Putting the answering machine on, she turned off the lights and closed the door to her office without looking back. “Right, Mr. Trent. It’s you and me.”
***
It was well past midnight when Jason finally unlocked the door to his apartment. In spite of his best efforts, the keys jangled noisily against the cold metal of the handle. Jason cringed at the thought of waking the household. It had taken him two hours to walk the distance between the hospital and home, yet the long meander by the light of the odd streetlight had given him some much needed unravelling time. The last thing he needed now was to face the third degree by eager beaver Kenneth.
The lights were off in the building. Jason’s eyes were used to the lighter darkness of outside, and took a moment to adjust to the darker darkness of inside. Blinking hard, he could just make out Kenneth’s snoring form on the couch. The deep blackness in the corner indicated that Shane’s door was shut. Jason tiptoed to the kitchen, where he found Tim sleeping on the table. His bottom half was perched precariously on a bar stool, while his top half stretched across the countertop. His head was buried snoring in his arms, fingers still curled around a half drunk cup of coffee.
Not wanting to wake the others, Jason carefully pulled the kitchen door shut, before flicking Tim’s ear. “Wake up Sleeping Beauty.”
Cross-eyed, Tim shot up and nearly fell off the stool, slopping cold coffee across his wrist. “Yuck. You’re back. How’s Rebecca?”
Throwing Tim a damp cloth, Jason said, “She’s great. She’s awake, we spoke.”
Yawning sleepily, Tim stretched, and then hunched his shoulders back and forth in an effort to wake up. “So is she worth the whole cross-country effort we’ve been through?” Seeing the goofy smile on Jason’s face, he held up a hand and shook his head. “Stupid question. Never mind. What now?”
“Heck, I dunno. I’ll need to let Stanton Trent know that I’ve found his daughter. And the Grey’s their Granddaughter. I’ll probably just text their phones so that they can contact me when it’s convenient for them.” He parked his rear down on a stool. “We still have to find Claude and bundle him off back to his father before he hurts himself.”
Changing the subject he glanced sideways at Tim. “Is it just me, or is this whole situation a bit—” he paused, searching for the right word, “—unnatural?”
Tim rubbed sleep from the corner of his eye and shrugged, “What do you mean?”
“How long have we been trailing Rebecca now? Since I found the box… ten days?”
Another shrug, “Roughly, why?”
“Okay, try and keep up. We’ve been knocking ourselves out trying to find this woman. Every time I listen to this—” Jason floundered again, “—prompting in my heart, we get a little closer to the goal.”
“Aah yes, the voice in your head.”
Head, heart. Same difference. Jason nodded, “It’s like He’s been trying to get my attention.”
“Now you’ve lost me. Who exactly, are you talking about?”
Jason cringed and squirmed before finally spitting it out, “God.”
“Aah, The Big Man Upstairs. What would He want with you?”
“Only He knows. I used to be really into all that church stuff till Nic’s died. That shot a hole in it all for me. Anyway, there we were trying to find this mystery blue-eyed girl, going from blank to blank. On my boat, in the middle of open water, I—” Jason paused, wondering how to put his meeting with his sister into words. Concluding that Tim would probably have him committed to an institution with lovely padded rooms, he glossed over that bit and carried on, “—I decided to stop running away from God and surrendered to Him, and you know what happened?”
Tim’s forehead creased, “You found Rebecca?”
“Yes, well—no. She found me! I was just sitting there, and she bumped into my boat, clinging to a log in the middle of the open sea. How impossible is that?”
“So what you’re saying is, when you listen to God, things go right.”
“Apparently, yes.”
“So are you going to become some sort of religious nutzo?”
“No. It’s not like that.” Jason struggled for words, “It’s just that I get the feeling that He really cares about us, you know?”
“No I don’t know, and I’m too tired for this conversation.” He yawned as if to prove the point. “I’ll see you in the morning.” Tim drew the door shut behind himself leaving Jason to face his grapple with things Divine by himself.
