Chasing Second Chances (3 page)

Chapter Five

Lloyd Marrick stared at the ringing phone on the coffee table and frowned.

He had just arrived home, his meeting lasting longer than he had expected, and he wanted some peace and quiet. Then, there was the fact that the phone that was ringing was his personal phone and the few calls he received on it usually meant bad news, certainly not the type of calls one wanted to get at the end of a long, exhausting day. Still, this call could be different and so he set down the glass of wine he had been about to drink from, slowly approached the phone and looked at the lit screen.

Kate
.

Upon reading the name on the screen, his brow relaxed, the image of a woman with shoulder-length black hair and almond-shaped black eyes appearing in his mind as he tapped the ‘Answer’ button before holding the phone to his ear.

“Kate?”

“Lloyd.” The worried tone in which she spoke his name caused his brow to furrow again.

“I thought you were on vacation. Is something wrong?”

“The kids…Jack and Lena…they’re both missing.”

He felt a lump form in his throat, which he quickly swallowed. “Missing?”

“They were kidnapped while I was away,” she explained, her voice nearly breaking. “Oh, Lloyd, I should never have left them. Now, I don’t know what to do.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

He heard her give a low hum of approval and then there was a click and the line went dead. Even after, though, he kept the phone against his ear as he blankly stared at the glittering skyline of downtown Los Angeles beyond his window, still stunned at the fact that Kate had called.

His ex-wife had called.

Not only that, she wanted him by her side. She may not have said it out loud but the plea was clear in her voice.

The next minute, he was walking out the door.

* * * *

Nick walked out of the Morrows’ house and sighed.

He had hoped that Charlene’s parents would be able to offer him a clue as to where Charlene and the Evans children had disappeared to. To his surprise, however, they did not even know about what had happened until he had told them, explaining that Charlene was their oldest child and that she didn’t like being checked on, and so they were utterly shocked and devastated, Mrs. Morrow breaking into tears, much to Nick’s dismay. Even when she had calmed down, she could not tell him anything, saying that as far as she knew, Charlene did not have a boyfriend or any reason to kidnap the children, insisting that her daughter was as much a victim as the Evans children were.

Nick understood why she felt that way. It was natural for any mother to want to believe she had raised her child well enough to abide by the laws.

He wasn’t sure if he felt the same way, though. As the ‘adult’ in the Evans house, Charlene was responsible for the safety of Jack and Lena, and if she did not kidnap them herself—a possibility he considered unlikely since if she was going to kidnap them, she could have done so the day after Kate Evans had left, and the neighbor across the street, Mrs. Duncan, confirmed that she had seen Charlene three days ago—then she had failed to fulfill her responsibility in some way.

Personally, Nick suspected that Charlene’s boyfriend—the fact that her mother didn’t know she had a boyfriend did not mean she did not have one—might have come to the house and proposed the kidnapping, though he could not tell why he did not do so right away. The drops of blood on the rug and the broken phone indicated a struggle, which could mean that Charlene might have tried to dissuade her boyfriend from his plan and got hit. It could also mean that she and her boyfriend might have fought over something else, in the process of which the boyfriend got violent, and, not satisfied with hitting Charlene, ended up taking her and the kids away to vent his anger out on them, which would explain why there was no call demanding any ransom.

But then, that latter scenario meant Charlene and the kids were likely dead.

Nick shook his head. No, it must be the former scenario and perhaps the only reason why the boyfriend had not called was because he was biding his time, or maybe because he wasn’t sure Kate was home yet.

It was only a suspicion, though. Only the forensics unit could come up with solid information, like who the blood drops belonged to, or who Charlene was talking to on her phone before it got smashed to pieces, or who the fingerprints on the doorknobs—not only on the front door but the doors to the kids’ rooms—belonged to.

Or at least he hoped they would.

It would take time, though—processing evidence was not exactly as quick as it was on television—and in the meantime, he would have to go back to his desk to fill out some paperwork and make some calls.

But first he was going to get himself a cup of strong coffee.

* * * *

Kate set down her empty cup of coffee in the middle of the sink.

She had not really needed the coffee, knowing that she would have stayed awake all night even without it, but now that she had finished a cup, she was glad. Her mind felt clearer and she felt less tired, calmer even, which was strange since she thought coffee made one more anxious. Then again, her mind could just be playing tricks on her.

Whatever the case, she felt better and she was grateful for it. Now that her mind was clear, she could think about what she could do.

But what could she do?

