A Long Way Back to Love

Mystery/Romance

A Long Way Back to Love

Chapter One

The large kitchen was welcoming with soft yellow walls and big windows covered with floral curtains. With the stove and the oven on, the afternoon sun streamed through the windows and made the room slightly warmer than usual. A short woman with gray hair in a bun bustled around preparing the evening meal. Wonderful smells permeated the whole house.

Claudette looked around glancing at the clock frowning as she realized the time. It was after 5:30 and she was surprised because her employer, who was very punctual, should have been home almost half an hour earlier. With a puzzled look on her face, she took off her white apron draping it over the back of a chair. Turning down the burners on the stove and the temperature of the oven, she walked through the kitchen and down the hall.

Pausing only long enough to grab her sweater, she headed outside through the living room door onto the porch. The sun would go down in another hour, and the cool temps would grow even colder. She peered down the street, looking for Miss Cheryl, as she called her, but couldn't see her. She walked down the porch steps headed in the direction she expected to see her coming from.

Cheryl took the bus home from work every Tuesday and Thursday and was always home at the same time, but not today. There was no sign of her coming along the sidewalk. The bus stop was five blocks from their house and only took a few minutes to walk. This was so unlike her and Claudette felt a niggle of concern in the back of her mind as she wondered what had delayed her.

She walked slowly looking from one side of the street to the other. She crossed the first block and then another. Cars were parked up one side and down the other. When she came to an open space where two cars would fit, she found a very large, heavy brown envelope, which was actually an art folio, lying halfway on the street curb. She immediately recognized it as Cheryl's. Further into the street was her purse and one of her shoes.

Claudette gasped and started into the road to examine the items closer when she saw some dark spots. She started to pick up the items but then thought better of it and stopped. She needed to call for help, but her phone was back in the kitchen. Mentally kicking herself, she was in a quandary about what to do. Getting help was urgent, but she didn't want to leave the items unattended.

She finally decided the best thing was to go for her phone, so she started back to the house. Taking a few steps back to the sidewalk, she headed back the way she had come. Before long she began huffing and puffing.

"I'm out of shape. I've gotta lose some of this weight," she thought. Looking up, she saw a car heading toward her and recognized it immediately. It was Mr. Robert's car. He was her employer and Miss Cheryl's husband. Claudette hastily stepped back out into the street frantically waving her arms. Robert stopped as he drove up beside her.

"Why in the world are you standing in the street waving your arms around," Robert asked getting out of the silver sedan.

"Mr. Robert, I think something has happened. Miss Cheryl is late getting home. I came out to look for her and found this! We need to call the police!"

"Calm down, Claudette, you'll give yourself a stroke! Your face is all red," said the slim man with dark brown eyes and dirty blond hair.

"Please come take a look. For heaven's sake, hurry!" She turned around and headed back to Cheryl's belongings lying in the street with Robert following her. He stopped short when he saw what was there. Reaching into the pocket of his gray pants, he pulled out his phone, snapped several photos, and quickly dialed it.

"I need the police here. Something has happened to my wife." Claudette could only hear his side of the conversation. "She's late getting home, and we've found some of her things in the road. There are also some dark, wet spots that could be blood." He gave the emergency operator his address and answered several more questions.

"Yes, I'll stay on the phone," he replied. Covering the mouthpiece, he told Claudette that the police were being dispatched immediately.

"How long were you out here before I drove up, Claudette?" Robert asked. She told him she'd stepped out of the house only a few minutes earlier.

"I didn't have my phone, and I was going back to the house to get it. I didn't want to leave Miss Cheryl's things in the street, but I knew I needed to call for help. Oh, Mr. Robert! I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have let the time slip away from me but--."

"Stop that! You're not responsible for this." As he spoke, he could already hear sirens in the distance. "It sounds like they're almost here." He told the operator the police had arrived and hung up the phone. They watched as a police car with the lights flashing turned the corner and stopped behind Robert's car. Both officers climbed out of the car and quickly made their way to the two distressed people standing in the road.

