CHAPTER 21
Missing
He was staring at her.
"What-what did you just say?"
He watched her as she rushed out of the suite and started banging on Ethan's door.
"Ethan, open. Please open."
There was no answer. She went back in her room and picked up the phone.
"This is reception.."
"Winthrop, Ethan Winthrop. Did he check out of the hotel?"
"Yes he did. More than half an hour ago."
"Did he have a baby with him?"
"Yes, he did. She was asleep. Is something wrong?"
"Call the police right now."
She hung up the phone. "How could he do this? Why would he take her?"
Fox was looking at her. She was frantic. He had a difficult time understanding what was happening.
"Don't worry, we will find her."
"She is so little, what if something happens to her. I can't lose her."
"You won't."
He reached for the phone she had beside her and dialed.
"Who are you calling?"
He didn't answer. A voice was heard at the other end.
"Alistair Crane."
"It's Fox."
"How good to hear from you Fox..."
"This is not a social call, Grandfather..."
"I would watch me tone if I were you, boy."
"Ethan took Emma."
"He did what?"
"Alistair, I know she is a Crane but please don't take her away from me."
Fox was looking at Teresa stunned by what she was saying.
"It was never my intention to take her away from you. Ethan made a big mistake. No one kidnaps a Crane and lives to tell about it."
"We already called the police, Grandfather. We need your help if we are to find her."
"There was a time that you walked out on the family, Foxworth. Today, you need my help?"
"Grandfather, I am not doing this for me. An innocent child is missing. She shouldn't have to pay for something she isn't responsible for."
"Your child, Foxworth. Your child." Teresa standing at the window, looking at him. Tears were streaming down her face and she was shaking uncontrollably.
"I will call let Crane security about this. I'll keep in touch. You might want to call a doctor in. Teresa doesn't look too well. Don't leave Paris until I've said so."
The line went dead. Fox could hear Teresa sobbing. His heart was breaking inside. He had a daughter and he didn't know about her. He had a child and he may never get to hold her.
"They will find her, Teresa. I promise."
"I am so scared, Fox. What if they don't. I don't think I'll be able to live without her. She and little Ethan were the only ones who kept me going when I left Harmony. She is my heart."
"You can't think like that, Resa. Where is your spirit? The Teresa I know is fighter."
A knocking was heard and Fox opened the door. The detectives came and started asking their questions.
"Do you have a picture of the child and the suspect?"
Teresa went to her purse and pulled a few pictures of Emma.
"I don't have any pictures of Ethan. I took them out the day he broke up with me."
"We will get this out to our units and we will pass it on to the press. It doesn't happen every day that a Crane child goes missing. We will find her."
Fox showed them out and went back in the room. He looked at Teresa who was back at the window, staring into the night. He went back to the phone and called for the hotel's doctor. The truth is, Alistair was right. Teresa didn't look well at all.
"Teresa, you should lie down."
"No. I have to go and find her."
She picked up her jacket and was almost out the door when he grabbed her arm.
"No, you are not going anywhere. Your clothes are still wet, it's still raining and you don't look like someone who is rational right now."
"Let me go, Fox."
"I said no, Teresa."
She looked at him, her lower lip was trembling.
"Don't do this to yourself Teresa, please."
"I wanted you to know about her. I didn't want to keep her from you but I was so scared that you would take her from me.."
"The door was open so I came in, I'm sorry..."
"Who are you?"
"Mr. Crane asked for me. I'm the doctor on staff."
"A doctor? For what?"
"For you Teresa."
"I don't need a doctor."
"I just think you've been under a lot of pressure. Do this for me, please. Lets him give you a quick check up. Five minutes, that's it."
"Fine."
She sat on the bed and the doctor started his check up as Fox looked on.
"Your blood pressure is high, but it's understandable under such circumstances. I will give you sleeping pills for tonight."
"I don't want pills, I want my daughter."
The doctor looked at her then turned to Fox.
"I will leave these with you. Maybe you can make sure that she takes them."
"Yes, I will. Thank you."
He watched him pick up his things and leave then he turned around and looked at Teresa.
"We should get you out of these clothes before you catch a cold.
"I don't care, Fox."
"Yes, you have to care.come on, don't make this harder."
He threw her a nightgown and she started undressing.
"We should be looking for her right now."
"There is nothing more we can do. Her picture is circulating, Grandfather has his people looking for her."
"I don't trust him."
"I would normally agree with you, Teresa. But he won't let a Crane be taken just like that."
She was done getting changed and he pulled the bed covers for her. She sat on the bed and he put her legs on it and covered her. He handed her a glass of water and the sleeping pills.
"Do I have to?"
"Yes, you do. I will not back down on this."
She put the pills in her mouth and drank her water.
"Can I trust that you'll stay in bed while I get out of these clothes."
She nodded and laid back in the bed. She knew Fox was looking at her in the corner of his eye. She didn't dare move. She had to swallow those sleeping pills. He knew exactly was she was up to. He came and sat beside her.
"Are you mad at me?"
"Why would I be mad?"
"Because I never told you about her."
She was still crying.
"Mad, no. Hurt yes. But I understand where you're coming from."
She closed her eyes.
"She looks so much like you. She even smiles like you. Don't leave, ok?"
"I'm not going anywhere."
She started drifting away and yet he could see that tears were still running down her cheeks. Hours after she finally fell asleep he got up and sat at the table and started looking at the pictures of Emma that the police hadn't taken. He stared at them for over an hour.
"I have to find my daughter, for Teresa's sake and for my own. I can't let anything happen to her. I will kill Ethan before I let him hurt Emma."
He wrote a note to Teresa, kissed her on her hair and left the suite.
