Out of the Shadows

By Nina Davidson

The Shadows of the Heart series concludes with the children and grandchildren of the Duncan and McCoy families. They have their own preconceived views about life. They are the millennials of their day.

Present Day: Darcy's malicious act of vengeance ignited a chain of event that has torn her family apart. They now have to live with the consequences of her drastic actions.
Allison's grandson Paul, is devastated when his grand plans go awry. He foolishly thinks he can conquer and unknown entity, only to find he is battling it for his life an sanity.

1950: Emma has been found, but is she prepared to come home to a life that is foreign to her? Hannah's son Junior is still fleeing from his former life, the cross country journey takes him into the unknown and is pushing him forward to his destiny.
Benny has slipped into a comfortable way of life on the Silverstream Ranch until a catastrophic event hits, leaving Mary fighting for her life. Can Benny get to her in time?

Out of the Shadows is a full retrospect of the Duncan and McCoy families. The sweeping tale brings both families out of the turmoil that has plagued them into the third generation. Proving there is resilience in the human spirit.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nina Davidson
• Release date: Sep 25, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463327760

Nina Davidson

Nina Davidson lives in Oregon with her husband Gary and a very spoiled Shih Tzu named Mindy. She has dedicated herself to writing about strong spirited women in romance novels, also family sagas and women's fiction. When she is not writing she likes to garden and travel.My husband Gary Davidson and I have teamed up on a new book titled BRELAND It is a action adventure novel that is a fast paced thriller. We find we work well together and hope you enjoy this new book added to our collection, we plan on many new novels in the future.If you have enjoyed my books, please leave me a review at your favorite retailer and tell your friends! Look for other exciting titles coming soon. Thank You!

Book preview

Chapter One

Present day - Boston, Massachusetts

The harbor fog crept in like a cloak covering the sleepy metropolitan city, it shrouded it with a grey drippy mist, it was going to be another dismal day. Maggie Duncan was use to these dreary days, she grew up in this eastern seaside town and loved it.

The cool temperatures were in sharp contrast from Oklahoma where she had just returned from. While she was there daily temps skyrocketed well into the one hundreds most days and the dry wind whipped the hot air around leaving you miserable and drenched with sweat. Her hate for the arid area was growing with each passing day she had to stay there, she thought for sure she was going to be stuck in that shit hole, but fate was on her side and she was able to return to her comfortable seaside condo, but she wasn’t alone when she came back

She woke to whimpers coming over the baby monitor that was on her nightstand, she reached over and shook her husband’s shoulder, Your son is awake. She said sleepily.

Ah huh. Okay. Ryan pulled himself out of a deep sleep.

They shared the responsibilities of taking care of him, he had been a good baby for the most part when they brought him back from Oklahoma, he adjusted to his new surroundings better than they thought he would. They watched for any signs that he was missing his mother, but there were none, they were grateful for that, at his young age he clung to them like they were his parents. These first weeks with him was a joy to them both.

Maggie heard the squeals of laughter coming from Aiden’s room, she knew Ryan was loving having his son with him, but the way it happened was a dark shadow etched on his heart.

They both underestimated her cousin Darcy’s cold and calculating obsession with Ryan, she manipulated him into an affair with her, then she schemed to get pregnant, so she would forever have a hold on him. When her plan backfired, she insanely thought if she burned his home down, he would have to come back to her and his son in Boston. The sad results of that one act still haunted them to this day, Darcy died in the fire she set that night, the family was still in shock that she had gone to those lengths to get Ryan back.

Now that they had little Aiden, it was a learning curve for them, they didn’t know the first thing about being parents especially at their age, they both just turned forty, not the ideal age to have an infant, but Maggie and Ryan wanted children desperately, when she was unable to conceive, they lost all hope that the miracle of life would ever come to them. But here it was, Ryan’s son, he made them complete, he was calling her mama, which warmed her heart every time she heard it. She was beginning to think that just maybe they could do this parenting thing, maybe it was an option that they could adopt more children, there were lots of children waiting for a chance to have a good life, yes she would talk to Ryan about it. She threw the covers off of her and went to start breakfast for the three of them.

While they were at the table, Maggie had Aiden in her arms trying to get some oatmeal in him, he spit out more than he ate, he wasn’t a fan. She wiped his mouth and gave him his bottle, which he eagerly gulped down.

Ryan smiled at the sight of Maggie with the plump baby in her arms. She looked so natural, it was a prayer answered, that they would have a child, just when they resigned themselves to be a childless couple, the universe gave them this precious gift. While lost in his thoughts, his cell phone chirped on the kitchen counter. He got up from the table and looked at the number.

