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Missing Love	By : SisterWine Category: 1 through F > Cold Case Views: 1032 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Lilly Rush and the Cold Case team belong to Meredith Stiehm. I make no money from this nor do I wish any harm or slandre against this series. The OCs, including the ME and Tom Cort, are my own inventions. THIS WORK IS FICTION

Chapter List
- 1-One
- 2-Two
- 3-Three
- 4-Four
- 5-Five
- 6-Six
- 7-Seven
- 8-Eight
- 9-Nine
- 10-Ten
- 11-Eleven
- 12-Twelve
- 7
- 8
- 9
Cory came to, sitting in a chair with his hands tied behind his back. The room smelled musty and cold. His breath caught as he lifted his head to look around and found himself in familiar settings. He faced the inside of the cabin, staring at the dilapidated arm chair his father always sat in. Panic struck as he heard footsteps behind him.
"Well, hey there, little brother. Finally awake, huh?" Justin's heavy footsteps came closer and stopped just behind him, a broad smile on his face. He stepped around, carrying his trusted rifle, he and Vince had hidden from the police raid, and grabbed the barrel. He swung it so that the stock hit Cory square in the stomach, causing Cory to gasp loudly and double over, in pain. "Welcome home, Cor." He chided, bending down to whisper into Cory's ear. "Missed ya, little brother." His hair was shorter and he had grown a goatee, making him look as evil as his father.
The light from the fire pitted shadow against orange glimpses of the Hell Cory was in. Loud pops and cracks demanded attention to the main floor and what the fire didn't light, small smudge lantern helped illuminate.
"Justin! You boys play nice." Vince called from the top of the stairs and started taking each step down slowly, methodically.
Cory's head shot up and turned to stare up at the darkened figure coming down the stairs. "Pa?" He could barely see through the shadows of night and the dim lanterns they used to light the cabin with. He panted uneasily as Vince came closer to him before he was backhanded across the face by Vince's heavy hand. A soft whimper as Vince grabbed a fistful of hair and yanked his head back, coming eye to eye with his terrified son. "I'm sorry, Pa. I didn't mean to.."
Vince yanked harder. "Did I say you could talk, boy?" His gravelly voice had deepened and became more coarse from the years in prison.
"No, sir." Cory swallowed as he stared at his angry father.
Vince growled. "Then, you keep yer mouth shut til I tell you to speak. Hear me?" He stood and walked back into the living room, to sit down in his chair that he had facing Cory, and stared at him.
Cory gasped for breath as Vince let go of his hair with a jerk forward. "Yessir." He averted his eyes from his father's as he could feel the thick weight of the man's evil stare baring down on him. A feeling he had all but forgotten, after years of therapy and hard work to repress it.
Sitting on the fireplace hearth and watching Cory with a devilish grin on his face, Justin sighed and took a bite of his jerky. "C'mon, Pa. Lemme go get her." Scoffing at Cory as the younger turned to look at him, he chewed and swallowed with maliciousness.
Not looking at Justin but looking in the direction of him, Vince growled. "I said no, boy. We'll wait 'til she gets here." Vince turned back and leant forward, smirking, his rifle across his lap. "Got somethin' special planned for you and your mama, son. We're gonna be a family again, real soon." A sound from outside caught his attention and he looked up, past Cory to see her sillhouette standing in the open doorway. "Where the Hell you been?"
Soft, female footsteps came closer and stopped beside Cory. "Sorry. There was like a line at the store. Bags are in the trunk." Carolyn held up the keys and jingled them in front of her.
Cory's face paled and he visibly shook with fear as he looked up to see the voice he had immediately recognised to be the girl he had fallen in love with. He gasped as she looked down at him and smirked, popping her gum.
Carolyn giggled and bent down to kiss him, deeply. "Hey, baby. Miss me? Last night was such good fun." Another kiss and a smile. "You fuck just like your daddy." She straightened and walked over to greet Vince with the same deep, passionate kiss she had given Cory.
