SIX
The next
day, Tracy
brought Rita Grace home. Felice was in the kitchen happily humming no tune in
particular and cooking breakfast when Darryl brought Rita Grace in.
“Humming? Are
you happy or something?”
Smiling,
she took the baby from Darryl, kissed him and said, “Me? Happy? Now, Mr.
Thornton, what could I possibly be happy about?”
Smiling
back he said, “I can think of a few things, Miss Bellicini.”
“You can?
Then I suggest you share them.”
She put
Rita Grace in the high chair and walked back to Darryl and kissed him and the
passion started to once again ignite in him.
“If you
keep kissing me that way, breakfast will be delayed. Speaking of breakfast, do
I smell something burning?”
“Oh my god!”
Felice
rushed to the stove and pulled off the bacon.
“Oh, no.
It's ruined. I'll have to make another batch.”
“Don't go to
the trouble. The kids don't eat bacon and I only like a slice or two. We don't
need it.”
“Yes, we
do. What you don't understand is that I could eat a pound of it by myself,” she
laughed. “It'll only take a minute.”
She was
putting more bacon in the pan when the twins came running in.
“What's for
breakfast? I'm starved!” Glenn announced.
Darryl
ruffled his hair and told him it was just about done.
She already
placed orange juice, pancakes, fruit, yogurt, scrambled eggs and home-fried
potatoes on the table. She wanted to make this breakfast special for the
children. Before sitting, Felice poured cups of coffee for her and Darryl then
joined her new family.
“Wow!” Gabriella
said. “Dad, how come you don't make breakfast like this?”
“I do not
have the culinary skill Felice has.”
Looking
rather confused, Gabriella asked, “What is culiary skill, Dad?”
Struggling
to find words she would understand, he smiled and slowly pronounced the word,
“It means she knows how to cook a lot better than your daddy does.”
“That’s
what I said.” Turning her attention to Felice she said, “Yeah, you got better
culiary skills than my daddy. Did I say it right, Daddy?”
“Almost,
honey.”
Felice and
Darryl were careful to stifle their giggles so not to hurt her feelings.
“I’m glad
you're here! Look at all this food,” Glenn said, already piling it on his plate
as if he hadn't eaten in a week.
Although
she ate at this table dozens of times before, she was nervous. They planned on
telling the children about their engagement, but she didn't know how Glenn and
Gabriella were going to take their news.
“I almost
forgot the bacon again,” Felice exclaimed.
“I’ll get
it,” Darryl offered.
While she
fed her daughter, he drained the bacon, placed it on paper towels on top of a
plate and set it on the table.
Sitting
back down, he hesitantly began the conversation.
“Children,
there’s something Felice and I would like to share with you.”
Glenn
looked at his father with his mouth full of food and said, “What?”
“Well, I
asked Felice if she would marry me and become part of our family. We really
want to know how you both feel about that.”
Gabriella
just stared at Felice, while Glenn continued to eat.
“Glenn? Gabriella?”
Darryl asked, after getting no response.
“Cool,”
Glenn said. “Does that mean we'll get breakfast like this all the time?”
Smiling,
Felice said, “Maybe. I want you both to know that I am not here to replace your
mom. I can be here as your friend, if you'll let me.”
Felice did
not want the children to think they must accept her as their mother. She wanted
to continue to form her own special bond with Darryl's children, not be a
threat to them.
“I know. We
used to have a mom, but Daddy said she went to Heaven,” Glenn said. Getting out
of his chair, he went to Felice and asked, “So, will you be our mom now?”
Felice
looked at Darryl with surprise in her eyes, then back to the kids. She took
Glenn's hand in hers and turned towards Gabriella.
“Gabriella,
what do you think?”
Suddenly, Gabriella
jumped up from her chair and flew out of the kitchen.
Darryl
started to get up and Felice stopped him.
“I'll go,
honey. I think it best I talk to her, if that's all right.”
“Are you
sure?”
“Yes, I am.
Glenn, I'll be right back. Go ahead and finish breakfast with your dad and Rita
Grace.”
“Okay,” he
answered, sitting back down.
