Chapter 2: The Link
Monica sat down and moved over so Chandler could get into the cab.
"Where to?" The cab driver asked politely.
Monica answered, "The hotel two blocks away." The car pulled away from the curb.
Chandler leaned back in his seat; he put his arm around Monica. "Are you okay?"
Monica looked to Chandler, tears glistening in her eyes, "All these old memories, I just, just don't know."
"What do you mean?" Chandler questioned.
"Well, is he alive, is he living with some other family, did someone at the airport take him, did someone at the airport kill him?" Monica started to sob.
Chandler tightened his grip on her, "We agreed to distance ourselves from this, move away, live new lives."
Monica sighed, "We see our friends like once every three months. Maybe it's time we moved back."
Chandler nodded, "Then let's move back, we could look for a new apartment or we could move back into our old one."
The cab pulled up to stop lights right near their old apartment. Monica tapped the cab driver; "Stop here." He obeyed.
Chandler looked at her questionably, "Why?"
Monica opened the door; "I have to go talk to Rachel and Phoebe. I just want to, is that okay?"
Chandler kissed her forehead, "I'm going to the hotel, meet me there in a few hours."
Monica got out and leaned back into the car, "I'll call you if anything changes."
Chandler told the cab driver he could leave.
"So it's to the hotel, sir?" The driver asked.
Chandler rubbed his hands together nervously, "Um, can you take me to the airport?"
The bad driver snickered, "Leaving New York are we?"
Chandler once again leaned back in the chair, "There's something I have to check out there."
Monica walked into the apartment. Rachel and Phoebe were sitting on the couch watching TV. They turned around as they heard Monica enter.
"Oh I'm glad it's just you two here." Monica said, with a sigh of relief as she sat in the living room chair.
"How did it go?" Rachel asked, referring to the stop at the police station.
"They found his jacket." Monica said motionless.
Phoebe stood up and hugged Monica; "This must be awful for you two." She paused, "Do you want anything?"
"No, I'm good." Monica said. Her two friends watched her, concerned. Monica spoke again, "I'm so stressed out. I really hope that he's okay. That maybe someone else took him and he's living with a good family somewhere. I hope we find him."
Rachel said, "I hope you do too, we all do. We miss you guys."
Monica half-heartedly smiled, "As soon as we got here, I went to the hospital. I don't know why, I just thought maybe he'd be there or something. Something drew me there for some reason. When I got there I just saw more pain and hurt so I knew I was wrong."
Chandler entered the airport, not sure of what he was doing. He remembered Sergeant Akin talking about a rental car place and a woman's washroom. He walked down a corridor filled with people caring suitcases and airline tickets, coffees, hugging loved ones. He walked up to the counter where the rental car places were stationed. He walked up to the only counter with a person standing behind it.
Chandler spoke to the young gentleman, "Can I ask you a question?"
The young man smiled pleasantly, "Do you need a car, sir?"
Chandler was embarrassed, "I need to know if you have had a car here with a broken windshield."
"Excuse me?" The man said, a young woman stepped up to the counter, and busied herself with some papers. "Did you break the windshield of your rental, sir?"
Chandler said, "No, but I need to know if someone dropped off a car here like two years ago with a broken windshield, a green Toyota, I believe."
The young woman suddenly looked up interested, "Are you the guy that broke that windshield? Because that was a big thing, credit card fraud and everything!"
"You remember that?" Chandler asked almost frantically. "It wasn't me, but I might be able to help find the guy. He kidnapped my son."
The woman looked shocked, "Yeah, I remember. A police officer came by and was asking us all kinds of questions about that two days ago." The woman came out from behind the counter, and stood in front of Chandler. "We've been trying to get a hold of the officer, because one of our old employees came by yesterday to pick up something and we asked her about it. She was working that day."
Chandler's eyes widened, "Do you know more about it?"
"Well, Jeanne, that's the ex-employee, she said she remembered the guy had an old woman and a young lady with him. The young lady went into the washroom; she had this little boy with her. The little boy was throwing a temper tantrum. They were trying to get home to Florida, but their tickets were invalid."
Chandler almost fell over; he knew the little boy was Jaron.
The woman proceeded, "We wanted to call the police because we knew something more about the people with him. You see the lady he was with had a huge bandage wrapped around her arm."
Monica was sitting on the bed when Chandler entered, he ran into the room. Monica stood up, "Where have you been? I tried to call you, but you didn't answer."
Chandler grabbed Monica's arm, "We have a new link on the kidnappers!"
Monica's eyes were fixated on Chandler, "Seriously?"
