Chapter Ten—Some Answers
Bella
I slipped slowly out of bed, however the moment I did, Edward searched blindly for me. My chest ached at the sight, for a fleeting moment, I thought it wasn't healthy. However, I was determined not to allow his attachment, and how we met, ruin what we could have. He would be the only one capable of breaking us.
I knew that now, and it scared me.
I brushed my lips against the rough-stubble texture of his jaw, soothed him with a touch of my fingers through his hair. Once his body relaxed again, his face at peace, I left his side. Properly protected from the cold, I set out to find Jacob and Garrett. The temperature had dipped considerably in the evening, making the morning brisk as I crossed the street.
The moment I was clear of Edward's home, Jacob and Garret descended. They swirled around me, almost choking me with a bombardment of thoughts. They were a torrent of emotions. I felt as if I imprisoned.
"She's running," Garrett hissed at my left, my eyes automatically turning toward his voice.
"She's scared," Jacob murmured from behind me, disorienting me further. "She's too scared."
I knew all too well what a frightened person was capable of it you tried to corner them. I ran my hands over my face, clutching at chunks of my hair as their thoughts grew louder. There was so much inside of my head. "She must've heard that they identified your body, Garrett."
"She did, she knows they're looking for her daughter," Garrett whispered, but he had moved further away from me. The sense of confinement lessened and my body relaxed a little.
"If I go to her now," I said, trying to plan, "it would only make her run faster. I need to remove the possibility of her leaving this soon."
"Laurent," Garrett snarled, Jacob returning the sentiment.
"Yes," I whispered. "It's time to figure out his involvement with Kate."
Edward
Something awoke me from my slumber, a whisper. It had been miraculously the best night of sleep I've had since my daughter's disappearance. The nightmares hadn't preyed upon me as they usually had when I attempted to sleep. I was sure it was because of the woman sleeping beside me.
I reached out for her, needing her as close as possible. I craved the sense of peace, love, and warmth she emanated. I hadn't felt this way in such a long time.
"Bella," I murmured, finding nothing but the pillow she had slept on. My eyes snapped open, my hands frantically searching for her.
"Bella!" I called out. She couldn't have left me since she said she'd stay. "Bella." Desperation had me scrambling out of bed, falling in my haste. I cursed as I got to my feet, descending the stairs. The scent of coffee filled the air, almost soothing my nerves.
She's in the kitchen, I told myself. However, when she didn't answer my call, I knew she was gone. Beside the coffee makes was a hastily written note.
Edward,
I went to talk to Laurent in hopes of preventing Kate from running.
Call me at this number (555)588-3552 when you're awake, if I don't answer, come find me here.
"Fuck," I said, cursing further when I realized that my truck keys were gone. As I dialed Bella's number, I ran upstairs to put clothes on. Unbidden memories of the night before made me almost cringe in embarrassment, but I remembered Bella's sweet words, her touch. I refused to feel bad about it, and chose not to dwell. I had more important things to worry about, namely Bella. I hurriedly dressed as I searched for Charlie's card he had left when he'd visited. I had no idea how long Bella had been gone, but the fact that she wasn't answering sent a chill down my spine.
Something was wrong.
She could be in trouble, over something that had to do with all of this. I hated the thought of her coming to harm because of me. Hanging up, I dialed her father. When he didn't answer, I left him a message of what Bella had done. I placed one more call as quickly as possible before I finished getting dressed.
Why couldn't she wait for me?
She'd been here to protect, soothe, and help me through the toughest time of my life. Yet who was there to do the same for her if she never seemed to allow it?
Damn it. Her friends were spirits and they couldn't really help her. Could they? It didn't matter, because she needed me as much I needed her. I needed her to be safe and careful.
I headed downstairs, grabbing a jacket and scarf just as my father pulled up in my driveway. I hopped in to find him very agitated and worried. "Charlie hasn't returned your call?" he asked as he backed up his SUV.
"No, he hasn't. Bella is still not answering."
"Why would she do this?"
"Imagine if I knocked on Laurent's door, he'd run the moment he saw me."
