In The Shadows (12 page)

 Chapter Twenty-Four

It had been two weeks, and Joey felt comfortable again as he traveled to and from work. Things had been so chaotic with all the police patrolling the neighboring area. The last few weeks, Joey had gone straight home after he was finished working. Not only had the cops been roaming the neighboring community, they’d spoken to Joey’s boss on more than one occasion to get clearance to search the grounds there.

* * *

Tonya and the girls had been at the mall for hours and had spent all the money they could afford to. After lunch, the girls were heading over to the hospital to visit Danielle. They picked up some flowers from the mall’s floral shop before leaving.

Tonya hadn’t heard from Brandon, and she wondered if he was okay. She hoped he was able to see his mother and his sister and spend some quality time with them. He was due to fly back on Sunday evening, and she couldn’t wait to see him and to hear the exciting news about his trip to Ohio.

Once they arrived at the hospital, Tonya received a phone call from Andrea’s cousin. Tonya told the girls she would catch up with them shortly. She had called Japera earlier that morning to schedule a meeting. She and Tonya agreed to meet at the local library later that afternoon. Tonya was glad Japera was okay with the meeting place.

Tonya knew she had some homework she needed to complete, and the library would also give them the needed privacy. Tonya could’ve easily completed her homework and the interview at Japera’s house, but she felt a neutral place would keep things from being complicated.

Tonya rejoined the girls just as they were about to enter Danielle’s room. Tonya saw them speaking with Danielle’s mom just outside her room and hoped she hadn’t missed anything important. When she caught up to them, she hugged Mrs. Stocks before proceeding into the room.

As the girls sat around talking as if Danielle was simply unable to speak and in the hospital for a short stay, Tonya noticed how pretty Danielle was. Danielle looked completely unscathed as she lay motionless in the hospital bed. The scratches and bruises were gone and the tubes removed; it was hard to believe Danielle was in a coma. She really looked as if she was taking a nap and would wake up at any moment to join them in their conversation.

* * *

When Brandon finally closed the door to his room, he realized he was exhausted from the day’s activities. Brandon was also overwhelmed by all the excitement his day had been filled with. He was still in shock from seeing his baby sister and his mother again after so many years. This visit would be at the forefront of his thoughts for months to come. Brandon made a mental note to buy a disposable camera the following day before going back to the hospital. He needed to capture this event on camera and couldn’t believe he’d forgotten to bring his from home.

He quickly placed his bags in the closet and emptied his pockets before heading to the shower. The hot water caused him to relax even further as he tried to wrap his mind around the day’s events. Just as he thought of his mother, he remembered he’d missed a call from his father. He also had to follow up on the other phone call he missed.

When he got out of the shower, he checked his cell phone for messages. He would call his father in the morning because it was nearly 10:00 p.m. in Alabama, and he knew his father would be in bed by then.

The next message stunned Brandon as he listened to Naomi’s tiny voice on his voice mail. He hoped she had decided to open up to him about whatever she was hiding about Andrea’s dealings in Alabama. He wasn’t sure if she’d still be up, but he would not try to call her back. Brandon wasn’t sure what information she had, but he didn’t want to risk spooking her into not talking for fear her mom or grandmother would find out. She said she would call back later, which could very well mean the next day to a fourteen-year-old.

The next day was Saturday, and Brandon was scheduled to fly out on Sunday night. He had to travel back to Columbus to get to the airport, so if he somehow missed talking to Naomi, he would make up some excuse to stop by again.

Brandon couldn’t wait to see his mother again and hoped she was just as excited. He knew Kathryn would be raring to go the next day. Luckily Ms. Tyler was not going to the hospital until later that evening. This would give the three of them some time together without outside interference.

As Brandon turned the television on for the first time since he’d been in Ohio, he relaxed in the king-size bed not wanting to close his eyes.

When Brandon heard the news report on CNN about a body being identified in southern Alabama, all the blood drained from his body. He immediately thought of Tuscaloosa.
Surely
if
another
body
had
been
found
there
,
I
would’ve
been
contacted
already
. The moment Brandon heard Selma mentioned on the news, he quickly sat up in the bed. Brandon couldn’t wait another minute to call his father. He had to reach him immediately.