"Yeah, the kidnapper was trying to get home to Florida. He was with an older lady, and another woman, she had a huge or something on her arm." Chandler turned, picked u the phone and dialled the number of the local police station, to get a hold of Sergeant Akin.
Monica suddenly remembered the scar on the woman at the hospital's arm. She grabbed her coat and ran out of the hotel. It was 6:40pm; she hoped the woman would still be seated, crying in the waiting area. Chandler dropped the phone and ran after her.
As the two entered the hospital, Chandler held onto Monica's arm. "Maybe we're wrong, maybe we should call the police first, maybe we should-"
Monica interrupted him, "Maybe you should shut up and let me do the talking." Chandler held himself back. Monica spoke quietly, "Jaron wasn't with them this morning, and there was no man there."
They turned the corner and Monica spotted the woman sitting on the plastic chairs, this time she was alone. Monica motioned to Chandler that this was the woman.
Monica walked up to the woman and sat down next to her, Chandler cautiously sat next to Monica.
"Hello, ma'am," Monica said to the woman.
The woman, holding a worn tissue turned to her, "Yes?" She said, still on the verge of sobs.
Monica proceeded, "I'm with the hospital and I just need some information from you." Monica lied.
The woman looked closer at her, "My name's Angela. I think I saw you this morning."
Monica hesitantly replied, "Yes I was here this morning."
Angela turned and looked at Chandler now, "I'm here with my husband's parents, they can tell you more about him."
Monica nodded, "Where are they?"
Angela looked around, "I think they went to the cafeteria. It's been a long day."
Chandler tried a question, "Is your husband the one in the hospital?"
Angela looked once more at Chandler, "He died this morning. He was drunk and he fell off the balcony at my sisters house."
Monica gulped, nervously, "Do you have any children, Angela?"
Chandler looked at Monica with doubt in his eyes.
Angela faintly smiled, "We kind of did for a while, but I can't really talk about it right now. We were just sort of looking after the kid."
Monica fought with tears, "The kid?" She said anxiously.
Angela looked guilty, "Well, if you don't mind, I have to go find Ricky's parents." The woman got up and quickly started to leave.
Chandler jumped up, "Wait, we just need to know your last name."
Angela tried a smile again, "My husband and I, our last name is Akin." She hurried off down the hall.
Monica turned to Chandler, "It's got to be a coincidence." Chandler and Monica got up and left, when they were outside, Chandler pulled out the number for Sergeant Akin.
Monica sat down and moved over so Chandler could get into the cab.
"Where to?" The cab driver asked politely.
Monica answered, "The hotel two blocks away." The car pulled away from the curb.
Chandler leaned back in his seat; he put his arm around Monica. "Are you okay?"
Monica looked to Chandler, tears glistening in her eyes, "All these old memories, I just, just don't know."
"What do you mean?" Chandler questioned.
"Well, is he alive, is he living with some other family, did someone at the airport take him, did someone at the airport kill him?" Monica started to sob.
Chandler tightened his grip on her, "We agreed to distance ourselves from this, move away, live new lives."
Monica sighed, "We see our friends like once every three months. Maybe it's time we moved back."
Chandler nodded, "Then let's move back, we could look for a new apartment or we could move back into our old one."
The cab pulled up to stop lights right near their old apartment. Monica tapped the cab driver; "Stop here." He obeyed.
Chandler looked at her questionably, "Why?"
Monica opened the door; "I have to go talk to Rachel and Phoebe. I just want to, is that okay?"
Chandler kissed her forehead, "I'm going to the hotel, meet me there in a few hours."
Monica got out and leaned back into the car, "I'll call you if anything changes."
Chandler told the cab driver he could leave.
"So it's to the hotel, sir?" The driver asked.
Chandler rubbed his hands together nervously, "Um, can you take me to the airport?"
The bad driver snickered, "Leaving New York are we?"
Chandler once again leaned back in the chair, "There's something I have to check out there."
Monica walked into the apartment. Rachel and Phoebe were sitting on the couch watching TV. They turned around as they heard Monica enter.
"Oh I'm glad it's just you two here." Monica said, with a sigh of relief as she sat in the living room chair.
"How did it go?" Rachel asked, referring to the stop at the police station.
"They found his jacket." Monica said motionless.
Phoebe stood up and hugged Monica; "This must be awful for you two." She paused, "Do you want anything?"
"No, I'm good." Monica said. Her two friends watched her, concerned. Monica spoke again, "I'm so stressed out. I really hope that he's okay. That maybe someone else took him and he's living with a good family somewhere. I hope we find him."
Rachel said, "I hope you do too, we all do. We miss you guys."
Monica half-heartedly smiled, "As soon as we got here, I went to the hospital. I don't know why, I just thought maybe he'd be there or something. Something drew me there for some reason. When I got there I just saw more pain and hurt so I knew I was wrong."
