(a/n: This chapter, initially, goes a bit into character study and development. I know some readers are disliking the same sex elements and the infidelity. But it's not as if that hasn't been the trend in this entire volume. As much as I dislike the saying... it is what it is. I started out with many of my stories years ago being faithful to the blue spine classic form. But obviously over the years I have strayed...just a bit. As always, thanks for the reviews and most of the PMs I get.)
-12-
An early morning sun pierced the window and cast its golden hues upon the bed in the second floor room. Aimee's eyes fluttered as the sunlight cast its wakeup call upon her face. She was lying on Callie's outstretched arm. Aimee inhaled deeply. Callie's scent prevailed. A musk of day old perfume, sweat and pheromones. Callie's mussed hair and makeup seemed to humanize her to Aimee. A feeling of comfort had settled over Aimee in the past days. She wasn't sure what that meant given the circumstances of how they happened to meet. Or that Callie was a married woman. Aimee had steered clear of relationships for the last ten months. She had previously spent several months with a man she had met when she worked in a club near Atlanta. She had felt unsatisfied in that relationship. Partly due to the way she had been treated in the relationship. Partly because she simply was never in love with him. It was a relationship of convenience and to avoid the loneliness she had felt so often after leaving home.
Aimee gazed over to Iola's bed and noted she was not there. Perhaps she had woken very early and was tending to her father in law, she thought. She looked back up to Callie's face. She seemed to still be asleep. She reached across and held her close. Her warmth against her was a comfort. She lay there for several minutes, lost in thought. The silence of the room was broken by the shrill tone of Callie's phone that sat on the nightstand. It repeated. Callie's eyes began to move and then slowly open with the sound. Half conscious, she took her free hand and reached for the phone. After a couple failed grasps she found it. She brought it close to her face to check the screen. She took a breath and became fully awake. She hit the answer button.
"Hello Chet…." She said, then looked at the time to note the hour. "Are the girls alright?" She asked with an increased note of worry in her voice. "Ok, well, good. I was just asking since you called this early." She listened for several moments. "I am in Pennsylvania, Chet. I am working on a case… What's that?...Yes, I am sure that surprises you. It was just something that came up. I felt I had to do it….Well, it really shouldn't matter how I am spending my away time…. Look, I don't want to fight!...Is Maddie alright?... Yeah, but I just asked you again because I wanted to be sure. When I talked to her last she had not been too thrilled with me because I wouldn't tell you to let her spend as much money as she wanted to. And by the way what is with the thousand dollar crap? She has enough issues, Chet. Making her more of a snob isn't helping her. It's not ok to rationalize it that just because we live in the Hamptons and most of her friends get to spend whatever they want means we should enforce that lifestyle…. Ok, ok. I know I am not perfect either. But I never really did want to live there…Oh my God…I never said I was….." Callie was clearly getting aggravated Aimee could tell as she felt her increased heartrate and tensed muscles. "Chet, for God's sake just mellow it out. Tell Maddie I will talk to her tonight. I would like to talk to all three so I will try not to call late…Yeah. Got it. Ok….yeah. Till then." She said and hit the disconnect button and dropped the phone beside her.
Aimee looked slowly up towards Callie with a sorry expression.
"I'm sorry, Cal. I guess that wasn't the kind of call you wanted to wake up to." She said. Callie wrapped her arm tightly around Aimee. She was tearing up a bit. She shook her head.
"No, it wasn't. I might not have answered but I thought something might be up with the kids. But no, he was just wanting to ask twenty questions. Most of which I don't have an answer to." Aimee nodded and gave her a consoling look.
"Well, if you ever want to talk. I mean I am here if you want me…." Her voice faded as she looked down. "I guess it's personal though and you are probably more comfortable talking to Iola about those things." Callie looked down at Aimee. She shook her head.
"Uhm, no. Iola is my best friend, but she is also my husband's sister. It is probably more difficult to talk to her about it. Especially when I am having negative feelings about Chet. Talking to you is far easier in that respect. But I guess it's probably nothing I want to get into right now. Just extends the pain. And the questions about everything that I can't even answer. But I do thank you for being here and offering." She said, again giving her a tight squeeze. Aimee looked up into her eyes and gave her an understanding smile.
