"A Single Yellow Rose" - Chapter Six
Kiriakis' Mansion – Philip's bedroom…early morning hours
"Gone? What do you mean gone?"
"I've checked the house, she's not here and I had hoped that…"
"No, she's not with me." Philip raked his fingers through his hair as Henderson quietly left the room. "God, where could she have gone?"
"There isn't any place you can think of?" Craig replied. "Some place that is special to the two of you?"
Philip thought for a moment before answering. "We were talking in the park tonight, that's where all of that stuff came out but I don't know why she would go there. Maybe she went to see Shawn or Belle."
"At three in the morning?" Craig demanded, "I thought you said they didn't know anything!"
"They don't but maybe she wanted to talk to them…I don't know."
"We're calling the police," Philip heard Nancy's shill voice in the background.
"Wait! Let me call Shawn and Belle and see if they've heard from her. If not then we can talk with Shawn's dad." There was silence on the other end of the phone. "Please sir, if she is with them or they know where we can find her then we can get to her without flashing lights and screaming sirens."
"Call me as soon as know anything."
Philip breathed a sign of relief. "Yes sir, thank you. I'll call you soon." Pressing the button to end the connection, Philip released it and immediately dialed Shawn cell phone number. "Come on, Shawn, pick up the phone."
"'lo," came the sleepy greetings after numerous rings.
"Shawn, its Philip. Have you talked to Chloe tonight?"
"What? Who is this?"
"It's Philip and I'm talking about Chloe."
Philip heard a long yawn from the other end of the phone line. "Yeah right, Chloe, you're always talking about Chloe. I know… she's terrific, she's one-of-a-kind…just make sure I'm on the guest list. Better yet, make me an usher, I look great in a tux."
"Shawn will you wake up! Obviously she's not there with you but have you talked to Chloe tonight?"
Across town, Shawn rolled over onto his back, rubbing the sleep from his eyes before peeking at his bedside clock. "Philip?"
"Yes Shawn it's me. Now, will you answer my question?"
"What did you ask me again?" Shawn said, pushing himself up against his pillows.
"For the last time, have you spoken with Chloe tonight?"
"Not since Belle and I saw her at the school when she was waiting for you, why? And why in the hell are you calling me at three in the morning?"
"Chloe's disappeared. Dr. Wesley just called me and-"
"What! Wait, back up a minute. Chloe's disappeared?"
"Look, she had a pretty rough night and I guess she was more upset that we thought. Now she's gone."
"What's got her so upset?"
Philip hesitated before answering, knowing it wasn't his place to tell Shawn anything. "I can't go into that right now. Look, I'm heading over to the Wesley's, why don't you give Belle a call just in case Chloe called her or if we're lucky maybe she's there. If not, I'm gonna need you to wake up your dad."
"My dad? Whoa, this is serious isn't it?"
"Yeah."
"Look, I'll call Belle and have an answer for you by the time you get here."
"Get there?"
"Yeah, if Chloe isn't with Belle and I'm gonna get my dad involved I'm going with you over to her house. Maybe we can find something in her room that will give us a clue as to where she is."
"Spoken like the true son of cop. I'll be there in five minutes." Philip hung up the phone, grabbed his jeans off the floor and was dressed in less than a minute. He grabbed his wallet and keys and headed out of his room.
"Son?"
Philip looked up from buttoning his shirt to see his father standing by his open bedroom door. "It's Chloe dad."
Victor only nodded as Kate appeared next to him, tying the front of her bathrobe. "Victor, what's going on? Philip, honey where are you going? It's the middle of the night."
"Mom, I can't talk now…I've got to go."
"Just a minute young man, you aren't going any-"
"Kate," Victor's soft but steely strong voice cut her off, "go back to bed."
"What is going on here? Victor, what aren't you telling me?"
"I'm telling you to go back to bed, I'll explain it all to you in a minute."
Kate stalled for a moment, her eyes moving back and forth between father and son, taking in the steady gaze they shared. "Alright, I will."
