Chapter 28

Missing

"Adam? Please pick up." Winona spoke into the phone receiver, hoping her call wouldn't go to voicemail. And she hoped that Raylan wouldn't call her back while she was talking to Adam.

"Hey," Adam finally picked up, sounding distant. "I've been out. Driving. Looking. In case she . . ." His voice trailed off.

Winona's heart was breaking for him. "I am so sorry I wasn't here for you, earlier today. But I'm here now," she offered. "Raylan's back, too. I'm back here at my sister's . . . waiting for an update from him." There was an uncomfortable silence on the other end of the call. "Adam? Willa's about ready to go down for the night. Would you like to come here and wait . . . together?"

"But what if she was to come back here?" Adam asked, referring to the hotel . . . sounding illogical as hell.

Winona didn't blame him.

"Well. You could leave her a big note," she suggested, sounding hopeful. "Tell her you're with me. And to call you on your cell. Leave both our numbers. And tell the desk clerk, too. They can watch for her." Tears formed in her eyes. She knew damn well how unlikely it was that Anna would return to the hotel. After living with a LEO, she knew that the more time that passes in a missing person's case, the less likely there will be a good outcome. "I could come and pick you up," she suggested. "You must have done enough driving for one day."

"No." He was uncharacteristically abrupt. "I want to have the rental car with me. In case . . ." He drifted off, again.

Winona understood. She knew all too well the lengths she would go to when Raylan was on a bad assignment in order to try and maintain some semblance of control, when in reality, none existed.

"Are you sure it's okay to come over there?" Adam asked, still sounding unlike his normal, upbeat self. "You all have a lot going on."

"It was Gayle's idea for me to call you and tell you to get your ass over here," she tried to lighten the mood by fibbing about her sister. Truth was, she hadn't told Gayle the latest. But if she had, Winona felt certain her sister would tell Adam to come over and wait for word. "Adam? I don't want to wait without you. I don't know how long Raylan will be gone . . . this time."

"Okay," he heard himself answer her, almost as if he was out of body. For some reason, it was easier for him to go for her than it was to go for him. "Give me about fifteen minutes, and I'll head over."

"And bring your things to stay overnight. I feel this waiting is going to call for a bottle of wine. Or two." As soon as she said it, it occurred to her that she never made it to the drug store. Again. There would be no drinking for her. She considered sharing her 'maybe baby' plight with Adam when he arrived. Maybe it would distract him, a little.

After she hung up the phone with him, Winona returned to the kitchen to find her sister doing the dishes. "Where's Mom and Willa?" she asked.

Gayle looked up from loading the last of the dinner dishes into the dishwasher. Lately, her kitchen had been run like some kind of short order diner, with everyone running to and fro. "Mom took the baby upstairs to give her a bath. You know she's in grandma heaven, don't you? I know. She was that way with my boys when they were that young. But a baby girl? And a girly girl at that? She's like a kid with a new toy."

Winona smiled. "Yeah. I know." After a beat, she said, "Raylan called. He's been trying to get hold of Adam all day. It's sounding more and more like Anna is officially missing. Art just returned to the hospital while I was on the phone with Raylan. He'll call me back with an update, just as soon as he can." She leaned over on the counter. "Then, I called Adam, and thank goodness I was able to reach him. I suggested he come over here to wait with us. I can't imagine him waiting at that hotel. Alone."

Gayle continued with her cleaning, wiping off the counters with a sponge.

"Gayle? It is okay I asked him to come over, isn't it? I should have asked you, first."

"No. That's fine," Gayle said, not looking up. Finally, she did look up at her younger sister. "After waiting with you two for word about that explosion only yesterday . . . and now this?" She walked over to her sister. "This is the first time I've seen what you deal with Raylan's job, up close." She opened her arms to hug Winona. As she wrapped her arms around her, she continued. "I've misjudged you in the past, Sis. There have been times when I thought you were too hard on Raylan about his job. I can see now that it didn't have anything to do with the job. You were worried about him."

Winona hugged her sister tight. "Thank you."

They hugged for a while. When they finally let go, Winona wiped her nose with her sleeve. She had been fighting to hold back tears but was losing the battle. "This time? It not so much Raylan I'm worried about. At least not directly. I'm worried about Anna. And I'm worried how Raylan's going to react if something has happened to his sister . . . a sister, perhaps, he only just found."

-o-o-o-O-o-o-o-

Anna couldn't believe she slept. She'd tried to stay awake. It wasn't good to sleep with a concussion, and she was pretty sure she had one. But in the end, exhaustion combined with the darkness of the hole they tossed her in, won out.

A tiny shaft of sunlight filtered in from the tiny rectangular window high in the wall. Anna looked around. The room was long and narrow. The filthy mattress she'd been lying on was against one wall and at the other end was table with two chairs. Something glinted on the table. Peering closer, she saw it was a bottle of water.

She sat up carefully, aware of the pounding in her head. Bracing herself with one hand on the wall, she pushed to her feet. Inching her way along the wall towards the table, she came to a door. Even though she knew it was futile, she twisted the handle. Locked. The depth of her disappointment stunned her.

