I know you have been waiting for it so here it is, Chapter 36. With all the cliff hangers I couldn't make you wait too long. Please review and stay blessed.
Mercedes walked right into Sam's arms when she got to his house. The strain and worry had deepened the lines on his face. Mercedes could tell that the weariness that he hadn't been enduring the past couple weeks was still present.
"I can't believe she's gone." Mercedes whispered. "Have the police said anything?"
"Nothing." Sam said. He kissed her forehead then walked to the bar and poured a Scotch. Teddy's go to drink, Mercedes thought. She had never seen Sam pour a drink for himself before when he wasn't in a social situation.
Mercedes went over to him and took the bottle, pouring herself a stiff drink as well.
"Tomorrow I am going to put private detectives on the case, the best money can buy. I have a meeting with them in the morning. I will find our little girl. I promise."
Sam downed the drink and Mercedes felt her heart skip at him calling Savanna theirs. Mercedes took a sip of the drink and nodded mutely. Who would kidnap a three year old little girl except someone who knew her. Her fears continued to take shape and they were horrific. Tears started to pour down her face.
Sam stifled a curse when he saw her face and walked over to her, cradling her in his arms. He pulled her close and lead her to the bedroom. They both lay down, Sam holding her as she cried.
"Sam what if Teddy."
"Shhhh, I know baby I know and believe me if he did I will kill him myself."
Mercedes didn't go to work the next day. She didn't want to leave Sam by himself, and she wanted to be there if any news of Savannah came in. The minutes passed like hours. No one had much of an appetite and the house was somber and quiet. Willie Mae quietly prayed and read from her bible as Mercedes and Sam continued to draw solace from one another.
The day was filled with a steady stream of police detectives and private investigators. In the late afternoon Holly showed up. Her eyes red from crying, begging to be seen.
"You sent the police to question me? I would never kidnap her Sam."
Sam rolled his eyes not wanting to deal with her.
"Sam, I have been home trying to get a hold of Teddy. Its been a few days since i have heard from him and now this. This is my punishment for my sins."
"NO!" Mercedes said moving towards her. "You wallow in your self pity somewhere else. This isn't about you this is about a little girl who was kidnapped. You are lucky we let you past the front gate. Now get the hell out of here."
"I'm sorry, i'm so sorry. Please just tell me if you hear from him or if my granddaughter comes home. I know I don't deserve it but please they are all the family I have left."
Sam looked at her. "Trust me if Teddy calls here you won't want to see him when I am finished with him, you can leave now."
Holly left in tears as Sam was on the phone with his detective, the moment he heard that Teddy was missing he knew his brother had some part in this.
Mercedes shook her head, Teddy's words echoing in her head, "Savannah is my child." What if that wasn't something to be brushed off, what if he actually believed that? She wiped her eyes watching a pain filled Sam walk to his game room.
The hours wore on, dusk deepened into night and at this point, even a ransom demand for Savannah would be welcomed. Sam and Mercedes pain was getting worse and Mercedes lost sleep as visions of nameless dread filled her soul.
Numbness had set in the next day. Mercedes and Willie Mae spent the day putting up posters of Savannah. When they returned to the house, Mercedes could tell something had changed. Sam met them at the door with several private investigators trailing him.
"We've heard something." He said.
Sam indicated a sheaf of papers sitting on the coffee table. Mercedes picked them up and a knot formed in her stomach. The papers were legal forms. They were from Mr. Theodore Evans to Mr. Samuel Evans. Teddy was seeking legal custody of Savannah. The papers referred to her as his child.
"Someone delivered them early this afternoon." Sam said.
"Where is Teddy?"
"That's the problem. He's disappeared. But at least now I know Savannah is with him."
Some of the dark cloud lifted from Mercedes. Since Teddy was suing Sam for custody, he would surely keep the child safe. But where was Teddy? He was using Savannah to strike at Sam. Mercedes studied the drawn fatigued lines of Sam's face and was filled with rage towards Teddy.
Teddy had never shown any concern for Savannah before. Only now, when Sam had finally cut Teddy out of his life, did Teddy use Savannah as a weapon against the one who loved her most?
Mercedes laid the papers down and moved to Savannah's room, her heart breaking not seeing that little girl in her bed. She tried not to break, she didn't want Sam to see her but she couldn't help it. Mercedes moved to the bed and picked up Savannah's bear. Then she broke, she fell to the bed in tears, over taken with the pain of losing a girl who felt like a daughter to her.
She didn't see Sam standing at the door, he came up behind her, holding her close as she cried. He gathered her from the room and took her to his bed room, holding her close as he consoled her, holding her close as she cried.
Sam ran his hand over her hair. "I have instructed the private investigators to broaden their search to Mrs. Thornton."
Mercedes gasped internally. She was having dreams about that crazy woman, she was the missing piece. But what confused Mercedes was how did they pretend to be Willie Mae? Unless they hired someone. Mercedes sat up grabbing her phone. "I know this is a random thought and i could be 100 percent wrong, but have they checked ads? Ads for someone who can pretend to be Willie Mae? There is no way they flat out said that they needed an older black woman, but its worth a thought."
Sam sat up sending a text to his detective. "Teddy has covered his tracks very well it was obvious he was using that five million he stole from work. That is why Mrs. Thornton's trail is easier to follow."
Mercedes looked up to Sam, the healthy blush of color had faded from under Sam's skin, leaving him with this grayish tinge to his skin. He was growing more and more weary with the passing days and sleeping longer. His appetite was still poor and Mercedes could see signs of weight loss.
