Day of Atonement (23 page)

On the way back to the house, Troy remained silent, thinking about the revelation B.K. had shared with him during their last meeting.
“[Y]our dad was supposed to pick you up from Elvin's that morning…”
Troy hoped that there was nothing more to the story than simple coincidence as he read and then deleted another message from
her.

When Troy and his father arrived back at the house, his mother was still cooking.

“Give me about forty, forty-five minutes at the most and everything will be done. Your sister should be on her way soon.”

Instead of following in his father's footsteps and showering, Troy wanted to look over the case file again. He was becoming increasingly irritated with the barrage of calls he'd started getting. The text messages he could ignore, but the back-to-back phone calls had crossed over into harassment.

Stop ignoreN my calls! I need 2talk 2u!!!

They had nothing to discuss. She was hanging on to a past that they'd had together over two decades ago. One she'd tried to rekindle last summer that he'd buried and had long let go. He thought they could be friends until he found himself emotionally attracted to her during a time when he and Natalie were at odds. Nothing physical took place between them, though he's certain she would not have objected. She'd been very open about her desires. Realizing that the line to adultery was easier to cross than he thought, Troy had resisted temptation by ending all communication with her only to run in to her every now and again around town. He still wasn't certain that the meetings were coincidental, but they had fared off in frequency, so he wasn't concerned. Her texts had died off as well, except for lately.

Plz call me, Troy!

He could barely delete that text message before her next one came through.

It's abt Elana's case. I have info abt Maggie.

Against his better judgment, he took the bait.

“Happy New Year!” she answered cheerfully.

“I'm not in the mood, Cheryl. What's up?”

“Gee, you don't have to sound so mean. I heard you were still in Texas and working on a case. I called a few of my FBI friends to see if I could help. How was your Christmas?”

“You said you have information about Maggie. I'm giving you three seconds to tell me what you know about her or I'm hanging up.”

“You really are in a bad mood, huh? For starters, Maggie is not a she, sweetheart. It's an organization.” Cheryl dropped her flirtatious tone as she laid out the facts. M.A.G.G.I.E., an underground child pornography ring, stood for Men and Girls Getting Intimate Everywhere. “The FBI has been trying to infiltrate them for years. It's an organization that has existed for decades and it's estimated that nearly a hundred thousand missing children have been abducted by members of the group nationwide. It's one of the largest child pornography operations known to date with perhaps a million or more members.”

“So why haven't your people been able to shut it down?”

Cheryl explained that M.A.G.G.I.E. brought with it a lot of complications due to its size and secrecy. “You have to understand that this isn't some fly-by-night group of pervs. Members of M.A.G.G.I.E. range from low-lives to politicians and everything in between. Those on the lower end tend to get caught, but they have not been able to provide enough intel to bring the whole organization down.”

“Okay, so send someone in undercover.”

She sighed, her tone signaling her irritation by his questioning. “It's not that simple. Most people in child pornography rings get busted because they share pictures with undercover agents or download stuff at their jobs. It's easy for an agent to go undercover to solicit information. M.A.G.G.I.E. is different. Before one is even privy to the group's ins and outs, it's rumored that he must submit incriminating evidence of himself in a sex act with a minor child. Obviously, no agent can do this. Like I said, some members of this group have power. We're talking police officers, judges, attorneys, there's no end. It's basically human trafficking. They abduct young girls and share them. Some they kill, some they let go, some they keep. It's possible that Elana was taken by someone from this group. Even when members outgrow their fetish for young girls, many of them have families and reputations at stake, so they still won't talk.”

“This is crazy. There has to be some way to stop these people instead of letting them continue to hurt young girls. Any leads on Elana's abductor?”

“No. Chances are, it's someone close to the family.”

Duh?
He already knew that.

“I'm afraid I don't have any more information. My contact has been in touch with the local P.D. trying to verify if there is a connection with Elana's case and M.A.G.G.I.E. I'm surprised you didn't know this since you're working closely with them.”

“I'm actually working with a private investigator.” Even as Troy spoke the words aloud, he wondered if this was yet another piece of information that B.K. had kept from him. “Thanks for your help. I appreciate it.”

“Anytime. I'm always here for you whenever you want me.”

He ignored her sexual innuendo. “Hey, how did you know I was working on this case?” He thought about the message he'd gotten
from her on Christmas morning. “How'd you know I was in Texas at all?”

She giggled. “I have my ways of learning your whereabouts. I found out about the case, though, from your wife. She called me on your behalf. I take it you've never told her about us. If I were her, I wouldn't be calling the woman my husband has slept with for help.”

Immediately, Troy's anger went from zero to sixty. “I told you to stay away from my wife!”

Cheryl laughed wickedly. “Relax. She's not the one I want,” she said before hanging up.

Troy decided not to call Natalie while in a rage about Cheryl. He did not want to worry her. Instead he sent a text simply to say he loved her and sighed with relief when her reply came back seconds later. Now was not the time to explain his history with Cheryl. That would be one of the first things he did upon returning home.

•  •  •

Tracy did not show up for dinner. She called their mom to say that the kids were still with their friends and that Al wasn't feeling well, which Troy deciphered as code for he'd gotten drunk last night and was still hung over.

Troy was relieved that Tracy wasn't there though he was eager to talk to her and verify their father's story about the items that supposedly belonged to her. He would go by there in the morning. No, he changed his mind. He'd call to see if Al was at work,
then
he would go by there.

Dinner was awkward with only Troy and his parents. His mom was elated that he and his dad had spent time together. “Did you guys get a lot done?”

“Yeah. There are only two more bedrooms left to paint. I do appreciate your help, son.” He smiled and Troy forced the return gesture.