He was staring at her.
"What-what did you just say?"
He watched her as she rushed out of the suite and started banging on Ethan's door.
"Ethan, open. Please open."
There was no answer. She went back in her room and picked up the phone.
"This is reception.."
"Winthrop, Ethan Winthrop. Did he check out of the hotel?"
"Yes he did. More than half an hour ago."
"Did he have a baby with him?"
"Yes, he did. She was asleep. Is something wrong?"
"Call the police right now."
She hung up the phone. "How could he do this? Why would he take her?"
Fox was looking at her. She was frantic. He had a difficult time understanding what was happening.
"Don't worry, we will find her."
"She is so little, what if something happens to her. I can't lose her."
"You won't."
He reached for the phone she had beside her and dialed.
"Who are you calling?"
He didn't answer. A voice was heard at the other end.
"Alistair Crane."
"It's Fox."
"How good to hear from you Fox..."
"This is not a social call, Grandfather..."
"I would watch me tone if I were you, boy."
"Ethan took Emma."
"He did what?"
"Alistair, I know she is a Crane but please don't take her away from me."
Fox was looking at Teresa stunned by what she was saying.
"It was never my intention to take her away from you. Ethan made a big mistake. No one kidnaps a Crane and lives to tell about it."
"We already called the police, Grandfather. We need your help if we are to find her."
"There was a time that you walked out on the family, Foxworth. Today, you need my help?"
"Grandfather, I am not doing this for me. An innocent child is missing. She shouldn't have to pay for something she isn't responsible for."
"Your child, Foxworth. Your child." Teresa standing at the window, looking at him. Tears were streaming down her face and she was shaking uncontrollably.
"I will call let Crane security about this. I'll keep in touch. You might want to call a doctor in. Teresa doesn't look too well. Don't leave Paris until I've said so."
The line went dead. Fox could hear Teresa sobbing. His heart was breaking inside. He had a daughter and he didn't know about her. He had a child and he may never get to hold her.
"They will find her, Teresa. I promise."
"I am so scared, Fox. What if they don't. I don't think I'll be able to live without her. She and little Ethan were the only ones who kept me going when I left Harmony. She is my heart."
"You can't think like that, Resa. Where is your spirit? The Teresa I know is fighter."
A knocking was heard and Fox opened the door. The detectives came and started asking their questions.
"Do you have a picture of the child and the suspect?"
Teresa went to her purse and pulled a few pictures of Emma.
"I don't have any pictures of Ethan. I took them out the day he broke up with me."
"We will get this out to our units and we will pass it on to the press. It doesn't happen every day that a Crane child goes missing. We will find her."
Fox showed them out and went back in the room. He looked at Teresa who was back at the window, staring into the night. He went back to the phone and called for the hotel's doctor. The truth is, Alistair was right. Teresa didn't look well at all.
"Teresa, you should lie down."
"No. I have to go and find her."
She picked up her jacket and was almost out the door when he grabbed her arm.
"No, you are not going anywhere. Your clothes are still wet, it's still raining and you don't look like someone who is rational right now."
"Let me go, Fox."
"I said no, Teresa."
She looked at him, her lower lip was trembling.
"Don't do this to yourself Teresa, please."
"I wanted you to know about her. I didn't want to keep her from you but I was so scared that you would take her from me.."
"The door was open so I came in, I'm sorry..."
"Who are you?"
"Mr. Crane asked for me. I'm the doctor on staff."
"A doctor? For what?"
"For you Teresa."
"I don't need a doctor."
"I just think you've been under a lot of pressure. Do this for me, please. Lets him give you a quick check up. Five minutes, that's it."
"Fine."
She sat on the bed and the doctor started his check up as Fox looked on.
"Your blood pressure is high, but it's understandable under such circumstances. I will give you sleeping pills for tonight."
"I don't want pills, I want my daughter."
The doctor looked at her then turned to Fox.
"I will leave these with you. Maybe you can make sure that she takes them."
"Yes, I will. Thank you."
He watched him pick up his things and leave then he turned around and looked at Teresa.
"We should get you out of these clothes before you catch a cold.
"I don't care, Fox."
"Yes, you have to care.come on, don't make this harder."
He threw her a nightgown and she started undressing.
"We should be looking for her right now."
"There is nothing more we can do. Her picture is circulating, Grandfather has his people looking for her."
"I don't trust him."
"I would normally agree with you, Teresa. But he won't let a Crane be taken just like that."
She was done getting changed and he pulled the bed covers for her. She sat on the bed and he put her legs on it and covered her. He handed her a glass of water and the sleeping pills.
"Do I have to?"
"Yes, you do. I will not back down on this."
She put the pills in her mouth and drank her water.
"Can I trust that you'll stay in bed while I get out of these clothes."
She nodded and laid back in the bed. She knew Fox was looking at her in the corner of his eye. She didn't dare move. She had to swallow those sleeping pills. He knew exactly was she was up to. He came and sat beside her.
"Are you mad at me?"
"Why would I be mad?"
"Because I never told you about her."
She was still crying.
"Mad, no. Hurt yes. But I understand where you're coming from."
She closed her eyes.
"She looks so much like you. She even smiles like you. Don't leave, ok?"
"I'm not going anywhere."
She started drifting away and yet he could see that tears were still running down her cheeks. Hours after she finally fell asleep he got up and sat at the table and started looking at the pictures of Emma that the police hadn't taken. He stared at them for over an hour.
"I have to find my daughter, for Teresa's sake and for my own. I can't let anything happen to her. I will kill Ethan before I let him hurt Emma."
He wrote a note to Teresa, kissed her on her hair and left the suite.