Chapter 26
Abby, Jill, and Riley were all eating breakfast.
"Mommy, I want toast," said Jill.
"We're all out of toast, honey."
Jill's bottom lip stuck out in a pout. "But that's not fair. Riley already got two slices and I didn't get any." Riley grinned and stuck his tongue out at Jill.
"Stop it, Riley. I'll make you some toast, Jill."
Jill smiled widely and got up to hug her mother. "I love you, Mommy," she said.
"Would you still love me if I didn't make you any toast?" Abby asked jokingly.
"Of course, Mommy!" Jill said, shocked that her mother could think such a thing.
"Phone's ringing!" Riley yelled. Abby wanted to answer it, but she knew it would mean leaving...leaving...
Leaving Jill.
As the blaring phone jarred Abby from her sleep, the pain of her loss was as intense as if Jill had died. She didn't want to get up, and reenter the world where Jill was still missing, where she didn't know if she would ever see her daughter again. She kept her eyes closed, trying to hold on to those last few wisps of her dream, but they slipped away from her like sand through her fingers. Jill was gone. Why should Abby get up until she was safe at home?
But Abby had a reason to get up. She rolled over onto her side and opened her eyes. There, sleeping peacefully, was Riley. He was safe. Soon Jill would be safe too. She promised herself that, once they were all back together, she would never take her children for granted again.
And what about Carter? He seemed to be taking this all pretty well, but that was probably because he had just met them. He hadn't cared for Jill and Riley since they were newborns; he hadn't worked twelve hours a day to support them. He didn't love them as much as she did; he wouldn't care as much as she did if Jill never came home.
Abby noticed that the phone had stopped ringing. Had Carter answered it? Her question was answered in a few seconds, when Carter came bounding up the stairs.
"Abby; great news. Eric woke up."
At the sound of his words, her heart flip-flopped. She felt guilty; had she even thought of her brother in the past 24 hours? And then she felt fear; what would Eric have to tell her about the kidnapping? She was afraid that maybe it was something she would not want to hear.
But she had to know. Hopping out of the bed, she headed for her closet to get dressed. It was time to go see Eric.
_________________________________________________________
It didn't feel right. She shouldn't be leaving him this soon.
But in the end, she had realized that it was the only solution. Them couldn't all go to the hospital; what if the kidnapper called? And it would be stupid for her to take Riley with her while Carter stayed home; who knew who was lurking, waiting for them to let their guard down? And she couldn't send Carter to talk to her brother. So she had left Riley at home with Carter, promising him that she would be back as soon as possible.
He didn't want her to go. He had spent the last day in the hands of a kidnapper, and now, he just wanted to spend some time alone with his Mommy. But this was important; who knew what light Eric could shed on the situation? So she decided to make her visit as brief as possible. Still, the sight of Riley's tear-stained face as she left the house was almost more than she could bear.
Abby pulled into the parking lot of the hospital, and realized that she hadn't been in to visit Eric since she first found out where he was. Has that really only been two days ago? It seemed like an eternity.
Abby walked up to his room; she had gotten the number in advance. When she pushed open the door, there was Eric, propped up with pillows, watching a talk show on TV.
"Hi, Eric."
Eric jumped, then turned towards her. "Oh. You scared me." His eyes suddenly took on a worried look, as if he had suddenly remembered something. "Are the twins okay?"
Abby wasn't sure what to make of his statement. "They were...kidnapped," Abby said, surprised at the catch in her own voice.
Eric's eyes widened in shock. "Oh, my God," he said. "Are they okay? No, wait, that's a stupid question. Did you get a ransom note or anything?"
"Why'd you think I might have gotten a ransom note?" Abby asked suspiciously. It seemed mighty convenient that that was the first thing to come out of Eric's mouth. Had he known about this all along?
"What?"
"It just seems kinda strange, how that's the first thing you mention."
"What are you talking about?" Eric was confused now.
It was time to put all her cards on the table. Jill was still missing, and she didn't have time to tip-toe around Eric's feelings. "Did you have anything to do with this?" she asked bluntly.
"WHAT?" Eric's eyes were wide in disbelief. "What do you mean? Did I- did I kidnap your kids?" Eric said incredulously, waiting for Abby to deny that this was what she was saying. When she didn't he said, "I can't believe you, Abby. How could you think I would do something like that to you?"
