It had been a gorgeous day in late November, over a month since Autumn's birth. A
cold norther had blown through the previous evening, and now the air was rain-washed
and sparkling, without a trace of smog.
Alex shivered a little in the pleasantly chilly night air, holding her baby close to her as
she walked through the dimly lit grocery store parking lot. It was just past closing time for
the store, and she was the last one leaving—she'd worked late, then picked up Autumn
from the HOPE Center. Angela was staying the night with Josie, her husband Ben, and
their three-year-old daughter Karen.
Alex suddenly got that all-too-familiar uneasy feeling and quickened her steps, holding
her chubby, blond baby in one arm and the sack of groceries in the other.
She strapped Autumn into her carseat, then quickly shut and locked the door. She had
walked around the car and was fumbling nervously with the keys when she heard a
footstep behind her and something hard pressed into her back.
"Turn around," A voice commanded quietly. Alex obeyed, still holding the keys, and
looked into the barrel of a gun. The man holding the gun had a hood pulled low over his
forehead, concealing his features. Alex couldn't be sure, but she didn't think she'd ever
heard the voice before.
"Oh, Aiosha." The man's voice had an incongruously worshipful tone. "I get to meet
you at last. My beautiful queen."
Alex knew she should probably keep her mouth shut, but it wasn't something she was
accustomed to doing, so she spoke, keeping her voice calm and even. "I'm afraid you have
the wrong person. My name isn't Aiosha."
Instantly the man's expression changed. Roughly, he grabbed her arm. "You don't know
yet," He snapped, "but you are! You are! I can make you the queen you were destined to
be!" He yanked on her arm. "Come on!"
"But, my baby..." Alex looked helplessly toward the car, where small Autumn, strapped
securely into her car seat, hadn't made a sound. She must be sleeping still, Alex realized.
"Forget the kid!" The man replied harshly. "She is nothing. She stands in the way of
destiny. Leave her to her fate, whatever it may be."
Alex had no other option, so with one sorrowful look back at the car, she allowed the
man to lead her through the dingy parking lot. She fought tears as she thought of her
beautiful baby, alone in the car all night. Oh, God, please let someone find her, Alex
prayed silently.
She was forced to climb into an old, beat-up green car. Her abductor climbed in beside
her; keeping his gun pointed at her, he cuffed her hands behind her back, then tied her feet
together with a length of rope. Taking an oversized bandanna, he tied it around her eyes.
When he was finished, he pushed her over until she was lying down across the back seat.
Alex heard the car start, then back up with a protesting squeal. Her thoughts were with
Autumn, but she realized she was in very serious danger.
They drove for what seemed like hours; Alex was beginning to drift off to sleep when
she suddenly felt a strange vibration at her side. Her eyes flew open under the bandanna,
and she caught her breath.
Her cell phone! It was in her pocket and, thank God, she had turned off the ringer
earlier, so it wouldn't wake the sleeping Autumn. Oh, God, don't let him find my cell
phone! Alex prayed desperately.
Finally, sometime in the wee hours of the morning, the car turned onto a dirt road. They
drove for a few minutes, then came to a stop. Alex's body tensed as she heard the driver
door open.
"Why, Aiosha, you don't need to be scared of me," The kidnapper said calmly as he
lifted Alex and carried her, still bound and gagged, toward an abandoned farmhouse. In
the dim moonlight, the house looked spooky—all creaky boards and peeling gray paint.
He knew just the right spot; pulling the keyring from his pocket, he unlocked the rusty
trap door, then coaxed it open. He carried Alex down the stairs; her body was tense and
trembling against his. She was frightened now, but once he freed her, he was certain she'd
be forever grateful.
Placing her on the old cot, he uncuffed her hands and took off her blindfold. Alex
blinked sleepily and looked around her, unable to see much because of the dim lighting.
Without another word, her captor left, closing and locking the door behind him. When
she was sure he was gone, Alex took out her cell phone and, with shaking fingers, dialed
Walker's mobile phone number. She was sure he'd know she was gone by now, and he'd
be looking for her.
One ring. Two rings.
Three. Four.
Walker, pick up the stupid phone!
