| Mystery and Crime Fiction posted January 9, 2022 | Chapters: |
...4 5 -6- 7... 
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Allie and Cassidy Talk
A chapter in the book Vanished
Vanished - Chap 6
by Begin Again
| Background "Vanished" is the continuing saga of friends whose lives are bound together by love, mystery, crime, and legends about a Lady in White. |
Allie waited several minutes for Cassidy to gain control before offering her a soft cloth she'd spotted in the back seat of the Jeep. "Here, wipe your face. It's a shop rag, but it's the best I can do on short notice."
Cassidy wrinkled her nose but accepted the cloth. She wiped her face and blew her nose, then tossed it by her feet. "Yuck! Guess that cleared out the sinuses."
"I'm sure, but it's not a reprieve. You're going to tell me even if we have to sit here all day. I don't know who did this, but I guarantee I will find out. So quit stalling. I want to help you."
Cassidy shrugged before expelling a long stream of air. "You don't know Barrett, Allie. He's an exceptional man."
"Oh yeah, so special he didn't even comment on the welts on your body. Is he blind and heartless?"
"Stop! That's why I didn't want to tell you. Jumping to conclusions that you know nothing about."
"Then set me straight. I'm all ears, Cassidy. Spit it out!"
"I doubt you will believe me, but he's not touched me except for this morning's kiss." Allie's eyes filled with disbelief, but she let Cassidy continue. "I know you must have seen us this morning, but it wasn't what it looked like. I heard voices in the garden and thought it was Faith and Liz. They're always asking questions as if I'm their kid."
"It's because they care, Cassidy. You don't always make the best decisions, and they want to keep you safe."
"I know, but if Barrett is the one for me, it's our decision, not theirs. I've never felt like this, and I don't want someone else messing it up. He loves children, but he says he wants to wait for the right girl and the right time. I want to be that girl." Cassidy stared out the window and placed her hands on her stomach. "But this might change everything."
"You don't know that until you tell him. I don't know him, but he sounds like a guy who'd understand. But enough about him. If he's not our man, who is? Who did this to you?"
A trail of tears poured over the rims of her eyes, and Cassidy nibbled her bottom lip. She wiped her eyes against her shirt sleeve and turned away from Allie's intense stare. "I don't know what to say."
"Tell me, girl. Spit it out!" Allie was frustrated.
Why didn't Cassidy understand she wanted to help?
Cassidy snarled, "Fine! I'm pregnant. Satisfied?" Her reluctant retort sent another flood of tears pouring down her face.
"There, don't you feel better not carrying the secret by yourself?" Allie felt she'd accomplished a major victory.
"Not really." Cassidy's face was glued to the passenger window, refusing to face Allie. "There's nothing you can do about it. I'm single and pregnant. It's my problem."
"You're wrong. Somebody drugged and raped you. Someone beat you. Those are crimes, Cassidy. Crimes that someone besides yourself committed."
"I know that, but I don't know who they are." Cassidy pressed her head against the seat and took a few controlled breaths. "It wasn't until I got sick and saw Dr. Copeland that I even thought about getting pregnant. When I left his office, my head was spinning. A baby, Allie. Me with a baby. My brain wouldn't compute."
"Dr. Copeland asked me to come back in four days, which I did. His nurse gave me some prenatal vitamins and papers of what to expect when pregnant. It's weird, but I thought every woman in the waiting room had their eyes on me."
"As I drove home to Sweet Haven, a tractor and trailer loaded with hay were jackknifed across the road. I stopped and began reading some pamphlets while I waited. The next thing I know, someone pulls open my door and yanks me out of the car. There were two guys with black hoods over their heads. They drug me into the field, and the one with the belt struck me several times with it. I screamed, and they laughed."
Allie reached over and lifted Cassidy's shirt. "Oh my God, Cassidy. They look disgusting and painful."
Cassidy adjusted her shirt to cover the welts. "They are. Unfortunately, I do not know who did it. The guy with the belt said it was a message from Yolanda to stay away from her man."
"Yolanda?"
"Don't ask because I have no clue. It's not Barrett, and I never even said hello to the guy in the bar. There has been no one else, though Liz and Faith think I am the tramp around town."
"Don't be stupid, Cassidy. You know better than that. They might worry about you, but they wouldn't talk bad about you." Allie pursed her lips and thought. "My question is, who could have known you were pregnant and who is Yolanda?"
"I didn't tell anyone, well, except Father Tobias. He's the new priest in town, and most people, including Liz, think he's an excellent replacement for Jon."
"But you don't? I know Jon was your brother, but considering what he did, I'd think anyone would be a blessing."
