Friday, April 16th
Vincent Clancy’s villa, 9 am
Olivia was sitting on the large sectional in the living room, a glass of wine on the side table to give her comfort and warmth and the investigator’s envelope on her lap. She had read the report and looked through the photos at least twenty times in the last days, since her father had told her what he had discovered. Tears were rolling down her cheeks, and she was wondering what she would tell Rachel the following day, when the doctors had planned to reduce the sedation and wake her up.
When her father had told her about the PI’s investigation, she had first hoped it was all a mistake, a terrible nightmare, that she would wake up soon and find her husband beside her, as it had happened just a few days before. A few days that looked like an eternity, as if she were living a different life, a life she would never want to live. A part of her soul still couldn’t believe it, in spite of the photos, in spite of the professional cold words of the PI in his report. A part of her mind refused to believe that this was happening to her. It was so unfair, so cruel. Since yesterday, she had felt anger rising inside her, a sense of rebellion, a desire for revenge. She had tried to fight against this feeling, because she perceived that it was dangerous, but it was becoming uncontrollable. She stood up and went around the living room. She took all the photos of her husband, with her, with Rachel or alone, she opened the frames. She looked at them with tears in her eyes, she caressed the figure of her man with her thumb in a last impulse of love. Then she destroyed the photos with rage, tearing them to shreds. She went to her bedroom and she did the same. She put all the pieces in the waste bin in the kitchen, and she threw the empty frames into an empty drawer in the credenza. She went around the house once more to check that all the photos of her husband had disappeared. But it was not so easy to erase his memory from her mind, the remembrance of the happy moments, of his lovemaking, of his tenderness. How could it all have been false? How could he have cheated, feigned those feelings?
She read once more the report, which she knew almost by heart. She scanned all the names of the places, trying to imagine where her husband could be now… There were mostly motels and diners, where he went to play cards with those men… But he certainly knew the police were looking for him and he was aware that they would know where to find him, so he certainly hid somewhere, or maybe he had already left the country. Olivia was torn between her desire to see him, oblige him to tell her what he had done and throw at him all her hate and her despise for him, and her wish not to see him any more, to try to go on with her life…
She saw an address on the report, the home of that other family. Maybe they had always known about her and just laughed with him behind her back. Was it possible that he had deceived so many people for so many years? No, they certainly knew about her and Rachel, maybe they lived with the money he took from the joint account she had opened with him after their wedding. Her hate and her anger were slowly passing from him to his other family… Yes, it was certainly their fault, Brian would never have cheated her, if it hadn’t been for them … But the report said that the other wife was not in the pictures. Had she already left him? Had she died? Olivia thought: ‘How can I reach him? I must know that he loves me, that he has always loved me…’ She had already looked through his clothes, trying to find some clues in the pockets of his trousers or his jackets, but she had found nothing.
She looked at a prepaid mobile phone she had bought the previous day on an impulse. She had given her husband for his birthday a mobile phone with a new sim card. She had told him that, when he heard that cell phone ring, he would always know that she was calling. She was sure that even her father didn’t know anything about it, and it was not mentioned in the report. It was in her name, and maybe the police hadn’t found out yet. Maybe it was worth a try, even if she doubted it. But she reflected that the recurring theme in the whole report was Brian’s desperate need of money, so she had the idea of taking advantage of this. She wrote a message on her prepaid phone and she hit SEND. If the police asked her if she had contacted her husband, they would never look at this prepaid phone. She went to her bedroom, and she hid it in her bedside table drawer, under a photo album. She would check later if he had answered…
***
Rosary Police Station, 10 am
Neil and his colleagues were working hard to track Brian Murray. All the policemen were busy at their computers. Neil and John were reading their reports in Neil’s office.
John said:
“It seems he hasn’t used his mobile phone for a few days…”
“Or he has turned off the GPS system, and I think it is what he has done, because it is unlikely he isn’t using his mobile phone at all.” Neil reflected, “But where is he hiding? I have sent agents to all the motels listed in the PI’s report, and a unit is outside Daisy's home, but he seems to have vanished. Guys!” He stood up, went to the open space and called his colleagues, who immediately turned to look at him, “Have you verified if he has only one mobile phone?”
Steve answered: “Yes, Neil. His wife has two cell phones to her name, but one of them is off or out of reach.”