Abby didn't respond.
Eric was at a loss for words. "Why, Abby?" he asked, his voice quiet with hurt.
Abby was beginning to think that maybe she had been wrong about Eric. "Well, you show up at my house acting weird, then you disappear with my kids. What was I supposed to think?"
"I uny uny park," Eric mumbled.
"What?" Abby said.
"I took them to the park. Riley kept telling me about how great the park was, and when he said it was only a couple of blocks from your house, I said I would take them. Riley said he knew how to get there, but I guess he didn't, cause we sort of got lost. Then, some guys jumped me, and...that's the last thing I remember."
Could Eric be telling the truth? But what about the money? "The kidnapper said the ransom was 'a hundred grand, of course'. Does that mean anything to you?"
"Not really," Eric said, staring intently at the wall behind Abby's head. She could tell he was lying.
"Eric, I don't have time for this! I need to find Jill so if you know something that could help TELL ME!" she screeched at him.
Eric was surprised by his sister's outburst. "Well, I...I sort of started gambling. I have a foolproof strategy; I was winning everywhere I went. Vegas, Atlantic City; I just had a good time and-" Abby cleared her throat loudly, hinting for him to get on with the story, and he said, "Sorry. Anyway, I won a lot of money, and I wasn't exactly quiet about it. I would treat all the guys out to dinner, stay in nice hotels, the works. I was really throwing my money around.
"Then I took this one bet. It was double or nothing, fifty grand. It was a huge risk, everybody thought I was crazy, but I won it, and I ended up with a hundred thousand dollars!" Eric's face lit up as he talked about his winnings.
"After that, I had even more people trying to cozy up to me. It got hard to tell my real friends from the phonies. And this one guy wouldn't let up. He kept asking me to lend him money, or sometimes just give it to him. One he said, "I need twenty grand. My grandma, she's dying. It's not like you're gonna miss it, right?' But when I didn't give him the money, he got mad. He cursed me out, wrecked my hotel room, and left. I haven't seen him since."
"Have you told the police about this?" Abby asked. This could be the breakthrough they were looking for.
Eric shook his head. Whipping out her cell phone, Abby dialed the number that had become very familiar in the last few days. Maybe the police would be able to find out who this man was, and if he had anything to do with the disappearance of her children.
________________________________________________________________
They found him.
"Dean Joseph Amos, twenty-nine years old," read the officer from the screen. Abby stared at the picture of the surly young man. Was this the one who had kidnapped her children?
Abby held her breath at Carter led Riley downstairs. The officer had warned her not to give Riley any signal, but she was hoping, praying that he would be able to identify the man.
The officer was making small talk with Riley, trying to put him at ease for the test ahead. Finally, he said, "Okay, Riley, we're going to play a little game. I'll show you a picture of a person, and you tell me if you recognize them. I'm not going to be mad if you don't recognize anyone, I just want you to tell the truth. Okay?"
Riley glanced uncertainly at Abby, and she smiled and nodded in what she hoped was a reassuring way. "Okay," Riley said solemnly, determined not to let the police officer down.
Riley and the officer sat across from Abby; she couldn't see the pictures. She wouldn't know when he was showing him the real picture, the one of the suspected kidnapper.
"Do you recognize this man?"
Riley studied the picture for a while, then finally shook his head. The officer put the photo away and held up another.
"Do you recognize this man?"
As he went through the pictures, Abby's hope slowly leaked away. Had he already shown the picture?
After several photos, the officer closed his book. "Thank you, Riley. You've been a big help." He shook Riley's hand, and Carter took him back upstairs.
"Did you show it to him?" Abby said quickly, as soon as they had left the room.
The officer nodded reluctantly. "He didn't recognize it. But it doesn't matter much; we couldn't have gotten a warrant on the word of a three year old anyway. We just wanted to see what he would say. It could still be him; kids that young can't remember faces all that well."
"I know that," Abby snapped, then, "I'm sorry; I shouldn't be yelling at you. What will you do now?"
"We'll still pursue this, see if we can find Amos." He stood up. "I'll call you if there are any new developments."
Carter joined her in the living room. "He missed him, didn't he?"
Abby nodded. "But they're still gonna look for him. Did anyone call while I was gone?"
Carter shook his head.
"Well, I'm gonna go up and talk to Riley." Abby headed up the steps, her heart heavy.
