In The Shadows (26 page)

Sheriff Masterson joined the two as he greeted Tonya for the first time that day. Tonya seemed to be genuinely concerned about his son, and he knew she brought about a positive change to Brandon’s life. Tonya kissed Brandon on the cheek and bid farewell to both men as she got into her car to leave.

 Chapter Fifty-One

Later that afternoon, Brandon and his father sat around the table in the operations center and tried to find more similarities in the missing person’s cases. They’d been reviewing files for what seemed like hours. Sheriff Masterson had been at the local station earlier to do some research on the computer at Brandon’s desk. He was able to work more effectively at the station than at the house, where things had begun to get chaotic.

He knew his son was worried sick about Katy, and he was just as worried, but he couldn’t sit idly and do nothing. He felt sorry for Brandon who seemed to be confined to the house. Brandon’s supervisor agreed to let Brandon join in the search again on Thursday if nothing new was discovered before then. Brandon thought about what he and Tonya discussed and knew he would need to get plenty of rest. He’d planned to go nonstop tomorrow in hopes of finding his baby sister as he felt their time was running out.

Sheriff Masterson had stumbled across a new lead earlier that day while at Brandon’s desk. The John Doe that had been found earlier that year indeed been identified as the drifter Johnny Rush. The team back in Selma had been unsuccessful in tracking down the next of kin for Johnny.

Weeks after the body was removed, they discovered a blood-soaked cloth found in the trunk. The content in the bloodied cloth contained Johnny Rush’s missing parts or what was left of them. It had been run by the lab and confirmed the blood belonged to the drifter.

The second discovery was reported to Sheriff Masterson and the fact that Johnny had an extremely rare blood type. While in shock about the second discovery, the sheriff immediately had an idea he thought
would work.

Although it had been several years since his disappearance and the doctor’s office relocating, Sheriff Masterson set out to locate Dr. Benson. He’d not given much thought to the Bensons since they left Selma without his knowledge so many years ago. Since the doctor also operated a free clinic and Johnny was homeless, Sheriff Masterson thought that perhaps he could find out more information on Johnny’s family. The homeless shelter only had his local emergency contact information which turned out to be the local pastor at the Baptist church downtown. Sheriff Masterson knew it was a long shot, but he felt the search would be worth conducting.

Later that evening, Sheriff Masterson received a phone call from his deputies in Selma, expressing the difficulty in locating Dr. Benson. The forwarding address was not correct, and they had searched the neighboring cities for a Dr. John Benson and turned up nothing. He told the men to keep searching for Dr. Benson because he could not have vanished into thin air. Sheriff Masterson ordered them to make finding him their priority because it was a matter of life and death.

* * *

Natalie and Janelle walked from school that afternoon still saddened by the death of their classmate. There was talk of a service being held at the school on Friday, and the girls planned to be there to show their support. So many bad things were going on out in the real world that they longed to be in the safety of Danielle’s room as they hoped for another breakthrough.

When Natalie and Janelle entered the hospital, Natalie walked over to the gift shop while Janelle checked with her mom to see if the girls could get a ride home. As Natalie looked at some of the beautiful floral arrangements and teddy bears, she was stunned to see Joey walking down the hallway pushing a mop bucket. Natalie had heard he had a job, but she was shocked to see him with a job of this nature.

He stopped briefly and spoke with an older man in a white lab coat, someone Natalie did not recognize. The older man was shorter than Joey and had a very noticeable receding hairline as she got a glimpse of his side profile. Janelle’s tapping on the shop’s window startled Natalie as she put the teddy bear down and crossed the room to exit the shop. By the time the girls made it back to the hallway where she’d seen Joey, he and the older man had both disappeared. Natalie frowned and wondered if it was really Joey she’d seen. She soon dismissed the thought and focused on what Janelle was saying.

As the girls entered Danielle’s room, Nurse Bridges cheerfully greeted them. They immediately noticed that the curtain was pushed back, exposing the empty bed. Having the room to themselves made the girls feel more comfortable. Now they would be able to speak freely as they visited Danielle without the fear of disturbing anyone. The girls noticed the tense expression on Danielle’s face when they entered her side of the room. As they looked at each other, concerned, they both rushed to be by Danielle’s side and began speaking to her quietly.

Danielle felt an indescribable pain as she thought back to the earlier events of the day. She knew in her heart that something tragic had happened, and someone was dead. The nurse’s words echoed over again in Danielle’s head. Suddenly it was quiet, and Danielle felt the room begin to spin under her closed eyelids.

