Mia Amata

Chapter 31

Jacob paced around the gate for his flight, waiting for news of Mattie and the baby. They soon called for people to board the plane. He grabbed his bag and made his way onto the plane. Once in his seat, he could barely contain himself as he waited for the plane to take off. He kept praying that Mattie and the baby would be OK. He couldn’t live without her, didn’t want to live without her.

Everyone around him seemed to fall asleep on the flight, but he was wide awake. He glanced at his watch, two hours until they landed. This flight was going to be unbearable. He stared out the window as they flew across the country. All he could do was pray his wife and daughter would be alive when he got there.

He called for the stewardess and explained to her his situation. She spoke to the captain who then called ahead to the airport. She soon came back, telling him they would get him off the plane first. There would be a customer transport waiting for him at the gate to take him to the exit. She also said there was a seat up front that they were going to move him to, so he could get off quickly.

They took his bag from overhead, moving it with him to the front of the plane. He expressed his gratitude, taking his new seat. He asked the stewardess if she thought they could find out the status of his wife and daughter for him. She told Jacob she would see what they could find out but did tell him that she wasn’t sure they would be able to get too much information for him due to the privacy laws. The stewardess came back a few minutes later, stating that the captain was trying to arrange for him to get a phone call to the hospital. She came back soon and said they hadn’t been successful in reaching the hospital, but that they would keep trying for him.

They kept trying to reach the hospital, to get information for Jacob, but were unable to. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally landed at the airport. The airline was true to their word, getting Jacob off first, then rushing him to the exit where he met his supervisor. They drove as fast as possible in the snow to the hospital, pulling up to the entrance where Jacob dove out, running in.

He ran up to the desk, asking where Mattie was. From a room off to one side, Josh stepped out and called for him. Jacob ran over, Josh pulled him into the room. Donald and Josh were both there, eyes red. “Where’s Mattie?” Jacob asked.

Donald stood up, “I’m so sorry Jacob,” he started to say.

“NO!” Jacob cried out.

Donald took his arms, “Mattie is gone. They tried to save her, but they couldn’t.”

Jacob fell into a chair, sobbing. “How?” he asked.

Josh replied, “She was stabbed in the leg, shot in the chest. The bullet hit a rib, a piece splintered off, then hit a main artery to the heart, the rest went into a lung. She lost too much blood. They tried to repair the artery, but it was too late.”

“Stabbed? Shot? Who did it? Why? I don’t understand.” Jacob looked at his brother and father for answers.

Donald answered, “We don’t know. Lucky attacked the guy, which apparently allowed Mattie, who had already been shot, to get the gun, then she shot the guy. That’s all we know right now. The guy is dead.”

“I need to see Mattie,” Jacob said.

Donald nodded, “I’ll go tell them.”

Jacob walked to the window, looking out but not seeing anything. “Who would do this to Mattie?” He said aloud, not expecting an answer. He turned quickly, grabbing Josh’s arm. “What about the baby? Is Jayden…” he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

Josh shook his head, “Jayden is fine. They did a C-section; she is in the NICU. She is a little small, but she is doing great. Mom is with her right now.”

“Thank God,” Jacob said.

Donald came back in with a nurse. “Mr.Vance, if you come with me, I will take you to see your wife.” Jacob followed the nurse down the hall. She took him to a room where Mattie was lying on a hospital bed, with a sheet pulled up to her chin, then left him alone. Jacob walked over to her, tears flowing. He reached out shakily, stroking her cheek. She was so cold. “Oh, Mattie.” He moaned, sitting on the stool next to her bed. “How am I going to live without you?” He leaned his head down on the bed next to her head, crying. He heard Mattie’s voice in his head, heard their conversation about naming the baby. “Jayden Lee,” Mattie had said.

Jacob looked at Mattie and tried it out himself. “Jayden Lee.”

“I wanted to name her after you. Jayden is close to Jacob and, well…”

“Lee is my middle name. Are you sure?” he asked her.

“Only if you like it. If you don’t, we can discuss some other names.” Mattie said, watching him. “Jayden Lee Vance. I love it. I feel honored that you want her to be named after me.”

“How could I not want to name her after you? You have accepted her as your own, you love her as your own. She should be named after her father.”

“Jayden,” Jacob had said. He looked at Mattie. “I’ll take care of our baby girl, Mattie. I promise to be a good father to her, the best that I can.” He stood up, kissed Mattie on the forehead for the last time, then walked out the door to go see his daughter.