Philip walked up to the room as his mother disappeared into the darkness. "Thanks Dad."
"Something's wrong."
Philip nodded, "it's Chloe, she's disappeared. I'm heading over to her parents now…umm, you're not going to tell Mom about Chloe are you?"
"And break a confidence with my son? Never. Don't worry, like you I have a way of telling a woman what I want her to hear in such a way she thinks its what she wants to hear. Where do you think you inherited that gift from?"
Philip felt a small smile crease his face. "Thank again."
Victor followed his son down the hall and watched from the upper landing as he headed down the stairs and grabbed his jacket from the chair next to the door. "Philip."
His father's voice stopped him at he was about to open the front door. "If you need anything…"
"Don't worry dad, I know just the man to come to."
*****
Shawn jumped out of bed and got dressed. As confusing as this all was, he had a bad feeling that Chloe wasn't going to be at Belle's. He punched in the code for her number and waited, praying that she hadn't left her phone laying around where her dad could get to it.
"Hello?"
"Oh, hey Brady, this is Shawn. I guess I called the wrong number. I thought I had hit the code to reach Belle's cell phone instead of the house. What are you doing there?"
"I live here…or least when one of my fraternity brothers decides to borrow my room. What are you doing calling at this time of night…um, morning?"
"Sorry, I just didn't expect you to be there. Hey, I know this is gonna sound strange but is Chloe over there?"
"Chloe here? I don't think so but I just got in a few hours ago and I was up watching tv. Everyone's asleep."
"Could you do me a favor and take a quick peek in Belle's room to see if she is there?"
"Are you going to explain all of this to me when I get back?"
"What little I know I'll tell you…please just go check."
"Okay, hold on."
Tucking his phone between his ear and shoulder, Shawn tugged on his shoes and started pacing his room as he waited for Brady to return.
"Sorry Shawn," Brady voice filled the receiver, "but Belle's all alone and sound asleep. What's going on?"
"I'm not really sure. Philip just called me. Apparently he and Chloe talked tonight about something, she got really upset and when her folks went to go check on her a little while ago she was gone."
"The best thing that guy does it get her mad. What the hell did he say to her now?"
"I don't know Brady but I don't think its Phil's fault…this time. Dr. Wesley called him first thinking that Chloe had gone to see him and then Philip called me hoping she was either with me or Belle."
"At this time of the night…or morning?"
"Look, Philip gonna be here any minute and we are heading over to Chloe's to see if we can figure out what's wrong. If you or Belle hear from her please call me right away."
"Should I wake up Belle and tell her what is going on?"
"No, she's gonna be up in a few hours for school and I think if Chloe had talked to her earlier she would have said something to one of us."
"Hey, I've only got one class today so if you guys need me for anything let me know. I'll hang around here in case you hear from her."
"Okay, talk to you later."
Shawn ended the call, shoved the phone in his pocket and headed out into the hall. Stopping for a minute in Johnny's room, he looked down on the infant sleeping peacefully in his crib. Shawn gently stroked his brother's soft, dark hair. 'Same color as me,' he thought to himself, 'but not one hundred percent.' As glad as he was that he was able to work things out with his folks and come to terms with Belle and Johnny having the same father, it still bothered him that he and his brother weren't true blood brothers. It seemed weird at first when he realized that Johnny was a part of both him and Belle. But instead of letting that come between them it had only strengthened the bond they shared, and the love he felt for Johnny was stronger than anything he'd ever felt in his life.
Heading back out in the hall, he went to his parent's room and softly knocked on the door. He pushed open the door and saw his folks laying spoon fashion in bed, his father's arm cradling his mom close against him. Shawn knew how hard all of this was on his dad as he could see the pain in his father's eyes whenever Belle's parents were over at the house and John would hold his son. He knew how hard both families were working at trying to make the best of this situation and he gave a lot of credit to Dr. Evans and his mom for insisting that it could be okay. Shawn reached over and laid a hand on his dad's shoulder. "Hey, dad."
