Day of Atonement

by Yolonda Tonette Sanders

  When Bill showed up, Troy was so angry that he wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake him until he revealed everything he knew about Elana’s disappearance. It sickened him how Bill smiled in Lilly’s and Elvin’s faces all the while possibly being the cause of their heartache. Troy regretted not sharing his suspicions of Bill with Elvin beforehand. At the time, he didn’t want to drive a wedge between them without proof. Now desperate for answers, he didn’t care. Troy would not “wait” for Bill and his attorney to meet with B.K. He was determined to get answers now. He took hold of Bill’s arm and led him aside. “We need to talk.”

  “A-bou-bou-bout what?”

  “Don’t play stupid with me. What do you know about Elana?”

  “This is neither the ti-ti-time or the pa-pa-pa-place.” He tried to shake free of Troy’s hand, but his grip was too strong.

  “Everything okay?” asked Elvin who had apparently witnessed their interaction.

  “No. Your uncle refuses to talk to B.K. without his attorney, which indicates that he knows something that could incriminate him.”

  “Is this true, Bill?”

  “It’s not wh-wh-wh-what you think.”

  “Then why won’t you talk?” Elvin took over interrogating Bill, soon drawing the attention of Lilly and the rest of the family. Cornered, Bill broke down and confessed that he had been molesting Elana for years and thought that his actions could have possibly led to her running away. It was Jeff who pulled Elvin off of Bill after Bill had gotten every blow he deserved. Right or wrong, Troy would have let Elvin get a few more hits in.

  “How could you?!” cried a horrified Lilly who also lunged at him. Jeff stopped her as well, ordering Nicole to take the boys upstairs.

  “I’m sa-sa-sorry,” Bill sobbed, dropping to the floor.

  Troy stared at him with disgust. “At Elana’s service, you said that she was dumped from the back of a truck. How would you know?”

  “It wa-wa-was an as-suh-suh-sumption. I did not ki-ki-kidna-nap my niece or kill her. I luh-luh-loved her.”

  Jeff was across the room consoling Lilly. Luckily, Troy’s reflexes had been quick enough to catch Elvin before he attacked Bill again. As much as Troy wanted to take his own foot and stomp on Bill’s head, he was still a sworn officer of the law. He could not witness nor participate in a potential homicide. “I got this, man,” he said to El, backing him away. Bill stayed curled up like a little coward. Troy seized him by the collar and dragged him all the way out the front door, giving him clear orders to stay away from Lilly and the family forever.

  Poor Elana. Troy could only imagine the pain she suffered at the hands of both Herbert and Bill. Bill sickened him more than Herbert because he was someone Elana trusted. Troy wished even more now that he’d been kinder to her. Perhaps her attempt to get his and Elvin’s attention had been a cry for help. If they had been nicer, maybe she would have eventually confided in them.

  Deep down, Troy knew he was overanalyzing everything. After all, they were only children, how would they have known? Still, he wanted to do everything in his power now to help rectify any mistakes of his past. Troy stayed at Lilly’s a few more hours until everyone had calmed down. Afterward, he spent the rest of the evening secluded in his room at his parents’ until he called Natalie to wish her a Happy New Year. An hour later, he was downstairs with his parents as the clock struck twelve for the second time that night. Both times, he received text messages from her. Both times he deleted them with no reply.

  On New Year’s Day, Troy’s mom busied herself in the kitchen making black-eyed peas, cabbage, and other “good luck” foods, and his dad announced that he was going to paint the other house.

  “Okay, be back by six. Tracy and ’nem are comin’ over for dinner.”

  Troy thought about going back over to Lilly’s, but ultimately decided to give them time and space to deal with Bill’s betrayal. With nothing except time to kill as he waited on a breakthrough, Troy offered to give his dad a hand.

  “Uh, sure. I could use help.”

  Together, they rode over to the house that was once owned by Troy’s grandparents. His dad had all the painting gear of a professional, having specialized in various areas of construction over the years. Little things started coming back to Troy’s remembrance such as how his father had built a shed in the back yard, or how he had single-handedly turned their five-bedroom home into four bedrooms when he converted half of a spare room into a private bathroom for him and Troy’s mom. The other half was used as a playroom for Tracy. His father had done a phenomenal job at making the restructuring appear like the natural layout. The man was good at his trade. Troy was dumfounded at how his father had allowed drinking to interfere with his family, but never his work.

  “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” Boy, did his father fall very short of carrying out the instructions in Ephesians 6:4! He’d provoked Troy to wrath on so many occasions throughout the years, especially when he was drunk and abusive to Troy’s mom. And the man had not taught him one single thing about the Lord!

  Troy was about to get himself all worked up about his dad’s shortcomings until another passage of scripture came to mind. “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” Troy, too, had many shortcomings of his own and Ephesians 4:31-32 reminded him that because God had forgiven him, he had an obligation to forgive others. If he were into making New Year’s Resolutions, one of them would be to review these verses any time residual bitterness toward his father crept up. However, making such a pledge was not necessary. The Holy Spirit would remind him, like He reminded him now.

