Chapter 8
It was dark when he got back to the house, which Shawn did not think was entirely normal.
After all, even if the kids were in bed then his Caroline was normally up. Perhaps, a fuse had gone or there was a power cut. That was not unusual. Still, he would have expected a few candles to be alight by now unless it had only just happened. He did not think much of it until he opened the door and the house to him felt as if it was one thing and that was dead.
What a terrible thought, he mused as he stood in horror that he even thought that.
But he knew the way to banish death was to find life.
"Caroline?" he called into the darkness.
But even then, there was a part of him which felt as if he knew she was not there.
He knew her and if she was here…
He turned on the light, took off his coat and then his shoes.
When he looked back on that moment he knew he was already trying to control his breathing and keep as calm as he could.
But something was wrong. It was in his gut which he felt it the most.
"I'm home darling." He said as he walked to the kitchen to feel nothing but coldness and to smell nothing.
She hadn't cooked. He wondered if she had gone to her mother's for dinner. It would not be the first time she had done that but what it would be was the first time she had done so and not given him any pre-warning. But maybe then she had been so busy lately. It might have just slipped her mind to let him know.
She did have a lot on with all three children and the new one on the way as well.
He looked around for a note to tell him when they were going to be back but he could not find any…
Even though he knew they were not going to be there he could not help but check the children's bedroom before he went any further. His dislike of the situation only increased when he saw neither Kimberly or Roman were in their beds, though to find them there without their mother in the house would have been worse. They were going to be in horrible moods for their mother the following day he thought to himself if they were not in bed yet…
But then Caroline had to know that.
In his most fruitless action of the night so far, he went into his own room and peeked into Kayla's crib to see that too was empty.
Right.
There was no family in the house, so he did not see much point in staying there. After all, this was their place to be together.
He went to the shop to the phone and instantly dialled his mother in-laws house.
"Hello, Ma."
"Oh Shawn, we do not normally hear from you this time of night –"she said on picking up. "Are Caroline and the kiddies ok?"
His mouth went dry. He had really convinced himself that they were going to be there, just a few moments ago and his worry renewed on hearing he had clearly got that wrong.
"That was what I was ringing to find out." Were they ok?
"You mean to say they are not at home?" he could all but hear her replaying the conversation they had had between them not so long ago. So, they had both been right that something was occurring with the woman they both loved.
Nothing of this was settling with either of them.
"I am going to ring my Ma and Pop – make sure they are not there." He did not know why she would have gone to his mother if she had not gone to her own, but it was worth a check before the panic really set in.
"Ok - but if they are not there then I want you to ring me straight back."
She would go around and sit with him until they were back.
The phone call to his mother and father did not through up any more leads for Shawn than the first one had but he felt as if he was beginning to have a million more questions.
He tried to recall what his wife had said they were going to be doing that day so he could work out where they may have got struck but he could not remember.
Nothing seemed to be in his mind right then but panic. He tried to calm it but found he could not…
And so while he did not wish to panic his own parents or his Caroline's, he called them all round again for he knew none of them was going to get any sleep until the kids and Caroline were home.
They were, of course, all now aware that something was wrong and it did not take any of them long to get round to him and the house.
"Did no one even see them today?"
Even though his own parents were there as well as her mother, it was his mother in law who he was really talking to right then. She was the most likely to have seen them.
But almost at the same time all of them shook their heads.
"Then I need to go out and look for them."
Shawn's mother had almost feared that he was going to say that. No one could ever say her son was not a hardworking young man but it scared her sometimes, it did not take a genius to see he was already on his last legs that night. But she knew him well enough to know there was going to be no talking him out of this…
"Your dad and Eric are going to go with you," she said as she looked at her younger son and her husband though she did not think either of them had to be told. They were not going to be leaving Shawn to look for them on his own.
They were their family too.
"Aye," Caroline's father nodded, and it was clear he too was going to join the search. It was only going to end when the others were back home, safe and tucked up in their beds.