Felice
mounted the stairs with trepidation. She wasn't sure how she was going to
handle Gabriella. She only knew she needed to reassure her that things would be
okay.
She knocked
on her bedroom door and asked, “May I come in?”
“Go away!”
“Okay, I
will. Before I leave, would it be all right if I just come in for a minute? If
after that you want me to leave, I will.”
Silence.
“Gabriella?”
“Fine!”
Taking that
as an okay to enter, Felice opened the door.
“Thank you.
Can I sit down?”
“You only
have one minute,” Gabriella reminded her sternly.
Because she
didn't want Gabriella to feel threatened, she didn’t go too far into the room,
instead sat down in the small desk chair nearest the door.
“Honey, do
you want to tell me what's wrong?”
Gabriella
had her back towards Felice, but she could tell she was crying as her little
shoulders heaved with each tear.
“Nothin’.”
“Okay. Maybe
you can tell me why you ran from the kitchen.”
“Not
hungry.”
“Oh, I see.
Well, usually you always stay and help me do dishes. When you left without
helping I thought you just forgot.”
“No,” Gabriella
turned her tear-stained faced towards Felice. “I didn't want to help you do
dishes. I helped my mom do dishes. You're not my mom.”
“You're
right, I'm not. Your mom was my best friend. Did you know that?”
“Yes, I
remember my mom telling me,” she answered, wiping her eyes with the back of her
balled up fists.
“Your mom
loves you and I know how much you love your mom. I would never try to take your mom's place.”
“You can't!”
Gabriella exclaimed.
“You're
right. I think your mom would be very upset with me if I tried to.”
“What? How
can my mom be mad at you when she's not here anymore?”
“Your mom
is not here physically, but she's here,” Felice explained, putting her hand over
her heart. “She'll always be in my heart.”
“Is Mom in
my heart?”
“If you let
her be, your mom will always be in your heart. She will always be a part of you
and this family.”
“Really?”
She could
feel that Gabriella was relaxing a little.
“Yes.”
“What about
Dad?”
“Your mom
will always be in your dad's heart. I would not want that to ever change.”
“Well...”
Gabriella
finally looked at Felice.
“Are you
going to take all my dad's time? 'Cause we do things together and if you're
here, he won't do things with me anymore.”
“How about
this? How about you and I make sure that I don't? If you feel like your dad
isn't doing things with you as much as you want, you can come to me and tell
me.”
“You won't
get mad?”
“I'll only
get mad if you don't tell me. I want you to be able to be honest with me about
anything. So, what do you say? Do we have a deal?”
“Well, you
can be my friend and Daddy's friend, but I don't want another mom.”
“I won't be
another mom. I just want you to know that I’m here if you ever need anything.
Deal?”
“Can I
still eat breakfast? I'm starving!”
“Only if I
can eat with you.”
“Deal!”
Gabriella
stood up and took Felice's hand.
As they
walked out of the room, Gabriella looked up at her and asked, “Does this mean
Rita Grace is my sister now?”
“Would you
like that?”
“Yeah,
she’s kinda fun.”
“I think
she would be honored to be your sister.”
Gabriella
smiled again. They walked into the kitchen to find that Glenn finished eating
and left to go to his room, Rita Grace was being fed by Darryl and the food was
cold. Together, Gabriella and Felice warmed the food. Felice explained how to
do it, while cautioning her that she shouldn't operate anything in the kitchen
without her father or herself being present.
“Dad?”
“Yes, dear?”
“I think I
like this.”
“This?”
“Duh!” she
figured her father should know what she meant. “Eating breakfast!”
Darryl
smiled at Felice and mouthed, I love you.
*****
The next
few weeks were unusually busy for them. Darryl started taking on new patients
at the dental office and often stayed late doing necessary paperwork for the
insurance companies. He contemplated hiring an additional secretary to do some
of the menial work. Felice was busy with the children and her volunteer work. She
continued to spend time at the hospital, volunteering in the maternity ward and
helping with the new babies and mothers. The more time she spent with the
newborns, the more she remembered when her own baby was born. She and Darryl endured
a lot this past year. She was determined to make Darryl's life full again and help
provide a happy home life for the children.
