to be reminded that you have a good man.”

  “Whatever he’s paying you to say those things, tell him that it’s not enough.”

  “Bye, you nut. Call me when you guys get here.”

  The conversation with Aneetra helped to calm Natalie’s nerves. She would call the FBI lady the first chance she got. With any luck, the woman could help bring her husband home in no time. Natalie smiled at the thought while gathering her carry-on bags. Nate, on the other hand, had decided that it would be fun to jump from chair to chair. “Nathaniel Troy Evans, get down right now!” she said with a renewed sense of confidence in her parenting skills. From the quickness of Nate’s response, he knew she had once again found her mommy strength. They boarded the plane with no problems and this time Nate fell asleep during the ride. When they landed, Natalie checked in with both Troy and Aneetra. Troy called her again after they had gotten home and asked if she’d gotten the picture he’d taken of her and Nate when they were napping.

  “Yes. Thank you.”

  “Don’t forget to turn on the alarm,” he said.

  “Don’t you forget your way home.”

  Chapter 27: Call of Duty

  The next morning was Sunday and Natalie didn’t attempt to go to church. For the second week in a row, she claimed Bedside Baptist. She spent the day in pajamas watching kiddy movies with her son. On New Year’s Eve, Natalie woke up with a renewed sense of purpose. While Nate was still sleeping, she got up with the mission of finding the card Troy’s FBI friend had left with her last summer when the lady came to visit. It took some digging, but she found it inside her desk underneath a bunch of papers.

  Agent Cheryl Hunter.

  Immediately, Natalie dialed her number and tried not to let disappointment set in when she got voicemail. Actually, it was bitterness that she struggled with, wondering why it was that her husband, a Columbus homicide detective, chose to work on a holiday in a city in which he didn’t have jurisdiction and this lady with the Federal Bureau of Investigation had sense enough not to answer her phone.

  “Hi, my name is Natalie Evans. You’re friends with my husband, Troy, who works for the Columbus PD. You and I met last summer when you were helping him on the Bible Butcher case.” Natalie paused to take a deep breath, recalling the painful fear that gripped her when the serial killer of that case targeted her family. “I’m calling because I think Troy could use your help on another case he’s working. He’s in Texas right now and doesn’t know I’m calling you. I hope I’m not overstepping my bounds. I don’t know where else to turn and…I don’t know if you can help or not, but if you would please give me a call, I would really appreciate it.” Natalie left both her cell and home numbers and hung up, feeling relieved and apprehensive all at the same time. What if the lady called Troy before her? Oh well, she wasn’t going to worry herself about it now. What’s done is done.

  The rest of the day went pretty fast. Corrine came to get Nate as promised. Though Natalie didn’t think he deserved to go to the zoo or anywhere else special after showing his butt at the airport, she could not find it in her heart to scold him any further. Besides, she’d watched movies with him all day yesterday. After Corrine and Nate left, Natalie unpacked their suitcases and spent most of the day doing laundry and cleaning the house, which had been left in disarray prior to their trip. By the time Aneetra called to see if Natalie had planned to attend Watch Night Service, she was pooped. “No, I’m going to sit t
his one out.” Her original idea had been to plan a romantic evening for her and Troy. Even if he were there, that would not have happened considering how she felt.

  “Awww, I was hoping we could bring in the New Year together since we are both without our children and our husbands.”

  “Girl, I’m exhausted. I’m going to sit right here and watch the Twilight Zone marathon. You’re welcome to come over if you’d like, but I don’t want you to miss church on my behalf.”

  “You up for a good old-fashioned slumber party?”

  Sensing that her best friend did not want to be alone, Natalie said yes, feeling that she may do more slumbering than partying. Aneetra was at her house within thirty minutes and the two of them climbed in Natalie’s bed like middle-school children with popcorn and sparkling grape juice.

