Moments of Reckoning Read online

  I gasped.

  “Matthew….?” His name was all I could whisper as I succumbed to the darkness.

  Chapter 15

  Jason

  Belmont Park was a bust. We had spent hours walking and looking for any sign of Hannah. I’m sure we all realized how badly we were shooting in the dark. The day was long gone and night had taken over as we drove down the interstate toward Abby and Hannah’s place. None of us spoke. By the silence, I knew they were beginning to feel the same way I did. We had no leads, no evidence to link to anyone, and no idea who would want to take her. Randomly looking for her like this was only driving us even more insane, but I knew that I couldn’t just give up.

  “Maybe we should let the police do their job,” Abby spoke lightly.

  I let out a heavy sigh as I thought about what to say next. I knew she was right but I didn’t feel good about giving up.

  “Abby—I know you’re probably right, but you have to understand that I cannot just give up on finding her. I would probably do something crazy if I did and I know she wouldn’t give up on one of us if we went missing.”

  “You’re completely right, Jason, but I am driving myself to the edge with this. Every time I find the smallest thing when we are looking for her, I am heartbroken when I realize it has nothing to do with Hannah. I love her just as much as you do, you have to realize that—but I cannot keep doing this to myself! It isn’t healthy and I am wearing myself down…I want her back—I do—but I don’t know what else I can do to make that happen. I mean for god sakes, her parents have put up an unimaginable amount of money for a reward and they haven’t heard anything yet.”

  There was nothing for me to say to that, so I sat in silence the rest of the way. I knew she was right, I honestly did, but I didn’t want to accept it. Pulling into the drive Abby invited me to stay over. Xavier was crashing there as well and they both agreed that they would feel better if I stayed with them tonight. They must have felt like I might do something reckless if I was alone. I agreed to stay, and Abby got out and went inside as Xavier and I headed to the liquor store.

  ∙∞∙

  An empty bottle of Jack Daniel’s, along with numerous beer cans, lined the counter in the kitchen. Abby had offered to let me to crash in Hannah’s room but I couldn’t bring myself to do it—so I opted for the couch. My body was longer than the damn thing and my legs hung off the end. Usually after drinking the amount of alcohol I drank tonight, I would be passed out, but instead I found myself wide awake. Throwing the blanket off me I swung my legs around and sat up on the end of the couch. My elbows were placed on my thighs as my head rested in my hands. The alcohol had made its way right through me and I had to piss like a race horse. The bathroom was straight back the short hall, with Abby’s room on one side and Hannah’s on the other. Praying I didn’t hear Xavier and Abby going at it, I went to relieve myself.

  Walking out of the bathroom I noticed Hannah’s door was slightly open. Not sure what came over me but I pushed it open and soon found myself inside her room. It seemed like ages since I had last been in here. When in reality it had been barely over a week. Her dressers were lined with photos of her with Abby, some of her family, and then there were the ones of us. My heart clenched tightly in my chest as I stared at her smiling back at me in a photo from last summer’s beach party. She truly is a gorgeous girl inside and out. My emotions were on overload anyway, but mixed with the current drunken state I was in, they were multiplied. She had a small desk beside her bed that held her laptop along with school books and a few other things. Walking over to it I saw the scrapbook I had first looked through that Friday night before we had gone out. I picked it up and stepped back until I could feel the bed behind my legs and sat down slowly. Letting out a ragged breath I opened the scrapbook.

  The first picture was the one I asked her about that Friday. Her and I at eighth grade field day when I ran her over trying to get to whatever event I was late for. The look on her face was priceless—and those braces. A pained laugh escaped me.

  “Oh Hannah…Where are you?” I sighed as I felt my eyes begin to sting.

  Page after page were photos of us together over the years. I was blown away by how many there were. Numerous ones of me glancing at her as she smiled at the camera, or her laughing at some horrible joke I must have said. Something fell onto the protector sheet. Touching it with my finger I realized I was silently crying. Closing my eyes I fell back onto the bed as I lost my last grip on sanity. The smell of her perfume, shampoo, and her own natural scent flooded my senses. Calling out her name I cried—cried more than I have ever cried in my life. Cried for letting her be alone that night, cried for Abby being so broken because she’s missing, cried for her parents and the rest of her loved ones who were praying she would home, and lastly I cried for the love I finally admitted to her that was shattered not long after.

  ∙∞∙

  My body was shivering as my head thumped along with my pulse. A hangover was all I needed and the one I was currently rocking was going to be brutal. Opening my eyes I found myself lying on top of the covers of Hannah’s bed.

  “No wonder I’m freezing…” I said to myself as I moved underneath them.

  “I see you made your way in here last night. I kind of had a feeling you would.” Abby stated. She was leaning against the door frame holding a cup of something hot. “Here, drink this. It’ll help with your hangover.” She began walking towards me as I sat up in the bed. “Oh, and take these.” I held my hand out as she dropped four tablets of headache medicine into my palm.

  “What is this?” I asked about the scalding hot cup.

  “A tea our favorite girl always makes me when I’m hung over.” She smiled sincerely as she sat down on the end of the bed facing me.

