Chapter Six

Homecoming

itsmeocean@hotmail.com

Elle Kang drove the wreck excuse for a car that she hired from the airport's car rental. Her left leg was screaming from pressing down the stiff, reluctant clutch which groaned and creaked each time she needed to clutch in to change gear. Her sentiment towards it was an exact mirror-image. If she had the choice, she wouldn't have touched it either.

And the worst part was, she had no idea who rented the car before her- the idea of foreign germs and virus floating in an enclosed space pre-occupied her mind for a good half of the journey. Having the windows down did nothing to calm her nerves either though her calculative, pretty mien remained stoic through the barrage of microscopic elements invading her being.

There was another reason to why she had the windows down. She loved the wind blowing against her long, raven tresses that were immaculately straightened.  Sure, she was born with generally straight hair but she wanted them perfect. It was her style- sleek, cutting and to the point.

The wind would muss up her hair but she could easily comb it neat again. Sometimes, a mild control freak like her loved to find some innocent release for the wild side repressed inside. And wind against her hair was a luxury that created a mess she could live with.

It was better than those who turned psychotic the moment they traveled out of familiar grounds, take on a new identity and started creating havoc. No, Elle knew control- if she could, she would control each and every one of her cells.

As she neared her destination, she wondered why she cared so much about the freak she had for a partner. First, he bailed out on her after he almost had a nervous breakdown because she tidied up his apartment. Secondly, when she called him, he did not even sound the least bit apologetic.  Logic was beyond Joe. All she was trying to do was to look for that darn file he misplaced and fear could seize hold of him so terribly that he just had to take flight. Tidying up his apartment was, to him, a ploy of hers to draw them closer than they already were. She was his best friend, his only friend and, despite his ego about his own attractiveness which she could not deny as it was a fact, she was not interested.

Elle Kang only wanted the file and she found it finally, stuck in between the germs infested crevice between his bed and the wall. She had to spray disinfectant all over the case file and on herself when she left the apartment.

The only thing that stopped her from chewing him up inside out was when he told her, through contained, troubled words, that his daughter, Hallie, was abducted. She believed him- she did not come to Bayport to investigate his words. Joe needed a whole range of vocabulary to define him, and even then, language failed to describe some of his unexplainable antics. Elle knew with dead certainty that "liar" was not one of them.

Although she might never clearly tell Joe, she was actually very worried for him and Hallie. The restraining order placed on Joe after that incident which he regretted with all his heart and soul but which he would never dare to face up to was like a ton of bricks crashing upon a man who was already knee deep in quicksand.

And now, Hallie's kidnapped. If that did not drive her erratic partner over the edge, she would be surprised.

A quick glance in the mirror told her that her dark red lipstick had bled. Stopping by the curb for a second to reapply her lipstick, she spotted the signboard behind her which informed her that she had missed the turn into Elm Street. Clucking her tongue in self-annoyance at her own supposed incompetence, she turned her head around and saw that the road was empty save her car. Stepping on the accelerator while in reverse mode, she quickly backed the car up and then swerved it swiftly into the lane where his family house was. He mentioned that his house was a Tudor-style work of art- a turn of the century architecture antique. After giving up on closely studying ridiculously tiny house number plates, she decided to look out for a house that matched his description instead.

She was fortunate. There was only one house built in that style in that quite, unassuming lane. A city girl, Elle never had the experience of staying in a house, preferring the heights and facilities a condominium offered. A no-nonsense, city girl. Yes. That was the description that Elle liked to think would encapsulate her identity.

"You're a no-nonsense city girl who's giving Dettol all their business! Geez… can you let up on me? I'm only having a sinus problem… you don't have to wear a mask."

"It helps to be careful in such trying times when each new virus is threatening to bring us closer to Apocalypse."

"If it's the end of the world, wearing the mask won't help, right? You'll still die."

"Yes." She smiled evilly at her partner. "But I'll live to see you die first."

"You really hate me so, huh?" His sculptured face twisted up with a little mock fear. "I should watch my back."

"I'll be nice if you can wipe the stain off the couch in our office. You spilled coffee there two days ago."

"Ok! Ok! You win! I'll go clean off the stain, disinfect myself and before I come see you, I'll wear a space suit."

"If only everyone is as enlightened as me…" She shook her head sadly before moving over to her desk and immediately started typing away.