They set a
date for their wedding. They would be married December thirty first of the
following year. They wanted to start out a new year together, but Felice wanted
time to plan the wedding of her dreams. She wanted the day to be special, not
only for herself, but for Darryl and the children as well. She knew that most
guys didn't take much of an interest in the actual details of the wedding, but
Darryl insisted on being a part of it by helping with everything. Even the
children wanted to help. She promised Gabriella that she could help her pick
out the wedding dress and even her own dress.
Over the
next few months, Felice and Gabriella started to become closer than even Felice
could have hoped.
It was late
March, and because it was an unseasonably warm day out, they decided to have a
family outing and took a picnic to the park. Darryl and Glenn were throwing a
football back and forth, while Gabriella and Felice were busy setting up the
picnic table with all the food they brought. Rita Grace sat in a playpen happily
playing with her toys and cooing quietly. Using the opportunity of the time
alone she had with Gabriella, she asked her if she would be her flower girl, explaining
what the job would entail.
“Do you
mean I get to walk down the aisle before you and throw flowers?”
“Well, not
throw them, but gently drop them down the aisle as you walk. Do you think you
would like to do that?”
Gabriella
smiled and threw her arms around Felice.
“Wanna know
a secret?”
“A secret?
You're holding out on me?” Felice smiled at her.
“No!” she
giggled. She grabbed Felice's hand as they sat at the picnic table. “I think I
love you.”
Felice eyes
immediately welled up.
“Did I
upset you?”
“Of course
not, honey.”
“Then why
are you crying?”
“Sometimes
people cry when they're happy, and you, my little girl, just made me very
happy. I have one question though.”
“What?”
“You only think
you love me?”
“No, you know
what I mean,” she giggled again.
“Yes, I do.
Do you want to know a secret?”
“You have a
secret?”
“Well, sort
of. I love you too, Gabriella.”
Gabriella
threw her arms around Felice and said, “I'm glad you're my daddy's friend.”
“Me too,
honey.”
While hugging
her, out of the corner of her eye, Felice thought she saw a figure in the woods
behind them. The picnic table they chose lay parallel to a line of trees
leading into a wooded area. Felice told Gabriella to go tell the guys lunch was
ready. After Gabriella ran off, Felice left her daughter in her playpen,
knowing she was only a few feet away, and walked towards the trees. She didn't
see anyone and thought maybe it was her imagination. She hugged her sweater
closer to her body, feeling a chill not from the cold air, but from the hair
that stood up on the back of her neck.
She quickly
walked back to the picnic table where Darryl and the kids were already sitting,
filling their plates with the food provided. She sat down next to Darryl,
inching close to him as if doing so would make her feel safe.
“Something
wrong?” he asked.
“No. You're
here. What could be wrong?”
She got up
and walked around to the other side of the picnic table to the playpen.
She screamed,
“Oh, my god! Darryl! Rita Grace! Where is she?”
She immediately
became hysterical. She started sobbing as Darryl rushed over to her.
“Wasn't she
in her playpen?”
“Yes. I
left her for one minute. I just walked over by the...oh my god!”
She started
running towards the trees, screaming, “Give me back my baby! Give me Rita
Grace!”
Darryl
raced behind her.
“Calm down
and talk to me.”
Felice was
shaking with worry. She was in a full blown panic.
“Felice,
look at me.”
He grabbed
her to stop her from running into the trees.
“Dad?”
Glenn called out.
Glenn and Gabriella
didn't know what was going on, only that Rita Grace was missing.
“I'm
calling the police, sit down.” Darryl steered Felice toward the picnic table.
“No.”
She tried
to release herself from his grasp.
“You don't
understand.”
She was
sobbing hysterically as Darryl dialed nine-one-one from his cellular phone.
Felice’s eyes darted from tree to tree and everywhere in between.
“I only left
her for one minute.”
Felice took
several deep breaths to get her words out, trying desperately not to
hyperventilate. Gabriella came over and put her arms around her.
“I didn't
do anything, honest,” she said.
“Oh, honey,
I know. It's not your fault.”
“The police
are on their way,” Darryl said, sitting down next to her. “Tell me what
happened.”