  Aneetra, who had turned forty earlier in the month, sometimes dressed older than her age. It was something that drove Natalie crazy because, although her friend wasn’t supermodel gorgeous according to society’s standards, Natalie thought Aneetra was beautiful, both inside and out. Sure, she had a little bit of belly hangover, but it was nothing disgusting or that a few good cardio workouts and crunches couldn’t handle. Her normal size fourteen hips fluctuated between twelve and sixteen, depending on the season. It wasn’t the outside that made up the bulk of Aneetra’s beauty. It was her caring and loveable spirit. For the most part, there was always a smile on her dark-brown face that could radiate a room. Natalie had expected Aneetra to wear some grandma-looking gown and bonnet, but was pleasantly surprised to see how youthful her friend looked in her red-and-white Christmassy pajamas with her hair in two pig tails to the side. And she told her so.

  “Thanks! I try to spice things up every now and then. Plus, I didn’t want to hear your mouth.”

  Natalie laughed. She was always giving Aneetra unwanted fashion tips, which tended to fall on deaf ears.

  When midnight hit, calls and text messages started ringing for the both of them. Though Texas was an hour behind, Troy still called Natalie anyhow. He didn’t seem like himself. Natalie knew he was stressing about the case, though he did not mention specifics. He was pleased to know that Aneetra was with her. “I love you, babe.”

  “I love you, too.” Immediately after she hung up with Troy, another call came through. “This is the FBI lady,” Natalie announced to Aneetra who responded with a scowl.

  “Seems a little weird that she’d call at such a late hour, don’t you think?”

  Natalie shrugged. It wasn’t unusual for Troy to get calls in the middle of the night. It came with his line of work. “People in law enforcement don’t think like the general public,” she said, answering the call.

  “Hello, Natalie?”

  “Yes, Agent Hunter. Thank you for returning my call.”

  “Please call me Cheryl. I hope I didn’t wake you. This is the first chance I’ve gotten to check my messages. Yours seemed urgent and I wanted to get back to you quickly. Tell me what’s going on?”

  “Actually, can we set a time to talk tomorrow? I have company right now.”

  “Oh.” She sounded disappointed. “I suppose that would work. Would you like me to come by your house, say around noon?”

  “I don’t want you to go out of your way.”

  “It’s no problem. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “O-kay.” By the time Natalie wished her a Happy New Year, Cheryl had hung up.

  “Well?” Aneetra stared, waiting to be debriefed. Natalie filled her in. “I don’t know, Nat. Something about this feels weird. Maybe I gave you bad advice by suggesting you contact her.”

  Natalie paused to consider the circumstances. “Naw, it’s all good.” She reassured both Aneetra and herself. She knew from firsthand experience that those in law enforcement often went beyond the call of duty. Cheryl, like Troy, could probably get overly zealous about her job. Everything was fine.

  Chapter 28: Coincidence or Clue?

  It had been so long since Natalie had seen Cheryl that she’d forgotten how petite the woman was. Natalie, who rarely seemed out of place no matter the setting, felt like a girelephant—a cross between a giraffe and elephant—next to her. Standing barely five-three, Agent Hunter could not weigh more than a solid 110 pounds. Natalie did not want to think about the lie the scale told at her last doctor appointment.

  Luckily, Natalie had gotten her house together yesterday. Agent Hunter had arrived approximately a half hour early, dressed casually in a pair of slacks, sweater, and a leather jacket. Her hair bore the same boyishly short style it had when they last met. Natalie didn’t remember the dimple in the middle of her chin, though. Then again, she’d been so distraught that she’d probably missed a lot back then, like the coarseness of Cheryl’s voice. It had an edgy no-nonsense to it, but it didn’t take away from her overall pleasant and very feminine demeanor.

  “You have piqued my curiosity, so let’s get right to it.” Natalie filled her in on the few details she knew about the case. Cheryl admitted to having seen a glimpse or two about things on the news without giving it much thought. “Had I known Troy was involved, I would have paid more attention.”

  “I was hoping you would have some connections or possibly some insight that can help expedite things. I’m asking for totally selfish reasons. The truth of the matter is that I want my husband home and I know he’s not coming back until this case is solved.”

  “I will certainly see what I can do to help.” She pulled out a pen and notepad. “Tell me everything that Troy has told you about the suspects.”

