Chapter Fifty
Bo Duke reached for his cell phone. It was almost ten, and Aralyn wasn’t home yet, which was unusual. She didn’t stay out late these days.
Seeing he had a voicemail, he entered his pin to it and listened. His blood ran cold.
“Hey, Dad, it’s me. Listen, I’m not going to be home tonight. In fact, I’m not going to be home for a while. I need some space, so I’m um…I’m going to take off for a bit. Please don’t worry, I’ll be fine. And I’ll be in touch soon. I love you guys.”
Bo listened to the message twice, trying not to panic. She didn’t sound as if she was under duress and she hadn’t used any of the code words that had been drilled into the kids since they were small.
Bo dialed her back but the phone went right to voicemail. “Aralyn, it’s Dad. Call me right away.”
Instinctively, he knew she wouldn’t. And with the phone turned off, he couldn’t track it by GPS. He dialed Tiffany.
“Hey, Bo, what’s up?” Tiffany greeted him.
“Is Aralyn with you?”
There was a pause. “No, why?”
“She didn’t come home and she left a message for me that she was leaving town for a while.”
“She did what?” Tiffany demanded.
“No, she didn’t. She knows I would have talked her out of it. I spoke to her this afternoon, but she didn’t give any indication about going anywhere.”
“Has she said anything to you recently about wanting to leave?”
“No. Bo, I’ll be right over.”
Seven minutes later, his front door opened.
“Bo?” It was Luke, arriving with Tiffany, Natala and Brian.
“In here,” Bo was pacing the living room. Trixie sat at her laptop, typing furiously. The twins were out with friends, Sean was upstairs.
“Her account has been drained, Bo. She left a hundred dollars in it, Trixie said, dismayed.
“Find out what ATM she used. I want the footage,” Bo said.
Trixie nodded.
“What’s going on?” Luke asked.
Bo handed his cousin his cell phone. Luke listened to the message, and they passed it around between them.
“She don’t sound like she’s in trouble,” Luke said.
Bo shook his head. He looked at Natala. “Can you pick up anything?”
Natala closed her eyes, concentrating. “She’s not in danger. In fact…she feels happy.”
“Happy?” Trixie looked up sharply.
Natala nodded. “She feels…free. And she’s nowhere nearby. She’s definitely left town.”
“There was enough money in her savings for her to go off the grid for months,” Trixie fretted.
Luke was calling a friend, asking for security camera footage from the ATM she used.
Fifteen minutes later, they stood around the laptop, watching the grainy footage that had been emailed to them. Aralyn was alone, and whistling. She looked up at the camera suddenly and smiled. She dug in her backpack for a pen and a moment later, held up a note.
“I’m fine, Dad. Don’t worry. I love you,” Bo read out loud.
She took the paper down, stuffed her cash into her backpack, and left.
“She’s run away,” Bo whispered.
***
Cam set the weight bar down that he had been bench pressing. He had added ten more pounds today, five on each end, and he knew he’d pay for the ache later. But he needed the extra weight to help him focus.
Dean, who had been spotting him, looked down and frowned. “Uh-oh. You’ve got the look.”
“What look?” Cam grunted, reaching for the bar again.
“The Why-Hasn’t-Aralyn-Called-Me look. You just can’t stop thinking about last week, and hanging out with her, can you?”
Cam knew his face was red, and not from exertion of weight lifting. “I can’t help it.”
“You do realize you still have a girlfriend.”
“Yes,” Cam set the bar down and exhaled.
“And that you can’t do anything about Aralyn while she’s still in the picture.”
“Uh-huh,” Cam lifted the bar again.
“So when are you going to stop letting her guilt you into staying?”
Cam set the bar down, exhaled and sighed. “It’s not that easy, Dean. Last time I tried to break up with Ellen, she actually grabbed the knife and started to slit her wrist.”
“Ellen is unbalanced, Cam, and it’s not your fault, nor your problem. You’ve got to talk to her parents, let them know what’s going and, and let them deal with it. It not fair for her to hold you hostage like this.”
Cam sat up and rubbed his towel over his face. “I know, Dean. But if she really did go through with it, and killed herself because I left…I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. She keeps saying she’ll see someone for help, but I know she hasn’t.”
Dean shook his head as Cam stood. They were done for the night. “You’re working out on a Friday night instead of being with your girlfriend. That should tell you something. Man up, dude.”
Cam nodded. “I’m working on it. It’s just going to take some delicate work. After this last fight…”
“She’s still pissed about the coffee shop?” They started wiping down the equipment they had been using.
