Shadow Dancer (The Shadow Series Book 1) (13 page)

"I will kill him, Frank! If he's laid so much as a finger on her, I will kill him!"

"Don't say shit like that, it can be misconstrued," Frank warned.

"What's to be misconstrued?! If so much as a hair is out of place on her head, I will murder the bastard!" declared Jack, rage pouring out in his body language and in every move he made. Jack violently opened the driver side door to his truck and slammed the door shut. Before Frank could stop him, Jack was barreling down the dirt road towards the highway.
"Shit!" Frank screamed, fists clenched into balls. “What the hell am I supposed to do now?!”

He asked the question in vain as he knew exactly what he had to do. "Adam! Go get my keys. Liam, can you carefully load my Remington into the trunk? I have to make a call."

Adam and Liam nodded in agreement, and as their uncle stormed off into the house to make his call, the pair looked at each other in shock. From the foyer, Frank could be heard screaming at someone on the telephone in a muffled bark, followed by the sound of a phone being thrown back into the cradle. Adam and Liam hustled as their uncle came back out into the foyer. "Who were you talking to, Uncle Frank?"

"I put everyone at Trafford’s on alert that Bulldog's gonna pay them
a visit, and he better have all his boys accounted for!"

The boys had heard stories about their uncle in his earlier years. Bulldog is what the guys in town called Frank, due to his gruff appearance, and tough-as-nails exterior when someone pissed him off. Everybody in town knew that Frank was Jack's right-hand man, and that if you threatened Jack or any of the Morrows, you had
Bulldog to deal with. They had heard plenty of stories, but never believed them to be true. As an uncle, Frank was kind and gentle, but he wasn't someone you wanted to cross. They were starting to see why.
"Liam, you stay here with them. They are underage, I can’t leave them alone. Adam you're riding with me. I need your help. Shane, Tommy and Blake, you are ALL to stay behind and wait for Aunt Bridgette to come home. Keep the doors and windows locked. We need people here keeping an eye out in case she comes home. Stay together and if you see him you know what to do! Liam, call the cops, tell them what we know." He spoke with a bark, as a dangerous scowl covered his face.

"Dad, we can help! Let us come!" Shane begged, but he was
silenced by a fierce rejection from his father.

"What did I just say?! Stay here and look for your cousin. I need you here!"

With that, Frank swung open the front door and made a beeline for the Dodge, with Adam following on his heels. With a screech, Frank sped out of the driveway as Liam slammed the front door shut with a bang.

Adam watched his uncle from
the passenger seat of the Dodge as Frank maneuvered the turns of the pass at top speed. He had never seen his uncle this angry before.

"Did she ever mention anything about Kendricks?"

"Not to me specifically. Tommy told me before that Kendricks liked to keep her after class a lot, and she would always come out looking upset. Then all this crap with the school assignment came up..."

"I'm going to tell you straight out, I don't like this one bit. Your father's going to wind up getting himself arrested before we even have a clue as to where she is or what the hell is going on! And Kendricks, of all people..."

"It’s like 1981 all over again."

Frank glanced over at his nephew for a moment, and against his better judgment let out an unamused chuckle.

"Stole the words right out of my mouth. So, kid, you know where he lives?"

Adam looked over at his uncle with a deeply satisfied grin, "Sure do."

“Let’s go.”

* * *

The dodge came to a slow stall outside 10 Farringer Drive in Elkhart.

“That’s where he lives?” Frank asked, looking at the building speculatively. The building looked like it should be condemned.

Adam replied, “Yeah. Melissa lives next door.”

“You’re sure?” Frank asked, wanting to make sure he had the address correct.

“Positive.”

“Tell your girlfriend to keep an eye and ear out. In the mean time let’s go get your father before he gets himself arrested.”

* * *

The wheels of Jack's truck protested loudly as they came to a halt in the parking lot of the Steeplechase Academy. He had barreled down the Pass at a dangerous speed, not slowing until he had reached the school. Jack jumped out of the cab of his truck, not bothering to take the keys out of the ignition or close the door as he ran full speed towards the front entrance of the school. Wild-eyed and determined, Jack raced up the
marble steps to the second floor, completely bypassing the main office. The second floor hallway outside of room 219 was crowded with students. Jack nudged his way through the sea of scarlet and gray uniforms until he reached the door.

"Why are you all standing out here?" he asked of a blond haired boy standing nearest to the door.

"Door’s locked. Teacher never came to school,” said Shawn Trafford.

Jack saw faces he recognized, including Cole who was leaning quietly against the wall opposite the door. Jack approached Cole, his temper beginning to overflow into every word he spoke. "Have you heard from Tristan?"

Cole, looking taken aback, replied, "No, I just assumed she was sick today... what's happened?"

"I'll let you know when I know," Jack said coolly.
He turned around and looked at the door again. “Locked,” he remembered hearing the blond boy say. If there was a chance that Tristan or Kendricks was inside, he needed to know. In an instant triggered by fear and adrenaline, Jack hurtled himself towards the door, the full weight of his body crashing against the wooden frame. The door cracked under the pressure. With the full force of his kick, Jack began chopping away at the wood, desperate to get inside, desperate to find his daughter. The children watched as Jack destroyed the door and finally entered the dark classroom. From inside the classroom, loud noises began to erupt, the sound of desks being overturned, and doors banging open and shut. Finally, a scream sounded in the room. The sound of defeat. Jack emerged from the room, his hair standing on end, his face stripped of emotion.
Vice Principal Irwin came rushing from the opposite side of the hall, heels clacking against the marble floor.

"What is the meaning of this?!"

Jack spoke calmly, "My daughter is missing, and my sons saw Mr. Kendricks running away from my property."