Years of training kicked in and Bo woke up immediately. "What?"
Shawn motioned out to the hall and quickly backed away and left room knowing his father would follow.
"What is it Shawn? Is it Johnny?" Bo whispered.
"No, he's fine. Dad, I need you help. It's Chloe. She's disappeared, run away I guess."
"You guess?"
"Look, I don't really know what is going on," Shawn raised his voice, "but Philip just called me and he's heading over here so we can go over to her parents house."
"Shh!" Bo reached behind him and closed over his bedroom door. "How does Philip know Chloe is gone?"
"Her parents called him when they discovered she was missing. I guess they hoped she was with him."
"What time is it?"
"About three fifteen." Shawn said, checking his watch. "Philip asked me to call Belle to see if she might be there and if she wasn't he asked that I wake you up."
Bo heaved a long sigh and tunneled his fingers through his hair. He stared long at the dark eyes of his son that matched his own. "Is it that serious?"
"I think so. Philip should be here soon. I'll wait out front so he doesn't wake up Johnny."
"I'll meet you two outside after I tell you mother."
"Thanks dad," Shawn said before turning and heading down the stairs.
*****
Philip slowly pushed open the door but he still didn't go inside.
"What are you waiting for? You're x-ray vision going to tell you if anything is in there?" Shawn asked, standing at his shoulder.
Philip opened his mouth but quickly snapped it shut again when he got a peek at an unmade bed. "It's Chloe's bedroom."
"Yeah? That's the point isn't it?"
"It's her personal space. You don't like it when people invade your room, do you? Especially when you aren't around?"
"I don't my friends disappearing in the middle of the night either. Come on," Shawn brushed past his friend and walked in.
They had arrived at the Wesley's a few minutes ago and discovered that Chloe hadn't come home yet. Bo took Craig and Nancy into the living room to talk, telling the boys stay out in the foyer. Shawn had suggested they look around Chloe's room for something that might give them a clue why she left or where she'd gone. Nancy was against it but after Bo agreed that it was a good idea as long as they didn't touch anything and she had relented. Shawn had climbed the stairs with Philip following behind him.
"Looks like she had a tough time sleeping." Philip said softly.
"Why's that?" Shawn said as he went over to her desk and looked around but all he saw was the usual array of books and papers.
"Look at her bed, the sheets are all tangled, blankets and pillows on the floor."
"Maybe she's just a restless sleeper." Shawn said as he moved over to look over the top of her dresser.
Philip moved over to the open window, propping his hand up against the woodwork. "I don't think so. I've called her late before and it takes her forever to answer the phone. No, tonight wasn't a good night for Chloe."
"You gonna tell me what happened between you two tonight?"
"I can't Shawn," Philip answered without turning around, "believe me, that's hard for me to say to you but it's not my place. If Chloe wants you to know, she'll tell you."
"It not about the two of you is it? It's something more."
Philip's head snapped around. "How did you know that?"
"I don't know, maybe because the Wesley's called you first when they found out she was gone. Or maybe because I've always felt that there is something about Chloe…I don't know how to describe it… something sad."
Philip remained silent, only nodding in agreement before turning back to the window. "Do you think she got out this way?" he asked, pointing to the tall tree with branches that brushed up against the house that offered a natural ladder from Chloe's second story window to the ground below.
Shawn walked over and looked out the window. "Could be. Easy access in and easy access out. You've never used it?"
Philip offered a small smile at his friend's attempt to lighten the mood. "No, but I'll have to keep it in mind."
Shawn and Philip both turned away with Shawn heading for the closet and Philip over to a bookshelf. The first shelf held a bunch of paperbacks by Sandra Brown tucked next to a hardbound collection of Jan Austen novels. The next shelf was filled with CD's, mostly operas and classical music but the last three were 'Nsync latest, Judy Garland, 25th Anniversary Retrospective and the soundtrack to The Sound of Music.
"That's my girl," Philip said softly, "a contradiction all the way."
