CarⓍl of the Bells: A Rainey Bell Holiday Short Story Read online

  She had typed the first letter of her reply when the phone notified her Katie wanted to video chat. Accepting the invitation, Rainey was treated to visual evidence of the rest of triplet trio’s participation in the muddy dognapping. Over the sounds of excited children, she could hear Katie giggling as she filmed the chaos at her feet.

  Katie said, “Say hello to Nee Nee.”

  Among the answering shouts, Rainey heard, “I finded the puppy.”

  The dog licked Timothy’s face and did not seem to mind being the object of his adoration.

  “Who’s the party crasher?” Rainey asked.

  She should have been with Katie and the kids, who were doling out gifts to the children spending the holidays at the women’s center. Katie made sure the triplets knew that giving was more important than getting Christmas presents. Weather had to be convinced, but the boys seemed to enjoy planning and buying the gifts. Rainey was stuck with paperwork from the bonds written last night and earlier in the day. Everyone else had the day off in preparation for Ernie’s annual Christmas Eve party.

  Katie answered while continuing to record the dog’s interaction with the children, “Her name is Carol. I called the number on her tag and left a message. The kids brought her in from outside. Guess who was leading the pack?”

  Rainey didn’t answer but instead voiced concern. “How did Carol get in a secured property?”

  Katie’s face appeared on the screen. In the background, Rainey could see the women’s shelter holiday party in full swing. The Christmas season was a volatile time in domestic abuse cases. Emotions ran high. The shelter offered these women and children a safe space to put their lives back together. A breach in that security needed to be addressed right away.

  “Relax Agent Serious. I called the contractor who left the hole in the fence. He and his son are on the way to make a temporary repair and security is aware of the problem.”

  Rainey chuckled. “I have trained you well, haven’t I?”

  “Yes, you have. How much longer will you be at the office?”

  Surrounded by children, her own and the youngest of the current shelter dwellers, Katie was in her element. Her calling was early childhood development and she seemed to sparkle in the presence of her little charges. Happy and fulfilled looked good on Katie. Rainey was sure she fell more in love with her every day.

  “If I had known you were wearing that red sweater, I probably would have been there already. That is the one from under the tree, is it not?”

  “Yes, thank you. I love it. You have excellent taste.”

  “I most certainly do,” Rainey said, shoving the last file into the top drawer, “in both the sweater and the woman wearing it, but how did you know which box it was in?”

  “I did not go snooping. The kids opened a few things this morning. We rewrapped everything, but I fell in love with this sweater. I wanted to wear it to Ernie’s party.”

  “I’m glad you like it. I’ll be there in about thirty minutes if the traffic isn’t bad.”

  “It’s already getting dark. Be careful.”

  Katie refocused the camera on the children. Weather’s mouth and chin appeared very close to the lens before sudden rapid movement disrupted the picture. Rainey could hear Weather attempting to wrestle the phone from her mother.

  “I wanna hold it.”

  Katie calmly replied, “No. I will hold the phone.”

  The triplet whisperer had spoken and compliance came swiftly. The image immediately settled on a precious little strawberry-blonde with green, heartbreaker eyes. Katie was a marvel of patience, particularly with her green-eyed mini-me. Of course, she became overwhelmed and frustrated at times, but Rainey had observed the mother of three shelve her emotions before speaking with the children. She would smile at Rainey and repeat her survival mantra, “Never let them see you sweat.” She also reinforced good behavior at every opportunity.

  “Thank you for cooperating, Weather. Now, what did you want to tell Nee Nee?”

  Weather moved so close to the phone Rainey’s screen filled with a shot of her daughter’s nasal cavities and the pink twin peaks of her upper lip. Katie and Rainey called her “The Reporter,” as it appeared to be Weather’s mission to keep the adults apprised of all the happenings in triplet-land, with a Nancy Grace sanctimoniousness about her delivery.

  “Nee Nee, Timothy finded the big puppy and I said get Mommy, but, but he did not listen and he went in the hole and Mac went in the hole, but I did not. Timothy put the big puppy in the house and her collar name is Carol.”