Nora was back in the private waiting room with Donald and Josh. She ran over to hug Jacob; he hugged her back. “I’m so sorry honey,” she said.

Jacob just nodded, then said, “I want to see my daughter.”

Nora smiled through her tears. “She is beautiful Jacob. She is doing so well.”

He smiled a little, then went out to the desk to ask to be taken to see her. They took him to the NICU, had him put on a gown, mask, and gloves, then took him in to see her. He expected her to be in an incubator, but she wasn’t. She was in a bassinet, swaddled with a blanket and a warming light over her. A doctor walked up to him, “Mr.Vance?” he asked.

“Yes,” Jacob replied.

“I’m Dr.Patel. I’m taking care of your daughter.”

Jacob nodded at him, “She isn’t in an incubator?”

Dr.Patel smiled and shook his head. “She is doing very well for her size and being born a few weeks early. I want to keep her here for a day or two, make sure she is eating well, and her vitals and lab work remain stable.”

Jacob reached out and touched Jayden’s hand. She is so small. She was beautiful. Jacob looked at Dr.Patel, “Can I hold her?”

The doctor nodded. “In fact, it is time for her feeding, would you like to give her a bottle?” Jacob nodded .

The doctor told Jacob the best way to pick her up, then led him over to the rocking chair. Jacob sat down, cradling his daughter in his arms. “I’ll have the nurse bring a bottle. Here is the button, if you need anything, just push it.”

Jacob nodded, but he couldn’t take his eyes off his daughter. She looked like a miniature version of Mattie but with light blonde hair. He could see Mattie in the shape of her face, her eyes, her nose, and her mouth. Jayden opened her eyes, looking up at Jacob. She didn’t cry, just looked up at him intently.

“Hey, little one,” Jacob said. “I’m your daddy.” He smiled down at her, a tear sliding down his cheek. The nurse brought him the bottle, instructing him on feeding and burping her. Jayden took the bottle eagerly, eating well. He burped her as instructed, and then Jayden nestled her head into his neck, falling asleep there. The nurse came back in, telling him he was a natural.

“I do need to take her through,” she said. “The doctor wants to check some lab work.” Jacob nodded, kissed his daughter on the head, then handed her back to the nurse.

Jacob left the NICU, taking off the gown, mask, and gloves. The doctor was standing at the nurse’s station, so Jacob walked over to him. “When do you think I can take my daughter home?”

Dr.Patel looked at him, “She may be able to go home late tomorrow if she continues to do well, but it may be the following morning. We will know more tomorrow morning.”

Jacob thanked him, heading back to where his family was waiting. They were all sitting there waiting for him. He walked in, sitting down, putting his head in his hands. His mom rubbed his back, asking “How was Jayden?”

He raised his head and smiled, “She is perfect. I fed her a bottle and talked to the doctor. I may be able to take her home tomorrow night or the following morning. We will know more tomorrow.” He noticed that Randy wasn’t there. “Where’s Randy?” he asked.

Josh spoke up, “She is at home, taking care of Lucky.”

“Lucky is alive?”

Josh nodded, “The vet came and saw him and said that he lost some blood and would be a little weak for a few days. He should be fine. There is a slight concern he may be a little lame on that back side where he was stabbed, but time will tell. ”

Jacob shook his head, “I just can’t figure out what happened.” There was a knock on the door just then, a man walked in.

“Mr.Jacob Vance?” He looked at the men in the room.

“I’m Jacob Vance,” Jacob stood up.

“I’m Detective Ron Miller. I’m sorry for your loss, I hate to intrude, but I have some questions I need to ask all of you if that is OK.” Jacob nodded, motioning to a chair. The detective shut the door behind him, sitting down.

“Do you know who the man was that killed Mattie, Detective Miller?” Jacob asked.

“Call me Ron. Not yet, but we are working on it. We should know soon,” Ron said. “Has there been anything strange going on that you have been aware of? Any strangers in the neighborhood? Cars pulling in the driveway, then turning around? Catch anything on your video cameras?”

Jacob shook his head, “No, nothing out of the usual.” He thought for a few minutes, “Well, there was something, but I don’t know that it is of any importance.”

“You never know,” Ron said. “What is it?”

Jacob told him about the way Lucky had been acting, looking out over the lake, going into the trees on one side of the house to come out at the lake, his attitude toward Mattie, and shutting the basement door. This was all news to Josh, Nora, and Donald. They looked at Jacob in surprise. Ron took notes. “We just chalked it up to his being protective of Mattie and the baby. Then we would catch a glint of light, like a reflection across the lake in the area the Lucky was staring.”