As Danielle squeezed her eyes tighter, she tried to put herself in some other place and time to take away the pain. When Danielle awoke, she was no longer in her hospital bed but back in the box located inside the wood shack where she was held captive. Danielle shivered with fear and anxiety as she tried to hold her breath while inhaling the smell of his musty skin and aftershave on her body.

Danielle had begun to remember things as if she were still being held captive. She closed her eyes and felt herself gag as the peanut butter sandwich came back up. Then thinking about that animal’s hands all over her body, Danielle couldn’t hold her food down any longer as she threw up inside the box. Danielle barely had time to react as she quickly turned her head to the side to keep from choking on her own vomit.

* * *

As Nurse Bridges was walking past the room, Natalie beckoned to her, and she immediately noticed the change in Danielle. As the girls watched their friend’s eyes move from side to side under her closed lids, Nurse Bridges began checking her vitals and making notes in her chart.

Danielle’s body began to shake uncontrollably as she began to gag and eventually threw up. The girls jumped back in astonishment as they watched their friend in a nightmare from which she did not awake. Nurse Bridges was even shocked as she wiped the vomit from Danielle’s face and clothes. As soon as Nurse Bridges wiped Danielle’s face and neck with a cool washcloth, Danielle was gone again. Nurse Bridges asked the girls to step out of the room while she tended to Danielle.

* * *

Tonya was walking up the hallway when she met the girls standing outside of Danielle’s closed room door. The girls seemed to be agitated by something as Natalie began pacing the floor. “Hey, girls, what are you doing out here? Is everything all right?” Tonya asked, not sure what the commotion was about.

When Nurse Bridges exited the room, she asked the girls to give her a few more minutes as she went behind the nurses’ station to retrieve a box. Tonya asked again if everything was all right. Nurse Bridges nodded her head, indicating things were okay. “I’ll explain to you as soon as I get Danielle cleaned up.”

The words resonated in Tonya’s head as she looked to the girls for an explanation. The girls walked toward the stairwell as they filled Tonya in on the events that took place before her arrival. Tonya was shocked by the news and had several questions she needed to have answered.

On their way back into the room, Tonya stopped in her tracks as she stared at the closed door. She allowed her fingers to trace the nameplate on the door. When Tonya read the name above Danielle’s, she instantly thought of Cody. She knew Cody’s last name and wondered if there was a connection.

When Nurse Bridges opened the door, she beckoned for the girls to come inside. Once they were all inside, she explained to the girls that after Danielle’s last episode, the doctors felt hopeful that Danielle’s behavior was comparable to that of a coma patient before they awoke from that unconscious state. The girls stirred with joy and could hardly believe their ears.

“This is proof of it,” she said, holding Danielle’s gown inside a plastic hospital bag.

“What happened?” Tonya asked as the girls looked on in amazement.

“Well, as I’m sure, the girls have told you. I asked them to leave earlier so that I could tend to Danielle. It seems as though Danielle was experiencing some sort of distress. I’m not willing to rule out her having a nightmare just yet, but she certainly experienced something she’d never encountered before. Today, while she was having the episode, she threw up all over herself.” Then turning to look at Danielle sleeping peacefully, Nurse Bridges continued, “She’s now cleaned up and resting well.”

“Now do you think something made her sick, or do you think it was something she dreamt?” Tonya asked, taking more interest in Danielle’s condition.

“Well, it’s hard for me to say. We would certainly have to get the doctor in to review her case to see what’s going on, but it almost seemed like she was reliving what had happened to her.”

“This is amazing!” Tonya exclaimed as she hugged the girls, and the news slowly began to register. “This is the best news we could’ve hoped for.”

The girls flocked to Danielle and began talking softly to her, believing she could now hear them talking. Before leaving the girls to celebrate in peace, Nurse Bridges asked the girls to limit their time visiting Danielle. She explained the other patient, who would be returning to her bed soon, was grieving the loss of a loved one.

 Chapter Fifty-Two

Katy was growing weaker. She had not had anything to eat or drink all day. She wondered where he was and if he was coming back. Now for the first time, Katy realized what would become of her if something were to happen to him. No one knew where she was, and she couldn’t escape. Fear raced through her body as she thought of never seeing her family or friends again and ultimately dying in the box she’d been kept in since she was taken.

