Chained Guilt (Hidden Guilt (Detective Series) Book 1) (10 page)

14

“Hello! Can anyone hear me? Help me! Please!”

Miranda waited, but no one responded. She lay on her back on a hard surface, her arms and legs tied down tight. 
She raised her head, blinked hard to clear her vision, and strained to survey her surroundings. The room was dark, except for a few milky strands of light that filtered in through one dirty, partially covered window. She saw tables, clutter atop them, though she couldn’t tell what any of it was. The air felt damp and had a rotten smell to it. She coughed, hoping to clear the dry, chalky feeling from her throat. A solitary fan oscillated in a corner; its slow, steady headshake issuing a warning but doing little to move the air around the room.

Where was she? She tried to move her hands again, tugging hard against the bindings. A sharp, numbing pain in her right hand rewarded her movement. Overcome with emotion, she sobbed as she desperately sought to free herself.

“Help! Help! Somebody help me!” She screamed until her voice grew hoarse.

She sagged with weariness, and then lifted her head again to inspect her body. Her right hand appeared to be wrapped in some type of cloth, and it throbbed with every movement. Other than that, nothing seemed amiss.  At least nothing she could tell at the moment.

Who had done this to her?  Why? Had someone found out about her story? Was this a way to punish her, to keep her from talking?
Surely my boss will run the story anyway,
she thought. She had saved the final draft before she left her office, intending to send the file via email to her boss.

She heard a noise and strained to listen. Was someone coming? She heard footsteps. Then a door opened and closed. Someone approached.

“Hello there, pretty Miranda. I see you finally woke up.” 

She felt startled to realize the voice belonged to a woman.

“What? Who’s there? Who are you?” Miranda said, voice trembling.

“Don’t you go worrying about that. I know who you are. Perfect little life. Good job, good-looking husband, beautiful kids. Don’t worry; I’ll make sure they’re all well taken care of. You just start getting adjusted to your new home here.”

“Don’t you screw with my family, you bitch! You better not hurt them.”

“You like that word don’t you?” the woman asked. “We’ve only spoken twice now, and both times that’s what you called me. Why, you don’t even know me, Miranda, but your family will. That, my friend, is a promise.” The woman laughed. “Now make yourself comfortable, and let me know if you need anything. Oh, and this whole thing . . . it’s nothing personal. Sadly, I may even come to like you. But I have a score to settle with that husband of yours. I’m going to destroy his family and let him watch you die. Then, after I’ve broken him down, I’ll kill him too!”

She laughed again.

“By the way, do your daughters use such language? I hope
bitch
isn’t what they decide to call me. Well maybe your oldest one will; she seems a little high strung.”

The woman headed for the door.

“Wait, no! Don’t leave!” Miranda yelled. Her plea fell on deaf ears. As quickly as the mystery woman came, she disappeared.

Miranda had no idea who this woman was or why she was doing this to her. She worried for her family’s safety. Surely David would find her. She knew he would be looking. The entire police department was probably looking.

The door opened again.

“Oh, one more thing. I’m sorry about chopping off that finger, but I needed something to use as solid identification. Hope it doesn’t hurt too bad. If they find the little clues I left behind, they’ll think you’re lost to them and will eventually stop looking for you. That’s an awfully deep lake. They’ll try, but they won’t find your body. Such a shame.” She laughed again and slammed the door behind her as Miranda’s screams echoed in the musky darkness.

15

I lay alone in my bed—our bed—looking up at the ceiling. Karen lay next to me, sleeping an exhausted, restless slumber. I hadn’t eaten in two days, nor could I sleep. My in-laws had finally made it in; I heard them stirring downstairs. I knew they’d stay in a motel since Miranda wasn’t here, but having them around during the day would be good for the girls. A fresh pot of coffee brewed, and the smell of bacon had made its way up the stairs.

And then it hit me again: my wife is missing. A wave of fresh agony swept over me. Could I have done anything to prevent this? Where was Miranda? More importantly, was she dead or alive? I refused to give up hope. Maybe we’d get a break today.

My cell phone rang, and I rolled over to answer it. It was Captain Wilcrest.

“David, we spoke to Miranda’s boss. He did acknowledge that she was working on a story, but even he had not been aware of the details. He checked her office. Her laptop and the video and audio footage she’d gathered are gone. It must have been in the car with her when she wrecked at the lake.”

“What? “ I asked, confused. “Why the hell are we just finding this out now? Why didn’t someone tell us items were missing from her office?”

“Her door was locked, and her boss was out of town for a couple days. He checked her office the minute he got back,” the captain explained.

“That definitely confirms foul play! Why else would they have needed to keep her laptop?”

Captain Wilcrest said nothing as I ranted. Karen stirred, looking up at me with fear in her eyes. I calmed myself.

“David, we’re doing everything we can. You know that. The divers have been out dragging the lake for the past three days and . . .”

The captain hesitated, which was strange. I’ve never known the man to be at a loss for words.

“David, they found a shoe. It might belong to Miranda. We’ll need you to come in and identify it.”

I sat silent and stunned. They’d found a shoe?

“At this point, it doesn’t look good, David. But I don’t have to tell you that, do I? If the shoe is Miranda’s . . .”

Wilcrest paused, giving me a chance to comment, but I couldn’t.

“I know what you told me about her story and the mayor,” the captain continued. “But, David, we have nothing concrete to go on, and we can’t exactly storm into his office and make him talk. No judge in his right mind would sign off on a search warrant on such sketchy grounds.”