Vince rest the shotgun next to the armchair, barrel up, stood and wrapped an arm around her thin waist, pressing her to him as they kissed. He smiled as he felt her excitement of the scene. For three years, he had been patiently waiting for the chance to own a woman again and not have to live on her standards; wearing a rubber, which he hated and didn't understand, and having her come and go as she pleased without permission. Yet, he knew she needed to be able to fully envelope Cory and build a lifestyle without Cory getting suspicious. Carolyn had worked out much better to Vince's needs and she was willing to follow him, anywhere, unlike Shannon.
Bowing his head and looking away, Cory felt the knife of betrayal slide deeper into his back as they made out in front of him. His attention was called back as Vince spoke again. His stomach turned and he felt ill.
"Justin, go help her bring it in." Vince growled. "Time me and your brother have a talk about your mama. This time, we ain't leavin' loose ends." Vince kissed her gruffly again, grabbing her arse before swatting it and shoving her back towards the door.
Standing up and walking back over to the door, Justin did as he was told. "Yes, Pa." He gave Cory an evil look as he passed him.
Cory swallowed and tried to backpedal away from Vince but his father lurched out and caught him by the hair, again, holding him in place. He tried not to show any terror in his expression but failed as Vince came nose to nose with him.
"You hurt me, boy. Sold out your own flesh and blood, to live in the city. Left us to rot in that hellhole. Told that judge lies about your brothers and me. I hate liars, Cory." Vince emphasised his words by gripping Cory's hair tighter, gaining a whimper from the younger man.
Cory squeezed his eyes shut from the pain of having his hair pulled in such an angry manner. "I'm sorry, Pa. I won't lie again. I promise, I won't."
Vince smirked as Cory begged. Another yank on Cory's hair and a whimper as Vince's voice flattened, face losing all expression. "I know you won't. Time you understand, you only listen to your Pa, boy." He let go of Cory's hair and straightened, watching him with sadistic glee. "Thanks to that bitch you let get away, things have changed. But, you'll learn to like them. Now," he made his way back to his chair and sat down, "you're gonna tell me where I can find your mama. Then, we're gonna have a big family reunion and maybe, get that bitch Jessica back here."
Staring up in horror, Cory swallowed as Vince had picked up his shotgun he had leaning against the arm of the chair.
~~~
Jessica sat on the floor of her living room and sorted through the box of children's books. It had been a quiet morning and she was just as happy to sit down and go through nursery rhymes. She smiled as she picked up an old book from her own childhood and flipped through it.
"Mom, turn on the TV! The news is doing a story at my shop!" Julie called from the back room.
Jessica set the book down and turned around to find the remote, which lay on the seat of her armchair, and pressed the POWER button.
Julie called from her bedroom closet, clearing off the top shelf. "Is it on?! Channel 2!"
"Yes, I just turned it on." The nine o'clock news had just started and gone into a advert block before coming back with a story about Julie's porcelain trinket shop, recorded earlier that morning for the wake-up news team. The segment was good and Jessica smiled at seeing her daughter looking very professional as she talked about the world of tiny trinkets and hand-painted collectables for sale but also the collection of donations of food and clothing to help out the city's Domestic Abuse Shelters. When the segment was done, Jessica had welcomed the rest of the news as background noise.
".... we now take you to a story we learned only moments ago. A manhunt is on for Vincent Parker, the man who terrorised hikers for ten years, in the 1970s. And then the trial that lasted for two years, in the 1980s, has vanished and his oldest son, Justin Parker, is believed to be with him. Parker, along with his three sons, were arrested and sentenced to 20 years in prison for their crimes of kidnapping, assault and murder of multiple victims in the mid to late 70s. Both men were released from prison in 2003 but have since slipped under the radar. Parker is considered to be armed and dangerous. If you should see Vincent or Justin Parker, please call police." The anchor woman turned to look from one camera to the other, the smile of Julie's story melting as she spoke the man's name. Beside her, in a small square above her left shoulder, was a photo of Vince, from the 1980s trial.
Jessica felt her heart stop as her breath caught in her throat.
