Page 31 of One Cry Too Loud
“At two o’clock in the morning?” I asked.
“Is there a law against that?” He replied.
“It’s just a strange time to be in the shower,” I said.
“Well, Alice’s coven had been at the house until almost midnight, and it took another two hours after that to get Cindy to sleep. Two o’clock in the morning was the earliest I could have gotten in the shower that night,” he explained.
“You don’t need to look at Eli with suspicious eyes. He loves Cindy almost as much as I do. He’s the only reason we’ve gotten by since Harrison left,” Alice said.
“How did Cindy take it when he left?” Holly asked with concern filling her voice.
“As you might expect,” Alice replied. “It’s hard losing a father. It’s like losing a piece of yourself.”
“You sound like you’re speaking from experience,” Holly said.
“I am. My parents died within weeks of each other,” Alice replied. “Cancer for one. A car accident for the other. It was a hard time. It’s actually why I decided to start the process of adoption that led me to having Cindy in my life. Even though Iwas single, I was all alone then, and I knew I needed someone in my life to keep me grounded, to give me a sense of purpose.”
“I’m sorry. You weren’t married when you adopted Cindy?” I asked.
“No. That came later,” Alice said. “About nine months after Cindy came into my life, Harrison followed suit. He just showed up at my doorstep one day and he never left.” The smile that had appeared on her face faded. “Until he did. You know, it was the shock of my life when that man left. Even if I thought he would have walked out on me, I would have never imagined he’d walk out on that little girl. SHe was his family, you know? Does that not mean anything?"
“Unfortunately, for some people, it doesn’t,” Kat said.
“What do you mean when you say he just showed up on your doorstep?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
“I’m not quite sure how you can misunderstand that sentence,” Alice asked. Then, in a flash, her face lit up. “Oh, I know! Would you like to see pictures of Cindy from when she was growing up?”
“More than you could ever imagine,” Holly said.
“Then I’ll be right back with them.” Alice jumped from the couch and sped off into another room.
I stood and made my way over to Eli. He had thankfully placed the spoon and ice cream carton down on the table beside him.
“She’s something of a character,” I said.
“Alice?” He answered. “She is, but she’s got a good heart. She’s got the best heart, as a matter of fact.”
“I don’t doubt that you believe that,” I said.
“That I believe it?” He blanched. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Her reaction to her daughter going missing, it’s not what I expected it to be,” I admitted. “She seems flippant. She seems annoyed that I’m even trying to help her.”
“You can blame the coven for that,” Eli said. “They have her believing that everything happens for a reason. She thinks that the spirits or whoever are orchestrating everything, that it’s all part of some big destiny.” He shook his head. “Which is to say that she believes all of this will work out, and she can be passive about it, the way she’s passive about almost everything else.”
“You don’t like the coven very much,” I said.
“They’re bleeding her dry,” Eli said. “She won a settlement after her mother died in that car accident. Some rich kid was drunk and driving the wrong way down the freeway. Alice got about seven million dollars when it was all said and done.” he sighed. “It’s enough to make sure that her and her daughter never have to worry about anything ever again. These vultures aren’t going to be happy until they go through every cent of it, though. They’re always needing something; a thousand dollars for this. Five thousand dollars for that, and so long as they can whisper what she wants to hear into her ear, Alice is happy to give them whatever they ask for.”
“No wonder you don’t like them,” I said.
“I thought she was rid of them a few months ago. She told me she was going to quit, but no such luck. They have their talons dug deep into her, I guess.”
Before I could answer, I heard a shriek come from the other side of the room. Holly had her hand over her mouth as she looked down at the photo album Alice must have brought out to her.
“It’s him!” She yelled.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
