In The Shadows (15 page)

 Chapter Thirty

It was almost quitting time, and Brandon had received a text from Tonya alerting him that she could meet him at the restaurant. He called Katy to find out what time she could be ready.

Katy was enjoying her time with her cousins and family. She never thought she’d ever make it back to Alabama after all these years. Katy often wondered about her father and if he even remembered he had a daughter. Katy was tempted to ask Brandon about him since her mother had stopped talking about him years ago.

* * *

Sheriff Masterson was sitting at his desk in the small office on Broad Street in downtown Selma. He was troubled by the report his eyes rested on. He’d read over the report at least three times.

He needed to call Brandon, but he wanted to be 100 percent sure of what he was reading. He went back into the archived folders and pulled a case file that was closed many years ago around the same time Stella had disappeared. He remembered it just like it was yesterday, but he needed the files to confirm the list of those questioned in the incident.

* * *

Dinner at Red Lobster was great. Once Brandon introduced Tonya and Katy, they talked nonstop through dinner and dessert. He enjoyed watching his girlfriend and baby sister getting along so well. He decided not to tell Katy anything about Tonya before they met. Although he wasn’t sure what Katy’s reaction would be to finding out Brandon’s girlfriend was African American, he knew Tonya would win her over if necessary because she was such a people person and had such a good heart.

As he watched Katy’s and Tonya’s initial reactions, he knew Katy was indeed his mother’s child as she greeted Tonya with a hug rather than a handshake. The rest of the evening, the group sat around telling jokes and talking about family. Brandon could detect the uneasiness Katy felt when she spoke briefly about her father.

She admitted she had not seen him in at least ten years. Brandon’s heart dropped instantly and felt she longed to see her father, just as he had longed to see their mother. Little did he know, later that weekend, the moment he’d tried so hard to prepare for would happen, and Brandon would be forced to talk about his father.

The weekend had been full of surprises and exciting all around. Katy had made more friends thanks to Tonya and seemed to really be enjoying her stay in Alabama. Tonya invited her and Claire to the campus to spend the day with her. The girls were excited, and Brandon was grateful Tonya would find time in her busy schedule to spend with his baby sister.

As the girls sat on the sideline and watched Tonya play a pickup game of basketball, they realized just how skilled she was at the game. Tonya was lightning fast and played hard against the girls and even harder against the guys.

After they left the gym, Tonya was taking the girls on a tour of the campus. Although Claire and Katy were separated by a few years, they got along very well. Claire was only an inch or two shorter than Katy and had the runner’s legs to match. Both girls enjoyed running cross-country and spring track. They had so much in common that Tonya’s job was nonexistent.

Claire’s training for cross-country would begin in a few weeks, but that didn’t keep her from running three to five times a week. Claire was a pretty brown-skinned girl with long, soft hair that she kept braided most of the time. As much as she ran, the last thing she’d want to worry about was having a bad hair day.

Unlike her sister, Janelle, Claire was only interested in track and field and wanted to stay close to home. Janelle would run with her on occasion, but Janelle’s real love was basketball. Janelle would often run with Claire when no one else would.

Claire and Katy made plans to run later that evening after Tonya dropped them off. Katy was sure Brandon wouldn’t have a problem with her wanting to run.

Later that evening, Tonya and Brandon visited the local park not far from where the girls were running. They had not spent much time together since Brandon’s trip to Ohio. It was a warm, sunny day in Tuscaloosa, not too much humidity, and no threat of rain in the forecast. As the two of them relaxed on the bench, they enjoyed listening to the welcoming sounds of children playing in the distance.

Things had been so tense in the Northport/Tuscaloosa area since Danielle’s kidnapping. Most locals believed the culprit had since moved on, but Tonya and Brandon weren’t so sure. It was true things had been quiet for the last several weeks, but Brandon still worked diligently on the case. Tonya’s interest was still there, but she also understood the limitations with the case. Brandon would share as much as he could with her, and she continued to assist him when she could.

Tonya mentioned Danielle’s reactions when she visited Danielle earlier to Brandon as they sat on the bench. As Brandon listened to Tonya’s description of Danielle’s responses, he was shocked, but he also believed this was a sign of improvement.

“So you really think she’s coming out of the coma?”

“Well, I certainly do, but of course, the nurses think it’s simply reflexes and completely normal for comatose patients. But the truth is they’re not there when it happens. I’m not so sure they would admit what they saw if they’d been alone in the room with her anyway. I’m taking Natalie and Janelle by the hospital tomorrow after church to visit Danielle. I know her family will probably be there too, which will be a great time to mention what I’ve seen during my visits.” Tonya was very hopeful Danielle would have a full recovery.