Katy was now more determined than ever to attempt to free herself. She wrestled with the ties on her wrist until the rope cut into her raw skin. Katy felt the burn of the rope into her flesh and could envision her wrist bleeding. Almost blacking out from the excruciating pain, Katy closed her eyes to take a break.

* * *

As the girls circled around Danielle with their hands interlocked, they prayed for Danielle’s continued recovery. Tonya led the prayer; she loved to pray over people, which was something she learned from her father. He was a very skillful prayer, and he moved Tonya every time he prayed aloud. The girls, wanting to allow Mrs. Bradford to have some privacy when she returned, showered Danielle with hugs and kisses and assured her they would be back soon.

Danielle heard and understood every word they said, and she was thankful for the new developments. Her prayers had been answered and probably just in time to blow the whistle on her abductor. Nurse Bridges had stopped in before she left for the night to tell the girls good night. She was smiling from ear to ear as she left because she was pleased with the progress Danielle had made too.

After the girls left, Danielle decided to try to relax a bit and focus on how she was abducted. She needed to remember how she was taken and anything she could about the place where she was held captive.

As Danielle drifted off to sleep, she was jarred from her sleep by the sound of heavy footsteps walking outside her room. She instantly stopped breathing and wondered if it was him again. Danielle didn’t remember hearing Mrs. Bradford come back to her room yet and was immediately frightened by the thought of being in the room alone when he came. Danielle strained to hear the sounds outside her room, and finally she heard what she’d been listening for—the squeaking of the wheels on the mop bucket as it was being pushed slowly down the hallway.

* * *

The girls were talking nonstop about their visit with Danielle. They were all hyped by the development and the news from Nurse Bridges. Tonya couldn’t wait to talk to Myron. She knew he would be ready to drive up the moment he heard the news, and Tonya couldn’t blame him.

On the drive home, the girls were in a much better mood as they chatted away about having to fill Danielle in on all the excitement in Tuscaloosa when she woke up. The thoughts of Cody and Katy were still present in their minds, just suppressed for a moment while the girls held on to the only good news they’d had in a while.

When Tonya pulled up to Janelle’s, she reminded Janelle to call her mother to tell her she’d gotten a ride home. Janelle waved good-bye to the girls before closing the door. Tonya dropped Janelle off first because she wanted to spend some time with Natalie.

It was nearly dark when the girls headed to Natalie’s house. Tonya walked Natalie inside to make sure she made it in safely before she left. The recent events in their little town had everyone on edge. Although Tonya doubted seriously she would ever be targeted, she certainly felt a heightened sense of awareness.

* * *

As Tonya headed home, it was just getting dark, and the tiny roads of Northport looked vacant and almost ominous. Tonya could breathe a little easier knowing Danielle was showing signs of improvement. She began to think of Brandon as she drove home and wondered if she should call him. She knew he needed his rest and decided against it; it could wait until tomorrow.

As far as Myron was concerned, Tonya felt that contacting him could not wait another minute. She picked up the phone to search for his number. Myron answered on the second ring as if he was waiting to hear from Tonya.

* * *

As Danielle strained to open her eyes, she wondered if this would be it for her. The sound of the mop bucket had stopped, and then the footsteps were coming closer to her bed. If only she could see his face without him knowing; Danielle’s breathing had become more rapid as she suddenly felt the shadow of someone standing over her.

* * *

As Brandon lay in the comfortable bed in his bedroom, he tried to relax when he realized he had had a headache for days and wondered if it was considered a migraine. Brandon had been healthy all his life, but he knew he had been under a tremendous amount of stress the last several days. He reached for the Excedrin PM and knew it wouldn’t be long before he was sound asleep.

Brandon felt himself tossing and turning during the night, but he never once fully woke up. In one of his nightmares, he was searching for Katy and found her out in an open field with her eyes gouged out. Later Brandon realized that instead of killing Katy, her abductor decided to permanently blind her, so she could never identify him. As if that nightmare wasn’t bad enough, he then dreamt of Katy being found in a heavily wooded area with her hands cut off and her tongue cut out.

* * *

Carlos didn’t rest well that night. He’d begun to see visions of Andrea again and found himself talking in his sleep. His wife had grown tired of his poor sleeping habits and decided to sleep in the baby’s room. As soon as Carlos’s nightmare awoke him, he rolled over to find Tamara gone. He knew she had grown tired and decided to let him have the bed.

Carlos kept having the same nightmare every time he dreamt and had no control over the frequency of the nightmare. He liked to reminisce on the time he and Andrea were able to spend together and often started his nights off this way. Over the last several weeks, he seemed fixated on thoughts of Andrea, which distracted him more than it should have. Carlos felt Andrea was gone forever, but accepting it was harder than he could’ve ever imagined.