“Does anybody live over there?” Ron asked.

“No, that is all national forest grounds. We didn’t think anything of it, but it kept happening at different times of day when the sun was out.”

“You said that it was right across the lake from you?”

Jacob nodded, then asked, “Do you think that is important?”

Ron shrugged, “It could be. We will look into it.”

“Detective? Ron,” Jacob asked, “Can you tell me what happened? I just don’t understand.”

Ron nodded. “I can tell you what we know right now. It appears that this man entered through the basement doors. He snuck up the stairs, but I think your dog heard him. Mattie must have either heard the guy or heard Lucky get up and growl. They walked out of the bedroom and probably saw the man standing in the dining area.”

“Somehow, probably by pointing the gun at her, he got her to walk toward him. We are not exactly sure what happened first, if he shot her first, or if Lucky attacked first, but the gun must have flown out of his hand. The man’s hand was almost torn off, Lucky had a hold of him and apparently wouldn’t let go, until he saw an opening and went for the man’s throat. Mattie was able to get to the gun. The man stabbed Lucky, which made Lucky let go, and then Mattie shot him in the head, killing him instantly. He fell, landing on her legs.”

“Truthfully, had Mattie not finished him with a bullet, he probably would have died from his throat wounds. Lucky did a hell of a job on him. We hope to learn more after the doctor’s reports are done, it should tell us in what order things happened when we learn more about Mattie’s injuries.” Jacob looked at his family, they all seemed to be in shock.

“There are a couple of other things that we discovered,” Ron said, opening his notebook. “First off, we realized that the no one was able to use their cell phones in your house. Upon a search, we found three devices that blocked cell phone services hidden, one under the desk in the basement, one behind the TV in the living room, and the third behind the headboard of the bed in the master.”

“What?” Jacob said. “That means he had to be in our house at some point in the past. How could that be.”

Ron shook his head, “We will know more when we find out who he is, I hope. Have you had any repairmen or delivery men come to the house in the last several months?”

Jacob shook his head, “No, Josh and I take care of all repairs that would need to be done. No delivery men at all.” Ron made note of that.

Donald asked, “You said a couple of things, what else did you find.”

Ron hesitated, then said, “It appears that this man intended to kidnap Mattie.”

“What?” Jacob cried, “Why?”

Ron shook his head, “We don’t know. Outside the basement door was a homemade sled. Inside the door, he left his snow boots, parka, and gloves. We found a backpack near the basement door. It was filled with rope, duct tape, a couple rags, needles, and a couple of vials of some drug. We have sent that in to be analyzed. Can you think of anyone that would want to harm Mattie? ”

Jacob shook his head, “She did move here because of a bad relationship, but he ended it with her. He was married and had never told her that.”

“Do you know his name?” Ron asked.

“No, she never said, and I never asked. It wasn’t important to me; I didn’t need or want to know the details.”

Ron nodded. “OK, I’ll look into that. You mentioned that Lucky followed a path through the trees down to the lake shore. That is how he got to your house. The snow covered a lot of his tracks, but in the trees, it didn’t.”

“Do you think he came across the lake? That he had been watching Mattie from there?” Josh asked.

“I think that is a good possibility. We will check into that. Is there anything else any of you can think of that might help?”

Jacob shook his head. “Mattie had a rough childhood and went from foster home to foster home. She told me about her past once, and then we never really talked about it again. She had worked hard to get over the past.”

Ron nodded, put his notebook in his jacket pocket, and pulled out some business cards, “If you think of anything that might be helpful, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, please call me.” He gave a card to all of them. “I’ll be in touch when I know more.” He looked at Jacob, “Your house is an active crime scene, so you will need to stay somewhere for at least tonight. If you need to go pick something up, the cops on the scene will let you in. I would suggest that before you go home, you hire someone to clean up. You shouldn’t have to see that. Again, I’m sorry for your loss.”

They thanked him and the detective left the room. Jacob and his family sat there in stunned silence.

Finally, Josh spoke up, “Come on Jacob, you can stay with me. Lucky will be happy to see you.” Jacob nodded. They all got up and left the room. Jacob left his contact information with the NICU, so they could reach him. He told them he would be back first thing in the morning, which truthfully was only a few hours away.