Neil asked:
“Please, call Olivia Murray. I want to ask her about the phone. Maybe she gave it to her husband, and it can be useful… Could you put the phone on speaker?”
Steve looked up Olivia Murray’s mobile phone number, and he dialed it on the office phone. They waited for the answer, which came after a few rings.
“Hello!” All the stress that the poor woman was experiencing could be noticed in that simple word.
“Hello, Mrs Murray! Inspector McKinley speaking.”
“Hello, Mr. McKinley. Any news about my husband?”
“Unfortunately not, Madam. We have found out that you have got two cell phones to your name. One of them is the one you are using now, but do you know where the other one is?”
A moment of tense silence followed. Neil thought they had been disconnected, but after a few moments, Olivia answered softly:
“Oh, I didn’t even remember that cell number. I haven’t used it for a long time, I don’t think I have still got it… Yes, now that I think of it, I think I lost it a few months ago. Have you tried to call it?”
“Yes, but it seems turned off or out of reach…”
“Then I don’t know what to do. I will try to have a look here at home and see if I can find it, ok?”
“You are very kind, Mrs. Murray. I wanted to ask you something about your husband. I know that it is difficult for you, but I need some information.”
“Go ahead, Inspector. If I can help track him down, I will do anything…”
“When you got married, did your husband ask you to live in a different house, to move from your home?”
“Oh, yes, he insisted, and we almost quarreled because of that, but I didn’t want to move out of here. There is plenty of space, and my father is very discreet. But after the wedding, Brian never mentioned this any more, so I thought he had accepted the idea of living here. Why do you ask?”
“Don’t worry, Madam. It is just to verify a theory. Excuse me for a personal question. Was your husband happy to have a daughter so soon? I am sorry, but I am trying to get the whole picture…”
Neil thought Olivia would resent such a question, also because it took her a few minutes to answer. But eventually she said in a firm voice:
“No, Inspector, he was not glad, and I was sorry. But then, when Rachel was born, he was really happy, he spent a lot of time cuddling her, at least in the first year… I am sure he loves her very much…”
“Thanks, Mrs. Murray. If you find that mobile phone, let us know, please…”
When the call was disconnected, Neil turned to John and said:
“I think she is struggling with her feelings. It must be difficult to accept what she must have learnt from her father, and I believe she hasn’t been able to process the whole reality. A part of her is still devoted to her husband…”
John nodded, and Neil went back to his small office.
After a few minutes, Steve knocked on the door, and came in with a folder in his hands. Neil read Malcolm Jarvis on the cover, and he locked eyes with his colleague.
Steve sat down in front of him, and he told him:
“Neil, I have found a connection between you and this man. You won’t like it…”
He gave the folder to Neil, and the Inspector opened it. He scanned the contents, and it took him just a few seconds to look alarmed.
“Oh, my God, Steve. He was on Diego Gomez’s payroll! That Diego Gomez?”
Steve nodded, and Neil looked once again at the sheet of paper in front of him.
“But … Yes, he was involved in child trafficking … Oh, my God, do you think Gomez could be Amy’s father? But I killed him in that shooting,” he looked once again at the paper, “It was five years ago… And we were able to rescue the children in that place. If Amy had been there, I would have found her at that time…”
He locked eyes with Steve, who was looking worriedly at him:
“Steve, do you think he may be Amy’s father?”
Steve sighed deeply, and he said cautiously:
“He was Portorican, and Amy has dark skin, but this doesn't prove anything… But he lived in the US, and he had been in Canada for a few months… And I remember that that was a joint police operation with the FBI. So why was Amy found in Canada? And what did Gomez have to do with Carol? Neil, I haven’t said anything yet, but I have seen the eyes of that child, and I met Carol several times…”
Neil was trying hard to control his emotions. He waited until he could speak in a steady voice, and he said:
“Please, Steve, don’t say anything about Carol to anyone here. I want to know what happened to her first…”
Steve nodded and he answered:
“Don’t worry, Neil. I won’t say anything. But this is the only connection with you that I have been able to find…”
“Ok, can you find a photo of Gomez? And can you try to find out if he had brothers or relatives somewhere? I will call the FBI in the next few days to ask if they have closed the investigation, or if they are still looking for accomplices of Gomez…”
Steve nodded, and he was going back to his desk, when he turned and said:
“Neil, I know that you won’t find peace until you know where Carol is, and I wanted to tell you that Billy and I are trying to find out something about her. Don’t worry, we will find her, one way or the other…”
“Thanks, Steve, keep me updated, and, please, don’t try to spare me the suffering of discovering something bad… I am prepared for the worst…”
Steve shook his head sadly. The last thing he wanted was to see his colleague and friend suffer, but there was no way to prevent him from learning the truth…
***
Rosary, in front of Daisy Brown’s apartment building, 3 pm
Olivia had just come out of the hospital, where they had given her encouraging news about her daughter’s conditions. They were reducing the sedation gradually, and she would wake up the following day. Olivia was torn between the joy at her daughter’s recovery and the worry for what she would have to tell her soon. Furthermore, she was anxious, because the following day she would learn if her husband had anything to do with what had happened to Rachel. She didn’t want to even think that her husband would be capable of hurting his own daughter, but, after what she had learnt about his life, she wasn’t sure any more.