"I'm Officer Dodson and this is Officer Kingsley. What's going on," he asked, pulling a notepad out of his pocket, while introducing himself and his partner. Robert and Claudette both started to talk at once and Officer Dodson held up his hand.

"Okay, one at a time, please! Who found these items?"

"I did," exclaimed Claudette.

" Take a deep breath and tell me what happened," he said.

Claudette started explaining to him what happened, and the officers listened intently, taking notes. They walked over to the things lying in the street. Robert picked up the story, explaining what he encountered when he drove up. The officers examined the items on the ground without touching them.

"Did either of you touch these things?" Officer Dodson seemed to be in charge asking all the questions.

"No!" Both Claudette and Robert answered simultaneously.

"Good," replied Dodson. Turning to Kingsley he said, "Let's get the detectives here ASAP and we need the crime scene unit too. You talk to the woman, and I'll talk to the husband."

"Ma'am, could you talk to me over here," Kingsley said indicating a spot just down the sidewalk a short way. Claudette nodded and followed the officer. Kingsley walked about a block away from Robert and Officer Dodson.

"What's your name please, ma'am."

"I'm Claudette Murphy."

"And how do you know this man?" As they spoke the officer took notes.

"Robert Guilford is my employer. I've worked for him for almost eight years. His wife is Cheryl and they've been married for about four years."

"Who found the items in the street?"

"I did. Miss Cheryl is late getting home tonight so I came out to look for her. That's when I saw her things in the road. I was just heading back to the house to get my phone and call Mr. Robert but he drove up the street."

"Do you live with the Guilfords?"

"Oh, no sir! I work for them during the week and on an occasional Saturday if needed. I cook and clean for them. They're such a lovely, young couple."

"How would you say they get along? Do they argue or fight often? Do they have any financial problems?"

"No, no, no. They rarely have a cross word with each other. As for money, Mr. Robert makes very good money. His father owns Guilford and Sons Engineering. It's a very successful business. And they aren't spendthrifts by any means, although they do like to travel. And they pay me well."

"Does Mrs. -uh - Guilford work, too?"

"She works part-time right now, just on Tuesdays and Thursdays at an art store downtown. She's usually home just a few minutes after 5:00. She takes the bus to and from work. I noticed it was almost 5:30 and got concerned about her."

"You were concerned about her being late? Did she ever run errands after work," asked Officer Kingsley.

"No, she always came straight home. If she had errands, she did them during her lunch hour. Miss Cheryl is such a punctual person. She doesn't like to be late!"

"And do you like Miss Cheryl? Is she easy to work for? Any problems between the two of you?"

"We get along just fine. I set my own schedule for the cleaning, and she plans the meals with my help. She isn't big on cooking and baking. But we get along just fine. She's such a dear young woman. She and Mr. Robert are almost like my own children. And Miss Cheryl is very smart and talented, too."

"Do you know anyone who might want to hurt her? Anyone angry at her? Hear of any threats against her?"

"No, not that I'm aware of. They're both very pleasant people."

"Where were you today, Mrs. Murphy?"

"I was at the house all day. I got here at about 8:00. Mr. Robert had already left for work. Miss Cheryl and I went over the menu for dinner tonight and she left shortly thereafter. Thursday is laundry day, so I did several loads of washing. I also dusted and vacuumed the upstairs. It keeps me running up and down those stairs, it does."

Officer Kingsley glanced down the street and saw a car pulling up near Dodson and Robert.

"I think I have everything I need for now. Let's head back and join Mr. Guilford and Officer Dodson."

**********

"I didn't get your name, sir," Officer Dodson said.

"I'm Robert Guilford. Robert Evan Guilford. My wife is Cheryl. She's the one who's missing," he replied.

"Age and date of birth?"

"Cheryl's 28 and was born September 5, 1992. I'm 32 and was born December 2, 1988. We've been married for four years," Robert said, running his hand over the back of his neck. He could feel a headache starting.

"Do you and your wife have any problems? Disagreements, fights, anything at all," Dodson asked.

