Truth Out Of Darkness
Chapter 47
Brady stood on the pier and looked out over the water, a grim expression on his face. This place, which usually was his sanctuary, which usually calmed him, today only made him more restless, anxious.
"Dammit, Chloe. Where are you?" He'd been searching for an hour now, checking all her favorite haunts, anywhere she might have gone. This was the third time he had come here to the pier, their special place. Surely, if she were anywhere, she'd be here. {She must have gotten lost somewhere, been confused in her current state of mind.} He didn't want to consider the other possibility, that she had been abducted. However, deep down he knew. He felt it in the core of his soul. She was gone. And he didn't know where.
He turned to leave, and suddenly felt something pulling him back. Some unnamable force held him to that spot, while a wild wind suddenly blew around him. He heard whispers in the wind, but couldn't make out the message. He strained his ears to hear, suddenly feeling like something momentous was occurring. Someone, somewhere was trying to tell him something.
But he couldn't hear anything but the rustling of trash and dead leaves in the breeze. The wind died down and the moment passed. He shook his head to clear his mind and got in his jeep. He drove back to the Wesleys'. Maybe Chloe had come back.
The small hopeful smile on Nancy's face vanished when she saw that Brady was alone. "I looked everywhere for her. I can't find her. I don't know where she could be." Brady said with a sigh. He offered hopefully, "She probably just got lost somewhere."
Nancy nodded slightly, trying to hang on to her last remaining thread of hope. No one said what they were thinking. They waited awkwardly for a few minutes, hoping that at any minute, she would come walking in the front door.
Craig shook himself out of his lethargy. He knew a more proactive course was necessary. He decided to call Bo. Bo picked up after three rings; he'd been in the middle of giving J.T. a bath.
"Bo, it's Chloe. She's missing. We found a note in her room saying that she went for a walk, and we haven't been able to find her anywhere."
"Oh, Lord." Bo sighed. "How long has she been gone?"
"At least two hours, but it could be as many as five." Craig answered grimly.
"Okay, I'm going to get over to the station and get Abe and Roman involved in this. We'll start combing the streets for any sign of her."
"Any word yet on who her stalker is?" Craig asked quietly, turning away from Nancy. He didn't want her to worry until they knew for a fact that she had been abducted.
Craig heard Bo's sigh of frustration. "Unfortunately Craig, we ended up with a list of over 50 possible suspects. We're running the list through a filter, to sort the names by factors like location, motive, opportunity, history, alibis, etc. It's a lengthy process, and could take a while." Bo paused before continuing. "You know, Craig, we can't do anything officially until she's been missing 24 hours."
"TWENTY-FOUR HOURS!" Craig struggled to bring his voice down. "She could be dead in twenty-four hours." He said quietly.
"I know. That's why we'll be acting unofficially. We aren't cops tonight, Craig. Just concerned friends who want to help."
"Thank you." He finished and hung up. He turned to the Nancy and Brady. "They are looking for Chloe as we speak. She'll turn up." He said optimistically, for his wife's benefit.
But Brady knew better. He had observed closely Craig's call, saw the angry despair in his eyes, the restless energy in his frame. "I'll be right back."
He went outside and called John, hoping that he would have some resources that would help. John and Marlena arrived a short time later to provide assistance and moral support.
An anxious hour passed, filled with waiting and worry. Bo checked in periodically to say that they still couldn't find her. No one mentioned the fear that was foremost in their thoughts. Chloe hasn't been abducted, she's just lost.
Marlena tried to calm Nancy as they sat on the living room loveseat. "They'll find Chloe soon. She's disoriented and confused, and her sense of direction is probably off balance. It's going to be okay. Just have faith, Nancy. God wouldn't let anything happen to Chloe, not on Christmas Eve."
Nancy barely heard Marlena's soothing words. She was deep in shock. This was too much. So much had already happened to her baby, now she's gone, lost? Her eyes were focused blankly on the sofa in front of her, on the floor beneath the sofa. Her gaze was soon drawn to an envelope that was underneath the sofa. She picked it up mechanically and looked at it.
She gradually emerged from her daze. She remembered seeing this letter. It had come in the mail days before and was addressed to Chloe. Marlena watched her, closely, concerned by Nancy's expression.
"Nancy, what is it?" she asked. The dull murmurs of surrounding conversations soon came to a halt at her question. Everyone looked at Nancy, who was standing rigidly, a blank expression on her face.
Nancy answered distantly. "It's a letter for Chloe. It was forwarded by the orphanage." She looked at the return address and frowned. "It's from the Department of Corrections." Nancy tore into the letter and read it silently. She felt her heart stop as the horrible realization sunk in. Ice flowed through her veins and she suddenly felt lightheaded. Craig came forward, concerned by her reaction, just as her knees buckled and she sank down onto the couch.
