The Gift
Disclaimer: Stephenie Myers owns all Twilight and the Characters
Chapter 21: The Note
CHPOV
I watched the cruiser pull out of the driveway with Edward and Carly inside. I can do this I told myself over and over again. Like I told Edward I needed to be strong as well. Carly needed Edward but Bella needs me right now. I needed to do anything and everything to find her.
"Charlie," I heard someone yell my name. I knew that voice automatically.
"Billy," I said walking over towards him.
"We will find her," he said trying to reassure me. "What do my guys need to do?"
"Go around the back," I said directing them to the back of the house. "I noticed a small trail of blood in the snow off the back porch. Let Adam go with you all in case he needs to bag anything."
"You got your orders," Billy told them. "Time is not our friend here gentlemen."
With that they took off around to the back off house with Adam leading the way. Billy and I went into the house were they had set up a command center in the living room. Everyone was working all around the house, looking for the slightest clue, and doing all that they can do to find Bella.
"What has already been done," Billy asked when he wheeled himself into the living behind me.
"Alerts have been sent out," I said rubbing my face. "I had Edward call Carlisle and see if he would call around to all the hospitals."
"Okay," he said with a strange look on his face. "You are talking to Edward now."
"After I decked the shit out of him first," I told him trying not to laugh remembering that this morning. "I wonder if that would work on Sam as well, because it felt so damn good to do it."
"I'm glad you feel better on that subject," he said trying not to laugh as well. "I believe the whole Sam problem can wait until we get Bella back."
"That's when I was planning it," I said getting him a cup of coffee and handing it to him.
"Chief," I heard one of the deputies yell from the top of the stairs. "I think you might need to see this."
"Coming," I yelled back to them. "I'll be right back."
I ran up the stairs and followed the deputy who was waiting on me. He led me to Bella's room and I wondered what there was to see. When I walked into the room I could have vomited everywhere. This wasn't some random kidnapping at all. Whoever had my baby girl had been planning this for a while? There were pictures scattered all over her room, her clothes were thrown everywhere. That wasn't the problem at all. You could expect that at any home invasion. This was different, completely different indeed. The pictures were all of her and Edward. She was cut out, burnt out, or marked out in all of the pictures. I picked up a piece of her clothing that was lying nearby and noticed that it was cut to shreds.
"This is what you need to see," the deputy said motioning me towards her dresser.
I laid the clothes back down and went over to her dresser. When I looked down to where he was pointing I almost lost it. There craved onto her dresser was a message from the kidnapper.
He's mine bitch. You will die for taking him from me.
Beside the message was a picture of Bella, Edward, and Carly that was taken a couple of weeks ago at the Cullen's house. Looking the picture closer I noticed that Bella's face was burnt out and an 'x' over Carly's. I knew now that we had to find her quickly before all was lost.
"Charlie," I heard Billy yell from downstairs. "The boys are back from outback."
"Coming," I said leaving the room. I needed to get those images out of my head. I couldn't understand what the 'x' meant. Surely no one would try to take her from the Cullen's house. I know that Carlisle has top of the line security and he never goes a day without it on. I trusted them with my granddaughter more than ever right now.
"Charlie," Jacob said approaching me first. "The dogs followed the scent two miles into the woods before leading to open spot near the highway, and from there they lost the scent. So whoever it was had a getaway car waiting."
"Okay," I said as I listened to him speak.
"We also found two sets of footprints," Quil said speaking up. "One was large almost like a male, and the other was a small set like a female."
"Were the smaller set defined or dragged like," I asked trying to figure out if it was Bella's.
"They were defined," Quil replied. "Why?"
"If they were Bella's they would have been like a drag mark," I told them. "She would have fought them the entire time. So there were two people in this house. I only heard the one on the phone."
"Charlie," Jacob said speaking up. "Adam found a towel at the edge of woods leading in. It had the smell of chloroform on it. So whoever has her knocked her out with the chloroform."
"Thanks," I told them as they went outside.
Just then I heard my cell phone ringing and decided to answer it. For all I knew it could have been the kidnappers demanding a ransom.
"Charlie Swan," I said as I answered
"Charlie," the voice said on the other end.
"Edward," I said when I realized that it was him. "What's wrong?"
"Dad discovered a box at the driveway entrance when he got home a few minutes ago," he was saying and I was trying to figure it out. "It's about Bella."