"Well, we have disagreements occasionally like every other couple but nothing serious. Claudette can confirm that. She's worked for me for seven - almost eight years. Also, my brothers and their wives can tell you we agree on almost everything. The one thing we didn't see eye to eye on was how much I had to travel for work sometimes."

"Okay, I need a description of your wife."

"Cheryl is - she's a beautiful woman. She's 5'6" and weighs about 115 pounds so she's very petite. She has long blonde hair with bangs, and it falls just past her shoulders. Her eyes are brilliant blue."

"Any distinguishing marks, scars, or tattoos?"

"Yes, she has a scar from an appendectomy. She also has a scar on her chest above her breasts where she had a cyst removed. No tattoos. Oh, and she keeps her toes painted pink, uses a polish called Ballet Slippers."

"Okay, where was your wife coming from this afternoon?"

"Cheryl's an artist and teaches an art class every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. She usually arrives home right after five. She gets off the bus about five blocks up the street and walks home. I'm not usually home at that time of day but our housekeeper, Claudette, is generally there preparing dinner. I arrive home most days between 6:00 and 6:30."

"But your wife didn't return at the usual time today."

"No, Claudette realized she was late and went to look for her. That's when she found Cheryl's belongings in the street, and that's also about the time I drove up and found her standing outside. I worked through lunch, so I managed to get off a little early today. It's - it's not like Cheryl to be late and not let us know."

"And where were you today?"

"I was at work all day today. There are plenty of people who can verify that. I didn't even go out for lunch."

"Yes, I'll have to verify that,".

"That won't be hard to do. Everyone there knows me."

"Where do you work?"

"At Guilford and Sons Engineering."

"How long have you worked there?"

"A long time. I started there full time after I finished my master's degree in engineering. That would have been 2012. But I worked there during summers, too. My father owns the company, so my brothers and I were always working around the office when we were kids. Look, how many more of these questions are you going to ask? You should be looking for my wife!"

The whole time Robert answered questions the officer took notes. Robert glanced around and saw Claudette down the sidewalk with the other officer. It looked like she was being interrogated too.

"Mr. Guilford, we're waiting for back-up to arrive. We also need as much information as we can get to search for your wife." As the officer spoke two more cars pulled up, as well as a van identified as the Crime Scene Division. Claudette and Officer Kingsley walked back to Robert and Officer Dodson. Behind them were two more men, apparently police since they wore police badges on chains around their necks, but they were in plain clothes.

"Dodson, Kingsley, we need to speak to you. Follow us." The four men walked down the street to where Cheryl's items were. People from the van also headed that way carrying boxes and tools.

"Mr. Robert, why are all these people standing around instead of looking for Miss Cheryl? They need to look for her instead of asking all these questions. That police man made me feel like I had something to do with her disappearance. I didn't like the questions he asked me. I think you need to get a lawyer." She was clearly incensed.

"No, we don't need a lawyer, Claudette. That would make us look like we're hiding something. But I'm going to call Brad and ask him to come over. I feel like I need someone else here on my side." With a heavy sigh he rubbed his hands over his face. He was definitely getting a headache.

"Where is she," he asked. "I don't know what to do and all these guys are standing around shooting the breeze. I'm calling Brad right now! Fuck these idiots!" Claudette was surprised to hear Robert use foul language. He was such a well-spoken man and rarely spoke that way. He pulled out his phone, and turning away from her, dialed his brother's number. He spoke for a short time with an urgent tone to his voice. As he was talking, one of the yet unknown police officers ran towards them shouting.

"Who are you calling? Get off the phone! Get off right now!" He reached for Robert and tried to grab the phone out of his hand. Furiously, Robert spun away from the man, but the officer was faster and knocked the device out of his hand. It went flying and hit the sidewalk with a crack.

"What do you think you're doing? If you broke my phone you're going to pay for it!"

"You're not supposed to be calling anyone. Stay off the phone! I mean it!"

"Who the hell are you? No one told me to stay off the phone. No one said I couldn't call anyone. Is there anything else I can't do? Am I under arrest? If not, get the hell out of my face," he yelled at the officer. He walked over and scooped up his phone. The officer eyed him suspiciously.