  Carol sounded strangely like Ca-wool from the child’s mouth.

  “You’ve had quite an adventure, Weather. Thank you for not going out the hole.”

  Mac’s voice and visage replaced Weather’s rather suddenly, “Can Timothy keep the puppy, Nee Nee?”

  Katie corrected him, “Mac, do not push. Wait your turn.”

  Weather had not thought to ask, but Mac wasn’t going to steal the story. Finger pressed to her temple, accentuating her thoughtful gaze, in a performance worthy of at least a Golden Globe, she said, “I had an idea. Can Timothy keep the big puppy, Nee Nee?”

  “Let me say, Weather,” Mac interrupted. “Can Timothy keep the puppy?”

  “Hey, you two, settle down,” Rainey said and waited for them to quiet. “The dog has a collar and a name. Someone is looking for Carol. She could be lost. We need to help find her way home.”

  Timothy bumped into the picture, jostling his siblings. “Nee Nee, I founded the big puppy. Her name is Ca-wool.”

  “I see that. Carol looks like a very nice dog.”

  “Call nine-one-one, Nee Nee,” Mac interjected.

  “Why do we need to call nine-one-one, Mac?”

  “Ca-wool is lost. She needs help.”

  Katie and Rainey said at the same time, “No, this is not an emergency.”

  Teaching a child to call nine-one-one had its complications. Knowing their children could call for help and recite names and addresses offered security. Turning three toddlers loose on the emergency notification system bordered on criminal mischief. The distress calls coming from a former FBI agent’s home, one who had been the target of numerous killers, tended to make the law enforcement response quick and forceful.

  It had been a few months since the last nine-one-one operator returned a call, courteously informing Katie of Weather’s recent interaction.

  The operator had explained, “Your daughter said she was just checking to see if I was still here. I assured her we were. She told me her name and address for ‘practice’ and then she said goodbye.”

  Emergency protocol was a difficult concept for a child who would issue an Amber Alert for a missing stuffed animal.

  Assured no call was about to be made, Rainey turned her attention to the fence issue. “Hey, don’t go out the hole in the fence again, okay guys.”

  Mac looked directly at the phone and answered, “Okay, Nee Nee.”

  Timothy offered, “Okay,” quickly, as he looked away from the camera, avoiding eye contact.

  “Timothy?”

  Ignoring her, he petted the dog as it passed through the frame. Rainey saw those same evasive tactics with hardened criminals. Without eye contact, the lies came easier.

  “Timothy?”

  He finally gave in and looked into the camera at Rainey’s digital image.

  “Ca-wool wants to go back. I don’t go out the hole, Nee Nee.”

  “Thank you,” Rainey said. “Take care of Carol while Mommy finds her family. I’ll be there soon.”

  “Okay, Nee Nee.”

  With squeals and laughter, the gaggle of kids at Katie’s feet dispersed and her face reappeared on the screen.

  “See you soon. We love you.”

  “Love you, too,” Rainy returned, as Katie blew a kiss at the phone and then disconnected the call.

  3

  “Kids don’t always listen.”

  It took Rainey a bit longer than she would have liked to fi
nish the paperwork at the office. She glanced at the clock on the dashboard as she approached the last curve leading to the women’s center. It was already 6:30 pm. They were supposed to be at Ernie’s annual Christmas party already.

  “I’m in trouble,” Rainey said under her breath.

  As she approached the security shack, the hair on the back of her neck rose at the sight of two sheriff’s department cruisers just on the other side of the gate. It wasn’t unusual to see law enforcement vehicles at the center. They dropped off women and children for protection from their abusers all the time. Still, something felt off.

  She slowed and rolled down her window. A guard stepped out of the shack to greet her. This too was unsettling, because this particular guard was always smiling. Tonight, her visage looked grim.

  Rainey spoke first. “Good evening. What’s going on?”

  The guard appeared surprised at Rainey’s inquiry.

  “Don’t you know?” she asked.

  “No. Has something happened? Is everyone okay?”