"And if he saw Bella, he wouldn't see her as a threat," my father concluded.
I nodded. "Exactly."
"Why she feels that she needs to put herself in danger all the time, I'll never understand."
I hated that my father had known her longer than I had. "Why hadn't you told me about her?" I asked as he turned down the street. I plugged in the address Bella had given me into the GPS system.
My father looked thoughtful, perhaps cautious, as if he was choosing his words carefully. "I was afraid of what she represented, a voice of the dead." he said, his voice softer. "Every time I saw her in the ER, I was afraid she'd see Hayley by my side." I nodded in understanding. "I didn't want to destroy your hope in finding her alive."
After a few minutes of comfortable I silence, I spoke. "I have a sense of closure now. Though I know it's not over, I feel lighter and freer. She's given me that."
"Your mother and I had hoped she'd given you more."
"She has," I answered simply. I wasn't ready to talk about what was happening between Bella and I. It was for us to explore.
The drive to Laurent's home was almost thirty minutes long. Sitting in the driveway of the house was my truck and snow had already collected on the windshield. She'd been here for too long. The moment I hopped out of the car, freezing wind whirled around me.
It almost had a voice to it. I realized it was Jacob or perhaps Garrett.
"Where is she?" I said out loud. A rush of wind swept before me and up the walkway. My father looked concerned and frightened, not that I blamed him. A screech of tires and brakes called to our attention as Charlie pulled up in a police cruiser.
"Is she inside? Has she answered her phone?" he asked as he approached us.
I shook my head as the three of us walked toward the front door. The large window beside it had its curtains wide open. Through it, we could see into his living room, and past it, Bella and Laurent both sitting at a table.
In between them, on the surface of the table was a gun, pointing at Bella.
"Jesus," Charlie said as he made his way to the door with his gun in hand.
I grabbed his shoulder and shook my head. "If you go in there with your gun raised, he may kill her," I said warily.
"Let me go in first," my father offered. "He may not recognize me."
"I can't let you do that," Charlie said firmly. "I'll go in first."
"You're in uniform, Charlie," I reasoned.
He cursed as we watched Laurent lift the gun. As if I had no control of my body, I knocked on the frosted window. Bella and Laurent turned to the sound, both unsurprised to see us. She waved us in, Laurent didn't argue with her. With that, Charlie made his way through the front door first.
"Bella," Charlie said slowly. "Are you all right?"
"Yes," she whispered, while her eyes remained on Laurent. His olive skin and dark hair were a dark contrast to the white shirt and linen pants he wore. His hand trembled for a moment, and then he placed it gently back on the table. "He won't shoot me."
Laurent shrugged. His fingers remained on the gun that lay between him and Bella. Charlie kept my father and me back, when all I wanted was to pull Bella in my arms and run.
Bella's eyes remained on his, as if she was trying to pull all the answers from within in his mind.
"Can you tell me what's going on?" Charlie asked. Bella raised an eyebrow in question and Laurent nodded.
"I arrived a little over an hour ago, he had been contemplating running without Kate." She sighed, upset about something. "But he was also thinking to end it when I walked in."
"I don't think I would've d-done it," Laurent said, his voice cracking a bit. "I've never killed anyone before. I never wanted to." His eyes remained on Bella, softening as he started to speak again. "Kate told me what you are. What you claim you are?"
"I make no claims," she said softly. "I only speak the words I'm given." She turned to us for a moment. "Since my arrival, we've been sitting here, waiting."
"Waiting for what?" Charlie asked.
"For answers," Bella whispered, her eyes suddenly widening.
"Is she here?" Laurent asked.
"Who?" she asked.
"You know who," he replied. "Is she angry with me?"
"Ah," Bella said, looking over Laurent's shoulder. "There is a woman with dark hair and sea green eyes."
Laurent's back stiffened as he sat straighter. "She's here?"
"Yes," Bella said gently, but her eyes were cold and distant. She crossed her arms in front of her but offered no more.
Charlie leaned toward my father and I. "She could do that all day, stare, give them a little but never enough to answer their questions. She's trying to pull the truth from him."
