Detective Bob Franklin set the phone back in its cradle, a quizzical look covering his face. He had just talked to one of his co-workers, and what the woman told him made no sense at all. Yesterday, he had come into work at the precinct and got right to the task at hand, a favor his beautiful wife had asked of him. He hadn’t been surprised when Marie showed so much concern for a friend, even though she had only met the woman such a short time ago. It was just like Marie to care about anyone she came into contact with. Bob was certain that Marie was worrying about nothing, but a promise was a promise. He had agreed to attempt a welfare check on her new friend, and he would do just that. But first he had to find the woman and her baby son. He would need help with that.
He had enlisted the help of Angie, an expert in tracking down people, with very little information to go on. All he really had, in his quest to locate his wife’s friend, was her name, Cassie Drake. Angie, who had a secret crush on her handsome co-worker, was more than happy to lend a hand. She was skilled with using her computer to track down folks, but this time it proved to be a bit harder. The name didn’t show up in any records for anyone fitting the bill in this area. All she had was the woman’s name and a general description, which Marie had given Bob. She had also been given the name of the woman’s baby, Steven Drake, yet that reached a dead end too. There were no records of any births under that name in the last few months anywhere in the country. There was not even a driver’s license issued under the name of Cassie Drake. (Heather had bought a phony driver’s license on the black market that was not registered). Strangely enough, Cassie Drake actually didn’t seem to exist. But then there came a breakthrough.
Angie was told that Cassie lived in a condo apartment near the park she frequented, or at least that was what Marie believed. Angie decided to check on recent purchases of properties in that area. She finally hit pay dirt. There had been a purchase of a condo less than a mile from the park, and the buyer was listed as Cassie Drake. She now had an address she could pass on to Bob. But Angie was a seasoned detective, with over twenty years on the force, and something didn’t smell right to her. She knew that there should have been more of a paper-trail for this woman, such as an easy-to-find driver’s license. Added to the fact that she could not locate any records of birth for her son, Angie’s instinctual antennae began vibrating. She decided to delve further into the woman’s history. Doing so, however, yielded nothing but more mystery. Outside of being on the record as a purchaser of the condo, Cassie Drake didn’t seem to exist in any other way. There was not even a Social Security card listed with her name. (Of course, she was unaware that Cassie had also bought a phony SS card on the black market, which was also not registered.)
With the few facts she had about ‘Cassie’, along with her suspicions, Angie made the call to Bob. Now Bob was also finding the news disturbing. His experience told him that something was definitely not right about Marie’s new friend. Perhaps, he thought, Marie was right about this woman trying to escape her past… perhaps a dangerous one, thanks to the father of her child. But, whatever the reason was behind her story, Bob had the feeling he needed to learn more about it. After all, anything that endangered a friend of Marie’s could also mean trouble for his wife. That was not to be tolerated. With this thought in mind, Bob determined he would visit the condo where ‘Cassie’ lived. He would do a welfare check, as he had promised Marie. And while doing so, he would also try and ferret out the true story behind this mystery woman.
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Heather woke up in the dark with a feeling of dread. She had the same recurring nightmare again, and it was beginning to freak her out. In the dream, she saw her son, Steven, suspended in air with his arms outstretched, begging her to save him. But the image in front of her was not the infant lying safely in his cradle nearby. Every time she woke from the dream, she would rush to the side of the cradle just to reassure herself that the baby inside was in no danger. No, the child who haunted her dreams was older and looked very different. Her subconscious knew that the Steven in her dreams was her true son, but acknowledging it would put the lie to the identity of the baby in the crib. She could not let herself go there. She fiercely shook her head to clear it of all images and muttered to herself.
“Get a hold of yourself. You’re just feeling the stress of this move. In a few days, Stevie and I will be safe and sound in our brand new home. No one will ever be able to separate us again.”
She quietly padded her way over to the crib and looked down on the sleeping baby. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes and slowly trickled down onto the crib’s mattress. She stroked the baby’s forehead gently watching him stir at the touch, then begin sucking on his thumb, to rock himself back into full slumber. She smiled through her tears.
“Oh, my beautiful Stevie, I promised you that I would keep you safe from harm, and I meant it. I failed you once, but it will never happen again.”
The baby slept on, being blissfully unaware of the drama and pain that was happening hundreds of miles away, all because of losing him.
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More than twelve hundred miles away, Gus bolted upright in bed, startling his husband, Jason, from a sound sleep. He tried his best to bring the room into focus. He desperately needed to reassure himself that the dream he had just experienced was not real. Jason reached for Gus, hearing the distressing sound coming from his husband. It was a strangled sound, as if Gus was drowning or being choked to death. Pulling Gus into his arms, he tried soothing him. Gus lay stiffly in his arms for several minutes before his body finally began to relax. Once Jason felt Gus was calm, he pulled back, trying to gauge what had just happened by the look on Gus’s face. What he saw disturbed him.
“What is it, Gee?” Jason asked.
“A dream,” Gus answered. “I know it was just a dream, but it was so real.”
“What kind of dream?”
