In The Shadows (24 page)

 Chapter Forty-Seven

When Sheriff Masterson and the man accompanying him walked toward the house, Tonya realized she was nervous about meeting him. Tonya slowly walked to the door as Sheriff Masterson and his associate entered the house. Tonya introduced herself and extended her hand. She wasn’t sure what she saw in Sheriff Masterson’s eyes, but she hoped his meeting her wasn’t a disappointment. Tonya knew he had to be worried sick about his baby girl, and she soon dismissed the feeling she was experiencing.

As she led them to the operations center, Sheriff Masterson introduced himself to the men manning the center and took a seat by the phone, asking for updates.

“Can I get anyone something to eat or drink?” Tonya asked before leaving them to their business.

Mr. Masterson looked in her direction. “No, thank you. I’m fine,” he said while the others declined refreshments also.

Tonya knew Brandon had been on ground for an hour, and she hoped to hear from him soon. She wanted to call him but didn’t want to interrupt the search. Tonya knew she would go out again if necessary; but for the meantime, she was going to catch up on her homework to take her mind off Katy’s disappearance, if that was at all possible.

Another hour passed, and Tonya finished her work and drifted off to sleep on the couch. When she awoke, it was 5:30 p.m., and she had obviously slept through Brandon’s call.

As Tonya looked around to see where everyone was, she was surprised to see Katy’s fleece throw across her legs. She noticed the cops were still posted out front as she listened to the voices coming from the operations center. The moment Tonya stood to fold the fleece throw, Brandon emerged from the center looking weary and haggard.

“Brandon? Honey, how long have you been home? Did you find anything else?” Tonya asked excitedly as she quietly admonished herself for not allowing him to speak. He walked over slowly to meet Tonya. All Brandon could do was fall into her arms.

It was now dark, and there was not much the search team could do once night fell. There were spotlights set up at the base camp near the park, but all the searchers willing to return were told to report to the park at first daylight. After remaining quiet for what seemed like an eternity, Tonya knew she needed to give Brandon time to digest what had transpired that day.

“Tonya, I can’t believe I spent six hours looking for my baby sister and couldn’t find her or anything indicating what may have happened to her. Finding the necklace gave me hope, but that is all we have to go on. The good news is that when I examined the necklace, I confirmed it belonged to Katy, and the funny thing is that the necklace wasn’t damaged at all.”

Brandon explained the earring story to Tonya, and she agreed it was possible that Katy left the necklace as a clue. On the way home, Brandon called Claire and asked to speak to her mom. Brandon had to clear questioning Claire with Pam before he went any further. Claire and her mom readily agreed to the questioning, hoping Claire would have some useful information that would help Brandon find Katy.

* * *

It was 4:00 p.m. when Natalie and Janelle made their way to Danielle’s side of the room. The girls were making a big fuss about their visit to Danielle. They showered her with hugs and kisses, which caused Danielle to smile inside. She wanted so badly to open her eyes and let the girls know she was fine.

It would soon be time for a new book, and Natalie had the perfect book for Danielle. The girls took turns reading the last few chapters and filled Danielle in on what was going on in school. Danielle was at peace and only wished she could tell the girls how much she enjoyed their visit. Natalie and Janelle had discussed the recent kidnapping before arriving at the hospital, and both agreed not to mention it around Danielle. They didn’t want Danielle getting wind of any bad news during her recovery. They wanted to protect her.

It was almost 5:30 p.m. when there was some movement on the other side of the curtain. The girls stopped talking and listened as the nurses got the patient settled. It was clear the patient had had surgery and was just released from the recovery room.

Natalie and Janelle told Danielle they would be back soon. The girls decided to step out of the room and give the other patient time to get settled. The girls walked down to the cafeteria to get something to drink. They had planned to stay two hours but didn’t expect Danielle to have a roommate, which meant they had to be on their best behavior.

Once Danielle was alone, she listened to the nurse as she spoke to the new patient. She couldn’t tell if the nurse was speaking to a man or a woman. Danielle heard the nurse reassure them that the doctor would be in shortly to see them. Danielle was beginning to feel fatigued as she allowed her head to sink further into the soft, cool pillow. She hoped the girls would hurry back before she fell asleep.