“Completely. One of her little snotty friends saw us, and told Ellen that Aralyn was pretty much in my lap and my tongue was down Aralyn’s throat.”
Dean looked over at him, startled, as they walked towards the locker room. “That never happened!”
“We know that. But Katlyn twisted it all up so that I was cheating on Ellen.”
Dean shook his head. “Her friends are as nutty as she is.”
“It’s payback for the time Katlyn cornered me at that party and tried to kiss me, and undo my belt. I rejected her so this is her way of getting back at me.”
“Why are women so petty?” Dean asked. “I can’t imagine Nat or Aralyn pulling a stunt like that.”
Cam shrugged. “I don’t know. But it’s just more problems with Ellen.”
“Think of it this way. Until you’re free and clear of Ellen, You don’t have a snowball’s chance in Hell of getting Aralyn back. You want more time like last week, where we all just hung out and chatted? Ditch the Bitch. Let her parents deal with her.” Dean checked his phone right as it rang. He smiled and answered. “Hello, Gypsy…What? No, she’s not…What do you mean, gone?...Seriously?...well, Hell…hang on. Cam, have you heard from Aralyn?”
Cam gave him a puzzled look, checked his phone and shook his head.
“No, he hasn’t…okay, I’ll tell him. Later, Gypsy.” Dean hung up the phone and turned to Cam.
“What’s wrong?” Cam tensed.
“Aralyn left town.”
“She what?”
“Left town. Emptied her bank account, left Bo a message, and took off on her bike. Nat was hoping she had called you.”
Cam shook his head, his heart sinking. “No. If Aralyn wants to be alone, she will be. And she’ll stay off the radar. She knows how to.”
“Any idea where she’d go?” Dean asked.
Cam hesitated. He had an idea, but he knew Aralyn. “No. If she left, Dean, she wanted to. And she won’t come back until she’s ready. If they try to find her, or give chase, she’ll disappear for good. I know she will. They need to back off and leave her be.”
“I’ll pass that on to Nat,” Dean said, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He studied his friend. “You all right?”
No, Cam thought, his heart in his toes. She was gone. Again. “Yeah. Be sure to tell Nat they need to not chase her. She’ll come home when she’s ready and not a second before.”
***
“No, Mom. Just that text. If she shows up here, I’ll call,” Tim said. “Yes. I promise, Mom. I love you too. Give my best to everyone.”
Tim Mangan hung up and stared at the girl across the table from him.
“All right, cousin. Please explain to me why I just lied to my mother, whom I swore I would never lie to again.”
Aralyn sipped her coffee. “Technically, you didn’t lie about that. You said I texted you. Which I did.”
Tim rolled his eyes. “What’s going on?”
Aralyn sighed. “I needed some space. And there was no way they were going to let me go off on my own, not after Texas.”
Tim rubbed his eyes. “So you panicked them by running away?”
Aralyn gave him a weak smile. “I left Dad a voicemail. I gave them a note at the ATM. I’ll check in periodically. But Tim, they’re smothering me. I can’t breathe. They’re so worried about taking care of me but no one’s actually asked me what I needed. Even Tiffany. Which is why I didn’t tell her about this beforehand. She would have tried to talk me out of it or insisted on going with me, or worse, told Dad. And I really just needed to get away. I know you can understand that.”
Tim nodded. “I can. But that doesn’t make this right. Aralyn, they’re terrified. Mom was in tears just now. You’re ripping them all apart.”
Aralyn swallowed hard and blinked back tears. “I’m sorry, Tim. I just didn’t know where else to go.”
“You didn’t think this out, did you.” It wasn’t a question.
Aralyn shook her head. Tim rubbed his jaw.
Do you have a plan?” Tim asked.
“I don’t know. I thought I’d head towards Virginia and picked up the Appalachian Trail. Ride it for a while. I always wanted to hike it.”
“I know. But I really don’t want you out there camping on your own and I can’t get away right now.”
“I know. I figured I’d ride it, maybe camp a little – just at well-populated places,” she said hastily.
Tim sighed. She was seriously putting him between a rock and a hard place. But if he was the only family she was trusting right now, he couldn’t risk breaking that. Even if it meant lying to the family and potentially breaking his dad’s heart again. Aralyn had always stood by him. He had to stand by her.
“What’s your cash flow situation?” he asked.
“I have plenty of money,” she answered.
He stared at her. She sighed.
“I drained most of my account.”
“You did what?!”
“I need to go off the grid, Tim. Dad can track me through my phone or credit cards. So I got the money early, before I got too far and they realized I was gone. I don't need US Marshals locating me and hauling me back to New York.”
