In The Shadows (9 page)

 Chapter Sixteen

It wasn’t until late Sunday morning that one of the search teams located a bloodied rag at the end of their search. The group was just preparing to go in for lunch when one of the volunteers found a white cotton tie covered in blood. Once the K-9s were brought in, all the searchers were redirected to search within a five-mile radius of where the cloth was found. After the sheriff redirected his deputies and the volunteers, the search team captain called back to their headquarters at the church to alert them to their discovery.

There was an excitement in the air as the news spread like wildfire. Natalie and Janelle were just finishing up with their lunch break when they heard the news. Tonya and Brandon were still outside talking when they heard the rumble and cheers erupting from the sanctuary. They dropped everything and quickly rushed inside to find out what was going on. When they entered the sanctuary, they heard the search team captain trying to calm people down.

“Listen, I understand your excitement, and believe me, I’m just as excited that we now have a lead. Just because we found the cloth doesn’t mean we’ve found Danielle or confirm it belongs to her. Let’s stay focused on the reason why we are here. Now this case can go either way. If it is determined that the blood on the cloth matches Danielle’s blood, our search is not going to be easier, nor is it going to be over. Ladies and gentlemen, if this cloth
does
belong to our missing girl, that means our search has just begun. If Danielle’s out there hurt and losing blood, we need to search for her today with the same tenacity we searched for her on day one. She is out there somewhere, and we need to bring her home.”

Immediately following the speech, the crowd erupted in more chants and cheers. Chill bumps covered Tonya’s entire body as she felt the excitement too. She searched for the girls, and they filled her in on what had taken place. Brandon excused himself as he went to speak with the search team captain. The local sheriff had just spoken with the family, and they were already headed to the new search site.

After Brandon spoke with the search team captain, he agreed to trail Tonya and the girls to the new site. They were all excited once they got on the road and saw the scores of vehicles caravanning to the new site. They all believed that day would be the day they brought Danielle home.

Natalie was on the phone with her mother and filled her in on the news. Mona dropped everything and rushed right out of the shopping center. She was there buying more food supplies and Gatorade and was just checking out when Natalie called. Within minutes, Mona was on the road headed north, to link up with the girls.

When Tonya and Brandon got closer to the site, there were cars and television crews parked all along the side of the road. There had to be at least two hundred people milling about, trying to see what they could do to help out. The family was touched by the huge turnout of the townspeople there to assist in the search. Having grown up in the South, Tonya knew some of them were there simply out of curiosity, but she too was thankful for the turnout.

Once Mona arrived, she linked up with the volunteers in charge of providing food and drinks to the searchers and gave them the supplies she had. She wanted to be out there searching for Danielle as well, right alongside her girls.

* * *

When Tonya parked, she and the girls quickly got out and located Mona. They all hugged and said a quick prayer before departing with their search team. Brandon had stopped along the way to speak with a couple of guys from his station. Once he linked up with Tonya, they decided to stay together during the search. Mona and the girls went with another search team. Tonya asked them to keep their phone on vibrate and contact her if they found anything, which echoed the instructions given by the search team captain in Tonya’s absence.

Tonya and Brandon had been quiet during the first few minutes, diligently searching for any clues. There were about thirty people in their team, and everyone looked serious as they quietly searched for Danielle. Once they reached the area where the cloth was found, they were instructed to begin calling Danielle’s name. Once they began calling out, Tonya and Brandon began to make small talk. They were both excited to have another lead and felt the search would have a good ending.

Each of them had put in several hours of research in trying to assist in the case. Tonya had asked the girls to discreetly inquire about the first missing girl. They willingly agreed to ask around and would report anything they found out to her even if it didn’t seem important to them. Tonya was very hopeful she would find the mystery guy or at least the people the missing teen hung out with when she visited the area.

Brandon was still working a few leads and knew the best way to eliminate one of the girls would be to travel to her hometown in Ohio. Not only would he be able to question the girl’s family and friends, if necessary, but he’d be able to visit his mom and sister too.

