Page 52 of Twice Missing
"I'm here to see Callie Thorne," he said, his voice tight with barely contained emotion.
The receptionist's fingers flew over her keyboard. "Level two, room 40," she replied, her tone professionally detached.
With McKenzie shadowing him, Noah entered the elevator. The confined space only amplified his anxiety.
"Try to stay calm," McKenzie said.
Noah's jaw clenched. "Calm? My kids could have been killed. I gave Ray strict instructions to get them to Gretchen."
McKenzie held up a placating hand. "Maybe he did, maybe something came up."
"If it did, he should have phoned me, not her," Noah snapped, his eyes fixed on the slowly ascending floor numbers.
"I hear you, but look at the upside. She kept your kids safe."
The elevator doors slid open, and Noah strode down the hallway, his footsteps echoing in the quiet corridor. As he approached room 40, he saw Ray standing in the doorway. Noah's vision narrowed, focused solely on his brother. McKenzie, sensing the impending confrontation, quickly stepped between them.
"What the hell, Ray?" Noah barked, his voice reverberating off the sterile walls.
"Whoa... whoa..." McKenzie said, arms outstretched like a referee. "Settle down."
Ray's face was a mix of guilt and defiance. "Yeah, settle down, Noah," he said. "I didn't have much choice. Gretchen had a medical emergency and was rushed to the hospital, and..."
"Wait... what?" Noah's anger faltered, replaced by confusion.
Ray continued, his words tumbling out in a rush. "She's here at the hospital. Room 9 on the first floor. She's stable. It's fine. Look, I had to work. What was I supposed to do?Kerri is out of town. You were an hour and a half away. Callie was the only one that I know that is off. She's a cop. I figured they would be safe with her. And clearly... they were!" His voice rose defensively. "They were out of town, exactly as you requested. This could have happened to Gretchen. Hell, it could have happened to you."
Noah stared at his brother, the anger slowly draining from his face, replaced by a complex mix of emotions. He glanced into the room, taking in the scene. Callie lay in the hospital bed, her leg and arm bandaged. Jake perched on a chair beside her, his face etched with concern. Mia and Ethan stood nearby, their eyes wide as they watched their father's outburst.
Noah's demeanor softened as he saw his children. He extended his arms, and they rushed into his embrace. For a moment, the world narrowed to just the three of them, the fear and tension of the past hours melting away in their shared warmth.
"Thank you," Noah said to Callie, his voice thick with emotion. He turned to Jake. "And you."
Jake shook his head, his expression grim. "I wasn't there," he admitted. "I got called away. A bogus search and rescue."
Callie's voice cut through the room, sharp with urgency. "They knew, Noah. I don't know how, but they knew." She paused, her eyes darting to Mia before continuing. "I just got a call from one of our deputies over in county. The bodies are gone."
Noah's brow furrowed. "What?"
Callie's words came faster now, tinged with frustration. "By the time the cops arrived on scene, there was nothing there. It smelled of bleach in the house. Blood had been mopped up. They could see traces under black light, but it was gone. The bleach will have destroyed any DNA left behind." She took a shaky breath. "I had them check the outside because I killed..." Her eyes flicked to Mia again, and Noah caught the unspoken message. "I killed them, and, well, there should have been blood left behind in the snow. Except there wasn't — at least not any significant trace. Whoever sent them is playing one hell of a game. A dangerous one at that." She paused, her voice dropping. "They were heavily armed. I..." She trailed off as Jake squeezed her hand.
Noah nodded, the weight of the situation settling heavily on his shoulders. "Rest up. Thank you again, and I'm sorry. This shouldn't have happened," he said, turning to leave the room, his teens following close behind.
As they made their way to Gretchen's room, Noah's mind raced. The pieces of this puzzle were becoming more complex, more dangerous with each passing hour. He couldn't shake the feeling that they were only scratching the surface of something much bigger and far more sinister than he had initially imagined.
The TV murmured softly in the background as Gretchen, propped up in bed, greeted them with a warm smile. "Aunt Gretchen," Ethan called out, hurrying to her side. She wrapped her arm around him as Mia joined them on the other side of the bed.
Noah hung back, watching the scene unfold.Gretchen's eyes met his, filled with understanding and concern. "Ray told me what happened," she said softly.
Noah took a deep breath, nodding as he turned to look out the window. Snow was beginning to fall again, the flakes dancing in the glow of the streetlights. The world outside seemed peaceful, at odds with the turmoil he felt inside.
"Hey kids," Gretchen said, her voice gentle but firm. "Why don't you go get me a hot chocolate from the vending machine? Get yourselves something too. There's money in my purse over there."
As Ethan and Mia left the room, Gretchen turned her full attention to Noah. "How are you?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.
Noah let out a humorless chuckle. "You're asking me? What happened to you?"
Gretchen's smile was wry. "I got old," she said, her eyes twinkling despite the seriousness of the situation. "The old ticker isn't what it used to be. The doctor says I was lucky. They put a stent in." She patted the bed beside her. "Pull up a chair, son."