His mom began talking nonstop about so many other things that Troy started to tune her out. He saw her lips moving, but he only heard B.K.'s voice.
“[Y]our dad was supposed to pick you up from Elvin's that morning…”
Then there were the patches of red carpet. Could those be a match to the red fibers that had been found on Elana's body? What about the red-haired doll he'd discovered last week in the trash can outside of his grandparents' house. Was that the Strawberry Shortcake doll that Elana had carried out with her? And what about the inscription on the wooden table? Is it possible that his father was a member of M.A.G.G.I.E.?

There was a sickening feeling in the pit of Troy's stomach. A numbing that kept him from eating much, especially the black-eyed peas his mom swore would bring good luck if only he would take a bite. “I'm not hungry.”

“Seems like you would have worked up an appetite. You guys were gone a long time.”

“It's been a while since I've painted. I think the fumes may have gotten to me a bit. I need some fresh air and water. You want to go for a walk?”

Troy hoped to get his mom out of the house. If what he was thinking was true, his father was a very dangerous man and Troy wanted to make sure his mom was safe.

“Yes. I think it would be fun if we all go for a walk. What do you think, Reed?”

Troy cut in before his father could answer. “Uh, I was actually hoping that you and I could go. I need some female advice about a situation with Natalie. No offense, Dad, but I doubt you know how to think like a woman.”

“You're right about that. They are too emotional for me. Y'all go ahead. I'm tired anyhow. I'm going to sit back and see if I can catch a game.”

“All right. Let me put on some tennis shoes and I'll meet you out front. If you and Natalie got into an argument again about you stayin' here, I'm tellin' you up front that I'm on her side.”

Silence fell over the room when his mom left. Troy stared at his father trying to wrap his mind around the possibility that he could be a member of M.A.G.G.I.E.

“Is everything okay, Troy? You've been real quiet since we've left the other house.”

“Where are all the guns you used to have?'

“I got rid of them years ago except for three. They are locked up in our room.”

Instead of asking what kinds, Troy chose another angle. “Why didn't you come pick me up the day Elana went missing?”

He shifted uncomfortably. “I…um, I don't remember.”

“But you knew you were supposed to get me, right, because you got Mama's message?”

“I, uh, it was so long ago. Why the sudden interest?”

“There's been a break in the case.” Troy watched as his father's look changed from discomfort to fear.

“I'm ready.” Troy's mom came bouncing back into the living room, oblivious of the tense atmosphere.

Troy hurried himself and her out the front door. “Get in,” he ordered after using the key chain to unlock the doors and deactivate the car alarm.

“I thought you wanted to go for a walk.”

“Get in the car!” he yelled.

“What in the world is goin' on with you? And slow down before you get into a wreck!”

“Call Tracy and tell her we're on our way to pick her up. There's something I need to share with you both. Mama, don't look at me like that, just do it!”

She obeyed, mumbling under her breath that he was acting like a lunatic. When they got to Tracy's, Troy laid on the horn until she came outside. Like he did with their mom, Troy ordered her to get in the car. Tracy did so with little to no resistance, but only after going back inside her home to let Al know she was leaving.

“What's going on, Troy?” He ignored her, driving to a nearby residential area to park.

“Is this yours?” He tossed the Duran Duran cassette to her.

“Nuh-
o.”

“I didn't think so. I found this and a bunch of other girl things in a box at Dad's other house. He said they were yours and he was going to donate them because you said you didn't want them.”

“He lied.”

“Troy, what is this all about?” his mother pleaded.

“Why didn't you ever tell me that Dad was supposed to pick me up from Elvin's that day?”

“I see either the detective or Natalie don't know how to keep
their big mouth shut! I didn't think it was necessary to tell you, seein' that you already hated your dad.”

Troy would try to forget that this was yet another thing his wife had withheld from him. He had a secret of his own named Cheryl. “I think Dad is the one who kidnapped Elana.”

His mom snickered. “That's ludicrous. Your father is many things, but he's not a kidnapper or a killer.”

“I think Troy's right.” Tracy's voice was soft, but certain as she began laying out the details that led her to the same conclusion. “You guys kept talking about how distinct her birth mark was and when I saw pictures of it in Elana's obituary, I remembered seeing it before on the lady I told you was at dad's house that time when I ran away. I asked him about her and he tried convincing me that I was mistaken. Everything happened so quickly, he said that I could not have gotten a clear look at her.”

“Is that why you were calling me the other day?”

“Yeah, but I started second-guessing myself after talking to him. Then, when you came by the house and said there were suspects, I figured maybe I was wrong.”

“Y'all are crazy! Your father would not do this.”

“Don't you see, Mama? It all makes sense.” Troy shared his entire theory, sparing them the details that he had learned about M.A.G.G.I.E. Troy's grandfather passed away when he was in high school and his grandmother way before that and yet his father had kept the house all this time. “What other reason did he have to keep the house if it weren't to have somewhere for Elana to stay? He specifically told me those things were Tracy's. Why would he lie?”

Troy checked his incoming text message. He shook his head at the contents of the message as his mother continued to defend her husband.

“He didn't have the house for Elana; he had it for his whores. I've told you that plenty of times. I don't know why he lied and I don't care. I know in my heart that your father would not do
anything
to harm a child.”

“If that's true, why did I just get a text message from B.K. saying that Dad is at the police station right now making a statement?”

•  •  •

Troy took Tracy back home and dropped his mom off at the station. She was insistent on being by his father's side and getting to the bottom of what was going on. Troy was more concerned about the impact this would have on Elvin and Lilly and planned to meet B.K. there in order to break the news. On his way, he called Natalie to update her on the situation. Again, he left out the details about M.A.G.G.I.E.