"Nancy, sweetheart, what is it? What does the letter say?"
Tears spilled out of her eyes. "He has her, Craig. He has my baby."
Craig took the letter from Nancy's trembling grasp and read it. All color drained from his face until he was sickly gray. He cleared his throat. "This is a notice from the Dept. of Corrections. Dr. Aaron Moore was released on parole two months ago."
A deadly quiet settled over the room. It was so quiet; heartbeats could be heard, if there were any beating. But the shock had stopped all hearts in that room, for an endless second as the horrible truth sunk in. It was her foster father. It had been him all along.
Shock gave way to blinding fury. "He was released two months ago and you're just now finding out?" Brady yelled in the quiet room.
Craig looked at the letter, his own anger beginning to rise. "This notice was dated three months ago. Apparently, the orphanage took their time in forwarding it to us."
"Three months? We could have known about this guy three months ago? F*ck!" Brady swore loudly. It was his most dreaded fear. Chloe was gone, taken by a sick rapist who wants her dead. He was afraid of what might be happening to her right now, while they stood around uselessly doing nothing.
Craig called Bo and updated him. "Okay, so now we know who our guy is. We have a place to start. I'm going to bring additional men in on this. We're going to check any places he might have taken her, abandoned warehouses, empty houses. I'll keep in touch." Bo said and hung up.
Brady wanted to cry from fear and frustration. They now knew for certain that Chloe had been kidnapped and by whom. But they still didn't know where he had taken her. They didn't have one clue. "I need some air." He said and left the house. John watched him go, upset at his own inability to help his son.
Brady didn't remember driving here. He just wound up here, on the pier. Horrible visions rocked through his mind. Chloe being beaten, raped, killed. He felt like his heart was being ripped apart into two halves. {Just like before.} he thought sadly, even though he didn't know what he had meant by that statement. His stomach twisted painfully.
He threw his head back and looked up in the winter sky. The earlier sun had been covered by gray clouds. Tears fell from his eyes. "Please." He pleaded. "Please, God. Let me find her. Let her be okay."
He stood silently weeping for his lost soul mate, when he felt a gentle breeze around him. Once again, he felt like the answer was there, in the wind. He felt a familiar presence, one he hadn't felt in a long time. "What?" he cried into the wind. "What are you trying to tell me?"
"Go to Chicago." A raspy old voice answered from behind him.
Brady spun around and came face to face with a dirty, wizened, ancient face. A pungent stench assaulted Brady's nose and he tried not to jump back from the elderly man who was obviously homeless, and probably crazy. "What?" Brady asked.
"Chicago. Gotta go to Chicago." The crazy old man turned and walked away.
Brady stood there, a chill settling over his body. He knew that this was significant. His mother had always been a big believer in the supernatural, in the things that just can't be explained. Was this the answer he was searching for?
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed his father. "Dad, ask Nancy if Chicago holds any significance for Chloe." Brady waited for John's reply.
"Nancy says that is where the orphanage is. Chloe spent most of her life there. Why?"
"Dad, get the jet prepped and fueled. We have to go to Chicago."
"Okay. Why?"
"That's where Chloe is."
Thirty minutes later, they were all aboard the Black private jet, en route to Chicago. Bo, Roman and Abe had joined them as well and were communicating with Chicago PD. John hadn't asked how Brady knew where Chloe was. Where Brady and Chloe were concerned, John was prepared to take a few things on faith. John reached over and patted Brady's shoulder. "We'll be there in 45 minutes, son. If we assume that Dr. Moore had to drive to Chicago, which, considering his lack of funds, is pretty much his only option, then it took him at least six hours to get there. At the very earliest, he could have left seven hours ago. So, he probably hasn't been here long."
"That's still seven hours she's been in his clutches."
"Yes, but he's coming here for a reason. He's been building up this revenge for a while, he wants it to last. I believe he's going to wait to get to his destination before…" John broke off, not wanting to voice his thoughts.
"We still don't know what his destination is. Chicago's a pretty big place to look for two people." Brady said quietly.
"Have faith, Brady. I do. Someone is helping us, pointing us in the right direction. They'll tell where to go."
Brady mulled over his father's words. He looked out over the swiftly passing clouds beneath them. He thought of his love, those beautiful shining eyes, that amazing smile. {Hang in there, Chloe. I'm coming for you.}
A\N: I can't remember where the orphanage actually is, but I know that Nancy had to drive a while to get there, she stayed in a hotel while she was there. Anyway, I'm making it Chicago.
