Chapter Four
Angel shook herself awake, struggling to remember the day. Friday. She’d spent all Wednesday night and Thursday at the hospital, going home briefly yesterday afternoon to take a shower. As she sat up, the blanket she had had wrapped around her all night slid to the floor. She noticed the sunlight peeking from around the window blinds, casting a comforting glow across the stark hospital room. Angel turned her head and focused her drowsy eyes on Fredricka’s chest, to ensure it rose and fell. Grams was all she had.
Now, Angel was a granddaddy’s girl for sure. Despite losing his legs to diabetes, Nick Roberts never lost his spirit for life and God. He had been so proud of her the day she walked down the aisle at church to confess her faith in Christ. Grams had pushed his wheelchair toward the front of the church so he could be beside his Angel. He wouldn’t have been happy at the way she had lashed out at Grams Wednesday night.
She took a deep breath, exhaled, and lifted her head. She had gone to sleep in the chair with the television playing. She turned her attention to the television in the corner. Wes Cade was the anchorman for the morning news today. Now, there was a day brightener. Angel couldn’t remember the last time she had a crush, but Wes’s boyish good looks made her smile.
As she watched the news, footage of a young, pretty black woman appeared on the television screen. The woman appeared to be holding a microphone in her hand. She looked familiar. Curious, Angel leaned forward to hear the woman singing a rendition of “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston. The young woman’s voice was hauntingly close to the popular singer’s.
Wes continued the story. “This morning’s lead story focuses on the disappearance of Melanie Stowe. Melanie, known simply as Mel to family and friends, went out with friends on Wednesday evening. Melanie left the Paradise Club before her friends but never arrived home. Some may recognize Melanie as a local celebrity here in Charlotte. She was recently a contestant on the national talent show American Voices. Even though Melanie didn’t make it as a finalist, her fan base increased each week she remained on the show. If you have any tips that could lead to Melanie’s whereabouts, please call the phone number on your screen.”
Angel sat back in her seat, thinking Melanie’s small celebrity status could help or hurt her. Oftentimes adult missing person cases weren’t given as much seriousness as child cases. Adults could come and go as they pleased. So many adult missing person cases were reported for a few days on the news and then disappeared from the media headlines. Angel prayed for Melanie’s safety. The young woman had been in the spotlight so much this year that maybe she wanted to disappear for a while.
For a brief moment, the news story strangely reminded Angel of her mother’s disappearance. Elisa could have been a superstar. Her mother’s voice would have easily blown away the competition on a show like American Voices.
Angel jumped in the chair when a chubby-cheeked nurse entered the room.
“Honey, you been here all night again? That chair can’t be comfortable. You should go home.” The nurse nodded toward Angel’s grandmother. “We can call you if anything changes.”
Angel shook her head. “No, that’s okay. I want to be here.”
“Is this your grandmother?”
She looked at the nurse and then back at Grams. “Yes, but she has been more like a mother. She raised me.”
“Oh my. Bless her heart. I’m a grandmother myself. I became one way before I was planning to be one, if you catch my drift. I do love my grandbabies, though.”
Angel had often wondered if she was more of a burden than a joy to her grandparents. She knew they loved her, but she imagined their life had turned out differently than they had planned. When she was younger, Fredricka had traveled with dance troupes across the country. Angel’s grandmother had enjoyed her dance career until she met up with Nick, a popular guitar player in the North Carolina–based band Southern Soul. The couple had left their respective roles in the entertainment business to raise Angel’s mother and uncle.
Angel reached over and smoothed her grandmother’s silvery hair, now a bit tangled from the ordeal. The doctor had said she might have been experiencing a headache and even dizziness prior to her fall. All signs of a stroke. This one was a minor one, but nonetheless still dangerous. Angel couldn’t help but think this was her fault. Grams had meant no harm with her comment.
The nurse invaded Angel’s thoughts. “Honey, do you have some family and friends who can come be with you? This can be really stressful.”
“Thanks for asking. Yes, I have been trying to contact my uncle.” Angel reached into her bag and pulled out her iPhone. Her uncle hadn’t responded to a single voice mail. Usually, if something was happening with Fredricka, Jacob would be on a plane or in a car immediately.
She walked out into the hallway and dialed Jacob’s cell number again. This time there was no voice mail greeting. It was weird for his voice mail box to be full. Her uncle was all about the business, with his Bluetooth wrapped around his ear like some body part. Angel leaned against the wall, pondering what to do. Aunt Liz. She searched through her phone, hoping she still had her aunt’s cell phone number.
Angel listened to the rings, trying to recall if her uncle and his family had any out-of-town plans.
“Hello.” Her aunt answered like she was out of breath.
“Aunt Liz, it’s Angel.” For a moment, Angel thought the call had dropped. “Hello?”
“Angel. I’m sorry. I was on the treadmill. I had to catch my breath. This is a surprise. Is everything okay?”
She answered, “No! Grams had a stroke Wednesday night. I’ve been calling Jacob for, like, two days now. Is there something wrong?”
Her aunt’s voice faltered again before she answered. “Angel, I’m sorry to hear about Fredricka. Is she okay?”
“She’s stable.” Angel huffed, “Liz, where is my uncle?” This is not like him.
“I don’t know.”
Liz spoke so low, Angel almost didn’t hear her. “What do you mean?”
“I guess Jacob hasn’t told anyone yet. Angel, I asked your uncle to move out a few weeks ago.”
“Are you serious?” Angel knew her uncle Jacob was not an easy man to be around, but she knew he loved Liz. The man worshipped the ground his wife walked on.
“I can’t go into it right now, Angel. It’s best your uncle talks to you. I’m sorry about Miss Fredricka. I will see if I can help you track down Jacob, okay?”
“Okay.” Angel ended the call and stared at the phone, still trying to comprehend what Liz had told her. Jacob and Liz had been married all of Angel’s life. No one was perfect, but her uncle and aunt had always embodied the perfect life. What had caused them to unravel?
Whatever was going on, she needed Jacob to show up soon. Grams would need some serious care and attention now. She couldn’t make these decisions on her own. Since her birthday, Angel had felt like she had crossed over into a new level of adulthood. Loneliness and fear crept into her mind as she leaned against the wall outside her grandmother’s hospital room.
Just as Angel was trying to get her life together, it seemed like her world was falling apart. Again.