Title: Haunted Memories
Chapter: 2
Author: Evidence
Rating: PG-13
Author's Notes: Thanks to D for being a great cheerleader *G* and the Maple Street gang. This part has much more Jack and Sam.
"Do you know that girl?" Samantha asked Jack.
His reaction to the young woman Sam had found in a deserted, running van, had caused concern for his girlfriend. She had never seen that glazed look of shock appear on his face. He was seated now on their front steps. Hanna, Kate, and the found girl all in the apartment looking at the candy. Sam was with him, the coldness of the steps chilling her entire body.
"Yeah, I know her." He squeezed his eyes shut.
"Okay, you're scaring me, what's going on?" She wrapped her arms around her body in a form of protection against the cold and what she feared Jack would say.
One lone trick or treater walked by, a goblin masked on his face.
"Eleven years ago, before you joined the unit, there was a case. A missings persons case which I made a major mistake during. I didn't think of the consequences of my actions."
"What happened?"
"Victoria Marsh, that young woman sorting candy with my kids, was kidnapped 11 years ago."
Sam laughed nervously. "Jack, how did you know her name?"
Jack put his arm around her shoulders, "So she said her name to you."
"Yeah, Jack how could you recognize someone who has been missing so long when their appearance must have changed?" Sam's heart was beating wildly. None of this made sense. It was like when she left that night she had entered some sort of Twilight Zone where everything was similar but not the same.
"I saw her two years ago," he gripped her shoulders tighter. "She told me she was Victoria Marsh. I didn't believe her. She cut her thumb with a knife and left the knife on my front step. I remember Maria was frightened."
Sam stiffened at the sound of the name.
"I ran a DNA test on the blood- it was a match for Victoria Marsh. But she was gone, again."
"You never told me, why, why didn't you tell me what was going on?" She was looking at him disbelieving what he was saying.
"I didn't want you to know the whole story." He let his arm go from her shoulders. "Danny and Viv will be here shortly but I'll give you the nutshell version. I spent a lot of time with the Marshs after Victoria disappeared." He paused. "I ended up having an affair with Debbie Marsh."
The weight of what he was saying hit Samantha. "You had an affair?"
"It was before I met Maria. I was foolish. I was lonely..."
Sam swallowed. "So that's what I was a foolish mistake, an act of a lonely man?"
"No, not at all, you were different."
"Isn't that what cheaters always say." Tears swelled at her eyes. She had been so happy. Jack was divorced, they had moved in together. The girls spent many nights a week with them. Everything had been perfect but alas perfection doesn't seem to last forever.
The wind blew his hair. "We need to talk about this later but Sam, know that I love you. I loved you after we were together- that was the difference. I never loved Debbie Marsh. She was devastated by the loss of her daughter and I was wrong, so wrong. Debbie was a major mistake. You weren't. You were the best thing that ever happened to me." His voice shook with emotion.
"I need time to evaluate this...I'm shocked Jack."
"Well have all made errors in our judgment."
"What's that's suppose to mean?" She took offense to the remark.
"Well Keller, how about him. You were in love with me but sleeping with him."
"Yeah and you were going back home with your wife!"
A car pulled up, the headlights reflecting on to the two figures on the steps.
"Hey, what's..." Danny stopped mid-sentence seeing the tears; the exasperated looks on their faces.
"Victoria Marsh is inside." Jack spoke quietly.
"Okay, let's talk to her," Vivian said, walking past the couple with Danny trailing.
"This is why I never told you." Jack reached out for her hand but she moved it away from him. "Please don't do this. I love you too much to lose you. Not again."
"You haven't lost me but I'm not going to lie to you and say everything's fine. I need some time." She looked at him and had the urge to put her head on his chest and cry.
"Okay, you got all the time you need."
Vivian sat down at the maple table across from the young woman. Although her hair was unkempt, she looked clean, as she had bathed frequently. She wore a navy sweatshirt and matching running pants; it didn't appear that she was without shelter or fresh clothes. There was something in her eyes that put a chill down Viv's spine- some sort of hallow emotion.
"You are Victoria Marsh?" Vivian asked. The girl nodded. "Your parents are Brent and Debbie Marsh?" Another nod. "Okay, how did you end up in the van?"
"I don't know."
Danny smiled. "Hey, I'm Danny. Like the outfit."
She stared at him.
"Where did you get those clothes?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know? Did they just appear on you like some fairy godmother sent them?"
"Danny," Vivian scolded.
"Yeah, maybe." Victoria Marsh said.
"Can you tell us anything about the last 11 years?" Vivian turned back to the sullen woman.
"Not really."
"How did you find where I lived?" Jack asked as he entered the kitchen, Sam lagging behind still wiping tears from her face.
Vivian and Danny exchanged a look.
"I was lucky."
"Lucky?" Jack walked up to her. "Why did you want me to know you're Victoria?"
"Did I want you to know that?"
Jack put both hands on the table and leaned over, his face red with anger. "Enough with the games. You haven't been held captive all these years. Who were you with? And what did you do to piss them the hell off that they stuck you in a van?"