***

They walked into Josh’s house and were met by Randy. She had been crying, immediately she wrapped Jacob in a hug. “Oh, Jacob, this is horrible. ”

Jacob hugged her, then pulled back. He had spotted Lucky over by the fireplace. He walked over, sitting on the floor next to the dog. Lucky put his head on Jacob’s lap as Jacob leaned back against the wall next to him. “Hey, Lucky,” Jacob said.

“He is a brave dog, a hero in a sense,” Josh said.

Jacob looked up at him, “What do you mean?”

Randy said, “If Lucky hadn’t found a way to get out of the house to make his way over, Josh would have never found Mattie.”

“You found her?”

Josh nodded. “I knew Lucky was hurt. He would have never left Mattie unless something was wrong. I had Randy call the cops and the vet for Lucky; I went over to your place.”

Jacob looked down at Lucky, stroking his head. He had never seen the dog look so sad. It was like he knew Mattie was gone. “What did you find at the house?” he asked Josh.

“Jacob,” Josh said. “You don’t need to have that image. Remember her as you last saw her before your trip.”

Jacob nodded, tears edging down his cheek. “Did she say anything?” he asked.

“No,” Josh said, “she was unconscious.” He wouldn’t tell him that she died while he was there, that he had to perform CPR on her. There were some things that he didn’t need to know, having a visual picture of all the blood and Mattie lying there dying, was something Josh would never tell him. Josh couldn’t get the image out of his head, that was bad enough. Jacob would be tortured by that image.

“I should have never left,” Jacob said.

“Don’t do that Jacob,” Randy said. “You had no idea this was going to happen. None of us did. She wanted you to go. Remember that she encouraged you to pursue your dream job.”

“She was my dream,” Jacob said. Tears streamed down Randy’s face as she watched the pain that Jacob was in.

“I know,” she said. “That dream included that baby girl that survived. Jayden needs you, Jacob.” Jacob let out a sob and drew in a huge breath. He nodded. He smiled up at Randy through his tears. “I need her too. I can’t wait for you to see her Randy. She is beautiful. She looks just like Mattie.” Randy smiled back, “I can’t wait to meet her. ”

Josh spoke up, “Jacob, you should get some rest if you are going back to the hospital early. The spare room is all yours.”

Jacob shook his head, “If you don’t mind, I’d like to lay on the couch next to Lucky.” Randy told him that was fine, going to get him a pillow and blanket.

Josh told Jacob that as soon as they were notified by the police that they could get into Jacob’s house, he and Randy would arrange for someone to clean it for him. They would start calling around to find someone in the morning and have them on alert for when the house could be entered. Jacob nodded, staring down at Lucky, stroking his head. Randy and Josh left the room quietly and headed to their own bedroom, where Josh held Randy while she cried herself to sleep.

***

Jacob had a fitful night, sleeping very little. He finally gave up, going to take a shower. Josh had gotten his suitcase from Jacob’s supervisor when he had dropped him off at the hospital. He tried to be as quiet as possible, so he wouldn’t disturb Josh and Randy. He walked out of the bathroom to find them sitting at the table. “I’m sorry,” Jacob said, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

Josh shook his head, “We didn’t sleep very well either.”

Randy smiled at him, her eyes swollen and red. “Have a seat, I’ll make you some breakfast.”

Jacob scratched Lucky on the head, the dog wagged his tail weakly in return. Jacob turned to face Randy again, “No thanks, I’m really not hungry.”

Josh looked at him, “At least have some toast and coffee. Jayden needs you to keep your strength up.” Jacob knew he was right, so he sat down, ate a couple pieces of toast, and drank a cup of coffee. They ate in silence, none of them seemed super hungry so Randy just made everyone toast.

Finally, Randy asked, “When will you get to bring Jayden home?”

Jacob smiled at the thought of his daughter, “Dr.Patel said maybe tonight, if not then probably first thing tomorrow.” Jacob’s cell phone rang. He looked at it, it was early for a phone call. He answered the phone, and after a brief conversation, he hung up. “The police are done with the house. We can go in any time.”

Josh nodded, “I will call for someone to clean it while you are at the hospital. ”

“I need my truck; I can’t have you two driving me everywhere.”

Josh looked at him, “I can take you to go get your truck, but I won’t let you in the house until it gets cleaned.”

“I don’t want to go in to see it,” Jacob replied. “I’ll wait. I hope we can get it cleaned up soon, as I will need to get the car seat from the nursery for Jayden.”