"Well?" Laurent asked in a clipped tone. "Tell me what she says."
Her eyes remained on his, unblinking. As if she had all the time in the world. "She's not really speaking to me," Bella said coldly. "She won't open up because of you."
Laurent's face softened. "Why is she still here?"
Bella shrugged, looking indifferent. "I should ask you why the spirit of Garrett Richardson is haunting you."
Laurent's eyes widened, but he recovered quickly. "I don't know that name."
Suddenly, the front door slammed open and all the lights around us flickered repeatedly. I watched as papers, books, and things were disturbed all around us. It finally settled around Laurent and Bella. Her hair swirled around her, behind her, making her look otherworldly.
"Liar," she said deeply. Her eyes were almost black, much darker than normal. Once again, I heard a faint echo of her words.
"Does this mean she sees something?" I asked Charlie softly. He looked concerned, his eyes wide with fear.
"I can only guess that someone's helping her," he whispered.
"What's happening?" Laurent asked. Fear had him anxious, looking around him frantically.
"You've made someone angry." Bella looked up, the lighting fixture over the table started to sway, threatening to fall. "Don't move. If you do, you'll anger them further."
I was nervous and frightened myself, desperately wanting to take Bella away from all this. However, I understood that perhaps she never could run from this.
Laurent's hand over the gun loosened perceptively, and I was sure Charlie had, too. Removing my jacket, I tossed it behind me along with my gloves. If I needed to grab her, I would. Her safety was more important than finding answers, and that's why I was trembling—not of fear—but of anger.
"Who's doing this?" Laurent called out. Perhaps he was speaking to the spirits that were with us because he was involved in my daughter's disappearance.
"How do you know Kate?" Bella asked.
Laurent's eyes snapped to hers, frantic and afraid. He was going to snap and with his hand on the gun, he would risk hitting her. I couldn't let that happen.
"She's just a client. I'm her financial advisor, her accountant."
The temperature in the room dropped suddenly. Bella's eyes narrowed, her breath coming out in little pants, visible as they escaped through her lips. Laurent's eyes widened.
Bella's eyes softened as she cocked her head to one side. "How could you allow her to do this to you?" she asked, her voice almost not her own.
I turned to Charlie, shocked to my core. "Is she possessed?"
"No," Charlie said. "Sometimes if the connection is strong she picks up their habits and how they speak when she talks to whomever they're trying to reach."
"Baby," Laurent whispered, his body shifting to lean forward, the gun precariously closer to Bella. Point blank. She'd never survive if her shot her. I heard Charlie curse under his breath. "I was lonely. I missed you so much. She…was good to me."
"How, Laurent? Help me understand."
I watched as Laurent ran both of his hands through his hair, settling back in the chair. Charlie took a step forward to grab him, but Bella's eyes snapped to his. With a shake of her head, he stepped back. Her hands reached for the gun, pulling it toward her. Laurent's eyes followed her movements, but didn't stop her.
"Help me understand," she repeated.
Laurent's eyes glistened as his mouth and whole body trembled. "I was never involved in her daughter's kidnapping," he said, closing his eyes. "I hadn't met Kate until a few months before it, but I knew of her. She owed a lot of money to a loan shark I worked for at the time. She came to arrange for payments, but it didn't go well. I made a few suggestions to help come up with ideas to help her.
"That's when she mentioned the father of her child was rich. She was so sure that she could convince him to marry her, if not, get money from him. When it didn't work, she came to me, crying. We started seeing each other after that, and with what she had, I helped her pay some of the money back. It wasn't enough though, and with every passing day, she was more in debt.
"She called me one night, said that she killed a man who tried to hurt her. She needed my help."
"Somehow, my boss knew I was seeing her and that I cared for her. He threatened to kill me, take the money she owed from me. I told him I'd get it, but it was too much. She came to us, told us her parents were terrible to her, refusing to help. They also had large insurance policies."
Even as he continued, Bella had moved the gun so it sat in her lap. Charlie and I exhaled, relieved. She slowly pulled out of her pocket a small recorder.
