Chapter 35

I could have panicked. An underage girl I barely knew and had accepted responsibility for had just left for parts unknown and I had only one clue where she might have gone. Her mother lay unconscious in my guestroom, beaten senseless by my lover. The unconscious mother would have to be tended by the daughter of the woman who had just brutalized her. What, me worry?

After checking on Nicole, I went up to Janey's room. She was already getting dressed, her eyes still puffy and swollen from crying, but her face set and determined.

"Janey?" I asked quietly.

"Be ready in a minute. Where do you think she went?" she called out.

"How'd you know she was gone? Oh, I see. Gee, you're getting pretty good with your link thing, aren't you?"

"Yes, and you should be better than me, Dad. I mean, I can sense a lot of things stronger than Mom can but she's real sneaky sometimes about what she knows, so I can't always tell. Simone and I can hook up pretty good but she feels way different than I do, kind of. I can't really explain it, but her sense feels slippery or shiny or something, kind of like yours does, but she's not masculine. Oh, it's hard to explain. Like, well, the last time she and I did each other, she was doing things to me I didn't think anyone but you could do. I made her stop, you know, it was too much. She's like you that way in that she can tell what really turns me on, but still, she's no match for what you can do."

"What do you mean?" I asked her, confused

She turned to me, exasperated but patient, like with a slow-witted child.

"Dad. Stop. Thinking. Feel. Reach out. God! You can do it when you don't think about it, you know? I felt what you did to Mom downstairs."

I must have looked surprised.

Janey explained, "Don't you even know what you did? You were shouting how much you loved her, how this was all your fault, how you would try to make things right, but to please STOP! I mean, you weren't making words with your mouth or anything, you were like shouting in your mind, or something. It was really clear. You were really, really scared, too, not just for Nicole, but for Mom, too. That sort of made me feel good. Then I got really, really cold. Stop thinking of those pictures, will you? I mean, it works sometimes, but Geez, an iceberg? Be a little easier on us weaklings, why don't you."

"You got all that, all the way up here?"

"Clear as a bell, Dad. Just stop thinking. Feel. Can you feel Mom now? Can you tell what she's feeling?"

I stopped and tried to sense my Love. I reached out for Sally. I found her, waiting for me. A lump formed in my throat. Shit. And I thought I felt bad. I sent her my love.

"Don't worry. She'll get over it. She knows you love her. That's all she needs to know right now. She also knows she really screwed up, too. And that you will fix it. She trusts you. She loves you. I trust you, too."

She finished tying her shoes. "Where do we start looking for Simone?"

I was taken aback for a minute. "Uh, would you mind holding down the fort here? I kind of need you to look after Nicole. She's unconscious right now, but nothing's broken, I hope. When she comes to, I need you to make sure she's OK. If she's not, call the hospital and get her there.

"Your mother stays in the basement until I come back home with Simone, or until I give up. That could be a long time, I know. Tough. Let her out of the stocks one hour a day for a shower and exercise. You can change her bondage if you think the stocks are too much for her. I don't know how long I will be gone, so use your judgment. I do not want to injure her but she has lost her freedom until I can get back to deal with her.

"You may give her updates on Nicole's progress and anything I tell you to relay to her on the telephone. Otherwise silence. No chit chat, no making her feel better. You'll need to feed her at least one meal a day while she's in restraints. She cleans up her own messes on her free hour. It will stink down there, so be prepared for it."

Janey nodded, agreeing with everything I said, even the tough parts.

"You're in charge, kiddo. I trust you, too. Remind Nicole about the Free Room rules and that she can stay there as long as she wants. That's where I put her. Oh, the guns are put away, so you won't need to worry about her getting a hold of one. Other than that, be sure to sleep when you can, even if it's during the day. You're going to need it. I'll call when I can."

She rushed into my arms. "Thanks, Dad, for taking charge. I'm glad you're letting me do something."

I held her away from me. "You're not disappointed you're not going with me to look for Simone?"

"That's your job. Besides, if you had to worry about me out there, too, I'd just mess up your sensing thing. You have enough trouble with it, as it is."

Always the critic. At least she was smiling when she said that.

"Good. I'm off then."

With that, I turned and left the house, knowing Janey would take charge. Just like Sally would, if she could.

I called Amud on his cell phone from my car as I headed for the Interstate.

"Amud, I'm sorry to disturb you, but Simone left the house with you this afternoon."

"My friend, as lovely as the child is, I did not kidnap her, I swear."

"Amud, again I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply you had anything to do with it. I didn't make myself clear. She left the house riding on your car. On the back bumper. She has run away."

"Oh, dear!"

"Yes. I need to know the first stop you made after you left the house that she could have gotten off. Probably in a city or large town."

He thought a minute. "Oh, yes. We stopped in at a leather warehouse over near the new stadium. From there we are now heading home."

"Thank yo..."

"Lawrence? Lawrence? Hello? Here is Bala. The girl, the new one, she is missing, no?"

From the blustering in the background, I could tell Amud was not happy that his little wife had snatched the cell phone from him. I smiled, in spite of the circumstances. He would enjoy reminding her of his mastery over her. I knew she would enjoy it also.

"Yes, Bala. I have to find her."

"Use the lights, Lawrence. Don't think, just use lights. You great master, use it. Find the precious one." She then got all soft, unlike the Bala I knew. "I like her. Please. She is very special."

"I know. I like her, too, Bala. Goodbye and thank you."

I rung off, slightly puzzled by their comments.

You know, it was beginning to irritate me. With all advice I had been getting lately to quit thinking, I was beginning to think... , well there I went again, thinking. Anyway, perhaps people were trying to tell me I did too much of it, or maybe that I didn't do it well. I wasn't sure. I decided not to think about it.

I had a haystack, a place to start. All I needed to do now was find the needle. Piece of cake. Yeah, right.

The warehouse Amud mentioned was in an industrial area, busy on the weekdays, but almost deserted at night and on the weekends. I could hear a ruckus that sounded like someone was strangling cats from the tail end of a Heavy Metal band concert in the stadium a couple of blocks over. This being a Friday evening, I figured Simone got here just when the streets were empty, the workers had gone home and the concert was in full swing. A pretty young girl, alone, would stick out like a sore thumb on these naked streets.

I sat in my car, at a loss for what to do next. I had driven to the spot where Amud had said they stopped. The leather warehouse was just down the block. I parked in a No-Parking zone across from the local police precinct. Even the precinct was deserted at this time of the week, manned by just a skeleton crew of rookies. Most of the regulars were probably providing security for the concert. It had been too much to hope that Simone would be standing there waiting for me. I know it was naïve of me, but I had hoped, just a little.

I closed my eyes in quiet frustration and lay my head against the steering wheel of the car. I may have cried for her or just in pure frustration, I don't know. I guess I really had wanted her to be there, tears on her face, cold from the long ride on the bumper, frightened of the strange darkness, a big van, a friendly face, old kind of, kind of cinnamon smell, candy, a warm car, moving now, a warm blanket, warming up, feels good, moving, food, feel funny, voices, laugh, a funny laugh, money through the window, a door opening suddenly, a bad man, fear, scared,...

I woke up with a start. What the Hell was that? I looked at my watch. No. I hadn't been asleep. Simone! I knew I was sensing Simone, seeing what Simone was sensing. Somewhere near, close, but drifting away now. Then just a blank, a faint echo like she was drugged. I had felt the needle jab into her leg. I could sense her drift away from consciousness, then it was still. I was not getting any feelings from her at all.