"Anytime. I am here for you. I hope you know that." She said in almost a whisper. Callie leaned over and touched her face, then leaned further in and kissed Aimee deeply. This continued for several moments. A feeling stuck out to Callie, as it had been in recent days. A feeling that their kissing seemed more on a level that went beyond the sexual or physical attraction that they so obviously shared. Callie closed her eyes as their lips met. She felt so comforted. She felt things which were hard to define. She pulled back and opened her eyes. Aimee leaned in to kiss her again. Callie turned her head to avoid the contact. She gave a frightened look out of the corner of her eyes as she looked at Aimee. Aimee, feeling immediately self conscious sat up. She looked at Callie with a concerned expression.
"I'm…I'm sorry. Did I do something wrong?" She asked with an insecure tone in her voice. Callie slowly shook her head. She also sat up and looked over to her.
"No, baby. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm just… I'm not sure what went through my mind just now." Aimee tilted her head feeling a bit confused.
"What do you mean?" She asked softly. Callie took on a distant look for a moment. Lost in thought.
"One of these mornings…You're gonna rise, rise up singing…" She said in a melodic tone.
"You're gonna spread your wings, child…And take, take to the sky…Lord, the sky." She looked back upon Aimee.
Aimee knew those words. But the context in which Callie meant them could mean several things. She wasn't sure.
"Summertime." Aimee said quietly. Callie nodded.
"For a moment there, it seemed like I was feeling this overwhelming urge to take to the sky." Aimee nodded, though she was still a bit uncertain as to what Callie was feeling. She looked pleadingly at Callie.
"I know the musical metaphors are very good at letting you express yourself. But I am curious about what it means exactly….to you, I mean…..I have a few ideas." She said quietly. Callie looked at her with a lost expression. A searching expression. She leaned over and kissed Aimee deeply. They embraced. A feeling swept over them. Callie stepped back abruptly.
"That…" Callie said, almost in a stutter. "It's hard to explain. But maybe if I could just say that when Iola and I do that…. I don't feel the same as when we just kissed. And maybe…maybe if that kind of thing is also going on for you, then I am worried, because I don't know how in the hell I will deal with it." She said and turned away. "Not that it's a bad thing. Honest to God it feels like a very good thing. But it scares the hell out of me….you know?" She said and slowly looked back at Aimee nervously.
Aimee slowly nodded. She took a breath and looked to Callie in a way that she knew would only offer the complication that neither wanted to experience.
"Iola said…the other night…" Aimee began. Callie looked up towards her. "that, uhm, it was ok to like you. But, uhm, that I shouldn't love you…. I mean not that I am saying that." She added nervously. "I mean it's just been like only days and all. But…" Cal smiled to herself in spite of the situation.
"Iola can read a person exceptionally well. Damn, that girl saw something coming." She said then looked over to Aimee. "I mean not that I am trying to speak in any absolute terms at all you understand. I mean I think we have a conscious awareness of something happening here. I think it's fair to say that, right?" She asked a bit nervously. Aimee nodded. Then Callie nodded back. "Yeah, I mean let's just keep this a kind of status quo thing, ya know?... I mean yeah. I am sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out or anything." Callie said and placed her hands on Aimee's shoulders and looked at her. "We are good, right?" Aimee nodded.
"Of course. And I, uh, think that's a good plan." She said, somewhat glad that they had both essentially agreed not to put the cart before the horse and say things at that point and time that they may well regret. She knew she was developing feelings for Callie and it scared her. She needed time. Especially in light of the fact that there were so many things that were standing in the way. Things that deserved honest and legitimate thought and consideration. To take a casual fling and the acquaintanceship they have, and to complicate that with something more serious was not something to take lightly. Still, Aimee thought as she looked at Callie, there was an unmistakable attraction. On many levels. She gave Callie a bland smile. "Only fools rush in….right?" Callie took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She nodded affirmatively.
"That's for sure, girl." She said and stepped forward and hugged Aimee. "I feel something for you… I want you to know that. But the last thing I need to do is fuck up my life even more." She whispered.
Aimee held her close, then took a breath and looked about the room, hoping to break up the tension.
"I am not sure where Iola went off to so early. I know I saw her come to bed late last night when I got up to get a drink." Callie picked up her phone and checked the time.
"Well, she is probably downstairs or in Fenton's room. We had better shower and get ready. We have that appointment with Alice!" She said. Aimee nodded, grateful that the subject had changed.
"Right!" She said and she opened her suitcase to search for fresh clothes.
"This coffee is awful!" Fenton Hardy said, making a face as he took a drink of the coffee Iola had made. "No offence to you, dear. You were right! And I have been around." Iola smiled and nodded.
"Told you!" She said knowingly. "I think that's why Alma was pouring brandy in it last night. Anything to flavor it." Fenton nodded.