“I...I...”
She was still
having difficulty talking.
She took
another deep breath and continued, “I was here with Gabriella. I thought I saw
someone in the trees. That was when I sent Gabriella to get you for lunch.
I...oh, Darryl! I walked towards the trees. I wasn't gone more than a minute
and I was just right there,” she pointed in the direction of the trees about
twenty feet away.
“Okay, it's
okay. So, you went over there. Did you see anyone?”
“No, I came
right back here. Darryl...I knew something was wrong. I felt there was
something wrong. Why didn't I listen to my intuition?”
She tried
to stop crying, still combing the area with her eyes.
“Someone
has Rita Grace! Why? If they hurt her...” she broke off.
She
couldn't stand the thought of anyone hurting her daughter.
Darryl took
her hand and tried to calm her.
“We'll find
her. The police are on their way.”
“No, I
can't wait for them. I have to find her.”
Felice
stood and starting running towards the trees again. She blindly ran through
them with branches whipping her face and arms, but she didn't care. She didn't
even know where she was going. She only knew someone who was in these woods,
took her baby. She must find her. Rita Grace was her life. This was her little
girl.
She broke
through the trees and found herself in a meadow. There were others there;
couples lounging on blankets and families dining at picnic tables. She ran over
to the nearest couple.
“Have you
seen someone come through here with a child? It's my child! Have you seen
anyone?”
“No. Are
you okay?” the man asked.
“No, damn
it! Have you seen anyone?”
The woman
stood and gently put her hand on Felice’s arm.
“Mam, can
we help? We haven't seen anything or anyone, but we'll help if you need us.”
“Yes,
please, someone just stole my child.”
She started
sobbing again as Darryl came running up to them. Darryl explained to the couple
what happened. Other people started to mill about them. A man came forward and offered
to help them. Soon, everyone gathered offered their assistance.
Darryl
explained, “I think it's best if we let the police handle this...”
Felice cut
him off, “Yes, please, anything any one of you can do, I would appreciate.
She's my daughter. She's only a baby...” she started sobbing again.
“Mam, what
was she wearing?”
“She was
wearing a light green jacket and blue jeans....oh, god! Her little blue jeans,”
she couldn't stop crying.
Suddenly, Gabriella
spoke up. “My sister had a pink blanket around her. I know 'cause I wrapped her
up. She looked cold.”
Felice
hugged Gabriella to her.
“Thank you,
honey.”
Darryl
could hear the police sirens in the distance.
“I'm going
to meet the police. They won't know we're here. Do you want to stay here?”
“Yes...no.
I'm going to look for Rita Grace.”
Darryl was
trying to handle the situation the best way he knew how. He realized it seemed
to Felice that he was acting cold and uncaring, but he was trying to be
rational, to think what may be the best way to get Rita Grace back. There was
no way he could break down right now. He couldn’t let emotions cloud his
judgment. He needed to be able to think with a clear head and be strong for
Felice. She needed him right now and he wouldn’t let her down.
“Honey,
please don't. Let the police handle this. I don't want anything to happen to
you.”
“I can't
stand here and argue. Please, Darryl, I need to do this.”
“We'll go
with her,” the man who Felice spoke to a few minutes earlier stepped forward.
“Yeah,” the
woman who was with him agreed.
“We will,
too,” others volunteered.
Soon all
those gathered around were ready and willing to help. Darryl took the hands of
his twins and told Felice to let the others look while she talked to the
police. She agreed, but firmly stated she was going to come back and look with
the rest of them. Darryl promised he would go with her.
Felice
tried to explain to the police everything that happened, but knew the facts
were bare. Simply put, she took her eyes off of her daughter for one minute—just
as so many other mothers whose children were kidnapped—to look at what she
perceived as a threat and her daughter was taken.
“There are
several people who are on the other side of the park beyond those trees that
are out searching,” Darryl told the police.
“We can’t
have that,” Detective Brandon Wolters told them. “They may well be destroying
evidence without even realizing it. Let me call some others in and disburse a
team to look.”
Felice was
trying to maintain her composure. She knew she must to keep her wits about her
so she could find her daughter.
“I'm going
to help,” she told them.
