Ch.20
Teresa was lying on her couch, the phone clutched in her hand. She had been waiting anxiously for the past few days for Luis to contact her.
Fox walked in.
"Hey buttercup," he said, plopping down beside her on the couch. "How did it go today?"
"It was fine," she said. She hated having to talk to that therapist everyday. She only did it so Fox wouldn't know the truth.
"You know I was talking to Ethan today," Fox said, rubbing her feet. " He said he's glad you are feeling better."
She smiled.
"I should call him later…see how he's doing."
Fox nodded. He wanted to bring up what Ethan had said earlier, but couldn't find the words.
"What else did you two crazy kids do today?" Teresa asked.
"Not a whole lot," he said. "We just talked for awhile. Actually, he said something to me that I cant stop thinking about."
"What is it?" she asked curiously. Fox was acting out of character…he looked like he was afraid to talk to her.
"Fox?"
"Resa, you wouldn't lie to me would you?"
She scrunched her face in confusion.
"Lie? What would I lie about?"
"Ok, this is going to sound really out there I know, but Ethan seems to have the idea stuck in his head that maybe what you wrote in your diary was true, and you were just lying to protect me."
Her muscles tensed up.
"Why would he say that?" she asked, trying to play it off. "Of course none of it is true. I was just letting off some steam."
"Is that really the whole truth?" he asked.
She looked away down at the phone. She could feel his stare burning into her.
~ What do I do? ~ She asked herself.
"I just want to know the truth Teresa…that's all…I cant help you until I know the whole truth."
She sat up and looked at him, about to say something.
The phone interrupted her.
~ Luis! Her mind screamed. It might be him.
She quickly answered it.
"Hello?"
Fox watched her as she answered, not sure what to believe anymore.
"Yes this is the Crane residence."
Fox looked at her questioningly.
"Who is it?" he mouthed to her.
She put her hand up, signaling him to hold on.
"Oh my god!" she yelled.
"What's going on?" Fox asked.
She sat there for a moment in a daze, before hanging the phone up.
"What is it?" Fox asked, dying to know what was going on.
"It's Ethan…" she choked out.
Fox felt his body go numb.
"What about him?" he whispered, almost too afraid to hear the answer.
She looked deep into his eyes.
"He's missing."
Fox felt the blood rushing to his head.
"What do you mean missing?"
"They found his car in a ditch off the highway," she said, her eyes beginning to water. "They don't know where he is."
Fox sat there stunned.
"I was just with him," he said to himself. "He said he was going home."
"I don't understand," Teresa said. "Where could he be?"
"I don't know," Fox said. "We better go over to the mansion and check in on Gwen. Maybe she will have some ideas."
"Good idea."
They quickly went to their car and drove to the mansion. A frantic Gwen greeted them.
"What could have happened to him?" she cried, as Teresa held her, trying to calm her down.
"We'll find him Gwen," She said reassuring into her ear.
Fox looked around for any sort of hint as to where Ethan might be. He ran into Rebecca.
She seemed more nervous than usual.
"Are you alright Rebecca?" Fox asked suspiciously.
"ME? I'm fine." She said hurriedly, not looking at him. "I'm just worried about son in law."
Fox stared at her. All he could think about was his conversation with Ethan earlier in the day.
"We all are," he said. "But don't worry: I'm going to find him…and when I do, he is going to tell me everything."
He watched her as he said that to see her reaction.
She spit her drink out.
"Was it something I said?" Fox asked with a smirk.
"N-no," she stammered. "I just had a little cough that's all. Excuse me." she quickly walked out of the room before Fox could say anything.
"Damn it Rebecca," he said after she had left.
"It really is you after all."
He ran his fingers through his hair.
" Teresa wasn't lying…they really did everything…"
He groaned.
"Now what have they done to Ethan?"