"We will have to get some real coffee sometime this morning. That little coffee shop we were in had some very nice blends." He said. The sounds of the floor above creaking made Fenton and Iola raise their eyes to the ceiling.
"Sounds like they are up." Iola said as she heard the footsteps above. Fenton looked at his watch and nodded.
"Good. I was hoping they wouldn't oversleep." Iola stood against the counter and sipped her milk and looked upwards.
"Not Cal. She's on a mission." Fenton took a deep breath and looked at his daughter in law for a moment.
"Mission?" He repeated and raised his eyebrows. "Or on a journey seeking redemption? Or at least something to absolve her from her sins?" Iola lowered her eyes and took on a somber expression.
"I guess we all have a few of those. A little absolution goes a long way, Fenton. Elusive as it may be, I would settle for a grain of it myself." She said quietly. Fenton looked over to her with an endearing expression.
"No need to carry that load alone. You have a most understanding and loving husband. He's worried about you. And he doesn't judge you."
"You seem pretty sure of yourself." Iola said, still looking down at the floor. Fenton stood up and walked over to her. He put an arm around her.
"Well, I do know my boys pretty well. And while Joe may not be thrilled you have chosen certain vises, he isn't judging you for them. No matter what he may have uttered in a semi drunken fit of anger." He said. Iola looked over to him with a somewhat surprised look.
"He told you?" She asked. "I mean that he came into the hotel room and gave me an earful?" Fenton Hardy's eyes twinkled at her and he calmly smiled.
"Some people confess to a priest. Some to their father." Iola looked down again, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Well, we are talking to each other. That's a start." She said quietly. Fenton nodded and put an arm around her.
"I'm not worried about you. Things will work out. I don't think it's a bad thing that you and Joe are taking this away time for a bit. It will do both of you good." He smiled reassuringly to her. Iola felt a bit better. Fenton looked upwards. "Now, for our friend above, well, she has her problems. But I do have faith in her. She also needs to know that what happened with her and Frank is not the end of the world. They both made a bad choice." Iola's eyes widened.
"You know about Callie and Frank?" She asked, a bit amazed by the revelation. Fenton nodded.
"Well, Frank wasn't all that forthcoming at first, but he had guilt and sadness all over his face when he and Joe came back from Atlantic City. I prodded gently, and then it all came out. Frank feels about as bad as he can be over it." He said and paused. "But it's not really something they need to immediately seek that absolution from. At least not from each other. That will work itself out. Frank has another hurdle to overcome now with his desire to get back together with Tiffany. But I know he can do it. Just as I know Callie and Chet can overcome that. If it's in the cards anyway." Iola nodded. Everything Fenton said made sense. She was a little concerned about the last part of his statement.
"If it's in the cards?" She asked. "You know something I don't?" Fenton gave a brief chuckle.
"I'm not a clairvoyant, dear." He said. "We form our own destinies. I simply mean that no matter how much you or I speculate or well wish the situation that ultimately it comes down to the individuals. Your brother is a fine man and a good husband and father. Callie is a fine woman. I know there was a time when they were head over heels for each other. And on many levels, I believe those feelings are still there. But that doesn't always dictate an outcome. We are ever learning in this life, my dear. And many of the roads we take may well appear to be the wrong ones from those who observe. Sometimes they are. Sometimes they aren't. Those who observe are nothing more than spectators. We may have influence. But we also have enough common sense to know not to wield that influence carelessly. It is, after all, not our life."
As usual, the combination of logic and compassion, as told by her father in law was hard to argue with. Much less refute, no matter how unpleasant or more so, how open ended it suggested things could be. One must have their own limitations and to be supportive, but not intrusive or manipulative with those we cared for. Iola nodded soberly.
"You're right. As usual." She said with a slight smile. Fenton shook his head.
"Now, don't put all that on me." He said wrapping his arms around her. "You are like a daughter to me. I love you very much and want only the best for you. But you and Joe will make your decisions on who you are and who you want to be. Not what I want. All I ask of either of you, is that you take consideration of your son. Keep him out of the chaos that comes during these times. Always support him and tell him you love him." He smiled down at her. "Which I think is something you are very good at already." He rubbed her back briefly then turned and looked down at his coffee. "We definitely need good coffee now." He laughed.
"I am sure they will be ready soon." She said. She took a deep breath. She felt better.
Sure enough a few minutes later brought the sounds of footsteps on the creaking staircase. A moment later Callie and Aimee walked into the kitchen.
