Chapter 13

Tom arrived early for work the next morning having showered and had a good night sleep. He was still worried. The idea of not being able to save Maia wrapped around his heart like a cord that just kept digging deeper and deeper into his flesh. He loved both Diana and Maia, but Tom knew that if he failed in finding Maia that Diana would shut down. She wouldn't function anymore; she wouldn't be Diana, just a shell. It ripped it heart out the other day when he was holding her in his arms as she cried. If Tom had found out that he had a stalker he would have been upset too, in fact he was worried for Diana's safety.

A few nights Tom was lying awake contemplating where he could take Diana if it came down to having to bring her to a safe house. He even called Linda, at two in the morning, she wasn't very happy but she promised to check around and see if there was an available house that he could hide Diana in if it became necessary.

'But only if it becomes necessary' Tom repeated to himself.

Diana was coming home today. He had spoken with Dana and she said that the doctors were preparing her discharge forms. Dana was going to stay with her this morning and then Darryl. Her father was going to see her tomorrow. Tom had told Darryl that he would come by later and to call him if he needed anything.

"Three more weeks until Diana comes back," Tom said. "And then we can fight like the people on Everybody Loves Raymond."

"I know you like to think I'm a lot more complicated than I really am but really…" Ryland began quoting Raymond as he tapped his forehead. "Not much going on up there."

"Funny," Tom sad.

"So Diana's coming home?" Ryland asked.

"Yeah," Tom said. "Her sister is taking her and then they're going to stay with her for a few hours."

"How was she last night?" Ryland asked. "When you saw her, I mean."

"She's still worried about Maia," Tom said. "She's not going to rest until that little girl is safe."

"I hope that you reassured her," Ryland said.

"I told her that she didn't have to worry, that no news was good news as far as missing child cases are concerned, and that I would let her know when we had something to go on."

"Okay, just to shift gears, I had Marco go through Lindell's computer."

"And what did you find?"

"In addition to the letter from Collier and Yates he was corresponding with another person, a member of the 4400," Ryland said. "His name is Chris Rose, he disappeared in 1990."

FLASHBACK

Tom and Diana arrive at the scene where Mary Denneville's car was just destroyed. Diana walks over to Tom who is holding something in a plastic bag.

"Is that a blasting cap?" Diana asked in disbelief.

"A commercial detonator," Tom said. "Which means that it will be a lot easier to trace than a bottle of bleach."

"We'll send it to the lab. It needs serial numbers, lot numbers, a purchaser would be nice."

"What do you have on the victim?" Tom asked.

Diana accessed her palm pilot and began referencing it, "Mary Denneville, 27 Years old. The flowershop is her father's. She disappeared in 1999 but picked up her life right where she left off."

"Yeah until today."

END FLASHBACK

"…He's thirty-five years old, and is living in the Arcadia Homes complex that Collier built."

"But what makes him incriminating?"

"Some reports from his employer say that he has the ability to see through walls, and seeing as Diana is unlisted, I don't think that they looked her up in the phone book."

"You think that after Lindell stalked he used Rose to find her apartment?

"Yes," Ryland said. "And if that is the case. Then he knows where Diana lives."

"I'm calling Linda," Tom said picking up the office phone. "She said that she was going to check and see if there was a house on the market that we could use as a safe house."

"Don't." Ryland said. "If he knows where Diana lives he may start calling her and asking for ransom for Maia. It could clue us in as to her location."

"I would feel better if Diana was out of her apartment," Tom said as he went to dial Linda's number.

"Tom! This may be our only hope of finding Maia."

"Okay. I'll work with you, for now."

"Darryl, I'm fine, I can do this stuff on my own," Diana said to her older brother as he took the vacuum from her. "It's just vacuuming. I'm not bench pressing my body weight."

"You've been out of the hospital for five hours," Darryl said. "The doctor told you to relax."

"I am relaxing. Vacuuming is relaxing."

"No, vacuuming is a chore that most people pretend to be ill to get away from."

"Well this carpet's a mess," Diana said. "Just let me vacuum it and then I promise that I will relax."

"You sit. I will vacuum your rug."

Diana looked towards the ceiling in exasperation. "Okay, I give in." Diana sat on her couch as the doorbell rang. "As soon as I get the door."

"No!" Darryl said. "No! You sit! I'll get the door! You know why? Because I'm okay! You're not okay!"

"Darryl if you're going to answer the door, just answer the door."

"Okay." Darryl walked toward the door and opened it to see Tom standing there. "Diana, Tom's here."

"I'm right behind you," Diana said. "I can see that Tom's here. I'd get up to welcome him but I think you may reprimand me if I do."

"Hey Darryl," Tom said. "Hey Diana!"

"Hi Tom," Diana called. "Come on in!"

Tom stepped into the apartment feeling a little uncomfortable. He let out a small sigh as he remembered the last time he was here.

FLASHBACK

Tom knocked on Diana's door at four as he had promised earlier that day. He was anxious and worried about his son, what Lytell had done to him, why Lytell had taken him. Diana answered the door with the same smile as she always did.

"You good to go," he asked.

"Just give me a sec," Diana responded as she walked back into the apartment and walked into her kitchen where the babysitter was cooking Maia dinner. "Gloria," the girl turned to Diana. "Just remember what I told you. Don't answer the door to anyone that you don't know." The girl nodded. "Okay, cool!"

As Diana exited the kitchen Maia walked up to her, "Are you leaving now?"

"Yeah, but don't worry sweetie," Diana began as she pulled the eight-year-old up into a big hug. "'Cus I'll be back before you wake up."

Tom smiled as he watched Diana set Maia down.

"Okay," Maia said.

"I better go," Diana said. "Bye."

Diana walked towards Tom and was about to begin searching for her coat when Tom held it out to her having found it on the coat rack earlier. "Diana."

"Don't worry," Maia said as she moved closer to Tom. "You'll find him."

"Find who?" Tom asked.

"Your son Kyle," Maia said. "He's the answer."

"The answer to what?" Tom asked.

"Everything," Maia said as she turned and moved back into the apartment.

END FLASHBACK

"Okay," Darryl began as he put his coat on. "The only thing that you really need to know is that the doctor gave her some medications for pain and if she has any asthma-like attack. Just follow the instructions on the label."

"Okay," Tom said.

"I'll be by tomorrow morning," Darryl said as kissed Diana on the cheek. "See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," Diana said as Darryl left the apartment. "Please tell you're not going to make me sit in one spot?"

"According to Dana, the doctor did tell you to relax," Tom said.

"Yes, but that rug is dirty and it's annoying me."

"It's late anyway," Tom said. "The rug can be vacuumed tomorrow morning" He said taking a seat on the couch next to Diana. He slipped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her to him.

"How was work?" she said burying her face his shoulder.

"It's okay," Tom said. "We think that we may have made some more progress on Maia's case."

"The conspiracy theory?"

"Yes."

"Let's not talk about it now," Diana said as she blinked back the drowsiness in her eyes. "I just want to sit here and talk about something other than work."

Tom looked at the wall and realized that Diana had made a collage of photos of her and Maia. "Is that new?" He gestured towards the collage.

"I made it a few weeks ago," Diana breathed.

"You really miss her, don't you?" Tom asked. He waited a few minutes for answer. "Diana?" he asked. He looked over, only to see that Diana was sound asleep with her head on his shoulder. He smiled and planted a kiss on her head. He grabbed a blanket from back of the couch and placed it over the two of them. "Sleep well Diana."

TBC