Chapter 47
Brady stood on the pier and looked out over the water, a grim expression on his face. This place, which usually was his sanctuary, which usually calmed him, today only made him more restless, anxious.
"Dammit, Chloe. Where are you?" He'd been searching for an hour now, checking all her favorite haunts, anywhere she might have gone. This was the third time he had come here to the pier, their special place. Surely, if she were anywhere, she'd be here. {She must have gotten lost somewhere, been confused in her current state of mind.} He didn't want to consider the other possibility, that she had been abducted. However, deep down he knew. He felt it in the core of his soul. She was gone. And he didn't know where.
He turned to leave, and suddenly felt something pulling him back. Some unnamable force held him to that spot, while a wild wind suddenly blew around him. He heard whispers in the wind, but couldn't make out the message. He strained his ears to hear, suddenly feeling like something momentous was occurring. Someone, somewhere was trying to tell him something.
But he couldn't hear anything but the rustling of trash and dead leaves in the breeze. The wind died down and the moment passed. He shook his head to clear his mind and got in his jeep. He drove back to the Wesleys'. Maybe Chloe had come back.
The small hopeful smile on Nancy's face vanished when she saw that Brady was alone. "I looked everywhere for her. I can't find her. I don't know where she could be." Brady said with a sigh. He offered hopefully, "She probably just got lost somewhere."
Nancy nodded slightly, trying to hang on to her last remaining thread of hope. No one said what they were thinking. They waited awkwardly for a few minutes, hoping that at any minute, she would come walking in the front door.
Craig shook himself out of his lethargy. He knew a more proactive course was necessary. He decided to call Bo. Bo picked up after three rings; he'd been in the middle of giving J.T. a bath.
"Bo, it's Chloe. She's missing. We found a note in her room saying that she went for a walk, and we haven't been able to find her anywhere."
"Oh, Lord." Bo sighed. "How long has she been gone?"
"At least two hours, but it could be as many as five." Craig answered grimly.
"Okay, I'm going to get over to the station and get Abe and Roman involved in this. We'll start combing the streets for any sign of her."
"Any word yet on who her stalker is?" Craig asked quietly, turning away from Nancy. He didn't want her to worry until they knew for a fact that she had been abducted.
Craig heard Bo's sigh of frustration. "Unfortunately Craig, we ended up with a list of over 50 possible suspects. We're running the list through a filter, to sort the names by factors like location, motive, opportunity, history, alibis, etc. It's a lengthy process, and could take a while." Bo paused before continuing. "You know, Craig, we can't do anything officially until she's been missing 24 hours."
"TWENTY-FOUR HOURS!" Craig struggled to bring his voice down. "She could be dead in twenty-four hours." He said quietly.
"I know. That's why we'll be acting unofficially. We aren't cops tonight, Craig. Just concerned friends who want to help."
"Thank you." He finished and hung up. He turned to the Nancy and Brady. "They are looking for Chloe as we speak. She'll turn up." He said optimistically, for his wife's benefit.
But Brady knew better. He had observed closely Craig's call, saw the angry despair in his eyes, the restless energy in his frame. "I'll be right back."
He went outside and called John, hoping that he would have some resources that would help. John and Marlena arrived a short time later to provide assistance and moral support.
An anxious hour passed, filled with waiting and worry. Bo checked in periodically to say that they still couldn't find her. No one mentioned the fear that was foremost in their thoughts. Chloe hasn't been abducted, she's just lost.
Marlena tried to calm Nancy as they sat on the living room loveseat. "They'll find Chloe soon. She's disoriented and confused, and her sense of direction is probably off balance. It's going to be okay. Just have faith, Nancy. God wouldn't let anything happen to Chloe, not on Christmas Eve."
Nancy barely heard Marlena's soothing words. She was deep in shock. This was too much. So much had already happened to her baby, now she's gone, lost? Her eyes were focused blankly on the sofa in front of her, on the floor beneath the sofa. Her gaze was soon drawn to an envelope that was underneath the sofa. She picked it up mechanically and looked at it.
She gradually emerged from her daze. She remembered seeing this letter. It had come in the mail days before and was addressed to Chloe. Marlena watched her, closely, concerned by Nancy's expression.
"Nancy, what is it?" she asked. The dull murmurs of surrounding conversations soon came to a halt at her question. Everyone looked at Nancy, who was standing rigidly, a blank expression on her face.
Nancy answered distantly. "It's a letter for Chloe. It was forwarded by the orphanage." She looked at the return address and frowned. "It's from the Department of Corrections." Nancy tore into the letter and read it silently. She felt her heart stop as the horrible realization sunk in. Ice flowed through her veins and she suddenly felt lightheaded. Craig came forward, concerned by her reaction, just as her knees buckled and she sank down onto the couch.