She smiled at the memory. Working with Joe sure brought her life much color. And now, her partner was in trouble. How could she leave the poor, helpless man who could not tell the difference between a conventional and a microwave oven in the lurch?

Elle stepped out of the vehicle and saw another sight which made her more assured that she was at the right house. Their company's Land Rover was parked next to an earlier-model Volvo in the driveway. Joe had not made good on his promise to saw it into two. She was deeply relieved for she had almost thought, with his warped sense of reasoning lately, that he would actually grab an electric chainsaw and do it- just to prove a point that only he would know.

Ringing the bell on the side of the gate, she waited outside and if she was less of a lady, she would have tapped her feet. She saw shadows of movements from behind the thin white curtains and knew someone must be in. Trying her luck, she pushed the gate and it open easily under her gentle nudge as if her fingers had just performed some magic.

Adjusting her black-rimmed trendily small glasses as it had slipped down the bridge of her nose by a nanometer due to summer's perspiration; she made her way to the front door. Before she could knock, it opened and Joe pushed past her, buttoning up his casual short-sleeved bright orange shirt as he made his way to the Land Rover. A lovely blonde-haired woman, who resembled him greatly, called out from the window next to the door.

"Joe, honey, be careful."

No, I'm wrong. He resembled her greatly.

"I know mom. Luv y..." Joe turned around to wave back, stopping dead in his track and speech when he saw Elle standing next to the open doorway, watching him expectantly with folded arms and arched, faultlessly plucked brow. Laura tilted her head and rounded her eyes in surprise at the stranger who had intruded in their compound. Elle smiled as sweetly as she could though smiling would threaten wrinkles on her flawless skin. She wondered if she should wave and probably risk looking an idiot while doing so.

"Elle? Psycho? What are you doing here?" Joe slowly crossed the distance between the both of them. Elle shrugged and gestured to the Land Rover.

"I want my half immediately and…" She stopped her flat jesting when she noticed how haggard her handsome partner had became in the last few days since she saw him. His eyes were incredibly sunken and his high cheekbones appeared much more jutting. Any more and his face would have melted into his skull.

"Who's that, dear?"

"It's my partner, Elle, from Chicago, Mom." Joe answered his mother. Turning to Elle, he cocked his head to one side with a questioning look in those overcast blue eyes. "And what Elle?"

"Oh… hello there. Would you like to come in?" Laura invited her from the window. Elle glanced at Joe and then at Laura.

"Thanks, Mrs. Hardy, but I think Joe will need my help." Elle tilted her head slightly and softened her eyes in a show of comfort for the distressed father. Her heart broke when Joe grabbed her suddenly and embraced her. She could feel his heart pounding- most likely out of fear for his daughter. He could be an irresponsible, unreasonable and incomprehensible lout but he was a loving father who would rather kill himself than hurt a strand of hair on Hallie's head. That much she knew for sure and she wished, with all her heart, that Hallie would return to his side very soon.

"Yes, Psycho. Thanks for being here. You don't know how much this means to me."

Elle clapped his back and spoke gently. "You're welcome, Bugboy. Anytime."

***

"Frank, meet Elle, my partner from Chicago. Elle, this is Frank and be nice." Joe gestured at Frank then at Elle to introduce the both of them to each other. Frank's sleepy eyes gave Elle a blurry once over. Joe knew Frank was up all night looking through evidence, at least, that was what Laura told him. He had wanted to kick himself in the butt when he learned of it- Hallie was his daughter, not Frank's. And what did he do? Down two Valiums because his parents thought he was about to lose it. Sure, he was exhausted both physically from the long car ride and mentally from Hallie's kidnap but he should be awake, shouldering his responsibility like a father should.

Frank was still blocking the entrance. With his brains on mushy mode, he was probably still processing their identities.

"Hello, Frank. At the behest of Joe, I'll be nice. Don't take this the wrong way but you seemed a little slow, not as sharp as he makes you up to be. And to dispel any implicit connotations that you might have picked up from his bias introduction about me, let me say, for the record, I'm always nice."

"Huh?" Frank finally regained back consciousness. He shook his head and was all cross-eyed from Elle's long-winded defense of herself. Joe had been anticipating this, knowing all the buttons that could push argumentative Elle, who had a compulsion to explain any misrepresentations of her away, no matter how slight, to react the way she did. He could barely contain his giggles as the scene was too comical, providing him some respite from all those perilously destructive emotions tossing in his guts. Elle was extremely frustrated at not getting her points across to a guy who looked like he could keel over and slip into dreamland immediately. His brother's crumpled shirt and uncombed hair did nothing to set Elle at ease too.