Before leaving home, she had gone to her bedroom to see if he had answered her message, but there were no notifications. She had been careful to turn off the prepaid phone and to put it back into the drawer, where nobody could find it. Would Brian answer? She was sure she had used the right words, and that he would be at least interested in what she had to offer…
Now she followed Google maps directions, and she stopped in front of a two-storey building not far from the center of Rosary. It was a modest building, but it was well kept, there were flowers on the balconies, and outside there were six doorbells. She noticed that a police car was parked in front of the building, and a policeman was eating a sandwich and watching the entrance. Evidently the police were checking the places where Brian could decide to turn up, even if he certainly knew the police were looking for him.
Olivia didn’t want to be seen, so she parked on the other side of the street, and looked up. She didn’t know where exactly Brian’s family’s apartment was, but she didn’t dare getting out of the car and having a closer look. Eventually she drove off, she went around the town, passing the church, the sea promenade, the park, the school, the police station building. The town was really small, and there was a relaxed atmosphere. She thought that here her husband had spent most of his days, when she and Rachel thought he was traveling across Canada for a job he had never had. According to the PI’s report, he had worked in a company until three years before, but in the last few years his only activity was gambling.
Olivia realized that this tour of the town was increasing her frustration and her nervousness. Her sense of anger and resentment, that she had placated when she was beside her daughter’s hospital bed, was now increasing and becoming difficult to control.
At that moment her mobile phone rang.
She looked at the caller ID, and she answered immediately:
“Hi dad, how are you doing?”
A worried voice at the other end of the line:
“Olivia, I am at the hospital. Why didn’t you call me to tell me the good news? I learnt from the doctors that Rachel will wake up tomorrow, and that she is out of danger.” There was more anxiety than rebuke in his voice. He was sure that Olivia had something on her mind, because she would never have forgotten to call her dad immediately with any update.
“I am sorry, dad. I went to do some shopping for Rachel, some things she may need in the following days, but I am not familiar with this town, and it took me some time to find a supermarket or a pharmacy. Now I am coming to the hospital. Are you still there?”
“Yes… Olivia, are you ok?”
“Yes, dad. Now I am concentrating on my daughter, and I am so happy she will soon come back home…”
Vincent Clancy didn’t have the courage to ask his daughter why she had destroyed all the photos of Brian. He had immediately noticed that all the pictures of her son-in-law had disappeared, and he had found them in pieces in the waste bin. He was worried, because Olivia had spoken very little since they had talked about the PI’s discoveries. She smiled at him, but he knew that she didn’t want him to worry. He could see that she was upset and nervous. He hoped that talking to her daughter, and seeing that she was recovering would help her to concentrate on Rachel, but he knew his daughter too well not to perceive that it would take her time to process the disillusionment and the bitterness. Her love for that man had been too deep, too passionate to just forget about him and turn the page.
***
Rosary Orphanage, 6:30 pm
The children were excited because Billy and Neil would come to the orphanage to watch a volleyball game with them, as they had promised. It was a very important game, Canada vs the USA. The sisters had prepared an assortment of snacks and bottles of orange juice, and they had arranged the study/playroom, so that everyone could watch TV and eat at the same time. They had arranged the tables and the chairs and left some room on the carpet to sit on the floor if they preferred.
The children were helping to carry the last glasses and napkins, when the two men rang the bell. It was still early, but Sister Theresa thought that Neil usually reserved some time to stay with Amy. The little girl was sitting silently on a chair, but, when she heard the bell ring, she stood up immediately, and she went with Sister Nancy to open the door. She threw herself into Neil's embrace, as she always did, and he gently scooped her up and held her in his arms. Billy was smiling and watching his friend with the girl. He gave Nancy a packet and said: “Anna gave us a cake…” Sister Nancy took the packet and brought it to the study room.