"She told my boss about them, the kind of money involved. He set it up, their accident. He made me contribute so he could hold it over my head if I talked to the police. I had to help place the bodies in the car correctly. A month later, Kate received a partial payment of their estate and insurance. Her debt was paid off, then some for helping her.
"For months after, everything seemed fine, but she was going through the money so quickly. She argued with her sisters, she wanted more of the estate since she was the oldest and helped take care of them before they died. I tried to help her maintain her money and she was fine since then."
"Who is Garrett?" Bella asked.
"The night she called me to help dispose of his body in the woods and she claimed he was the one who tried to hurt her. I knew she was lying. I recognized him from the news. He was cold to the touch, as if he'd been in the water. She tried to deny it."
"What does she want from you now?" Bella's eyes had softened, though it was freezing in the room, her breathes were no longer visible.
"I'm to liquidate everything, sell what I can so we can run."
"Why hasn't she left yet?"
"She's being watched."
"Laurent," Bella said softly. "Amelia, your late wife, she said you can make this right."
Laurent sobbed and nodded. "Baby, I'm so sorry."
"She said that she still loves you," Bella whispered. "Are you going to do the right thing?"
Laurent nodded again, turning toward Charlie. "I'm ready to make a statement."
Charlie had taken Laurent down to the station after he took Bella aside and lectured her—loudly. She probably got what she deserved for putting us through that from her father, but she still had to answer to me.
Hours later, after statements, we found out that Kate was gone. Charlie had someone go to bring her in, but she had disappeared. I knew she couldn't have gone far, not without money. Once we heard the news, Bella asked me to take her back to her place.
Before I had a chance to think about it, I asked her to stay the night with me again. Thankfully, she nodded her agreement, a lovely color rose in her cheeks. Though I was angry with her for not waiting for me to confront Laurent, I still feared she'd leave me.
I looked over at her, finding her asleep as I drove her home. I smiled a bit as I turned down the music. Unable to help myself, I brushed my fingers over her cheek. "Don't ever put me through that again," I whispered.
"Edward" she murmured, turning toward my touch.
A part of me wanted to believe when the gun was aimed at her, that I'd been be able to save her. I would've tried, even though I might not have succeeded. I had no idea what that meant. However, I realized she was much stronger, because she had confidence in her abilities. For some reason, I felt that confidence could eventually lead to her downfall.
Once we arrived at her house, she made a quick trip inside to gather her things. She hadn't invited me in, and from what I could see, all the flickering lights inside her small home told me she had guests.
If I'd seen those lights flicker a week ago, I would've thought that the house had a bad electrical problem. I had no idea what to believe anymore. The supernatural existed in our world, or at least a part of it did.
I smiled at her as she jumped back in my truck, shivering from the cold. She leaned forward, the heat from the vents warming her pink cheeks. "Are you hungry?" I asked her, pulling out of the driveway.
"You don't have much food in your house, so making dinner is out. We can order in for takeout or pizza if you'd like."
"We can stop at the grocery store and make dinner together," I suggested.
"Depends on the grocery store," she said softly.
"Why?"
"Newton's had a fire about ten years ago, two people died in it. Mearle's has the founder still walking the aisles. However, the new one might be all right. I haven't had a chance to visit that one."
I sighed, watching her through the rearview mirror. "That must make it hard to go out."
Bella shrugged as she looked outside her window. "I refuse to be confined to my home. Residual spirits don't bother me as much, because they just relive some things. However, some of those things can be horrific."
"Have you tried to stop seeing them?"
"Some medication helps and so does alcohol, but I don't like being so numb." She looked at me then, her eyes searching for something. "It's a part of who I am, Edward. Suppressing it only makes it worse later."
She was trying to tell me something, her words were firm yet unsure. Being with her would never be easy. If I wanted to be with her, I needed to accept what and who she was.
"I'd never ask you to stop for me. I'm just worried about what it does to you."
"I've had a long time to come to terms with it. I found ways to adjust so they don't always disturb me. The night of your lecture was the first time in weeks that I'd gotten involved directly."
"You helped Ben," I whispered, referring to the student she talked to during my lecture. "I'd been afraid that he'd drop all of his classes soon."
