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“OKAY, WE CAN’T DO THIS again all weekend,” Jenna said, putting her hand on his arm. “Emily and you have been bringing Sarah and Sam to Middleton for visitation over the last two months, and every Saturday I have to put up with you two nervous Nellies. It has to stop!”
“They are letting Wanda and Earl take the twins to their house until tomorrow evening—that is different,” he said curtly.
“They have done five supervised visits, are following all the court-ordered rules. Seriously, I don’t like them as people, but we can’t borrow trouble. It’s not fair to Sarah and Sam if they end up being in their lives.”
“I know,” he sighed and sat down on the couch. “It’s just hard when they come home so upset, to be the bigger person. I realize it should get better, but the kids have been doing great since they moved away from here, and I don’t like to see them suffer.”
“I know. But Emily is better than most moms and follows all the rules to the smallest detail. That goes in her favor, even if it doesn’t seem like it. She won the last round when the Judge allowed visitations to remain every other week and supervised for several months. We have to continue to have faith things will work out in everyone’s best interest.”
“Speaking of Emily, any idea where she had to get off to so suddenly?”
He watched Jenna avert her eyes and attempt to change the subject. “What would you like for dinner? Since you need to spend the evening, I thought we might go out.”
“Jen, you know I’ve become acquainted over the last couple of decades with your stall techniques and evasive moves. What gives?”
“Nothing, I just—she asked me implicitly not to tell you, and I don’t want to be in the middle. But since you asked, how are things with the two of you?”
“We get along great. We split the kid duties because my schedule is flexible, and her schedule at the hospital changes each week. She keeps the house so clean you could eat off the floors, and she feeds me well,” he said rubbing a hand over his flat belly as he attempted to push it past the buttons of his jeans.
Jenna laughed at him, “Please, I hate you for that metabolism.”
“No, seriously though, it’s good,” he hesitated, not sure what else to say.
“It just never went anywhere after the bowling date,” she hiked an eyebrow in the air suggestively.
“Nope. We talked and she shut it down, although ... well, there are moments when I can see the weakness in her eyes, but she won’t go there.”
“She intentionally keeps you at arm’s length then, because I’ve seen her look at you when she doesn’t think anyone is paying attention. She’s ... well, I guess it is what it is,” she sighed and sat down heavily on the couch.
He tried to read her body language, and suddenly the pieces fell into place for him. Next Friday was the last day of classes for the twins. He knew what was coming, despite wanting a different outcome with every bone in his body. The last five months since Christmas had flown by in the blink of an eye.
“So has Emily said anything to you about what she intends to do next week when classes get out?” He decided to start a fishing expedition for answers, as she wasn’t forthcoming.
“Why don’t you ask her?” Jenna evaded.
“Because she changes the subject and won’t say anything.”
She twisted her hands in her lap.
“Travis, I ... she is planning to move next weekend. In fact that is where she is now, checking out a couple apartments I lined up for her.”
For the first time since his wife died, he could feel himself on the verge of the abyss. Deep in his soul he had known this was the only viable option. Driving over five hours every other weekend was wearing, not only on the adults, but on the children. He loved Sarah and Sam, and they were so happy and well-adjusted, not as skittish as when he had first met the little tribe of misfits. They had done well in school and with the visitation schedule, but it wasn’t the ideal situation for the long haul.
“Well, it was the deal we made. And with this new custody arrangement, if things go well ... you heard the judge. In the summer, the twins would need to spend some expanded time with the grandparents, and it sounds like even Tony has done well enough to see them unsupervised soon.”
“I wouldn’t count on that, but the grandparents, yes. As long as they don’t let Tony come over when they have the kids or do anything against the order, visitation might be expanded. I also think she just can’t keep bouncing back and forth.”
“It’s working,” he said to no one in particular.
Jenna put her hand on his back, “I’m sorry I dragged you into this mess. If I knew how it would end ... I never—”
She stopped, turning toward the ringing noise coming from the shelf in the kitchen where she had dropped her phone.
“I’m sure it’s not important,” she remained at his side. But when the ringing stopped and resumed a second later, she excused herself and went to the phone.
“Brenda calm down ... I don’t understand,” he heard her say and turned just in time to watch all color drain from her face.
The despair-filled eyes that rose to his caused flashbacks to a scene four years before. Surely it wasn’t Emily or the twins. With her volunteer work it could be any number of scenarios, he tried to calm his racing heart. Turning toward the sound of the opening door, he tried to paste a smile on for Emily. She looked from him to Jenna and back to him, and the same panic was suddenly reflected there.
