Key West Gone into the Night Elizabeth Hilleren (if you give a mouse a cookie read aloud txt) 📖

“How long has it been since you saw her the last time?”

“She was seven.  She was so beautiful, with those big blue eyes and that smile.” Tears returned to Harris’s eyes.  “Why didn’t I see it? Why didn’t I know my own flesh and blood? Stephanie’s right. I was never a good father…or husband.”

“I know that right now that’s all you can think about, but you need to move past those thoughts.”

“You don’t understand. She said she never wanted to see me again the last time I talked to her.  She was married and had a baby boy.  She was about eighteen.  She said I would never see my grandson.” Harris fought back the tears.   “So much heartache I caused her, and her mother.”

Rex ordered a platter of fish and chips and two beers while Harris composed himself.

The waitress brought the beers and Harris took a long drink of the frosty cold beverage.

“Rex, what do I do now?”

“I know you have to recuse yourself from the case, but there’s one thing that you can do for your daughter now. You can help by keeping yourself positive that we will find the kids in time. You can help keep your ex-wife steady.”

Harris threw his head back and laughed. “That’s a good one. She hates me more than my daughter did.”

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t…”

“It’s all right. I left just as she was starting to unload about me on Sharkey. I expect it’s more than 50-50 that she will turn on him for knowing me.”

Rex smiled sympathetically. “He’s pretty cool. I think he’ll handle it.”

“Yeah, he’s a rock…but with soul.”

“He has a way about him that’s good for calming people.”

“You talked about maybe a trafficker has the kids…why…how?”

“Don’t know. It was just a thought. The mother’s dead. The father is a foreigner. Young, single men usually aren’t thrilled to willingly become a single parent, especially a baby. If they’re players, it greatly cramps their style. You have to be ready for a big life change to take on the responsibility of raising a kid. It’s a big thing.  If it’s not the dead mother and it’s not the young father, it’s not likely a parental abduction. What’s left? Who wants a kid? A handsome, young, healthy baby is worth money to some couples. Where there’s a demand there are entrepreneurs willing to provide the supply.”

“My Lord, Rex, you think that’s really a possibility?”

“Not the only one, but certainly a real one. We don’t know what happened, so there could be a completely benign explanation. We need to be aware of that and explore all the scenarios,” Rex said.  “The father may have them. That’s still statistically the most likely probability. He needs to be found and Sharkey will find him.”

“My grandkids…lost like Susan…and I can’t do anything. Maybe I need to quit the force.”

“No. That’s not an answer. However, you could hire a private investigator. Call Sloan and see what your legal options are.  It’s just a suggestion, but we need to keep you on the right side of the law and in compliance without quitting your job. You’re an excellent detective, Harris. You don’t want to throw it all away. It’s what gives your life meaning. That’s important and will be even more important later when this is over.  And it will be over and there will be other things to do.”

Rex saw the waitress approaching with the food. “Everything in its season. Now it’s time to eat.”

Harris looked doubtfully at the food but decided he needed it to get him through the rest of the day.

Harris ate fish and chips and finished his beer. “I need to call Amy. She said she would marry me last night.  She might change her mind when she hears this story.”

“Don’t do that. She agreed to marry you.  She knows you and she’ll stand by you. Let her do that. She can give you strength when you don’t think you have any left. Take care of yourself and let her help. You’ll find the strength and unconditional love that you need, and she’ll love you all the more for trusting her with your heartache.”

“I really love that wonderful woman. I do believe that she loves me. I’ll call her and we’ll talk this through together.”

“Good thinking.  By the way, congratulations, you did good with her,” Rex said.

“Yeah, I did. Thanks, Rex. I’ll take your advice and see Sloan. Amy gets off work at six.”

“I’m just a call away if you need me.”

Harris nodded. “I’m gonna walk around for a while. I’ll get someone to take me back to the station.”

*    *    *

Harris called Sloan.  He was told to come straight over and Sloan would see him.

Piper wasn’t at her desk, but Sloan met him as he opened the door.

“Come on in. You sounded like it was urgent,” Sloan said, shaking his hand and leading him back to his office.

“Where’s your beautiful receptionist?”

“Visiting her mom in Miami. Be back this evening. Have a seat. Want a drink?”

“I don’t dare. I still gotta meet with the Chief.”

“Okay, what’s up?”

“All hell broke loose today, and I mean hell. The murder victim that you found yesterday…” he stopped and took a long breath. “She’s my daughter.”

“Your daughter? Oh Lord, no.” Sloan’s face registered the shock. “I’m so sorry. Tell me about it.”

“I hadn’t seen her since she was seven. She had grown up, married and changed her name. My ex-wife, with a different name, showed up to ID the body and when she saw me, exploded all over the place. She blamed me, of course.  My daughter has two kids and they’re missing, along with the dad of the new baby. Sharkey is