Abby, Jill, and Riley were all eating breakfast.
"Mommy, I want toast," said Jill.
"We're all out of toast, honey."
Jill's bottom lip stuck out in a pout. "But that's not fair. Riley already got two slices and I didn't get any." Riley grinned and stuck his tongue out at Jill.
"Stop it, Riley. I'll make you some toast, Jill."
Jill smiled widely and got up to hug her mother. "I love you, Mommy," she said.
"Would you still love me if I didn't make you any toast?" Abby asked jokingly.
"Of course, Mommy!" Jill said, shocked that her mother could think such a thing.
"Phone's ringing!" Riley yelled. Abby wanted to answer it, but she knew it would mean leaving...leaving...
Leaving Jill.
As the blaring phone jarred Abby from her sleep, the pain of her loss was as intense as if Jill had died. She didn't want to get up, and reenter the world where Jill was still missing, where she didn't know if she would ever see her daughter again. She kept her eyes closed, trying to hold on to those last few wisps of her dream, but they slipped away from her like sand through her fingers. Jill was gone. Why should Abby get up until she was safe at home?
But Abby had a reason to get up. She rolled over onto her side and opened her eyes. There, sleeping peacefully, was Riley. He was safe. Soon Jill would be safe too. She promised herself that, once they were all back together, she would never take her children for granted again.
And what about Carter? He seemed to be taking this all pretty well, but that was probably because he had just met them. He hadn't cared for Jill and Riley since they were newborns; he hadn't worked twelve hours a day to support them. He didn't love them as much as she did; he wouldn't care as much as she did if Jill never came home.
Abby noticed that the phone had stopped ringing. Had Carter answered it? Her question was answered in a few seconds, when Carter came bounding up the stairs.
"Abby; great news. Eric woke up."
At the sound of his words, her heart flip-flopped. She felt guilty; had she even thought of her brother in the past 24 hours? And then she felt fear; what would Eric have to tell her about the kidnapping? She was afraid that maybe it was something she would not want to hear.
But she had to know. Hopping out of the bed, she headed for her closet to get dressed. It was time to go see Eric.
_________________________________________________________
It didn't feel right. She shouldn't be leaving him this soon.
But in the end, she had realized that it was the only solution. Them couldn't all go to the hospital; what if the kidnapper called? And it would be stupid for her to take Riley with her while Carter stayed home; who knew who was lurking, waiting for them to let their guard down? And she couldn't send Carter to talk to her brother. So she had left Riley at home with Carter, promising him that she would be back as soon as possible.
He didn't want her to go. He had spent the last day in the hands of a kidnapper, and now, he just wanted to spend some time alone with his Mommy. But this was important; who knew what light Eric could shed on the situation? So she decided to make her visit as brief as possible. Still, the sight of Riley's tear-stained face as she left the house was almost more than she could bear.
Abby pulled into the parking lot of the hospital, and realized that she hadn't been in to visit Eric since she first found out where he was. Has that really only been two days ago? It seemed like an eternity.
Abby walked up to his room; she had gotten the number in advance. When she pushed open the door, there was Eric, propped up with pillows, watching a talk show on TV.
"Hi, Eric."
Eric jumped, then turned towards her. "Oh. You scared me." His eyes suddenly took on a worried look, as if he had suddenly remembered something. "Are the twins okay?"
Abby wasn't sure what to make of his statement. "They were...kidnapped," Abby said, surprised at the catch in her own voice.
Eric's eyes widened in shock. "Oh, my God," he said. "Are they okay? No, wait, that's a stupid question. Did you get a ransom note or anything?"
"Why'd you think I might have gotten a ransom note?" Abby asked suspiciously. It seemed mighty convenient that that was the first thing to come out of Eric's mouth. Had he known about this all along?
"What?"
"It just seems kinda strange, how that's the first thing you mention."
"What are you talking about?" Eric was confused now.
It was time to put all her cards on the table. Jill was still missing, and she didn't have time to tip-toe around Eric's feelings. "Did you have anything to do with this?" she asked bluntly.
"WHAT?" Eric's eyes were wide in disbelief. "What do you mean? Did I- did I kidnap your kids?" Eric said incredulously, waiting for Abby to deny that this was what she was saying. When she didn't he said, "I can't believe you, Abby. How could you think I would do something like that to you?"