  Under normal circumstances, Troy would be livid if Natalie repeated anything he told her about his cases. This wasn’t a normal circumstance nor was it his case. Besides, Cheryl was his friend and they had worked together before. All of those facts helped ease her mind as Natalie shared with Cheryl the details Troy had relayed about Elana’s stepfather, uncle, and the possibility that her father could be involved.

  “Any idea who this Maggie lady is that the stepfather mentioned?”

  “No. I don’t think Troy gave it much thought. From what he said, the guy is pretty messed up.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Not that I can think of.”

  “Well, you have my number if something comes up. Meanwhile, I’ll see what information I can find.”

  “Oh, thank you so much. I’ll call Troy and tell him you’re looking into this. I’m sure he’ll be happy to know you’re willing to help.”

  “No, don’t you dare!” Her tone was rather sharp and for a quick second Natalie thought to tell her as much. Federal agent or not, no one was going to come into her home and talk to her crazy. Luckily, Cheryl explained herself further. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. I think it’s best if I contact Troy after I have something to share. If this case is getting to him as much as you say, we don’t want to give him false hope that I can help when we don’t know for sure.”

  “That makes sense.”

  Cheryl didn’t stick around for small talk. She said that she’d get started on Elana’s case immediately.

  “Thanks, again.”

  “Not a problem. Elvin, Troy, and I go way back. It’s an honor to be there for my friends.”

  Natalie gave her a forced smile as she saw her to the door. She’d always been under the assumption that Troy and Cheryl knew each other from work. What did “way back” mean and how did Elvin fit into the equation since he wasn’t in law enforcement. Ultimately, Natalie convinced herself that such details were unimportant. What mattered most was that Cheryl would help solve this case and bring her husband home.

  • • •

  “We wait…” B.K. had said to Troy at their last meeting, but Troy felt like he needed to be doing something. Yet, there was nothing he could do. He felt useless. Maybe he should have gone back with Natalie. Then again, he’d be in Columbus wondering if he should have stayed here.

  After meeting with B.K. on Saturday, Troy came back to the house and spent hours rea
ding the same reports and trying to make sense of the same unanswered questions only to end up with the same level of frustration as before when his efforts yielded no results. The next few days weren’t any better. On New Year’s Eve, Troy went over to Lilly’s to hang out with Elvin and his family.

  It was nice to see Lilly smile. Things were starting to heat up again between her and her second husband, Jeff. They had surpassed the “were just friends” phase. Jeff was not shy about expressing his feelings for her. He doted on Lilly and it was nice to hear her girlish laughter in the midst of so much heartache. Troy also learned that while Elvin, Nicole, and their boys had stayed overnight in Dallas after doing some sightseeing, Jeff had kept Lilly company. He wished he hadn’t walked into the living room to see Lilly slip Jeff his red fleece blanket and boxers she’d washed to take out to his truck while everyone else was in the kitchen. They both smiled sheepishly. Troy shook his head. They thought he was playfully scolding them, but he was really trying to shake the visual from his mind. Troy’s only concern was memories that Jeff had been abusive to Lilly in the past. Something she’d obviously forgiven him for and something he’d seemed to deeply regret.

  As the day wore on, Jeff and Elvin pulled Troy to the side and asked how the investigation was going. “It’s not.” Troy felt like a failure. He wished he’d looked away before seeing the disappointment on El’s face.

  “It’s okay, man. The fact that you’re trying means a lot.”

  “I’ve known B.K. for over forty years,” Jeff added after Elvin walked away. “He was a heck of a cop and he’s an even better private investigator. From what Elvin tells me, you are a force to be reckoned with yourself. If the two of you together can’t find answers, then there are none to be found.”

  “I don’t want to give up.”

  “I know you don’t. You also can’t drive yourself insane. It’s impossible to catch every bad guy. The important thing is that you are trying. I know that, Elvin knows, and most importantly so does Lilly. No matter what, she’s going to be all right. I’m going to make sure of that.” He patted Troy on the back before walking away and right into an embrace from Lilly. Troy could imagine Natalie saying something corny like, “they look cute together.”