"Good morning!" Callie announced cheerily. She saw Fenton and Iola standing by the counter and smiled to them. She looked over to the coffee pot and gave an alarmed look.
"Oh my! Did you all have to drink that swill?" She asked. Iola shook her head.
"Nah. Fenton took a whole sip and realized it was as bad as I told him it would be." Cal nodded and shook her head.
"Yeah, pretty nasty for sure!"
"Maybe we can stop for some real coffee?" Aimee spoke up with a note of hope. Fenton nodded.
"Took the words right out of my mouth, Aimee." He said. He looked at the two and smiled. "If you are ready, we can go and stop off before heading to interview Alice." Aimee and Callie both nodded.
"Definitely ready." Cal said. Iola looked towards the upstairs.
"I will be with you guys in a few. I need to get the case book and other documents." She said. Fenton pointed to her.
"Yes, by all means. We may need to stop by the library you mentioned so I can print off the FBI file I was emailed." Iola smiled.
"No problem. I will be out in a few." She said. Fenton nodded and gestured for the others to follow and led the way out the back door.
After they stopped by the library and the coffee shop, Fenton steered the car along 6th Street. He headed northwest where the street turned into Penn.
"What's the number again?" Fenton asked Iola. She looked down at the papers.
"180 Penn Street. Should be on the left hand side of the road. Any time now." She said gesturing to an empty looking park area. "I think that is the Lee Street Park right there." Fenton slowed the car down and looked intently at the area. He put on his signal and pulled over to the shoulder and parked.
"I want to take this in. Let's look it over and then walk to her house. She must live just ahead." He said. Iola nodded and looked to the back seat where Aimee and Callie nodded their agreement. The group got out of the car. Fenton pointed to a concrete path which joined Penn Street.
"Looks like a walking path around the park." Callie observed. Fenton nodded.
"Yes, let's take a walk." He said. He led the group down the walkway. The walkway led along the eastern outer edge of the park. Away from the residential area of Penn Street. As they walked Fenton pointed towards the Penn Street area. "Lots of trees along the homes over there. I am not sure how our client could have had much of a view of this park." He said with a brief shake of his head. They walked briskly along for about three hundred yards and they came to a small parking lot and a worn down basketball court. Iola pointed off to the right.
"There are the tracks. Not very far from the play areas." Callie looked at the small road that led to the parking lot.
"Lee Street, I presume?" She asked as Iola looked down at a copy of the map she had printed. Iola nodded.
"Yeah, what there is of it. It shoots out a couple hundred yards and smacks into Wilson Street. Take a left and half a block over in Penn." Callie nodded and looked down at the map. She then looked in the direction of the homes again. Then back at the map.
"Something interesting. There is a stream that runs all along the backyard areas of all the homes on this side of Penn. That would mean that this child had to either cross the stream or walk a fair distance down Penn to where it crossed over the stream and to the area where this walking path is." She said shaking her head. Fenton looked down at the map.
"I assume this red X indicates her house, Iola?" He asked. Iola nodded.
"Yeah." She replied. Fenton took his finger and traced it along from the red X along Penn Street to where the walking path started.
"Assuming she came this way, it means that she walked about three blocks south and then Penn curves around a bank of trees. Which I may add are the beginning of the huge section of woods off to the west. She would have to walk over that little bridge on Penn to cross over the stream and then cross the street down the line just to get to the walking path." He said looking up and trying to look across the large expanse of grass and trees that made up the park. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "That's a lot of distance for an eight year old."
"What about crossing the stream near one of the neighbor's homes across the street from her house?" Aimee asked pointing to the stream on the map. "I mean when I was a kid I wasn't afraid to cross a creek if it was a short cut." Fenton nodded.
"It's a possibility for sure. We need to walk the length of the stream in that area." He looked down at his watch. "We have about twenty minutes, so let's do that." He said leading the way across the grounds of the park. The patches of dense trees and ample grounds of the park made it increasingly evident to the group that there was likely no way Alice could have had any reasonable view of the park for monitoring purposes. A few minutes walking led them to the stream. A narrow body of water. Though it looked deep in some areas, there were clearly spots where children had managed to cross. Well worn pathways indicated in some spots that there were multiple crossing points in the stream.
"This stream is known as Dixon Run." Iola said as she studied the map. Fenton Hardy nodded.