Abby didn't respond.
Eric was at a loss for words. "Why, Abby?" he asked, his voice quiet with hurt.
Abby was beginning to think that maybe she had been wrong about Eric. "Well, you show up at my house acting weird, then you disappear with my kids. What was I supposed to think?"
"I uny uny park," Eric mumbled.
"What?" Abby said.
"I took them to the park. Riley kept telling me about how great the park was, and when he said it was only a couple of blocks from your house, I said I would take them. Riley said he knew how to get there, but I guess he didn't, cause we sort of got lost. Then, some guys jumped me, and...that's the last thing I remember."
Could Eric be telling the truth? But what about the money? "The kidnapper said the ransom was 'a hundred grand, of course'. Does that mean anything to you?"
"Not really," Eric said, staring intently at the wall behind Abby's head. She could tell he was lying.
"Eric, I don't have time for this! I need to find Jill so if you know something that could help TELL ME!" she screeched at him.
Eric was surprised by his sister's outburst. "Well, I...I sort of started gambling. I have a foolproof strategy; I was winning everywhere I went. Vegas, Atlantic City; I just had a good time and-" Abby cleared her throat loudly, hinting for him to get on with the story, and he said, "Sorry. Anyway, I won a lot of money, and I wasn't exactly quiet about it. I would treat all the guys out to dinner, stay in nice hotels, the works. I was really throwing my money around.
"Then I took this one bet. It was double or nothing, fifty grand. It was a huge risk, everybody thought I was crazy, but I won it, and I ended up with a hundred thousand dollars!" Eric's face lit up as he talked about his winnings.
"After that, I had even more people trying to cozy up to me. It got hard to tell my real friends from the phonies. And this one guy wouldn't let up. He kept asking me to lend him money, or sometimes just give it to him. One he said, "I need twenty grand. My grandma, she's dying. It's not like you're gonna miss it, right?' But when I didn't give him the money, he got mad. He cursed me out, wrecked my hotel room, and left. I haven't seen him since."
"Have you told the police about this?" Abby asked. This could be the breakthrough they were looking for.
Eric shook his head. Whipping out her cell phone, Abby dialed the number that had become very familiar in the last few days. Maybe the police would be able to find out who this man was, and if he had anything to do with the disappearance of her children.
________________________________________________________________
They found him.
"Dean Joseph Amos, twenty-nine years old," read the officer from the screen. Abby stared at the picture of the surly young man. Was this the one who had kidnapped her children?
Abby held her breath at Carter led Riley downstairs. The officer had warned her not to give Riley any signal, but she was hoping, praying that he would be able to identify the man.
The officer was making small talk with Riley, trying to put him at ease for the test ahead. Finally, he said, "Okay, Riley, we're going to play a little game. I'll show you a picture of a person, and you tell me if you recognize them. I'm not going to be mad if you don't recognize anyone, I just want you to tell the truth. Okay?"
Riley glanced uncertainly at Abby, and she smiled and nodded in what she hoped was a reassuring way. "Okay," Riley said solemnly, determined not to let the police officer down.
Riley and the officer sat across from Abby; she couldn't see the pictures. She wouldn't know when he was showing him the real picture, the one of the suspected kidnapper.
"Do you recognize this man?"
Riley studied the picture for a while, then finally shook his head. The officer put the photo away and held up another.
"Do you recognize this man?"
As he went through the pictures, Abby's hope slowly leaked away. Had he already shown the picture?
After several photos, the officer closed his book. "Thank you, Riley. You've been a big help." He shook Riley's hand, and Carter took him back upstairs.
"Did you show it to him?" Abby said quickly, as soon as they had left the room.
The officer nodded reluctantly. "He didn't recognize it. But it doesn't matter much; we couldn't have gotten a warrant on the word of a three year old anyway. We just wanted to see what he would say. It could still be him; kids that young can't remember faces all that well."
"I know that," Abby snapped, then, "I'm sorry; I shouldn't be yelling at you. What will you do now?"
"We'll still pursue this, see if we can find Amos." He stood up. "I'll call you if there are any new developments."
Carter joined her in the living room. "He missed him, didn't he?"
Abby nodded. "But they're still gonna look for him. Did anyone call while I was gone?"
Carter shook his head.
"Well, I'm gonna go up and talk to Riley." Abby headed up the steps, her heart heavy.