The number he didn’t recognize but the area code was an Evansville number. He pressed the accept icon. Hello?"

Yes, I’m calling for a Ryan Duncan?

Speaking.

My name is Stan Weston, I’m with the city’s Assessor’s office here in Evansville.

What’s this about Mr. Weston?

I’m calling about your property at 619 Birch Court, it seems that we have been getting complaints coming in from the people on Birch Court about the condition of the property, they have been calling the police department and they have in turn forwarded all the complaints to our office.

What about the condition? It’s a heap of charred rubble.

Well yes, and I’m sorry about your loss, but the city says it’s an eyesore and a danger to the folks on the court, they want it cleaned up. We went out and surveyed the property and we agree it needs to be cleaned up. We will give you thirty days to get the property cleaned up and leveled.

Well I don’t know if I can get it done in thirty days, I live here in Boston now, it would take me some time to get everything coordinated out there. We put up a chain link fence around the property with no trespassing signs.

Yes, well you know kids they get into places like that and it’s dangerous for them. If you don’t have it taken care of in thirty days you will be fined a hundred dollars each day it’s not dealt with, I’m sorry Mr. Duncan.

That’s a pretty steep fine! Okay, I’ll take care of the situation. Thanks. Ryan ended the call, heaved a great sigh, and placed his cell phone back on the counter.

Maggie stared up at him, wondering what all that was about. Was that about the house?

Yeah, it seems that kids are getting into grounds, the fence is not keeping them out, and the neighbors are complaining that it’s an eyesore, they want it leveled.

That damn house, it just won’t leave us alone. Are you going to go out there?

Hell no! I will call some construction companies and have them take the debris out and level the ground, it shouldn’t take but a few days.

I’m glad you’re not going back out there, that place has been nothing but sorrow, it’s best to leave it.

I’ll take care of it this morning. Looks like he’s content, got his belly full now he’s back to sleep. Ryan placed a gentle hand softly on the baby’s head, his eyes smiled lovingly at Maggie, her lips curved in a gentle smile.

Ryan went to his home office to place the calls to take of the family property in Oklahoma. Maggie carried the sleeping baby to his room and carefully laid him in his crib, she went in their bedroom and grabbed the baby monitor off of her nightstand and carried it with her to the kitchen, she set it on the counter, she went about cleaning up the breakfast dishes. A half an hour later Ryan came into the kitchen and sat down at the kitchen island.

Well, I got everything arranged out there. It’s going to be expensive but what can you do, it has to be done, I’m hoping the insurance should cover most of it.

You want some more coffee Hon?

Nah, thanks, I’m good. I’m going to the office this morning, you going to be ok here?

Yes, I’ll be fine. She came over to him and placed her arms around him. I’m just so happy to be home, and with Erin taking care of the café, my time is free to take care of Aiden.

You seem to be adjusting well to being a mommy.

You too, dad, which reminds me, I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something. She gave him a sly look.

Oh ya, what is it? He drew her into a hug.

Now hear me out, before you say no. I’ve been thinking.

She bit her lip not sure what he was going to say, she continued on before she lost her nerve. Once Aiden is a little older, I was thinking maybe we could adopt another baby, so he has someone to play with. Her eyes were pleading.

Oh, I haven’t thought about that, raising him an only child would not be good for him, he would be more well-adjusted having a sibling, sure, you think we can handle it? He broke out in a wide grin.

She laughed with him, I think we can do it. Thank you, but believe me, I want to wait until he’s out of diapers, I don’t want two in diapers. She chuckled and gave him a quick kiss. And we are going to be needing a bigger house, one with a yard.

Wait what? Ryan’s ears perked up when she said bigger house, he wasn’t ready for a house in the suburbs, but with children you have to be close to good schools.

You better get going, you’ll have clients waiting.

Let them wait. He grabbed her and placed a sensual kiss on her lips.

She broke the kiss with a gasp, We don’t have time for that. Now go on. She returned to the dishes, flustered at the fire he had ignited in her.

He pouted as she left him, he was ready for a little morning delight, his manhood stood at attention, oh well, he’d have to wait until tonight, he had waited for her for months while they were separated, he had no desire to be with another woman now, that tryst he had with Darcy cured him of falling in the trap of a scheming woman, he vowed he would never do it again, he could wait a few more hours for his Maggie, it was going to be a long day.