Julie came out of her bedroom, carrying a box of clothes, and smiled as she spoke to her mother. "Did you see it?" Immediately she was shushed as her mother was glued to the story unfolding now. Placing the box on the floor and sitting down in the chair behind Jessica, she also became enveloped in the story on the television. She wasn't sure what she was watching until the segment ended and another advert popped on about a local RV business. "Mom? Who's Vincent Parker?"
Taking a breath and jumping a little as Julie lightly touched her shoulder, Jessica wiped the tears from her eyes. "A nightmare." She said under her breath. "Honey, um.. I have to run an errand. Will you be okay here?" Jessica got to her feet and turned around to look at her daughter's concerned expression.
Nodding, Julie picked up the box she had placed on the floor beside her and answered. "Yeah, I just came home to get a few more boxes. Where you going?" Her concern for her mother grew as Jessica started to shake. "Mom? Do you want my to go with you?"
Jessica shook her head and smiled faintly. "No no, I'll be okay. I gotta go." She took another breath and made her way into the kitchen, to grab her car keys and purse, before coming back out and telling her daughter goodbye before leaving for the police station to meet with Detective Kat Miller.
Julie walked to the door behind her and watched Jessica pull out of the drive way, in her husband's SUV. She had wondered why the story had spooked her mother so much and quickly moved to find her phone to look up the name Vincent Parker. The next hour, she sat and watched, in horror, clips of the trial as well as reading news articles of the horrendous accounts of the man's dastardly deeds. A name caught her eye and as she scrolled down a little further, she came face to face with a youthful version of her mother. "Oh, my Gosh." She wasn't aware she had said it out loud until her father, home from working the graveyard shift at a water facility, came around the corner in his pajamas and bathrobe, in search of a cup of coffee.
"You look like you've seen a ghost, Sparkle. I look that scary?" His voice carried as he rounded the corner into the newly tiled kitchen.
Julie turned and followed her father into the kitchen, sitting at the bar that jutted out from the left wall. "Dad, how much do you know about mom?"
Carson Claremont pulled a white coffee mug from the bottom shelf of the cabinet, above the bar and turned to pour a cup of coffee as he yawned. "Well, I met you and your mother in '86, married her in '88, and that's what I know. Why?" His brown hair had been a mess from sleeping in awkward positions, after passing out from exhaustion at 2 in the morning. He glanced over at her as he stopped pouring and slid the decantre back into the maker.
Sighing, Julie held up her phone to show him the stock photo of Jessica, at the Parker trial. "Did you know about this?"
Nodding knowingly, Carson took a sip of his coffee and then placed the cup on the contre, beside her. "You were living with your grandparents then. I don't know much about it but, your mom came out of it like a trooper. That's not to say that Vince Parker didn't leave a scar or two on her memory. You want to know any more, you ask your mother." He came around and sat down beside her and then asked why she had the sudden urge to dredge up old news. When she told him of the news report they had just watched, before Jessica beelined it out of the house. Carson, then, told her what he remembered of the trial. Being a few years older than Jessica, he was lucky she hadn't pulled away from him in a frightened fit, as he asked her for a date, one night at church.
"Is he my... dad?" Julie shivered as she asked the question.
Carson hadn't wanted to say. He didn't know. "I think that's a question for your mother. But, uh, wait until this settles, huh." Patting her on the shoulder, he took another sip and then stood up to make his way over to the refrigerator and pull out the eggs and cheese, for an omelet. "Now, how about some breakfast with your old man?"
Julie scrolled up to the photo of Vince, at trial. "Sure." She stared at it and then searched for the photos of the three sons, wondering if they were her brothers.
~~~
Jessica had spent and hour getting from one end of town to the other and then spent 15 minutes searching for a parking space close enough so that she didn't have to walk as far to her destination. She could feel the walls of the city begin to close in as she parked in a structure and opened her car door. Her breath caught again as she got out and shut her door, locking it with the button on the fob.
She made a hasty walk towards the tall building and breathed a sigh of relief as she caught sight of the female detective, making her way into work. "Detective! Detective Miller! I need to speak to you!" Waving a hand over her head as Kat stopped and looked around for who called her, Jessica upped her strides over to the woman, her breathing erratic from nerves. "I just saw the news. Have you found them, yet?" Her eyes pleaded with the detective as she came to a stop in front of her.
