Chapter 18

1st October 2015: 11:35 am.

I took another deep breath and was just about to open the door. I thought about my childhood for a minute and got down on my knees to pray. Something that used to give me comfort as a child had been forgotten from the moment that I had lost my mom. I had lost faith, all sense of righteousness, and most of all my sanity.

“Dear Lord, it’s been a while. I know that I haven’t spoken to you in so long. But, can I ask you one thing? One simple question, so that you know no matter what has happened in the past, I do still truly believe. Can you keep Barbara safe? If this means that I need to work on my marriage, because you are against divorce, then I will do that. Ted and I loved each other once, dearly. Maybe we could do that again, but only if you keep Barbara safe. By no means am I threatening you or telling you what to do, it’s just that I have no one else. No other family, just Barbara, and she means the world to me. Remember when she was little and I had nannies and anyone else looking after her, because I never thought that I could do it… I’ve changed. I take care of her. Feed her. Clothe her. Do everything for her. Because she is my little precious one. Dear Lord, please keep her safe and bring her back to me. That’s all I ask and I promise to go to church every Sunday. I vow to study the Bible once more. Anything, Lord. In the name of the father, son and the Holy ghost. Amen.”

As I stood up and opened the bathroom door. I felt a sense of relief for the first time since this had happened. I looked at my watch it was past five and still nothing. Eight hours, or it could have been more, since Barbara went missing. But it wasn’t over. The day wasn’t done. I was sure that God wouldn’t let me down. Not like he had before.

I opened the bathroom door and was surprised to see that Detective Russell was back. I assumed that if he was here, then it had to be good news. I rushed over to him while my heart beat as if it was about to come out of my chest, out of control.

“Is there any news?” I smiled at Detective Russell and Dwight, thinking that they must have found her. They must have had a lead otherwise they wouldn’t have come round, maybe they would have just called with an update. I’d left my phone on the living room side table, but I’d only been in the bathroom for a few minutes. So, they couldn’t have called in that short space of time. Something must have happened, it must have been good news. Just like I had prayed to God for a few minutes ago and already he had worked his miracle.

I didn’t want Will to call unless he knew for sure. If Barbara was dead I would have known. I would have felt a sense of mourning inside, that was what it was like when a mother lost their child. I shook my head at having such a thought. Barbara was there, I just had to find her.

They were both sitting down on the sofa facing Elizabeth and Ralph. The room went cold as Detective Russell whispered, “No.”

He avoided looking at me and then instead he turned to face Ralph and Elizabeth which I found a bit strange.

“Did Mrs. Rogers tell you that she was with another child?”

I drew closer to him as I wanted to know the reason for his visit. If it was to ask more questions, then he was wasting all of our time. I had to call Will. I changed my mind about leaving him to it. Maybe I would join him and just go out looking with him, but everyone had said to go back home and wait. Waiting wasn’t working out for me, especially if it meant having Elizabeth with me in the same vicinity.

“I did,” I blurted, wondering what was the issue. Ralph and Elizabeth always had something to say, but I could see the from the looks on their faces that they were grieving. They’d given up, whereas I had nothing to give up. I hadn’t lost hope and I’d gained back my faith in a short matter of time.

I wanted to tell him that I’d prayed and I knew that everything was going to be alright. No one had set up this whole charade. Barbara had just got lost and, in my panic, I had taken another child’s hand, thinking that it was hers. This was all innocent, the child’s mom would come forward and say that her daughter was missing too. We would exchange our children and everything would go back to the way it was. The way that it should be.

“You found her parents?” I asked, thinking that if they had one piece of good news then it wouldn’t have been in vain. If they had found the child’s parents that meant that they must have found Barbara. But, she wasn’t with them. What was going on?

“Yes, we found her mom.” He stopped there as Elizabeth abruptly stood up.

“Where are my manners?” Her eyes darted towards me then back to Detective Russell. “Would you like some tea or coffee?”

She was entertaining in my house. Did she think that this was a social visit? I hadn’t offered them anything, because I was worried about my daughter. Her grand daughter. Or had she forgotten?

“No, thank you Mrs Rogers,” Dwight said, and Elizabeth sat down again.

Then Ralph asked, “Has anyone heard from Ted? Is he coming or does he just not care?”

Elizabeth choked, “Of course, he cares about my granddaughter.”

“He’s just on his way now. He just landed,” I nodded thinking about the last time that I did pick up my phone was to talk to Ted. He’d said that he was on his way. The suspense was killing me as I looked at Detective Russell then Dwight, wondering if he was a Detective too or just Detective Russell’s side-kick.

“It’s just that you said you left the station with a girl that you thought was your daughter,” Detective Russell said as he stood up and moved towards me.

“This is very awkward.” Dwight motioned towards Ralph and Elizabeth. They had the same puzzled look on their faces as I did, wondering why the detectives had come to the house and were talking in riddles. My patience was wearing out with them and my mind started to drift back to Barbara.

“Yes.” I nodded towards Detective Russell as I found myself speechless that they had no news about my missing girl. Only the other one.

“It’s just that we’re going to have to arrest you…” Dwight said behind him.

Everything was done in a flash. I wondered if he was talking to me or someone else?

“Me?” I said as I lifted up my hand, wondering if this was all some sort of sick joke. My daughter was missing and yet they felt the need to take me into custody? I was the one that had brought the girl into the station. I’d reported her as not being my daughter.

“Emma Rodgers, under section 24 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, Code G 2012, I am arresting you for the child abduction of Li Ying’s daughter and because we fear that you may cause physical harm to Li Ying and her family, we are taking you into custody as a flight risk. Also, for the possible abduction of Barbara Rogers. You do not have to say anything and you have a right to a lawyer. If you do not have one, then one will be appointed to you by the court…”

The rest of what he said was a blur as he handcuffed me like a common criminal and the only thing going through my mind was the fact that the girl’s hand I’d been holding was Ted’s lover’s child. The shock of the news started to hit home. It distracted me from my arrest.

Elizabeth shouted, “What are you doing to the house?” Dwight waved for the officers who were waiting outside to come as he headed to the door. I heard him say, “We have a search warrant to search the house for evidence.”

I’d thought that they were doing that when they’d first swarmed into the house. My house. My home.

“What have you done?” Elizabeth screamed at me as I was carried to the police car, completely confused by the chain of events. I noticed that people were standing outside in my front garden. They’d seen the police cars, and they knew that someone was being arrested or that there was something wrong, and they couldn't wait to find out who it was. That was when I noticed the press; they were like rats, always wanting a good story. I saw my neighbors turn and whisper to each other about the possibilities for my arrest. But this wasn’t a story, it was my life. My daughter was missing and I was being arrested for kidnapping another child as well as my own. I didn’t understand the charges.

“Kidnapping who and Barbara?” Ralph asked as they followed me to the car. Neither of them reassured me, or even said that everything was going to be alright. Elizabeth mumbled, “I knew that she was taking the drugs still. Once a druggie, always a druggie.”

She turned her back to me as Ralph smiled at me with a nervous grin as his lips twitched as Detective Russell arrived at the car. “Emma, don’t worry, I’ll call Bentley and get to the bottom of this.”

I simply nodded at the idea that the man who had hardly spoken to me in the seven years since we’d been married, was acting as a friend. A concerned person. Elizabeth was going back indoors, asking if she could at least get her purse.

I nodded as Detective Russell shut the door to the car. I sat in the back, thinking that I needed to speak to Will. I wanted help, and it was clear that Elizabeth would try and change Ralph’s mind about helping me. I started to cry; my daughter was still missing.

Still nowhere to be found.