Chandler entered the airport, not sure of what he was doing. He remembered Sergeant Akin talking about a rental car place and a woman's washroom. He walked down a corridor filled with people caring suitcases and airline tickets, coffees, hugging loved ones. He walked up to the counter where the rental car places were stationed. He walked up to the only counter with a person standing behind it.
Chandler spoke to the young gentleman, "Can I ask you a question?"
The young man smiled pleasantly, "Do you need a car, sir?"
Chandler was embarrassed, "I need to know if you have had a car here with a broken windshield."
"Excuse me?" The man said, a young woman stepped up to the counter, and busied herself with some papers. "Did you break the windshield of your rental, sir?"
Chandler said, "No, but I need to know if someone dropped off a car here like two years ago with a broken windshield, a green Toyota, I believe."
The young woman suddenly looked up interested, "Are you the guy that broke that windshield? Because that was a big thing, credit card fraud and everything!"
"You remember that?" Chandler asked almost frantically. "It wasn't me, but I might be able to help find the guy. He kidnapped my son."
The woman looked shocked, "Yeah, I remember. A police officer came by and was asking us all kinds of questions about that two days ago." The woman came out from behind the counter, and stood in front of Chandler. "We've been trying to get a hold of the officer, because one of our old employees came by yesterday to pick up something and we asked her about it. She was working that day."
Chandler's eyes widened, "Do you know more about it?"
"Well, Jeanne, that's the ex-employee, she said she remembered the guy had an old woman and a young lady with him. The young lady went into the washroom; she had this little boy with her. The little boy was throwing a temper tantrum. They were trying to get home to Florida, but their tickets were invalid."
Chandler almost fell over; he knew the little boy was Jaron.
The woman proceeded, "We wanted to call the police because we knew something more about the people with him. You see the lady he was with had a huge bandage wrapped around her arm."
Monica was sitting on the bed when Chandler entered, he ran into the room. Monica stood up, "Where have you been? I tried to call you, but you didn't answer."
Chandler grabbed Monica's arm, "We have a new link on the kidnappers!"
Monica's eyes were fixated on Chandler, "Seriously?"
"Yeah, the kidnapper was trying to get home to Florida. He was with an older lady, and another woman, she had a huge or something on her arm." Chandler turned, picked u the phone and dialled the number of the local police station, to get a hold of Sergeant Akin.
Monica suddenly remembered the scar on the woman at the hospital's arm. She grabbed her coat and ran out of the hotel. It was 6:40pm; she hoped the woman would still be seated, crying in the waiting area. Chandler dropped the phone and ran after her.
As the two entered the hospital, Chandler held onto Monica's arm. "Maybe we're wrong, maybe we should call the police first, maybe we should-"
Monica interrupted him, "Maybe you should shut up and let me do the talking." Chandler held himself back. Monica spoke quietly, "Jaron wasn't with them this morning, and there was no man there."
They turned the corner and Monica spotted the woman sitting on the plastic chairs, this time she was alone. Monica motioned to Chandler that this was the woman.
Monica walked up to the woman and sat down next to her, Chandler cautiously sat next to Monica.
"Hello, ma'am," Monica said to the woman.
The woman, holding a worn tissue turned to her, "Yes?" She said, still on the verge of sobs.
Monica proceeded, "I'm with the hospital and I just need some information from you." Monica lied.
The woman looked closer at her, "My name's Angela. I think I saw you this morning."
Monica hesitantly replied, "Yes I was here this morning."
Angela turned and looked at Chandler now, "I'm here with my husband's parents, they can tell you more about him."
Monica nodded, "Where are they?"
Angela looked around, "I think they went to the cafeteria. It's been a long day."
Chandler tried a question, "Is your husband the one in the hospital?"
Angela looked once more at Chandler, "He died this morning. He was drunk and he fell off the balcony at my sisters house."
Monica gulped, nervously, "Do you have any children, Angela?"
Chandler looked at Monica with doubt in his eyes.
Angela faintly smiled, "We kind of did for a while, but I can't really talk about it right now. We were just sort of looking after the kid."
Monica fought with tears, "The kid?" She said anxiously.
Angela looked guilty, "Well, if you don't mind, I have to go find Ricky's parents." The woman got up and quickly started to leave.
Chandler jumped up, "Wait, we just need to know your last name."
Angela tried a smile again, "My husband and I, our last name is Akin." She hurried off down the hall.
Monica turned to Chandler, "It's got to be a coincidence." Chandler and Monica got up and left, when they were outside, Chandler pulled out the number for Sergeant Akin.