Sam no longer ran or lifted weights and Mercedes was worried about him. She begged him to go to the doctor but he refused. He had immersed himself in the search for Savannah, but like Mercedes told him, if he ran ragged she wouldn't have a home to come back too. But Sam made it clear, he could wait, his daughter couldn't.
When the report came in that Mrs. Thornton had been located in Miami with a little girl, Mercedes heaved a sigh of heartfelt relief.
"Will you come with me? Please?" Sam asked as he packed a small back for his trip. "I don't want you to feel obligated, but I … want you to be with me."
"I want to come Sam, my place is on the way to the airport, it will only take me a minute to pack. I can call Q on the way and update her."
Mercedes peaked at Sam in the charter plane seat beside her. He was looking at an in flight magazine, but she could tell he wasn't reading the article. He was lost in thought and Mercedes supposed, worry. She frowned when she saw the tiny beads of perspiration at his forehead. He had been wringing with a cold sweat last night, and his skin appeared clammy today.
She was worried about Sam. She sensed something was wrong. Maybe drastically so. But like most men who had the habit of staying healthy, Sam tended to ignore minor complaints. He wouldn't appreciate her fussing over him.
One of the private investigators that Sam retained met them at the airport. They were headed out to the Miami suburb where Mrs. Thornton had been located.
They stopped in front of a modern complex of oceanfront condominiums. The detective let them in past the security doors and led them to a plain door on the second floor. Mercedes shot a worried glance at Sam. What was waiting for them behind that door? What would Teddy do when confronted? Mercedes didn't discount Teddy;s propensity toward violence, and hoped that Sam didn't either.
Sam knocked on the door boldly, for a few seconds there was no answer. Then Mercedes heard the rattle of a lock unbolting. The door swung open and they all looked down.
"DADDY!" Savannah cried.
Sam picked her up and held her closely. He buried his face in her hair and Mercedes couldn't help but tear up at the sight. When Sam finally let her go, she looked at Mercedes with outstretched arms. "Mommy,"
Mercedes was taken aback but didn't even bother addressing it. She held Savannah kissing the top of her head. "Oh we missed you lil one."
Savannah sighed. "Mrs. Thornton won't talk to me." Savannah said pointing inside the condo. Sam and the private Investigator walked slowly into the condo as Mercedes held Savannah closer. She heard Sam say call an ambulance and she swallowed hard wondering what happened. Sam came out whispering to her that the room she was in smelled of human waste. Mrs. Thornton was on the bed, her facial features drooped to the right and her right hand was curled up into a useless claw. He said her right eye was partially closed and her left still burned hatred looking at Sam. He said she had soiled the bed and it was clear she had been there at least a day.
Sam looked over Mercedes and Savannah who were protectively holding each other and gave a soft smile. "Lets get out of here, the investigator can wait for the ambulance." He held Mercedes hand as they walked away from the Condo and face to face with Teddy.
Teddy's face twisted with anger when he saw them. "What are you doing here?" He croaked hoarsely.
Sam balled his fist but remembered Savannah was next to him. "I could ask you the same thing, but better yet I will let the authorities ask it. They are waiting to charge you with kidnapping."
Teddy glared at him. "How can I kidnap my own child." He said nastily. Mercedes heart literally skipped a few beats. The pause after Teddy's question seemed to last an eternity.
"Taking a child from the one who has legal custody is kidnapping by any definition," Sam said softly.
"I am seeking custody of my child, or haven't you heard yet?" Teddy move towards Savannah who sunk closer to Mercedes while reaching out for Sam. Sam kissed Savannah on the forehead to reassure her that she would be fine then looked at Mercedes who knew to move away from them. Mercedes moved to stand behind Sam and the private investigator who Mercedes suspected had a gun.
Sam shook his head at his brother. "The papers were delivered two days ago, but your attempts to disrupt Savannah's life will be futile. I am not going to allow you to obtain custody of her."
"Did you not hear me?" Teddy suddenly screamed. "Savannah is my daughter from your wife."
Sam didn't flinch like Mercedes and the Private Investigator did. He stood his ground and glared at Teddy with his emerald eyes.
"I screwed your wife and she loved it." Teddy said, trying to get some reaction from Sam. Sam looked at Mercedes and Savannah. "Lets go."
Teddy threw himself in front of Sam's path blocking him. "You are going to listen to me Sam Evans." He panted. "Savannah is my daughter and I can prove it."
"So?" Sam said coldly." I am still not letting you have custody of her. You don't love her and as amply demonstrated by your stunt here, you wouldn't be a fit parent, not get out of my way."
"It was when Marley told me she was pregnant that i finally got my victory over you." Teddy crowed not moving. "It wasn't enough that she preferred me over you, It was when my seen took- that is when I won. She begged me to help her, but then after I got what I wanted I truly didn't care what happened to her. She cried that she would abort it, but I just laughed at her. That would only bring the mighty Sam Evans lower, if he thought that his wife had aborted his baby."
Sam lunged for Teddy, moving him away from the door and Mercedes took that note to run with Savannah, she didn't need to see anymore. As she left Sam's hands went to Teddy's neck, choking him. The P.I. pulled Sam off of him saying that he wasn't worth it and he needed to go to his family. By the time Sam made it to the car he stood staring at a teary eyed Mercedes consoling a crying Savannah. He got into the rental looking back at his girl's and nodded. "Its okay now. Lets go home."