Josh nodded, “I’m sure I know someone who can take care of it this morning.”

“Thank you, both,” Jacob said, choking up a little bit. “I appreciate all you are doing for us.”

Randy started tearing up again, “We loved Mattie too. We will be here for both you and Jayden, at any time. Please don’t hesitate to lean on us or let us know if you need anything.”

Jacob stood up and hugged her, then he and Josh headed out to the truck.

They pulled up to Jacob’s house, and they both sat there staring at the house. Jacob knew he didn’t have the strength to go in there until it was cleaned, he asked himself last night if he would even be able to ever go in there again. The happiest days of his life were spent in that house. They had decorated the nursery for Jayden together and fixed up the playroom in the basement together. Mia loved this house. This is the house he would bring their daughter home to. The house was full of her love for the baby she never got to meet.

“Jacob?” Josh asked quietly. “Stupid question, but are you OK?”

Jacob smiled, “You’re right, it is a stupid question. Yeah, I was just thinking about bringing our daughter back to this house. Mia loved this place.”

Josh nodded, “Do you think you can live here after what happened.”

Jacob nodded, “Yes, I think so. She filled this house with love, and I believe that it is still full of love. I want our daughter to be here where Mia loved her so much.” With that, Jacob got out and went to his truck, going to the hospital to see his daughter. Josh watched as he drove away, turned and looked at the house, then went home to make some calls.

Jacob got to the hospital early and went to the NICU. “Just in time, Mr.Vance,” the nurse said when he came in, dressed in gown, mask, and gloves again. “She needs a diaper change and to be fed. Would you like to do the honors?” She smiled at him .

“I will if you walk me through it, I’ve never changed a diaper before,” Jacob replied.

“Not a problem. Come on over.” She let him change the diaper, instructing him on how to do it. He wrapped her in a blanket, swaddling her like the nurse instructed him to. The whole time, Jayden followed him with her eyes and never cried. “Your daughter is such a good baby. She rarely cries and when she does it is for a diaper change or to be fed. She consoles easily.”

Jacob picked her up, “She seems really… laid back, calm.”

The nurse agreed, “She doesn’t seem to let much stress her out, that’s for sure.”

Jacob sat down in the rocking chair with her, putting his finger in her hand. She grasped it with her hand, holding on. “You are a strong little girl.” She looked at him like she understood what he was saying.

“You’re going to have to help me be strong too.”

The nurse came in with a bottle and gave it to him. “Dr.Patel should be here soon to check on her. You are welcome to stay here as long as you want to.”

He thanked her and started feeding Jayden. She took the bottle hungrily but soon was starting to doze off. He tickled her chin to wake her up, so she could finish eating. She soon finished, Jacob laid her on his shoulder, patting and rubbing her back. She let out a couple of belches, then tucked her face into his neck, falling asleep. He sat there rocking her, enjoying just holding this amazing little girl.

They stayed like that for over an hour when Dr.Patel showed up. “Well, good morning, Mr.Vance,” Dr.Patel said.

“Jacob, please,” he replied. “Morning doctor.”

Dr.Patel nodded. “You seem perfectly at home holding her. She definitely feels comfortable with you.”

Jacob smiled, “I hope so.”

“Well, she wouldn’t let anyone else hold her for any extended period of time. Just long enough to feed her and burp her, then she wanted to be laid back down. Only then would she sleep.”

“Really?” Jacob looked down at her in amazement.

“Yep. She knows you are her dad; that is obvious. Unfortunately, I need to take her from you to give her a quick exam.” Jacob nodded and handed Jayden to the doctor. Dr.Patel walked back over to the bassinet, telling Jacob he was welcome to come watch and ask questions if he had any.

Jacob watched as the doctor listened to her heart and lungs, then her abdomen. He checked her hip joints and reflexes, explaining why he was doing things as he did them. He finally pulled back, wrapped her back up in the blanket, and handed her back to Jacob.

“Well, doctor,” Jacob asked, “how is she doing?”

“She is doing great. She has been eating well, sleeping well and made dirty and wet diapers. I want to check her bloodwork again early afternoon. If that is within normal limits, I would say you can take her home late afternoon today.”

“So no problems related to…” he hesitated, “her mom’s attack?”

Dr.Patel shook his head, “None whatsoever. She is perfectly healthy. A little small due to being a few weeks early, but she will catch up in no time.”

“Thank you, Dr.Patel,” Jacob said.