“What’s going on?” she whispered.
“I’m not certain yet,” he said, standing and going over toward her. “I’m sure it’s nothing ...” They both turned when they heard Jenna signing off.
“Emily, I need you to remain calm,” Jenna said in her clinical voice. “We need to go down to the police station,” she said, moving toward her friend.
Travis felt Emily sag on his arm.
“Which one is hurt?”
Jenna looked up at him and then back to Emily. “They are both missing. We aren’t sure of all the details, but we need to go now,” she said calmly.
Travis knew Emily needed the support, but his own legs felt wobbly, and he had to fight to keep the emotional strain from getting the better of him. A stern internal lecture later, he assured himself he could fall apart after they made sure the twins were safe. For right now, he needed to focus on being strong, no matter the outcome. He knew Emily would not survive anything catastrophic happening to her children.
***
EMILY TRIED TO COMPREHEND what the officer was saying, but the loud buzzing in her head kept interfering. Wanda and Earl had willingly allowed Tony to take Sarah and Sam. No one knew precisely why. No, they had no idea where he was heading. She tried to keep the worst-case scenarios from floating across her mind’s eye, but nothing was working.
“Are you okay?” Travis asked in her ear, taking her cold, limp hand in his.
She just turned shocked and shadowed eyes toward him. There were no words, even if she could speak past the tightness in her chest. What happened if Tony hurt them? It wasn’t a frivolous fear. She carried several scars as reminders of his horrible temper and lack of restraint. She heard a commotion and turned to see other officers leading Wanda and Earl, now handcuffed, into the station. A nice lady she recognized as the case worker with the Department of Children and Family Services separated from the group a few feet from her.
“Emily, I’m Stacy Matheson. I’m not certain if you remember me?” She extended her hand. Emily stared at it.
“You were the caseworker assigned to supervise visitation. But this wasn’t supervised,” she said numbly. Looking at the woman and turning to try and see Wanda and Earl again, she wanted to run at them, but her entire body felt like it had been cast in concrete. It was like the heart-stopping scenarios of her nightmares but this was not a dream—it was very real.
“No it wasn’t, but when they picked the kids up today from the office, something was ... off. Their place is on my way home, and I have the right to do drop-in visits, so I exercised that right today.”
“Thank you,” Emily said as tears finally formed. “It means he only had a small head start.”
“Yes,” she nodded. “At most a couple hours now, but we believe he is close by ... probably still in town.”
“What did they say that made you suspicious?” Travis asked.
“When I thanked them for following the rules, and earning my trust which made this visit possible, Earl said something like they would do anything for their son. Also, Wanda had a look about her that just didn’t sit right with me and wouldn’t make eye contact.”
“What are the next steps?” Jenna asked, standing.
“They are going to continue interviewing Wanda and Earl, and we will be contacting all Tony’s known associates.”
“None of those low-life humans will give him up,” Emily said as fear gripped her tighter. She knew that crowd and their disdain of government and cops would keep their lips sealed.
“Do you have any idea where he might take them?”
Emily didn’t know anything about Tony’s life in the last three years. He didn’t have a regular address, and his friends came and went like the wind. Most lived under the radar and squatted with whatever friend was able to secure shelter. It was a horrible existence that made it difficult at best to track someone, she realized with dawning clarity. He didn’t have the patience to deal with Sarah and Sam for a long period of time. Racking her brain, she had to try to think of any place he might take them.
“We got them,” came a disembodied shout across the room. The caseworker and another officer jumped into action.
Emily turned in the direction of the voice.
“You need to stay here, ma’am. We will update you when we know something,” a younger-looking female in police uniform said, detaining her with a light grasp on her arm.
Emily wanted to pull free, to see for herself what was going on, until Jenna wrapped an arm around her.
“Emily, they know what they are doing. The best thing we can do is stay out of their way.”
She nodded and sank back down on the chair she had just vacated. Shaking her head, she attempted to clear the fog, but her brain just couldn’t make out pristine details. Her eyes wouldn’t focus, and the buzzing behind them was making her dizzy.
Travis sat down next to her, “Do you need anything?” he asked.
She just shook her head, swallowing down the nausea, not looking up at him. She was afraid that looking into a set of caring eyes would unleash the turmoil, and right now she needed to save her strength. She needed to find her way out of the haze and brace for what came next.