Bella shrugged. "His mother was sweet looking, and I could see how proud yet scared she was for her son."
"You exposed yourself," I said, shaking my head. "You shouldn't do that."
"Sometimes I have to, but I try to avoid it. If other spirits are around, they'll come find me."
I turned down my street, with a click of a button on my visor, the garage door opened. Once I parked my truck, I turned to her with a small smile. "We'll order in, and then we'll discuss what happened today, all right?"
Her eyes widened, and her teeth attacked her bottom lip. She nodded and her hands fidgeted in her lap. I took one in my hand, bringing to my lips.
"You really didn't think you'd get away with doing what you did, did you?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Please don't be mad at me."
"I'm angry, I'll admit that. We'll discuss it later."
I gave her hand one last kiss before dropping it. I jumped out of my car and helped her out. I could tell how tired she was by the way her body leaned against mine. Tucking her to my side, I led inside my home.
We had decided on Chinese food, and during dinner, we discussed many things. However, we stayed away from her abilities and my work. They weren't topics to discuss hours after my daughter's presence had left me. Once settled in my living room, in front of a fire I asked for answers.
She turned her body toward me, one leg curled up beneath her. "This morning, Jacob and Garrett came here to warn me that Kate was going to run soon. I knew I couldn't go see her since she's already seen me. Even if she didn't believe that I could hear and see ghosts, I knew she'd try to hurt me. I also knew that she was waiting for Laurent. She wasn't about to leave town without her money. I set out to confront him, because if I succeeded, she wouldn't be able to run far."
"That was very smart of you to figure out," I said, but still angry. "You shouldn't have gone alone."
"I knew you couldn't come with me, and my dad has cop written all over him even without the uniform."
"That doesn't matter." I tugged on my hair a little, rubbing a jaw hoping to calm down. "Going to confront a man we already suspected as being involved with a kidnapping and possibly murder was stupid." I took her hand in mine, hating the way her whole face crumbled. "I'd never forgive myself if something would happen to you because of all this."
"But you needed to know," she said softly, her eyes filling with tears.
"Sweetheart." I shifted and held her face, looking into her eyes. "Not at the expense of losing you." Her bottom lip trembled for a moment, before I pressed mine over hers. The kiss was soft, but sweet. "No amount of justice or answers is worth your life."
I settled her on my lap. Her arms curled around me as her head rested on my shoulder. "What happened today at Laurent's?" I asked, running a hand over her soft hair. "For a few moments, you didn't seem like you."
"I heard what you asked my father," she said softly. "I don't get possessed by the spirits, but sometimes their mannerisms and the way they talk comes through my interpretation of what they have to say. I once spoke French to a family, even though I don't speak it. I even pick up accents."
"After this is over, I'd like to run a few tests with you."
She pinched me! "That's Professor Cullen talking now," she said with a small mock scowl.
I shrugged and gave her a smile. "Can't help it, it's what I do. There has been a few times that I've heard you speak, call out to a spirit and there's a slight echo."
She pulled away to look at me in question. "Really?"
"I noticed it when you called out for Hayley and again today when you were talking with Laurent about his dead wife."
"I hadn't noticed," she said thoughtfully. "No wonder I always freak my dad out."
"Your father mentioned something today. He said that you can get just about anyone to talk."
"My interrogation technique is something I picked up from Charlie, but the fact that I can talk to the dead does help. Sometimes a suspect has a spirit with them. They give me information, and when I know things I shouldn't, they talk."
"Why would you sit through an interrogation?"
"I was a cop for a couple of years, trying to ignore my gift. Doing what I thought I wanted to do. Help actual people. It was stupid, because I ignored the spirits that sought help. That's what cost Jacob his life. I didn't try to help that vengeful spirit until it was too late." She looked at me and shrugged. "So now I only go in as a consultant."
"Now that you don't carry a badge, what do you do?"
"Paint, take pictures, and sell what I can. I'm doing pretty well, too. I also help those that have no voice to those of the living."
My father's words made more sense. "You're a voice for the dead."