Taken aback by Jack’s admission, Irwin remained her high-powered, laced-up self.

“Mr. Morrow, I am sorry to hear about your daughter, but surely there must be some mistake. Mr. Kendricks is a highly esteemed member of the Steeplechase staff."

"And I assure you, there is no mistake."

"I cannot just let you leave, you must pay for the damage."

"I will pay for a new door and install it myself, I assure you. In the meantime, I am more concerned with finding my daughter."

The sound of racing sneakers against the floor sounded from the other end of the hallway as Adam and Frank showed up, out of breath. Frank bellowed down the hallway, "Time to go, Jack!" Adam followed behind Frank, in shock as he looked at what remained of the classroom door.
Jack left the school quietly, disheartened after embarrassing himself at the school.

"What the hell were you thinking breaking down a door at the school?!" Frank yelled.

"I did what I had to do. What if she was in there? What if he was? It won't be the first door I break down for her. We need to find her as soon as possible. God only knows. "

"Jack, this is above our heads. We need to call the cops. We're not twenty-five again. We can't just go
around busting heads and kicking in doors..."

Jack slumped down in the back seat of the Dodge, knowing Frank was right.

"All bets are off if anyone has harmed her though," said Jack. "If anyone has hurt her, I will be in jail with you, and that bastard will be lying broken, six feet under."

Adam cleared his throat. "Can we focus on finding her? Trafford’s has been put on notice. The school knows she is missing and that Kendricks is involved somehow. Let's go home and figure out our game plan."
Frank pulled into the driveway shortly before 11:00 A.M. Jack raced inside the house hoping that some news had turned up about Tristan's whereabouts. Before Jack could ask, there was a banging on the door behind him, heavy-handed and with purpose.
"Police! Open up!"
Jack gave Frank and Adam a nasty glare as if to say
“
Who called the cops?"
as he opened up the front door. A female officer in a white shirt and stern demeanor spoke first," I’m Sergeant DiNolfo, this is Officer Rutledge. Can we come in?" Jack opened the door wider and let the officers come in, while he stood there wondering who had reported her missing already.

Chapter Eight

Elkhart, PA

December 24, 1981

Early Evening

Maria Piedmonte opened the back door of Monte's cafe with her arms filled with stacked catering trays. Decadent trays of cold cuts, freshly made lasagna, assortments of cheeses and crackers, and on top, a lovely array of baked goods. Joe came out of the kitchen and popped open the trunk for Maria, as he helped get the children in the car. He strapped Cole tightly into his seat, pulling the seat belt taut across his lap. Natalie was sleeping in her white and yellow car seat next to him. Joe kissed them both on the foreheads, before exiting the car.

"All set, Joe," said Maria, ready to hit the road and get home after a very long Christmas Eve at the restaurant. Joe just needed one more favor from Maria since his driver had called out sick.

"I'm sorry to have to make you do this. With Reggie home sick, I have no one else who can do it," Joe explained to his wife.

"Joe, its fine. I'll be home as soon as I can."

“Please be careful, it’s really getting awful out here."

The snow was coming down around them, heavier now, with several inches under foot. Maria just wanted to get the drive over with. Joe knew she was a safe driver, though if he had checked the news report at all that day, he would have never sent her in the first place.

"Bye, Joe."

Maria kissed her husband on his cool cheek, kicked the snow off of the sole of her boots and turned the key.
Let’s get this over with.

Elkhart was lit up for the holiday season. Bright lights hung festively throughout the streets, shop windows decorated brilliantly, hoping to catch the eye of children and holiday shoppers. On the corner of Mountain Road and Terrace Lane, Penny Chafford stood with a bell and her red Salvation Army kettle, hoping to get some last-minute donations for the less fortunate. An ovarian cancer survivor who had nearly gone bankrupt from all her hospital bills, Penny did whatever she could for others, just thankful to be alive. Maria rolled her window down, and held out a twenty dollar bill for Penny’s cause. Penny, clearly frozen stiff from the inclement weather, thanked Maria graciously.

"God bless you!" Penny called happily, clearly touched by Maria's kind gesture.

"You need to go visit my Joe and he'll give you a warm meal. Right now," advised Maria.

Maria's statement was more a demand than a request. Penny smiled as Maria pulled away in her car, still ringing her bell in the December chill. Further up Mountain Road, Maria smiled as the church bells of St. Augustine's began to ring clear and crisp in the frigid night. The extreme cold providing prime acoustics, the sound woke up the night like a siren. In front of the church doors, she recognized Angela and Harry, the owners of Angie's Hair salon, where Maria frequently got her hair cut and permed. Maria waved kindly at the couple, close friends of her and Joe's, but they did not see her. Typically that is where Maria and the children would be on Christmas Eve, church, but because Joe was short-handed, she decided that there would be other years to attend.

Her tiny car groaned in protest as she wound around the curves leading out of Elkhart. Although Fox Hollow was considered one of the closest local towns, it could take nearly an hour to climb the pass in fair weather. She was hoping that her driving skills would not fail her tonight. The highway was empty. People clearly heeding the weather forecaster’s warning and staying indoors. Maria wished she could do the same.

The covered bridge at Elkhart was lit up brightly with large colorful lights. If it wasn't snowing so heavily she might have even taken a picture with the new Polaroid camera Joe had gotten her as an early Christmas gift. The old bridge covered a small creek that ran behind the houses in Elkhart. While a modern bridge would work much safer, no one wanted to be the one to state the obvious; the bridge had to go. When driving across the bridge, it would creak and groan, causing drivers to get nervous and whip across it. This only added to the breakdown of the bridge's structural integrity. Maria hated crossing this bridge.