She thought about circulating her children’s pictures on the internet, but decided not to, unsure of what the ill effects of that might be. She thought of consulting a psychic, but dismissed that, too, thinking that she did not know of any reliable psychic and was unsure if one truly existed. She, thought, too, of getting a dog who could sniff out her children’s tracks, but weren’t the police supposed to try that one? Hadn’t they already done so?

In the end, she could do nothing but wrap her fingers around the locket she wore around her neck and slump on the dining table, her helplessness causing tears to well up again. It was the worst feeling one could feel—helplessness, and a hundred times worse because she was a mother. As a mother, she was supposed to be invincible, she was supposed to be able to work miracles for her children, and yet, she could do nothing. It was bad enough when Jack had gotten sick with hand, foot and mouth disease, and she had simply watched over him, unable to do anything to ease his discomfort or when Lena had cried on her birthday because she couldn’t get a bunny, which Kate could not give her no matter how much she wanted to for health reasons, but this, this was the worst.

She tried not to wallow in the sickening feeling, tried not to let the tears gush forth. Instead, she got up from her chair, intent on keeping herself busy. If she couldn’t do anything for her kids, then maybe she could do something for herself, or at least, she could do something, which was definitely better than just sitting still.

She decided to unpack, but stopped halfway through when she saw the presents she was supposed to give to the children—the colorful beaded necklace and the jewelry box decorated with seashells for Lena and the stuffed toy shark and ship in a bottle for Jack. Again, she fought the tears, and winning, she decided to do laundry, hoping that the chore would distract her as it had done in the past.

To a certain extent, it succeeded, and by the time she was done, sunlight was already drifting in through the windows.

Morning had come.

She did not know how another day could begin with her problems still unresolved. In the horror and thriller movies she had watched in her childhood, the monsters and serial killers were always gone by dawn, and yet she was still living her nightmare, no end to it in sight. Then again, she was not in a movie.

She placed the folded laundry in the closets where they belonged, then decided to get another cup of coffee, this time with two slices of toast and a scrambled egg. She was not really hungry, but she supposed she had to eat in order to survive. It would do no one any good for her to end up in a hospital.

When she was done with breakfast, she sent Bryan a message, thinking she could at least try to fix the problems that she could fix, then headed to the bathroom for a bath.

She took a quick shower and then soaked in the tub, the water feeling wonderful against her skin, exquisite even, soothing and relaxing her.

As she lay there, immersed in the water which glided against her skin and gently rippled with her every move, she remembered the first few months after Lena had been born. She could hardly take a shower, then, and soaking in the tub was definitely not an option. It had made her view baths as a luxury and not a necessity, and now she appreciated and savored them more.

Lena…Jack…

She was suddenly filled with horror at the thought of the void that would ensue if her kids were taken away from her. She had given up practically everything for motherhood – her career, her social life, her hobbies, maybe even her marriage. Her kids were everything to her and without them, she would not be able to call herself a mother and she would be lost.

She would have nothing.

She sat up and folded her knees up, hugging them and burying her face in her arms, trying to push away the horrific thought but hardly able to.

What would she do?

She sat there in anguish, too absorbed by it to notice anything else, which was why she did not hear the front door opening or footsteps coming up the stairs and she nearly jumped when the bathroom door opened, a confused Lloyd standing in the doorway.

Lloyd.

One moment he was standing there and the next he was beside the bathtub, offering his arms to her. She fell into them without thinking, ignoring the fact that she was wet and naked, that she had not seen her ex-husband in months, had not been with him for years and cried on his shoulder.

“Oh, Lloyd,” she sobbed.

“Shh.” He stroked her hair. “Everything will be all right. We’ll get them back. I promise.”

She said no more, just crying on his broad shoulder, the tears trickling down her cheeks to stain his shirt.

“Everything will be all right,” he repeated.

She nodded, surrendering to his embrace, his chest just as firm as she remembered, his arms just as strong, his scent still the same. She closed her eyes, drawing comfort from them, but just when she felt herself relaxing, she heard footsteps and she looked up in time to gaze into a pair of brown eyes.

A very familiar pair of brown eyes.

“Bryan?”

Chapter Six

Bryan’s eyes widened before slowly softening, the sadness in them making Kate’s chest feel heavy.

“Bryan, it’s not what you think. I…” She pushed herself away from Lloyd, compelled by the small voice inside of her that told her it was the right thing to do, only to regret it the moment she felt the air upon her damp, bare breasts.

Shit.