"Vince?" Kat asked as Jessica nodded, trying to catch her breath. "Come upstairs. Catch your breath. We'll explain it all, after you calm down a bit." She could tell the worry had seeped into Jessica's mind and she had worried the woman might have come unglued, in desperation. The lift ride up, she tried to calm the woman's fear by explaining it wasn't them who leaked the story to the press and that they were doing all they could to find them before anything happened.
Jessica sighed again, catching her breath and calming down. "My husband told me you called, yesterday, I'm sorry I hadn't gotten back to you. My mom is ill so, I went to spend the night with her. Please tell me, you know where he is."
The doors opened and they stepped out and made their way over to the squadroom, where Kat locked up her weapon before ushering Jessica in to the main room and over to her desk, before offering her some water or tea. As Jessica chose tea, she caught the eye of Stillman, who waved her into his office to update the gang on the overnight happenings. "Have a seat here, and I'll be back with some tea for you." She paused and turned back to Jessica, who sat in the chair next to her desk. "Jessica, I have to talk to my boss but this nice lady, here, will get you anything you need. Okay? I'll be back in a few minutes." Waving the passing female officer over to her desk, Kat explained the situation to her.
Jessica watched Kat walk away from her, telling a female uniformed officer to get Jessica some tea and stay with her a moment, and as she panned the room, her heart stopped again as she caught sight of a face she had never wanted to see, again. "Shannon?"
Shannon made her way into the squadroom, escorted by Detective Valens and Rush but stopped as she heard her name being spoken. "Hello, Jessica." Shannon froze, waiting for the backlash that had haunted her everyday, in therapy. She didn't smile or attempt to be friends with the woman, who had told her, in no-holds-barred fashion how hated she and her children were. "What are you doing here?"
Jessica stood and stepped closer, careful not to come within reaching distance, as Valens and Lilly both told her to keep her distance. "Your 'husband' was on the news this morning."
Taking a deep breath and letting the accusation slide off of her, Shannon acknowledged. "I know. Cory hasn't been home, since yesterday. Let's work on ending this so we never have to see each other again."
The colour drained out of Jessica's face. "You think he has him?" Her voice shook at the realism of the moment.
Shannon didn't answer. She had spent a restless night with the two detectives. After barely sleeping for more than an hour at a time, Shannon wasn't sure of anything solid, anymore. She shrugged and was led into the Interview Room, to sit and relax whilst the detectives were debriefed on the situation.
Lilly shut the door behind her as she and Valens joined the discussion. "Sat up all night with Shannon. Still no sign of Cory or his truck. No sign of Vince or Justin, either."
"Checked out Cory's place and nothing seemed out of place or missing. No signs of anyone else being in the house or tampering of doors or windows. His bed was made and house in pristine condition. I did find a woman's jacket, on the sofa." Scotty lifted the evidence bag he had walked in with. He held up a smaller plastic bag with a handwritten note inside. He handed the baggie to Stillman, who sat at his desk and eyed the note warily. "Carolyn mentioned she and Cory had a date Wednesday night and that she slept over. Shannon said she caught Carolyn walking out of the house without the jacket."
Stillman looked at the note closely. The penmanship was so bad, he could barely read the missive. "Blue Dollar, Thursday. 11 A.M. Will be there."
Lilly added. "Shannon says that's not Cory's handwriting. She knows Vince knows how to read, and apparently write, but she's never seen his handwriting. I'm heading out to talk to the waitress who served Carolyn and Cory, and then see if I can get the surveillance from the manager, who is due to work shortly."
Kat looked through the window at Jessica, talking to the uniformed officer, and then looked back to Stillman. "Jessica Tate, now Claremont, saw the news this morning about Parker's disappearance. We tried to get in touch with her, yesterday, but her mother is ill and she didn't have a chance to return our phone calls. She seems pretty uneasy about the news." Glancing over at Vera, she also added with consternation, "There's also the part about her daughter. The very 'Cory-looking' daughter Vera and I met, when we chatted with Jessica."