"Who were you talking to just now? Give me the phone," the detective demanded.

"I'll do no such thing. I've done nothing wrong and just who are you to be yelling at me, telling me what I can and cannot do? This is my street, my home, and my wife who is missing!"

"I'm the detective in charge and you need to follow my instructions!"

"Well, 'Mr. Detective-in-Charge', you haven't given me any instructions, much less told me who you are and what's going on."

"Hold on, hold on everyone! I'm Detective Turner and this is Detective Powell. Everyone needs to calm down. We won't get anything accomplished this way." The second plain clothes detective stepped over to them.

Turner turned to Detective Powell and glared at him. Then he looked at Robert and said, "Sir, would you please tell us who you were on the phone with? You don't have to, but we will get your phone records and find out. Maybe we can calm down and you can save us all some time."

"If you must know, I called my brother, Brad, and asked him to come over. He should be here in a few minutes." Robert huffed, "Look, I'm usually calm and level-headed but I can be hot-headed if pushed hard enough, and right now you're pushing it! With my wife missing I'm so stressed it's hard to stay calm. Don't push me any harder." Detective Powell let out a noise that sounded halfway between a scoff and a growl.

Detective Turner suggested they go inside the Guilford's house. Powell nodded his head in agreement and let Robert lead the way. The white stone house was large and in pristine condition.

"We'd like to look through the house," Powell said. He went back to the front door and called Dodson and Kingsley inside.

"Why? There's nothing here to see. Cheryl was outside when she went missing,"

"It's standard procedure. It won't take long," replied Powell. He directed the two uniformed officers upstairs and he began looking around the formal living room. Luxurious furniture filled the large area. It was decorated in shades of green. Two arched windows filled the room with light that was starting to fade into evening.

An immense sofa sat in front of the windows and dominated the room. A love seat with two large chairs filled the area, along with a big coffee table holding a green plant. Two end tables held large green and white marble-based lamps. On one of them, there was a photograph of Robert and a woman.

"Is this your wife?" Officer Turner asked. Robert replied that it was. "I'd like to take a photo of this, please. It will help in finding her."

"Sure, go ahead. Do anything if it will help find my wife!" Turner took several shots.

The uniformed officers headed upstairs and could be heard walking around with doors and drawers occasionally opening and closing. Turner headed down the hallway that led to the kitchen.

"Supper," mumbled Claudette. "It's probably burned by now." She followed the detective. Turner motioned for her to remain behind him. As he approached the kitchen, the smell of dinner filled the hallway.

Entering the kitchen, she pushed past him and started checking the pots on the stove top while turning off the burners. Nothing was burned since the housekeeper had the foresight to lower the heat before going out to look for Cheryl. The same couldn't be said of the roast in the oven, now mostly dried out.

But none of that mattered since Claudette and Robert had lost their appetites and were worried about finding Cheryl. As Turner stepped into another room, the housekeeper started a pot of coffee and put on the kettle to boil for tea. It was going to be a long night, and the beverages would be sorely needed. She took a large mug of coffee back to the living room for Robert.

"Here dear. Maybe this caffeine will help. You look like you're getting a headache." He nodded at her as he took the mug with a grim thank you. By this time Officers Dodson and Kingsley were coming down the stairs. The two detectives also returned to the living room.

"What did you find," asked Detective Powell.

"Everything seems to be in order upstairs. Nothing out of place, all neat and clean," replied Dodson. They nodded their heads and Turner replied, "Same down here."

"Good. Go check with the Crime Scene Techs. See if they've found anything."

"Will you tell me what's going on?" Robert was fed up having received no answers and his anger was rising again from a simmer to a boil.

"Yes, tell us what's going on," a voice boomed from the open doorway. "I'd like to know, too." Everyone turned to the new voice and found a tall, tanned man with dark, curly brown hair and a full beard. It was Brad Guilford, Robert's brother. Standing beside him was his wife, Lori, a slim woman with long, black hair.

"Who are you," asked the detective.