“Mam, it’s
getting dark. If we don’t find something and soon...well, there’s not much that
can be done in the dark,” the detective told her.
“First of
all, it’s not something, she’s my daughter! Secondly, if you can’t continue
to look, I will.”
Felice
couldn't believe what she was hearing. They seemed to be of no help at all, or
at least not willing to help.
“That’s not
what I meant, I’m sorry. I only meant that when night falls, it makes it more
difficult to see. We may not realize we’re missing evidence. It’s best to wait
until daybreak if we can’t find her before it gets dark.”
“I’m sorry.
It’s just…” she broke off, crying again.
“I have to
ask you some questions,” he said, indicating both Darryl and Felice.
“Anything, Detective,”
Darryl offered.
“Do either
of you have any enemies?”
“No,”
Darryl answered. “None I can think of.”
“Mam?”
Detective Wolters prompted when Felice didn’t respond.
“What?
Oh…no. We don’t have any enemies.”
“What about
a disgruntled ex-spouse?”
“No, I’ve
never been married,” Felice responded.
“My wife
died in an accident some time back,” Darryl answered.
“You’re the
father of the missing kid…err…baby girl?”
“No, he
isn’t, but the father isn’t around. He hasn’t been around since I told him I
was pregnant.”
“What’s his
name?”
“Pavel
Ivanovich.”
“Do you
know where he lives?”
“No, I told
you he hasn’t been around. I can tell you where he used to live though.”
Felice gave
him Pavel’s old address. She knew he no longer lived there because right after their
daughter was born, she tried to contact him. She arrived at his address only to
find a for sale sign on the vacant property. She never tried again.
“Any chance
he changed his mind and decided he wanted his kid?”
“No, he
never wanted children, which is why he left us.”
“As a
matter of procedure, we still have to check him out. Are you sure neither of
you have any enemies? Maybe a neighbor who was upset with you?”
“No, Detective.
We get along with all of our neighbors,” Darryl replied.
“How about
someone at your jobs?”
“I’m a
dentist, and unless one of my patients didn’t like a crown I put on or
something, none of them would do this.”
“What about
you, Mam?”
“I
volunteer at the hospital in the maternity ward. I don’t have any trouble with
anyone I work with. All the patients there already have babies. That’s why
they’re there.”
“All right,
I need your work addresses, home and cell phone numbers and home information.”
They gave
the detective what he asked for.
“I have one
last question and this is the hard one. I want you to understand this is a
standard question we ask everyone in this situation,” he paused, and then
continued, “h
ow are the two of you
getting along?”
“What? You
think one of us kidnapped our own baby?” Darryl found the question incredulous.
“As I said,
it’s standard procedure to ask. Remember, I don’t know either of you and have
no idea what your relationship is like.”
“To go on
record,” Felice firmly stated, “I love my daughter. I would not have her kidnapped. As to Darryl, we
are engaged, about to be married. He loves Rita Grace as if she were his own. I
know, without a shadow of a doubt, he would do absolutely nothing to harm any
of us.”
“Okay, I
understand, but you haven’t actually answered my question.”
“Detective,
as Felice just told you, we’re to be married. I love her and her daughter. We
are a happy family.”
“Again, as
standard routine, I have to check out both of you. I’m sorry, I do not mean to
lay blame at anyone’s door. However, I am here to do a job and right now my job
is to find the missing child.”
“We
understand, do what you need to. Just find my
daughter.”
“Is there
anyone at your home right now?”
“No.”
“I think
someone should be there just in case…”
“Just in
case what?” Felice asked when he stopped short.
“In case
you get a ransom call.”
“A ransom
call? Do you think someone stole her for money?”
“Mam, we
cannot rule anything out at this point. I suggest you go home and wait.”
“Go home?
Wait? How can I just sit there and wait when my baby is missing?”
“He’s
right,” Darryl interjected. “We should go home.”
“She’s out
there somewhere,” she cried. “I have to look.”
“Chances
are whoever took your daughter is long gone from this area by now. You would be
wasting your time looking here.”
“Does that
mean you aren’t going to look?”
“No, Mam. The
officers will look for evidence. We need you
to go home.”