He squatted to his knees, balancing himself on the balls of his feet as his gaze moved the bottom shelf that held a shoebox without a lid. Inside it he saw what looked like newspaper clippings with a dog-eared paperback book lying on top. His eyes scanned the title of the book in disbelief. "Hey Shawn come here."
Shawn walked over and peeked over Philip's shoulder. "The Idiot's Guide to Understanding Football," he read aloud the cover of the book. "Looks like she was reading it a lot."
"Yeah, look at these." Philip lifted up the edge of the book carefully, the words of Shawn's father ringing in his ears about not touching anything. "Articles cut from the newspaper about the football team."
"You mean about you," Shawn said, offering a gentle cuff to Philip's shoulder, "that's why she cut them out and that's why she was reading that book."
Philip only nodded as he continued to stare at the contents of the box. Damn! How many times in the last few weeks had he spent cursing Chloe for not being interested in something that was important to him? "I shouldn't have left her tonight."
"What?"
"I should've stayed here or parked my car outside the house to keep and eye on her or…I don't know…something."
"Come on, let's go back downstairs. I don't anything that is going to help here."
Rising to his feet, Philip crossed the room and followed Shawn out the door, naturally turning off the light as he left. Suddenly he turned back and hit the light switch again, filling the room with the soft glow of light. "Just in case," he whispered.
*****
Shawn slowly sipped at the steaming cup of coffee he held cradled in his hands. He prayed this did the trick of keeping him awake since he never made it to bed last night after Philip's frantic phone call. Sitting atop one of the outdoor lunch table, he scanned the crowds of kids milling around, offering faint smiles and quiet hellos. He had called Brady just before he hit the double D and told him of what little progress they had made. Brady had agreed not to say anything to Belle as Shawn wanted to tell her himself.
"Hey you," Belle joined Shawn at the table, dropping her backpack to the ground next to his, "you look exhausted. What'd you do? Pull an all nighter studying to today's calculus tests after I left?"
"No, I…umm-" Shawn's voice trailed away as he watched Philip's mustang pull into the parking lot. He watched as his friend dropped his head to the steering wheel for a few seconds before he got out of car, locked it and headed towards school. Shawn hoisted the cup of coffee in the air to get Philip's attention. Philip gave a halfhearted wave in return and headed in their direction.
"God that looks good," he said, eyeing Shawn's cup, "I wish I'd thought of getting me some of that."
"Here," reaching down next to him, Shawn brought forth a matching steaming cup, "medium regular with yuck....four sugers."
"Ah, you're a God," Philip said, taking the cup and downing a large sip, "thanks."
"Four sugers?" Belle asked.
"It keeps him sweet," Shawn answered.
"It keeps me awake," Philip answered.
"Yeah, what's with the two of you?" Belle said, looking back and forth at the pair of blood shot, weary eyes in front of her. "You guys have a late night party and not invite me?"
Shawn took another sip of coffee, making eye contact with Philip over the rim. "Anything?"
Philip just shook his head as he stirred his coffee with his finger.
"Did you talk to your dad?"
"Yeah," Philip licked the coffee off his finger before taking another sip, "he's got people working on it but nothing yet."
Belle bumped up softly against Shawn. "Is someone going to answer me?"
"Belle, I've got something to tell you-"
"Hey guys!"
All three turned around to see Mimi heading their way. "Thank god it's Friday! Ready for the big game tomorrow Phil?" she asked, joining the group.
"The game...yeah that's one of the reason I'm here today because of some stupid rule that says all eligible players must attend school the day before in order to play. That and my dad laid down the law about letting the adults take care of this. Otherwise I would be in Chicago right now."
"Chicago? Why there?" Belle asked.
"Hey, Phil baby!"
Philip turned around to see Jan heading straight towards him. 'Great, he thought to himself, 'just what I don't need.'
"So I hear your song bird has flown the coop." Jan said, as she pushed her way into the circle causing Mimi to walk around to the other side of the table.
