Stolen Innocents (The Shadow Series Book 2) (18 page)

“Now?! It’s only 7 o’clock!” protested Tommy.

“Yes. Right now,” Jack said firmly.

When Tommy failed to move, Frank barked, “C’mon. Move yer feet!”

***

Cole was woken up out of a deep sleep by the obnoxious ringing of the telephone. Sleepily, he climbed out of bed and wiped his eyes with his hands. Glaring at his alarm clock, his eyes bugged open at the early wake up call.

“Ten to one, he’s calling me in to work,” Cole guessed.

Sure enough it was Joe who was calling at this early hour.

“Hello?” said Cole groggily.

“It’s Dad. I need you to listen to me very carefully,” said Joe in a slow, calm voice. Cole was alarmed by his father’s voice. Something was wrong.

“I’m listening. Is everything okay?” Cole asked in a worried voice.

“I’m fine. Jenna’s fine. Tristan’s fine.”

“Okay...” said Cole, his mind reeling from the silence on the other end of the line.

“I need you and your sister to go to Jack’s house right now. Stay there and don’t go back to the house. Jenna and I will be up tonight.”

Cole remained silent for a moment as he processed his father’s request.

“What are you talking about?! What is going on, Dad? I’m nineteen years old. I’m not a little boy…” Cole complained.

More silence took over the phone line as Cole waited for a response. Finally, Joe spoke, “Courtney O’Mara was found dead outside the restaurant this morning. Jenna, Adam, Liam and a few other officers are investigating. I need you to go to Jack’s house and keep your sister away from all this. Jack is going to tell everyone the news. Go now. He’s expecting you.”

Joe hung up the phone abruptly, leaving Cole momentarily speechless. After a moment, he sprung into action. Quickly, he pulled on a pair of jean shorts, a gray Philadelphia Flyer’s t-shirt, and a pair of white sneakers. He raced into his sister Natalie’s bedroom in a huff.

“Nat… Get up!” said Cole loudly.

“Ugh! Leave me alone! I’m sleeping!” complained Natalie as her brown hair fell over her face.

“Dad said to get up. We have to go to the Morrow’s…”

“Why?” Natalie asked sleepily.

“Something bad has happened…”

“Oh, my God! Is Dad okay?! Is Jenna?! What about

Nonna?!” asked Natalie in hysterics. As neurotic as Natalie could be, Cole should have known to use a gentler tactic in getting her out of bed.

“They are fine. Jack is going to fill us in when we get there…”

“Do I need a bag?! Oh, my God! I wonder what’s happened…?”

Cole raised an eyebrow at his excitable sister.

“Please just get dressed. Tristan has stuff you can borrow if we have to stay.”

Within five minutes, Cole had Natalie in his Jeep.

“Strap in…” Cole said with an edge to his voice.

As soon as he heard Natalie’s seat belt click into the harness, Cole hit the gas pedal sending the Jeep veering onto Caribou Road and racing towards Cavegat Pass.

***

Cole and Natalie arrived at Morrow Manor around 8 AM. The Morrow family had already converged in the living room. Sleepy bodies filled up the couch, loveseat and arm chairs that were scattered around the entertainment system in the living room. When Tristan saw Cole and Natalie walk in, she confronted her father head on.

“Dad, tell us what is going on! You’re freaking me out!” said Tristan in an irate voice. “Are Liam and Adam okay? Joe and Jenna?”

Tommy and Blake concurred as they grunted groggily at their father. Shane raised his hand as he swallowed a mouthful of his waffle, and Angus loudly slurped his coffee as he eyed his son in irritation.

Moira peered down over her glasses at her youngest son and asked, “We’re all awake and assembled as you requested. What’s this all about?”
 

“Okay everyone settle down,” yelled Jack, but no one seemed to hear him because they were all chatting loudly amongst themselves.

Everyone was speculating as to what was so important. Frank pressed two fingers between his teeth as an ear piercing whistle sounded through the room. Suddenly, all eyes were on Jack. Jack grabbed the remote control and flicked on the big screen TV that sat on the entertainment stand against the wall. It infuriated Jack that Channel 4 was airing live news coverage of the murder investigation. Three years ago he couldn’t get a single paper or news station to report that Tristan was missing. Suddenly, the TV that hung on the wall came to life. A blonde haired reporter wearing a bright yellow rain jacket was live on the scene at the corner of Mountain Road and Mayfair Lane. The rain poured down upon her as she delivered her news report just feet from the police perimeter that Liam had set up an hour earlier.

In a solemn voice, the reporter spoke, “This is Rebecca Hargrave, field reporter for KMRT Danville, reporting live from the scene in Elkhart, Pennsylvania. Elkhart is a sleepy little town that is located just an hour from Danville. Police are investigating the murder of an as of yet unidentified female.”

The camera panned off of the reporter’s face and zoomed in on the crime scene. The cameraman could not get a very clear shot, since Liam’s perimeter had pushed them back nearly one-hundred yards from Monte’s Café. The torrential downpour wasn’t helping matters, either.

The reporter continued, “As you can see, police are still processing the crime scene. The victim is covered under a black tarp, and police are continuing to search the area for evidence.”

Suddenly, Liam approached the police perimeter to secure one end that had loosened thanks to the fierce winds that accompanied the rain. The reporter took advantage of Liam’s close proximity.