"I'm on my way," I said going out the door and hanging up the phone.
"Is everything okay," Mark said as I walked past him.
"I don't know yet," I said stopping. "Edward just called and the kidnappers left something at his parent's front gate."
"We'll continue working here," he said as I got into my cruiser.
EPOV
"Edward," my mom said as I walked into the house after the deputy dropped us off. "What's wrong?"
I didn't answer her at all. I had so much going through my mind. Was she hurt? Where did they have her? I really didn't want to face my family yet.
"All the olice were at mommy's house," Carly said speaking up since I didn't say anything.
"What," my mom said grabbing at her chest. "Edward you tell me right now what is happening."
"She's gone," was all I could say before sliding my back against the wall falling to the floor.
"Carlybug," mom said still looking at me. "Why don't you go into the living room and play with Emmett?"
"Okay," she said skipping off.
"Tell me right now," she said bending down towards me.
"Someone has her," was all I could say as the tears started to fall. I couldn't hold it in any longer. "Someone kidnapped her this morning sometime after Emmett dropped her off."
"Oh god," she said sitting down beside me and holding me. "Charlie will do everything he can to find her."
"I can't lose her," I said as the tears started to slow down.
"What happened to your face," she said looking at the place where Charlie decked him.
"Charlie," I answered and with that she let out a giggle. "What's so funny?"
"Did he feel better," she asked trying to get my mind to think about something else.
"Yes," I answered her.
We sat there in the hallway for I don't know how long. She held me as I let all my emotions catch up with me.
"Esme," dad said when he walked in.
"Yes dear," she said as we stood up.
"Any news dad," I asked before he could say anything.
"Nothing," he said and I noticed a box in his hands.
"What's that," I asked pointing at it.
"I found it at the front gate and it's addressed to you," he said handing it to me.
"Let's take it in the kitchen," mom said speaking up. "That way we can open it on a flat surface."
We followed her down the hall and into the kitchen. Dad went over to the baking cabinet and pulled some foil. He tore off a sheet, placed it on the table, and motioned for me to place the box in the center of it.
"The foil will catch anything that falls from the box," he told me. "We don't know what could be in? It could be from the kidnapper."
"Okay," was all I said at that moment to them as I looked at the box.
Very carefully I tore the tape off and laid it on the foil where Carlisle pointed. I tried not shaking as I folded the lids down on the box. Looking inside there were dead roses everywhere, something that had a shine to it, and a note. I pulled out the shinning object and gasped when I saw it.
"Is that," was all mom said before gasping.
"Her snowflake," I said holding it. "This was hanging on her tree."
"What else is there," dad said as I put the snowflake on the foil.
"Some dead roses and a note," I said pulling out the note. I unfolded the note and started to read it.
She stole you from me. She will pay and you will be mine again. You will never see your precious Isabella again.
I dropped the note and dug in my pocket for my phone straight away.
"What does it say," mom asked picking up the note as I dialed away. Like me she dropped the note and covered her mouth. "Carlisle set the security system now."
"Charlie Swan," he said as he answered the phone. Dad took a glance at the note and once he read it he went to set the alarm.
"Charlie," I said looking at mom. She looked terrified and I couldn't have looked any better.
"Edward," he said and it brought me back to what I needed to say. "What's wrong?"
"Dad discovered a box at the driveway entrance when he got home a few minutes ago," I told him as dad came back in. "It's about Bella."
"I'm on my way," he said hanging up the phone.
"What did Charlie say," mom asked when I laid the phone on the counter.
"He's on his way," I answered her.
We sat there in silence. I didn't know what to say. There were so many things going through my mind that I didn't even hear Charlie come in.
"Where is it," he said walking into the kitchen.
"Here," I said handing him the note. He stood there reading over it and his face got red with each passing second.
"Do you know anyone who would want to hurt Bella," he asked placing the note back in the box.
"No," I answered him.
"What about your ex-wife," he asked me next.
"I haven't spoke nor seen her since the divorce," I said looking at him questioningly. "Why would you ask that?"
"I just need to cover everything," he said before he picked up the snowflake. "Is this the ornament?"
"Yes," I answered him.
"I remember her talking about it," he said closing his eyes. "It was the day she was moving into Mike's house. I asked her if she was going to take it with her, and she told me no."
