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Chapter 28- Skye's Ally
Skye grumbled as she loosely ran the cloth over the dirty dishes as the sink overflowed with suds. "This is going to ruin my manicure… probably my last manicure at that since I can't even afford nail polish from the store now." She stacked them in a messy pile on the counter.
Ring. Ring.
Skye's breathing sped up and she dried her hands quickly. She paused for a moment before reaching for the phone, but she sighed in relief when she saw Dad Q on the caller display.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Skye," Alan said. "How are you?"
"Well, other than being broke and having to do chores for the first time in my life… I'm doing all right."
"Listen, I would still love it if you came for dinner sometime, but we might have to put it off for a bit. I'm calling because your grandmother has gone missing."
Skye swallowed hard. "You mean Lila?"
"Yes. She disappeared this morning, wheelchair and all. She was in the nursery with Michael last Monica saw her. But then she found Michael crying and shaking in the corner. He couldn't identify the kidnapper. He just said the person was really big and wearing a mask. We're worried that someone might be targeting our family. I think for your safety you should stay away for a bit."
Skye gulped as she hung up the phone and started shaking when it started ringing again. "Now you took my grandmother!? What the hell is the matter with you? What is it that you want?"
"Bring one million dollars to the boathouse in Pine Valley at 9:30 this evening," mysterious voice said.
"But I don't have one million dollars! Daddy cut me off. I'm broke."
"You will find a way to get the money, even if you steal it."
"Look, just let them both go! Everyone is going to think I'm nuts."
"You will listen to me, or you will lose another family member. And this time they will die."
Skye felt her chest go heavy. "I should just go to the police and turn whoever you are in! You won't get away with this!"
"One million at the boathouse at 9:30 without a word to anyone, or you will regret it." The line went dead.
Just when she thought things couldn't get worse, there was another knock on the door. This time it was Derek Frye.
"Skye, I need to ask you a few questions about your sister, Colby," he said.
Skye swallowed hard. "All right." She stepped aside to let him in.
He followed her in and sat across from her in the living room. "Where were you between the hours of 9:30 and midnight last night?"
"Here. In bed."
"The entire time?"
"Most of the time. My mother and I were at the Yacht Club, then we came home and talked to my grandma and Uncle Stuart for a bit, then I went to bed."
"You weren't at your father's house at all?" he asked.
"No! I didn't take Colby!"
"Do you have any idea who might have?"
She paused for a moment but shook her head.
"Adam mentioned that you've shown to have some jealousy towards your siblings and that he cut off your finances," Derek said. "He believes you have motive to take her."
"Yeah, well, he always thinks I'm to blame for everything. But I didn't take her. I don't kidnap children."
Skye looked up as Rae walked in clearing her throat.
"Mom, tell him…" Skye walked over to her and stood close to her side. "I was here with you and Grandma and Uncle Stuart before going to bed last night."
Rae nodded. "She was. She didn't kidnap Colby."
"I'll need to question Stuart and Myrtle as well," Derek said. "Were all four of you here all night?"
"I left around 9:30 to go to Llanview," Rae said. "And Stuart left the same time I did."
"Colby's mother put her to bed at 8pm and noticed she was gone around 10:30."
"But my Grandma Myrtle was here all night," Skye defended. "She'll back me up. I didn't leave the house!"
"I'll need to speak with her," Derek said. "Is she home?"
"She's at the Pancake Palace with Stuart," Rae said. "I imagine she'll be home soon."
"As soon as she comes home, I need you to call me. I'll likely need to ask you more questions, Skye, after I've spoken with Myrtle."
After Derek left, Skye broke down in tears.
"Skye, it will be all right," Rae said.
"Please, please… you have to believe me. I didn't take Colby and I didn't take Lila."
"Lila?"
"Please believe me," Skye cried. "I don't want to go back to jail. I don't belong there. I know I'm a terrible daughter, but I don't want to leave. Please…"
"You won't be going back to jail. Myrtle will tell the detective that you were in your bed all night and they'll back off."
"But if she tells them that she'll be lying, and I know she won't lie."
Rae raised an eyebrow. "Skye? Did you lie to the police officer?"
"I didn't lie… but I wasn't in bed the entire time."
"But were you in the house?"
"Mostly…"
Rae inhaled deeply. "What do you mean by mostly?"
"I went into Grandma's study to shred something."
"Okay… what were you shredding in the middle of the night?"
"Just… something. I can't say."
Rae squeezed the bridge of her nose. "Okay, but you were in the house, so you have an alibi."
"But Grandma saw me, fully clothed, wet shoes and snow all over her floor with an open window."
Rae shook her head. "Okay, what aren't you telling me?"
"I'm not crazy… I'm not. But I climbed out the window and shimmied over to climb into the den."
"And why didn't you just walk down the hallway to get to the study?"
"I—I just couldn't," Skye said.
"Skye, you need to trust someone right now, so it might as well be your mother."
Skye shook her head. "I can't. Just please believe me, I didn't take Colby."
Rae rubbed her temples but nodded. "I believe you. Because I've come to learn that you have a bad habit of setting yourself up to look guilty for things that you don't do."
Skye smiled through her tears and hugged Rae. "Thank you! Thank you so much, Mom. Please don't let them lock me up again. Please…"
"I made the mistake of believing you shot Max, and even accused you of it in a room full of people… I won't do that again. But after all of this, you really have to work on not setting yourself up to look guilty for things."
Skye sniffled and let go of the hug. "I'll try."
"Good. Now, please tell me… what details are you leaving out? Is someone threatening you."
Skye looked into her mother's eyes and her lip trembled a little, but she turned away from her and shook her head.
Rae sighed. "Okay, do you have any idea who might have taken Colby… or Lila?"
Skye started to shake her head, but then paused in thought.
"Skye?"
"Todd and Blair showed up here today."
Rae's eyes grew wide. "They did what? Why didn't you call the police? John is looking for Blair. And we're looking into getting a restraining order against Todd."
"I was going to call John, but I got distracted with something, then Derek showed up."
"Okay, why were Todd and Blair here?"
"Blair wanted to gloat to me about breaking out," Skye said. "And she said how I'm still going to pay for what I did to her. And Todd said he left his pocketknife in Grandma's den. So, he's been through Grandma's house when no one was home! He must know that she has a shredder."
Rae squinted her eyes. "What does the shredder have to do with anything?"
"Uh… nothing. And then that little brat Starr came over and shot me with her water gun and was complaining about some she crying in the car." Skye's mouth dropped slightly. "What if that was Colby in the car and this is Blair's payback to me?"
"Did they give any indication to where they were going?" Rae asked.
"To Disneyworld. Starr was begging that they don't delay any further."
"All right, I'm going to call John. You call Derek."