Bryan looked away and was about to open his mouth to speak when the phone on the quartz bathroom countertop rang.

Lloyd stood up and reached for it while Kate grabbed the opportunity to wrap her towel around her chest, grateful that she had been saved from the awkward situation.

For now.

“Who is it?” she asked as she stepped out of the tub.

“It’s an unknown number,” Lloyd answered, handing her the phone.

At once, Kate stiffened, reminded of her bigger predicament, and as her gaze met with Lloyd’s, she knew that he was thinking the same thing she was thinking—that the caller could be the kidnapper asking for a ransom—and she took a deep breath before answering the call.

“Kate Evans speaking.”

“Kate?” A familiar voice sounded on the line.

“Anne?” Kate heaved a sigh of relief. “Oh, I’m so glad to hear your voice. Your number didn’t register on my phone so for a moment there, I thought it was…” She paused suddenly.

“I’m using the phone here at my mother’s house,” Anne explained. “You thought I was who?”

“Anne, Jack and Lena have been kidnapped,” Kate blurted out.

“Oh my God.”

“When I came home, they were gone.”

“Oh, Kate, I am so sorry. I shouldn’t have left…”

“It’s not your fault, Anne,” Kate quickly told her. “I doubt it would have made a difference if you had stayed.”

Anne kept silent, probably in shock.

“The police might get in touch with you since I mentioned that I asked you to check on the kids,” Kate continued. “I gave them your number, but I didn’t know your address. I’m sorry to cause you trouble.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” Anne said. “I’ll do everything I can to help.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh, I wish I could be there by your side right now but my mother still isn’t feeling too well.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m okay.”

“You are?”

“No, I’m not,” Kate admitted. “But I’ll be fine. Bryan’s here and Lloyd, too.” She looked up at Lloyd who was standing just inches away from her.

“Lloyd’s there?” The surprise was clear in Anne’s voice.

“Anyway, I’ll let you know when I find them,” Kate said, not wanting to explain Lloyd’s presence.

“You do that,” Anne said. “And don’t lose hope. You will find them.”

“I certainly hope so, Anne.”

“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Kate wanted to tell her there was no need, but knew that there was. She did need a friend, after all. “Thank you. And tell your mother I hope she gets better soon.”

Anne sighed. “You’re going through hell and still, you worry about others. My mother’s fine. You hang in there, okay?”

“I will,” Kate promised.

“I know you will,” Anne said. “I better go get breakfast ready. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Hearing the click at the end of the call, Kate set her phone back down and turned to Lloyd. “That was Anne. You remember her?”

“I can’t say that I do,” he answered truthfully.

“We used to work together. She was at Lena’s baby shower,” Kate said. “I asked her to keep an eye on the kids for me while I was away.”

“But she left.”

“It’s not her fault her mother got sick and she had to leave,” Kate defended.

“Right. Sorry.”

Kate fell silent, her glance going towards the still open bathroom door, where Bryan no longer stood. Once more, her chest felt heavy and a part of her wanted to go after him but she decided to stay, thinking it was better for her and Lloyd to be alone at the moment. He had come all this way, after all, and they had important things to talk about. Clearing things up with Bryan would simply have to wait.

“Thank you for coming,” she spoke softly.

Lloyd shook his head. “I came because I thought it was the best thing to do.”

“I’m sorry. I should have left the kids with someone more reliable. No, I should never have left the kids at all.”

“It’s not your fault you needed a vacation, Kate, and thinking it is isn’t going to do anyone any good,” Lloyd told her calmly. “You told Anne it wouldn’t have made a difference if she had stayed in town. The same goes for you. Even if you were here, there’s no guarantee you could have been able to prevent them from being taken. You could only have gotten hurt and seeing you get hurt would have frightened the kids more than anything.”

The words, sincere and sensible, gave her pause. Lloyd had always been intelligent, logical, always been able to analyze any situation in a cool and collected manner, which allowed him to see the larger picture in any situation and see things from different perspectives. They were the qualities that made Lloyd the successful executive in one of the country’s top TV production companies that he was today.

They were the qualities that had made her fall in love with him.

“I don’t know, Lloyd. I just can’t help thinking…maybe if I had brought them with me, then…”

Slap!

The force of his palm against her cheek made her stop mid-sentence. She rubbed her aching cheek and looked at him, confused.

