Page 20 of One Cry Too Loud (Coastal Crime Unit #9)
“ I ’m sorry. I’m a terrible host. Can I get you something to drink? Maybe some finger sandwiches?” She looked past us. “Eli, would you get these people some food before they start to think we’re philistines or something?”
“We’re fine,” I said. “That High Priestess lady offered us all of that when we came in. We’re really just looking for any information that might help us find Cindy.”
She was hand in hand with Holly, who looked a touch uncomfortable, as they walked toward the couches at the far end of the room.
“You really were sent by the spirit, weren’t you?
” Alice asked. “You know, I will admit I was a bit skeptical when High Priestess Monetella told me about her dream. I had no idea what the three of clubs meant, but now here you are, shining beacons of hope in my darkest hour. It really does prove that the spirit is always working toward the greater good.”
“We’re not really a club,” I muttered. “But that’s beside the point. What can you tell us about the night Cindy was taken?”
“Oh, it was a terrible night,” Alice said.
She wasn’t looking at me, though. Her focus and all her attention was lasered in on Holly, whose hand she was still holding as they sat down at a couch as far away from us as they could and still be in the living room.
“Cindy was very hyper that night, very hyper. I couldn’t get her to go to sleep no matter what I did.
It was almost two o’clock in the morning before I could finally get her to close her eyes, and on the way back to my room, I heard a rumbling. That was when the break in happened.”
“Was she like that a lot? Was it hard to get her to sleep?” Holly asked.
“More often than I would have liked,” Alice replied. “I always wondered, does hyperactivity run in your family?”
“None of us have ever been diagnosed with it,” Holly replied. “Maybe people in Joe's family did. I’m not too sure, I’m afraid.”
“Who is Joe?” Alice asked.
“That’s Cindy’s birth father,” Holly explained.
“His name is Joe?” Alice mused, seeming puzzled at the thought. “That does explain a lot.”
“It does?” Holly asked.
“As I’m sure you know, spiritually speaking, the name Joseph signifies an increase, something or someone that adds. I suppose, in this case, energy is what was added,” Alice said. “Of course, that’s only one of the reasons I find it fascinating.”
“This lesson in spirituality is fascinating and all, but can we get back to the breaking and entering?” Kat asked. “Time is of the essence, after all.”
“Of course,” Alice said. “I’m afraid, in that regard, there isn’t much to tell. A man came in. He was dressed formally and a motorcycle helmet on with the visor pulled down to cover his eyes.”
“Formally?” I asked.
“In a tuxedo,” she explained.
“The person who broke into your home was wearing a tuxedo?” Kat asked, obviously as surprised by the idea as I was.
“And a motorcycle helmet. I gather from your tone that this isn’t normal attire for a burglary,” Alice said.
“It’s not something I’ve ever heard of,” Kat said.
“Maybe he wanted to mark the occasion,” Alice said. “In any event, our altercation did not last long. He hit me in the side of the head with something. I was out nearly as soon as I hit the floor. When I woke up, Eli was standing over me and he told me Cindy wasn’t in her room.”
“And you didn’t hear anything while this man in a tuxedo broke into the house, knocked Alice out, and took a child against her will?” I asked, looking over at the man.
He had a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth, which he swallowed down sloppily as she answered. “I was in the shower.”
“At two o’clock in the morning?” I asked.
“Is there a law against that?” He replied.
“It’s just a strange time to be in the shower,” I said.
“Well, Alice’s coven had been at the house until almost midnight, and it took another two hours after that to get Cindy to sleep. Two o’clock in the morning was the earliest I could have gotten in the shower that night,” he explained.
“You don’t need to look at Eli with suspicious eyes. He loves Cindy almost as much as I do. He’s the only reason we’ve gotten by since Harrison left,” Alice said.
“How did Cindy take it when he left?” Holly asked with concern filling her voice.
“As you might expect,” Alice replied. “It’s hard losing a father. It’s like losing a piece of yourself.”
“You sound like you’re speaking from experience,” Holly said.
“I am. My parents died within weeks of each other,” Alice replied.
“Cancer for one. A car accident for the other. It was a hard time. It’s actually why I decided to start the process of adoption that led me to having Cindy in my life.
Even though I was single, I was all alone then, and I knew I needed someone in my life to keep me grounded, to give me a sense of purpose. ”
“I’m sorry. You weren’t married when you adopted Cindy?” I asked.
“No. That came later,” Alice said. “About nine months after Cindy came into my life, Harrison followed suit. He just showed up at my doorstep one day and he never left.” The smile that had appeared on her face faded.
“Until he did. You know, it was the shock of my life when that man left. Even if I thought he would have walked out on me, I would have never imagined he’d walk out on that little girl.
SHe was his family, you know? Does that not mean anything? "
“Unfortunately, for some people, it doesn’t,” Kat said.
“What do you mean when you say he just showed up on your doorstep?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
“I’m not quite sure how you can misunderstand that sentence,” Alice asked. Then, in a flash, her face lit up. “Oh, I know! Would you like to see pictures of Cindy from when she was growing up?”
“More than you could ever imagine,” Holly said.
“Then I’ll be right back with them.” Alice jumped from the couch and sped off into another room.
I stood and made my way over to Eli. He had thankfully placed the spoon and ice cream carton down on the table beside him.
“She’s something of a character,” I said.
“Alice?” He answered. “She is, but she’s got a good heart. She’s got the best heart, as a matter of fact.”
“I don’t doubt that you believe that,” I said.
“That I believe it?” He blanched. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Her reaction to her daughter going missing, it’s not what I expected it to be,” I admitted. “She seems flippant. She seems annoyed that I’m even trying to help her.”
“You can blame the coven for that,” Eli said.
“They have her believing that everything happens for a reason. She thinks that the spirits or whoever are orchestrating everything, that it’s all part of some big destiny.
” He shook his head. “Which is to say that she believes all of this will work out, and she can be passive about it, the way she’s passive about almost everything else. ”
“You don’t like the coven very much,” I said.
“They’re bleeding her dry,” Eli said. “She won a settlement after her mother died in that car accident. Some rich kid was drunk and driving the wrong way down the freeway. Alice got about seven million dollars when it was all said and done.” he sighed.
“It’s enough to make sure that her and her daughter never have to worry about anything ever again.
These vultures aren’t going to be happy until they go through every cent of it, though.
They’re always needing something; a thousand dollars for this.
Five thousand dollars for that, and so long as they can whisper what she wants to hear into her ear, Alice is happy to give them whatever they ask for. ”
“No wonder you don’t like them,” I said.
“I thought she was rid of them a few months ago. She told me she was going to quit, but no such luck. They have their talons dug deep into her, I guess.”
Before I could answer, I heard a shriek come from the other side of the room. Holly had her hand over her mouth as she looked down at the photo album Alice must have brought out to her.
“It’s him!” She yelled.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
She turned the photo album toward me. I saw a picture of Alice and a little girl who I assumed was Cindy. They were standing with a tall man with a receding hairline and a smile on his face.
“That’s him!” She repeated. “The man in the picture, the man Alice was married to, it’s Joe!”