"Better yet, who are you? I'm Bradley Guilford, Robert's brother. This is my wife, Lori. What have they told you, Robert? Do you have any information yet or are they keeping you in the dark, the way most police like to?" Brad had been in a run-in or two with the police in his younger days and wasn't too fond of them.

As Brad and Lori stepped further inside the house, the two uniformed officers moved back inside also. One of them spoke quietly with the detective for a minute and then walked to the side of the room and stood.

"CSU found some fresh tire marks. Also, the wet spots are most likely blood."

Gasps were heard from Cheryl's family. "We don't know if they belong to the missing woman -"

"She has a name! It's Cheryl! It would be nice if you'd refer to her by her name instead of as a crime statistic." Robert raised his voice and was almost shouting by this time.

"Well, the evidence will be taken to the lab and analyzed.

"What are you going to do now," asked Brad.

"We have officers canvassing houses to find out if anyone saw or heard anything unusual. We'll be contacting hospitals with a description of Mrs. Guilford. If she shows up at any emergency departments, the staff will have been alerted."

"Officers on patrol have also been alerted to the fact that she is missing, and we are looking for her. Do we have a description of what she was wearing today?"

"I left the house before Cheryl got dressed today so I don't know. Claudette, what was she wearing?"

Claudette gulped and sat down on the edge of one of the oversized chairs. "She was wearing a burgundy dress with long sleeves. She had on a black belt and black heels."

"What about any jewelry," asked Detective Powell. "How was she wearing her hair?"

"She wore her engagement and wedding rings. She had her favorite bracelet on her - uh- right wrist. It has a tag on it with her initials 'CBG'." She wore her garnet stone hoop earrings. One of them was in the street where I found her purse and folio. Oh, and she had her watch. She wore her hair down today. It's blonde and falls just past her shoulders."

"Was her jewelry worth a lot? Would someone take her to steal it from her?"

"Her engagement and wedding rings were worth a lot of money, but they weren't flashy. Her engagement ring had a one carat Ceylon sapphire and a one carat light blue topaz. There were four half carat diamonds, two on either side of the colored gems. Her wedding ring was set with six half carat diamonds," Robert spoke up.

"We need to speak with each of you individually," Officer Powell stated.

"Claudette and I have already spoken to the officers who arrived first. We told them everything we know. We have to go through all this again?" Robert was exasperated.

"You'll probably be asked for the same information several more times. There may be things you've forgotten or left out that you'll remember later. We need to get as much information as we can. This is all routine."

"Standard procedure," scoffed Brad.

Robert sat down on the sofa. He couldn't understand why it was taking so long to get anything done.

"Can't we go out and look for Cheryl? She could be nearby and hurt."

"No, we need you to stay here. If your wife has been kidnapped, there may be a ransom call. You'll need to be here if there is. We have people on the way to set up the phones in case this happens. And as I said, we already have officers out looking for her."

"Oh God," said Robert standing up suddenly. "Where is she? What's happened to her? I need to find her. You need to find her!" Robert felt scared. Cheryl had been by his side for six years and he was deeply in love with her. He would do anything for her - give her anything she needed or wanted.

"Where was Cheryl coming from? Does she always take the bus," Powell asked Robert.

"She was returning from work. And yes, she always takes the bus home. She only works on Tuesdays and Thursdays."

"Where does she work?"

"At Alexandra's House of Art. It's an art store downtown. She helps around the shop but in the afternoon, she teaches an art class those two days. She's friends with the owner, Alex."

"Are you sure she was there this afternoon? Could she have been anywhere else?"

"Of course she was there! If she wasn't, Alex would have called me to check on her."

"Can you reach this woman now?"

"Well, sure I can. You want me to call her now?"

"I'll call her."

"Why?"

"It's procedure. Will she still be at the shop?" Powell said.

"Probably. Go ahead and call her."

Powell pulled out his phone, looked up the number and called. Apparently, Alex answered the call, and he proceeded to ask her about Cheryl's whereabouts that afternoon. When he ended the call, Robert was staring at him.

"So, what did she say?"