***
It was well past midnight and Rebecca was still struggling to sleep. The Pethadine had worn off at least an hour earlier, leaving her nauseous from the continual throbbing in her temple. Unable to take the pain, Rebecca decided to call a nurse.
She sat up too quickly and her vision swam. Bile rose in the back of her throat and nausea threatened to overcome her. Swallowing hard, she leaned back onto the stiff hospital pillows. She was alone in a large ward that could accommodate seven other patients. The room was dimly lit for the sake of the night staff, but seemed dazzlingly bright to Rebecca’s tired eyes. Too bright to sleep in.
After a moment, her insides settled. Reaching for the buzzer, her eye fell on a black book on her bedside cabinet. It was a Gideon Bible. A strange thrill shot through her. Pain, forgotten for the moment, she reached for the Bible and tucked it in her lap with the satisfying feeling of discovering an old friend in a foreign country. She began flipping through the yellowed pages to find Psalm 139, her only familiar point of reference. Daniel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah… Muttering to herself, she continued turning pages, frustration growing. Then the book fell open to Isaiah, an exquisitely embroidered bookmark nestling between the pages. There was a passage marked with yellow highlighter, so she began reading.
“But now, this is what the Lord says – He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel.” O Rebecca, she paraphrased for herself with a satisfied nod, then carried on reading, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name, you are mine.” Thank you Lord for redeeming me, buying me back from the enemy! I am Yours, finally I belong to someone.
She continued reading. “When you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” Rebecca sat stunned. She had literally passed through a river. In fact, she’d been swept away by a river and had still somehow survived. Jason had been out to sea, at just the right time to rescue her. Gooseflesh broke out on the back of her neck. This was eerily real.
***
It was well past midnight when Stanton finished reading the last faded letter. To his amazement he felt warm inside, comforted and complete. If anything, he’d expected to feel ripped apart by reopening this very sore chapter of his life and yet somehow he’d grown enough to find healing. Maybe knowing the truth behind Catherine’s silence cast their whole relationship in a healthier light. Now all that remained was to find Rebecca.
Setting the letter aside, he looked up to see Lisa curled up on the carpet inside the doorway, fast asleep. Anger at her intrusion flared briefly, but died just as quickly at the sight of the dark shadows circling her eyes. A strand of hair trailed across her face, relaxed in sleep, all at once beautiful and vulnerable. Faithful Lisa, who had been by his side through years of his self-imposed isolation. Then it struck him. The reason he’d been able to live so contentedly under these lonely circumstances had everything to do with this woman curled up here before him. He hadn’t been lonely, because he had Lisa. The implications of this realization shook him to the core.
Rudely interrupting his thoughts, his phone beeped loudly making him jump and waking Lisa. It was a message. He pushed the ‘okay’ button, and his heart skipped when he saw the message was from Jason. Pressing once more opened the message. It was a few lines of simple text that caused his mouth to dry so that swallowing became impossible. “Found Rebecca. In Hospital with minor head injury. Contact me. Jason.”
Lisa pushed herself upright, trying to look efficient through the sleep fog that still clung to her eyelids. “Who was that?”
Stanton’s face was unreadable. “More importantly, what are you doing here Lisa?”
Instantly awake, Lisa folded her legs underneath her and clasped her hands in her lap like a naughty child. “I was concerned, and came looking for you. When I found you, you were so engrossed that I didn’t want to disturb you. I thought you’d notice me, but you didn’t. I must have fallen asleep waiting.” She glanced at her watch. “Oh my gosh. It’s after midnight.”
Stanton nodded his head and the faintest of smiles tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Just past midnight and Jason has found my daughter.” He couldn’t hold it in any longer. A radiant smile broke free on his lips.
Lisa blinked twice. “Your daughter? You have a daughter?”
Stanton nodded and a chuckle bubbled through him.
Lisa rubbed her eyes, removed her shoes and threw decorum out the window. “Stanton Trent, you are going to tell me what is going on right now. I have covered for you and worried about you for months. You owe me this much at least.” Her spine stiffened with resolve.