~oOo~
Bella slept beside me, her unruly curls fanned across my pillows. My arms wrapped around her small waist, pulling her closer to me. I luxuriated in the intoxicating scent of her hair, the warmth of her.
She hadn't been sleeping well since she climbed into bed. Throughout the night, she had murmured or screamed Hayley's name, sometimes mine. I hated it, knowing I was the cause of her nightmares. I had to hold her tight and had to soothe her to get her to calm down every time.
Somehow, I fell asleep sometime before dawn. I was dreaming of having a picnic in the middle of a meadow, surrounding by small purple flowers. Bella sat beside me and laughed as we watched Hayley dance in the sun, unable to stay still.
Sometime in the middle of my dream, I felt Bella stir again, my grip tightening around her. She mumbled something about her phone. Light interrupted the darkness beneath my eyelids, waking me further. With one eye open, I noticed she had turned on the bedside lamp on.
"Who is it?" I mumbled, nuzzling her neck.
"My d-ad," she said, her voice cracking. The both of us tensed as it rang again.
"Answer it," I whispered. She grabbed her phone, answering it before the fourth ring. After greeting her father, she listened to whatever he had to say. She only talked again before hanging up.
She turned in my arms, her eyes wary and glistening. "They found something in the water near Redtail Lake. They're trying to get whatever it is out of the water."
"Does he think it's a body?"
Bella nodded slowly, her lips pressing against mine softly. "I gave him what I gathered from Garrett and Hayley's memories. He used that, along with what he knows about the river and the nearby lakes to figure out where she may be."
I never asked for details about what happened. The night before, I hadn't been ready. Even now I wasn't. I knew I couldn't put it off any longer.
"Tell me what you know." I sat up against the heard board, and slipped closer and sighed as I played with her hair.
Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment as she took a deep breath. It was as if she was preparing herself. I feared what she had to say, more so when a tear slipped down her cheek.
"Kate made Garrett believe that you were abusing Hayley. She gave him a sob story about how she wasn't ready at first for a baby and that you gave her money for Hayley."
I closed my eyes, pain lanced through my heart. "I did give her money for Hayley." She stiffened in my arms, I held her tighter. "It's not something I'm proud of, but she gave me no choice."
I let go of Bella and moved onto my back, unable to look at her as I explained. "I could see when she brought Hayley to me that it was what she wanted—money. I told her I'd give it to her if she signed her rights to Hayley over to me. I did what I had to do to keep and protect my daughter."
I felt Bella shift beside me as I closed my eyes, seeking refuge in the dark. She sighed beside me, as I remained still and silent. She moved again, only to climb over me, straddling my hips. Her soft, sweet scented hair curtained around my face. My eyes slowly opened, to find her beautiful smiling face.
"I'm not going to judge you, or think you're a bad person ill for doing something I would've done myself," she whispered. I sighed in relief as my hands itched to touch and hold her against me. I cradled her cheek, and slid my hand up her thigh, settling on her hip. "Stop worrying that you're going to scare me away." I smiled gently and kissed the tip of her nose as she continued. "I'm scary enough."
"Frightening," I teased. She smiled once more, giving me a small signal to tell me she was going to kiss me. I met her halfway, our mouths meeting in a gentle kiss. She pulled away first, settling her head on my chest. Soothingly, my hands ran over her back and hair.
"Kate convinced Garrett that it was money not only for Hayley, but for her to stay quiet about your abuse." My fists clenched the fabric of her t-shirt at the small of her back. I took a few breaths to calm down. "Garrett was supposed to take Hayley while Kate distracted you. He overheard your argument with her though, and started to question her motives. Once he got Hayley in the car, he took a very indirect route to South Platte Park in Littleton. During that time, he treated her very well and asked Hayley questions about her life with you, and about what she knew of her mother.
"He questioned everything she told him. By then, the Amber alert was up, so he ditched his car where he was supposed to meet Kate. He wanted to confront her, but didn't want to risk Hayley. He was going to drop her off at the first public place he could."
Bella shook her head, closing her eyes and tugging on her head a little.
