CHAPTER 28
Rayna was the first to wake up. Holding her head in her hands, she looked around the room and tried to figure out where she was. It took a minute for her to realize she was at the Inn.
She got up and crossed to the baby bed, surprised to find it empty. Where was Cassie? She tried to remember when she'd put the baby down, but she couldn't even remember coming to the Inn. It was all a blur.
She splashed some water on her face in the bathroom and then went upstairs to see if Leandra had the baby, knowing that is probably where she was.
Rayna was surprised to find the door of the room open, and even more surprised to find Adam still wearing his wedding clothes and lying on top of the bed. Something wasn't right.
"Adam? Adam?" she shook him harder when he didn't respond.
Turning, she rushed toward the bathroom, thinking her sister must be there . but she wasn't. It was then she spotted the letter on the table along with her sister's wedding rings and the necklace Adam had given her.
"Oh no!" she gasped as she read the note. "This can't be happening."
Adam moved on the bed behind her. "Rayna? What are you doing here?" he asked as he struggled to sit up. "Where's Beth? Is she feeding Cassie?"
Rayna didn't know what to say. She couldn't believe her sister had written the letter, but there it was in the familiar handwriting . and all of her things were gone except for the jewelry.
Adam shook the cobwebs from his head as he slung his legs over the edge of the bed and staggered to where she was standing.
"What is that?" he asked, not waiting for her to hand it to him. His face fell as he read it and Rayna could see his heart break in his eyes and then be replaced by a steel coldness in a matter of seconds.
"Adam I didn't know . I swear." Rayna backed away when he looked at her. "I think somebody drugged me or something." She continued as he walked toward her, frightening her by the way he didn't seem to hear. "I woke up and Cassie wasn't in her crib. So I came up here . I tried to wake you up . and then I found the letter."
Adam didn't say a word, but after a long silence he turned and walked back to the table. He stared at the locket and the rings and then picked up the table and threw it against the wall, breaking a mirror and several flower vases in the process.
Rayna screamed and ran from the room. The Innkeeper and his wife were only just waking up from their own drugged state and when they heard the commotion, called the police.
By the time Rayna called her father to tell him what was going on, Adam had packed his things and gone. He hitched a ride to the driveway of Beth's house and without going in to wake the others, hot wired the rental car and drove away. He was already miles away by the time Peter Harris called Duncan to tell him what had happened.
"That just isn't possible." Richie said to Duncan as he pulled on his jacket and rushed to follow him out of the house. "No way Beth would leave him. My God Duncan, she loved him."
Duncan knew in his gut what Richie said was right, but when they saw one of the cars was missing he guessed Methos as usual had assumed the worst.
"Where are you going?" Amanda yelled from the doorway. She had heard the phone ring and when Duncan didn't come back to bed had thrown on sweats.
"I'll explain on the way." Duncan said as he waited for her to get in the car.
When the three of them arrived at the Inn, they found a very shaken Rayna explaining to the police what had happened.
"I'll pay for the damages." Duncan offered, hoping to keep the authorities out of this.
The Innkeeper agreed. "I can't say I blame the poor fellow. She drugged us all and just left . on her wedding night no less." He said, shaking his head. "I know I'd want to smash things too if I was him."
As soon as the police had gone Duncan asked Rayna what happened. She pulled the crumpled note and her sister's jewelry out of her pocket and repeated what she knew.
"I don't know if we should have let them go. Something's not right." Peter Harris said as he watched the police car pull away from the Inn. "I know my daughter and there is no way she would have left her family like this . or Adam. I know she loves him. This doesn't make sense."
"And she wouldn't have left him for Garrett." Rayna piped in. "I mean he was her friend and all, but like Dad said, she loved Adam." She also knew that her sister would never worry them like this. She knew what her disappearance before had done to them . to her mother. No way this was her idea.
None of this made sense, which made Duncan and Amanda all the more suspicious.
"Can we look at the room?" Duncan asked. The Innkeeper nodded and Rayna led the up.
Amanda, Richie and Duncan combed the room, looking for anything that would tell them what happened. The only thing they found was Beth's nightgown on the floor of the bathroom, her red dress hanging on the door and Adam's tuxedo jacket lying over the back of a chair.
"I tried to file a missing person's report on Leandra, but the police said the letter showed she left on her own." Peter Harris said as he watched them from the door.
"How well do you know the police?" Amanda asked.
"The chief is my cousin." He replied.
"Can you get him to put out an APB on Adam's car?" Amanda asked him.
"Amanda are you crazy? You know he's mad as hell right now." Richie beat Duncan with his disapproval.
"I don't mean stop him. God knows what he'd do." She explained. "But we need to find him. He's got to be out of his mind. I only want them to tell us where he goes so we can follow him and try to make some sense out of this before he does something stupid."
"I don't know if they can do that, but I can try." Mr. Harris said as he went downstairs to use the phone.
"We've got to find out where Beth went." Duncan said. "Rayna, Rick and Garrett are friends right?" he asked, knowing the answer but needing to establish a reason for what he was going to request.
"They liked working out together if that's what you mean."
"I need to talk to him. He might have an idea where Garrett would have gone."
Rayna knew his cell number by heart and in less than a minute a very groggy Rick was answering his phone.
"Rick, it's Duncan. We've got a problem."