"Let's cross." He said leading the way near one of the pathways. It wasn't much of a problem for them to cross in the spot they had chosen. The local youth had placed several large stones into the stream to step on. They crossed into a small grassy area. Fenton pointed to an alley that ran along the waterway. He pointed to a nearby house. "That way." He said as they walked towards a clearing. After walking along between two homes, they emerged into Penn Street. The group took in the homes. Mostly older run down1940's era clapboard homes. Many with sun porches. Fenton looked up and down the rows of houses and gave the others a look.
"Little pink houses for you and me." He said with a note of sour humor. Iola was observing the area.
"Not many people out. In fact, I can't really see anyone." She said. Aimee had pointed up the street towards a blue house.
"Looks like number 180 right there." She said. The group turned and walked in the direction she had pointed a half a block away. They walked into the yard of 180 Penn Street. It was a clean little home compared to some of the others. A small attached single car garage sat off to the left. In the rear they observed a smaller building. Perhaps a workshop or storage building. Callie took the lead when they walked up the small stairway to the front door. She looked to the others, then turned and knocked. A few moments later the door opened. The frail figure of Alice Rose stood before them in the doorway. She smiled to the group.
"Hi, Callie. Thank you so much for coming." She said hugging her. "I wasn't sure if you were really going to stick around and help." Callie hugged her and smiled to her.
"I said I would and here I am." She said and turned. "You know Aimee and Iola from when we met. This distinguished looking man is Fenton Hardy. One of the finest detectives in the country. He had agreed to come help for a few days. He has already helped us get a copy of the police case book." She said with a gesture to Fenton. Alice stepped forward and offered her hand.
"It's very nice to meet you, sir. I thank you for taking the time to come help! It means a lot." She said. Fenton smiled and shook her hand.
"Thank you. We will do our best to help locate Nicole." He said. Alice gestured for them to come in and sit down. She led them to a humbly furnished living room area. She pointed to the sofa and chairs.
"Please, have a seat." She offered. Fenton nodded and sat in a chair. Callie, Iola and Aimee shared the sofa, while Alice took a seat across from them. Fenton studied the woman. Her complexion was dark due to stress it seemed. Bags under her eyes. She wore a synthetic floral dress. She had clearly not been sleeping much.
"How is Jenny?" Callie asked. "I still can't get over how much she looks like my Carly. Alice looked up and forced a smile.
"Oh, she is good. Thank you for asking. She went to school this morning. Some days she tries to stay home. She is worried about, well, someone coming for her. I do my best to assure her that she is safe at school. But she and I both have formed a pretty tight bond." Callie nodded.
"I'd say that's pretty natural given the circumstances. I am glad to hear she is ok." She said. Alice observed Iola setting some papers on the coffee table and arranging them. Fenton cleared his throat to gain Alice's attention.
"Now, Ms. Rose. We would like to go through some questions. I must warn you that some of them are not likely to be questions you will appreciate. But please understand that as an investigator it is my job to have as much information as I can get. And in affairs such as these, it's often necessary to play devil's advocate. I hope you understand." He said with a kind expression. Alice, who sat on the edge of her chair a bit pensively nodded. She wrung her hands nervously.
"Yes, sir. I do. The police have already been there and done that. I think I have been asked about every question imaginable." Fenton nodded.
"Well, we will try to keep it simple and not ask too many questions. I am sure the police have likely asked you a lot." He said. Fenton Hardy had hoped she would not feel threatened by his questions to come. He was actually not very confident that the local police had made a sufficient investigation. But he also knew he couldn't push her too hard, even though he had some concerns for her sense or priorities when she let the child out to begin with. This itself was of secondary concern to the investigation to locate the child.
Alice nodded and put her best face on. She knew Callie was a decent person who wanted to help her. She had not gotten anywhere with the police and had no other options. Every day without Nicole was heart wrenching! Fenton looked to Iola.
"Can I get the report for the past offences please? And the other file I put together. The red one." He asked. Iola handed him the requested papers. "Thank you. Please take notes, dear." Iola nodded and took out a legal pad and sat at the ready. Fenton Hardy looked down at his papers for a moment then looked up.
"Ms. Rose, you were married twice, is that correct?" Alice looked a bit startled but then presumed that she had been checked out. She nodded.
"Yes, that is right."
"Can you tell me about them. Briefly, please?" Mr. Hardy asked and looked at Alice when she replied.
"Uhm yeah. Jerry Metcalf was my first husband. We married about a year out of high school. We didn't have any kids. We were young and well, it didn't last. He liked to wonder. So about two years in we divorced." Fenton Hardy nodded then looked down at his papers.
"How about Tommy Hoffman?" He asked. Alice took a deep breath and sighed.