“What will
you be doing?” asked Darryl.
“I’d like
to go to your house with you and have a team set up a tap on your telephone. If
anyone calls, we’ll have a good chance to do a trace.”
Detective
Wolters looked at her with sad eyes. He saw too many of these cases. Each of
them started out with caring parents, but some of them ended with either the
father or the mother being the responsible party; some, but not all.
He always
prided himself on his ability to look into a person’s eyes and know if they
were telling the truth or not. As he looked in her eyes now, he saw pain,
sadness and panic. He felt she was telling the truth. What he wasn’t sure was
whether or not her fiancé was involved. He seemed to be acting too rationally,
too distant.
“I can’t
promise anything, Mam,” he continued as he turned to look at Darryl. “I can
tell you though, I intend to work day and night to find the person responsible
for this, and to bring your daughter home safe. I will need one more thing, a current
picture. I’ll send it to all the local precincts so they can also watch out and
share any information.”
Felice
grabbed her purse.
“Here,” she
said handing him a picture. “It was taken the other day at the house. See?
She’s smiling… Oh god, please find my baby!”
The
detective brought in more police officers, which broke up the civilian search
party, explaining they needed to preserve any evidence that may be around. The
detective and the officers began their search and promised Darryl and Felice
they would cover every square inch of the park.
Felice was
completely distraught. She didn’t know what to do or where to look next. She
knew Detective Wolters was right. She should go home and wait by the telephone,
but she wanted to keep combing the area along with the police officers.
Panic
gripped her heart. She fell to the ground and bellowed a loud scream of
anguish, wrapped her arms around herself and sobbed.
“My baby…my
baby…”
Darryl
crouched on the ground beside her and took her into his arms.
“We’ll find
her, darling. Do you hear me? We will find her.”
“Oh, Honey.
It’s getting dark. She’s probably cold and hungry. She has only her thin
blanket.”
“I’m sure
whoever took her is taking good care of her.”
“Oh,
please. I pray to God that Rita Grace is all right.”
Darryl was finally
able to convince Felice to go home with him, reminding her they needed to be
there in case the kidnapper called. Darryl then called Tracy to ask if he could bring the children
to her place. He dropped Felice off at home and told her he would be right
back.
When he
pulled out of the driveway, Detective Wolters pulled up and parked at the curb.
Another unmarked police car followed him down the street. He dropped off the
children at the babysitters, explained what was going on and thanked her for
taking them. Getting back into his car, he noticed the unmarked patrol car
still behind his. He sat behind the wheel of his car without starting it, staring
ahead, but seeing nothing.
“I can’t
believe they think I’m a suspect,” Darryl muttered to himself.
He knew the
police were only doing their jobs and he would cooperate in any way he could.
He had to bring Rita Grace home
safely. It would kill him if something happened to her and he knew Felice would
never be the same if her daughter was harmed.
He has
grown to love that little girl as if she were his own. He’d be damned if he
allowed some maniac to whisk her away and hurt her, but his stomach flipped-flopped
at the realization that he was powerless to do anything. She had been kidnapped, right from under
their noses and he prayed to God whoever took her would not harm her.
He let the
tears fall, feeling helpless. He laid his head against the steering wheel and
sobbed. He was scared, worried that he may never see Rita Grace again. The
thought of her not being in his life, tore him apart deep down in his soul.
Knowing he had no choice but to pull himself together, he straightened back up
and wiped his tears away. He wouldn’t let himself fall apart like he did after Rita
was killed. He just couldn’t.
God, he silently prayed, please bring her home safe.
He started
the car as the urgency to get home to Felice overwhelmed him. He had to be with
her. She needed him and he needed her just as much.
He walked through
the door and overhead the detective speaking on his two-way radio. The officer
at the other end was telling him they needed to stop searching the park due
to the darkness. They did find something however, and would be bringing it by
for Felice and Darryl to identify.
“What?” he
asked the detective. “What did they find? Is it Rita Grace?”
Felice sat
in the reclining chair in the living room, next to the small table that held
the telephone. Her feet were pulled under her, she was pale and tears stained
her face. When she heard what Darryl asked, she jumped up and rushed to his
side. Darryl took her into his arms.