Evansville, Oklahoma

The call came into Stiles Construction, Lou Graves took the call about doing a cleanup at the Birch Court location. He grabbed his keys and hard hat and went out to the address to take a look at what needed to be done.

He arrived at the site late that morning just before lunch time. He parked his truck at the curb of the 619 address. He sat in his truck for a moment taking in the situation. Then he got out of his truck and stood on the sidewalk in front of the chain link fence. He whistled at the pile of charred rubbish that were the remains of the house. He figured it would take his guys at least three days to complete the work that had to be done, two days to haul off the burnt debris and another day to level the lot. He already confirmed with the city that all services were shut off to the property, the electricity, water, and gas, he went back to his truck and got his iPad out and filled out a work order form, he emailed a copy to Ryan along with an estimate for the work, he then sent a copy of the work order to his crew. They would start work first thing in the morning.

At eight a.m. the next morning, two dump trucks and two backhoes were brought to the property site on Birch Court.

The work crew of six men got busy dismantling the chain link fence, so they could get the equipment into the property.

The commotion of their dogs barking, the equipment arriving and the work crew tearing the fence down woke the elderly couple next door, Marvin and his wife Judy rushed to their front windows and peered out to see what was going on.

What the hell are they doing now over there? Marvin said in disgust. Never going to give us a moments peace that damn house.

Why don’t you go see. I’ll put some coffee on.

Marvin went to find his slippers, he walked out the front door in his pajamas. He shuffled straight to the work site.

This is private property you can’t go in there without the owner’s permission, you see those no trespassing signs? He shook a boney finger at them. I’m neighborhood watch, I keep tabs on what goes on around here.

We’re from Stiles Construction, we have orders from the owner to get rid of burnt debris and level the lot. You can call the office and talk to a Lou Graves he will tell what’s going on here. Here’s his business card.

He dug in his pocket and handed the old man a card. Now I’m going to have to ask you to stand back sir, you can’t be in this area without a hardhat. He shouted over the sounds of the construction equipment.

The old man waved a wrinkled hand at him to dismiss him, You know two people died in there, sometimes you can still hear them crying out, one was a woman. I’m glad you’re getting rid of all that rubble, it’s an eyesore, and the kids won’t stay out of there, late at night they have drinking parties in there, it’s just drawing a bad element.

Yes sir, well, we got to get to work, now if you will just stand back, we can get the equipment in here. The young man didn’t have all day to chit chat with the old man, he was trying to be as courteous to him as he could, but he was just jabbering on and on.

Marvin waved again at the young man to dismiss him, then turned and shuffled down the sidewalk to his home. Once back at his home, he and his wife set themselves up on the front porch with their coffee where they had a front row seat to work site.

Work continued into the late afternoon on the lot, the crew was beginning to make a dent in the pile of rubble, several dump truck loads of debris had been taken off the property.

One of the backhoe operators turned the machine to the garage area of rubble, he worked the controls skillfully to take up a large scoop of burnt material, when the scoop dug into the charred debris, he heard a loud blood curdling scream, it was so piercing that the whole crew stopped working and looked in his direction, he immediately shut down the backhoe.

What the fuck Joe, what’s going on over there? The project coordinator came jogging over to him.

Joe scramble down from the backhoe and took off his hardhat and wiped his brow with the sleeve of his shirt. He was trembling, his heart raced in his chest. He bent over, placed his hands on his knees and took in several deep breaths.

What’s going on? Malcom said when he reached him.

I don’t know man; did you hear that? As soon as I dug that scoop into that section, I heard a sickening scream, it was eerie, made my skin crawl, you sure nobody is still in there?

Ya, I heard it, we all heard it. He looked around, the rest of the guys were now standing around with them, some leaning on the shovels they had been working with.

Bud spoke up, That old man over there said two people died in this house when it went up in flames, one of them was a woman. He said you could still hear her.

The rest of the men started to shake their heads, they were not wanting to stay and work. Malcom could see their reluctance, he had to put a nip in this situation and quick before he lost his crew.

Okay, okay, let’s not get carried away here, we can all agree we heard something. He took a quick look at his watch, it was near quitting time anyway, by time they got the fence back up, it would be time to stop for the day, then they could start fresh in the morning. Okay let’s wrap this up for today, get that fence back up and secure the area. Be back at eight sharp in the morning. Let’s go! He clapped his hands.

Malcom didn’t have to tell the guys twice, they scrambled to get the fencing back up and they were all out of there in record time.

