Chapter 26

I remember my mother telling me about love letters. Personally, I'd never written one, much less received one. This was the age of phones, emails, texting, and instant messaging. Here I was, though, with pen and paper.

There was a strange feeling about placing my feelings into words, sealing an envelope, and then handing the letter to the FBI agent to drop in a mailbox far from where we were located. The good thing about this process was that they were able to get me the address to Black Hawk, where I figured Jessica would be.

As soon as Agent Barnes drove off, I knew there was a lot more I should have added to the letter. I didn't have a lot of time to think. Agent Barnes had the photograph and a statement Special Agent Downs had taken from me to deliver.

Now we sat with nothing to do.

"Ever play poker?" Special Agent Downs asked.

"You have a deck of cards?" I asked surprised.

He smiled and then said, "Most of the time we're sitting around waiting for something to happen. I've learned over the years."

"Poker," I said quizzically, "You bet with that, don't you?" I asked. He nodded and I continued, "If you do this all the time, I don't think I should bet at all."

Special Agent Downs laughed.

"We can use..." he looked around the sterile hotel room, "the towels. We'll count them equal." Walking to the bathroom he came out with a handful. "Two washcloths, two hand towels, and four bath towels."

"That gives us four each, is that enough?" I asked.

"No, not really. Let's include the pillows, that'd be another two each. Blanket and sheets. That adds three more."

"That's nine each."

He laughed and then added, "Ok, we'll throw in the mattresses as well. That will give us eleven each. We can play for a bit with that."

"And if I lose, I'll be sleeping on the floor?" I asked.

There was a slight smile, while Special Agent Downs said, "Well, it's warm this time of year and it might be good for your posture."

I frowned, trying to look upset. I had to put on an act, but not let it go too far.

Thirty minutes later, I asked him what Agent Barnes was going to say about sleeping on the floor.

He just shook his head at me and then said, "I think I'm going to have to charge you every time you need to stand. Otherwise I'll be the laughing stock of the department. I've never lost before."

"I could have told you, you probably never had a chance, but that would have ruined all the fun."

"Ever thought of going to Las Vegas?"

"Yeah, but I understand they watch out for guys like me and I'd be asked to leave pretty fast," I said.

"They didn't build those monuments to greed and electricity use by giving money away."

"Now what are we going to do?"

"I think," Special Agent Downs said, "that this would be a good time for me to give you a practical lesson on how to stay out of jail."

My mother and father arrived at Black Hawk's before breakfast. They were escorted in to see Jessica.

Theresa was in the room, lying next to her daughter.

Looking up, Theresa said, "Yesterday was too much for all of us. I called in a personal day."

"Good idea," my father said. Then looking closer to Jessica, he said, "She looks a bit glassy eyed."

"The drugs. Oh, you don't know."

Theresa stroked her daughter's hair, kissed her forehead, and then got off the bed.

"I'll be back in just a minute, Honey," Theresa said and then pulled my parents out of the room.

As soon as they were in the living room, Theresa told them of the events of last night.

"She was hyperventilating. You should have heard her go on and on. The doctor knocked her out. Now I'm medicating her. The idea is that I'll wean her off and as it will be gradual, she'll be able to cope. I wish we'd hear from those FBI agents. If she could hear his voice, I know it would take care of a lot of this."

My father was frowning, "All because John is gone?"

"No," Theresa answered. "Well, I'm sure that is a big part of it. Not gone, but taken away without us knowing where. That combined with her visit to her father. I don't know what possessed her to do that, but I know it couldn't have been easy on her. Lord knows yesterday overwhelmed me. She didn't stand a chance. We still haven't told her that they found the girl and about the bike. I don't think that would help anything at this point."

"Do you think her father might be of some help?" my father asked.

Theresa gave him a stern glare.

My father went on, "You said he was part of the equation and we have no idea when we're going to know where John is, or if we can contact him."

Jeanie was in the kitchen, listening to the conversation. So she added her two cents into the conversation.

"Theresa's worried because part of what Jessica tried to do yesterday was to get her parents to talk with each other."

"Thanks for that bit of help," Theresa said to her sister.

My father thought about the conversation he overheard between Theresa and her ex.

"Has Jessica ever had a broken bone, been in the hospital, anything like that before?"

"No, what has that got to do with anything?" Theresa wanted to know.

"If I remember," my father said, "he was upset about a question she asked."

"Two, but I get what you mean," Theresa said. "The problem is, I'm not sure I want to see him."

"Does that have to be a problem?" my father asked.

Theresa was ready to blow when Jeanie grabbed hold of her sister and said, "Theresa, slow down. He has something in mind. Why not ask about it, before turning off the idea, and jumping all over him for suggesting something."

"Fine," Theresa said in a tone that suggested otherwise. "What did you have in mind?"

"Jeanie," my father said, "would he ... I'm sorry, I don't remember his name ... but would he be welcome here?"

"Welcome, I'm not sure I'd go that far, but acceptable, yes," Jeanie answered.