* * *

Brandon found himself drenched in sweat as he gasped for air while he struggled to catch his breath. He was now sitting straight up in the bed trying to understand what he’d just dreamt about. As he stumbled to the bathroom in search of a glass of water, Brandon glanced at the clock and discovered it was 4:00 a.m. He washed his face vigorously, trying to rid himself of the nightmares he’d had.

As Brandon rested his head back into the soft pillow, he closed his eyes and began to pray. Although Brandon thought he’d gotten enough rest, when he awoke at 10:30 a.m., he couldn’t remember ever ending the prayer he’d started shortly after getting back in the bed.

Brandon checked his cell phone and saw he had several missed calls as he hurried to the bathroom to wash up for the morning. When he reflected on his night, he was then convinced Katy’s abductor would not take her life.

Brandon rushed to the bathroom to wash up as he heard strange voices in the house. As he made his way to the kitchen, he was shocked to see Tonya sitting there, having coffee with his dad. The conversation seemed light, and Brandon was immediately put at ease when he witnessed them sharing a laugh. He smiled as he approached Tonya, giving her a kiss on the top of her head.

“Good morning, sunshine,” he said as he took a seat at the table, pleased to see her smiling face first thing in the morning.

“Good morning yourself. Did you rest well?” Tonya asked, happy to see the love of her life sitting across from her, looking well.

Running his fingers through his curly blonde hair, Brandon said, “Yeah, I must say that I was well overdue for a full night of sleep.” Just as Brandon thought about the peaceful sleep, he soon remembered the terrible nightmares he’d had during the night. Before he could reflect on the content of his nightmares, his father was called into the operations center to take a phone call.

Tonya could tell that sleep was just what the doctor ordered. Brandon seemed refreshed and was more like his usual self. She thought about telling him what happened last night but decided it could wait. Tonya knew he needed to focus on finding Katy, and nothing she could tell him about last night would assist with the search, so she would save that for another day.

As the two made small talk, Brandon struggled to push the nightmares out of his thoughts. He hoped Tonya didn’t study him too long for fear he may begin to show signs of distress again. He needed to get to the site and soon.

* * *

It was Thursday morning, and Danielle could tell it was early. The hospital sounds were at a minimum, and she knew it was too early for the general population to be up and about. She felt the gentle light from the sun softly touch her face. She heard Mrs. Bradford moving around on her side of the room. Perhaps this was what awoke Danielle.

Thinking back to last night, she was sure thankful Mrs. Bradford and her nurse showed up when they did. That time, Tonya felt he’d gotten closer than ever to her as she could feel his sour breath on her face while she was panicking inside. Danielle prayed her expression changed none as he startled her. When the nurse came, Danielle could hear him moving toward the wastebasket, quickly replacing the bag and walking toward the door.

Danielle overheard the nurse tell Mrs. Bradford the doctor would be in to see her before she was discharged the next morning. Danielle wasn’t sure what time that was, but it was now obvious Mrs. Bradford was fully prepared to leave any minute.

Although Danielle was relieved Mrs. Bradford would be discharged in time to attend her child’s service, Danielle was afraid for her own safety. She had to snap out of this coma before the opportunity was taken away from her. If he made another trip tonight she may not ever see her
family again.

* * *

Katy had grown weaker, and the ties on her wrist were too tight to shimmy off. She’d given up as she lay in the box, bleeding. Katy believed she would be rescued by her big brother, and she held on to that belief as she closed her eyes yet again.

He’d not brought her food that day as he had the days before. He seemed to be distracted and almost like he was in a hurry. Katy wasn’t sure what was going on, but it had been several hours since she’d had food or anything to drink, and this added to her feeling of helplessness.

* * *

Carlos was able to stay busy much of the morning to avoid thinking of Andrea. He took on extra duties that day to keep his mind busy. Last night’s dream really shook him up. He was looking forward to his next visit with his counselor. Carlos was also looking forward to going home and speaking with Brandon. He somehow felt that if he finally came clean and confessed everything that he’d experienced, it would somehow free him from his guilt and ultimately his nightmares.

* * *

Sheriff Masterson was still in the operations center when Brandon walked Tonya to her car. Tonya had come by because she was worried about Brandon after not being able to reach him earlier that morning. Tonya had two afternoon classes and assured Brandon she would be back later that evening.