The next morning, Malcom didn’t have a crew, he waited at the property for a half hour to see if the guys would show up, nobody did. He called Lou in the office.

Well, we are getting off to a bad start, no one showed up this morning. Malcom didn’t want to make this call, he knew Lou wouldn’t be sympathetic he was a no nonsense man, he was all business.

What! What the hell is going on over there? You call them and tell them to get their asses back to work! Handle it!

He slammed the receiver down on the phone sitting on his desk.

Lou sat back in his office chair fuming. He couldn’t believe what was going on at the work site, something about it being haunted. Pffft, that’s a bunch of bull crap, He had been in this business for over fifteen years, he never heard of such a thing. If his crew was not coming in, he would make sure they would not be allowed to take a personal day, they would lose a day’s wages.

Malcom made the calls, but as much as he tried, the men refused to return to work at that site. He sat in his work truck with his cell phone in his hand, he didn’t want to make the call back to Lou, he would get an ear full, then he thought maybe they could contract the work out, maybe that would appease Lou, he went back through his recent contacts and found Lou’s number.

Hey man, I can’t get any of our guys to finish the work on this site. But maybe we can contract it out. It will probably be cheaper that way anyway, what do you think?

What! We got a bunch of pussies working for us. Okay, we got to get this done, I’ll make the call, see if I get a crew for tomorrow, in the meantime go over to South Terrace and finish up over there.

Will do. Malcom ended the call with a deep sigh, he really wasn’t looking forward to getting back on this property again either, he heard the same thing the guys did yesterday, it still stuck with him, it was very unnerving. He started his work truck and headed out to the South Terrace site.

Marvin and Judy sat on their front porch with coffee cups in hand ready for another day of watching the progress on the Duncan lot, but were dismayed to see no one showing up and the man in the work truck drive off. They got up slowly and shuffled back in the house wondering what was going on.

The next morning, a full crew of new guys was at the Birch Court site, Malcom directed each one on what needed to be done. They got right to work.

Marvin and Judy were set up on their front porch when they heard the equipment working again next door.

Just before noon the crew heard one of the men cry out in pain. Malcom and the rest of the men came running towards the distressing cries of pain. They looked in horror at one of the men trapped beneath the large tires of one of the backhoes.

The operator jumped down to see what was going on, when he saw the man under the tires, he panicked and jumped up on the machine and drove it forward off the man. He jumped back down quickly. Malcom was on his phone, he called 911 for paramedics and an ambulance.

Shit! Don’t move man. How did this happen? Malcom looked around at the rest of the men standing close by. Anybody see anything?

Several men shook their heads no, one man spoke up, We just heard him cry out, that’s when we came running.

The sound of sirens wailing down the court towards the lot, got Marvin and Judy up and out of their front porch chairs. I’ll be damned, what’s going on now? Marvin left his front porch and wander over to the work site to take a closer look.

The ambulance backed into the work site, and flung the back doors open and took a gurney out and jogged through the rubble to the injured man. A paramedic unit arrived right behind the ambulance; the two paramedics jogged, carrying their medical bags over to the accident site.

The injured man was slipping in and out of consciousness, he came around long enough to say to the paramedics,

Something pushed me, I felt it. Then he slipped back into unconsciousness again, he never made it to the hospital dying on the way in the ambulance of his internal injuries.

Marvin was standing in the circle of men as they watched the ambulance leave with the injured man, I told him. He pointed to Malcom. This place is haunted by that woman who burnt it down, no one believes me. I heard what he said, something pushed him, she’s protecting this place. He pointed to the ground. If I was you all, I’d be packing up and getting out of here before something else tragic happens.

Listen pops, nobody is going anywhere, we have a job to do and we will get it finished. Now why don’t you just get back over to your front porch and let us do our job. Malcom just about had it with the old man, his anger simmered just below the surface, he tried to keep it in check, but looking at the old man’s busy body face made it difficult. He didn’t believe in all that mumbo jumbo about the lot being haunted, things happen every day, doesn’t mean there’s anything to it.

Hey Boss, I don’t think I can finish today, I didn’t know he was back there, really I didn’t, he never came into my line of site, I feel terrible about running over him.

That’s ok Bud, go ahead, I’ll get Chet to cover for you the rest of the day. Malcom gave Bud a couple of pats on his shoulder.

Thanks, I’ll be back in the morning, I will. He assured Malcom, Bud hung his head and walked to his car.