Six rings.
Walker, please...
~~~~~
Walker had worked late, too, and arrived home exhausted, looking forward to seeing
Alex and Autumn. His body tensed as soon as he saw that there were no lights on in the
house—either Alex had gone to sleep awfully early, or something was wrong.
A few minutes later, he stood in the middle of the living room, his fears confirmed. He
called Alex's cell phone number and didn't get an answer. His mind was racing—where
had she gone last? She'd called him, telling him she was going to pick up Autumn and
head home...
The grocery store! She'd mentioned casually that they needed milk and eggs, and the
small grocery store on the outskirts of town was the place she usually stopped.
Maybe...just maybe...she'd been there.
Walker ran outside, jumped in his silver Dodge truck, and headed back toward Dallas.
~~~~~
He pulled up in front of the grocery store, his eyes roaming the parking lot. They
stopped on the lone car, and he felt his heartbeat accelerate rapidly: it was Alex's car. The
store, he knew, had been closed for nearly an hour now...so where was his wife?
Walker's pulse quickened even more when he looked in the window and saw Autumn
strapped in the car seat. Thankful that at least his daughter was safe, Walker tried to open
the door to get to his daughter, who appeared to be sleeping.
The door was locked—something just wasn't right here. Walker knew that Alex would
never leave Autumn in the car, doors locked or otherwise, so where had his wife
disappeared to? Could she have placed Autumn in the car, locked the door, then been
abducted?
Walker pulled his pistol out of its holster and, using the butt of the gun, broke the
window on the driver's side window; Autumn was in the back seat on the passenger side,
and Walker wanted to make sure she wasn't hit by flying glass.
The month-old baby was rudely awakened by the sound of shattering glass, and she
screamed at the top of her lungs as Walker quickly reached through and pulled up the
lock, not even noticing as he cut his arm. He quickly leaned across the seat and unstrapped
his infant daughter, pulling her comfortingly into his arms. "It's all right, baby," He
soothed. "We'll find your mommy. I promise we will."
Walker was too far away from his truck, and too occupied with his loudly crying
daughter, to hear his phone ringing.
cold norther had blown through the previous evening, and now the air was rain-washed
and sparkling, without a trace of smog.
Alex shivered a little in the pleasantly chilly night air, holding her baby close to her as
she walked through the dimly lit grocery store parking lot. It was just past closing time for
the store, and she was the last one leaving—she'd worked late, then picked up Autumn
from the HOPE Center. Angela was staying the night with Josie, her husband Ben, and
their three-year-old daughter Karen.
Alex suddenly got that all-too-familiar uneasy feeling and quickened her steps, holding
her chubby, blond baby in one arm and the sack of groceries in the other.
She strapped Autumn into her carseat, then quickly shut and locked the door. She had
walked around the car and was fumbling nervously with the keys when she heard a
footstep behind her and something hard pressed into her back.
"Turn around," A voice commanded quietly. Alex obeyed, still holding the keys, and
looked into the barrel of a gun. The man holding the gun had a hood pulled low over his
forehead, concealing his features. Alex couldn't be sure, but she didn't think she'd ever
heard the voice before.
"Oh, Aiosha." The man's voice had an incongruously worshipful tone. "I get to meet
you at last. My beautiful queen."
Alex knew she should probably keep her mouth shut, but it wasn't something she was
accustomed to doing, so she spoke, keeping her voice calm and even. "I'm afraid you have
the wrong person. My name isn't Aiosha."
Instantly the man's expression changed. Roughly, he grabbed her arm. "You don't know
yet," He snapped, "but you are! You are! I can make you the queen you were destined to
be!" He yanked on her arm. "Come on!"
"But, my baby..." Alex looked helplessly toward the car, where small Autumn, strapped
securely into her car seat, hadn't made a sound. She must be sleeping still, Alex realized.
"Forget the kid!" The man replied harshly. "She is nothing. She stands in the way of
destiny. Leave her to her fate, whatever it may be."
Alex had no other option, so with one sorrowful look back at the car, she allowed the
man to lead her through the dingy parking lot. She fought tears as she thought of her
beautiful baby, alone in the car all night. Oh, God, please let someone find her, Alex
prayed silently.