"Oh my. Where to begin. When I first met Tommy Lee, he was working in the mines. So, he had a job. He seemed a decent man. But I didn't really know him. I mean not as well as I should have. We dated some and before I knew it I was pregnant with Nikki." She said, starting to tear up a bit. "And well, we got married the following March. Nikki was three months old. And so that was the perfect time for Tommy Lee to stop working the mines. At least they paid half decent. But he started making money in other ways."
"Such as?" Fenton asked. Alice sighed.
"Drugs. Selling stolen items. Stuff I didn't condone. Which led me to getting slapped in the head a number of times. He got himself arrested. Probably wasn't the first time. When he got out of that mess he agreed to work as a mechanic. So I thought or should say I hoped he saw the error of his ways and was going to go straight. About a year went by I guess. Then I ended up pregnant again. With Jenny." She said pausing to smile at the recollection. "And things seemed ok. Well as ok as could be I guess. I suspected him of cheatin but knew better than to ask too many questions." She said pointing a bit vaguely to her head. Callie looked over towards her gesture.
"What did he do?" She asked softly. Alice looked at her, then the others. She reluctantly pulled her hair back on the side of her head to reveal and fairly large scar. Callie, Iola and Aimee all looked at her wide eyed.
"Oh, you poor thing." Aimee said sympathetically. Alice cleared her throat.
"Uhm, yeah, one night I called him out on it and he was hopped up on something. Next thing I knew he broke an empty whiskey bottle on the side of my head. I was in the hospital for a week." She said closing her eyes briefly.
"It continued to get worse…" Fenton Hardy mused aloud. Alice nodded slowly.
"He was messing around with some gal. Might have been his ex-wife. But after he hit me I learned to just keep from asking too many questions." She paused. "Then I figured out the people he was working with at this garage were all cons as well. And they were using the business more as a front. They would steal and then there was the drugs. He got arrested again. But that time it didn't stop him from going right back into it. Less than a year later he stashed some stolen items in the basement. And he also had quite a bit of meth as well. Take some and sell some I expect. As crazy as he was getting. Then one night the police came and got us out of bed in the middle of the night. They found the stash and he was arrested again."
"As were you." Callie said. Alice sighed deeply and looked down. She nodded.
"I didn't have anything to do with whatever he was doing. But I was still, uhm, connected so I got arrested too as an, uhm…"
"Accessory." Fenton finished the sentence. Alice bit her lip and nodded.
"Uhm, yeah. That's it." She said in a low voice.
"And that was the arrest that finally sent him to the pen?" Callie asked. Alice nodded.
"Yes, thank the Lord! He got up to ten years because there was a lot of meth, and he had priors. And I…I got probation. I mean I didn't have any prior stuff like that. The court went light on me as they knew I wasn't involved in that kind of terrible thing. Well I was guilty of bad judgment" she said looking down at the floor.
"You also had the DUIs?" Fenton asked. "When you were younger." Alice nodded.
"Oh, yeah. I was just a kid then. In my twenties and acting stupid. No excuse for it."
"You divorced him when he was sent to prison?" Iola asked. Alice managed a brief smile.
"Yeah, I figured once he was behind the bars for real I could do it. I mean without getting beat up for it."
"Your ex-husband has two other children?" Fenton asked. Alice nodded.
"Yeah, there are maybe ten and twelve. Boy and a girl. He had them here once, but I don't think he had any formal visitation set up with Becky. I don't know much about them. Last I heard they were living down in Indiana." Fenton nodded and cleared his throat.
"Ok, Alice, let's shift gears a bit. Tell me about Nicole. What kind of girl is she? Shy? Outgoing? Generally happy? What does she like to do?" Alice looked up. She was clearly trying to focus without losing control of her emotions.
"Uhm, Nikki is a great kid. She wouldn't be what I would call shy. Not by a longshot. Jenny…Jenny is the shy one. But Nikki was never one to be that way. She is a happy little girl…" Alice continued, choking up a bit. "She is happy. She likes to draw and color a lot. She is very artistic…" She said pointing to several colored pencil drawings that were stapled to a large bulletin board. "Yeah, she loves to make mommy pretty pictures. She likes to run and play. We don't have a swing set in the yard so she always liked to go to the park…" At this point Alice's voice quivered. Callie stood up and reached for a box of tissue on the table and she handed her some.
"Take you time." She said kindly and smiled down at her. Alice took them and nodded.
"I'm sorry, it's just rather hard to talk about her." Fenton Hardy nodded.