  “You know, I’ve been debating whether to bring this up to you or not. I’ve actually been thinking about it for a few days now and I feel that Hannah would want me to. Just in case…” She gave me a sad smile.

  My heart was pounding so hard from her words that I was afraid it was going to come right out of my chest.

  “I know things between you and Hannah were starting to get confusing and she never really told you how she felt, but honestly, Jason—that girl has been in love with you since I can remember. She has been terrified to ruin your friendship so she tucked her feelings away and settled for just that…friendship. After hearing you last night—and don’t be embarrassed about it—I knew I had to tell you. I knew then that you are just as much in love with Hannah as she is with you. I have no damn idea why it has taken this long for you two to admit it to one another, but I’m glad it has finally happened—and DAMNIT, JASON, WE WILL GET HER BACK! You both deserve an epic love story and if it’s the last thing I do, it will happen. I was wrong for saying what I did last night about letting the police handle things. I shouldn’t have said that. Hannah has been my rock for years—she has helped me through so much. Who am I to stop fighting for her? I’m not going to stop fighting for her…Ever.”

  The tears were falling rapidly down Abby’s face. Leaning forward, I pulled her into my arms. She welcomed it and cried even harder as I sat there in silence. Honestly I was surprised that I wasn’t embarrassed by her hearing my breakdown last night. It felt good to get it out and I was glad that Abby was now having her turn. We sat there in silence for a good ten minutes as she continued to cry in my arms as I softly rubbed her hair.

  “I’m sorry, Jason…I didn’t mean to end up a blubbering mess. That wasn’t my intention when I started talking to you.” She pulled back, wiping her face.

  “Hey…you don’t have to say that. I’m glad I could be here when you needed someone. Where is Xavier by the way?”

  “He left about half an hour ago to run a few errands and grab some food for lunch. You do realize it’s around one in the afternoon, right? We slept most of the day away, thanks to that drinking binge last night.” She leaned back laughing as she wiped under her eyes again.

  “Damn! It�
��s really after one? Do you mind if I use your shower?”

  “Yes, it really is and no, I don’t mind. Towels are stacked under the sink. Make yourself at home.”

  Thanking her, I kissed her cheek and walked out into the living room. My bag was still sitting at the end of the couch so I rummaged through it and made my way to the bathroom for a well-needed shower.

  Chapter 16

  Jason

  Monday had rolled around yet again, but this time I was feeling a little better about things—for a couple of reasons. This morning I woke to my cell buzzing on the night stand beside my bed. The number wasn’t one I had logged into my phone, so I debated about answering it. Something kept telling me to pick it up until I finally did.

  “This is Jason…”

  “Hello, Jason, it’s Elliot Davis.”

  “Mr. Davis, how are you, sir?”

  “Call me Elliot, son…We’re doing the best that we can be right now.”

  “I understand that completely.”

  “Jason, I’m calling because one of the detectives called me this morning regarding Hannah’s disappearance.”

  My heart stopped right then and there.

  “He did?! Is there any new evidence or news?”

  “Actually there is. There have been a couple of witnesses who have come forward regarding that night in the alleyway. A couple college girls were walking past when they heard people fighting on down the alley. Apparently they told the detectives that they saw a man violently grab a younger woman’s arm as she began to hit him. Shortly after they spotted the two, the young woman apparently passed out and he carried her over his shoulder to an older truck. They couldn’t see a whole lot due to the darkness of the alley. At first they assumed it was a couple arguing after a few drinks, until they saw the news recently about Hannah’s disappearance. The detective had each of them write out what they saw and their stories are pretty close to the same, except one described the truck a little better than the other. Later today the two women will be back at the station to work with specialists regarding a possible sketch of either the young woman they saw or the man. If they can identify the woman as Hannah we will be one step closer to finding her. They also asked me to come back down to the station later today and I was hoping you would join me.”

  “Elliot, this is great news! Of course I will join you later. Do you want me to come by or meet you at the station?”

  “If you don’t mind, come on by the house around three this afternoon. I have some things to finish up here at the office before I head on home. I know Lisa would love to see you—and do you believe it would be possible to have Abby come by as well—? Lisa would enjoy spending time with her while we are at the station. She has a hard time being alone now and the company of one of Hannah’s closest friends would probably do her some good.”

  “I’m sure Abby would love to as long as she is free. Let me give her a call and I will see you around three today.”

  “Sounds good…and son—thank you for everything you’ve done for Hannah. You mean a lot to her and us.”

  “No problem, Elliot. Your daughter means the world to me and I would do anything to get her back.”

  “That’s what I like to hear, Jason. See you this afternoon.”

  As the call ended I couldn’t believe what I had heard. There were a couple witnesses and we could actually break some ground in the case. I couldn’t refrain from getting my hopes up, for a week and a half now there has been nothing—absolutely—nothing and now there was a small grasp of hope.