“Don’t thank me. Someone was looking out for this little one. Now if you will excuse me, I need to go check on some other patients.”

Jacob nodded, taking Jayden back over to the rocking chair. Jayden had woken up during the exam, seeming to watch both the doctor and Jacob intently while the exam took place and the two of them talked.

A nurse walked in after Jacob had been sitting for a few minutes. “Excuse me, Mr.Vance,” she said. Jacob looked up at her. “There is a lady here, Randy, who would like to come in and see your daughter, is that OK?”

Jacob nodded, “That’s fine. She can come anytime she wants to.”

The nurse nodded and went back out. Soon Randy came in, all gowned up like Jacob. Jacob stood up, telling Randy to take the rocking chair. After she was seated, Jacob handed her Jayden. “Meet your goddaughter,” he said, smiling.

Randy looked down at Jayden, Jacob heard her breath catch, “Oh, Jacob, she is perfect,” Randy said.

Jacob sat on the stool next to the rocking chair. “Yes, she is.” He agreed.

“Hello little girl,” Randy said softly. “I’m Auntie Randy.”

Jacob laughed, “Auntie Randy?”

Randy laughed, “Well, maybe not, but I’m sure she will come up with a name for me in time.” Jayden looked at Randy just as intently as she had Jacob and the doctor. After a few minutes, she snuggled in, falling asleep .

Jacob smiled, “That means she likes you. I was told that she wouldn’t fall asleep for anyone else. They had to put her back in the bassinet for her to fall asleep. She only falls asleep with people she seems to know are her family.”

Randy smiled down at Jayden, “She is a smart girl. Have they said when she will get to go home?” Jacob nodded, “Dr.Patel wants to check another lab early afternoon. If it is good, then I can take her home shortly after that. Did Josh find someone to clean the house?”

“Yes,” Randy replied. “They are actually there now. He called some friends of his. Josh is supposed to let me know when they are done.”

“Great,” Jacob said. “I need to go get the car seat and diaper bag from home, so I can have those here to take Jayden home.”

“Josh said he could grab those for you if you would like, so you can spend the day here.” Randy offered.

Jacob looked down at Jayden, “I think I will take him up on that offer.”

Randy handed Jayden back to Jorden and traded him seats. She watched Jacob with Jayden and could see in his face how much he loved this little girl. It was then that she knew the two of them would be just fine. They sat there, talking quietly while Jayden slept. She got fussy after a bit, so Jacob took her over to change her diaper, while Randy watched, holding Jayden’s hand. Jayden looked at both of them. When Jacob got the diaper changed, she kicked her feet.

“Oh my,” Randy said, “look at those little feet.”

Jacob swaddled her back up and looked at Randy, “You and Josh will make great parents. I hope you don’t take too long to make me an uncle. Jayden wants a little cousin to play with.”

Randy smiled, “I can’t wait to be a mom,” she said. The nurse came back in at that point.

“This is a popular little girl,” she said. “Mr.Vance, your mom and dad are here.”

“Can we all be in here together?” Jacob asked.

“Normally, we would only let two in at a time, but since she is the only baby in here, it will be fine. I’ll send them in.”

Randy slid the other couple of rocking chairs closer so Donald and Nora could sit down as well. Jacob picked up Jayden, waiting for his mom and dad to come in. They soon came in; Jacob motioned them to have a seat. He knew his mom had got to see Jayden last night, but his dad hadn’t, so he took her and handed her to his dad. He motioned Randy to take the third rocker, while he sat on the stool, next to his dad. His dad handled her gently but like a pro.

“She is so tiny,” he said, an obvious hitch in his voice.

“Tiny but perfectly healthy,” Jacob said. Donald put his finger in Jayden’s palm, and she closed her hand around it.

“Strong little one,” Donald smiled at her. Nora was leaning over the side of his rocking chair, looking at Jayden with an adoring smile on her face. Jayden was looking up at Donald, then let out a little yawn. Nora looked up, tears in her eyes, “She looks just like Mattie.” Jacob nodded. Pretty soon Josh joined them bringing the car seat and diaper bag, promptly taking Jayden away from Nora, who had taken her away from Donald as soon as she could.

“Let me see my niece,” he said. Donald let him sit in the rocking chair and sat on another stool. “Well, thank goodness,” Josh said.

“What?” Jacob said.

“Thank goodness, she doesn’t look like you,” Josh said, smiling at his brother. Everyone laughed.