* * *

When Brandon and Katy got home, they sat in the living room as Katy continued her cool down. Brandon was so proud of his baby sister and really enjoyed having her in Alabama with him.

“Brandon, I am going to get my shower now. Do you have any plans for tomorrow?”

“Well, I figured we’d attend the early service at church and then relax the rest of the day. I’m a little behind on my schoolwork.” Watching Katy’s change in expression Brandon asked “why, is there something in particular you want to do?”

“Well,” she said, after hesitating, “Claire and I had talked about running again, and I wanted to know if I could meet up with her, so we can run in the country.”

When Katy mentioned the country, Brandon knew she was referring to Northport. She’d gotten accustomed to her surroundings fairly quickly and instantly distinguished what was considered the city and the country. Brandon smiled at this revelation. He knew Katy felt comfortable in her new surroundings, and that pleased him.

Then the paternal instincts kicked in. Although he didn’t want to spook Katy, he reiterated what she was sure to have heard on the local news. “As long as the two of you are together, and you’re back before dark, I don’t see a problem with it. But if you run into any unusual situations, don’t hesitate to call me.”

With that, Katy smiled and left for the shower. She and Brandon had ordered pizza for dinner, and Katy was looking forward to watching movies and eating her favorite pizza from Pizza Hut. By the time she’d gotten out of the shower, she’d made up her mind to ask Brandon about their father.

She didn’t remember much about him, and her mom had stopped talking about him a long time ago. She then wondered how much Brandon would be willing to talk about him and if he still had a relationship with their father.

As Katy showered, she reflected on the time she’d spent with Tonya and Claire over the weekend. She thought Brandon and Tonya made a cute couple. Katy really enjoyed being in Alabama, but she would have to get used to the ways of the South. She noticed the double-takes people would give her and Claire when they were seen together. Katy was sure it was not done maliciously. She now even believed that people were pleased to see two girls from different racial and cultural backgrounds getting along so well.

It was after dinner when Katy got up the nerve to ask Brandon about their father. She wasn’t sure what the outcome of their conversation was going to be, but she figured she’d have a better chance with Brandon than with her mom.

* * *

Brandon had just returned from the kitchen with a slice of lemon meringue pie. Katy allowed him to finish off the last of his pie before she spoke. Once he was positioned in front of the television, Katy knew it was now or never.

“Brandon, I know we’ve not talked about this since you came to Ohio, but I would like to know more about my father, our father.”

As Brandon replayed Katy’s soft-spoken and sincere request over in his head, he was amazed at just how prepared he was to respond to her question.

Placing his dessert dish on the coffee table, Brandon sat back on the couch and watched his sister’s somber expression as he tried to anticipate her next thought. “Well, Katy, your father, our father, is the sheriff in Selma, Alabama, and he has been in law enforcement since before you and I were born. I used to think we were a normal happy family until you and mother left us.” Katy sat on the edge of her seat, and Brandon immediately wondered how much Katy really knew about their family. He added, “I guess I shouldn’t make it sound like mother ran off and abandoned me,” Brandon said although that was how he had felt for years. Then wanting to start over he said, “Katy, can you tell me what you know already or what mother has told you?”

The next two hours flew by, and neither Brandon nor Katy were concerned with either of the movies they had rented. Brandon felt as though he understood his mother a little better than he did before he went to Ohio as he was enlightened by his fifteen-year-old baby sister.

Evelyn had spent a great deal of time telling Katy all about her father and big brother when they first moved away, but for some reason, those talks stopped, and neither of them knew why. That was something that piqued Brandon’s curiosity, and he knew the only person that would answer that question would be his mother.

Realizing his father was still somewhat a hero to his little sister, he chose to only tell her the good things he remembered about his time in Selma. Their conversation led to deeper discussions about the possible reasons for the breakup.

Before the night was over, Katy had somehow thought she had caused the separation of her parents and had been living with that guilt for as long as she could remember. That was also why she felt she had no grounds for questioning her mother about her father or Brandon; she’d always believed she was the reason for the split.

After another hour of convincing Katy that she was wrong, before they ended their discussion in tears, Brandon believed he had finally convinced his little sister that whatever happened between their parents had nothing to do with either of them. He knew it was already time for Katy to meet their father, and let him fill in the blanks on the things Brandon did not have answers to. The next day he would call his father and find out if seeing his daughter was something he would agree to do freely.