  Rainey’s heart began to beat faster when the guard reached back into the shack, hit the button to raise the gate, and said, “You better talk to Katie.”

  Rainey hit the gas and then screeched to a halt in front of the main building. The car had barely stopped before she jumped out and hurried toward the door. Mackie—her business partner and surrogate father—exited the building. She had been so focused on getting to Katie she had not noticed his big black SUV parked not far from hers. It was then that she realized Ernie’s car and Henry's truck were parked next to the building. There were other cars too, ones that should not have been there.

  “What’s going on?” she asked him.

  He put both of his giant hands out, saying, “Stop. I need to prepare you for this.”

  “Oh my God, what’s wrong? Somebody tell me what in the hell is going on.”

  “Rainey,” Mackie began in his calmest baritone.

  His demeanor was truly a bad sign as far as Rainey was concerned. Mackie used that tone of voice when he had to tell Rainey her father had been killed. It had the opposite effect of its intentions. Rainey tried to push past him. Mackie grabbed her shoulders, preventing her from moving.

  He looked down at her, focusing his eyes on hers, before he said, “Rainey, Timothy is missing. Katie said Weather and Mac saw him follow the dog out the back gate while the construction guys were here fixing the hole in the fence.”

  Rainey tried to break free, saying as she fought against Mackie’s grip on her, “I told him not to do that.”

  “Kids don’t always listen. We have people in the woods now. He’s only been gone thirty minutes. He can’t have gone far.”

  Rainey grew up at the women’s center. It was her father’s place back then. She knew the woods around the lake, the trails, and the dangers. A four-year-old wandering out there in the dark and cold could be in real trouble.

  “Let me go,” she demanded. “I have to find him.”

  Mackie gripped her tighter. “Get your head right before you go in there. You have two other children and a distraught wife to deal with.”

  “Why didn’t she call me?”

  “You were already on the way, and Katie didn’t want you driving like a maniac. She did all the right things. She called nine-one-one and then me. I was already at Ernie’s, so the entire party is here searching. We started looking a few minutes ago. We’ll find him, Rainey. You go on in there and take care of your family.”

  “Mackie, I know this woods better than anyone. I’m going to look for him.”

  “Okay. I knew you would, but you have to go calm Katie down first. Don’t let her see how scared you are.” He released his grip on Rainey’s shoulders. “I’ll meet you out back.”

  Rainey was already moving toward the door, when she called over her shoulder, “Grab the big spotlight out of my trunk. The keys are in the ignition.”

  Katie ran into Rainey’s arms the moment she crossed the threshold of the door.

  “You have to find him, Rainey.”

  As scared as Rainey was, she couldn’t let Katie see it.

  She hugged her close, and whether she believed it or not, Rainey whispered next to Katie’s ear, “We’ll find him, honey. He’ll be all right.”

  She felt Katie trembling against her chest.

  “How did this happen, Katie?”

  Rainey heard the question come from her mouth before she had time to phrase it properly. Katie’s reaction was swift. She pushed off Rainey’s chest and glared at her.

  “Are you blaming me?”

  Rainey tried to repair the damage. “No, Katie. It’s the question I would ask any parent. I’m sorry. I just need to know what you know. It may help me find him.”

  “Our child is in the woods alone. What else could you possibly need to know?”

  “He’s with the dog, right?”

  It was the correct prompt. Katie began to explain.

  “Yes. We found a belt and made a sort of leash. Janice, one of the mothers staying here, took the kids with her to walk the dog out back. Weather got pushed down and made such a scene that Janice handed the leash to Timothy and brought Weather to me. By the time she went back out, which was just moments, Timothy and the dog were gone.”

  Katie broke into sobs. Rainey pulled her into her arms again. Just then, a woman entered the door behind them.

  “Hello. I’m looking for Katie. She called about a found dog,” she said.

  The plump little woman peered out of round wire-rimmed glasses. She appeared to be in her seventies, with white hair and a worried expression.

  Katie dried her cheeks and said, “That was me. I’m sorry, but the dog got away.”