* * *

Danielle’s thoughts drifted back to when she was inside the woodshed. She felt herself struggling to get free as she inhaled smells of mildew and dust. Danielle vividly remembered her kidnapping like it was yesterday. She remembered the dark, damp room. She remembered being cold, hungry, and thirsty. She remembered feeling as though her time was running out.

Danielle knew that when the giant man returned, he was going to kill her. She remembered the sound of his voice. Suddenly Danielle opened her eyes and stared straight ahead into the darkness. It was his voice that she heard as clear as day. Things began to fade away, but Danielle could still hear him talking as she began to gag, feeling like she was going to throw up.

Her dream seemed so real, and now she was in turmoil. Danielle faintly heard the girls reenter the room and listened to their chatter stop abruptly. Feeling their eyes on her, Danielle couldn’t stay focused long enough before she drifted off again.

* * *

The girls felt they’d waited long enough. They wanted to go back to tell Danielle good-bye and felt they timed their return perfectly once they saw the hospital staff walking down the hallway away from her room. The curtain was drawn as the girls entered the room, not allowing them to see who was in the bed. It was quiet again, and the girls wanted to keep it that way. Natalie and Janelle were stunned by the condition they found Danielle in.

Danielle’s complete expression had changed from the condition she appeared to be in when they were there earlier. Natalie and Janelle immediately looked at each other and rushed to be by Danielle’s side. As they got closer, they could clearly see that Danielle had been in some distress as they focused on the residual tears on each cheek.

Before Natalie could speak, Janelle rushed out to find Nurse Bridges and returned with her in no time. Seeing Danielle’s condition, the nurse immediately checked her vitals and recorded her findings in the chart above Danielle’s bed. Nurse Bridges assured the girls she would keep an eye on Danielle but informed them that Danielle’s vitals showed nothing out of the ordinary.

Danielle received more hugs and kisses upon the girls’ departure. She hated for them to leave, but she was relieved they returned in time to notice the change in her and were able to alert the nurse. Nurse Bridges wasn’t due to come in for another hour, so Danielle was thankful for the girls’ visit especially that day.

* * *

Later that evening, Danielle smiled inside as she heard Nurse Bridges making a fuss over her in the hallway. Danielle no longer felt the daylight on her face and knew the sun had gone down. The sounds in the hospital had even quietened down, and Danielle was still trying to wrap her mind around her reaction earlier that day.

When she heard the mop being pushed up the hallway again, she immediately tensed up wondering if it was him again. Suddenly Nurse Bridges was telling the story again to the incoming nurse, which distracted Danielle from listening for the whistling man.

Although she’d not heard him whistle in a few days, Danielle felt his presence. She strained to listen in the distance but didn’t hear any movement. Danielle was sure she’d heard the man outside in the hallway; now she couldn’t be certain.

Just as that thought passed through her mind, suddenly she felt someone standing over her, and there was no sound coming from anywhere. Danielle’s heart stopped, and she knew he’d somehow overheard Nurse Bridges and came in to investigate further. Danielle strained as she tried to open her eyes to see what the strange man had in store for her. She felt like she was being tortured all over again.

Just as she felt him near, she heard Nurse Bridges’s voice coming closer to her room. Danielle then heard the garbage can bang against the floor just before the man snatched the bag out and headed back out of the room. Exhaling loudly, Danielle found herself shaking uncontrollably. She didn’t know if he was there to harm her or not, but she had to change her condition and soon.

* * *

It was almost dark when the girls left the hospital. Janelle’s mom agreed to pick them up to keep them from having to catch the bus and walk home. When Mrs. Johnson arrived, the girls realized Claire wasn’t with her. Claire was so distraught about her best friend’s disappearance that Janelle’s mom had decided to keep Claire out of school a few days.

Pam knew if Claire kept busy she would not have so much time to focus on Katy’s disappearance. She would soon allow Claire to return to school. Her mom knew she was still in shock after Brandon discovered Katy missing Saturday night.

The girls were concerned about Claire but still excited about what happened earlier with Danielle. Janelle thought her mom had enough bad thoughts on her mind, and maybe some good news would lighten things up a bit. Mrs. Johnson was indeed excited by the news and was relieved the girls were there at that precise moment to alert the nurse.