As soon as he heard his father’s voice, he knew right away that was the reason for the earlier phone calls. His father sounded as if he’d gone without sleep for several days.

“Dad, what the heck is going on?”

“I guess you’ve been watching CNN, huh?”

“Yeah, I just got in the bed and figured I’d call you tomorrow since it was so late. What in the world is happening in Selma?”

“Well, son, nothing new is happening. This discovery is actually an old case. Remember that body that was found a few weeks ago after the storm?”

“Yeah, this was the reason for your visit to Birmingham, right?” Brandon asked eagerly.

“Exactly. Well, the body that CNN is reporting that has been identified is the body of Johnny Rush. What I failed to tell you was that the body was found in an old car in the junkyard. We finally got the city to agree to cleaning that area up, and it just so happened they were moving the cars to be demolished when one of the workers found the skeletal remains in the trunk of one of them.”

Brandon gasped and was speechless as he let the news settle. “Dad, are you saying this is the drifter we suspected in the disappearance of Stella?”

After a long silence, his father said, “Yes, this is the very same man suspected in the disappearance of Stella. What CNN isn’t reporting is the approximate time and the cause of death. It looks like he died of blunt force trauma and has been dead for quite some time. Brandon, you were right. I should’ve handled this case differently. I realize my mistake in not listening to what you were saying. I can only hope I can right this wrong. You should always trust your gut instinct, son.”

There was an even longer silence on the phone as Brandon processed what his father had just said. Brandon felt relieved and somewhat vindicated after all these years. He knew his father dismissed his theory without investigating all those years ago, and that was when Brandon decided he should pursue law enforcement elsewhere. He never regretted his decision to leave Selma. Brandon knew it took a lot of courage for his father to say the things he had. He also knew this was as close as he would ever get to an apology from his father.

Now focusing on the present, Brandon said “Quite some time. Dad, what do you mean by that? Just how long has he been deceased?”

After another long sigh, his father said, “Brandon, it looks like he’s been dead for a few years. The coroner’s report states he’s been deceased at least five years, which means he could have possibly been dead before Stella was killed.”

This time Brandon was silent. He now found himself slowly pacing the floor in his hotel room. Thoughts raced through his head as he recalled the events surrounding Stella’s disappearance like it was yesterday.
Selma
doesn’t
have
a
lot
of
crimes,
but
clearly
this
was
a
homicide
if
the
body
was
stored
in
the
trunk
of
a
car
at
a
junkyard.

“Dad, you know what this means if this is true, right?” He continued speaking through his father’s silence. “This means we could have possibly suspected the wrong man, which means the killer could still be in Selma.”

Then there was silence on both ends.

Brandon looked at the clock as it turned 2:00 a.m. The mental exhaustion he’d felt earlier had dissipated, and he became fearful for the safety of his hometown once again. His biggest concern was whether or not the killer knew he was never a suspect in Stella’s disappearance, and if he felt that way, would he dare kill again?

Brandon thought of Tonya before he drifted off to sleep. Not only was he consumed with Danielle’s abduction and the death in Tuscaloosa, he would now be concerned with the activities at home in Selma.

 Chapter Twenty-Five

Tonya dropped the girls at home before leaving to meet Andrea’s cousin. Once Tonya arrived at the library, she reached in the backseat to retrieve her books. As she entered the front entrance, she found a nice, quiet, out-of-the-way place to sit away from the main flow of traffic. Tonya looked around the library in search of Japera, but no one meeting her description could be seen.

Tonya looked at her watch and realized she was almost a half hour early. She didn’t mind being early or alone because she had an assignment she needed to work on. Just as she closed her books, she looked up and saw Japera coming her way. She looked just as she described herself, with her bright maxi dress on. Tonya figured Japera had recognized her too because she walked directly to her table with her hand extended.

“Japera, it is so nice to meet you. Thank you for agreeing to meet me on such short notice.”

“Thank you for inviting me and for taking an interest in my cousin’s disappearance. When your cousin, Natalie, told me you wanted to speak with me, I was excited. I guess I was hoping you would know more about Andrea’s disappearance than the family was told.”