"Things get confusing then, and I only have bits and pieces. There's a car chase and it's dark and raining. He eventually pulled over, because it was getting too dangerous. Kate and Garrett were arguing. I saw that from Hayley's memories. She was scared, confused and just wanted Daddy." Bella's lips trembled as more tears fell from her eyes. "She ran, they were on a bridge, she could hear water—the river nearby. She thought she was close to home, she ran because she was scared of the woman chasing her. She climbed onto the railing—" Bella choked on a sob, her whole body shaking as I sat up to take her in my arms.
Tears slid down my cheeks, all the images Bella spoke of filling me head. My heart ached.
"Garrett called out for her to stop before she fell, she didn't see the river. Kate got to her first, pushing her over railing. Garrett went after her. He just dove into the water. So cold, the water was so cold, so fast. She screamed, 'Help me, I can't swim good. Daddy!'
"Garrett tried so hard to keep her above water, protect her from the rocks as they went down river. He swung her around, but the current was too strong. He hit his head hard against the rocks, and he couldn't keep his eyes open. He cried out for her, held her up as long as he could, but she slipped from his fingers.
"He was barely alive when he washed up along the bank hours later. The last thing he remembered was Kate standing over him with a large rock in her hands."
With her last words, she cried and the weight of their memories poured out of her. I held her close, rocking our intertwined bodies as I cried with her. I had no clue of how much time had passed before she finally quieted long enough to fall asleep again. My eyes closed, though I feared what my dreams would hold for me now.
Bella shot up beside me hours later, a scream escaping her as she clutched for her throat. "They found her."
~oOo~
As we drove up, there were other police there. They told us that we'd have to go the rest of the way by foot. Hand in hand, Bella and I walked the trail; a few saddened and hardened faces passed us as we continued. From a short distance, I saw Charlie and my father talking. My father looked strangely pale, as he hunched over as if he'd been sick moments before.
His eyes met mine, shaking his head. Bella gasped, her hand tightening around mine. She stilled, pulling me to a stop. "What is it?" I asked as I watched her eyes widen.
"You can't see her," she whispered.
"What are you talking about? Of course I can." I tried to pull my hand away from hers, but she held onto me impossibly tighter, digging in her heels
"No you can't." Her words were harsh, demanding. Something I hadn't heard from her before.
"She's my daughter," I spat angrily. "I will see her. Now let me go."
I turned to see my father talking to the coroner for our area, pointing in my direction. Even from where I stood, I saw what he was saying. "Hurry."
I tried to pry my hand from Bella. "Damn it. Let me go!"
She took me by the shoulders, pushing me back down the trail. "Edward, you can't see her that way!"
"She's my baby, I want to see her."
She shook her head, trying to get me to look at her instead of where Charlie and my father stood. "She's no longer in there," she said urgently. "Your daughter is gone."
"Let me go," I growled, my eyes finally meeting hers.
"You shouldn't see her like that, because you'll always remember her that way." She was trying to reason with me, but all I saw her as, was an obstacle.
"Get away from me," I spat one last time, pushing her away.
I walked past her, her hands grasping me several times. Each time, I shrugged her away. Charlie held up his hands, shaking his head. "I can't let you go back there," he said.
"Son," my dad said, walking toward me. "I already identified her. Let's get you home."
"I want to see her!" I was angry. Why were they all trying to stop me from seeing my baby girl? Why would they keep her from me?
Bella cried out for me to stop as I tried to push through my father and Charlie. The coroner and his assistant walked past us, a black body bag on the stretcher they carried between them. They held me in their arms as others carried my baby away. I fought against them, and soon more came to stop me from going to her.
Bella was among them.
When the red lights of the ambulance that held my daughter moved further away, they finally released me. I fell on my knees, her name on my lips as I screamed for Hayley.
Bella knelt beside me. "I'm sorry, Edward," she whispered. "It was for the best. "' Her feeble arms wrapped around me. My chest ached with an unbearable pain again as my heart grew cold.
"Leave me," I said in voice that didn't seem like my own.
"Edward," she whispered. I could hear the quiver of fear in her voice.
My eyes met hers as my hands curled around her wrists, pushing her away. "Leave me."