 Chapter Thirty-One

It was noon on Sunday when Brandon and Katy got in from church. They stopped at the mall to eat lunch at Piccadilly before going home. Katy had never eaten at a Piccadilly restaurant before, but she truly enjoyed the variety of home-cooked meals displayed before her.

Although Brandon was a good cook, Katy missed her mom’s cooking and had for several months since she’d fallen ill. Ms. Tyler was good in the kitchen too, but there was nothing like her mom’s cooking filled with love. She missed her mom and was terrified of the thought of losing her. Now Katy felt she needed to know her father more than ever.

Katy was relieved she was finally courageous enough to bring herself to ask Brandon about her father. She didn’t know the type of relationship they’d had since she and her mother left years ago. Katy was pleased to know they still kept in touch, and she couldn’t wait to see her father again after all these years.

To her surprise, Brandon had contacted him that morning, and he agreed to come to Tuscaloosa for a visit. It just so happened that he needed to speak with Brandon about a case they were working on, and then he would be able to see his daughter for the first time in ten years, and he was ecstatic.

* * *

Brandon looked out the window for Katy’s bike. The girls decided biking to the park would maximize their workout. Katy had already been gone an hour, and although Brandon had been deeply involved in completing his assignments for school, he was still in paternal mode as he anxiously awaited her return.

* * *

Tonya had enjoyed her time with Brandon and the girls over the weekend. She had come to realize the joy Brandon brought to her heart whenever he was around. She just wished they could spend more time together. Ironically, the very thing that brought them together was the very thing now keeping them apart.

Because of the additional program at church, the girls were only able to sit with Danielle for half an hour. Tonya assumed since her family wasn’t there, they had probably stopped by earlier or were involved in church activities too. The girls took turns reading to Danielle then Natalie and Janelle even shared some other things going on at school too. Although they were applying to different colleges and had taken their entrance exams, they did not mention this to Danielle. If Danielle were well, she would be joining the girls in the search for colleges.

Tonya stood outside while the girls finished their visit. As she took a long tour around the wing, she spoke to the staff she encountered along the way. Tonya made her way to the break room and soon found an empty table. She grabbed her cell phone and sent Brandon a text. It was 3:00 p.m., and she was sure he would be home from church by now.

While waiting for a text response, her cell phone rang. “Hey, Brandon, how are you? Did you and Katy make it to church today?”

“Hey, beautiful, we sure did, and we were able to grab lunch after that and still make it home at a decent hour. Now I’m working on my paper.”

“Sounds like the two of you had a full day. Well, are you almost done?”

“I’ve been working on this paper for the last two hours, and from the looks of it, I may be halfway done.”

“Oh, you poor thing. I’m sure Katy’s waiting for you to finish, so you can do something fun together.”

“I was just looking out the window for her now.”

“Where is she, next door?”

“No, Katy and Claire decided to go for another run today, and I’m trying not to be so overprotective and treat her like a baby. So I agreed to let her meet Claire at the park, so they could run the trail again.”

After a brief moment of silence, Tonya said “Oh, okay. You’re saying she walked to the park, or you dropped her off?”

“No, actually she biked to the park where they agreed to meet.” After a brief hesitation on Brandon’s end, he said, “What? What are you thinking?”

“I’m not really thinking anything. I think she’ll be fine. At least she’s not alone, and the bike ride is what, seven to ten minutes?”

“Yeah, I know. I never want to be like my father. He was overprotective of everyone around him. I think that may have been why my mother ran away. I think she’ll be fine too. I told Katy to come straight home and to be home before dark.”

“Okay, well, she’s a smart young lady. I think you did the right thing. Don’t worry—she’s got your instincts. We’re at the hospital now and will be leaving soon,” Tonya said, trying to change the subject.

“Well, any more reactions from Danielle?”

“No, not really. It’s been so chaotic with all of us visiting that I decided to give the girls an opportunity to spend time alone with her. I can always come back at a later time. I didn’t get a chance to see her family either. I may have to stop over to see if I can catch them at home. Well, love, I’ve kept you from your work long enough. If you get a chance later, give me a call, and let me know when Katy makes it home.”

“Okay, will do.” Brandon got up and walked to the front door again. Another half hour had passed. He put the finishing touches on his paper and went to his small gym and decided he needed to focus on his workout too.

When Tonya hung up with Brandon, she realized she’d missed a call earlier and had a new voice mail. Since the girls still had a few more minutes, she decided to check her message. The number showed “unavailable” on her caller ID, which puzzled her, but she proceeded with checking her messages.