***
TRAVIS PACED THE SPACE immediately in front of the row of chairs; he needed to expend energy, and hitting something, while it would have felt good at that moment, didn’t seem prudent. Emily’s white face scared him and made him feel helpless. It had been over thirty minutes since several officers had rushed out of the station. He had heard them say they found his car, but no other details had been forthcoming as they were careful not to be heard discussing any specifics that could alarm the family and friends gathered.
He couldn’t imagine what Emily would do if something happened to Sarah or Sam. He could clearly recall those moments in the hospital when he had clung to hope that Ellen and Anne would survive. The deals he had made with God and anyone else listening in that limbo. The pain so sharp it took him to his knees when that doctor had walked toward him with a look, and he had known. He still saw the doctor’s eyes occasionally in his dreams.
“Ms. Brentwood,” the young female officer that had asked Emily to wait earlier returned and came to a stop in front of them. He felt the pit of his stomach roil, as he saw the strain on her face. He sat down hard on Emily’s left, and Jenna flanked her on the right.
“Yes?” Emily said in the same dazed tone she had earlier.
“I need to take you to the hospital. The children and your—their father have been taken there.”
“Are ... are they okay?”
“There was an accident. I don’t have the details, but we need to get you over there.”
Travis helped her up. She didn’t say a word. He looked over at Jenna, who visibly shaken, and he tried to nonverbally bolster her resolve. He was more worried about Emily—he would prefer anger, or tears to the silence.
“I will follow in the truck,” he said, but Emily didn’t let go of the hand she still held. He looked down at the linked hands, “I can walk back in a bit if needed,” he resolved, following her to the cruiser.
Other than a steady stream of radio static, there was no sound in the vehicle, as everyone sat alone with their thoughts. It was putting his nerves on edge, and he took Jenna’s hand in his free one as the three of them survived the longest mile and a half trip of their lives.
They pulled up behind two other police cars sitting in the circle right outside the emergency room doors. An officer hurried over to Jenna’s door and opened it. “Are you the mom?”
“No, she is,” Jenna indicated Emily as she exited the car.
“Ma’am, they are assessing the children now. If you follow me, we will find you a spot to wait.”
“What about Tony, her ex?” Travis bit out.
“The driver ... he didn’t make it.”
Travis felt the ripple of the news and couldn’t help the question that popped out, “Tony’s dead?” How bad had the accident been? How bad were the twins?
“He had been drinking heavily and didn’t have a seat belt on. We gave chase and he ... well,” Travis saw him look at Emily, who had tears running down her cheeks, but no sounds came out of her.
“Were the children wearing safety belts?” Jenna asked barely above a whisper.
“By the grace of God, his mom had strapped them into their car seats. They were both talking when we pulled them out.” He spoke as he led them through the doors and down a hall.
“That sounds positive,” Jenna said in that fake tone she used to keep the world from panicking. He knew the tone, and for the first time appreciated it—not for himself, but for Emily. She was holding onto his hand with a death grip, and her continued vague responses and silence was tearing at his insides
His heart lurched and galloped ahead of them as he saw an officer at the desk ahead point at them. A doctor separated and walked forward, meeting them in the hallway.
“Ms. Brentwood?”
“Are they okay?”
“Yes ma’m. They’re fine. We are doing some tests, but other than some lacerations on Sarah’s face, it would appear they walked away from the accident without any lasting damage. Of course, we want to keep them overnight ... but then you can take them—”
Emily dropped a bit, and he heard the wrenching sobs. Looping his arm around her, he let her cry. She needed to expend the emotions before they saw the twins.
“Can we see them?” Jenna asked as he continued to hold Emily.
“They didn’t want to be separated, so both are up in x-ray together. It should be twenty minutes or so and they should be in a room. I will have a nurse show you,” he turned and Travis watched his retreating backside.
“I’m so sorry,” Emily said, digging in her purse. Jenna anticipated her target and pulled a tissue from her own.
“It was well deserved.”
“How did this happen?” Emily inquired with disbelief in her voice.
“They duped everyone. But for the wonderful instincts of their caseworker, it might have been a lot worse.”
“I need to give her a big hug,” Emily said, almost sounding pulled together. “Okay, I’m ready to go,” she said and walked forward, but then stopped. “I can’t believe Tony is dead ...”
“And no judge will let them go with Wanda and Fred again.”
“I just care about seeing them okay, and then we can go from there.”
“It’s a plan,” Jenna said, looping an arm with Emily.
Travis followed behind. He wondered where it would leave them all. No need borrowing any additional emotionally charged trouble, he decided. Tomorrow would dawn with clearer insights for all of them. He focused on following Emily and assuring himself of the twins’ health status.