Natalie was still reeling over the fact that Danielle seemed to be on her way to recovery. Natalie couldn’t wait to get inside the house to tell her mom what happened with Danielle. She thanked Janelle and her mom for the ride as she closed the door behind her.

 Chapter Forty-Eight

As Tonya prepared to head back to the university, she and Brandon agreed to talk again later that night. Tonya knew Brandon and his father would be up all night with worry. “Brandon, I know you’re going to find Katy. I am certain you’re going to let nothing stand in your way. But, love, if you don’t get some rest, you’re not going to be in any condition to help save Katy.”

Tonya left Brandon there in the doorway absorbing what she’d just said. She entered the operations center and told everyone good night before returning to Brandon’s side. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Brandon on the cheek.

“Thanks for tucking me in this evening,” she said as she pulled away from him before he had time to speak. Opening the door, she assured Brandon she’d be fine getting to her car as she nodded in the direction of the officers still posted in the yard.

As Brandon watched Tonya drive away, he thanked God for her being there to support him during this crisis. He stood quietly in the doorway a few more minutes wondering what she meant by tucking her in.

Brandon was smiling slightly as he thought of how supportive she’d been through this whole ordeal. Just then, he turned to find his father walking through the living room with the fleece throw that had been on the couch where Tonya was sleeping earlier. Brandon was almost inclined to mention it to his father but decided to savor the moment just as it was.

What he’d just witnessed seemed to confirm the belief that his father was being sincere when he asked about Tonya during his visit over the Thanksgiving holiday. Watching his father walking away with the fleece warmed Brandon’s heart, knowing he was responsible for tucking Tonya in.

* * *

Katy had grown weaker it seemed, as the hours went on. She knew she had to preserve her energy for her next opportunity to attempt an escape. He’d been by earlier, but Katy couldn’t focus long enough to get a good look at him. She felt so disoriented after being locked away for so many hours. Katy was allowed to urinate in a bucket he’d brought in and was given water and a sandwich. Katy had never been a fan of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but this one hit the spot as Katy’s stomach rumbled while she devoured the sandwich and gulped down the water.

The room was so dark, and as she adjusted to not having the blindfold on, she couldn’t get a good look at her surroundings. There was a dim light on in one corner of the room as Katy frantically searched for a window or door or anything alerting her to the outside world. As soon as she took her last bite, she was blindfolded and escorted back to the holding area. As Katy’s ankles and wrists were bound again, she settled back into the cold box she’d been kept in for two days. She heard a door close in the distance and knew she was all alone again.

* * *

When Tonya pulled into the parking lot, she was glad to be back on campus. The campus and media still buzzed of the disappearance. Tonya thought she’d dealt with the emotional effects of Katy’s disappearance as she held everything inside while making her way to her dorm.

Tonya saw some of her teammates sitting around on the stoop before she reached the steps leading to the front door. Holding her breath, she hoped she could get inside the building without being noticed. As soon as one of the teammates saw her coming, she and her friends stopped their conversation as Callie approached Tonya.

“Tonya, we heard about what happened to your boyfriend’s sister, and we just wanted to let you know that we’re here for you.” This really caught Tonya off guard as she was at a loss for words. “There’s talk the school is allowing students to join in the search and not be penalized for the absence. I’ve already gotten about twenty people just in my circle who are willing to help out, so let me know what we can do, and we’ll do it,” Callie said, reaching out to hug Tonya.

As Tonya thanked Callie and her friends, she realized she’d been so busy focusing on other things that she’d not taken the time to mourn or accept Katy’s disappearance or the danger she could be in at this very moment.

Tonya’s phone started ringing the moment she reached her door. Surprised to see Natalie’s number on the caller ID, Tonya suddenly burst into tears as she slammed the door behind her. She wanted to speak with Natalie, but she first had to compose herself as she stared at her red eyes and swollen face in the mirror. Tonya let the call go to voice mail while she began to get her things ready for the next day.

She had a big exam coming up that week and couldn’t afford to miss class or take a makeup. Tonya almost felt numb after the feeling of hopelessness settled in. She wanted nothing more to do than to just crawl under her sheets and isolate herself from the world.

