“I’m on my way now darlin, keep calm, I won’t be long. I’ll call mom and dad on the way, just stay where you are. I’m not sure what’s going on.” The line goes dead and I just stand there in a state of shock.
Shelley has started crying, my world feels like its crumbling around me, I’m aware of Betsy crying around me but I can’t seem to move from where I am, someone has taken my boys, not just anyone, one of the ranch hands and I have a sneaking suspicion who the mastermind is behind it all, Christie?
Jake turns up about five minutes later and begins questioning everyone, everyone is in a state of panic, I see other mums clutching their children tightly and looking at me with sympathy and in that moment I would give anything to be able to do that with my boys.
Kenni isn’t far behind and walks straight over to me, Annett, Emmett, Annabelle and Jed walk in behind him and several of the ranch hands, several other police officers are also now here and the whole place is a hive of activity.
Emmett informs the police that his truck, Kenni’s old one has been stolen, this is the truck that Shelley saw and she had just assumed it was still Kenni’s and hadn’t questioned it because she knew Marco worked on the ranch.
The sheriff asks everyone to head over to the station, on the way out of the nursery I look at the twins coat hooks and notice their backpacks are still there, this means that Teddy doesn’t have any of his inhalers with him and that’s the exact moment that I lose it to the point where I am inconsolable and they have to call a doctor, I briefly remember fighting the doctor as I was injected with something.
I remember screaming, I remember Kenni consoling me with tears in his eyes, I remember the looks of concern from his family and I remember seeing my two boys flash into my head as the darkness consumes me.
Chapter Twenty-One
I wake up in unfamiliar surroundings and I’m unaware how much time has passed, looking around I am lying down on a bed in what looks like a prison cell, looking around I notice the door is wide open and I can hear voices in the distance.
I take a couple of minutes to gather myself, remembering what happened at the nursery I am no good to anyone if I get myself in that state again. I stand up on shaky legs and walk out of the cell and follow the voices, walking around the corner everyone familiar to me comes into view, Kenni is the first to me, pulling me up into a tight hug.
“Darlin, I’m sorry but we couldn’t do anything to calm you down.” I nod my head as I know I was in a state.
“Have you found them yet?” Tears are once again streaming, but I am in control of my emotions.
“Not yet sweetheart, they think they may be after a ransom, were going to head back to the ranch in a minute in case they try and make contact.” I nod my head again while Annett and Annabelle come over to hug me.
“I can’t sit around and wait for them I need to be doing something.” Kenni lowers his head, obviously he expected me to argue, he opens his mouth to say something, Jake speaks though.
“I understand what you’re thinking but trust me you need to be at home on the ranch in case they make contact there, given the family involved and the wealth that comes with them, we have to believe they will ask you to pay a ransom.
You are needed at home to take that call if they phone, that’s where you belong, we have people on foot and in patrol cars and most of the town is out there looking for them as we speak, can you do that for me, for your boys?” Damn Jake and his bloody logic, I nod my head as words evade me and Kenni hugs me tighter.
We head out and I’m amazed to see so many people in town all wandering around aimlessly, they all look our way as we emerge and approach to see if there is any news, when we shake our heads they all look down and then get back to searching.
“Where is Betsy?” I ask Kenni.
“Jessica has her darlin.” I’m thankful for that, with the exception of family she is about the only one I trust with her.
“Can we go and get her?” I ask pleadingly.
“She’s already at the ranch with her, someone had to go back.” I nod my head and get in his truck, driving back seems to take forever, Jessica is waiting on the porch when we get there, she wraps me in a hug and we have a cry together, it’s a cry that only other mothers would understand.
I walk in to see Betsy but she’s sleeping, my finger are itching to hold her but I resist. Jessica informs me that she was hungry and that she had to give her some formula, there wasn’t anything else she could do and I tell her that it’s fine. We all sit in the lounge lost in our own thoughts, all of us playing the waiting game.
An hour or so later the sheriff turns up to give us an update, they haven’t been found yet, Matt Kennedy has also reported that he hasn’t seen his sister Christie since this morning and as they know Marco picked the twins up they also have to assume that she is somehow connected.
This gets me thinking about the conversation at Matt’s birthday party in the toilet, I tell everyone about it especially about Christie saying I had tainted Kenni’s offspring but that would be taken care of. Jessica backed up everything that I said because she witnessed the whole thing.
“Why didn’t you tell me darlin?” Kenni asks me.
“Because you just thought I was being jealous when I brought her up, I haven’t liked her from the first time I met her but you kept telling me she was harmless.” He looks guilty and I feel a bit bad. Kenni looks at the sheriff and speaks.
“Actually Mike, Matt has told me a couple of times that he thinks Christie is obsessed with me.” Talk about dropping a bombshell, Kenni eyes me cautiously before continuing.
“I have never, ever encouraged her but I know she has a soft spot for me, Matt also told me of his suspicions and told me to keep an eye on her as she tends to get obsessive.” He chances a glance at me and I’m about to blow a fucking gasket. Standing up I look down on him.
“You stood there and told me that woman was harmless, I have told you repeatedly I didn’t like her, you have allowed her to come to this ranch on a regular basis, into our home, knowing how she feels about you and you still told me that she was harmless, I can’t believe this. If anything happens to my sons this is your fault, I’ll never forgive you if it does.”
I know they are words spoken in anger and I’ll never be able to take them back, he looks like I have winded him, he stands up and puts an arm around me, I shrug out of his arm and go and pick Betsy up. His parents look at him and shake their heads in disappointment, the sheriff speaks again.
“At a time like this the two of you need to stick together, I think it’s fair to say that Christie Kennedy is an accomplice if not the mastermind behind this and that gives us a new theory to work with, you need to stay united, otherwise she has already won.” I am so angry with him right now, taking Betsy I head upstairs to feed her.
After a few minutes Jessica comes up to check on me, she told me Kenni had walked out and was currently in the process of destroying one of the barns, Jed and his father are trying to calm him down, I try but fail to feel sorry for him, he has brought this to our house. Jessica stayed with me the whole time I am in my room, I bite the bullet and phone home, my parents are on instant alert as it is early hours in the morning there time, I phoned the landline my dad answers.