In that moment he knew he loved her. Not the zealous, fickle love of youth, but the settled, long love of a lifetime of building moments together that stood firm against any onslaught. “Yes, you need to know what’s going on. I couldn’t agree more. Tell you what, I’m going to make a phone call and then I’ll tell you everything.”
The shock on her face made him wish he had a camera.
Chapter 25 - Abduction
Claude had been biding his time outside the hospital, waiting for an opportunity to present itself. It did just that in the form of a Netcare Ambulance. Just after 2am, sirens and lights screamed emergency as the vehicle did a smooth U-turn before stopping abruptly. He watched from the bushes as both paramedics in navy uniforms leapt from the vehicle, and with trained efficiency wheeled a patient out the back and into Casualty, leaving the ambulance unattended.
Checking to make sure that he was not being watched, Claude left the bushes and pulled himself into the back of the ambulance. Not bothering with the various medical boxes, hung one over the other suspended on a metal framework, he felt around in the small gap beneath the bottom of the lowest box and the floor. His fingers wrapped around the stiff cotton of a paramedic uniform. Pulling it free with a manic chuckle, he stripped off his bulky jacket and slipped the tunic over his clothes. This plan was coming together beautifully.
***
Early morning sunshine filtered bleakly through wispy clouds, shedding light but no warmth. The hospital parking lot was crammed full of vehicles, yet not a live soul could be seen from where Jason sat shivering on the bench outside the main entrance. It had taken all of his diplomatic skills to get Kenneth to stay at the flat with Tim and Shane. He’d eventually resorted to his sternest ‘Lecturer’ voice, which shocked Kenneth into not arguing long enough to listen. General hospital rules stated clearly that only two visitors were allowed per patient at any time. Rebecca’s biological father certainly had more reason to be one of the privileged pair than poor smitten Kenneth, a fact he eventually – albeit reluctantly – agreed with.
Just then a deep, velvety maroon Mercedes pulled up and parked across the street. Jason checked his watch. Stanton Trent was a punctual man. It was exactly 10 o’clock. He was wearing a seal-gray three piece that put Jason’s jeans to shame. An attractive woman got out the passenger side and quickly crossed over to Stanton. It was only as Stanton took her hand and tucked it around his arm that Jason recognized Lisa, his PA. A look passed between them that Jason couldn’t fathom.
He stood as they crossed the street toward him. Holding out a hand in greeting, Stanton gave Jason a tight-lipped smile but said nothing. Lisa smiled warmly, “Good to see you again. Thank you for pursuing this matter with such dedication. It really means a lot to Stanton.” Jason was baffled. Such formality and Stanton as silent as a mute? In fact, he looked as awkward as an Eskimo in the Sahara. And they both wore telltale sleepless creases around their eyes. Something strange was going on. Putting it down to meeting your daughter for the first time nerves, Jason led the way into the cold, white monstrosity.
***
Shane had had enough, “Kenneth, stop it!”
“Uh, what?”
“Pacing. You’re going to make a hole in our carpet.”
“Oh that. Sorry.” With that, he flopped onto the nearest couch and started drumming his heels. “It’s just that I really wanted to go see her.” The bottom half of his face attempted a smile that clashed horribly with the misery on the top half.
Shane turned to Tim in desperation, with a look that said help; I’m going to kill him.
Tim rolled his eyes with a snort. “Ken, old boy. You’re forgetting the most important thing.” With a sagely nod, he spoke slowly, as if to a halfwit. “Your job is not to find Rebecca, remember? Daddy sent you along to find and retrieve your half-cocked brother. Does any of this, ring any bells?” But for the sarcasm, he almost sounded caring.
Kenneth’s heels slammed into the carpet and his voice was deathly quiet. “I know. We’ve tried. I was here, remember? We’ve drawn nothing but blanks.” With that, he shot up and began pacing again. “I’m sure with all the money in the world we couldn’t bribe those people into talking to us about their guests. Miserable code of confidentiality.” He threw himself backwards into the sofa and sank deeply into a sulk.