"She stated that your wife was indeed at work the entire time she was scheduled to be. She left on time. Nothing unusual or out of the ordinary happened while she was there. She was concerned about why I called but I told her this was part of an on-going investigation, and I couldn't say anything. You should be expecting a call any minute."

"When she calls, I'd like to tell her what's going on."

"Fine with me. I can't comment but that's procedure."

Robert turned his head so Powell couldn't see him as he rolled his eyes. He was already sick of the word "procedure." Sure enough, Robert's phone started to ring. The detective got up and left.

**********

Detective Powell told Brad he wanted to speak with him.

"You mean interrogate me," he snapped.

"You want to help find your sister-in-law or gripe?"

"Ask."

"Full name," the detective said.

"Bradley Edward Guilford."

"Age and date of birth?"

"I'm 35, born September 1, 1984."

"Where do you work?"

"Guilford and Sons Engineering, same place as Robert."

"Were you at work today? Did you see your brother there today?"

"Yes and yes. I also saw my father and my younger brother there today."

"What are their names?"

"My father is Edward and my brother is Michael. It's a family business."

"How long have you worked there?"

"Since I was a kid when I worked there summers."

"What about your sister-in-law?"

"What about her?"

"Do your brother and she get along well?"

"Yes. They've always seemed happy together. I've never heard them fight. But Robert and I aren't as close as we were when we were kids. We lead very different lives now.

"Although we work for the same company, we work in separate divisions. We sometimes work on parts of projects together but not often. Also, I have three kids that keep me and my wife busy."

"Yet you were the first person he called after he realized his wife was missing."

"I'm his older brother. He respects my opinion. What I know is that they seem happy. The only time I've ever heard them disagree was when he was traveling all the time for work. Neither of them was happy about him being away from home so long and so often. Things got better when Robert told my father that he wasn't going to travel anymore."

"How are things with them now?"

"As far as I know they're good. My wife is closer to Cheryl so she would know better. Ask her."

"Do you know anyone who would want to hurt your sister-in-law?"

"No, she's a nice person. I've never heard her say anything negative about anyone. She gets along well with my wife and kids and our mother. She's a very talented artist and her work is starting to be well accepted."

"So do you like her?"

"Yes. She makes Robert happy and that's good enough for me. Also, my family likes her. She's pretty close to them.

********

Detective Powell took Lori Guilford into the dining room explaining he needed to ask her some questions. They sat at the dining room table.

"How long have you known Mrs. Guilford?"

"You mean Cheryl? You'll have to be specific. There are three Mrs. Guilfords. I've known Cheryl about five years. I met her more than a year before she and Robert got married."

"How do she and her husband get along?"

"They're a close couple who rarely argue. Cheryl is considerate, and she and Robert are happy together. We've become friends, and she also gets along well with my mother-in-law. She's also smart and talented.

"I like her a lot. We have coffee together and occasionally lunch. When attending events related to our husband's work, we often go together and are frequently accompanied by our mother-in-law. Knowing each other makes the time spent more enjoyable.

"She and Robert are a lot of fun at family events, too. She gets along well with our sons who adore her. She's very good with them and she kept them when we couldn't find a babysitter. She's even teaching our oldest, Ashley, to draw."

"So, you trust her with your children?"

"Absolutely! Actually, I'd rather have her keep them, but we attend so many of the same events that's not possible. She will be a very good mother, and Robert will be a great father, too. She treats our boys as if they were her own.

"But the most important thing is that she is so good for Robert."

They exited the dining room and returned to the living room. Brad glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. She responded by shaking her head and then seated herself next to him.

********

Chapter Two

It was cold - very cold. And it was dark. She shivered as she lay on the ground. She felt dizzy and the world was spinning. She had a terrible headache. Slowly she opened her eyes and turned to her left side, feeling the nausea growing. She tried to lift up on her elbow as her stomach lurched. Her body heaved as she emptied her stomach contents. Then she lay back down on the ground.

"I have to get up. I need help," she thought. The right side of her body hurt as well as the right side of her face. Opening her eyes, her vision was blurry, and she saw no one around. She realized she was in an alley. To her right was a wooden fence. If she could get up, she could hold on to the fence.

