Page 20 of If You Love Me

“Found? Is she…”

“She’s alive.”

“Well, don’t just stand there talking to me. Get out of here. Go on.”

I quickly closed his door and damn near sprinted through the building and out to the parking lot. Jumping in my car, I cranked up and plugged the Cayman County Police Station into my GPS before peeling out of the parking lot. I was driving for about fifteen minutes before I realized I was speeding and needed to slow my ass down.

My hands were sweaty.

My heart was racing.

My nerves were on a thousand.

Ten years. Ten long ass years I’d been waiting for this moment. I wasn’t sure what I would say or do when I saw Evenie. I knew for sure I needed to know everything that happened to her. If it was foul play, I couldn’t promise I wouldn’t react or vow to look for anybody involved. Somebody had to answer for this shit. People didn’t just go missing for ten years and pop back up like it was nothing.

The entire drive, I had to talk myself down. The more I thought about what could have happened to her, the angrier I became. I didn’t want that to be the first thing she saw when she saw me. I finally decided to put on my gospel playlist for the last thirty minutes. Maybe a little Jesus would lighten the mood.

I finally pulled into the parking lot and shut off the car. For a moment, I had to sit there, coming to terms with what was about to happen. The reunion I prayed for on so many nights was about to happen. After saying a quick prayer, I got out of the car and went inside. The building was pretty quiet, which came as no surprise, judging by the looks as I drove through.

Cayman was a small town. It was one of those places where everybody knew everybody and their business. There were probably generations of families all living in the same area. I stuck out like a sore thumb by the looks people were giving me as I walked up to the front desk.

“Good morning,” I said, greeting an older woman whose desk tag read Margret.

“Good morning, handsome. What can I do for you?”

“I’m here to pick up my wife.”

“Bail, bond, or—”

“No, no, ma’am. Nothing like that. She was brought in as a rescue. Her name is Evenie Lewis.”

“Ahhh! I got you. Give me a second to page Officer Hilbert. She’s the one that found your wife.”

I nodded as she picked up the phone. I turned away, looking around the room. Nervously, I rubbed my hands down my slacks. My palms were even sweatier now, and my tie felt like it was choking me. I closed my eyes and took a couple of deep breaths.

You got this. She’s your wife, and she needs you,I told myself.

“Mr. Lewis?”

My eyes flew open, and I turned to see Officer Hilbert approaching me with a smile.

“Good morning,” I spoke.

“Good morning. I can imagine you’re in shock right now.”

“Shocked is an understatement… How is she?”

“She’s good, anxious to see you. Come on, I’ll take you back.” She motioned for me to follow, but I stopped her.

“Wait,” I said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She turned to face me. “I um… I need to know what happened to her before I go back there.”

She sighed as she pulled me off to the side. “She was kidnapped. The night she went to the grocery store, a man by the name of Leon Kane approached her, thinking she was his wife. Leon suffered from mental health issues. They got worse after watching his wife die in a car accident the day she left him. Mr. Lewis, your wife is a dead ringer for that woman. I could see how his mental made him think she was her. It’s no excuse, but it explains a hell of a lot.”

“Where is that son of a bitch now?”

“Dead. Mr. Kane died of a suspected heart attack this morning as he was going to deliver breakfast to your wife. She took the opportunity to take his truck and run. I found her wandering the road a few miles from his place.”

My fists clenched at my sides. That bastard was lucky that God got to him before I did.

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