Sorry it took like six months to update, but I finally finished this chapter. Thanks to everyone for the flood of reviews you left me and for your ideas, and to my twin/bestie for keeping me inspired to continue writing.
Love and Obsession
Chapter 12
It's the afternoon after Matthew and Sadie were abducted and the two frightened children sat on the couch, small bowls filled with Cap'n Crunch Crunch Berries cereal resting on the coffee table. But they didn't touch the food. Matthew still didn't trust these people who were holding them in the motel room and wasn't sure if they had done anything to it or not. The dog curled up by Matthew's feet, sweetly licking the children as if she was trying to comfort them. Matthew covered his ears as the adults argued over something.
"Brian, I don't think this was a good idea." The woman said.
The man, Brian sighed, "I don't like this either, Rachel, but if we didn't do it, who knows what would've happened? You heard them! They threatened us."
Brian was a divorced man, aged twenty-five. He and his ex-wife had a five-year-old son together named Justin, who currently lived with his grandparents, as both his parents had some problems and couldn't care for him. Bella, his German Shepherd, was almost always by his side and was very friendly with children. His sister Rachel was in the middle of a bitter divorce and at twenty-three, she was a single mother to Aspen, age four, and Archer, age two. Aspen and Archer's father had taken off after their parents' separation and wasn't involved in their lives.
"Please, Brian. Take them back."
"I would, if I could..." His sentence was interrupted when the door was suddenly thrust open and in walked the very people who had arranged it all.
"Brian, Rachel, I see you have completed the job." He said, glancing over at Matthew and Sadie, who were holding each other and petting Bella, who had joined them on the couch and was half-lying on their laps.
"Yes, we have, Ted." Brian replied, trying to mask the remorseful tone in his voice.
"Good." Karla replied, grinning evilly.
Michelle and Teddy were at the mall's shoe store, scanning the shelves in the ladies' aisles. Michelle was outgrowing the running shoes she wore for gym class and needed a new pair, so she grabbed sixty dollars from the jar she saved her allowance money in and Jesse dropped her off outside the mall's main entrance. She had met up with Teddy and his family, who were looking for a birthday gift for Teddy's aunt. After obtaining permission from his parents, he went with Michelle, promising to meet back up with them in a couple hours.
"How about these?" Teddy suggested, holding up a pair of black and pink New Balance sneakers.
"I love them! I have got to try them on." Michelle answered. Teddy handed her the shoes and she sat down on a bench, took her original shoes off and slipped the new ones on her feet. At a size five and a half, they fit comfortably, but had a little room so her feet could grow into them. They felt just right, so she paid for them and they went to the food court to grab a quick lunch at Burger Palace.
"How are you guys holding up since last night?" He asked, concerned for his girlfriend, who only picked at her cheeseburger and fries and something about her seemed off. He could tell she was tense and felt guilty for what had happened.
"Thank you for thinking about us. I just wish I hadn't let Matt and Sadie out of my sight. Then nobody would have taken them." Tears rolled down her cheeks and Teddy got up from his seat and hugged her.
"It's not your fault, Michelle. Don't be so hard on yourself."
"I can't help it. I should have taken them into the bathroom with me and had them wait outside the stall instead of leaving them at the bounce house."
"We all make mistakes. It's part of life. The important thing is that we try our best not to make the same ones again, right?"
"Yeah." Michelle felt a little better now, but deep down, her heart ached, hoping that her niece and Matthew would be returned safely. She finally began to eat her fries and stashed the burger in her purse to munch on later, then she and Teddy went back to meet up with Teddy's family.
"I'll call you later, Teddy. Bye!"
"Okay. Bye!" Once he left, she walked past the rest of the shops and took the escalator up to the second floor. She quickly located Jesse at the music store looking through some Elvis CD's.
"Uncle Jesse, I'm done." She called to him, tapping him on his upper back to get his attention.
"You find what you needed?" He wondered.
"Yep. I'm good."
"Okay, let me just pay for this one and we're all set." He paid for one of the CD's, and they went out to his car and went home.
Back at the motel, Ted and Karla are with the kids, having sent Brian and Rachel to the store to buy cigarettes, beer, and some food at the Sunoco gas station and convenience store across the street. Karla grabbed a hysterical Sadie and took her into another room, allowing Ted to spend time with Matthew alone.
"Hey, buddy. Do you remember me?" He asked him as he leaned down to the child's level.
The boy shook his head no. "Who are you?"
"I'm your dad, Matt."
"Liar! You're not my daddy! My daddy is dead!" Ted grew enraged. High on drugs, his temper flared more out of control and he smacked his son across the face.
"She lied to you! That's what your stupid bitch of a mother wanted you to think so she could keep me from seeing you again. I ought to find her and bash her skull in."
"NO! I don't believe you! You're not my daddy." He repeated, struggling to break free and kicking him as hard as he could.