"What are you talking about Jan?" Belle said as Shawn and Philip exchanged worried glances.
"Don't tell me you don't know Miss Belle?" Jan turned her evil glare onto Shawn. "Shame on you Brady, for keeping your lover in the dark."
"Go away Jan," Shawn groaned, closing his eyes, "just go away."
"It seems Chloe finally used that super powered brain of hers, got smart and took off last night."
"Took off? What do you mean took off?"
"Lit out, took a power, caught the train?"
"You mean she ran away?" Belle asked Shawn.
"Well, look who finally caught on! No doubt that you're a natural blond."
"And you knew about this?" Belle continued looking at Shawn, ignoring Jan.
"I...I mean, we," Shawn amended when Philip cleared his throat, "were just about to tell you when Miss Personality walked up. How did you find out about it anyway?"
"Hey, I've got this town wired. My sister's boyfriend is a rookie on the police force working the graveyard shift."
"What is going on here? Why did Chloe run away?" Belle cried.
"Come on," Shawn said, as he stepped down from the table, "I'll tell you all about it...in private."
Philip nodded in agreement and Shawn led Belle a few feet to a small group of trees to relay last night events to her. Philip watched the look of shock that came over Belle's face and then Shawn gathered her in his arms.
"Isn't that sweet?" Jan sneered. "So, Philip, I guess means you're going stag to the big party up at the lake after the game tomorrow night?"
"Go blow Jan."
"Is that a request?"
Philip just rolled his eyes in Mimi's direction for before finishing up his coffee. Suddenly he noticed Jason heading in this direction and his gaze shot to Mimi. "Hey Jase, what's up man?"
Mimi's cheeks flushed a flattering shade of pink as Jason stopped to stand right next to her
"Hey Philip." Jason's eyes flattened when his saw his ex. "Jan."
"Jason."
Shifting his backpack from one shoulder to the other, he turned and looked down at the girl next to him, a genuine smile back on his face. "Hi Mimi."
"Hi."
Philip found himself clearing his throat a second time in a matter of minutes.
"Hey, I heard something about Chloe running away? What's going on?" Jason asked.
"Yeah," Mimi added, "what's that all about?"
"It's a long story that I'm going not going into now." Philip answered, jerking his head in Jan's direction.
"Oh, spare me," Jan said, "I already know everything."
Moments later, Shawn and Belle rejoined their friends as the first bell sounded but none of them moved. Shawn wrapped his arms around Belle from behind resting his head on her shoulder. "I can't believe this is happening." Belle said.
"You okay?" Philip asked her.
"No, and I won't be until we know she if she is all right."
"Oh please." Jan wined, "can't we talk about something else?"
"Okay Jan just for you," Jason said, "I'll change the subject. Phil, do you remember if I had my jacket with me after practice yesterday? I tore my room apart looking for it but I couldn't find it anywhere this morning."
"I thought you had it on but the way my mind's been lately I could be wrong-"
"Umm," Mimi interrupted, "I was looking for you this morning Jason...I have your jacket."
"You?" Belle and Jan said simultaneously.
"Yeah, I'm sorry, I was going to bring it in this morning but I left it on the end of my bed..."
"What the hell is his jacket doing on your bed?" Jan cried.
"Well, he and I were...." Mimi moved her books into the crook of one arm and started waving her free hand in the air between her and Jason conscious of Jan's evil glare. "I mean, last night we..."
"It's cool Mimi," Jason stepped over in front of her, grabbing her hand. "Just bring it to the game tomorrow afternoon okay?"
"Okay." Mimi said, unaware of the four sets of eyes watching her and Jason as Jan then stormed off in the direction of the school.
The second warning bell went off and Shawn and Belle gathered their stuff. "Come on Meems, we're off to first period. If you hear anything, I don't care how small or insignif' let me know okay?"
Shawn promised her with a kiss and the guys watched as Belle and Mimi walked away.
"Damn! I feel so useless!" Philip said, crumpling his cup into a ball and tossing it into the nearest trash can.
To be continued…