Chapter Twenty #2
“You know what this family needs?” my father cuts in. “Some good ol’ fashion fun. We can do it right here at the farm. We’ll have a fire, roast some mallows, sing some blues, and rock out under the stars. What do ya say?”
“Count me in,” Hannah bursts out, clearly excited by that suggestion.
“And me,” Alice adds.
Gwen clasps her hands together in excitement. “That sounds wonderful. I’ll pick some strawberries from the garden and whip up some jam for those s’mores.”
“Can I help you?” Hannah asks.
“You most certainly can.”
“Then it’s settled.” My father nods. “We will begin preparing after breakfast.”
That sends Hannah jumping back into her seat and eating what’s left on her plate. I’m just about to return to my own food when my phone goes off in my pocket.
Pulling it out, I see it’s Craig. “Tell me you have something,” I answer, forgoing any kind of greeting.
“I just got a call from the Brampton Police Department in regards to the photograph I sent out of Alice,” he explains, referencing the town over from us.
“Apparently, there’s an employee from one of the gas stations there who reported an unnerving encounter with a young woman who matches Alice’s description.
It happened only a few days before she was left on your property.
He is bringing her in to speak with me about it. I figured you’d want to be here.”
I’m out out of my chair before I even respond. “We’re on our way.”
“See you soon.”
Hanging up, I pocket my phone and pull Alice to her feet. “Come on, we need to get over to the station.”
“A lead?” Justice asks.
“Maybe.”
“You need us?” Knox follows up the offer.
I shake my head. “You guys take care of things here. I’ll fill you in when we get back.”
“Be careful, son,” my father warns.
“Yeah, be careful, guys,” Hannah says, her small voice thick with worry.
“Don’t worry, I got this, squirt. You just help hold down the fort here, all right?”
“I will,” she promises.
Without another word, Alice and I grab what we need and leave out the front door.
My foot is heavy on the gas as I head for town and fill Alice in on the little Craig gave me, leaving out the part that the encounter was an “unnerving” one, not wanting to upset her further.
“Hopefully, whatever information she has will help us find him.” Her voice is soft as she gazes out her window, knee bouncing incessantly with her nerves.
Reaching over, I cover it with my hand, feeling it instantly settle.
She looks down at the touch, then over at me.
“We’ll get him, Alice, I promise.”
Her worried expression softens. “I know, I’m sorry I’m such a mess.”
“You’re not a mess.”
“Yes, I am.”
“Okay, you are,” I agree, making her laugh. “But you’re a beautiful mess.”
That laugh transforms into a smile, a genuine one that has her relaxing back into her seat for the rest of the drive.
Twenty minutes later, we are walking into the station. The place is mostly quiet, only the receptionist who is on the phone and a few deputies are in today, one of them being Pierce.
Not what I fucking need.
Our icy glares lock for a fraction of a second, the collision dropping the temperature in the room. I break the connection first, not wanting to waste time, especially on him, then head for the hallway where Craig’s office is located.
Pierce ends up beating us to it. He places himself at the entryway, blocking our path.
“Is there something I can do for you folks?” His expression is smug as he crosses his arms over his chest.
“Yeah, you can get the fuck out of our way.”
Alice tenses beside me, caught off guard by the hostile response.
“’Fraid, I can’t do that. Not without an appointment.” He smirks. “But I’m sure our receptionist, Darla, would be happy to assist you with that.”
A few of his buddies snicker like little girls, giving him the power trip he’s looking for.
I move forward, crowding him back a step.
“Braxten…” Alice trails off nervously, clinging to my hand in fear.
“I don’t have time for your shit today, Pierce. I’m warning you now, if you don’t get the fuck out of my way, I’m going to embarrass you in front of your little girl gang.”
His beady eyes narrow. “Careful, Creed. Threatening an officer of the law will buy you time behind bars.”
“I don’t make threats and we both know it.” Leaning down, my voice lowers. “Keep this shit up and you’re going to find yourself in the ground right next to your buddy Toder. And you know I’ll get away with it, I already have.”
Anger hardens his expression at the mention of the prior sheriff.
“You need a hand, Pierce?” one of the deputies ask.
He looks to his buddy, giving him a shake of his head.