She was forced to climb into an old, beat-up green car. Her abductor climbed in beside
her; keeping his gun pointed at her, he cuffed her hands behind her back, then tied her feet
together with a length of rope. Taking an oversized bandanna, he tied it around her eyes.
When he was finished, he pushed her over until she was lying down across the back seat.
Alex heard the car start, then back up with a protesting squeal. Her thoughts were with
Autumn, but she realized she was in very serious danger.
They drove for what seemed like hours; Alex was beginning to drift off to sleep when
she suddenly felt a strange vibration at her side. Her eyes flew open under the bandanna,
and she caught her breath.
Her cell phone! It was in her pocket and, thank God, she had turned off the ringer
earlier, so it wouldn't wake the sleeping Autumn. Oh, God, don't let him find my cell
phone! Alex prayed desperately.
Finally, sometime in the wee hours of the morning, the car turned onto a dirt road. They
drove for a few minutes, then came to a stop. Alex's body tensed as she heard the driver
door open.
"Why, Aiosha, you don't need to be scared of me," The kidnapper said calmly as he
lifted Alex and carried her, still bound and gagged, toward an abandoned farmhouse. In
the dim moonlight, the house looked spooky—all creaky boards and peeling gray paint.
He knew just the right spot; pulling the keyring from his pocket, he unlocked the rusty
trap door, then coaxed it open. He carried Alex down the stairs; her body was tense and
trembling against his. She was frightened now, but once he freed her, he was certain she'd
be forever grateful.
Placing her on the old cot, he uncuffed her hands and took off her blindfold. Alex
blinked sleepily and looked around her, unable to see much because of the dim lighting.
Without another word, her captor left, closing and locking the door behind him. When
she was sure he was gone, Alex took out her cell phone and, with shaking fingers, dialed
Walker's mobile phone number. She was sure he'd know she was gone by now, and he'd
be looking for her.
One ring. Two rings.
Three. Four.
Walker, pick up the stupid phone!
Six rings.
Walker, please...
~~~~~
Walker had worked late, too, and arrived home exhausted, looking forward to seeing
Alex and Autumn. His body tensed as soon as he saw that there were no lights on in the
house—either Alex had gone to sleep awfully early, or something was wrong.
A few minutes later, he stood in the middle of the living room, his fears confirmed. He
called Alex's cell phone number and didn't get an answer. His mind was racing—where
had she gone last? She'd called him, telling him she was going to pick up Autumn and
head home...
The grocery store! She'd mentioned casually that they needed milk and eggs, and the
small grocery store on the outskirts of town was the place she usually stopped.
Maybe...just maybe...she'd been there.
Walker ran outside, jumped in his silver Dodge truck, and headed back toward Dallas.
~~~~~
He pulled up in front of the grocery store, his eyes roaming the parking lot. They
stopped on the lone car, and he felt his heartbeat accelerate rapidly: it was Alex's car. The
store, he knew, had been closed for nearly an hour now...so where was his wife?
Walker's pulse quickened even more when he looked in the window and saw Autumn
strapped in the car seat. Thankful that at least his daughter was safe, Walker tried to open
the door to get to his daughter, who appeared to be sleeping.
The door was locked—something just wasn't right here. Walker knew that Alex would
never leave Autumn in the car, doors locked or otherwise, so where had his wife
disappeared to? Could she have placed Autumn in the car, locked the door, then been
abducted?
Walker pulled his pistol out of its holster and, using the butt of the gun, broke the
window on the driver's side window; Autumn was in the back seat on the passenger side,
and Walker wanted to make sure she wasn't hit by flying glass.
The month-old baby was rudely awakened by the sound of shattering glass, and she
screamed at the top of her lungs as Walker quickly reached through and pulled up the
lock, not even noticing as he cut his arm. He quickly leaned across the seat and unstrapped
his infant daughter, pulling her comfortingly into his arms. "It's all right, baby," He
soothed. "We'll find your mommy. I promise we will."
Walker was too far away from his truck, and too occupied with his loudly crying
daughter, to hear his phone ringing.