When the understanding that he was being introduced to someone he had never met before finally dawned on him, Frank, the ever friendly chap, smiled apologetically before wiping his sweaty hands on his pants' legs and then holding one out for a handshake.

"Elle? I'm Frank. I'm sorry, I was real brain-dead but I'm all right now. Really please to meet you."

Elle stared at the hand offered to her in complete aghast, no doubt seeing germs and viruses gleefully dancing on Frank's palm. Horrified, enlarged pupils devoured her hazel eyes as most likely, she was fearful of what those germs would do to her- maybe corrode her alive. Frank, after a prolonged period, narrowed his eyes in bafflement, not knowing if he should retract his hand and be seen as rude for doing so.

Joe sighed- the mirth was gone, replaced by his characteristic impatience. The simple introduction was taking such a ridiculously long time. Drawing out a piece of antiseptic wipe from his pocket, which became a habit of his to carry around after becoming acquainted with Elle, he passed it to Frank, nodding at his brother's outstretched hand.

With an odd look in his eyes, Frank did as he was silently asked. When he reached out again for a handshake, Elle smiled strenuously and very quickly brushed her fingertips across his palm before shoving them back into her jeans' pockets.  "Please to meet you."

"So… please to meet you…too." Frank replied guardedly before breaking into a trying grin. However, when the friendliness was not returned, he coughed uneasily and motioned them in.

Joe exhaled loudly and exclaimed, "Finally!"

"Go straight into that little room next to the kitchen… I'll join you people in a second… need some coffee. Any for you two?"

"Thanks, Frank. I'll love to have some coffee though Joe will have water."

"Hey, Elle, I can decide these things for myself…"

"Your skin's getting dehydrated." His impossible partner stated crisply while she stroked his left cheek very quickly with her index finger. "You need water and not caffeinated drinks that will only dehydrate you even more."

Throwing a helpless look at the grinning Frank, Joe draped an arm across Elle's slim shoulders and led her into the room Frank was talking about. If Hallie was not missing, Frank would definitely find time to grill him about Elle's peculiarity.

"It's neat in here." Elle commented, mildly surprised. "From his appearance, I'll have thought he's as bad as you."

"And if he is? You're going to clean up his house too? Don't worry, Elle, Frank's the neatest and cleanest person I know, next to you of course. You won't catch anything here." Joe plopped himself down on a mini-couch which faced the study table that, by its sole presence, had already cluttered up the air-conditioned room that had no windows. Right away, Joe knew it was the apartment's storeroom. Elle's assessment of his brother brought back the sense of inadequacy back to invade his spirits.

"He's looking so terrible because he stayed up last night doing what I should be doing, investigating the case." Joe groused, becoming angrier at himself as he chewed on his knuckles.

Elle heaved a sigh of relief but she still performed her mandatory checks to see that the seat was not stained or looking too seedy before sitting down next to Joe. "Right. If you stay up the whole of last night, you'll be exhausted today, definitely worse than your brother and in no shape to help Hallie. You're not Superman, Joe."

"I wish I am. I really wish I am, right now."

There was a knock on the door and Joe rose up to answer it. Frank entered, carrying a tray of two cups of coffee and a glass of water. Setting it down on the study table, Frank gestured at the drinks as he almost gulped down his own coffee.

"Thanks." Joe took the water and passed the coffee to Elle who nodded her silent gratitude. Frank eyed Elle strangely from the corner of his eyes. Before Elle, who noticed the glance, could alert Frank of her annoyance with the way he was looking at her, Joe leaned over, holding the glass with both his hands and jumped right into the case. "So, what have you found last night? Any suspects we can go bust today?"

"Right now, I'm running a scan on some partial fingerprints I found at the crime scene. The results were not helpful at all because there's not enough of the print to make a comparison.  Pulled some favors and got the lab technician down at the police station, Albert Chan, to looking into a sample of a stain I swabbed from the crime scene. The stain turned out to be a commercial cream for burns- acid, flame… Picked up some soil sample for some prints too. Results- common garden soil. Nothing much to look into. The tread marks I found also belonged to a common car- Toyota. There are too many of this make around. But I think the partial fingerprints will turn out something for us if only we know where to search… partial fingerprints with the…"

"AFIS didn't come up with anything?" Joe pressed on impatiently before Frank would get too engross in the technical aspects, as he always did when he was excited. Frank pulled his lips into a straight line as his eyes hooded over with telepathic understanding.