Neil and Billy exchanged a glance, and Neil opened the door of a small room, where the sisters usually welcomed visitors. Billy went to the room where the children were gathering and told them:
“Hello, guys, Neil will be with you in a minute, ok?” He looked around, and he exclaimed: “Wow, we have a proper dinner here, not just a snack…”
Sister Nancy smiled fondly at him, and she said: “The children have told us that you and Neil love chocolate and Nutella, so we have prepared biscuits…”
Billy grinned happily, and he sat down among the children.
Neil closed the door of the small room, he sat down on a chair, still holding Amy in his arms.
“Hello, Amy, is everything ok?”
The little girl nodded. Neil took out a photo from a pocket of his jacket, and he showed it tentatively to Amy.
“Amy,” Neil said softly, “can you remember the man in the photo?”
Amy looked at the photo, and, at first, she seemed not to recognize him. Then her eyes widened, and the policeman could read fear, even terror in her beautiful eyes. She started trembling, and Neil drew her to him and held her tight. He put the photo back into the pocket, and he looked at the girl with apprehension.
After a few moments, Amy calmed down, and Neil asked her:
“Amy, do you remember this man? Do you recall where and when you saw him?”
The girl was evidently trying hard to remember, because she had her head in her hands, as if she was trying to concentrate. Then she raised her eyes to Neil, and she shook her head. Tears were rolling down her cheeks, tears of frustration because her memory was still confused and sketchy.
Neil caressed her cheek gently, and he told her:
“Don't worry if you can't remember now… I see that this man reminds you of something, because you are frightened…”
The girl said tentatively:
“I remember his eyes, and that he looked at me all the time, and that I was afraid of him, but I can't… I can't remember when and where…” She looked at Neil imploringly:
“Has he come to bring me back to my father? Don’t let them take me away, please, Neil. They will beat me and …” She buried her face against Neil’s chest, and the policeman had to fight back tears. He was used to facing danger, to rescue people, but when it came to children, and when he saw criminals who abused and beat them, he really had difficulty accepting such wickedness, such cruelty. He couldn't conceive of a person who hurt children deliberately, who bought and sold them, who deprived them of their serenity and freedom. He had grown up in an orphanage, he had never had a family, but at least he had grown up serene and protected in a safe environment.
Amy looked troubled and anxious when she said:
“I am sorry, Neil. Sometimes I see faces and I remember places, but then they disappear, and I can’t remember them any more. I must try, I must try…”
“Amy, you mustn’t try so hard, ok? Here you are safe, and nobody will come to take you away… I promise you that I will find the people who scared you so much, and nobody will hurt you…”
“But they want to hurt you, Neil, I am sure of that!”
Billy had silently entered the room. He crouched down in front of the girl, and he said:
“Amy, I promise you that nobody will hurt Neil. I will never allow anyone to harm him, ok? And we will protect you…”
Amy looked at Billy, and she nodded. She was sure that Billy would keep her and Neil safe, she didn’t know why, but she liked Billy, she perceived his love for Neil and the strong bond between them.
Neil stood up, and took the girl by the hand.
“Let’s go now to watch basketball with your friends, Amy!”
Billy asked her:
“Have you helped to prepare the wonderful food I have seen on the table?”
Amy nodded and, to his surprise, took Billy’s hand. The two policemen went to the playroom to enjoy a pleasant evening with the orphans, talking about basketball and trying to avoid thinking about their concerns.
***
8 pm
“How can you tell me that you can’t find him? Has he disappeared?”
“We are looking for him everywhere, but … Do you know of a place where he could have gone?”
“No, I don’t know anything, but I don’t like the fact that the police have photos of me and my business partners… He is attracting too much attention to me, and he hasn’t paid me yet… You MUST find him, is it clear?”
“Ok, we will keep on trying … There must be a place where he can hide…”
“I will ask around, maybe someone knows…”
“Wait a minute. I remember that he told me once that he had rented a studio apartment somewhere, because he wanted a place where his family couldn’t find him… I will ask Jack, maybe he knows something more…”
“Do it quickly, and when you find him, you know what you have to do, don’t you?”
“Of course, a clean job…”
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