“Smart move.” Without wasting anymore time, I walk past him, dragging Alice with me.
“What the heck was that about?” she whispers, nervously looking over her shoulder.
“Nothing you need to worry about.”
I know it’s not the answer she is looking for, but we’ve got bigger things to worry about right now. The day will come when I deal with Pierce, but not today.
Once reaching Craig’s office, I drop a light rap on the door then walk in.
A middle aged woman sits in one of the chairs with an officer standing next to her. She looks our way, her mouth parting on a subtle gasp when she gets her first look at Alice.
“You’re just in time,” Craig says, coming to close the door behind us. “Braxten and Alice, this is Lenora Davenport, the employee I was telling you about. And this is Deputy Hogan, the officer she filed the report with.”
Alice murmurs a quiet “hi” to both, while I nod in greeting. The deputy returns the gesture, but Lenora remains silent, her wide eyes fixated on Alice.
Eventually, she finds her voice. “I’ll admit, I wasn’t a hundred percent sure if it was you in the picture, but I am now. I’m glad to see you’re okay.”
Alice shifts on her feet nervously, not knowing how to respond.
Craig clears his throat. “As I mentioned earlier, Alice has no recollection of the past right now.”
Lenora shakes her head. “Of course. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Alice assures her quietly.
“Why don’t you start from the beginning, Ms. Davenport,” Craig says, taking a seat at his desk.
Nodding, she begins relaying the events that took place a few weeks ago. “It was close to midnight when the car pulled in. I remember finding it odd that it parked around the back instead of the front, especially since the lot was empty.”
“Do you remember the make of it?” Craig asks.
“A brown Oldsmobile.”
The deputy cuts in. “By the description she gave, I’d say probably around late nineties.”
Craig jots that down then gestures for her to continue.
“Several minutes passed before they came in. The man wore a hat low on his face and made sure not to come too close. It was obvious he didn’t want me to see what he looked like,” she says.
“He also kept the girl shielded from my view as he walked her to the restroom and waited outside the door for her. I realized then that something wasn’t right. ”
“Did he acknowledge you at all?” Craig asks.
“Not at first, but I eventually greeted him and asked how his night was going. Surprisingly, he responded, quite pleasantly even, so I started to think maybe I was misreading the situation.”
It surprises me he went into a public place at all, especially with how careful he’s stayed hidden all these years.
“We began small talk and I asked if they were from around here and he said no, that they were just passing through,” she continues with a shrug.
“Since he seemed nice enough, I dug a little deeper and asked where home was and that’s when he looked up at me from across the room… ” She visibly swallows, clearly shaken.
“Take your time, Ms. Davenport,” Craig tells her gently.
She takes a second to compose herself before continuing. “I couldn’t see his face beneath the brim of his hat, but I felt his gaze, and the chill that ran down my spine is something I will never forget.”
The fear that resonates in her voice is the same one I’ve heard in Alice’s.
“The girl came out of the restroom then and he didn’t waste a second hurrying her to the door.
Despite his effort to keep her from my view, she managed to look up at me from under her long, blonde hair and that’s when I saw all the bruises,” she pauses, her voice wavering.
“They were awful, but they were nothing compared to the fear that was embedded there. By the time I shook myself from the sight, he had her out the door and that’s when I noticed she dropped something. ”
She pulls out a folded up piece of toilet paper from her purse and hands it to Craig for all of us to see. In black marker there were two words: Help me.
“I was terrified, but I ran outside after them anyway, knowing if I called the police first, they would be gone. Unfortunately, it didn’t matter because by then, they were already driving away.
” Lenora turns to Alice, remorse burning in her eyes.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t act sooner. I should have went with my gut when y’all first walked in. I should have called the police then.”
Alice shakes her head. “It’s not your fault.”
“I was the one to respond to the call that night,” Deputy Hogan says. “The station’s video surveillance has been down for the last year, but I radioed every deputy that was on call to watch for the vehicle. Unfortunately, it was never seen again, at least not in our jurisdiction.”
Craig nods at the information before returning his attention to Lenora. “I know you didn’t get a good look at the assailant, but do you think this man could fit the description from what you were able to see?” he asks, handing her the photo of Hobbs.