"Forgive me, Lord, but Father Tobias thinks of himself as the second coming of God. Veer from the bible, and he condemns you to hell."
"Oh, Cassidy, you must be exaggerating. He can't be that bad."
"At first, I was reluctant to tell my story, so being the good Catholic girl, I started with, 'Father, I have sinned.' You'd have thought I'd said I'd killed someone. He started his whole spiel about Satan and temptation. I tried to tell him someone raped me, but it was like he didn't hear me. He asked if I was pregnant and said in the eyes of God, I was responsible for the innocent child and must carry the burden." Anger filled Cassidy's eyes. "I hadn't told him I might be pregnant or anything, but he was condemning me to hell already. He'd still be chastising me if the church secretary hadn't entered the rectory with another gentleman."
"Do you know who he was? Or the secretary?" Allie pushed for answers.
Cassidy shook her head. "There's a lot of new people in town, and until recently, I haven't left the house. I didn't know either of them or even how long they'd been in Hayden. I know you think I'm an idiot, but I can't help it happened."
Both women sat in deep thought. Allie's investigative mind tried to find answers to Cassidy's dilemma while Cassidy's thoughts tried to escape the situation.
As she stared across the fields and up the hill, past the cottage, she squinted in the sun, recognizing Annie and Sebastian. "Looks like Annie's talking with Grandma Mary, but who is the woman?"
Not really listening, Allie nodded and murmured, "Liz says she does that a lot."
"But there's a woman further up the hill?" Cassidy pointed toward the spot she was talking about.
Allie leaned forward to get a better look out the window. "I don't see anyone, Cassidy."
"I saw a woman in a white dress." Cassidy kept staring up the hill.
"It was probably the sun reflecting off something. I don't see anyone but Annie and Sebastian." Allie started the Jeep's motor. "We better get back before they have a posse looking for us." She headed the long way around the pond and closer to the cottage for Cassidy's peace of mind as they left.
Cassidy muttered, "Forget it! I must be seeing things. There's no one there." She kept looking back as Allie turned the Jeep toward home.
 Recognized |
Garth Woodman, FBI Agent and Allie's love interest
Alyssa Shelton, Investigative Journalist and Liz's best friend
Elizabeth (Liz) McKinley, widow, owner of Sweet Haven and twin sister to Faith
Faith Cranston-Newton, recovering cancer patient and mother to Annie
Annie Cranston-Newton, Faith's precocious young daughter
Sebastian, a St. Bernard and Annie's sidekick
Mary Hunter, Liz and Faith's deceased mother
Hank and Emmy Armato, retired detectives and current Private Investigators
Tango and Poppa, Garth's top FBI Agents
Sheriff Diego Ortiz, Napa Valley's law enforcement
Cassidy Rotello, rescued victim of a solved drug crime and friend
Michael Lansing, neighbor to Sweet Haven Winery (Liz's home)
Darryl Pennington, Long time Estate Forman at Sweet Haven Estates
Miguel Sanchez, the former vineyard supervisor, currently residing in jail
Mason Caldwell, recently deceased drug and crime boss in Napa Valley
Father Tobias, a priest, recently assigned to Hayden's notorious church
Barrett O'Brien, an eager newly hired employee at Sweet Haven Estates
MJ Cichella, Writer and Director and honored guest for Napa Valley's first film festival
Sandra Pepper, a distinguished resident in Hayden
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Alyssa Shelton, Investigative Journalist and Liz's best friend
Elizabeth (Liz) McKinley, widow, owner of Sweet Haven and twin sister to Faith
Faith Cranston-Newton, recovering cancer patient and mother to Annie
Annie Cranston-Newton, Faith's precocious young daughter
Sebastian, a St. Bernard and Annie's sidekick
Mary Hunter, Liz and Faith's deceased mother
Hank and Emmy Armato, retired detectives and current Private Investigators
Tango and Poppa, Garth's top FBI Agents
Sheriff Diego Ortiz, Napa Valley's law enforcement
Cassidy Rotello, rescued victim of a solved drug crime and friend
Michael Lansing, neighbor to Sweet Haven Winery (Liz's home)
Darryl Pennington, Long time Estate Forman at Sweet Haven Estates
Miguel Sanchez, the former vineyard supervisor, currently residing in jail
Mason Caldwell, recently deceased drug and crime boss in Napa Valley
Father Tobias, a priest, recently assigned to Hayden's notorious church
Barrett O'Brien, an eager newly hired employee at Sweet Haven Estates
MJ Cichella, Writer and Director and honored guest for Napa Valley's first film festival
Sandra Pepper, a distinguished resident in Hayden
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