My phone rang when I was about half way back and the tension in my shoulders released just a little, thinking that it might be Leah. When I glanced at the screen though, the tension immediately built back up, seeing that it was Roy.
“Hey, man. What’s going on? Please tell me you’ve talked to Leah lately.”
“Well, that’s the main reason why I was calling, Chase. I got a strange call from Leah about ten minutes ago. She sounded a little off. She started by saying that she had to tell me something and by the end of the conversation she was yelling about how I needed to know how crazy Shelia was.
“Our call got cut off before she explained herself. I’ve been calling her back non-stop but I haven’t gotten an answer. I tried her cell phone too and it’s off. Truthfully, I’m a little worried. Are you on your way back from your conference yet?”
I gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white, my gut feeling being confirmed by Roy that something definitely wasn’t right.
“Yes, I’m on my way back. I’m about fifteen minutes away. I’m a little worried Roy, did Leah sound scared or what? Do you think we should call the police?” I could just imagine Leah’s reaction if the police showed up and nothing was wrong, but I wasn’t sure if I really cared if I had to deal with the wrath of Leah right now. I just needed to know that they were safe.
I heard a deep breath come through the phone and it didn’t help to calm me down at all. Roy was a pretty laid back guy and handled himself well in almost any situation. If he was worried, then I knew I definitely should be.
“Yes, I’ve never heard Leah sound like that before. Tell you what, I’m on my way too but you are much closer. Let me call the police and explain the whole situation and see if they’ll go and check things out. You’ll most likely beat them there.”
“Okay.” I tossed the phone on the seat next to me, relieved somewhat that there was a plan in place, but my foot pressed down a little harder on the pedal, needing to get there as quick as possible. I didn’t know what I would do if something happened to Leah and Caleb. My life would pretty much be over. They were the only reason for living.
I pulled into the driveway, and immediately recognized the car that was parked in front of our house as Shelia’s. Yup, my gut was definitely right. If that bitch was crazy enough to lay a hand on Caleb, who knew what she was capable of? I jumped out of the truck, before barely pulling it into park and left my door hanging wide open as I sprinted to the front porch and crashed through the door.
At first, I didn’t notice anything wrong, but then as I crept into the living room I saw things thrown everywhere. I pushed open each door slowly, bracing myself for whatever I was about to see. Caleb’s room looked like it had received the most damage; almost everything in there had been destroyed.
When I came to our bedroom door, it wouldn’t budge, I pushed my shoulder against it, throwing all my weight into it, but it wasn’t working. I tapped on the door lightly and I finally heard a small voice come through it, I felt a rush of relief run through me. “Caleb, buddy open up the door. It’s me.”
“But Mommy told me only to open it up if she came to get me.” I could hear the tears in his voice and I could tell how upset and scared he was.
“Buddy, it’s okay. You know Mommy would want you to open the door for me too. I just got home early from my trip to surprise you; I missed you guys so much. Can you please open the door?” I heard a click and the doorknob slowly twisted open.
Caleb’s face was streaked with tears and his arms were wrapped tightly around his little body. He stood there silently staring down at the floor until I scooped him up in my arms, crushing his body against mine, needing to know that he was all right. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” I murmured into his soft curls. “Can you tell me what happened, buddy? Do you know where Mommy is?”
He shook his head against me and murmured into my chest, “No, we came home and Mommy told me to go into the bedroom and lock the door. It seems like a really long time ago,” he added quietly.
“I heard noises and yelling, but I stayed right here like Mommy said. Is she hurt?” His brown eyes stared back at me, but I really couldn’t answer him. “I think Shelia did something to Mommy too. It’s all my fault for telling.”
“No, buddy, don’t say that. None of this is your fault,” I sat him down on the bed and crouched down to his level. “Now, I’m going to make sure Mommy is all right. I need you to stay in here again, okay?” He nodded his head silently and tried to put on a brave face even though I could see the fear in his eyes. He was just as brave as his mom. “I’ll be right back, I promise.”