“Did they
find her?” she asked frantically, afraid to hope.
“No, it’s
not Rita Grace. All I know is that they found something they want to bring
here, to see if you recognize it.”
Felice quietly
cried on Darryl’s shoulder. He steered her back to the chair, where she flopped
down. He knelt on the floor beside her, holding her as tight as he could.
“Oh,
Darryl.”
“It will be
okay, honey. She’ll be okay,” he reassured her.
He knew the words were hollow. He was trying to make a promise
that he wasn’t even sure he could keep, let alone believe himself.
The
officers showed up and handed a sealed bag to the detective. Without opening
it, he examined the contents and walked over to the parents.
“Do either
of you recognize this?”
Felice
grabbed the bag and turned it over in her hands.
“Oh my god!
This is her blanket. The one she was wrapped in.”
“Are you
sure?”
“Yes, Detective,
that’s hers,” Darryl responded.
Felice
started to open the bag and take the blanket out. Detective Wolters put his
hand over hers.
“I’m sorry
but we need to take that in as evidence. We’ll want to run it for fingerprints
and possibly DNA.”
“We
understand, Detective.”
Darryl took
the bag from Felice and handed it to Wolters, who walked over and gave it to
the other officers.
“Oh, Darryl,
she’s probably cold. She doesn’t even have her blanket to keep her warm.”
She sobbed
into his chest as he held her, trying to calm her as she shook with grief. He
didn’t want to even think what finding the blanket could mean.
“I’m going
to talk to the detective, I’ll be right back.”
Darryl walked
over to him and steered him into the hallway.
“Detective,
anything? Anything at all?” he heard his own desperation in his voice.
He couldn’t
stand to see Felice so shattered.
“Nothing…I’m
sorry. The officers combed the park area thoroughly and only came up with the
blanket. They had to stop searching, as you heard when you walked in. We just
finished setting up the equipment in order to tap the telephone. All calls you
get will now be monitored.”
“Detective…”
Darryl stopped. He couldn’t bring himself to ask the question that was on his
mind. He was afraid to hear the answer.
As if Wolters
knew what he was going to ask, he said, “I don’t know. I’ve seen several kidnappings
in the twenty years I’ve been a detective and plenty more before that. Some
have happy endings, others…well, suffice it to say, many do not.”
“Thank you
for your honesty, Detective. What can I do to help? I can’t stand just waiting.”
“Just be
with your fiancé. She’s going to need you. Especially if…”
He didn’t
need to finish the sentence. Darryl knew what he was getting at. He bowed his
head as tears began to well up in his eyes. The possibility of someone hurting
Rita Grace was just too horrifying to consider.
Detective Wolters
was beginning to wonder if he was wrong about Darryl, although his gut feelings
were not always right. He seemed genuinely concerned. He recalled one case
where two children were kidnapped. The father ordered it. Then however, there
were signs, the fake concern, the quiet telephone calls from his cellular phone
and anger when he was questioned. Knowing that even the most evil people could
show false concern, he was going to make sure he kept his ears and eyes open.
He wasn’t about to dismiss any possibility this soon in the case.
“I’m sorry,”
was all he could say.
An hour
later, Detective Wolters sat on the living room sofa drinking a cup of coffee
that Darryl prepared for them all. He already gave Rita Grace’s picture to his
officer, telling him to see that it was widely disbursed as soon as possible,
including all precincts in this county and others surrounding it. Felice
refused to move away from the telephone, even for a minute. She hadn’t budged
from the chair where she sat. Darryl paced back and forth in front of the large
window, he couldn’t keep still. He felt entirely helpless. He just didn’t know
what to do.
Even though
Darryl knew it would be fruitless, he was just about to offer to drive around
and scour the area when the telephone rang. The detective quickly signaled the
officer to start the tape and then nodded to Felice to pick up the telephone.
She
snatched it up, “Hello?”
“Felice?” It
was Tracy.
“Are the
twins all right?” She motioned Darryl to come over. “It’s Tracy, the babysitter,”
she explained to the detective.