"I understand. Though it is important for us to cover as much as we can. How about you take us through that day." Alice wiped her eyes and looked up. She took a breath and nodded.
"Alright. Uhm, that day was pretty much like any other. The girls got off the bus around 2:45 I guess. Nikki and Jenny were both acting their usual self. Nikki had asked to go to the park after having her snack. I guess that was around 3:15…." Fenton looked up.
"The police report says your 911 call came in at 6:07PM. Can you advise when the last time you observed Nicole in that timeframe?" He asked looking back down to the report.
"Oh, she left like I said a little after 3:15. And I called her in for dinner at about 5:30…"
"Called her in?" Callie asked with a furrowed brow. Alice nodded.
"Yes, I opened up the front door and called her name out." She said. Callie shot Fenton a look. He looked to Alice.
"Between the time she left at 3:15 give or take, and 5:30 when you summoned her for dinner, how many times did you observe Nicole playing in the park?" Alice started wringing her hands again. She looked down.
"Well, I saw her and one of the neighbor girls across the street near the Lomax house. The trail into the park is by their house. I saw Nikki and her friend by the Lomax house playing with each other I guess around 3:45….maybe."
"But how many times did you observe her in the park itself. You told Mrs. Morton here that you stuck your head out and looked at her every now and then." He said. Fenton Hardy rose from his chair and walked towards the sunroom at the front of the house where they had walked in. The small room had a few chairs and had four windows which faced the opposite side of the street. While they offered a partial view via a vacant lot between houses it was only a small portion of the park itself. And there were trees further obstructing the view. He walked back into the room where the others were. "I cannot observe but maybe five to ten percent of the park from your home, Ms. Rose. Did you leave the house in that timeframe and walk down the street in order to get a better view of the park and see your daughter?" Alice, clearly in an emotional state, tears rolling down her face, dropped her head into her hands. Shaking her head.
"No!" She screamed. "No! I only saw her when she was across the street." She cried. "I was fixing dinner. And I opened the door a few times to see if she came back to that area by the Lomax house, but she hadn't. I didn't think so much of it because she had gone there a hundred times before. If only I had! If only I had walked down that road!" She said weeping. Callie and Aimee came around to her and put their arms around her.
"Shhh….shhh." Aimee soothed. Callie placed her hand on Alice's chin and guided it up so she could see her.
"I'm not judging you, Alice. It happened. Ok? I thank you for your honesty." She said. Alice wrapped her arms around Callie and cried freely. Fenton looked down at them empathetically. He glanced to Iola who shook her head lightly. She had basically admitted to not seeing her daughter for nearly two hours. An eternity from a law enforcement officer or investigator's perspective.
Fenton took his seat again and looked down at the papers. Callie and Aimee did their best to bring Alice back to a stable place. Fenton looked up.
"Ok, we have the 911 call at 6:07PM and first on the scene at 6:23. By 6:51 we have a number of officers concluding a first sweep search of the entire park. By 7:05 we have an AMBER ALERT issued. No vehicle or perpetrator description in the Amber so all that was issued was a description of Nicole." Fenton read and then looked over to Alice. "So, between 5:30 when you called her and 6:07 when you called police you searched the entire park?" Alice nodded nervously.
"Uhm, yeah. I ran down after she didn't come back with me calling out for say maybe five to ten minutes. She always came after I yelled for her." Fenton nodded.
"Did you see her friend or anyone else in the park when you went down and checked the park over prior to calling the police?" Alice shook her head.
"I didn't see her friend, no. And I don't think I saw anyone else in the park, but it is all such a blur I can't be sure if it was totally empty at that point. Fridays are not really big days at this park. Lots of families are working folks. They get paid and take their families out on Fridays."
"What was her friend's name?" Callie asked. Alice looked up.
"I saw her with Katie that day. Katie Brennan. She lives down a few houses at 12 Penn Street."
"This same side of the street?" Callie asked. Alice nodded.
"Yeah, tan house. Second to last before the woods." She said, still sniffling a bit.
"And the house across the street near the path over the stream belongs to the Lomax family?" Fenton asked. Alice again nodded.
"Yeah, they live at 204 Penn. The kids always go along the side of their house." She said. Fenton Hardy rose from his seat.
"Iola, how about you and I go pay a visit to the Lomax and Brennan homes and see if we can get any information. Callie, looks like you and Aimee are doing good at helping Alice out during this stressful time. We won't be long." He said. Iola stood up and walked along with Fenton. Callie nodded to them and sat next to Alice, making sure she was alright.