"Shut the fuck up, or I'll kill you, too." He threatened. "Right after I kill her!"
"NO! Don't hurt my mommy, you monster!" He reached up and punched his father in the face, distracting him long enough to get free from his grasp and run past him. He ran into the bathroom and locked the door behind him and hid in the cabinet under the sink.
"You little piece of shit! Get out of there right now!" Ted pounded on the door, but Matthew sat there quietly, trembling as his father pounded on the door, thinking that he would break it down and come after him, or worse, hurt Sadie. He thought of how he was going to get the toddler out and escape, but he was trapped. There were no windows in the bathroom, so he couldn't climb out and run to find the nearest police officer. He had to remain quiet and hope Ted would eventually retreat.
Matthew heard the front door open about thirty minutes later and he could make out Brian and Rachel's voices talking to his father, saying something along the lines of "We can't keep this up anymore. You have to return the kids!" Ted yelled that he'd give the kids back over his dead body, then Matthew heard what sounded like a gun barrel cocking, and the next thing he knew, there was a shot fired and he heard someone scream and Sadie's cries bellowing throughout the motel room.
Rachel ran back out of the motel, crying as she raced down the stairs and got into her brother's blue 1994 Saturn SL 4-door sedan and sped out of the parking lot. She had just seen her own brother shot and she knew she had to get help fast and save him, and more importantly, the children. She couldn't leave them with that drug-crazed maniac. There was no telling what he'd do to them. She shuddered at the thought. If he could be so cold-hearted to shoot one of his partners in crime, he could hurt anyone. No one was safe, even his own son. Her conscience had been eating away at her and she drove as fast as she could to the nearest police station.
'Hang on, Brian. I will save them for you.' She vowed.
Several hours later, at the Tanner house, Stephanie and Josh were looking through a photo album at some pictures of Sadie and even a few ultrasound pictures from when Stephanie was pregnant with her. Josh held his girlfriend as she sobbed, doing his best to offer her some encouragement and bring her comfort, though nothing seemed to help. All she wanted was Sadie back safe in their arms and Matthew in his mother and Joey's.
Elise had been upstairs in Joey's room for the last hour, so sick with worry that she hadn't eaten or slept, but Joey managed to convince her to take a nap with a promise that he'd wake her up when he knew of any new developments in the case. Danny and Vicky were on the patio, Jesse and Rebecca were at the twins' football game with Leah, and Michelle was up in her room doing her homework.
Until now, there hadn't been any clues to go on, aside from the witnesses' account that they saw a blue Saturn, but this was about to change. At around 9:00 that night, Stephanie was in the kitchen making a cup of tea when the phone rang.
"Hello?" She said into the receiver.
"Hello. Is this Ms. Tanner or Ms. Jacobsen?"
"Stephanie Tanner speaking. How may I help you?"
"Stephanie, this is Detective Norris at the San Francisco PD. We have some news we'd like to share with you. Is this a good time to stop by?" Stephanie's ears twitched. She couldn't believe what Norris just told her, but she was done waiting and wanted to hear everything.
"Sure. Come on over."
Detective Norris arrived not too long after and Stephanie let him in.
"Good Evening, Ms. Tanner." Norris greeted.
"Good Evening, Detective. What is it? Is the news good or bad?" She replied anxiously.
"Gather your family together and I'll get to it." He informed her. Stephanie did as she was told and came back with Josh and the rest of the adults, who sat down in the living room as the Detective revealed what he had to say. "We have some good news. A young lady by the name of Rachel Colson stopped by the station and confessed."
"Who is she?" Danny asked. Beside him, Vicky grabbed onto his hand and squeezed it in anticipation of what the Detective would tell them next.
"She is a twenty-three year-old from Hayward with no prior criminal record. She said she and her brother, a twenty-five year-old drug user with no history of violent crime named Brian Laramie were hired to kidnap Matthew and Sadie by Harry Theodore Jacobsen and Karla Bailey Gray."
"Did she say where Matt and Sadie are?" Josh inquired.
"Are they safe?" Elise added.
"Ted and Karla are holding the children at a seedy motel in Oakland, not far from Interstate 580."
"Oh my God!" Stephanie and Elise breathed, collapsing into their boyfriends' arms, half relieved and half-scared out of their minds.
Jesse stood up and grabbed his car keys from the top of the mantle. "Which motel? I'm driving up there myself to get them!"
"Whoa! Hold it right there, Jess! Let's leave that up to the police. It's too dangerous for you to go." Rebecca told him as she went to hold him back and attempted to convince him to stay and wait.
"I'm going, Beck. Please let go of me."
"We're going, too." Stephanie and Josh agreed as they put on their jackets.
"Us, too." Elise piped up, she and Joey also putting their jackets on.
Norris protested, but reluctantly changed his mind and allowed them to follow behind at a distance. He took out his phone and radioed into the Oakland Police Department to assist in the rescue.
There you go! I'll try to update again soon, but please be patient.