Hey Chet, take over for Bud, let’s get this damn project finished, let’s go people, back to work! Malcom hustled over to his work truck and called the hospital to check on his injured crewman. When they informed him he was DOA, Malcom closed his eyes and ended the call. He leaned his head back on the headrest of his truck seat. He had to call Lou and give him the news and he would be having to fill out an accident report, and worst of all Lou would have to notify the man’s next of kin. What a shitty day it turned out to be. He reluctantly scrolled through the numbers on his cell phone and pressed call.

Ya Malcom, what’s up?

I’m sorry to inform you, we had an accident on the work site out here on Birch Court. One of the guys got caught under the wheels of one of the backhoes, it crushed him, he didn’t make it to the hospital. I’ll send all his information to your email, so you can notify next of kin. They took him to Memorial Hospital in Evansville.

Oh, Jesus, what the fuck happened?

Don’t know, Bud was operating the backhoe, he said he didn’t see him when he backed up. I questioned the rest of the crew, they said they didn’t see anything.

That damn place is becoming a real pain in my ass, get it finished up as quickly as you can, overtime is no problem for this one, just get out of there as quickly as you can.

Okay, I’m sure the rest of the crew feels the same way, not sure if you want to notify the owner what’s happening out here, but we should keep him up to speed. Malcom ended the call. He went into the crews records on his iPad and found the man’s contact info and sent it to Lou.

Lou heard his laptop ping letting him know he got a new email. He looked at the screen with a dead stare, he wasn’t good at relaying this kind of bad news to families, why did life always have to be so fuck’n difficult.

Boston, Massachusetts

Sophie lay heavily sedated on her bed. She hadn’t been able to function since she was informed of her daughter Darcy’s death out in Evansville, Oklahoma. And it wasn’t only her daughter’s death that she felt guilty over, it was the private investigator that she hired to follow her daughter, that weighed on her soul. If she hadn’t sent him out there, he would still be alive. Her agony over the two deaths was more than she could bear.

Her husband Morty, was just as inconsolable over the loss of his daughter, his grieving went to anger at the thought of his daughter going to such lengths to get to Ryan and Maggie, if he never saw Ryan again, it would suit him just fine, it was better for him that he stayed away from the family, he was just a sad reminder of his daughter Darcy.

The whole incident had torn the family apart. After the memorial and wake for Darcy, the family went their separate ways.

It had driven a wedge between them and Ryan and Maggie, there was no longer a sense of unity in the family. It was senseless what Darcy started when she decided to sink her hooks into Ryan, she ignited a chain of events that changed all of their lives forever.

Morty sat on the sofa reading the evening paper, the ringing of the house telephone broke the silence, he let it ring and then it went to the message machine, when he heard Maggie’s voice, he leaped up and grabbed the receiver.

Hey hello.

Hi uncle Morty, I was just calling to see how aunt Sophie was doing, is she any better?

No, she is the same every day, the doctor keeps saying give her time, but I don’t see any improvement.

Is there anything I can do? Maybe come over and talk with her? She might want to talk.

Oh, I don’t know kid, it just might upset her more seeing you.

Please let me try uncle Morty. He relented to her plea, he hadn’t seen her in some time, she was one of his favorites. The cruel circumstances that his daughter put her through by going after her husband was far more than anyone should have to endure, and it weighed heavily on him.

Okay, but just for a few minutes, we’ll see how she does when she sees you. If she reacts badly, you’ll have to leave, you okay with that?

Yes, thank you. I’ll be over in a little bit. Love you. Maggie ended the call.

Morty stood with the receiver in his hand, he wasn’t so sure it was going to work, but nothing had worked so far, something had to pull his wife out of the wasteland she was in.

Hon, I’m going over to see my aunt Sophie for a few minutes, please keep an eye on Aiden while I’m gone. Maggie said as she hunted around for her car keys.

Sure, but do you think it’s a good idea to go over there? You know your aunt and uncle has not wanted either one of us over there, especially me.

I know sweetie, but I have to try and help pull her out of this pain she’s in. I thought maybe if she saw me in person that she would be willing to talk about everything.

Well, good luck with that, I hope you can do some good, but don’t count on it. It will take time to heal this family. Please be careful. He placed a kiss on her lips.

I will. And she was out the door.

Thirty minutes later, she rang the doorbell. Morty opened the door and welcomed Maggie in, he looked behind her to make sure Ryan was not with her.

Thank you for letting me come over, I really appreciate it. She came in and laid her handbag and keys on a chair in the living room.

I don’t know what good it will do, but you can try, she’s upstairs in her room. He gestured up towards the stairs.

