Finally, she moistened her lips and spoke the truth. “I miss her, too. Miss both of you.”
“We talk about you every day,” he said, a tremor in his voice. “My kids think you’re some kind of secret agent hero. We tell them your work keeps you away.”
A new tremor started in her hands and worked its way through her whole body. “I’m glad.”
LeDoux placed a cup for Ray on the table next to the sofa. “I have some calls to make. I’ll be right outside.”
Jo nodded. Wishing like hell he’d stay but, on some level, glad he wasn’t.
When the door closed behind him, more of that heavy silence settled around the two of them. Jo and Ray. How long had it been since she’d sat alone with him? Almost eighteen years.
“Jo, I don’t know what’s happening here,” Ray began, “other than what I’ve seen on the news. I guess with you being here, it’s like before. The case of these two missing girls is like your case?”
“It is. We’re pretty sure the same people who took me took these girls, too. One of the missing girls is his niece.” She gestured to the door to indicate the man who’d stepped outside. “We’re working hard to find them.”
“You look really good,” he said. “Strong and healthy.”
He’d said that before. She smiled. “I’ve seen the kids on Facebook, your wife’s page. They’re beautiful, Ray, and so’s your wife. And you own the garage now. I’m really happy for you.”
“What do you do now?” he asked. He picked up his coffee and sipped. “Did you go back to school?”
She was the first one in the family to go to college. They’d all had high hopes. “I never went back to school. No. But I have a job I enjoy with an online newspaper. My boss is great and the environment suits me.” Code for she never had to leave the apartment.
“That’s good.” He smiled. “I remember you worked on the high school newspaper. You enjoyed trying to dig up interesting stories.”
More of that thick silence lapsed around them like a heavy fog. Ray focused on his coffee. Jo wished LeDoux would come back inside.
Finally, her brother stood. “I should head back home.”
Jo stood. The trembling still plaguing her limbs. “I’m glad you came.”
After nearly eighteen years was that the best she could do? She should say something more. Hug him again—something.
Instead, he moved to the door and opened it and she followed him outside. LeDoux sat on the steps at the back of the main house. Ray was halfway to his truck—she trailed two steps behind him—when he stopped and turned around to face her.
“I just want you to know that no matter how much time has passed not a day goes by without one of us mentioning you. Something always reminds us of you.” He laughed and blinked furiously as if holding back tears.
Jo tried to speak. Wanted to say that she thought of them every day, too, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak the words. She’d worked so hard to block the past, to cut all ties with the people she loved so she wouldn’t ruin their lives the way she had her own.
He started to turn away again, but hesitated. “We’ve never stopped loving you, Jo-Jo. And we never will. You’re part of our family and if you ever choose to come home for an hour or a day or forever, we’ll be there waiting for you.”
Tears flowed down her cheeks. Jo watched him walk to his truck. He’d reached for the door when she realized she could not just stand there and let him drive away.
“Ray!” She ran to him and hugged him hard. “I love you, too.” She drew back. “All of you. When this is done, I’m coming home.” She shrugged. “For an hour or a day... I don’t know, but I will be there. I promise.”
He hugged her again before climbing into his truck and driving away.
LeDoux walked up behind her, placed a hand at the small of her back. “You okay?”
She nodded. “I will be. As soon as I get these damned tears under control.” She couldn’t remember the last time she’d cried before coming back here. She’d locked away her feelings and focused solely on survival.
“What I did wasn’t just for me,” she confessed. “I walked away from my family to protect them from what happened...from what I became because of what happened.” She hugged her arms around herself. “I wasn’t the daughter and sister they lost. I couldn’t be that person anymore and I didn’t want to hurt them even more than they’d already been hurt. I did what I thought was the right thing to do.”
“That’s the only thing any of us can ever do.”
Jo inhaled a deep breath. She had to finish this. For her family. She still had a family and by God she wanted to be part of it again. “We have to find Blume or whoever is behind this. We have to stop him.”
“I called someone who might be able to help.” LeDoux guided her back toward the cottage. “Nick Shade and Bobbie Gentry are as good as you can get when it comes to finding monsters. They’ll be here tomorrow afternoon. They can help us.”
“Thank you.”
Maybe when this was over she could finally put the past behind her. Whether she could truly ever be a part of her family again, she couldn’t say. But for the first time in nearly two decades she wanted desperately to try.
Once her family knew the whole truth, they might change their minds about wanting her back in their lives.
She was no secret agent and she damned sure was no hero.
38
Day Eight
Eighteen years ago...
The images are gone.
Ellen is gone.
No-Name and I are in a different place. We woke up here.
My heart is pounding. I am so hungry. I need water. My lips are so dry and cracked. My throat feels like I swallowed sandpaper.
No-Name and I sit next to each other. Our bodies are bruised and scratched. Bones maybe fractured. I have a couple of cuts that feel infected.
I wish I knew where Ellen is.
I wish I could go home.
“Stand up.”
The voice. I take No-Name’s hand in mine. For once she doesn’t pull away.
“Stand up!”
Afraid not to obey, we get to our feet. Not so easy because we’re so tired and weak.
“Step away from each other.”
I hold tighter to her hand. He’s going to make us fight again. I know it.
“Step apart!”
Her fingers slip from my grasp and I back up a few steps.
The lights come on.
Bright, blinding light.
I put my arm up to shield my eyes.
“Choose your weapon!”
I look around. Spot the pole—kind of like a pool stick except the same size on each end. There’s also a whiplike leather thing.
“Choose your weapon!”
No-Name scrambles forward. I do the same.
I manage to take the pole away from her. She grabs the whip.
My eyes are burning like fire.
The lights go out.
I am at once grateful and terrified.
“You have ten minutes. Fail to fight and you lose by default.”
Ten minutes—how would we ever hold out ten minutes?
The whip cracks and leather stings the skin across my chest.
I charge forward with the stick held lengthways in front of me. I knock No-Name to the floor.
Now if I can just keep her down for the next nine or so minutes, we both might make it.
39
Lands Drive
Sunday, April 15, 10:00 a.m.