“That wasn’t what you wanted, was it?” he asked, his voice still calm, his eyes neither cold nor warm. Before she could answer, he pulled her back into his arms. “You keep talking like you want to be condemned, to be punished, but the truth is you’re afraid. You’re afraid of being condemned and punished so you do that to yourself before anyone else has the chance to, hoping that in acknowledging your own guilt, other people will find you innocent. But you don’t have to do that, Kate.

“You don’t have to be hard on yourself. None of this is your fault and like I said a while ago, insisting on thinking that way isn’t going to do anyone any good, you least of all, so stop blaming yourself. Stop hurting and hating yourself, Kate. You’re stronger than this and you’re going to need every bit of that strength to get the kids back.”

For a moment, Kate was silent, unable to say anything. Lloyd was right. She was afraid other people would think she was the worst mother in the world and so she decided to bestow that title on herself. She had thought it was the right thing to do, noble even, but now that she stopped to think of it, she realized how much it was hurting her. Not only that, it was making her feel weak and pathetic, and she didn’t like it at all.

Gently, she broke free of Lloyd’s embrace and looked into his eyes, still a mesmerizing shade of bluish green. It was amazing how much had changed and yet how little. After all this time, he still knew her more than she knew herself.

“You’re right,” she spoke. “I’m sorry. I…”

“I think the first thing you should do is to stop apologizing,” he suggested. “There’s no need for it and when there’s no need for it, it can get annoying.”

Kate nodded, a little surprised by his frankness but knowing it was called for. It was what she had called him for.

“Right. I…” She stopped herself from uttering another apology. “There’s something more important I should do, isn’t there?”

“Have you talked to the police?”

“I have.”

“Then all we can do is wait for them to do their job,” Lloyd said. “And be strong in the meantime.” He patted her on the shoulder. “Have you eaten anything yet?”

“I’ve eaten breakfast.”

“Have you slept?”

Kate shook her head. “I couldn’t.”

“Well, you should,” he told her. “You have to take care of yourself so you can be at your best when we get the chance to do something. I can handle things and let you know everything you’ve missed as soon as you wake up.”

Once more, he was right. She had been putting off sleep not only because she was dreading nightmares but because she didn’t want to miss out on any updates or calls from the kidnapper, but now that Lloyd was here, she supposed she did not really have to worry about that. Besides, in spite of the cups of coffee she had drunk, she had to admit that she was starting to feel sleepy now that she had had a nice bath.

“You called me because you wanted some help, didn’t you?” Lloyd asked her. “Then let me help you. Rest and let me keep an eye on things. You know I care about the kids just as much as you do.”

In the past, she would have argued with him, saying she cared about them much more but she only nodded now, content with the knowledge that he cared for the kids. Their kids.

“All right, I’ll go get some sleep,” she acceded. “But first, I have to talk to Bryan.”

      Bryan was in the backyard patio, sipping a cup of coffee. When he saw Kate, he set his cup down, neither frowning nor smiling. Slowly, she sat down beside him and was about to apologize when she remembered what Lloyd had told her about unnecessary apologies.

“I’m glad you didn’t leave. I would have had a hard time going after you if you did.”

“I walked away last night. I told myself I wouldn’t do so again,” he told her.

“I’m sorry I took out my disappointment on you,” she said, this time, thinking an apology was necessary. “I should never have said all those mean things when you were doing your best to help me.”

“You don’t have to apologize.” Bryan placed his hand over hers. “I understand. Besides, you’re right. It was my fault for inviting you…”

“It’s no one’s fault,” Kate stopped him from playing the self-accusation game, squeezing his hand. “I thought it was mine, so I tried to pass it on to you, but the truth is it’s neither your fault nor mine. It’s the kidnappers who committed a crime. I can see that now.”

He paused before speaking again, looking into her eyes. “I’m sorry I left you alone.”

“I needed some time alone, I think.”

He opened his mouth, about to say something, but stopped. She could guess what was on his mind, though.

“Lloyd is my ex-husband. I called him because I thought it was the right thing to do.”

He nodded but still said nothing.

“He’ll be staying here for a while, in the guest room on the first floor, until the kids are found,” she went on. “I know this must be hard for you but I can assure you that whatever Lloyd and I had, it’s long gone. It’s all in the past. You’re the man in my life now.”

She looked into his eyes, waiting for him to react, to say something, and was relieved when she saw his eyes soften, understanding gleaming in them, his lips curving into a gentle smile.

“Don’t worry about me,” he told her. “I won’t let you down again. In fact, I promise you I’ll be on my best behavior.”

She, too, smiled. “Thank you, Bryan. I knew I could count on you.”