Maggie gave him a weak smile, then climbed the stairs with an anxious heart. She knocked lightly on the bedroom door and entered cautiously. Maggie was surprised by what see saw, her aunt was lying almost in the fetal position, she had aged far beyond her years, she looked so fail, almost as if she was just a shell of her former self. Maggie’s heart did a groan as she approached the bed, tears began to collect in her eyes. She took her aunt’s fragile hand.

Aunt Sophie, it’s Maggie. She said very gently. Can you hear me? It’s Maggie.

Sophie began to slightly stir at the sound of a voice, when she slowly opened her eyes, she recognized the angelic face and bright auburn hair of Maggie. She was immediately furious at the site of her, she wanted to shout, but her voice barely came out in a whisper.

How dare you come here, you and your husband killed my daughter. Get out, get out!

No, no please listen to me, you have to understand, we didn’t tell Darcy to do any of things she did. She did them herself. We are sorry for the way it all turned out, please forgive us. It’s not our fault. We love you aunty. Tears leaked from Maggie’s eyes. She hoped that she could make her aunt understand that they had no control over what Darcy did. It was just a sad situation that no one could of foreseen.

She’s dead and that poor man I sent to follow her, I sent him to his death, I feel so guilty sending him after her. Sophie began to weep; she raised an arm up over her eyes.

Maggie held her hand and wept with her. We don’t have control over what other people are going to do. I had no idea that Darcy was bent on seducing Ryan, or that she was plotting a revenge against me to take him away from me. But I can’t live my life harboring bitterness toward her, it would only poison me, and I can’t let that happen because we have her son to raise. Little Aiden needs to have family around him now that he doesn’t have his mother. You will always have a part of Darcy in him.

Sophie’s wet eyes widened some when she mentioned Aiden. She hadn’t given him a thought; in her grief she was only distraught by the two deaths she blamed herself for.

She sat up in bed an threw her arms around Maggie. The two women continued to weep together.

Chapter Two

1947 - Boston, Massachusetts

The phone call came late in the evening, Erin had been resting upstairs after her harrowing encounter with Andy, Ben had given her a mild sedative to help calm her, she really thought the young boy was harmless, but when he attacked her in her own kitchen, the only thing she could do was hit him up side his head with her rolling pin. She never thought in a million years that she would be assaulted in her own kitchen, it unnerved her, she woke to the telephone ringing down stairs.

She sprang from her bed and ran down the stairs to answer the phone. Hello?

Mrs. McCoy, this is Sergeant Howard Mosley with the 23 rd prescient, I’m sorry to inform you that your husband has been in an auto accident, is there any way you can come down to the station or we can have a squad car come pick you up?

Erin’s knees immediately felt weak and she sat in a chair next to the telephone table, her heart was lodged in her throat.

I’ll get a ride, thank Mr. Mosley. She replaced the receiver back on the cradle and sat thinking, when will all this tragedy leave us?

She shook herself out of her thoughts and went to the kitchen to get a drink of water, when she walked by the table she saw Ben’s note, she picked it up and read it, had to go out for a few minutes, be right back, love you. She clutched the note to her chest. She was on auto-pilot now, the water forgotten she went back into the living room and called her sister-in-law Hannah.

Oh Hannah, I just got a call from the police they said Ben was in an auto accident, they want me to come down to the station, could you please give me a ride, they didn’t say how he was or what happened. I’m dreadfully afraid it’s something terrible.

Yes, of course, I’ll be there shortly. Hannah ended the call and grabbed the car keys and her handbag; she went out the front door with her heart lodged in her throat and a prayer on her lips that her brother would be ok.

As she drove through the evening traffic to Erin’s house she was glad she didn’t have to lug her grandchildren along with her.

Her daughter Laura and her husband Shawn had finally moved into a home of their own. Laura wasn’t happy about it, Shawn had to take her kicking and screaming out of the house, she was happy to have her mother do her babysitting for her while she run all over with her friends and her father. It galled her to think that Laura was in contact with her father, but she was his problem now, she loved her daughter, but she was a headstrong girl that wanted her way all the time. She pulled up into Erin’s driveway and honked the horn. Erin came out instantly and got in the car.

Thank you for taking me, this has got me so worried, Ben left me a note on the table, look. She handed the note to Hannah.

She read the note quickly and handed it back to Erin, then she put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway.

Where do you think he went?

I don’t know, after that dreadful business with that kid, I was so shook up that he gave me a mild sedative to calm me down, I was resting upstairs when he left.

The two women fell silent