Anthony sat at his desk the following afternoon and thought about the woman who'd slipped through his fingers and how he wouldn't rest until he got her back. She'd written in her note that she didn't know if she belonged with him. She was right. As far as he was concerned, she didn't belong with him. She belonged to him and he would find her and never lose her again.
He stared at the phone and his pager, willing them to make a sound. To offer up any news of her whereabouts. He was using every possible resource to find her. He had someone tracing her credit card activity. So far, there hadn't been any. He'd contacted Grizz and asked him to actively engage his club in the search for her on Florida's east coast. Anthony's own crew had been scouring the west coast. He'd even sent Brooks to track down the Renquest twins to see if she might've sought them out. She hadn't. He’d called Nadine in Indiana who assured him that she hadn't heard from Christy. He asked if she had a way to contact Litzy. He hadn't gone through the paperwork from X yet and besides, Litzy would be more apt to be honest with Nadine than a man she didn't know. Nadine had called him back less than ten minutes later and assured him that Litzy hadn't heard from Christy either, but would be in contact if she did. Anthony had men watching her vacant apartment, the now empty home she had given to Nadine, and her parents’ estate as well as the cemetery since she was due for her weekly visit. It was as if she disappeared into thin air. He was sitting at his desk wracking his brain for where she might've gone when his eyes landed on the envelope that contained Litzy's background information. He still hadn't opened it.
He let out a sigh and reached for it. After unclasping the metal prong, he poured the contents on his desk. With half an eye, he glanced through the paperwork that revealed an ordinary life. Litzy's birth certificate, citizenship paperwork, education and employment history all seemed to be in line and revealed nothing remarkable. He came across Abby's death certificate and the dates matched the headstone which was burned in his memory considering he'd visited the little girl's grave at least fifty times with Christy in the past year. He tossed it aside and was getting ready to stuff it all back in the envelope when he noticed a sheet which was paper-clipped to the backside of Litzy's credit report. It must've gotten stuck. Like a deer caught in headlights, Anthony stared at the paper he held in his hand. The puzzle pieces that had been scattered across a tapestry of his and Christy's relationship started to find their perfect place. It was all coming together in his head. Beginning to make sense. If what he suspected was true, it would explain so much. Christy's over attachment to Abigail and Litzy, the weekly graveside visits, her hatred for Van and even more importantly, the key to the pain he saw behind Christy's eyes. And since Christy wasn't around for him to ask, he decided to speak with the one person who would know the truth. The only other family member who was alive and could verify his suspicions. Her worthless brother, Richard.
Chapter Forty-Four
Naples, Florida 1979
"Can't find her, huh?" Richard's sarcasm was palpable. After answering the front door, he led Anthony into the small living area of his single-wide trailer. He plopped on a tattered recliner and picked up a beer from the end table. He gestured toward another chair, but Anthony disregarded the offer to sit and stood over Richard, glaring down at him. The smell of stale beer, rotten food, and perspiration were overwhelming. The trailer was a garbage dump.
"Who was the middle-aged man that Christy ran off with?" he demanded.
"She never told us," he scoffed.
"Then how do you know she was with a man?" he asked, his eyes narrowed.
"Because my parents told me," he sneered.
"And you believed them?" Anthony glanced around the filthy trailer. "Did you ever think to ask your sister?"
"Hmph...like she would ever tell the truth," Richard countered. He couldn't hide his contempt for Christy.
"Why does she hate your parents so much?" Anthony asked.
Richard shrugged his shoulders.
"Is it because Van raped her and sent her off to have the baby, and convinced everyone she’d run off with an older lover?"
Richard sat up. He couldn't disguise his shock. "What?" he exclaimed.
"You told me that she ran away the summer of '74 and that she was home in time to open her Christmas presents. Don't you think it's a huge coincidence that Litzy's child was born in December 1974?"
Richard looked confused. "I never thought much about it," he confessed. "I wasn't close to Litzy or her brat."
Anthony grabbed Richard by his collar and pulled him to his feet. Their faces were so close, Anthony could see the pores in his skin. "Abby wasn't Litzy's brat," Anthony spat. "I saw the adoption certificate for Abigail and like I said, it's too much of a coincidence. I'm convinced Litzy's adopted daughter, Abby, was your niece and worse, I'm certain that Christy's hatred for Van is based on more than the fact that he was a rotten human being,"
Anthony wouldn't go into details surrounding the fact that despite Christy not being a virgin, she'd possessed not one ounce of sexual prowess or knowledge. He was convinced that she was a victim of rape. And if it had been perpetrated by someone other than Van, the Chapmans would've gone to the authorities. Especially Bobbi, Anthony thought. She was a powerful woman and wouldn't have stood for someone getting away with raping her granddaughter and future heiress of the Bowen dealership fortune. Van had sexually abused his stepdaughter and hid it from Bobbi by sending Christy away to have the baby, and by making up the story that she'd run off with a lover and that Litzy was fired because she'd gotten pregnant. The timing was spot on and it was all too neat. Too perfect. And the fact that Bobbi died around the same time that Christy gave birth told him something else. Maybe what Christy had said was true. What if Van did have Bobbi killed? What if Bobbi had discovered what he'd done and threatened him?
Richard's eyes were wide.
"Unless it was you. Are you Abby’s father? Did you rape your sister, Richard?" Anthony asked, his voice a low growl.
"No!" Richard yelled. "I don't get along with Christy, but that doesn't make me a pervert."
"Do you think Van is capable of rape?" Anthony let go of Richard, and he stepped back as Richard tried to compose himself.
Nodding his head, Richard said, "Yes. Van was capable of a lot of things. I wouldn't put it past him to force himself on his own daughter. My poor sister." He looked down and shook his head. "If I hadn't been so self-absorbed, I might've noticed something." Richard's eyes were averted and Anthony couldn’t tell if he was being sincere.
"His stepdaughter," Anthony corrected. "But since Van was the only father she'd ever known it doesn't make it less despicable," he added.
"Stepdaughter?" Richard asked, his brows wrinkled in confusion.
"Christy told me how your biological father died and Van adopted you both when Christy was a baby."
Richard shook his head. "I was six years old when Christy was born, and I was there the day my mother brought her home from the hospital. And so was Van. I don't know what story my sister told you, but Van wasn't our stepfather. He was our real father."