"Ok." Callie said. "We will just hang with Alice. Maybe she can tell us a few other things."
Once outside Iola and Fenton stood in front of the Rose house. Iola looked to her father in law with a distressed expression.
"So, what do you think?" She asked. Fenton gave a worried glance down at Iola.
"Aside from the fact she was being negligent? Yeah. I am sure you already figured that out. And while we consider it an act of negligence it still does not warrant the poor woman having her child taken. Our opinions in regard to what circumstance led to the abduction are rather pointless. What's done is done. But what is funny in the reports from both the local PD and state police, never is the idea planted that she was negligent. And they are just going by the book. I would have thought that the way the reports read in other respects that they would have written a long opinion piece on that element. You no doubt read in the report that certain officers offer a critical view of Ms. Rose, but do not go so far as to note she was negligent of anything. But as I said it matters little at this point. At some point down the line they may send social services to her door to do random checks considering she still has the younger daughter. But, that isn't our job. If I had a dime for every time a client did something that defied the laws of common sense, I'd be a rich man." Iola gave him a weary smile.
"I agree with you. But she has gone through hell. No one can deny that. I am not going to put her through it again on that count. But the fact there was near two hours the kidnapper had to work with. Three if you account for the time it took for the Amber alert to hit. And given what little info was available in terms of the perp, it was an eternity." Fenton Hardy nodded his agreement.
"Well, my dear. I think it's time to pound a little pavement and see what the neighbors know." He said. The two started off down Penn Street.
Alice sat on the sofa with Callie and Aimee sitting with her. She flipped from page to page of a family album. She had been pointing to various photos of Nicole and Jenny. Aimee smiled as she looked through them.
"You have my respect, Alice. Being able to raise these two little ladies. Your love for them shows so much in these photos. And knowing you did it alone and at times under some very adverse circumstances. I am impressed." She said offering the distressed mother a kind smile.
"Thank you. It means a lot that someone can see that I love my babies. They are my world. My life!" She began to well up again. Callie gave her a kind look. She took the album from Alice and set it on the side table.
"Thank you for showing us. Those pics were beautiful! How about we take a few minutes to rest a bit. And after that, we will take out a pad and paper and you can tell me the various places you remember having taken the kids in the weeks leading up to the episode." Alice shot her a look.
"Episode? Don't be afraid to call it what it is, Callie. It was a fucking abduction. An episode? Makes it sound like it was a TV show!" Callie nodded calmly.
"I am sorry, Alice. You are right."
"Alice, have you been able to visit a therapist by any chance?" Aimee asked. It was clear that the poor woman needed a solid support system. Aimee was curious how much of one she had. Alice sighed.
"If you want to call it that. I go twice a week for half an hour each time. The doctor writes me a script for Xanax and tells me to have faith in the police, and to go back to church as it is good for support." Callie and Aimee both nodded.
"You know, I think our rooming house, er, I mean bed and breakfast is very close to your church." Callie said. Alice raised an eyebrow.
"Well, you all sure checked me out from top to bottom, didn't you?" She said a bit sourly. Callie nodded.
"Well, the best way to help a client is to find out as much about them and the case as you can. But, I will say that support is a great thing. And if you ever consider returning to church and need some motivation, or don't want to go alone, we would be happy to join you." Callie said. She looked at Alice with the smile that had brought her new friend a good deal of comfort since they had met. She put her hand on Callie's and nodded.
"I appreciate that. And I am, uhm, sorry about having snapped at you a bit there. I don't wish this on anyone. I just want my baby back!"
The thin, lanky male slid quietly out from under the car that was parked on Penn Street. He quickly walked down Penn and soon ducked down the drive that led to the little league ball field. He opened up the rear door to the van that was parked by the ball field and pulled some tools from his side pocket and tossed them back into an open toolbox. He slammed the door and walked around the van and got into the driver's seat.
"That will teach you." He said with a maniacal laugh. He turned the key and started the engine. The van's CD player resumed playing. The Doors song The End was playing.
Lost in a Roman...wilderness of pain
And all the children… are insane
All the children are insane
Waiting for the summer rain, yeah
There's danger on the edge of town
Ride the King's highway, baby
Weird scenes inside the gold mine
Ride the highway west, baby
Ride the snake, ride the snake
To the lake, the ancient lake, baby
The snake is long, seven miles
Ride the snake...he's old, and his skin is cold
The van pulled out of the ball field and headed south. The driver, weaving his head to the music, sang along.
"The blue bus is callin' us
The blue bus is callin' us
Driver, where you taken' us…."