  The woman nodded as if she knew something. “Don’t cry, dear. I’m sure Carol went back to find my husband. She would never leave his side unless something was wrong. I’m so worried. He’s lying out there in the woods somewhere hurt. I just know it.”

  Rainey responded, “Your husband was with the dog?”

  “Yes. He walks the trails out here every day. When he wasn’t at church to play Santa Claus—he does that every year—I knew something was wrong. I went home and found your message and saw that you had called about Carol. I rushed down here, and I found his truck at the parking lot where he usually parks. It’s about a mile up the road.”

  Rainey asked, “The one just north of here?”

  “Yes. He always parks there.”

  Rainey nodded. “I know the trails that lead off from there. Does he have a phone with him?”

  “No. I found his cell phone on the seat of the truck. He hates to carry it, but I make him. I know he's sick or hurt. He would never miss playing Santa.”

  The woman began to cry.

  Rainey didn’t have time to comfort her. She asked, “Do you know where he walks? There are three trails leading this way from that parking lot. Does he stay on the trails?”

  “I don’t know. He could be anywhere. He’s a retired Botany professor from State College. Since then, he’s been working on cataloging the plant species around the lake. He says it keeps his mind fresh,” she answered, her voice shaky.

  Rainey clarified quickly, not wanting to lose any more time, “Our three-year-old son is with the dog. They walked into the woods together. We’re searching for them now. We’ll find your husband.”

  “Three? Oh, good Lord,” the woman said before her knees began to buckle.

  Rainey rushed to the woman and led her to a nearby chair, as she explained, “Timothy will be four tomorrow, and he’s smart. He’ll stay with the dog. He’s probably sitting with your husband as we speak. We’ll find them.”

  “Go, Rainey. We’ll wait here for you to bring them home,” Katie said, moving toward the woman. “My name is Katie Bell-Meyers, and this is my wife, Rainey. She finds people for a living. She’ll find them. Don’t worry.” She turned to Rainey. “Right? You will find them.”

  Rainey forced a smile. “I’ll be back with them
in no time.”

  “Nee Nee!”

  Rainey heard her remaining two children thundering down the hall toward her. She turned and knelt to gather them in.

  Weather reported as she ran into Rainey’s waiting arms, “Timothy is lost with the big puppy.”

  Mac made sure he wasn’t to blame, insisting, “I said, ‘No, Timothy,’ but he didn’t listen.”

  “Oh, my goodness,” the older woman said. “Two more?”

  Katie answered, “Yes, we have triplets.”

  Weather said, “Look, Mac. It’s Miss Santa Claus.”

  Rainey was quickly old news. Weather let go of her and moved to the visitor. Mac followed.

  Mac asked, “Did you come to find Timothy? He’s lost with the big puppy.”

  The woman smiled and to Rainey’s amazement, even in her distraught state, said, “Don’t you worry. Carol will take good care of him. I’m sure they are both with my husband. He’s lost too.”

  Rainey needed to leave now. It was growing colder by the minute and the wind was picking up. She asked the visitor, “What’s your husband’s name? So we can call out to him.”

  Weather answered, “It’s Santa Claus, silly.”

  The older woman smiled. “His name is Nicholas. We call him Nick.”

  Weather wanted to make sure everyone knew she had studied up on the Santa thing. “See. Santa Claus is Saint Nick. It’s the same.”

  Mac reminded everyone, “Timothy doesn’t like Santa Claus. He runned away from him on the train.”

  With Timothy’s fear of Santa in mind, Rainey asked the woman, “What does your husband look like?”

  The woman answered, almost apologetically, “Just like Santa.”

  “Nee Nee, Santa has a white beard and wears red pants,” Weather said as if Rainey should have known.

  Mac was more concerned with logistics. “You have to find Santa, Nee Nee. He has to bring presents tonight.”

  Rainey almost laughed at his priorities, but worry led her to say, “Okay, I’m going to look for your brother and Nick. Stay here with Mommy.” She turned to the older woman. “I grew up in these woods. Don’t worry, Mrs—” Rainey stopped because she didn’t know the woman’s name.