The nurse came in a little while later. “The lab tech will be here in a few minutes to draw blood. I should take her for now. Why don’t you all go find some lunch then come back?”

Jacob looked at his watch and was surprised to find it was after one in the afternoon. “I will give her a bath and get her dressed for when you come back. Dr.Patel is pretty sure she will be able to go home once the lab is back. Do you have an outfit in the diaper bag for her?”

Jacob nodded, and she smiled. “Perfect. Go eat and come back. Hopefully, we will have good news for you then.”

They walked out of the NICU, taking the gowns and things off. Surprisingly, Jacob found that he was pretty hungry, so he agreed when his parents suggested some place better to eat than the hospital cafeteria. They went to a small restaurant close by, asking for a table in a quiet section of the dining room. They were taken to a table toward the back, where the other tables near them were empty. They sat down, giving their waitress their drink orders. She brought the drinks and then said she would be back in a few minutes for their food order.

As they were looking over the menu, Jacob’s phone rang. “It’s Detective Ron,” he told the others. They all listened to Jacob’s side of the conversation, heard him tell the detective where they were, and watched expectantly as he hung up. “He says he has news and wants to talk to us. He will be here in a few minutes.”

While they waited, they placed their orders, even though now their appetite wavered due to the tension they all felt at what news the detective had for them. They received their food and started to eat. When the detective got there, he took a seat at the table. He ordered a coffee and slipped his coat off.

“I’m sorry to intrude on your meal, but I knew you would want to be updated,” Ron said.

“It’s really OK,” Donald said. “Did you want to order something to eat?”

Ron shook his head, “I had a sandwich earlier, thanks. Please, eat, don’t let me stop you.” Ron looked at Jacob, “I wanted to ask you if the name Allen Davis meant anything to you?” Jacob shook his head, “Never heard the name before. Why?”

“He was the man that attacked your wife.” Ron didn’t offer any more but watched everyone around the table.

“Why?” Jacob asked. “Who was he?”

When Ron felt sure that nobody here knew the name, he told them what he knew. “Allen Davis is a homicide detective from Sparks, Nevada. He was married to a woman named Megan for five years.”

“I don’t understand, what does that have to do with Mattie?” Donald asked.

“Megan disappeared a few months ago. Her abandoned car was stolen by a thief and later went over the bank of a river. State police never found his body. They theorized that he had kidnapped Megan, and she was in the car with the thief when it went into the river. She was also thought to have been killed. Her body was never found either.” They were all listening, intently.

Jacob said, “I still don’t know what you are getting at Ron.”

Ron opened a manila folder he had lay on the table in front of him, pulling out a picture. “This is Megan.” He handed the picture to Jacob. Jacob stared at the picture.

“How can this be?” He looked at the detective.

“I don’t know, we are still investigating.”

“Jacob?” Nora asked. Jacob looked at her dazed, he handed her the picture. They all looked at it. It was a picture of Mattie, but a couple years younger with long blond hair. There was no mistaking her.

Ron said, “It appears she left her husband, let it seem like she was killed and started over here. She never said anything about a husband? ”

Jacob shook his head. “No, she never mentioned one. Why would she do this?” Jacob was struggling to understand.

Ron said, “Usually the reason in a situation like this is he was abusive. She couldn’t take it anymore, so she took off.”

“You’re saying this man, this homicide detective, beat Mattie?” Donald asked, looking furious.

“I don’t have evidence of that yet, but that could be it. I should know more soon.” His phone rang, “Excuse me for a minute,” he said. He walked a little distance away and took the call.

Jacob was lost for words. He finally looked at his dad, “Why would she lie to me?” he asked.

Donald looked at him, “Listen, Jacob,” he said. “If this man abused her, she must have felt her life was in danger. She started completely over from scratch, wanting a new, happy life. She found that with you.”

Jacob heard his dad, thought about that. He sat back in silence, the thought of someone abusing Mia, his Mia Amata, for five years made him furious. He could never understand how someone could do that to a woman.

“Jacob,” his mom said. He looked at her. “You need to forgive the lies. To you, to us, to Mattie herself—she was Mattie, not Megan. She escaped a lot of abuse and pain. Can you do that?”

“Yes, I think I can,” Jacob said finally.

Detective Ron came back and sat down. “I’m sorry about that, I had some men searching the other side of the lake across from your house.”

Jacob leaned forward, “Did they find anything?” he asked.

Ron nodded, “Quite a bit, I’d like to take you out there right now if you have time.”