Rayna was the first to wake up. Holding her head in her hands, she looked around the room and tried to figure out where she was. It took a minute for her to realize she was at the Inn.
She got up and crossed to the baby bed, surprised to find it empty. Where was Cassie? She tried to remember when she'd put the baby down, but she couldn't even remember coming to the Inn. It was all a blur.
She splashed some water on her face in the bathroom and then went upstairs to see if Leandra had the baby, knowing that is probably where she was.
Rayna was surprised to find the door of the room open, and even more surprised to find Adam still wearing his wedding clothes and lying on top of the bed. Something wasn't right.
"Adam? Adam?" she shook him harder when he didn't respond.
Turning, she rushed toward the bathroom, thinking her sister must be there . but she wasn't. It was then she spotted the letter on the table along with her sister's wedding rings and the necklace Adam had given her.
"Oh no!" she gasped as she read the note. "This can't be happening."
Adam moved on the bed behind her. "Rayna? What are you doing here?" he asked as he struggled to sit up. "Where's Beth? Is she feeding Cassie?"
Rayna didn't know what to say. She couldn't believe her sister had written the letter, but there it was in the familiar handwriting . and all of her things were gone except for the jewelry.
Adam shook the cobwebs from his head as he slung his legs over the edge of the bed and staggered to where she was standing.
"What is that?" he asked, not waiting for her to hand it to him. His face fell as he read it and Rayna could see his heart break in his eyes and then be replaced by a steel coldness in a matter of seconds.
"Adam I didn't know . I swear." Rayna backed away when he looked at her. "I think somebody drugged me or something." She continued as he walked toward her, frightening her by the way he didn't seem to hear. "I woke up and Cassie wasn't in her crib. So I came up here . I tried to wake you up . and then I found the letter."
Adam didn't say a word, but after a long silence he turned and walked back to the table. He stared at the locket and the rings and then picked up the table and threw it against the wall, breaking a mirror and several flower vases in the process.
Rayna screamed and ran from the room. The Innkeeper and his wife were only just waking up from their own drugged state and when they heard the commotion, called the police.
By the time Rayna called her father to tell him what was going on, Adam had packed his things and gone. He hitched a ride to the driveway of Beth's house and without going in to wake the others, hot wired the rental car and drove away. He was already miles away by the time Peter Harris called Duncan to tell him what had happened.
"That just isn't possible." Richie said to Duncan as he pulled on his jacket and rushed to follow him out of the house. "No way Beth would leave him. My God Duncan, she loved him."
Duncan knew in his gut what Richie said was right, but when they saw one of the cars was missing he guessed Methos as usual had assumed the worst.
"Where are you going?" Amanda yelled from the doorway. She had heard the phone ring and when Duncan didn't come back to bed had thrown on sweats.
"I'll explain on the way." Duncan said as he waited for her to get in the car.
When the three of them arrived at the Inn, they found a very shaken Rayna explaining to the police what had happened.
"I'll pay for the damages." Duncan offered, hoping to keep the authorities out of this.
The Innkeeper agreed. "I can't say I blame the poor fellow. She drugged us all and just left . on her wedding night no less." He said, shaking his head. "I know I'd want to smash things too if I was him."
As soon as the police had gone Duncan asked Rayna what happened. She pulled the crumpled note and her sister's jewelry out of her pocket and repeated what she knew.
"I don't know if we should have let them go. Something's not right." Peter Harris said as he watched the police car pull away from the Inn. "I know my daughter and there is no way she would have left her family like this . or Adam. I know she loves him. This doesn't make sense."
"And she wouldn't have left him for Garrett." Rayna piped in. "I mean he was her friend and all, but like Dad said, she loved Adam." She also knew that her sister would never worry them like this. She knew what her disappearance before had done to them . to her mother. No way this was her idea.
None of this made sense, which made Duncan and Amanda all the more suspicious.
"Can we look at the room?" Duncan asked. The Innkeeper nodded and Rayna led the up.
Amanda, Richie and Duncan combed the room, looking for anything that would tell them what happened. The only thing they found was Beth's nightgown on the floor of the bathroom, her red dress hanging on the door and Adam's tuxedo jacket lying over the back of a chair.
"I tried to file a missing person's report on Leandra, but the police said the letter showed she left on her own." Peter Harris said as he watched them from the door.
"How well do you know the police?" Amanda asked.
"The chief is my cousin." He replied.
"Can you get him to put out an APB on Adam's car?" Amanda asked him.
"Amanda are you crazy? You know he's mad as hell right now." Richie beat Duncan with his disapproval.
"I don't mean stop him. God knows what he'd do." She explained. "But we need to find him. He's got to be out of his mind. I only want them to tell us where he goes so we can follow him and try to make some sense out of this before he does something stupid."
"I don't know if they can do that, but I can try." Mr. Harris said as he went downstairs to use the phone.
"We've got to find out where Beth went." Duncan said. "Rayna, Rick and Garrett are friends right?" he asked, knowing the answer but needing to establish a reason for what he was going to request.
"They liked working out together if that's what you mean."
"I need to talk to him. He might have an idea where Garrett would have gone."
Rayna knew his cell number by heart and in less than a minute a very groggy Rick was answering his phone.
"Rick, it's Duncan. We've got a problem."