"Come on, Anna," she thought to herself. "You've trained for this. Think." Carefully, she made her way to the table, sinking into one of the chairs and grabbing the water. She sniffed, then took a tentative sip. It tasted okay, but she drank only a third, rationing it. No telling when they might be back.

-o-o-o-O-o-o-o-

All Raylan heard from Art were the words 'phone's signal though triangulation of the cell phone towers' and that Karen Goodall served Verizon with a court order to start pinging Anna's phone early that morning. Her phone's signal originated from Shepherdsville, about twenty miles out of Louisville.

"That's on the way to one of Arndt's suspected compounds in Leitchfield," Art added.

That was all Raylan needed to know. He instantly turned on his heel and quickly walked down the long hallway, heading out of the hospital and to his car.

"Raylan!" Art bellowed, "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"You know exactly where I'm goin'," he answered without turning around.

Art shook his head in frustration and said, "Shit!" under his breath. Thinking fast on his feet, he then, said, "Tim? You'd better go with him. And remind him that we are not the lead on this case."

From a little further down the hall, Raylan shouted, "I heard that. I don't give a fuck if we're the lead agency or not. I'm gonna find her."

Tim turned to follow, walking quickly. "Hey, Raylan, wait up."

"Goddammit," Art muttered, watching his two Marshals go. He pulled out his phone and scrolled until he found Karen Goodall's number. Better to give her a head's up.

-o-o-o-O-o-o-o-

After her bath with Grandma, Winona went upstairs and nursed little Willa to sleep, softly singing a few choruses of 'Itsy Bitsy Spider.' Once the babe was fast asleep, she placed Willa in her port-a-crib and changed into a pair of yoga pants and put socks on her chilled feet. At the last minute, she pulled one of Raylan's shirts out of the duffel bag, slipping it on over her t-shirt and turning her head to take in his scent. Then, she went downstairs to update her mom on Adam and Anna and Raylan.

"So, Adam's coming over. Do you want to help us keep him company?"

"Absolutely," Margery said. "Why don't I fix a little something for us to eat?" She headed for the kitchen and Winona knew that in a matter of minutes her mother would have plenty of food ready to get them through what could be a very long night.

Wade, who had work early the next morning, said his goodnights and went to bed. Davis Sr. and the boys were already asleep. In fact, Davis Sr. turned in quite early, exhausted from his bucket list adventure. Gayle went upstairs to shower and change into her PJs and slippers before coming downstairs to join the vigil. Afterwards, she joined Winona in the living room where they both took a seat, listening for Adam's car.

Noise carried in the front of the house and up the stairs. Not wanting to wake the guys, Winona texted Adam and asked him to text her when he arrived and she would let him in, rather than ring the bell or knock at the door. Then, they would all head into the kitchen in the back of the house, where the noise did not carry at all.

"Have you heard any more from Raylan?" Gayle asked her sister while they waited.

"No. Not yet." Winona knew Raylan well enough to know that he wouldn't let her know anything more until he had some definitive news. She thought there was no point in sharing that information, as it might unnecessarily worry or upset Gayle or Adam. It annoyed her, but she knew how focused and intense Raylan could get out in the field. The time she waited and worried never seemed to register with him. He was always laser focused on the victim or his target.

After a moment of silence, Gayle changed the subject. "Oh, I didn't tell you, but Pete called while you were up with Willa. The specialist he knows has a partner at University Hospital. They'll work Daddy up . . . tomorrow afternoon, and then, we'll take the consult from there."

"That's the same hospital where Rachel was taken," Winona remarked. "Raylan drove straight there from Nashville."

"Oh," Gayle said, not thinking. "Of course it is. That's a trauma center. How's she doing?"

Winona drew her feet up into the wingback chair where she was seated, hugging herself. "Evidently, she has a pretty bad concussion. She can't remember what happened. And knowing her and how competent and by-the-book she is, I can only imagine she's frustrated with herself at not being able to access her memory. She knows better than anyone how much it would help the case, if she could."

"Well." Gayle shifted her weight and pulled her feet up as well. "I know one thing. If anyone can find her, it's Raylan Givens." She confidently nodded her head.

Winona agreed. "Yeah, and the FBI is on the case because Anna is one of them. They'll have anything they need as far as resources go." After a beat, she added, "We need to remain optimistic and upbeat for Adam. But also, not to downplay any of his concerns. I've been where he is. Waiting for news about the whereabouts and condition of someone you love." She brought her hands up to hold the sides of her face and shook her face in horror. "It's brutal."

About that time, Winona's phone vibrated. Looking down at the screen, keeping her voice down, she announced, "He's here." She took a deep, calming breath before going to the door. She opened it, feeling the cool evening air, as she waited for Adam to walk up the path from the street where he parked his rental car.

He made his way to the porch and wiped his feet on the mat before entering. Winona quietly closed the door, and the two hugged long and hard. Gayle watched from her chair. When they finally released one another, both had tears in their eyes. Winona had never seen Adam this way. It frightened her, made their situation all the more real.

She took his hand and led him into the house.

Gayle stood. "How about we head into the kitchen? I think Mama's warmed up her homemade chicken soup and some cornbread. Good Southern comfort food."