“Excuse me, Officer?!”

Liam looked at the woman with a serious expression. She shot question after question at Liam with precise aim and calculation.

“Do you know who the victim is?”

“How did the victim die?”

“Are there any suspects?”

“Officer?”

Liam sighed as he responded, “At this time, we ask that anyone that has any information in relation to the crime to contact the Elkhart Police Department at 717-555-9624. Thank you.”

Liam walked away, ignoring the reporter’s follow-up questions.

The TV faded to black as Jack sat the remote down on the coffee table. Jack let out a deep sigh and everyone looked at him with questions in their eyes.

“Tommy, I’m afraid I have some horrible news to share,” Jack said in a soft voice.

Tommy looked at his father wide-eyed as he felt his control begin to quiver out of balance.

Jack continued, “They found Courtney outside of Monte’s this morning. Someone shot her, son.”

Tommy’s jaw dropped just slightly. Tristan’s eyes darted to her father’s face with a hard glare. Natalie leaned against her brother and gasped loudly after hearing about her next-door neighbor’s fate. After the initial shock, all eyes shifted to Tommy’s face. It took him a moment to process what had just been revealed to him.

It was Tristan who moved first, wrapping her arms around her brother. As she gripped him tightly and brushed her fingers through his hair, Tommy lost his resolve. Tristan felt Tommy’s body shake under the pressure of her hold. He grabbed her shoulder and squeezed tightly as emotion began to fill up his eyes. He didn’t cry. No one expected him to. What happened was far more heart-wrenching than that. Bridgette watched her nephew’s eyes as his sanity threatened to flicker out of sight; like a burning candle’s flame in the wake of terrible storm.

“Steady, Tom…” Tristan warned, talking in a calm, soothing voice.

She wasn’t letting go. She couldn’t. There were very few people that Tommy trusted on this earth, and Tristan happened to be one of the people he confided in most.

“Say something,” Jack begged as tears formed in his eyes from watching his son endure so much pain.

He had been there himself at one point. Someone had taken his Catherine away. He knew what a blow to the gut it was. He also knew that no matter how much time passed, the pain didn’t subside. Tommy allowed his head to fall into Tristan’s lap. He balled his left hand into a tight first and squeezed until it turned white. He slammed his fist into his thigh again and again. Finally, he raised his head. His brown eyes were distant, nearly vacant. Tommy tried to speak, but when his lips moved, nothing came out. Everything that Jack had said was racing through his brain. His thoughts battled with the memory of last night. Tommy’s final words to Courtney were, “I’ll see you around.” They had ended on bad terms with Tommy calling off their relationship around three in the morning after Courtney had told him that her father didn’t want her to have anything to do with him anymore. A sense of guilt rose in Tommy so great that it threatened to turn his stomach inside out. He looked up at the wall over the entertainment stand where various pictures hung. He found the picture of him and Courtney that was taken just a few weeks prior at Blake’s birthday party. Tommy’s eyes traced the curve of Courtney’s smile, the shape of her eyes and the straight edge of her hair. He couldn’t take it anymore. He allowed his anger to take free reign. Tommy’s head dropped back into Tristan’s lap as a horrible, bone rattling wail cried from his lungs. It bounced off every square inch of the manor house and threatened to seep into the wood. The sound fractured Jack’s heart as Catherine’s face came to the forefront of his mind. He knew exactly what his son was going through.

***

Moira did what she did best whenever there was a family crisis: Cook. Moira had served up a massive breakfast feast to try to help shift the dark mood that had set within Morrow Manor. The family had settled at the dining room table as they devoured their breakfast which consisted of eggs, French toast, home fries, and bacon. Everyone except Tristan and Tommy sat at the table stuffing their bellies with food.

After Tommy’s breakdown, Tristan yelled at her father to clear the room. “You have the emotional depth of a boulder! That is not something you tell him in front of everyone! Clear the room. NOW!” Tristan screamed in fury.

Tristan was highly upset with Jack that he didn’t have the emotional sense to pull Tommy aside and break the news gently.  Jack cleared the room as his daughter commanded, leaving her and Tommy alone in the living room. If anyone could talk some sense into Tommy, it was definitely Tristan; especially after everything that she went through just three years earlier.

***

Jack looked up from his breakfast in surprise as Tristan walked into the dining room with Tommy in tow. His face appeared calmer and more somber instead of the wild, angry and out of control expression he wore in the living room. Whatever Tristan had said to him had certainly backed Tommy away from the ledge.

In a nonchalant tone of voice, Tristan yelled out, “You heathens have better saved us some breakfast!”

Tommy sat down next to Jack without saying a word and dug into his breakfast without making eye contact with anyone.

Tristan whispered in her father’s ear, “Give him space.”

“He can have all the space he needs, but he’s not leaving the house except to go to school,” said Jack warily.

“He has no intentions to. He’s going to be using my bedroom for a while.”

“That’s fine, but I’m taking the key.”

***

“Do you have any idea who did this?” Cole asked Tommy with a worried edge to his voice. Cole had the same worry that Jack and Frank had.
What if whatever man did this, comes after Tristan next?

“I have two main suspects,” said Tommy in an exhausted voice. It was the first he had spoken at the dining room, and suddenly all eyes were on him.