Chapter 23
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"Hello?" Officer Halliday reached for the phone, scattering papers off his
desk in the process. He nodded as he listened to the person on the other
end of the line. Picking up a pencil, he jotted some notes in the file he
had been studying. "Thanks for calling." Officer Halliday rested his chin
in his hand. This was interesting. The doctor monitoring Amanda Williford
had just told him that her condition was unchanged - stable but serious. He
also informed him that she had what appeared to be rope burns on her wrists.
He read over the file again. It had bothered him at the time how hesitant
Elisha Carter had been when he talked to her. That, and how she and her
husband were constantly exchanging glances when they thought he wasn't
looking. Were they trying to cover up something? He steepled his hands
under his chin and sighed. He had to be very careful. Nick Carter was a
huge celebrity. The media attention was already tremendous, but if it turned
out that someone was falsly accused because of his hastiness, there would be
no end to it. He sighed again. Placing his hands flat on the desk, he
pushed himself up and reached for his coat. "Time for another visit to the
Carter family."
Nick and Elisha sat on the picnic table and watched Brian and Rebecca chase each other around the yard. Their giggles and joyous shrieks were infectious and their parents had to laugh with them. Nick bounced Diana gently on his knee and cooed at her. "Who's my beautiful girl? Who's my sweet baby girl?" Elisha smiled and hugged Gene closer to her. She hadn't been able to sleep last night. An impending sense of doom had invaded her head and wouldn't let go. They hadn't fooled that officer, he knew something was up. And now Nick would be considered an accomplice to her crime. Their beautiful children would have their parents taken away from them for God knows how long. Nick's career would be ruined. The loyal fans would stand by him, they knew the whole Mandy story, but industry people wouldn't touch him with a 10 foot pole. And it was all her fault. A tear rolled down her cheek and Nick wiped it away tenderly. "What's wrong, honey, why are you crying?" Elisha related her thoughts to him in a breathless rush, tears pouring down her face. He kissed her gently and wiped away the tears again. "Nothing is going to happen Lish, our children are not going to lose their parents. She leaned her head onto Nick's shoulder. "I wish I could be so certain Nick, but I'm scared." The phone had rang again just as Halliday was leaving the station house. The call had brought him to this unplanned, but necessary, stop at the Rest Easy Motel. The managers wife was a tall brunette with a tired face. He introduced himself to her and asked if there was somewhere they could sit and talk. She gestured to the chair in the office. "How about right here? I don't want to leave the desk not knowing how long Harry will be." They sat and Halliday asked her to tell him what she knew about Amanda Williford. As Elisha fed the twins, Nick excused himself from the room. He entered their bedroom and dialed his parents number carefully. He kept his voice low as his father answered the phone. "Hi, Dad? Yeah. You've heard?" He listened to his fathers voice. "No I can't really go into detail right now. Yes, Elisha shot her." He paused. "I'll fill you in, I promise. Listen, can you and Mom come up here right away? I have a feeling we're going to need you." Bob assured him that they would leave on the next flight and be there as soon as they could. Nick put the phone back in its cradle softly. He walked slowly back to the living room. He didn't want his face to betray his emotions. He had to stay positive for the sake of his family, but he was just as frightened as Elisha was. |