"Oh," Adam uttered. "I don't think I could eat anything."

"Don't tell that to Mama," Winona chuckled, still leading him by the hand. "She'll put a bib on you and spoon feed it to you herself." Then, she leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Do what I do. Pretend like you're eating. It works a whole lot better that way." She put her arm around his waist and gave him a solid, reassuring hug.

Margery had the table set for four with a big crock of soup on a trivet on the table with steaming cornbread and butter and honey on the table. It smelled good.

"What goes better with this meal, Adam, red or white wine?" Gayle asked, not wanting to offend his culinary sensibilities. She pulled stemware out of the cabinet. "I have a couple of bottles of a Pinot Noir. Would that work?" she asked the expert.

"That would be just fine," Adam answered, not really caring.

"Mama?" Gayle asked, holding up a goblet.

"Sure. I'll have one. It'll help me sleep," Margery answered.

Soon, they were all seated at the table with Adam next to Winona. Margery dished up the soup into bowls while Gayle passed down the full glasses of wine. When Winona received hers, she passed hers over to Adam, giving him two.

"Since when are you not drinking?" Gayle raised an eyebrow.

Winona sighed and stared at her lap for a moment, then decided now was as good a time as any. "Since I might be pregnant. And please note the emphasis on the word, might."

Adam, who had his glass of wine to his lips took a big gulp.

Gayle leaned in. "Was this planned?"

"Willa is only seven months old," Winona stated the obvious. "What do you think?"

Gayle laughed. "Don't tell me. Is it the condom thing, again?"

"What condom thing?" Margery asked.

Winona flushed with embarrassment. Adam sat there, listening, taking a spoonful of soup's broth. It was good, well-seasoned, and flavorful. And then, it dawned on him: He'd had nothing all day except for coffee.

"Well . . . Sometimes Raylan gets carried away in the boudoir and forgets to put a condom on, Mama," Gayle informed her mother.

Normally, Winona would have been mad at her sister for spilling secrets she told her in confidence, especially those involving Raylan. But she also knew her sister was trying to keep things light for Adam's sake. He was now eating the soup. Their plan seemed to be working.

"Yes. It was the condom thing again," Winona admitted. "But in Raylan's defense? He wasn't the one who got carried away."

Gayle's eyes became large with surprised. She smirked at her sister. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah," Winona said, breaking off a piece of cornbread and popping into her mouth. "I'm kind of going through this horny, new mother stage."

"I well remember that stage," Gayle nodded, drinking her wine.

"So do I," Margery chimed in.

"Mom!" Winona chided.

"What?" Margery asked. "I went through it, too. It's perfectly normal."

As the ladies chatted, Adam ate the soup until he was at the bottom of his empty bowl. "Margery? Do you think I could have some more of your delicious soup?"

"Honey? You can have a much as you want," she answered, taking his bowl and re-filling it, all the way to the top with more chicken and vegetables this time.

"You said you might be pregnant," Gayle recalled.

Forking a big piece of white meat out of her soup with her fingers and picking it apart with her fingers and placing it into her mouth, Winona explained, "I haven't been able to get to the store to get a pregnancy test. Things have been pretty hectic, you know?"

"I'll pick you up one tomorrow, dear," Margery offered. She was the least busy of anyone, and that's why she was there . . . to help.

"Thanks, Mama. I'd really appreciate it," Winona said with a grateful smile.

Finally, with some soup and wine in him and feeling a little better, Adam spoke. "How is Raylan with this? Have you told him?"

"Yeah. I told him last night on the drive down to Nashville. It's the first chance I've had to talk to him."

"And? How was that?" Adam continued.

"Raylan's fine with it," Winona shrugged her shoulders. "He's always fine with anything I do. I'm the one who's freaked out at the prospect of having two babies in diapers." Then, under her breath, she added, "And not knowing where we're going to live."

"I vote for Louisville," said Gayle was pouring herself another glass of wine.

"I vote for Miami," Margery chimed in.

"And I vote for D.C.," Adam said, starting in on Winona's glass of wine.

Winona, feeling very loved, leaned back, crossed her arms, and declared, "Any and all would be fine with me. Just as long as I'm not living in Harlan County."

Sorry she'd said it as soon as the words escaped her lips, Winona looked up at Adam and winced. "Sorry."

Although Adam had heard her complain about this hell hole of a place before, he really couldn't appreciate the depths of her loathing until the past 48 hours. Now, all he could do was wish Anna had never come to the Bluegrass state.

Gayle, who had been keeping things light, suddenly became quite serious. "Adam? Before you arrived, I was just telling Winona that, if anyone can find Anna, it's Raylan Givens."

"That's right!" Margery chimed in. "Here, here."

Adam then searched Winona's eyes. Were these women just puffing smoke?

"He's good at what he does," Winona locked eyes with his. "One of the best there is. We're telling you the truth."

Slowly, Adam nodded in acknowledgement and appreciation.

For Winona, it wasn't a matter of if Raylan could find Anna, it was a matter of when. All she could do was to hope and pray the 'when' was not too late.

(To be continued . . .)