She studies the picture carefully.
Every silent second that ticks by is excruciating.
“It’s possible, I guess,” she says, not sounding very convincing. “I really can’t be sure. I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right,” Craig assures her. “I appreciate you taking the time to come in and talk with us.”
“Yes, thank you,” Alice adds.
Lenora gives her a sad smile. “I hope the police find him and you get the justice you deserve.”
I refrain from telling her that she will because I plan to get it.
Lenora and the deputy walk out, closing the door behind them.
“Well, that wasn’t as helpful as I was hoping it would be,” Craig grumbles, leaning back in his chair.
That’s a fucking understatement.
“So, what happens now?” Alice asks.
“We wait for more information to come in,” Craig tells her.
“I’ve reached out to the department that was in charge of the fire that took place at the group home.
I’m waiting to hear back. Hopefully they can shed a little more light on what went down that night, especially with Hobbs being reported as deceased. ”
“But he’s not,” Alice counters. “He can’t be. Not if what I remember is true.”
“That’s why I need to talk to them. I want to know what evidence they found to make that claim.”
“What about Jones?” I ask. “Any luck on finding out more on his whereabouts?”
I have a feeling if anyone knows where Hobbs is, it will be him.
“No, and I’ve exhausted all my resources which is why I’m going to contact Agent Jameson. Your father gave me his number. His reach is further than mine.”
That might be true, but even he has yet to come back with anything concrete which is a complete mind fuck to me because the Hobbs I remember was not this fucking smart.
“That said, I was able to find out more information about your mother,” Craig says, his gaze shifting back to Alice.
“My mother?”
With a nod, he grabs the file next to him and pushes it toward her. “You’re welcome to take a look, if you want.”
She moves to take it, but I grab her wrist before she can make contact. “Maybe you shouldn’t.”
She looks up at me, perplexed by the interference. “Why not?”
“Because some things can’t be unseen. Look what happened last night. What if it triggers another memory like that?”
“Then it does.” She shrugs sadly. “I can’t run from this anymore, Braxten. Good or bad, I need to know.”
If it was up to me, she wouldn’t ever remember another painful memory, she wouldn’t even fucking know pain exists, but I know it’s not up to me. Which is why I reluctantly release her wrist.
Taking the file from Craig, she sits in one of the chairs and opens it, sifting through each page as if they’re made of glass.
“She worked as a trauma nurse in the emergency department of the county hospital back in Tennessee,” Craig begins to explain. “That’s how she met your fath…uh, Hobbs,” he corrects himself. “He had been transporting an inmate from the prison he worked at due to self-inflicted injuries.”
Self-inflicted my ass. No doubt Hobbs was the cause.
“They didn’t date long before they got married and had you. Two years later, Hobbs was offered the job to run the group home so they took it and moved. Your mother never went back to work. She wanted to stay home to raise you, but she did volunteer at the local homeless shelter.”
“Really?” Alice whispers, continuing to sift through each page.
Craig nods. “From everything I could find, it seems she was a very kind woman. Anyone who knew her, loved her.”
It makes me wonder how she hooked up with a piece of shit like Hobbs.
Alice continues flipping through the pages until she reaches an 8 x 10 picture. The woman in the photo is a spitting image of the girl holding it. Her hair is the same color blonde but shorter, cut chin length; her eyes blue, but not as pale; and her smile…well, it’s as pure as her daughter’s.
Alice trails a finger down the side of the woman’s face before breaking into a sob.
The painful sound shreds me from the inside out. Kneeling before her, I drop a kiss on her thigh, wishing it was enough to take the pain away.
“I wish I could remember her,” she says. “Why can I remember only the bad? Why can’t I remember the beautiful parts like her?”
“You will, Wonderland. Just give it time.”
Pulling herself together, she wipes the tears from her face and looks to Craig. “May I keep this photo?”
“Absolutely.”
“Thank you.”
After taking the photo out, she gives him back the folder.
“I know this must be frustrating for you, Alice, but we know more than we did a few days ago,” Craig tells her. “Don’t give up hope. Justice will prevail, I truly believe that.”
It will because I’m going to eradicate the motherfucker, even if it’s the last thing I do.