Victoria Marsh remained silent.
"Damn it answer me!"
One word came out of her mouth, "Payback."
"Payback. Payback for what?" Jack's voice had quieted.
"You know," Victoria looked at him with hatred in her eyes.
Jack moved swiftly grabbing Sam by the arm and pulling her out of the room.
"Ouch, Jack, you're hurting me."
"Take the girl's over to Maria's place," at the look on her face he added, "Please, I don't trust this young woman. She has already spent enough time with my kids as it is."
"What's going on with her?" Sam asked still confused over Jack and the past affair to concentrate on the strange woman in the kitchen.
"She's a liar. She knew my address. She was stuck in a van a short ways from our apartment. The payback she's talking about has to deal with me. She wants me to pay."
"For what? She doesn't even know you."
"For having the affair with her mother."
"Jack, she was missing before that happened, right?"
"Yes, she was gone then." Jack paused wiping his face with his hands.
"Then how can she want to pay you back. That doesn't make any sense."
"It does if it were her parents who kidnapped her." His eyes met Sam's.
"Why, why would a parent kidnap a child and keep her somewhere else? That is crazy behavior."
"Exactly."
Samantha stared into his eyes and saw his fear. "Okay, what do you think happened?"
"Maybe I'm the crazy one but Victoria Marsh disappears 11 years ago and now their other child is gone. Something is strange there. What if they tire of their children and put them somewhere else."
"Where would they put them?"
"I don't know," Jack rubbed his face, "We'll figure it out, it will just take time. Sam, where are the girls?"
"I don't know. Last I saw them they were in the kitchen with Victoria..."
Jack turned and ran back into the small kitchen. "Viv, where are Hanna and Kate?"
Vivian stopped questioning Victoria and looked up at Jack. "I haven't seen them."
"They weren't here when you came in?" Panic rose in his throat.
"No just Victoria."
"Hanna! Kate!" His voice boomed through the house, "Danny cuff her!"
"Okay," Danny said getting out his handcuffs.
Jack ran up the stairs, Sam on his heals. "Hanna! Kate!"
They searched in every room: in the bathroom, in their bedroom, scouring the master bedroom, but no sign of them.
"Hanna! Kate!"
"Maybe they are outside," Sam said grasping at straws.
They ran out the front door looking up and down the street.
"Around back," Sam said and they took off heading to the apartment building that was directly behind. Mrs. Olson had not seen the girls, neither had any of the other neighbors. They were frantic, running around searching desperately. Both knowing that Hanna and Kate where in great danger. They ran down a few streets. Empty. Silence. No Hanna or Kate.
The tears were flowing down his face. "Where are they?"
"We'll find them, I promise you, we'll find them," Samantha was crying too, not only for them but for the man she loved who would never be the same if something happened to his daughters.
From behind them they heard tires screeching. They turned quickly, as a dark van proceeded toward them. The driver who was obscured by the darkness, did not slow down instead he gunned the engine, heading straight for them. Jack threw himself at Sam, connecting with her body and sending them both sprawling on the road. But they were out of harm's way- the vehicle zoomed past them.
"That's the van I found Victoria in, I'm sure of it," Sam was able to see the first two numbers of the license plate- 54.
"We have to find that van- fast." Jack sat up, rubbing his shoulder.
Sam pushed herself into a sitting position on the road. "We'll have auto detail track it. Jack, you hurt yourself."
"I'm fine," he lied. "Come on," he got up quickly and ran back to the apartment. Sam followed although her old gun injury began flaring up.
Up the stairs, into the apartment, and then into the kitchen until he stopped in front of Victoria Marsh.
"My kids are missing!"
"Oh, God, Jack..." Vivian started.
Danny looked over at Sam. Her face was pure white, he wondered if he had the same appearance.
"Where are they? Who took them?" He yelled at Victoria grabbing her shoulders.
She smiled. "Payback is a bitch isn't it?"
Danny pulled at Jack, "She's not worth it, let her go."
Jack had lost all strength and felt himself being pulled away. He felt as if he was dying, as someone was draining the life out of him.
Sam took his place in front of Victoria. "Where are they?"
Another smile, "Hopefully already dead."
Sam's fist connected with the other woman's jaw. Victoria fell out of the chair but Sam wasn't done yet. Grabbing her by the throat, Sam looked into the woman's eyes.
"Tell me where they are now or I'll kill you."
"You can't do that."
"It would be worth it to got to jail." In that moment she meant it. Jack was destroyed, the girls might be dead, the anger inside of her was overwhelming just like her love for Jack.
"Lets give her a few minutes alone with Miss Marsh," Danny said tossing a look to Viv and Jack.
"No, please, don't leave me with her!" Victoria Marsh was trying to scream but Sam's hands were making it difficult.
"We won't if you tell us what the hell is going on?" Danny spit out the last words.
"Okay, okay, look it wasn't my idea…"
To be continued...