Brandon had not talked much about his mother and sister, but he did tell Tonya that they moved away when he was still in school. He didn’t bother mentioning how he longed for his mother and missed them both immensely. Brandon always hoped in the back of his mind his mother would return for him and rescue him from his father. But as each holiday passed, the realization that he was stuck for life hit him harder each time.

Brandon told Tonya he would ask his captain if he would approve the travel and the reason for his travel when he reported to work next week. Tonya was immediately excited and wondered what he would find on the other end. Brandon was pretty excited because he now felt identifying the girl would put him and Tonya on the right path to finding the kidnapper. He said a silent prayer and also hoped Danielle would be found that day, out of concern for her family.

 Chapter Seventeen

It was approximately two hours into the search when Tonya and Brandon’s conversation was interrupted by a loud shriek coming from a group of searchers ahead of them. They briefly looked at each other before they took off in a mad dash in the direction of the screams and the people gathering. When they pushed to the front of the circle, they found the search team captain bending over a half-naked body, searching for a pulse.

Brandon wasn’t absolutely certain it was Danielle lying on the ground, but one look at Tonya’s face, and he knew without a doubt it was her. Although Brandon had never met her, just seeing the photos and being around her family and friends made him feel closer to Danielle. The sheriff was called in, and he immediately called for an ambulance.

Danielle’s pulse was extremely weak as Tonya touched her cold, clammy skin. Tonya noticed how frail Danielle’s body appeared and how ashy her lips were. She knew Danielle was dehydrated and immediately grabbed her water bottle and a handkerchief and gently wet her lips. Brandon took off his windbreaker and placed it over Danielle’s tiny body.

It took the ambulance no time to arrive with the EMTs. They were told later that the ambulance was on standby and waiting back near the road. Luckily Danielle’s body was found at the edge of a dirt road about three miles from the main road where they began their search.

When the EMTs loaded her into the back of the ambulance, they stopped on the main road and picked up her mom and dad. Mona offered to keep Preston and bring him to the hospital when they sent for him.

Mona and the girls were excited, and the entire group screamed with cheers and praises to heaven once the word reached them that Danielle had been found. She was alive but barely. The local news broke the discovery but kept the report limited to the discovery only. Realizing the kidnapper could still be within the viewing area, they didn’t want to release her condition or which hospital she was taken to.

The girls rejoiced but now were more afraid than ever because Danielle was still unresponsive as they waited in the waiting area. Mona kept Preston at her house while Brandon gave the girls a lift to the hospital. Janelle‘s mom, Pam, was on duty when Danielle was brought in and immediately called her husband to find out where Janelle was and if she knew about Danielle.

Pam greeted the girls and Brandon and took them into the employees’ break room to give them an update on Danielle. Pam had already spoken to Danielle’s parents, and the doctor had allowed them into her room in ICU. Under normal circumstances, no one would be allowed to stay with a newly admitted ICU patient, but they all knew this was not under normal circumstances.

It had been a long day, and they were all mentally and physically exhausted. Brandon invited the girls for a bite to eat at Wendy’s before taking them back home. They were grateful and enjoyed his company.

As they sat in the restaurant, the entire place was buzzing with the news of Danielle’s discovery. Although Natalie and Janelle knew they weren’t Danielle’s only friends, they were pleasantly surprised to hear so many people speak of her as if they were best friends. It was obvious the entire city was pulling for her safe return. The city needed something positive to happen with this case since the last case ended in the death of an unidentified girl.

It was 9:30 p.m. when Brandon dropped the girls off at Natalie’s house. He told Natalie and Janelle good night while he and Tonya sat in his truck and tried to absorb the day’s events. They could both breathe easier that night and put this horrific event behind them.

They agreed to meet up for lunch the next day after church for a quick bite to eat before they both prepared themselves for their busy day on Monday. Tonya was too exhausted to drive back to campus, so she crashed at her Aunt Mona’s. She had to catch up on her work before class on Monday, and Brandon had to get himself ready for work. Although they would eventually fall back into their normal routines, things now were far from normal.

