Arriving back at the station John went in to find Brody. He wanted to head up to the mountain and search. If he could get proof of a hidden base underneath the colony, he could get a judge to issue another search warrant.
Bo met John as he entered the squad room. “Fish informed me you went to see Todd and Blair. Did you get anything more? How’s Blair doing?”
John stared at Bo, unsure of how to answer. The image of Blair’s blank eyes was still vivid in his mind. “Blair had a setback,” he said bleakly.
Bo followed him into his office and shut the door. “Wait, I thought she was doing okay? I talked to Larry myself last night and he said she and the baby were stable.”
“She was until I asked her to tell me about last night. It was too soon and Blair shut down.”
“My God, I bet Todd was beside himself.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” replied John absently rubbing at his neck. “He went a little crazy and Larry was forced to sedate him. There wasn’t anything I could do for them, so I came back here. Before I made the mistake of asking Blair about last night, Todd and I came up with a theory. We think there might be some sort of sub-level underneath Carlo’s compound. It’s possible that could be where Natalie and the other girls have been hidden all this time if we can prove its existence.”
“Hold on, Brody and the men searched the colony just this morning and found nothing. What makes you think there might be a sub-level?”
“Todd reminded me that Kipling’s lab was in a sub-level below his house. Carlo and Ivan were partners with unlimited resources. If Kipling had a sub-basement, maybe Carlo had one, too. Brody found Liam’s pacifier just outside the gate of the colony. It means Natalie and Liam were in the vicinity in the last couple of months. I can’t help feeling they might still be there.”
“So, what are you thinking of doing?”
“I thought I would head up to the mountain. I need to study the site where Mitch raped Blair. Then I might take my time exploring the woods. You never know what might be found. Right?”
“Go for it. If you find anything, let me know. I have Judge Carlson on speed dial if we need another search warrant. If that colony is hiding the girls, there’s a good chance Mitch, Alison, and Kipling are still there, too.” Bo left.
John took the pacifier out of his pocket and locked it away in his desk, then he went in search of Brody.
***
Starr arrived at the hospital carrying the bag with her mom’s clothes. As she stepped out of the elevator, she saw her aunt in a conversation with the doctor. She walked up to them. “Hi, Aunt Vicki. Did you come to see Mom and Dad? Mom’s anxious to get home. The test, Dr. Conklin ordered, said the baby was doing okay. I brought her some fresh clothes.” She turned to Dr. Wolek, “ I was hoping to see you, Doctor, to ask if Mom could go ahead and come home today?”
“I’m afraid that’s not going to be possible, Starr. Let’s go into my office and I’ll explain everything to you there.”
Starr realized suddenly that something was very wrong. “Aunt Vicki, what’s going on?”
“Starr, come with us, dear, and Larry will explain,” Vicki put her arm around her niece and led her to Larry’s office.
A short time later Starr and Vicki walked into room 420. Starr felt like crying, her mom was lying so still in her bed. She was hooked up to a couple of IV’s and just staring into space.
She walked to the bedside. “Mom, it’s me, Starr. I brought you a fresh set of clothes. I know I probably didn’t pick out something you would want to wear out of here. Feel free to let me know. Mom, come on, talk to me.” She put a hand on her mother’s arm but got no response. “She’s so quiet, but she looks like she’s awake.”
Vicki moved to stand beside Starr. “I know. When your father disappeared like this all those years ago, your Cousin Kevin was convinced he was faking. To this day, Kevin still has no idea what your father has gone through most of his life.” She paused and looked over at her sleeping brother. Putting an arm around Starr’s shoulder, she hugged her. “ Your mother has been through something horrific and this is her way of coping at the moment. If we could, we’d take away their pain but it’s out of our hands. I know Todd heard us back then and I’m betting your mom hears you now. She just can’t get back to us yet.”
“I know mom was beaten last night, John told us. But something more happened didn’t it? She was trying really hard to keep Sam from finding out about the beating and I saw a look pass between her and Dad. "Was Mom raped? Is that why she’s like this?”
“Why would you think that?”
“After Jake survived the execution, I started reading everything I could find on Dad. I didn’t want to hear any more surprises about him. I found the transcript of his hostage trial. It was at his arraignment for taking everyone hostage, that he collapsed. When he woke up, his alters appeared. I remember meeting Tom, but I just thought he was Dad at the time. According to the transcript, Tom testified that he had been raped by Peter Manning when he was fourteen. Dad buried that for years, didn’t he?”
“Yes, he did. But how do you get from that to your mom being raped?”
“He didn’t want to remember it. He collapsed before the trial because he couldn’t face it. Mom is like this because she doesn’t want to remember something. The only thing worse than being beaten would be to be raped. Dad knows. That’s why he went into shock. He was terrified for her. It’s so unfair. Why can’t my parents just find happiness and be able to live their lives like regular people?”
“I’ve asked that same question over the years. I don’t know why some people seem to have a cloud over them, but I do feel that your mother and father will get through this. They’re two of the strongest people I know.”
Todd opened his eyes slowly. Everything was blurry and he realized Larry had given him the sedative after all. Blinking rapidly, the blurriness faded and his vision cleared up. He heard Starr’s voice and listened to what she was saying. She had always been so perceptive. He could tell from the conversation that Blair was still withdrawn. He might as well let them know he was awake. He rolled onto his side and slowly levered himself up to a sitting position. “How’s Blair?” he inquired.
“Dad!’
The next thing he knew Starr was hugging him desperately, “Hey Shorty, it’s going to be okay.” he patted her back. “Hi, Sis. I guess Larry called you. I sort of lost it when Blair collapsed.”