“Well, it’s not that exactly, but I
am
working with someone from the local sheriff’s office trying to find out what happened to your cousin and if it had anything to do with the most recent attack.”

“Oh wow. Okay, well, I’ve told the police everything already. Andrea wasn’t dating anyone, and the group of friends she associated with did not see her the night she disappeared.”

After Tonya opened her notebook, she began to ask several questions, just to get a feel for what kind of person Andrea was. She knew it seemed like a waste of time to Japera, but Tonya found their talk very helpful. She even found out that there was someone Andrea was interested in during her earlier visits to Tuscaloosa, but once her cousins warned her that he was married, she soon stopped talking to him.

Japera didn’t have an address for him but said he’d recently moved away. Japera managed to remember his moniker but didn’t know his real name. Tonya felt she was off to a good start and couldn’t wait to tell Brandon the news.

The girls had already questioned Andrea’s younger cousin that went to school with them but weren’t able to get any useful information. Tonya was glad she had been persistent with questioning the family again. She felt this useful news would be something that wasn’t reported to the local police department. She now felt she had the upper hand.

* * *

The phone was ringing off the hook at 8:00 a.m., and Brandon knew it was too early to be getting up. He had set the alarm clock for 9:30 a.m. and was sure it was nowhere near that time. Struggling to gather himself, he carelessly rolled over to face the clock on the nightstand. When he discovered it was 8:03 a.m., he grumbled as he searched for the ringing phone that shook him from his deep sleep.

“Hello,” he answered, still groggy from being in a deep sleep, with his voice heavier than usual.

“Brandon, did I wake you up?” He heard Katy’s small voice through the phone and immediately sat up in the bed.

“Yeah, but that’s okay, kinda,” he said, turning the alarm clock off and then growing concerned. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything here is fine. I just woke up early and wanted to call you.”

Brandon missed having his little sister around but sure welcomed the change. Ms. Tyler agreed to drop Katy off in the morning so the two of them could visit their mother in the hospital. To Brandon’s surprise, he was able to drift back to sleep. When he awoke, it was 9:43 a.m., which meant he had exactly seventeen minutes before Kathryn would be knocking.

* * *

Dr. and Mrs. Benson were hosting another fund-raiser for the hospital. This time it was scheduled as an all-day event at the local fairground. Mrs. Benson was so thankful for all the volunteers that showed up for support. She hoped that with all the help they had, they would be home just before dark. Having all the volunteers on hand, the children would be able to stay until closing for the preliminary screening by the medical staff.

The pediatrician had agreed to remain at the site until the end of the health fair. His wife brought the children out to take part in the festivities there. There was face painting, hair coloring, board games, a bouncing pit, volleyball, and horseshoes, to name a few activities.

The dietician was on-site to assist with the children who fell above or below the desired height and weight standards. They handed out pedometers, stop watches, T-shirts, water bottles, and pamphlets on eating healthy. There were free one-day passes on hand for those who were seriously interested in visiting the local gym.

Mrs. Benson had never organized a fund-raiser of this magnitude for a single clinic, but the more she got involved, the more excited she became. She had people volunteer in record numbers, and she could certainly use their assistance.

Since things had quietened down in their hometown, she felt she could go on with her work. Now that Joey was back at work, and things were going well, she was overjoyed by the return to normalcy.

Mrs. Benson loved her son dearly, and she loved children in general. Being a part of this fund-raiser could possibly be the start of a new career for her.

* * *

It was 10:30 a.m. when Brandon and Katy arrived at the hospital. When they entered their mother’s room, she was already bathed and dressed, and Brandon was blown away by her beauty. Not that he didn’t see it last night, but she appeared more beautiful today. Maybe it was the light touch of makeup she had applied or the way her beautiful blonde hair fell around her face. Brandon immediately choked up when he saw her as he rushed to her side, with Katy following.

Once Evelyn saw her two children standing at the door waiting to enter, she realized her baby boy had come to Ohio in search of her. She reached out to him as their eyes met. “Brandon,” she gasped. “It wasn’t a dream, you’re really here.” She hugged her young man tightly.

Falling into his mother’s embrace, Brandon hugged her gently, not wanting to hurt her. Their lunch was delivered and they all sat around in the quiet room, talking about their lives and filling in those missing years.