Tonya was stunned to hear from Myron. She’d not heard from him since shortly after Danielle was found. She knew he tried to keep away as much as possible since he had been questioned by the police during Danielle’s disappearance. Although he’d been cleared and was able to leave on schedule for Basic Training, Myron was still somewhat apprehensive about approaching Danielle’s friends, so he reached out to Tonya.

From the sound of his message, he’d completed Basic Training and was going to be home before he traveled to his next duty station. He wanted to see Danielle when he arrived next weekend and wanted to make sure Tonya could be there with him while he visited.

* * *

Claire and Katy had a good run at the park. The trail was about ten miles long. They both loved the close proximity of the trail, but Katy had to agree with Claire, it was really crowded on their run that day. Claire insisted the crowd had to be the weekend crowd because she’d not seen it that busy in a long time. Not to mention she’d run country roads before trekking to the trail to run. It was a waste of time especially when one was running solo.

Claire and Katy were stretching in the grass when Katy sat up abruptly, almost screaming, “I can’t believe it’s almost 6:00 p.m.!” as she looked at her watch, not believing her eyes.

“We haven’t been out here two hours, have we?” Claire asked with a puzzled look on her face as she stared at her watch then at Katy.

Katy immediately stood from her seated, relaxed position on the ground, now taking a closer look at her watch with her eyes stretched.

“Claire, I have to get home. Brandon’s probably beginning to worry.”

“Yeah, I’d better be going too.”

As the girls said good-bye, Katy took a look around at her surroundings to orient herself. She had never been to the park that time of day, so things looked somewhat different.

“Hey, you know your way back, right?” Claire called out to her before leaving.

Looking back at Claire, relieved, Katy said “Yeah, I got it. Thanks. I’ll call you later.”

Katy knew she was tired, but she also knew she wanted to be home by the time the sun went down. This was the first time Brandon had given her some real freedom, and she didn’t want to mess that up. It took fifteen minutes to get to the park, and as tired as she was, she knew it would take her at least twenty minutes to make it home.

Katy jumped out on the road and raced down Peach Street to King. Katy was pedaling hard and fast and remembered the directions Brandon had given her. When she was on her way to the park, the gate to the cemetery was open; she took a quick turn, realizing riding through the cemetery may cut some time off her ride home.

Katy looked around and listened carefully as she prepared to respond to anyone warning her about riding through the grounds. Scanning the area around her, Katy sped through the cemetery, hoping to make it home before the sun went down. She was almost at the gate when she realized the exit gate was closed. Then she had a problem. As soon as she read the sign, she realized the gate closed at 6:00 p.m. on the weekends. Katy closed her eyes and could literally kick herself.

It was already 5:56 p.m., and if she didn’t hurry back to the other gate she had entered, Katy feared she would be locked in the cemetery all night. As she swung her bike around, she listened for any sounds in the distance, alerting her to the caretaker’s location. Katy heard nothing and saw nothing as she pedaled faster than she ever had, with her teary eyes focused on the path ahead.

She covered the distance in three minutes flat. As soon as she raced through the gates, it was like she had crossed the finish line. Katy then realized she’d been holding her breath. She could not look back. She had wasted over five minutes on a shortcut to nowhere.

Once back onto the main road, Katy watched as the evening hour began to envelop her. She knew she had at least ten minutes, and she couldn’t be anywhere but home when the darkness came.

The tears she’d been holding back now stung her face as she rode into the rough winds. She knew Brandon wouldn’t understand why she hadn’t kept her word, and she also knew her bike wouldn’t be safe on the road after dark, so getting home before dark was a must. Whatever happened after she arrived home she would have to deal with then. Right now there was nothing in her power she wouldn’t do to keep her word.

Five minutes later, Katy was arriving home, and the streetlights had just come on. She could barely stand once she finally brought the bike to a screeching halt. She propped the bike up next to the house and looked up, and there was Brandon standing in the doorway.

She had to pull herself together and remember she had kept her word by making it home before dark. Katy was relieved as she pushed the guilt away and patted her brother on the arm while passing through the doorway. She could see his worried expression turn into a smile as she headed straight for the refrigerator to grab a Gatorade.

The windows were open, and Katy enjoyed listening to the sounds of the country as she relaxed in her hot bubble bath. She knew she would pay for her excursion tomorrow, but that night she would simply celebrate making it home on time.

When Brandon went to tell Katy good night, she was already asleep. He laughed to himself and turned out the lights. He’d already sent Tonya a text message letting her know Katy arrived home safely. With his sister finally safe and sound, he could then focus on talking the night away with Tonya.