“ Thank you, Captain. I know the boys put in more time than they usually do on a missing person’s case. I appreciate it. I’ll come down there as soon as I get the girls off to school.”

I strained to keep my emotions in check.

“David, I can’t imagine what you’re going through. Take all the time you need.”

“Thanks, Captain,” I muttered.

“And since I’m the only one who knows the report was about the mayor, I’ll keep the fact that it was you who broke into his office to myself.”

I bypassed the comment, not wanting to incriminate myself or deny the accusation, either.

“Can you get someone from HR to get some counseling sessions lined up for the girls?” I asked instead.

“David—”

I disconnected.

“What’s wrong, Daddy?” Karen said. “Did they say they found Mommy?”

I hugged my daughter without saying a word.

“We’ll be okay, Daddy,” she said. “I’ll take care of you until Mommy comes home.”

Hearing my daughter say this brought the lump back into my throat again. A knock on the bedroom door brought my thoughts back into focus. It was Hilary.

“Dad, I’m going to hang out with some friends,” Hilary announced. “I’ve been here for three, almost four, days. I have to get my mind on something else.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I need to go, Dad.”

“Okay, okay,” I said. I understood completely. “Just be careful, and be sure to call me every few hours, will you?”

“Call you? Why? You couldn’t protect Mom—”

“Hilary, that’s not fair,” Grandmother Sara said as she appeared behind her. “And besides, you shouldn’t talk to your father like that, especially in front of Karen. What kind of example are you setting, young lady?”

Hilary, her face reddening, bolted out of the doorway.

“It’s okay, Mom,” I said. “It’s to be expected. Sometimes people just need someone to blame. Right now that someone is me.”

“She shouldn’t talk to you that way,” she insisted. “Would you have spoken to me or your father that way?”

“Times have changed, Mom, but you’re right; I probably wouldn’t have. But Hilary and I have had a strained relationship for a long time. That’s no secret. Miranda has been the glue between us. I don’t know what’s going to happen now.”

“Yes, times have changed, David. Parents are too lenient with their children, and it leads to this.” She held out her arms to Karen. “I’m going to take Karen into town and make sure she’s got something to wear for the vigil tonight. Do you need anything?”

A candlelight vigil had been planned for the community after word of Miranda’s disappearance spread. Our church was hosting. I shook my head. As they left the room, I mouthed a thank you to my mother. She nodded and closed the door behind her.

I sat down on the bed again. The only word I could think of to describe myself at the moment was lost. Lost. Without Miranda, I am—we are—lost.

16

I stared at the ceiling. My head ached and I couldn’t stop shivering. I felt like I had the worst case of the flu—ever. It had been five full days since my wife disappeared. The only thing I had consumed was a few sips of water.

“Daddy, you don’t look good.”

I glanced at Karen as she walked into my bedroom. “I don’t feel good, honey. Not sure what’s come over me.” 

I knew all too well. I didn’t want to be here anymore. I was ready to give up. Life without Miranda didn’t sound like something I wanted to experience. The only thing keeping my heart beating was my daughters. I felt a sick sense of despair and guilt over her disappearance. It threatened to engulf me. If only I’d stayed awake the night she disappeared!

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No, I don’t think so, sweetie. Daddy just has an upset tummy and a headache. I’ll be okay. I promise.”

She was about to reply when my phone rang. I groped for it on the bedside table and opened it without looking at the display.

“Porter here.”

              “This David Porter?”

“Yeah, who is this?” I asked, watching my daughter climb onto the bed and sit cross-legged beside me, staring intently.

“Listen, I have information for you. You want to know about your wife, don’t you?”

“Who is this?” I sat up, fully attentive.

“Meet me in one hour at Mills’s old feed store. Come alone. If I see anyone else, I’ll leave and you’ll never hear from me again.”

The call disconnected, but I suddenly felt better—much better. I forgot all about my flu-like symptoms as hope surged in my chest. But I didn’t want Karen to see the excitement in me and start to ask questions I couldn’t answer yet. Calmly as I could, I turned to her.

“Karen, why don’t we get you some Captain Crunch? You’ve got to be hungry. Daddy has a quick errand he has to run.”

We headed downstairs, and I sat her at the kitchen table, prepared a bowl of cereal for her, and then hurried back upstairs to dress. Then I peeked into Hilary’s room to tell her I’d be out for a few hours. As I turned to leave, Hilary stopped me.

“Dad, you promised us you’d find Mom.”

As she turned to me, I could see she’d been crying. I stepped inside, and sat next to her on the bed. I wanted to hug her, but decided not to press my luck.

“I’m trying, Hil, believe me. I’ve run myself into the ground looking for her, trying to find solid leads. I’m not giving up.  I actually have a new lead I’m working now. Keep your fingers crossed—mine are.”

I kissed her forehead and left the room.

After letting my parents know I’d be out for a while, I hurried out the door to meet my mystery informant. On my drive to the designated location, I had to wonder if it was a setup. Maybe I was driving right into the middle of John Carter’s plan to get rid of me. I had been snooping, after all. Still, it was a chance I had to take. I reached down to feel the comforting weight of my gun at my waist.

I ran a few red lights, driving recklessly in an effort to hasten my trip. After a short drive, I pulled into the decrepit parking lot of the old feed store on the outskirts of our neighborhood. There wasn’t a soul in sight, no other cars nearby. My senses on high alert, I stepped out of my car and moved toward the building. A side door hung crookedly on its hinges. I pulled it aside and stepped into the darkened structure.