  When his father asked which room he would like to paint, Troy suggested that they start in the same one. His dad initially looked even more surprised than he had when Troy offered to come with him in the first place. Then, giving a wry smile, he tossed a paint roller Troy’s way and jokingly told him not to make a mess.

  Troy was on the west side of the living room and his father was on the east. Back-to-back they painted while listening to the radio. Troy hummed along to familiar tunes, thinking about the things he’d learned from B.K. about the Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur. Day of Atonement… “It was the priest’s responsibility to atone for the sins of the people,” B.K. had said. Troy had unknowingly been assuming the role of the priest by carrying the entire burden about Elana on his shoulders. He was trying to make things right and sacrificing his wife’s feelings during the process. Not anymore. No matter where things stood with Elana’s case, he was going home in a week. Between B.K. and the Houston P.D., he was confident that Elana’s kidnapper and killer would be brought to justice. His only prayer was that it did not take long. Lilly and Elvin had waited long enough.

  “This is where your grandfather slept when he was alive,” Troy’s dad announced as they made their way to the master bedroom. “Do you remember much about him?”

  “Not really.” Troy did not spend much time with his father’s side of the family. Besides having the knowledge that his grandfather suffered from dementia and Alzheimer’s, Troy didn’t have any memories—good, bad, or indifferent—about either of his paternal grandparents.

  “He was a mean old buzzard. I guess you say the same thing about me, huh?”

  Troy willed his lips to remain shut and instead got in position to get back to work. Both Natalie and his mom would be proud. Heck, he was proud of himself for his great verbal restraint.

  “I’m really proud of you, son. I know I have never told you that. I’ve never told you much of anything, but for what it’s worth, I am proud.”

  “Thanks.” Troy wasn’t necessarily elated by his father’s accolades. He’d made some mistakes of his own and one of them kept texting him.

  I NEED 2 TALK 2U! Plz call me.

  She had to be out of her min
d if she thought for a minute that he would willfully open up that line of communication again. He deleted that message like he had all her others. They painted that room and then one more before deciding to call it quits.

  While his dad was busy rinsing out the rollers and brushes in the bathroom, Troy decided to give himself a tour of the house. “Why are you putting so much work into remodeling when you’re going to turn around and sell the place?” The carpet had been pulled up in each room and many of the walls had been stripped. All of that did not seem necessary since the new owners would probably want to add their own aesthetic touch.

  “The house needed it. I’ve spent so much time fixing up other places that I neglected this one. I don’t think there have been any major improvements to this house since you were born. Plus, if it doesn’t sell, I can use it as a rental property.”

  All the rooms were empty except for one that had a wooden table with a few boxes and a doll house on top. His dad had not done a good job at removing the carpet in that room as slight traces of its reddish-like fiber remained on parts of the base board. Troy walked in to get a closer look at the doll house. It stood about three feet tall and two feet wide. It had been skillfully crafted by hand. No doubt his father’s work.

  Troy opened one of the boxes and found various girl toys and other items—Barbie dolls, doll clothes, play jewelry, and even a few cassette tapes.

  “Uh, those are your sister’s old things.”

  The voice of his father who was standing in the doorway startled him. Troy had not heard him come down the hall.

  “I figured as much.” Troy had always known that Tracy and his dad were a lot closer than he and his father were, but he did not realize the extent of the time she’d spent at this house. He continued looking through the box, pulling things out one by one.

  “We better get going. Your mom is expecting us for dinner.”

  “You want me to grab this stuff for Tracy since she’s coming over?”

  “Oh, uh, no, that’s okay. I already asked her and she doesn’t want any of it. I’m going to donate it. I hadn’t gotten around to it yet.”

  “Wow, I didn’t know Tracy was into Duran Duran.” Troy cracked up as he pulled out one of the cassettes found in the box by a popular rock group in the eighties. A name carving in the wood caught his attention. “Who’s Maggie?”

  “I don’t know.” His father rushed in and started repacking the items. “Your grandfather carved that name into several pieces of furniture.”

  Maggie… That name was starting to bother him. Herbert had mentioned it and now the name was etched into a wooden table found at the house where his father stayed. Coincidence or clue? “Hey, last week I tried calling you to see what was going on with Tracy. She left me several urgent voice messages. Do you know what was wrong with her?”

  “Have you spoken with your sister?”

  “Yes, and she didn’t tell me anything, but Natalie said that Tracy was at the house talking to you and that she was upset.”

  “Humph. I wouldn’t worry about it. I’m sure Tracy has handled whatever was bothering her. We better go before your mom starts calling,” his father stated after replacing all the items in the box. He’d missed the Duran Duran cassette Troy had in his hand. Troy slipped it into his pocket.

  On the way back to the house, Troy remained silent, thinking about the revelation B.K. had shared with him during their last meeting. “[Y]our dad was supposed to pick you up from Elvin’s that morning…” Troy hoped that there was nothing more to the story than simple coincidence as he read and then deleted another message from her.

  Chapter 29: Patches of Red

  When Troy and his father arrived back at the house, his mother was still cooking.

  “Give me about forty, forty-five minutes at the most and everything will be done. Your sister should be on her way soon.”