“Our boy, Amado… he was right there in front of me, crying out and calling for me. Then he just disappeared. I could hear him still crying, but the sound grew fainter and fainter, until I couldn’t hear his cry any longer. Oh, God, Jace, what if my dream was somehow prophetic? What if we never get our boy back? I have the feeling he is being taken further and further away from us, and we’ll never see him again,” Gus cried.
“Stop it!” Jason ordered. “You can’t allow yourself to think that way, Gee. There is no way in which that woman will get away with keeping our son from us! Amado belongs with his brother, and he will be back home soon. I believe it with every fiber of my being, and so should you. Our families won’t rest until that happens. You know that, so dream or no dream, you have to keep the faith.”
Gus knew that Jason was right. A dream was not the foretelling of their future. And yet… as Gus settled back onto his pillow, he still felt that his son was slipping further away. He let out a deep sigh and reminded himself that Jason was right. There was no way that the universe would deny them their completed family. Amado belonged to them, not that Judas, Heather. Finally, safe within the comforting circle of Jason’s arms, Gus drifted back into a deep and dreamless sleep.
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Detective Bob Franklin took another quick glance at his computer screen, where he had input the address his co-worker gave him for ‘Cassie Drake’. He was on his lunch break as he drove on with only one thought in mind, and that was the hope his wife’s friend was okay. But as he got closer to the address, the idea that he should be on his guard with the woman also crept into his thoughts. After all, Angie was obviously disturbed by the lack of a paper-trail for the woman, and her instincts about people were usually correct. Angie told him that she was convinced the woman he was looking for had something to hide. If that was true, he hoped it wouldn’t be anything too serious. He knew his wife, Marie, would be saddened if the news about her friend turned out to be terribly negative.
He finally reached his destination. The condo was a very nice looking building with a well-kept exterior. There was only one car parked in front of the building, probably due to the fact that it was still working hours for most folks. He casually looked over the car as he parked behind it, wondering if it belonged to the woman he was seeking. If so, then she must be home. Marie told him that her friend never mentioned having a job, so that might the case. Parking, Bob got out of his car and made his way to the entrance of ‘Cassie’s’ condo. He knocked and waited. There was no reaction… not even a sound could be heard from inside. He knocked again, a little louder this time… still no reaction. He tried once more, this time announcing himself as the police. Dead silence was all he got for his efforts. He was just about to step away when he thought he heard the sound of a baby crying. He stopped short, putting his ear to the door. Several minutes passed, but the cry was not repeated. Shaking his head, Bob decided he must have imagined it, or it came from somewhere else. Making a mental note to return after work, Bob walked back to his car. Before driving away, he input the license plate of the car in front of him into his on-board computer. He didn’t exactly know why he did it, but something told him he should have Angie look up the number once he got back to work.
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Heather pulled Amado away from her chest, where she had gathered him close to her in hopes of stifling his cry. It had worked, but fear still gripped her heart like a vise. She had just walked into her living room with the baby in her arms when she first heard the knock on the door. Some instinct told her to stay as quiet as possible and ignore the knock. She hadn’t been expecting any deliveries or visitors of any sort, so there was no reason for someone to be standing on her threshold. By the third knock, she distinctly heard a voice announcing himself as a policeman. A stab of ice-cold fear gripped her, causing her to inhale sharply, which made the baby cry out. That’s when she pressed him close to her chest in hopes of muffling any further cries. She waited with bated breath until she was certain the man had left. Peering cautiously out the window in the front room, she could see no one outside or parked in the street. Perhaps, she thought to herself, the cop had gone to the wrong address. But whatever the reason was for him being outside her door, Heather knew she was doing the right thing in picking up and moving as soon as possible. Everything was set in motion. She would be gone by the end of the week. A new start, she told herself, would be all she needed to protect her and her ‘son’ in the future.
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Detective Bob Franklin stood outside the same door he had been at only an hour before, only this time he was not alone. Standing behind and to the side of him were four uniformed officers. This time he knocked forcefully. As before, there was no sound from within. But this time he knew the occupant was probably inside, because her car was still parked out front… the very car that had brought him back here so quickly.
When Bob had returned to his precinct after lunch, he immediately gave Angie the license number of the car parked in front of the condo he had just visited for his wife’s sake. It only took minutes before Angie came running, breathless with excitement. She had discovered that the license number Bob gave her was flagged, not as a stolen car but as the vehicle owned by a kidnapper. Bob’s face showed his utter surprise as Angie gave him the news. The ball started rolling instantly, and it wouldn’t stop until the woman he now knew as Heather Riverside, and not Cassie Drake, was confronted. He immediately reported the new information to his superior officer, receiving permission to bring her in for questioning, while an arrest warrant was being issued. As he stood outside her door, he knew he wouldn’t leave again until he had her in custody.
Inside the condo, Heather felt her world crashing down around her as she heard a voice outside announcing that it was the police, and she must open up or they would knock her door down. During the last hour she had put the baby down for a nap while she continued to pack up their belongings. Now she was cursing herself for not leaving with the baby the minute she knew there had been a policeman at her door earlier on. With her head bowed and a heavy heart, she walked to the door and unlocked it. As it opened up, she saw the men outside and promptly fainted.
To be continued………