"How does she fair with Shannon?" Stillman had noted the two's conversation prior to Lilly and Scotty joining them.
"The aren't the best of friends but I think they can be civil with each other." Lilly offered, after having observed both parties after the news of Cory's disappearance came up.
Nodding, Stillman glanced back at the handwriting on the paper, in his hand. "Alright. Talk to Jessica. See who she told about the baby and if Shannon knew, at the time of the trial. Let's not start anything but maybe they can work together to help us find Cory and Vince." He paused a moment as he glanced over his shoulder, thinking. "What did Carla say about the news?"
Scotty took a breath and exhaled. "Didn't seem effected by it. She was more worried about her next drink than the news."
Lilly was the first out of the office, on her way to the diner to talk to the waitress and manager, whilst the others handled their assignments.
~~~
Kat offered Jessica a seat at the break room table, sitting down adjacent from her. "I guess the most pressing question I have, right now, for you is, does your husband know about your daughter not being his?" She placed a clear soda in front of her and then opened her own. She had tried to keep it a friendly chat as best she could. The last thing she needed was to have an even more spooked witness on her hands.
"Carson? He knows. He adopted her when we got married." Jessica played with the tab on the can, after she opened it.
Nodding, Kat took a sip. "But, he doesn't know who the father is...?"
Jessica shook her head. "I couldn't even tell Julie. She was just a little girl when Carson and I got married." Not raising her eyes to the detective, she had an awful feeling of what was to come next.
"Is it possible Cory knows? From the trial?" Kat tread lightly as it was already a tense moment for the woman.
Again, Jessica shook her head. "I had her out of state. My dad is Canadian so, we went to Ontario and Julie stayed there, with him until the trial was over. I wasn't showing when the cops arrested them and after two miscarriages, I figured Vince wouldn't know the difference." Wiping a tear with a finger, Jessica sniffled at the memory.
"From what you told my partner and I, earlier, are you sure she's Cory's and not Justin's?" Kat knew it would upset her but had to ask.
Jessica nodded. "I was already pregnant when it happened. That and, I was struggling pretty hard. Justin didn't have time to do anything before Cory pulled him off. He doesn't have to know about her, now, does he?" Worry crept up and caused her heart to beat a little faster.
Kat shook her head. "She's over 18 so, technically, it's her choice. Cory seems to have made some good progress, living in the city. You might want to discuss it with her." She knew her own situation hadn't been one to gloat about so, she empathised with her and sat with her as Jessica wrestled with the decision. "You don't have to tell him, if you don't feel he needs to know it. But, I'm sure she would feel more at ease if you talked about it with her." Kat was silent for a moment. "Jessica, does Shannon know about your daughter? Or that you were pregnant at the time of rescue?"
Jessica nodded. "She knew I was pregnant but, I don't think she told anyone. In therapy, and even in our personal time, Daisy and I would talk. She was the only one that I told. She loved her kids but it was like she couldn't stand to look at them and not think about Justin. The last I heard, her oldest contacted me to let me know she had passed. He was-- I think, 8 or 9, at the time of the trial. They weren't allowed in court so, they stayed with family, I think. I visited them once, in '87 and then in oh, '96/'97. By then, she had fallen into a deep depression and was mostly out of it with drugs or booze. I battled those daemons, too, but I had Carson to help me. Cory had his moments but, I just don't want Julie to have the same nightmares I went through, with that name." She was silent for a long while, half catching her breath and the other half calming down. "Do you think Vince has Cory?"
Kat shook her head and shrugged. "I can't say." Taking another sip, she introduced Jessica to her Lieutenant. "Jessica Claremont, John Stillman. He runs the unit and is the head of this investigation." She said as Stillman made his way into the break room and sat down on the other side of the table.
They shook hands and smiled at one another, in greeting, but Jessica could feel the excitement of the day overwhelm her.
"Mrs. Claremont, I wonder if we could jog your memory about the compound. In particular, the day you escaped to get help." Stillman had turned his chair to face her. He kept his tone calm, in case it was too much for her to handle. "Any specific details you can remember?"
