heart break. She was shaking uncontrollably. “Virgilia, I’ll go around and ask what’s going on. Just hang in there, hang in there.”
Grayson tried to find someone to speak to, and wasn’t having any luck until he saw a familiar face. The cop who busted him that last time, Officer Genny. “Excuse me, officer, do you remember me?”
She slowly nodded, looking him up and down. “Yes, Mr. Baxter. How can I help you?”
“My brother and his girlfriend were headed on a cruise, and then she heard about a car which plummeted into the water. We think it may have been my brother’s car.”
They walked over to Virgilia, who was pacing and getting more panicked by the second.
“Ma’am, I’m Officer Carla Genny. Do you know the license plate of your boyfriend’s car?
“Yes.” Virgilia spelled out the plate and the officer checked her book.
“Someone did report that car as the one which plummeted in the water.”
Virgilia’s knees buckled and Gray was there to help her.
“Was the car having any mechanical problems?”
Virgilia shook her head. “It was fine. We...we were getting ready to embark on the cruise. We had been planning this vacation for weeks. He went to park the car and said he’d be right back. Why is his car in the water? I don’t understand.”
“According to witnesses, the car was proceeding at a high rate of speed so there may have been a mechanical problem.”
“What about Cass? Was he hurt? Knocked out? Where is he?”
“We don’t know yet. We’re still trying to get the c—”
“... be advised that we have recovered the vehicle and it is vacant. ” The monotone voice on the officer’s radio announced.
“It’s empty?! Where’s Cass? Gray, where’s Cass?”
Virgilia fell to her knees as Grayson knelt beside her. She looked at Grayson with raw pain in her face as she kept asking for Cass. Grayson held her and looked at Officer Genny. It didn’t make any sense. How could someone parking a car just disappear without a trace?
***
Cass opened his eyes, feeling a slight ache in the back of his neck. He was in the back of a van which was driving down the street and his hands were tied behind his back. There was a man speaking Spanish—he couldn’t make out the words—and there was a woman in the front seat who looked familiar. He tried to form words, but his brain wasn’t fully functional. There was another person in the back with him. When he realized Cass was awake, he spoke in rapid Spanish to the others. With all the might he could muster, he tried to fight the man off. The woman passenger turned to him and he caught his breath.
“What—”
The person with him in the back of the van blew some dust in his face and his mind was quickly closing off, disconnecting from this world. Cass tried to fight it, but when he realized he was losing, the last image he held was of his love, Lila.
***
Four years later
Michael Kent had just finished his last class for the week. He breathed a sigh of relief and opened the Atlanta newspaper, scanning the latest headlines. One caught his eye. It was a about a female architect who’d designed a building for Baxter Chemicals’ new office downtown. The structure was a three story building with a specially slanted roof design that some characterized as being ahead of its time. He looked at the building and stopped. He’d seen that design somewhere before. It seemed that the architect was going to be in town for a special award before heading back to her practice and diner opening.
Michael looked at the picture and stopped dead in his tracks. A sudden rush of images came at him and he dropped the paper.
“Professor, are you all right?” One of his students grabbed his arm.
“I think I had too much coffee this morning. My wife tends to make it extra strong sometimes.”
“Well, you might want to lay off just a tad. I have my report ready.”
“Good. Have a fun Spring Break and see you in a week.”
Glynda did
Grayson tried to find someone to speak to, and wasn’t having any luck until he saw a familiar face. The cop who busted him that last time, Officer Genny. “Excuse me, officer, do you remember me?”
She slowly nodded, looking him up and down. “Yes, Mr. Baxter. How can I help you?”
“My brother and his girlfriend were headed on a cruise, and then she heard about a car which plummeted into the water. We think it may have been my brother’s car.”
They walked over to Virgilia, who was pacing and getting more panicked by the second.
“Ma’am, I’m Officer Carla Genny. Do you know the license plate of your boyfriend’s car?
“Yes.” Virgilia spelled out the plate and the officer checked her book.
“Someone did report that car as the one which plummeted in the water.”
Virgilia’s knees buckled and Gray was there to help her.
“Was the car having any mechanical problems?”
Virgilia shook her head. “It was fine. We...we were getting ready to embark on the cruise. We had been planning this vacation for weeks. He went to park the car and said he’d be right back. Why is his car in the water? I don’t understand.”
“According to witnesses, the car was proceeding at a high rate of speed so there may have been a mechanical problem.”
“What about Cass? Was he hurt? Knocked out? Where is he?”
“We don’t know yet. We’re still trying to get the c—”
“... be advised that we have recovered the vehicle and it is vacant. ” The monotone voice on the officer’s radio announced.
“It’s empty?! Where’s Cass? Gray, where’s Cass?”
Virgilia fell to her knees as Grayson knelt beside her. She looked at Grayson with raw pain in her face as she kept asking for Cass. Grayson held her and looked at Officer Genny. It didn’t make any sense. How could someone parking a car just disappear without a trace?
***
Cass opened his eyes, feeling a slight ache in the back of his neck. He was in the back of a van which was driving down the street and his hands were tied behind his back. There was a man speaking Spanish—he couldn’t make out the words—and there was a woman in the front seat who looked familiar. He tried to form words, but his brain wasn’t fully functional. There was another person in the back with him. When he realized Cass was awake, he spoke in rapid Spanish to the others. With all the might he could muster, he tried to fight the man off. The woman passenger turned to him and he caught his breath.
“What—”
The person with him in the back of the van blew some dust in his face and his mind was quickly closing off, disconnecting from this world. Cass tried to fight it, but when he realized he was losing, the last image he held was of his love, Lila.
***
Four years later
Michael Kent had just finished his last class for the week. He breathed a sigh of relief and opened the Atlanta newspaper, scanning the latest headlines. One caught his eye. It was a about a female architect who’d designed a building for Baxter Chemicals’ new office downtown. The structure was a three story building with a specially slanted roof design that some characterized as being ahead of its time. He looked at the building and stopped. He’d seen that design somewhere before. It seemed that the architect was going to be in town for a special award before heading back to her practice and diner opening.
Michael looked at the picture and stopped dead in his tracks. A sudden rush of images came at him and he dropped the paper.
“Professor, are you all right?” One of his students grabbed his arm.
“I think I had too much coffee this morning. My wife tends to make it extra strong sometimes.”
“Well, you might want to lay off just a tad. I have my report ready.”
“Good. Have a fun Spring Break and see you in a week.”
Glynda did
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