“The twins
are fine. I just wanted to know if you’ve heard anything yet. Have they found
Rita Grace?”
“No, Tracy.”
She spoke a
few minutes longer with her, asking if she could keep the twins a while longer.
Tracy reassured
her they could stay there for as long as they needed them to.
There were
no telephone calls that night. Felice refused to move from the chair, fearing
she would miss the call…if it came. Wolters eventually told them that he was
going to leave, but that the officers would stay here, at their home to monitor
any incoming telephone calls.
Darryl made
more coffee for the officers to have during the night. At midnight, he was
finally able to convince Felice to go upstairs and lie down.
“Sweetheart,
we have the telephone right next to the bed. I’ll stay with you. You won’t be
alone.”
Sleep
didn’t come that night for Felice. After a time Darryl dozed off with Felice in
his arms. When he woke, he realized Felice was not in bed. He quickly got up
and left the room looking for her. After wandering the house, he finally found
her in Rita Grace’s bedroom, sitting in the rocking chair, holding a stuffed
teddy bear and quietly crying.
He rushed inside
the room, knelt down on the floor in front of her and took her into his arms.
“Oh,
darling, I am so sorry. I’m sorry I let this happen. I’m sorry I can’t find
her. I’m sorry I can’t do more.”
I’m sorry, what a useless phrase, he
thought. He was blaming himself now. He let her down and he knew it. He didn’t
protect Rita Grace, as he should have. He professed to love Rita Grace, but he
certainly wasn’t there for her when she needed him. He kept picturing her
little angelic face looking up with him, eyes wide and smiling from ear to ear.
He lost it.
He cried
now with Felice. He cried for her pain and for Rita Grace. He cried because he
failed his family. They clung to one another, each feeling the other’s pain and
grief. Felice let out a howl of pain, rocking back and forth in his arms, as Darryl
held her close, tears running freely down his cheeks. Her ache sliced through
his heart clear down to his soul. He knew then, surely, there must be no other
hurt greater than that of a mother whose child is missing. He wanted to take
away that pain, he wanted to give Felice her daughter back and he wanted to
kill the bastard who did this.
He fell
apart the night Rita was killed and Felice was there for him the entire time. Now,
holding her in his arms, he reminded himself that he must keep it together because
she needed him to be there for her. Pushing his tears aside, he began
to feel anger. He was furious at the person who dared to do this. He silently vowed
to make the son-of-a-bitch pay, if it was the last thing he did.
The next
day came and there was still no telephone call from the kidnapper, no word on the
whereabouts of the baby, nor any signs or evidence as to where she could be. For
Darryl, it was worse not knowing. He didn’t know what to do, what to say or
where to even start looking that the police haven’t already.
He did his
best to comfort Felice, but he knew his words held little hope, little peace
for Felice. They were just as empty to him as they probably sounded to her. The
police camped out in their living room waiting to trace a call that hasn’t yet
come. Tracy
called again and checked in. Darryl spoke with her and thanked her once more
for keeping the twins.
He called
his assistant and told her to reschedule all of his appointments for the
remainder of the week. There was no way he was leaving Felice now.
They went
through the motions of making morning coffee, but neither ate breakfast. The
officers who were there through the night left and others took their place.
Detective Wolters came by at noon and said there was nothing to report. He was
still waiting for forensics, but since they were backed up, it may be days
before he got the results of the fingerprint dusting they did.
For
Detective Wolters, his coming by initially meant he could question Felice and
Darryl again, but the minute he walked in the door and saw their faces, he knew
now was not the time. He could be hard when he needed to be, but he could be
compassionate as well. He felt sorry for these people, sorry he couldn’t do
more for them. The job got to him sometimes, especially times like this, when
it involved children.
Because he
could do nothing further at the house, Wolters instructed the officers to
immediately call him if anything happened. He really wanted to stay and wait
with them for something to break in the case, but he knew his efforts would be
well placed elsewhere. He hesitantly left the grieving family and drove back to
the station, chiding himself along the way for getting too personally involved.
What he needed to do was take a step back and detach himself, but he knew that
wasn’t going to happen. He vowed to throw himself into this case and bring the
baby home where she belonged.
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