Jessica swallowed. "I hated that place. I was hoping they'd tear it down."
~~~
The Pinnacle, 1983
Jessica knelt down and picked a few baby tomatoes and placed them in her basket. Their little garden had sprouted up nicely. Green beans, tomatoes, peas and carrots had been a struggle for a city girl, who had preferred to buy them at the store, rather than grow her own. The bigger garden was over next to Vince's house, with squash, potatoes, and further behind the house was a few rows of corn. Spring had warmed the ground enough to plant but still gave her chills.
The garden, Cory had set up behind the cabin and fenced it off with thin 2x4s left over from adding on to Nicholas' cabin, months before. It had been Jessica's idea to section off each group of vegetable, instead of miscellaneous rows.
Jessica shivered and stood up, wobbling a bit. She regained her balance and made her way over to the side of Vince's cabin, casually looking around the compound for Vince or the boys. She neared the far edge of the cabin when she heard a familiar sound; the cocking of the shotgun that was always in Vince's hands.
"Where you goin'?" Vince growled, causing Jessica to stop, midway to the second garden. He stood at the end of his porch, where he had been skulking in the shadows, watching her as she worked. The morning mist seemed to be on his side but cleared as he stepped down the stairs.
Turning very slowly and feeling frozen in place, Jessica shivered again. "Cory wanted some cucumbers and a salad, with lunch." She swallowed as he stepped closer to her.
Shannon had come outside of the house, her own basket in hand. "I told her we would give them a few and they could plant the seeds, for their own garden." Quickly stepping down the stairs and making her way over to where Vince had stopped, a few feet from Jessica, Shannon waited for Vince to acknowledge her before grunting and moving on. She breathed a sigh of relief as she made her way over to where Jessica stood and grabbed the young woman's wrist, leading her over to the back corner of the cabin and kneeling down beside her. She said nothing, only picked three cucumbers and some lettuce and dumped them into Jessica's basket, as well as filling her own. "Cory also likes warm bread with butter. I'll show you how to make it." Her voice was loud enough for Vince to hear and even as she gathered her basket up and led Jessica back to Cory's cabin.
Jessica remained silent but kept her focus on Shannon, occasionally, tossing a quick and careful glance over her shoulder to find Vince sitting on the porch steps, watching them like a hawk stares at its prey.
Placing her basket on the table, Shannon took Jessica's basket from her and placed it on the countre. She began giving orders to the visibly shaking woman. "Get the fire going in the stove and bring me the flour." She washed the vegetables and laid them out to dry.
As Jessica moved the flour jar to where Shannon stood, she noticed Shannon's hands shaking slightly.
"I know you were going after that spade behind the house. If Vince or the boys catch you with anything larger than a pokcetknife, you'll wish you never knew it was there." Shannon whispered.
Jessica gasped softly. "How did you--?"
Shannon put the knife down and reached for the flour. "Bring me the eggs and butter." Again, her voice was louder as she had spotted Vince out the corner of her eye, now standing in front of the porch. "A bowl, please." She kept watch casually as Vince was called over to help Nicholas with his roof and fixing the chimney. "Every night, Vince takes count of the tools and bullets and knives. There is..." she glanced out the open door again and saw Vince's retreating form before she finished, "a shed, behind the cabin, where they put the tools every night. The lock is busted but only Vince knows that. There, you'll find your things. He falls asleep at midnight, usually after a few rounds of sex and drinking. Are you listening?"
Jessica blinked. "Yes."
"Wait until one. I'll have Cory leave the window to the shed unlatched. Don't make a sound." Shannon whispered again.
***
Jessica waited until Cory was asleep and slipped out of bed. She dressed herself quickly and padded quietly over to the washroom, the moonlight barely making its way through the tall trees and in through the bedroom window, to light her way. Closing the door but not pushing it to, she slowly eased the window open, just enough to slip through. As she lowered herself down to the ground, a hand grabbed her arm and she gasped. She froze as Cory's face appeared in the window.
"What are you doing?" Cory whispered.