"Don't worry, bro. I'm not going to ramble about the techniques. Like I said, the prints were partial- too partial. However, the results of the swab proved my deductions- he did something to his fingers and used the cream to ease the pain. So most likely, his prints were… erased recently"

"Burned his prints off?" Elle asked crisply, her notepad in hand as she jotted down the important points that Frank had mentioned. Frank nodded.

"Yes. Burn them, or peel them away with acid."

Joe unconsciously rubbed his fingertips together, feeling a chill down his spine. "This guy is no run-of-the-mill kidnapper for ransom. He must have been planning this. We're dealing with someone who will go to great lengths to avoid being identified… and that's…" He did not even want to continue. If he was frightened for Hallie before, he was positively terrified now as his chest felt like it was crushed in a vacuum space. In his frenzied mind, he was already counting the hours that Hallie had gone missing.

Too long. Too long…

"Yes… but whoever it is, we can outwit him, Joe. Even the smoothest of all criminals would leave something behind for us to nab him." Frank tried to assure him but Joe refused to be comforted into complacency.

"No, Frank. How many unsolved cases are there? Plenty and sometimes, the criminal's prints all over the place but we just don't have the necessary information to capture him or her. I don't want to think I can outwit him. I must outwit him." Joe clenched his fists. "Anything else?"

"Yes… hang on." Frank swiveled one of his two LCD monitors which were hooked to a scary looking CPU to face them. "See this? I scanned in the photograph of a footprint that I have taken. The logo on the sole clearly shows that it's from the high-end man's shoes brand, Lawry. They only sell custom-made dress shoes. Dress shoes are normally tapered at the toes but this has a too wide toe area- indicating that our man has some deformed toes that needed this special design. However, there's this other logo that's captured besides Lawry's. LTD. Last I checked, Lawry's logo does not have this added initials and it's not a limited company. The culprit wears size 12, like you."

"I don't wear Donald Duck's leather shoes, thank you very much. I love my trainers." Joe snapped, hating the way his brother sounded even though it could be his paranoid ears picking up all the wrong signals. He was reminded of the questioning that took up precious time and energy in the police station and hatred soared to his head for everyone who thought he could bear to put Hallie through such an ordeal just to keep her by his side. If he wanted to have her back without any fine-prints, he would fight for custody again, which would not be too long once the restraining order was lifted. Frank raised his brows, surprised at Joe's reaction to his innocuous comments probably. Joe didn't care- he averted his gaze and scowled at all the imagined enemies in his mind.

"Maybe we can go down to Lawry's branch in Bayport… if there's one… and find out how we can access their customers' files…"

"Oh great, Elle. So you'll just strut inside the shop, wriggle your butt looking all sexy and hope that the guy behind the counter would pass you a file containing information of all their customers who wear size twelve and have freakish toes." Joe was still fuming mad and, just like many times before, he took it out verbally on someone else. Instantly, he felt guilty for his derisive remarks and wanted to apologize but the anger that was constricting his chest forced words of contrition to choke in his throat.

Elle was not gagged on her own irritation though. She faced him with an icy glare. "I don't deserve this, Joseph Hardy. Get out of here and scream it out before you talk to me or anyone again."

Joe inhaled in deeply and counted to ten like how his therapist taught him too. Frank was helpless again like last night. Bet they did not know how his control over his own bad temper had slipped throughout these years. Joe could not believe it either. He was getting better, really. But anger was perhaps easier to deal with than fear for him and it was anger that his dread at the whole situation manifested into.

When Frank stood up and was about to go over and cool him down, Joe's shaking fist slammed into the back of the couch. Ignoring the two of them, he jumped to his feet, threw open the door, stepped out and violently shut it behind him with a loud crash.

"Don't talk to me like that, Ness! You think you're smarter than me? Too good for me? You always think that! Don't you dare ignore me when I'm talking to you! I'm asking you a question, damn it! Who's this Professor Greg?"

"He's just a friend! A visiting college professor! And you're not asking, you're yelling. You're always shouting and that's why I can't talk to you! Don't come into the room tonight, you're making Hallie cry!"

