Scanlon finally appeared.
"We have her. I need a medic. She wouldn't stop. She turned around and fired at us. I caught her in the right shoulder."
The ambulance must have been called by an officer witnessing the shooting for it arrived in a few minutes. The DA was speaking with Scanlon when Amanda was wheeled out to the ambulance. She looked at Allison who was moving towards her.
"Why did you shoot her?" she asked Amanda.
"I wasn't going to have her take Jill away from me. I saw her in the hospital a few weeks ago and recognized her. She didn't know me. While we were doing her medical history she mentioned she could not have any more children. She had given a child up for adoption and was searching for her now. She wanted to be a mother………….I have dreams………..I know she would have taken her away from me in time……..You're the only one here that understands me…..you have the dreams too….I can tell. I'm Jill's mother and I have been since this "creature" left her at the clinic.
I saw her a few more times and knew where she worked. I went to find her and saw her walking inside the bookstore. I only saw her bank and didn't realize that I had the wrong person; they looked so much alike…both had the same auburn hair, same length and they were both wearing a dark color business suit. I shot the wrong person.
The Attendants put her in the ambulance…Scanlon went along also. She was in custody now.
Allison's concern was with finding Jill. How were they going to prepare her for this news?
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At the office, Allison met with the DA and discovered that Jill was nowhere to be found. She had vanished…for the moment.
"As it turn out there was no Mr. Mortenson, revealed the DA. Amanda was never married. She moved here for a now opportunity for her daughter. The house has been completely destroyed. There were no bodies found. We are going to speak with Amanda and keep digging into her past to see if she has any relatives or friends that may have taken the girl in. It does look like they moved a lot and never made permanent friends. We can't do any more now….go home Allison."
Allison took his advice and went home. It was after 8pm but Ariel was still waiting up. She looked worried.
"Did you find Jill and her mom? What happened?"
Allison told her about the events. Ariel needed to know the truth and she needed to know that Jill had disappeared.
"I'm so sorry honey. We may never know where she is."
"I'll see her again, said Ariel, and I will be ready for her. It won't be like in the dream."
4