“Todd, I’m so sorry this happened,” Vicki said.
“Why? You didn’t cause it. This is all Laurence’s fault.”
Starr moved out of her father’s arms when she heard the anger in his voice. “What do you mean? What does Mitch Laurence have to do with this?”
“He’s the bastard that hurt your mom.”
“Todd, stop.” Vicki was alarmed. She hadn’t heard that tone in Todd’s voice for a very long time. She also couldn’t believe he was talking about it in front of his daughter. “Starr...”
“She’s an adult now. I heard her. She knows what happened to her mom. She might as well know who did it.” His eyes were blazing as he looked at his daughter. “He attacked your Mom to get to me. He raped her, and I let it happen. I let my guard down because I thought he had left the state. He was just biding his time waiting for the right moment to strike.” Even as he said the words he saw his daughter’s eyes fill with tears. He didn’t know if they were for Blair or him and it didn’t matter. Because of his outburst, he had upset her. Reining in his anger, Todd got to his feet and waited for the dizziness from the drug to subside. He glanced over at Blair and walked slowly over to her, putting his hand on her head. “I was right, Babe. I’m not good to be around. I should have stayed lost in Savannah.”
Starr wrapped her arm around her father’s. “No Dad, leaving wouldn’t have stopped this. Mitch Laurence has lived his life the way he pleased. If he wanted to hurt Mom, he would have done it, whether you were in the picture or not. The last time he was around, he had Aunt Dorian terrified. He threatened all of us, just to keep her doing his wishes. It doesn’t matter anymore. The damage has been done. Mom needs us. Especially you. If you go off half-cocked and do something now, you could end up being taken away from us. How’s that going to help Mom?”
“That’s it, Shorty. I knew I could count on you to kick my butt. Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. I’m here for the long haul. We’re going to get your mom back and your brother or sister, too.”
“Dad, I guess Mom didn’t have a chance to tell you. The baby’s a girl. Sam was really disappointed.”
Todd smiled and leaned down briefly touching his child. “I had a feeling, and she’s already like your mom. She’s a fighter, too.”
Starr and Vicki kept Todd company, all of them taking turns trying to bring Blair out of her trance. Larry came and confirmed the consensus that Blair was catatonic as a result of the trauma, and they were uncertain when she would emerge from the state. It was decided that Starr would return home and tell the boys that the doctors had insisted on a few more tests. That meant that Blair would not be home again that night, and neither would their dad. If she still hadn’t come out of it by morning, Todd would be home to explain to all of them.
After giving Starr a hug, he watched her leave and slumped down in the chair next to Blair. “I heard you.” he said, catching his sister’s eye.
“I’m sorry, Todd. We didn’t know you were awake.” Vicki said as she pulled up a chair next to his.
“No. Not today. I heard you back then. I didn’t know where I was, but I could hear you. To this day I don’t know how I got back. Vicki, if Blair is trapped like that, what can I do to help her break free.”
“I believe you came back because you were ready to come back. You didn’t want to be separated from us. Yes, Tom was the first to arrive, but that night when you stood on the ledge of that building, it was you, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, I remember becoming aware and Tea had just left the room, furious with something Tom did. When I realized Tom had emerged, I couldn’t bear it anymore. Somehow I ended up on that ledge but I just wasn’t able to take that final step. Then you appeared. I was a basketcase that night, but you convinced me I wasn’t a lost cause. You know how the rest turned out. I’m sorry I never confided in you, but Pete had done a pretty good job at that point of messing up my whole life. The only thing I could do was leave town.”
“I was so hurt at the time, I trusted you and felt you betrayed my trust. But I never stopped caring for you. When you showed back up with that tape of Jessica, I wanted to hug you. Unfortunately, you wasted no time getting into more mischief.”
“What can I say, I’m a screwup. Look at this mess. If I hadn’t come home Blair wouldn’t be here right now. “
“Starr was right, you’re not to blame for anything Mitch Laurence has done since he escaped. We all thought he died the night of the blackout. No one could have guessed he would end up in Ivan Kipling’s nefarious hands and survive. You need to think about Blair and yourself. Blair is going to need you to bring her back when the time is right. I’ll stay if you want to get some sleep. Just last night you were at death’s door, I think you owe yourself some down time.”
“That’s all right, Vicki. Go home. I’ve got the nurses coming in here to keep me company and I’m not very tired, thanks to that sedative Larry gave me earlier.”
“Are you sure?”
“Go. I’m a big boy now.”
Vicki got up and moved to give her brother a simple hug. He stiffened only slightly then brought his hand up to her cheek. “Thanks, Sis.”
“I’ll be back in the morning. Do try and get some sleep.” Vicki left, leaving Todd alone with his wife.
***
Earlier, John had found Brody writing down information as he cycled through a couple of sites on the computer. “Hey, what did you find?” asked John.
“You’re not going to believe this but the person who purchased the compound also purchased a second property that day. It seems the owner of the compound is also the proud owner of an old church facility known as the Tabernacle of Joy.”
“That seems like an unusual pairing. What would the owner of a nudist colony want with a church?”
“That’s not all I found. Do you remember the young man who claimed he had a date with Briggs’ granddaughter and dropped her off at her sorority house, the night she disappeared?”
“I remember some young guy but we checked him out. He did take her out that night, but he had an alibi for the hours following that date.”
“He did, for that night, but I think it’s interesting that he belongs to the newly opened Tabernacle of Joy. This is the kicker, John. Look.” Brody hit a couple of keys and another site popped up. It was a webpage devoted to the Tabernacle. What got John’s attention were the three words emblazoned across the top of the page:
HEED THE MESSENGER.
Poor Blair.
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