Whilst the men were out looking for them, Caroline's mother felt as if she was going cold. Evelyn had known there was something wrong with her daughter she just – she just hadn't probed it enough. Pussyfooting around and speaking to Shawn had not been the way to go now she could see that.
She wished she had simply asked her daughter what the matter was.
"I know maybe this should be Shawn's decision, but do you think we ought to call the police," she asked Colleen Brady.
Evelyn knew Colleen was not going to want to bring down any more stress on her son than she had to right then but this was not just about Shawn. It was not even just about Caroline. The two of them were loving and doting grandmothers.
The kids should have been tucked up safe in their own beds a long time ago.
"Yes," Coleen nodded, slowly once she had considered. If when the boys got back, they had Caroline and the kids with them then they were going to look like almighty fools but – but they would both rather that than lose any more time than they had yet.
"If my son says anything about then I will say I backed you all the way but we need to know none of them are hurt."
Evelyn nodded. Their family search party was not going to cut it for long.
It was time for them to think bigger than that…
She did not think were going to be able to find them on their own. Much time had passed already.
Shawn had left for work fourteen hours previously. And no one had seen them since…
X x x
Shawn knew where his wife's normal haunts with the children were and with each one, they ticked off to no joy, he thought he was going to explode. The worst images came into his head of them hurt, Caroline beat up or robbed and his children crying for him.
He did not know why he had even gone into work that day any more. Would it have killed him to have a day off and spend a little time with them he thought to himself? He had known she was pregnant again and emotional – she had needed him and he had not been there and he was not going to forgive himself for that.
When he did find them, he was going to have the next day off he thought to himself and he was not going to let anyone of them out of his sight. He was going to hold Caroline and he was going to cuddle the kids, and he was going to make dinner for them all and just – just be the dad and husband he was sure they needed him to be right then.
"Have you had anything to eat yet son?" asked his father as they eventually went back to the Market.
Shawn regarded it as something of little importance right then so he did not reply. Eric, Shawn's younger brother, looked at his fathers were raised eyebrows.
It was fair to say neither of them had ever seen his brother that way before and both had the same fear right then that Shawn was going to go a little mad if they did not find his wife and kids soon.
Shawn went into the kitchen and he saw his mother and his mother in law were not on their own.
Even though he knew the situation as bad, he had not wanted to believe it was this bad already.
They had called the police.
He felt his mouth dry up at the seriousness of the situation in which they found themselves.
"What is Officer Horton doing here?" he knew he was playing dumb and maybe it was not going to help but – but he did not want to be here – not like this.
For one moment he felt as if he was going to pass out. What if he had brought with him the news which he so dreaded getting.
"Shawn, we called him – I think we need a little help in the search."
It was most unlike Shawn, but the fear which he felt made him feel as if he could yell at his mother for the scare which he had given her at that moment. He was sure this was not needed and he did not know if he wanted anyone to know outside of their family – but they did now and he could not put the genie back in the bottle. And he did not want Caroline in any bother.
It might only be a telling off for her, but – but he did not want that.
"I do not think it is as bad as all that."
"Darling, if no one has seen Caroline since you did before work this morning that is the very best part of eighteen hours now." They themselves have been outlook for hour…
He had not wanted to do the maths and once more he felt if there was no one else around he could have screamed.
But there were other people around and he knew he had to face the facts, - he just had not wanted to.
It was dark and late and cold and none of those who he loved the best was where they should be. It was no exaggeration to say this was the very worst night of his life.
"Shawn can we talk..."
He nodded. "Officer, you need to bring them back – the children are so tiny - and she is pregnant." The officer nodded. "And I know we are going to find them soon but I do not want her to get into trouble for this, I know you take wasting police time seriously but –"
"Shawn, your wife and young children are missing. I do not think trying to get them home is a waste of time."
He was going to make sure there was no getting into trouble for anyone. But they did need to find out where they were.
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