Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve
My daydreaming was interrupted when Jill’s mom said breakfast was ready. We all gathered around the table and I never missed Charles as much as I did right now. I think of him a lot and I can see him in Lincoln. His looks and his actions. Lincoln walked like Charles and he had a way about him that was so much a replica of his dad’s.

Jill’s mom noticed my stares while she was cooking and I am sure she wondered about them. I never called her by name. There were a couple of reasons for that. The biggest one was that I didn’t know it. Also, that just seemed too familiar to call her by name. I just avoided referring to her by any name. Her look asked me what was wrong.

I said, “My late husband used to get up and make breakfast for the family and you making breakfast just reminded me of much happier times.”

Jill’s mom replied, “I am sorry dear, I didn’t mean to pry?”

I said, “It’s Okay, I just miss him a lot and it makes me both happy and sad to think about him.”

Jill’s mom placed her hand on my shoulder and said, “I understand. I lost my husband too.”

I placed my hand over her hand and patted it for a few seconds. I don’t really know why but it just seemed right. I needed to finish breakfast and go back to my apartment to see if the reporters camped out all night or gave up and left. 

We had the TV going while we ate and heard a news report about the kidnapping and the girl they rescued and then they said something that made my blood curdle. 

The TV report said, “The mother of the girl who was abducted at the same time has yet to be found. Police are still searching the house for clues.”

I said, “She is in that house somewhere. That is why he bought the gloves and bleach. I have always been bothered by why he bought them and it has to be to clean up wherever the mother was.”

Jill said, “That makes sense. Why else would he need bleach and gloves? She has to be in the house.”

I finished my breakfast and thanked Jill’s mom for her hospitality. I still needed to go back to the apartment to get clothes. I didn’t know if the reporters would still be there but I had to get clothes regardless. I arrived at the apartment and saw no signs of reporters. I assumed they gave up and left or maybe since other information was coming out they went to seek that information.

I went into my apartment to clean up and change clothes. I got a call from the detective who asked me to stop by when I had time. I didn’t know why he asked me but I agreed to stop in before going to work. I was just glad the reporters had finally left. 

Detective Charlie Hagan looked up with a surprised smile when I stood in front of his desk. He motioned for me to have a seat and asked me if I wanted anything to drink.

I asked, “Are you trying to collect my DNA?”

He replied, “No, just trying to be hospitable. Have you kept up with news reports about John McKinley and Hamza Osman?”

I replied, “I have heard a few things. I heard there was a mom who was kidnapped with a young daughter.”

Detective Hagan said, “You are correct. We found the body in the basement but we haven’t released that information yet. We would like for you to testify about the items he bought the night you became suspicious. We have had an undercover operation going on for months tracking other missing girls but your tip helped us connect the two most prominent people in the group.”

I was stunned that the police were already watching these guys. I assumed that was how they knew Hamza was Pakistani. That was a relief since I thought the police were crooked. I agreed to testify and I still had the register receipt I had kept along with a copy of his driver’s license he had shown me for the beer. 

Detective Hagan said, “We had dogs in the basement and they hit on the floor. We brought in a sonar crew and found something buried there and we jackhammered it out and found the body. The girl has been returned to her father and as soon as the autopsy is complete we will release the mother’s remains to the family. We are waiting for that report before we inform the family and then the media. I am trying to keep the reporters away from the family.”

I left the police station after telling the detective I would be waiting to hear from them when it was time to testify. They told me to be very careful because the people the suspects did business with were very powerful and recovering the girl and some others the detective told me about was a big financial hit for these men. Someone may want to make sure I couldn’t testify. They offered me protective custody but it could be a long time before the case went to trial.

I was comforted knowing that bail had been denied because the two had been deemed a flight risk because of the connection to Pakistan. The detective did order an extra patrol in my neighborhood and I did notice a patrol car parked out by the curb at night after I promised to testify. 

I still had my 9mm and the security system at the apartment and hoped that would give me enough time to defend myself. I had concerns about bringing Lincoln home but I couldn’t let him stay at mom’s house forever. I would just have to be careful and hope for a speedy trial. 

I still had to go to work and as always I would bring my 9mm with me when I went. I never traveled without it. I had to protect myself and my family. I had developed great skills in using the pistol and was confident I could defend myself. I had taken some self-defense classes as well and hoped that paired with the 9mm I would be able to manage anything that happened.

I kept a watch on the news for any breaking information. It was finally being reported about the body discovery but no reports about the autopsy had been released yet. I heard a report come across about Hamza Osman. It said he was found dead in his cell and it was being investigated. The report guessed the incident was a suicide but foul play wasn’t ruled out. I wanted to ask the detective about the incident but I had to go to work so any questions I had would have to wait. 

I went in to work and clocked in, then logged onto my register. A lot of people stopped by while they were looking through the store. They asked about John McKinley and how I became aware of him. I never told them anything specific but I didn’t lie either. I told them I may have to testify and couldn’t discuss the case. It was what I have seen on television and I just mimicked what I had heard. 

I was popular with the people and my checkout line was always full. I was always divided before but now that the news revealed me I had a lot of curious people checking out in my lane. Some of them didn’t even speak, they just stared at me. It was a little creepy but I figured it wouldn’t last. Something else would be reported and they would move on to the next thing. 

I was tired when I left work because of the large crowds that came through my line. I hoped it would fade away soon. Every night when my shift ended the security guard walked me to my car. After I got in the car, I always locked the door and laid my 9mm in the center console while I drove. I wanted to be ready in case there was an emergency. 

I drove carefully home watching closely behind me for anyone following me. I also scanned the area after I parked to make sure no one was hiding away in the bushes. It was comforting to see the squad car parked on the curb by my apartment and that made me feel a little better, even if hearing about Hamza Osman’s death made me feel a little creeped out. 

It had been a while since the arrest of the two suspects and I knew there were others out there who were involved. I thought I might be able to bring Lincoln home in a day or two. I was missing him and I knew he missed me as well.

He was close to my mother and I knew he enjoyed staying with her but he belonged at home and I intended to work on bringing him here. I had some questions to ask detective Hagan before I brought Lincoln home. Safety was still very much a concern. 

I had soup in a cup warming up in the microwave that had a few seconds left on it and I opened a box of crackers to go with it. I would sit and watch a little television, our surveillance cameras had long since gone dark. No live entertainment would be available now that the house where John McKinley was wrapped in crime scene tape. 

The microwave dinged and the sound I heard outside was amazingly close to each other. I heard the sound of an explosion that rattled my windows. I walked over to the window on the side where the squad car was parked and saw that car engulfed in flames. 

I had a momentary twinge of fear. These guys weren’t scared of the police and I think they just sent me a message. I started having second thoughts about testifying. I didn’t want the guys to get away with what they were doing but I had to think about my own family. 

While I watched the burning police car I couldn’t help but think about the guys who were inside. They were just two guys trying to do their job and now they would never return to their family. The sound of sirens filled the night air. It wasn’t long after that I heard the knock at my door.