"Charlie," I said cutting it off. "Could it be possible that Mike took her? We did get into it yesterday at her house."
"What do mean," he said laying the snowflake back down on the foil.
He took a seat at the t able as I explained to him about what happened. I told him how he came in and called Carly a brat, and how I went off on him. As I was talking Charlie started to think about something, because I noticed the change in his face.
"Is it possible," I asked again.
"Yes," he said picking up his phone and dialing. "Mark I need you to go pick up Newton and question him about his whereabouts."
"Charlie," dad said speaking up when Charlie had hung up the phone. "What are you not telling else?"
"There were two people in the house," he said letting out a breath. "There was a male because I heard him on the phone. Then there was also a female because Billy's boys found a smaller set of footprints. That's why I asked about your ex-wife."
"I don't care," I answered him. "I just want Bella back, so that we can be a family."
"Whoever is behind this," Charlie said taking a deep breath. "Won't stop until they can have you all to their self's eliminating anyone that gets in the way."
"Could they come after Carly," mom said before I could.
Charlie didn't answer her instead he lowered his head and looked at the table.
"Charlie," I said pleading to him. "Will they come after my little girl?"
"I think so," he said not sure of himself. When I heard him say that my heart dropped once again.
"How did you come up with this," dad asked him.
"One of the deputies called me to her room," he started to say as he looked back up. "When I walked in her room was basically destroyed. There were clothes shredded everywhere and pictures as well."
"What makes you think they will come after Carly," I said basically begging him.
"All of the pictures had Bella removed," he said trying to answer my question. "Edward it was just pictures of the two of you. Now about Carly, on Bella's dresser there was something similar craved on it with a picture of the three of you from a couple of weeks ago. Bella's face was burnt out of the picture and Carly's face had an 'x' on it."
"Oh god," mom said as she crushed herself to dad.
"What do we need to do to protect Carly," dad said holding onto mom.
"Don't let her leave this house," Charlie said looking at them before turning to me. "Edward you still need to be strong. Bella needs the both of us along with Carly."
"Okay," I said taking a deep breath.
"I had better get back to her house," he said standing up and taking the box with him. "I will keep in touch with updates. Please let me know if you receive anything else?"
"I will," I told him as he left. Mom and dad walked him out and I stayed in the kitchen.
First Bella is kidnapped and now I have to worry that someone will take my little girl. Why is this happening to me? Is this some type of test? Some type of test that I won't leave my family again? If so please stop this nightmare from happening.
"Edward," dad said breaking my train of thought.
"I can't lose her too," I said looking up at him. "I've lost Bella and I won't know what to do if I lose Carly as well."
"Don't think like that," he said trying to reassure me. "We will find her and the three of you will be a family. You have to believe in hope."
"Ok," was I all said to him as I got up from the table and headed towards the kitchen door.
"Where are going son," he asked me.
"Somewhere to think," I said not turning around to face him.
I headed out of the kitchen and into my music room on the second floor. I sat in front of my piano and just started to play. The tune started off angry, moving on to sadness, and finally moving on to something familiar. I closed my eyes and thought of Bella as I played the last tune. I imagined her sitting beside me and laying her head on my shoulder. I could have sworn that I smelled strawberries in air all of sudden. Opening my eyes I noticed my sweet girl sitting beside me.
"That's my bedtime song," she said smiling up at me.
BPOV
I woke up somewhere dark, and it was moving. The last thing I remembered was a white cloth going over my mouth, and Charlie telling me to fight. Once I started to wake up a little more I realized that I was in a trunk of a car. I started to pound on the trunk lid.
"Help," I screamed hitting it with everything that I had. I needed to get back to my family. I needed to tell Edward that I love him, and want only him. "Help me please. Someone please help me."
After what seemed like a long time the car stopped, and I stopped moving. Then the trunk lid popped open and I felt total fear creep up my body. It was him, the man who took me. He was still dressed in black, and his face still covered.
"We can't have you making all that noise," he said as he came closer to me.
I took the opportunity and started to fight him. He grabbed my wrists and hit me over the head with some sort of blunt object. I fell back into the trunk and noticed a faint smell that I hate. He then closed the trunk and we were on the move once again. I could smell the rust of my blood, I could feel it trickle down the side of my head. I could have fought it, fought the dizziness, but I let it over power me. I let the darkness overcome me again hoping that Edward and Charlie would find me soon.