Jacob nodded, “I have to be at the hospital soon to pick up my daughter, hopefully take her home, but I can go.” Josh said he was coming with them. He told Randy he would see her at home.

Jacob and Josh climbed into Jacob’s truck, following the detective out to the lake. They followed the gravel road past the boat pier they both had used many times. The detective had stopped his car at the pier, Jacob pulled up behind him while Josh rolled down the window. He walked up to the window, “I was told not to try and drive my car past this point. They said a truck can make it though, I need to hop in with you if that is OK. ”

Jacob nodded, he climbed into the back seat. Jacob looked at him, “Where to?”

“Follow the road around.” Jacob did, he and Josh had never been past this before as it was always marked as no entrance. The road turned into no more than paths for two tires. He glanced back at Ron who nodded. He followed it around the lake until they were about straight across from Jacob’s house.

They pulled up behind a truck belonging to the sheriff’s department and parked. As they climbed out, they were met by a sheriff’s deputy. He shook Ron’s hand, who introduced him to Jacob and Josh. He offered them his condolences, then turned to Ron. “You are not going to believe what we found here.”

He led them in a little deeper until they came to an opening where a little cabin stood. He motioned to it, “I’ll show you what we found there in a minute. Let’s go this way first.”

He started walking to the bushes, and they followed him. Pretty soon they came to the lakeshore. Jacob said, “That’s our house!” as he pointed across the lake.

The deputy nodded. He showed them the blind that Allen had made. “We figure he sat in here, watching your house.” They looked inside, seeing a pair of binoculars in there along with a couple of empty water bottles. The deputy showed them tracks leading down to the ice, “He must have crossed here.” Jacob just shook his head in disbelief. “So we must have been getting reflection off his binoculars from time to time.”

“I believe so,” the deputy said. “Come on, let’s head back to the cabin.”

They made their way back to the cabin. “Follow me around back.” He led them behind the cabin where they found a car. “The car was almost completely hidden under branches and snow. We had someone bring the keys from the guy’s belongings that were found at the victim’s house. We found this.” He opened the trunk and showed them weapons, ammunition, a raft, and oar. “It seems he used the raft to paddle across before the ice cover.”

Josh exclaimed, “He was here that long?”

“Yes, it seems that he got here in about late October, early November.” He motioned them to follow him. He led them back around to the front of the cabin, opening the door. They all crowded in, there wasn’t much room in there. “It appears this was an old hunting cabin he found. He made some repairs to it, using the fireplace for heat.” He pointed to the packages of food on the shelf above the fireplace. “MREs?” Ron asked.

“Yep. He has plenty there to last another month or two.” They looked around and Jacob noticed a pad of paper on the table that had writing on it, it was in an evidence bag. The deputy saw him look at it. “He had extensive notes on you, your wife, your daily activities. They haven’t all been read through yet, but it appears he was watching you really close.”

Jacob was furious at this invasion of their privacy. The deputy went on, “It seems he had some plan to kidnap your wife, bring her here, and torture her.” Jacob felt sick to his stomach. He wanted to leave and get the hell out of here, but the deputy said, “There is one more thing to show you. If you gentlemen would step back, please.”

They all did as he asked. He reached down, putting his index finger in a small hole, what looked initially like a knothole in the floorboard. They heard a click, then he pulled up. To their amazement, it revealed a small wooden enclosure.

“What the hell?” Jacob said.

“We found his drawings of this. He had tried to burn them, but we were able to get the idea.” He pulled out his phone and showed them all a picture of a drawing they had rescued from the fireplace. It showed a hole in the floor with a woman lying in it. Jacob couldn’t stand it anymore. He ran out the door, running to the trees, throwing up in the bushes. The others followed him out but respectfully waited until he could pull himself together again. Once he was able, he rejoined them.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

Ron looked at him, “I would have reacted the same way, don’t worry about it.” Jacob gave him a nod of thanks.

The deputy said, “Well, that is all we have found. We are almost finished here, need to get all the evidence bagged up.” He turned to Jacob, “I’ve been in touch with the government about this cabin and what happened here. They are going to send a group in to tear it down and burn it.” Jacob nodded.

Ron said, “I’m going to stay here and help out, I think the deputy can give me a ride back to my car.” The deputy nodded, “Happy to.”

Jacob shook their hands, “Thank you.”

The deputy shook his hand, but said, “I just wish we had caught him before this all happened.”