She had to try to sit up again, but her stomach was rolling. She had to try though. Again, she lifted herself up on her left side, which caused her to expel more of her stomach contents. The dizziness was overwhelming, and she had dark spots floating in front of her face. The darkness grew and she finally passed out.

When she finally opened her eyes again, she had no idea how long she had been out this time. It was completely dark. "How did I get here? What happened to me?" Taking some deep breaths, she managed to pull up into a sitting position. There was a garbage bin close by. The smell of the trash was sickening, and she leaned over to empty her stomach but there was only bile left.

Standing shakily, she took a shuffling step forward. She moved a very small distance and managed to grab on to the fence. Slowly she took a couple more small steps and came to a gate. It wouldn't budge so she kept going. Every so often there was another gate and rubbish bin.

Just as she felt she was going to pass out another time, she found a gate that was open. As she grabbed it, it swung into a backyard and her body followed it. She yelled in surprise as she flew forward and hit the ground.

*********

Inside the house two people sat watching a television show. Helen turned to her husband George and asked, " Did you hear that? It sounded like someone yelling."

"Yeah, but I thought it was on the TV."

"I don't think so. And now that I think about it, I didn't put the rubbish bin out in the alley. Did you?"

"I guess you want me to take it out?"

"Would you be kind enough to do it?" asked Helen sweetly. George groaned as he hoisted himself off the couch.

"Take a flashlight with you, George. It's gotten dark outside."

George muttered as he rummaged for the light by the back door. "Yes dear, I noticed that. It does that at night." Finding the light, he stepped outside and saw that the back gate was almost wide open, and the bin was tipped over. He also noticed something on the ground and then heard a moan. He quickly but cautiously moved towards the object.

He shined his light on the ground, horrified at what he saw. It was a woman who looked in bad shape. Her face was badly bruised, and her light hair matted with blood. He stood there frozen for a moment but then turned and hurried back to the house, calling for Helen. She heard the commotion and walked to the back door.

"Helen, Helen, get your phone! Call 911! Hurry!"

"What's going on George?"

"Hurry up! Someone is out here, and it looks like they're badly hurt!"

Helen ran back into the house, grabbed her phone, and hurried outside to her husband standing over the motionless body. She dialed the emergency number, and the operator was already speaking.

She told the emergency operator about the woman lying on the ground, gave her their location and said they needed help right away. The operator told her that paramedics and the police were on the way and that Helen should stay on the phone with her until they arrived.

"I hear sirens now. We're in the backyard. Maybe I should go to the front, so they know which house."

"Yes, but stay with me on the phone," the operator reminded her.

Helen quickly walked to the front of the house and saw the police car. There was a fence in the front yard and a gate that opened into the yard. She hurried over to unlock it and swing it open.

The police cruiser pulled to a stop on the street in front of the house and Helen waved at them. The ambulance was right behind the police. It pulled around the car and into the yard, driving beside the house until the lights reflected off George and the woman on the ground.

The police jumped out of the car while the EMTs grabbed their gear from the ambulance. They all headed toward the people in need of help. Helen ran toward them also while George backed up out of their way. The EMTs got to work sliding a C-collar around the injured woman's neck.

One of the policemen approached Helen and pulled her further back. "I'm Officer Jacobs. I need to get some information from you, please, ma'am."

He quickly learned how the older couple found the woman on the ground. Helen told the officer that they didn't know her and had never seen her before. They hadn't touched her or tried to look for identification. She said they had called 911 as soon as they found her.

"Now that I think about it, she must have come into the backyard through the unlocked gate from the alleyway. She must have knocked over the trash bin because it was upright earlier this afternoon."

Officer Jacobs keyed his radio and called for a crime scene unit. "Hadley, I'm going to quickly check out the alley. Seems the woman might have come from there. I've called CSU. I'll be right back."

He quickly stepped into the alley shining his flashlight from side to side. He could see what looked like drag marks alongside the fence and going around a few trash bins. At the top of the fence, he saw what looked like dark, red marks growing darker as he went further. They could have been blood from a handprint. A little way down the narrow dirt passage, he noticed what looked like a woman's black shoe.