"Nancy, sweetheart, what is it? What does the letter say?"
Tears spilled out of her eyes. "He has her, Craig. He has my baby."
Craig took the letter from Nancy's trembling grasp and read it. All color drained from his face until he was sickly gray. He cleared his throat. "This is a notice from the Dept. of Corrections. Dr. Aaron Moore was released on parole two months ago."
A deadly quiet settled over the room. It was so quiet; heartbeats could be heard, if there were any beating. But the shock had stopped all hearts in that room, for an endless second as the horrible truth sunk in. It was her foster father. It had been him all along.
Shock gave way to blinding fury. "He was released two months ago and you're just now finding out?" Brady yelled in the quiet room.
Craig looked at the letter, his own anger beginning to rise. "This notice was dated three months ago. Apparently, the orphanage took their time in forwarding it to us."
"Three months? We could have known about this guy three months ago? F*ck!" Brady swore loudly. It was his most dreaded fear. Chloe was gone, taken by a sick rapist who wants her dead. He was afraid of what might be happening to her right now, while they stood around uselessly doing nothing.
Craig called Bo and updated him. "Okay, so now we know who our guy is. We have a place to start. I'm going to bring additional men in on this. We're going to check any places he might have taken her, abandoned warehouses, empty houses. I'll keep in touch." Bo said and hung up.
Brady wanted to cry from fear and frustration. They now knew for certain that Chloe had been kidnapped and by whom. But they still didn't know where he had taken her. They didn't have one clue. "I need some air." He said and left the house. John watched him go, upset at his own inability to help his son.
Brady didn't remember driving here. He just wound up here, on the pier. Horrible visions rocked through his mind. Chloe being beaten, raped, killed. He felt like his heart was being ripped apart into two halves. {Just like before.} he thought sadly, even though he didn't know what he had meant by that statement. His stomach twisted painfully.
He threw his head back and looked up in the winter sky. The earlier sun had been covered by gray clouds. Tears fell from his eyes. "Please." He pleaded. "Please, God. Let me find her. Let her be okay."
He stood silently weeping for his lost soul mate, when he felt a gentle breeze around him. Once again, he felt like the answer was there, in the wind. He felt a familiar presence, one he hadn't felt in a long time. "What?" he cried into the wind. "What are you trying to tell me?"
"Go to Chicago." A raspy old voice answered from behind him.
Brady spun around and came face to face with a dirty, wizened, ancient face. A pungent stench assaulted Brady's nose and he tried not to jump back from the elderly man who was obviously homeless, and probably crazy. "What?" Brady asked.
"Chicago. Gotta go to Chicago." The crazy old man turned and walked away.
Brady stood there, a chill settling over his body. He knew that this was significant. His mother had always been a big believer in the supernatural, in the things that just can't be explained. Was this the answer he was searching for?
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed his father. "Dad, ask Nancy if Chicago holds any significance for Chloe." Brady waited for John's reply.
"Nancy says that is where the orphanage is. Chloe spent most of her life there. Why?"
"Dad, get the jet prepped and fueled. We have to go to Chicago."
"Okay. Why?"
"That's where Chloe is."
Thirty minutes later, they were all aboard the Black private jet, en route to Chicago. Bo, Roman and Abe had joined them as well and were communicating with Chicago PD. John hadn't asked how Brady knew where Chloe was. Where Brady and Chloe were concerned, John was prepared to take a few things on faith. John reached over and patted Brady's shoulder. "We'll be there in 45 minutes, son. If we assume that Dr. Moore had to drive to Chicago, which, considering his lack of funds, is pretty much his only option, then it took him at least six hours to get there. At the very earliest, he could have left seven hours ago. So, he probably hasn't been here long."
"That's still seven hours she's been in his clutches."
"Yes, but he's coming here for a reason. He's been building up this revenge for a while, he wants it to last. I believe he's going to wait to get to his destination before…" John broke off, not wanting to voice his thoughts.
"We still don't know what his destination is. Chicago's a pretty big place to look for two people." Brady said quietly.
"Have faith, Brady. I do. Someone is helping us, pointing us in the right direction. They'll tell where to go."
Brady mulled over his father's words. He looked out over the swiftly passing clouds beneath them. He thought of his love, those beautiful shining eyes, that amazing smile. {Hang in there, Chloe. I'm coming for you.}
A\N: I can't remember where the orphanage actually is, but I know that Nancy had to drive a while to get there, she stayed in a hotel while she was there. Anyway, I'm making it Chicago.