Jessica's breath caught as she stared up at him. "I'm getting out of here. He's a monster." She whispered back.
Cory stared at her. He knew she was right. Someone had to go for help. He had tried for the longest tme to get aid but was always thwarted due to them being noisy or leaving too early and having Vince find out. "Wait here." He let go of her arm and she dropped the foot and a half to the ground, as the cabin was raised off of the ground. He came back a few moments later with a pair of his old boots and socks. Leaning out the window, he handed them to her. "Put these on. There's brush sapped to the bottoms so, you'll be quieter."
"Okay." Jessica took them and strained to see the bottom of the hiking boots he gave her. Looking up at the window again, she was almost sad to leave him there. "Come with me. They'll see you helped me and they'll work with you, for a lesser sentence."
Cory shook his head. "No. Pa'll kill us, if he finds us. You're smaller and faster alone. Go."
Nodding and taking a deep breath, Jessica turned but paused and turned back. "Cory." She saw that he was no longer in the open window and she climbed back up to call again. "Cory!" She shouted in a whisper. When he returned, she pulled him close for a quick kiss and thanked him for letting her go.
"Head West. There's a small ranger's station about four miles. They'll help you. Goodbye, Jessica." Cory smiled and shooed her away before shutting the window and going back to bed. Cory couldn't really sleep for the rest of the night. He was too busy worrying about who she would bring back and what his future held.
Waiting until she was clear of the compound, she slipped the socks and boots on. They were big but small enough to fit her feet and not feel like clown shoes as she ran. Her body trembled as she ran through the dark woods, stopping only long enough to catch her breath and glance back for anyone following her. Her mind played constant tricks on her that Vince, armed with his heavy and loud shotgun, was quick on her heels. But, she with every glance back, she was always alone.
The moon had slipped from the sky and made it harder for her to see. Several times, she had been jolted back as she walked into several tall trees. Taking a deep breath, Jessica pressed on until she spotted the small station Cory spoke of. "Please let someone be there. Please." She whispered, her heart pounding loudly in her throat as she neared the cabin. "Hello?!" She called, seeing the light on, in the window. "Hello?? Help me, please!" Jessica made her way over to the window and looked inside. Tapping faintly on the window, she pleaded with God that there would be someone there to help her and not a cruel joke to send her right back to Vince. "Please, help me." She cried softly, lowering her head and trying not to shake. The cold had been almost frigid for her barely clad body. She cried as she heard no movement from the shack.
"Are you alright?" A heavy ranger's voice came from the porch, to her right. A beam from the flashlight he held focused on the shivering and dirty woman. "Where'd you come from?" The tall, burly man headed over to her with caution. He glanced around and panned his light into the woods, behind her before settling the beam back on her.
Jessica staggered over to him and fell at his feet. "Please, help me. He'll kill me." She shivered again as the ranger lowered the beam and quickly shimmied out of his heavy coat to place around her and picked her up to carry her back inside.
"Who will kill you? Who is out there?" The man of thirty towered over her as he sat her in his desk chair and poured her a cup of coffee.
Jessica had wanted to tell him everything but could only muster a few coherent words between violent shakes of cold. "Police. Please. Police."
Wilbur Warburton nodded and fetched his sleeping bag for her to wrap up in. "You just sit there and relax, Miss. You're safe, now. No one's getting in here." He started to reach for the CB handset but he was stopped by her icy hand on his.
"No. He has a radio. Please, I've been held for a year. Beaten, raped. I need the police." Jessica spoke in a tired whisper.
"Who? Who did this to you?" Wilbur knelt down and covered her back up. Concern and anger had gripped him as she spoke the words he had been all too familiar with.
Jessica cleared her throat. "Parker. Vince Parker." She was to the point of forcing her voice to co-operate as she was also on the verge of exhaustion.
Wilbur swallowed. He knew the name and even the man. He had come across him several times in his five years as a ranger for the area. He nodded and stood up again, this time reaching for the black receiver of the rotary phone and dialing 911.
The police had shown up just before daybreak to find Jessica, wrapped up and asleep in the ranger's chair.

Continued.
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Missing Love