“You know, you might be onto something.” Tim’s arms folded across his chest as vague comprehension dawned on his face. “We’ve been talking to the wrong people.”
Shane leaned forward, “What do you mean?”
“We’ve spoken to receptionists and owners of hotels and B&B’s across town, right?”
Shane nodded; Kenneth sighed and stared out the window.
“These people are all duty bound to guard the interests of their guests in every way. I’m thinking of another group of employees that have a different mandate.”
Kenneth threw him a puzzled glance.
Without elaborating, Tim asked Shane, “You were a reservist with the Police, right?”
“Sure. Still am. Why?”
“Go get your badge. We’re going undercover.” His face broke into a gleeful grin.
Shane rubbed the back of his shortly cropped head and groaned.
***
It didn’t take long to navigate the hospital passages and make their way to the woman’s ward. Jason had double-checked Rebecca’s ward number before leaving the previous evening and he knew just where to find her. He stopped just outside the eight-bedded ward. “I’ll go in first and just warn her that you are here.” Stanton nodded, his eyes tight with controlled emotion.
Jason rubbed his hands and breathed out deeply. Emotions were tumbling through his heart that he didn’t care to stop and examine. Beyond the salmon-pink double swing doors was his blue-eyed girl. The very thought made his belly flutter. Pushing his way into the ward, he headed for the end bed, closest to the window. The curtains were drawn around all the beds, affording the occupants with the most amount of privacy one could hope for in a hospital.
Unable to stop the grin that tugged at his lips, Jason pulled back the curtain an inch. “Rebecca?” His insides soured as he pulled the curtain on an empty bed. Mind shifting into slow motion, fine details shouted at him – perfectly creased hospital tucks on the bottom corners, immaculate white sheets turned down over a grey blanket. This bed was unoccupied and looked as if it had been that way all year.
Forcing himself to be calm in the face of rising panic, Jason ran from cubicle to cubicle, shifting curtains aside. Maybe he’d got the wrong bed? An ancient Chinese woman shrieked as his head poked through the curtains, and he had to dodge quickly to avoid her satin slipper. None of the beds held Rebecca.
Okay Jason. Be logical. They must have moved her to a different ward. Simply got to ask the Sisters. Determine
d to believe his pep talk, Jason braced himself and headed through the swing-doors. Stanton looked horribly pale. Forcing himself to meet Stanton’s eyes, Jason spoke, “Small technical hitch, they must have moved her to a different ward. I’m going to check with the nurse’s station.”
The trio made their way down the passage. The sister at the desk didn’t look up at their approach, and Jason had to tap her on the shoulder to get her attention. Irritation thinly veiled, she asked, “What can I do for you?”
Jason did a quick scan of her name badge, and turned on the infallible charm, “Sister O’Kennedy, I’m hoping you can be of assistance. I’m looking for a woman who was admitted yesterday. Rebecca Jones. I checked the ward I thought she was in, but I must have got it wrong.” Jason’s tone was light, but he could feel the tension from Stanton like a brick wall against his back, matching his own. The sister checked the file and shook her head.
“I’m sorry Sir. She checked herself out at about 2.30 this morning.”
The charm slipped somewhat. “That’s simply not possible. There must be some mistake. Surely you wouldn’t let her leave so soon. We only checked her in last night.”
“It is not hospital policy to hold people against their will. I wasn’t on duty – I don’t know why she felt the urge to leave.”
Charm, along with civility flew out the window. “I’m sorry, this is completely wrong. The woman I left here last night was in no state to book herself out. There has got to be some mistake.”
“Its right here in the file – signed herself out.” The sister swung the file around and held it under Jason’s nose. “She’s not here.”
Chapter 26 – Desperation and Peace
Rebecca squirmed in the chair, trying to ease the pressure of the ropes around her wrists and ankles. Sunlight streamed freely through the aluminium and glass sliding doors, making mockery of her captivity. Through the doors she could see a balcony, overlooking a broad expanse of ocean that reflected the morning rays with blinding intensity. Looking back into the room, Rebecca blinked to clear away the purple spots dancing in her vision.