He saw a place that looked like someone had been lying in the dirt. There was also a putrid smell and wet spots. It looked like someone had vomited on the ground. Stepping back, he turned around and headed back to where the injured woman lay.

********

It was almost midnight when the ambulance pulled up to the emergency department at Hope Memorial Medical Center. The EMTs had radioed ahead to tell the doctors about the condition of the Jane Doe they were transporting. In the hustle and bustle of bringing her inside the Emergency Department, they filled in the medical staff about her vital statistics and injuries.

"The patient has severe head wounds with bleeding, severe bruising on the right side of her face, and on the right abdomen, contusions and abrasions on hands, legs and feet. She was unconscious and didn't respond to painful stimuli."

The doctors called for lab work and X-rays. Nurses started an IV and X-rays showed hairline fractures on three of her ribs.

One of the nurses walked into the room. She observed the Jane Doe for several minutes while reading a CLEAR (Coordinated Law Enforcement Adult Rescue) Alert received from the police. As soon as the woman was sent to have a CT, she let another nurse know about the patient.

"Mary, the Jane Doe we just received may be the one from this alert. She fits the physical description, is wearing the burgundy dress, and has the same scars. She doesn't have the rings in the alert but wasn't she wearing a bracelet?"

"I think so, but the policewoman has the bracelet now, Julie. I think she's out near the nurses' station. She has red hair, so she'll be easy to spot." Julie and Mary left to find the police officer.

Sure enough, the police officer had a bracelet in an evidence bag. The officer pulled out her phone and called the number listed on the alert. She spoke to Detective Powell who confirmed the description given on the documents. The initials on the bracelet were "CBG". Jane Doe suddenly became Cheryl Bishop Guilford.

********

Chapter Three

Just past one o'clock in the morning the living room in Robert's house was full of people. Robert sat on the edge of the couch, elbows on his knees and face in his hands, nursing a headache with acetaminophen and caffeine. Claudette couldn't sit still and kept moving to the kitchen for drinks as they waited for news of Cheryl. There were sandwiches on the coffee table along with some snacks, but they were left untouched. No one was hungry.

Along with Robert was his brother Brad, and the two police detectives. Brad's wife, Lori, had long since gone home to take care of her and Brad's children.

There had been no ransom call, but the detectives were sure that one would come sooner rather than later. When Detective Powell's phone rang, everyone in the room startled. He answered at once.

"This is Powell."

"Detective Powell, this is Darcy Wells at Hope Memorial Medical Center. I'm an administrator here. We received the CLEAR Alert (Coordinated Law Enforcement Adult Rescue) from the police. About an hour ago, a Jane Doe was brought to the Emergency Department. An attentive nurse compared her details with the alert. We are as certain as we can be that this is Cheryl Guilford."

"As certain as you can be?"

"She ticks all the boxes for the description except that most of the jewelry is missing. It's all gone except for a bracelet that was found around her right wrist with the initials 'CBG' on it. This woman has extensive trauma and is in surgery as we speak."

"Thank you, Ms. Wells. We're heading your way now. How can I find you when we arrive?"

"Come in through the ED and ask for me. I'll be waiting for you."

"Thank you, Ms. Wells."

Robert and Brad were on their feet demanding to know what was happening.

"Who was that?"

"What did they say?"

"That they might have found your wife, Mr. Guilford. She was brought in as a Jane Doe but was identified by the alert we sent out. Ms. Wells at the hospital says she's in surgery now. We need to head to Hope Memorial."

Brad and Claudette clamored about going along. Robert turned to them.

"Brad, I want you to come with us. But Claudette, I need you to stay here," said Robert. "I need someone to be here in case anyone calls, or anything happens. Please do this for me."

Claudette dropped her head in defeat and then nodded yes. "Is it okay for me to spend the night here in the guest room?"

"Of course it is. In fact, I'd like you to do that. Thank you, dear." He put his hand on her shoulder and kissed her forehead. Grabbing their jackets and keys, the men headed out.