 Chapter Eighteen

Sheriff Masterson had been in Birmingham since Saturday morning. He had been told he could speak with the medical examiner after his shift that afternoon. He knew it was a long shot, but he had to do something to put the people of Selma at ease.

Since the body was discovered, everyone was on edge, and every bar and store in and around the city was buzzing with talk about the discovery. People were once again afraid for their safety, and the sheriff had not seen this type of pandemonium since Stella Stone went missing five years ago. He knew what that fear could do to people, and he didn’t like it.

The office had already experienced an increase in calls to the office with complaints of suspicious activity. With a small staff like he had, it took more than half of his employees to run down the leads. Most of them turned out to be nothing, but people had become more vigilant since the body was discovered.

Sheriff Masterson drove downtown and wondered why the traffic was so backed up so early that afternoon. The traffic on I-65 had picked up over the years, but that day, it was almost unbearable. He had no idea it was the weekend of Birmingham’s annual festival. Since he was technically not on official business and in civilian attire, he knew it would be safe to walk the grounds of the festival in search of his favorite pastry. It would be a miracle if he ran into anyone he knew there, he thought as he parked in the private parking area for law enforcement officials.

After Sheriff Masterson walked around the grounds for about thirty minutes, he spotted the funnel cake stand. There were also corn dogs, cotton candy, and popcorn for sale, so he helped himself to a hot dog and a funnel cake. He found an empty seat under the big tent and enjoyed his meal as he listened to the live country band performing.

After washing his meal down with a large Coca-cola, Sheriff Masterson decided to walk around for a bit to allow his food to digest. There were children running around everywhere, screaming and giggling as they ran to stand in line for the next ride. He remembered the last time he’d taken Brandon to the fair; it was when his wife and daughter were still at home with them.

Although the sheriff knew he didn’t do much to keep his marriage from failing, he missed the other half of his family. He had changed since the divorce and had become a very bitter and distant man. He still dated but knew he would never marry again. He thought of Brandon and remembered how the divorce affected him while he was still in school. He knew Brandon’s life had changed as well.

It was almost 4:00 p.m., and the sheriff knew the medical examiner would soon be available, so he decided to leave the festival. He knew traffic had worsened due to the time of day, but he would have plenty of time to make it to his appointment.

As he walked briskly through the crowds, he saw a familiar face and was taken aback. As a law enforcement specialist, he had a keen memory for faces but couldn’t place the boy’s face that now stared back at him. He knew it would bother him for the rest of the evening, but he was certain he had seen him before. The sheriff didn’t visit Birmingham very often, nor did he know a lot of people there other than those who worked for the sheriff’s office, but somehow this face stuck in his memory.

* * *

Mrs. Benson was beat from all the walking she and Joey had done that day. The Birmingham Zoo was one of Joey’s favorite places, and they stayed long enough to tour the entire zoo. Before the zoo, it was the festival, and before the festival, it was the game room at the local mall.

It was nearly dark when they returned to their hotel room. Mrs. Benson was exhausted and wanted to do nothing but soak after their visit to McDonald’s on their way back to the room. She’d bought Joey a cheeseburger, fries, and a vanilla shake while she opted for a salad. Joey sat in front of the television set while she sat at the table and enjoyed the salad as well as resting her feet.

When it was time to take her shower, she made sure she locked the door to their room. Mrs. Benson also left the bathroom door ajar to listen out for Joey to make sure he was okay. Joey had been a handful since he was able to walk. He’d been mildly retarded or slow all his life, but his mother thought that with special attention and private instruction he would someday lead a normal life. She and Dr. Benson both thought that up until a few years ago. Everything changed, and they knew they would have to care for Joey for the rest of his life unless of course he was to get married someday. Joey was an only child, and after his condition was diagnosed the Bensons decided against having any more children.

After another fun-filled day in Birmingham, they returned to Tuscaloosa on Monday evening. Mrs. Benson heard the news report about the missing girl being found on the radio on their drive home. She was shocked to hear of the discovery and surprised the girl was found alive after missing for two weeks.