  Instead of following in his father’s footsteps and showering, Troy wanted to look over the case file again. He was becoming increasingly irritated with the barrage of calls he’d started getting. The text messages he could ignore, but the back-to-back phone calls had crossed over into harassment.

  Stop ignoreN my calls! I need 2talk 2u!!!

  They had nothing to discuss. She was hanging on to a past that they’d had together over two decades ago. One she’d tried to rekindle last summer that he’d buried and had long let go. He thought they could be friends until he found himself emotionally attracted to her during a time when he and Natalie were at odds. Nothing physical took place between them, though he’s certain she would not have objected. She’d been very open about her desires. Realizing that the line to adultery was easier to cross than he thought, Troy had resisted temptation by ending all communication with her only to run in to her every now and again around town. He still wasn’t certain that the meetings were coincidental, but they had fared off in frequency, so he wasn’t concerned. Her texts had died off as well, except for lately.

  Plz call me, Troy!

  He could barely delete that text message before her next one came through.

  It’s abt Elana’s case. I have info abt Maggie.

  Against his better judgment, he took the bait.

  “Happy New Year!” she answered cheerfully.

  “I’m not in the mood, Cheryl. What’s up?”

  “Gee, you don’t have to sound so mean. I heard you were still in Texas and working on a case. I called a few of my FBI friends to see if I could help. How was your Christmas?”

  “You said you have information about Maggie. I’m giving you three seconds to tell me what you know about her or I’m hanging up.”

  “You really are in a bad mood, huh? For starters, Maggie is not a she, sweetheart. It’s an organization.” Cheryl dropped her flirtatious tone as she laid out the facts. M.A.G.G.I.E., an underground child pornography ring, stood for Men and Girls Getting Intimate Everywhere. “The FBI has been trying to infiltrate them for years. It’s an organization that has existed for decades and it’s estimated that nearly a hundred thousand missing children have been abducted by members of the group nationwide. It’s one of the largest child pornography operations known to date with perhaps a million or more members.”

  “So why haven’t your people been able to shut it down?”

  Cheryl explained that M.A.G.G.I.E. brought with it a lot of complications due to its size and secrecy. “You have to understand that this isn’t some fly-by-night group of pervs. Members of M.A.G.G.I.E. range from low-lives to politicians and everything in between. Those on the lower end tend to get caught, but they have not been able to provide enough intel to bring the whole organization down.”

  “Okay, so send someone in undercover.”

  She sighed, her tone signaling her irritation by his questioning. “It’s not that simple. Most people in child pornography rings get busted because they share pictures with undercover agents or download stuff at their jobs. It’s easy for an agent to go undercover to solicit information. M.A.G.G.I.E. is different. Before one is even privy to the group’s ins and outs, it’s rumored that he must submit incriminating evidence of himself in a sex act with a minor child. Obviously, no agent can do this. Like I said, some members of this group have power. We’re talking police officers, judges, attorneys, there’s no end. It’s basically human trafficking. They abduct young girls and share them. Some they kill, some they let go, some they keep. It’s possible that Elana was taken by someone from this group. Even when members outgrow their fetish for young girls, many of them have families and reputations at stake, so they still won’t talk.”

  “This is crazy. There has to be some way to stop these people instead of letting them continue to hurt young girls. Any leads on Elana’s abductor?”

  “No. Chances are, it’s someone close to the family.”

  Duh? He already knew that.

  “I’m afraid I don’t have any more information. My contact has been in touch with the local P.D. trying to verify if there is a connection with Ela
na’s case and M.A.G.G.I.E. I’m surprised you didn’t know this since you’re working closely with them.”

  “I’m actually working with a private investigator.” Even as Troy spoke the words aloud, he wondered if this was yet another piece of information that B.K. had kept from him. “Thanks for your help. I appreciate it.”

  “Anytime. I’m always here for you whenever you want me.”

  He ignored her sexual innuendo. “Hey, how did you know I was working on this case?” He thought about the message he’d gotten from her on Christmas morning. “How’d you know I was in Texas at all?”

  She giggled. “I have my ways of learning your whereabouts. I found out about the case, though, from your wife. She called me on your behalf. I take it you’ve never told her about us. If I were her, I wouldn’t be calling the woman my husband has slept with for help.”

  Immediately, Troy’s anger went from zero to sixty. “I told you to stay away from my wife!”

  Cheryl laughed wickedly. “Relax. She’s not the one I want,” she said before hanging up.

  Troy decided not to call Natalie while in a rage about Cheryl. He did not want to worry her. Instead he sent a text simply to say he loved her and sighed with relief when her reply came back seconds later. Now was not the time to explain his history with Cheryl. That would be one of the first things he did upon returning home.

  • • •

  Tracy did not show up for dinner. She called their mom to say that the kids were still with their friends and that Al wasn’t feeling well, which Troy deciphered as code for he’d gotten drunk last night and was still hung over.

  Troy was relieved that Tracy wasn’t there though he was eager to talk to her and verify their father’s story about the items that supposedly belonged to her. He would go by there in the morning. No, he changed his mind. He’d call to see if Al was at work, then he would go by there.