When she finally looked at her phone, she saw she had missed several calls. One call was made from Natalie’s cell phone and the other from the house phone. Tonya’s spirits lifted as her curiosity was piqued. The third call was from Myron. This caused Tonya to smile, but she immediately wondered if Myron was calling to get an update on Danielle or if he’d heard the news.

Once Tonya listened to Natalie’s message, she could tell something exciting had taken place. Natalie was practically screaming into the phone when Tonya listened to the message. The second message reflected a calmer delivery with Natalie simply asking Tonya to call when she got the message.

As Tonya dialed Natalie’s number, her heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly had the urge to use the bathroom. Tonya knew that whatever was about to be said would be life altering. She began pacing the floor while she listened to the phone ring. Once she heard Natalie describe what had happened at the hospital, Tonya fell to her knees and thanked God, allowing the phone to find a resting place nearby on the carpeted floor. Tonya’s cries returned, but this time there was a mixture of emotions running through her body as her chants became louder.

Natalie’s voice could still be heard screaming from the receiver as Tonya tried to absorb what had happened. After a few minutes, Tonya was able to pull herself together and speak a bit more calmly. “Natalie, this is the miracle we’ve been praying for. I knew she was still there. The doctors or the nurses with all their knowledge couldn’t tell me otherwise. I am just so thankful this happened. This, my dear cousin, is the best news I’ve heard all day.”

Natalie was excited all over again and was already making plans to visit Danielle again that weekend, if not before. “I’m sure her family is excited. They’ve been praying for a miracle, and although Danielle’s not completely recovered, this could certainly be the answer to their prayers. I know this is only the beginning.”

“Well, I didn’t call them, but I did tell my mom. So hopefully she called, or maybe the doctor called.”

“Yeah, with news this good, I think the call from the doctor himself would be just what Danielle’s family needs,” Tonya said. She thanked Natalie for being there for Danielle and for delivering the good news. When Natalie shifted the conversation to Katy and offered to help with the search, Tonya was slapped back to reality and was painfully reminded why she had been troubled earlier.

* * *

Myron called Tonya back shortly after she had left a message for him. Myron had recently graduated from Advanced Individual Training (AIT) and reported to his first duty station at Fort Benning, Georgia. Tonya was proud of him and his accomplishments and knew Danielle would be too. Myron had just gotten off work and was surprisingly shocked to hear the news about Danielle.

He had been praying for Danielle’s recovery and also felt what happened that day was only the beginning. Myron never doubted Danielle would make a full recovery, and he planned to be by her side the moment she awoke.

Myron wanted to travel to Alabama the moment he heard the news, but Tonya explained that while she’d shown signs of improvement there was no guarantee when and if Danielle would come out of the coma. Before Myron hung up, he asked Tonya about Danielle’s ring. “I just can’t figure it out. How could her ring be missing? Do you think someone from the hospital took it from her belongings?”

After giving his question some thought, Tonya said, “Myron, that is certainly possible, but I did report it as missing to my friend at the police station. Everything was done unofficially since technically Danielle is the only one who had knowledge of the ring, and who knows, she may have stored it somewhere unbeknown to her family. I know there was a message sent to all the local pawnshops and jewelry stores within the area, but nothing has turned up yet. I will be the first to let you know if something develops.”

“So for right now, I guess we’re safe, and her family hasn’t been told about the ring,” Myron asked carefully.

Tonya confirmed that Brandon had not reached out to the family and would not, unless it was proven the ring was tied to the disappearance. Myron was thankful because what he didn’t want was to anger Danielle’s family and cause any dissension among them. He wanted to stay on the family’s good side because he knew what the ring meant to him and Danielle. It was far more than a promise ring.

“Tonya, thank you for keeping me informed and for everything. I know Danielle and her family appreciates your involvement. I can make it to Alabama in four hours, so please don’t hesitate to call me should something develop.”

Tonya assured Myron she would contact him with any news as she’d always done. She got off the phone feeling better about what was going on around her. Tonya was more hopeful now than ever about things as she got up from her position on the floor in prayer.