"Me? Making Hallie cry? Why would I shout, Ness?! You never want to spend time at home any more! Enjoying your new social life? I'm slogging my ass off to pay for your tuition and at the very least I DEMAND SOME RESPECT! But I guess my 'smart' wife can't explain clearly to me, WHO'S GREG!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Joe let out a bellow that rose from the pits of his churning guts. Hyperventilating, he crumbled down, clutching his spiky hair as livid white specks bombarded his vision.

"Greg's no one. Calm yourself down. He's no one."

"No one? NO ONE? If he's NO ONE why would he call you and ask you out for dinner twice in TWO DAYS? And you actually went yesterday! Great! Was it at a ritzy place, huh? Did you put on your favorite gown while I worked the damn night shift? Had fun? He liked our wedding bed?"

"Look at this Joe Hardy. I wear this ring always. I wear you on my heart always. If you can't believe me, there's nothing I can do. But I'm not going to stand here and take your wild, stupid accusations."

"You can say you love me. You can kiss and hold me. I'm no monster; I won't hurt you and Hallie, not on my life even." Joe whispered harshly as a bloated teardrop splashed onto the marble floor. "And now Hallie's gone. Hallie's gone and you're not here by my side to see us through so we can find her."

"Joe, are you ok?"

"Do I look ok, Frank?" Joe barked. "Don't ask me that until Hallie's safe in my arms because the answer is obviously, 'no', till then."

Frank nudged his shoulder with the back of his hand. "Here, stand up. I'm only tolerating your tirades because I can understand how worried you must be. But we too are deeply anxious for Hallie's safety. You're not helping Hallie by giving in to your temper and losing it. Hallie needs her dad to be calm and composed so he can set his brilliant mind at work to save her."

Hallie's innocent, impish eyes stared right back into his hardened ones and they dissolved all the wrath at himself that he wanted to explode the world with. Her childlike love for a father whom she adored whole-heartedly embraced his soul and soothed it with the most beautiful song as sweet as cotton candy. He could feel her childish fingers naughtily roaming his face, smearing his cheeks with chocolate stains.  He remembered how she once pulled a prank on him by meshing up a bubble gum on his hair which was collar-length then while she bobbed up and down on his broad shoulders, in sync with his unsuspecting gait. He had to cut his hair all off but he never scolded her. They both had a good laugh out of it but he made sure he told her never to do it to anyone else because they would get very angry.

Did Hallie did something to make the psycho who abducted her angry? But she was calling for him as she ran to her kidnapper.

I promise you, Hallie. Cross my heart and hope to die. Daddy will not lose himself and Daddy will never lose you.

"I'm sorry." He muttered, grabbing Frank's outstretched hand to yank himself back up on his feet. "Is Elle still mad?"

"Oh yes. She started mumbling about what a huge virus you are… then went on about the germs and dust in my very clean office making her skin itch… I just had to come get you… partly to get away from her and partly because your shouting will have me ousted out of my apartment by irate neighbors. Is she… well… you know…" Frank gestured around vaguely, "Not quite… hmm…"

Joe smiled wryly, knowing the way Frank felt about Elle was the same as his when he joined an investigative firm in Chicago right after obtaining his PI license. Elle was his colleague and they were earning peanuts for their mammoth work. After a drink in the bar, he realized that Elle was not as frightful as she appeared and that she was actually nice. A friendship blossomed and they decided to leave the oppressive firm to strike out on their own in a partnership.

"Nay, she's not crazy and she's really…well, great. Mental illnesses aren't crimes you know. She may be anal about cleanliness and hygiene but when she trusts you, you'll no longer be a walking breeding ground for viruses to her. Give yourself time to grow on her. I think, for Elle, it's really about trust issues."

"Myself time to grow on her?" Frank stared at him, incredulous. "Shouldn't it be the other way?"

Joe raised a brow and grinned cheekily. "Elle doesn't grow on people. She makes an impact with her oddity and then, she will turn your life upside down."

"How?" Frank half-shrugged with open palms. "I don't get it..."

Joe narrowed his eyes as the spine-chilling memory of returning to his bachelor's pad to find it sparkling clean and smelling of disinfectant creeping eerily through the crevasses of his mind.

"Like clean up your place." Joe replied, shuddering lightly.