  I spent the next thirty minutes on the phone with Abby, filling her in on all the information Elliot had just told me. She was almost in tears because she was so happy. We both agreed not to get our hopes up, but it was hard not to. Abby was excited to go with me over to the Davis’. She used to spend quite a bit of time there with Hannah during the summers so she knew the family pretty well. The conversation ended with me agreeing to pick her up later in the afternoon. This newly-found good mood of mine had me feeling refreshed so I decided to go for a run.

  ∙∞∙

  The clock hit two forty-five as Abby and I pulled into the Davis’ gated neighborhood. Jerry, who manned the gate, knew the two of us so he never asked for identification. He simply opened the gate and waved us in every time. The neighborhood was filled with Tuscan-style homes and they were each beautifully different. Elliot and Lisa’s house was more towards the back of the subdivision with the larger homes. Needless to say, this family never wanted for anything. Even though they had money, they taught Hannah to enjoy the simple things in life. She also talked about making her own way in life and not relying on her parent’s fortunes. I admire her for that. A few minutes later we were pulling into the Davis’ luxurious brick driveway. The house was two stories high with a terracotta roof and a mixture of stucco and stone accents. Large windows lined the front and were immaculately clean. The archway to the front door was massive and a cast iron chandelier hung from above. Before I could push the doorbell Lisa opened it with a thankful smile across her face.

  “Jason darling, how great it is to see you!” she said sweetly while embracing me.

  “It’s always a pleasure to see you, Mrs. Davis.” I replied with a kiss to each of her cheeks.

  “Oh please, call me Lisa.” She stepped away to embrace Abby.

  “Abby darling, you look wonderful, I’m so glad you came. Come on in,” she moved to the side to allow us to pass into the foyer.

  “Where is the lovely Xavier this afternoon? I figured the two of you would be together,” she asked Abby.

  “He had some things going on today so he couldn’t make it, but he says hello. How did you know about Xavier and me?” Abby laughed in slight shock.

  “I assumed. One of the last conversations Hannah and I had was about you and him. She had a feeling you would end up together. You know our girl; she has a knack for seeing things that others may not see.” Lisa winked as her eyes glistened over slightly.

  Neither Abby nor I responded. She was probably just as afraid as I was to cause Lisa to cry. But I had a feeling the two of them would do plenty of that after Elliot and I left. Lisa was talking to Abby about some new furniture they had purchased since she had been there last as we finished walking up the stairs to their sitting room that overlooked the in-ground pool in the back yard. I remembered the last time I had been up here with Hannah.

  “Elliot should be here any moment. His absence from the office has left a few things unorganized. But his assistant is doing a lovely job for the most part.” Lisa’s voice snapped me out of the trip down memory lane.

  “That’s good to hear…This has always been my favorite room of the house, the view of the pool and back yard is absolutely gorgeous,” Abby praised.

  “I must agree! I come up here at least twice a day to relax or to read a book. I’m going to grab a few refreshments. I will be right back.” Lisa smiled sweetly as she headed back down the stairs.

  Abby was leaning with her back against the railing as I lounged in one of the large patio chairs.

  “She looks good don’t you think?” Abby asked.

  “Yes she does. I thought she was about to break down for a minute there, though.”

  “I did too. It’s so unreal…”

  “Yes, it is…” I sighed as I stood and made my way over to the railing.

  We both stood there staring out into the open yard until Lisa returned.

  ∙∞∙

  Elliot and I walked into his study, leaving Abby and Lisa in the sitting room upstairs. The two of them were talking about Hannah and how much they missed her, so I knew a breakdown was on the verge of happening. Elliot had shown up just in time. I could hardly handle my own breakdowns, so I knew having them break down at the same time would throw me over the edge.

  While I was getting ready this morning I decided on a pair of dark jeans and a nice polo shirt. Elliot almost always dressed to a “T”. I knew that I needed to look a little more professional
than my regular tee-shirt and shorts combo during the week.

  “Looking nice, son, we have an appointment with the detectives within the hour so we will need to be leaving here momentarily.” He spoke sternly as he shook my hand.

  “Thank you, sir; I’m ready whenever you are.”

  “Good. Let me get some documents for the detectives and we can head out,” he replied as he walked over to his desk. He pulled a couple of papers from a stack on his desk, put them in his brief case, and we headed out the door.

  The drive was an interesting one. Elliot was talking about Hannah and how bad he felt for not letting her go after her dreams within the music industry. She loved to write music but they never respected that. He admitted that it would be one thing he would change when they got her back. I could tell he was choked up a few times before he quickly pushed away the emotions. Elliot had always been a strong man. I knew it was hard for him to continue to be that way now that his daughter was missing.

  It took almost the full hour to arrive at the station. Traffic never seemed to die down in San Diego. Parking was actually easier to find than we assumed and the security checks at the entrance went by just as easily. They all knew Mr. Davis from handling some of their higher profile cases.

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Davis and…” Detective Cooper shook Elliot’s hand before extending his to me.

  “Jason Malone, I’m a friend of the family’s.” I firmly shook his hand in return.

  “Nice to meet you, Jason. If you two would like to follow me into my office we can get started.”

  Elliot and I took a seat in front of detective Cooper’s desk as he shut the door.