Tim closed his eyes and counted to five. Then he reached into his back pocket and took out his wallet.
“Where’s the money? Please tell me you’re not walking around with a couple of thousand in cash on you!” he hissed.
“Why do you think I haven’t let go of my backpack?” she asked sheepishly.
“Give it to me and take this,” he slid a credit card to her. “It’s mine, and I get the bill, so they can’t track you. There’s twelve thousand in credit line on there so please, don’t max it out. I’ll authorize you to use it so there won’t be any problems. Get some good camping gear. You need to pick a place where you can readily get access to a cell signal and food supplies.”
Aralyn took the card and handed him her backpack.
“We’ll get you a prepaid phone too, because I want you call me every two days, and they can’t track you. I also want you to call your folks at least once a week. They’re going crazy with this.”
Aralyn bit her lip. “Do I have to? If I call them, they’ll just try to get me to come home. I think that will make it worse for them, Tim. You know them.”
Tim rubbed his jaw. “Ok, I’ll call them. I’ll tell them that I’m acting as intermediary for communication. They won’t like it though.”
“I know,” Aralyn said unhappily, staring out the window.
“You realize, of course, if our parents discover how much I’ve helped you, I’ll get two new assholes, one from each of our dads.”
Again, Aralyn nodded. “I won’t tell them, Tim. I didn’t want to drag you into this, and I'm so sorry. I know this puts you in a really crappy place, but I didn’t know who else I could go to.”
“Are you packing?”
She shook her head. “No. I just didn’t want to carry it. But I’ve really boned up on my self- defense and hand to hand.”
Tim half-smiled and squeezed her hand. “I can’t put you up in my room. Do you have a place tonight?”
“Yeah, I got a hotel room nearby.”
“Why don’t you hang around for a couple of days?” he asked. “Let’s go down to DC and see some of the sights. I’ve got my bike, and it’s only about a half hour or less, the way we ride. We’ll just hang out.”
Aralyn stared at him, hard. “Promise me this isn’t some lame attempt to get the family down here to ambush me.”
He held up three fingers. “Scout’s honor. We’ll just hang out for a couple days. You and me.” And give me time to figure all of this out, he thought. Helping his cousin would strain, potentially break the fragile bonds he had rebuilt with his family. He had to risk it in order to keep tabs on Aralyn. At least by helping her, he had one eye on her, and he could track her whereabouts.
Aralyn smiled. “Deal. And didn’t you get kicked out of Scouts?”
***
Tiffany Duke sat staring out of her window. For what felt like the millionth time, she took a tissue from its box and wiped her eyes. Her eyes were so sore from crying.
Why had Aralyn run off? Why had she cut her, Tiffany, out of the plan? Tiffany would have gone with her, to keep her company. Did Aralyn blame her for the Texas mess?
She had called everyone she could think of, friends they met along their trip. Jax Teller was in prison but she had talked to a cold Gemma Teller who said she hadn’t seen Aralyn and didn’t want to get involved in whatever was going on. If Aralyn turned up in Charming, California, she wouldn’t get a warm reception.
Luke had called his brother Judd Duke in Hazzard, and Cooter to see if she had shown up there. Honey had called every relative she could think of that Aralyn might go to. Diana had called all of her siblings, nieces, nephews and parents, widening the net. No one had heard from Aralyn. She had vanished.
Tiffany’s cell phone beeped a text message alert. Snatching it up in hopes it was Aralyn, her heart plummeted to see Tim’s number. She flipped the phone open. Ari says she’s sorry to leave but it’s not your fault and don’t blame yourself. She just needs some space, and loves you very much. She wants you to stay safe and not worry about her.
A fresh round of tears came on. She and Aralyn could always read each other, no matter where they were. Stay safe? What on earth did that mean? Not worry? How could she not worry about her best friend, practically her sister, when they had never gone a day in their lives without talking on the phone, at the very least? They were inseparable, and now Aralyn had just left. Up and gone. Ripping a huge hole in Tiffany.
Why did Aralyn need space? She had become so reclusive, rarely leaving the house. Leif had told her she had started riding sometimes, or walking Dixie through the neighborhood several times a day. Natala had mentioned Aralyn felt restless and pinned down. She knew the adults were really worried about Aralyn. But so were the kids. Aralyn was their leader. With Aralyn gone, they’d turn to her. Sure, Natala was older, but they hadn’t grown up with Nat. Tiffany wasn’t a leader. She was Aralyn’s second, her right hand, but she couldn’t step in.
With a heavy sigh, Tiffany replied to Tim’s text with a thank-you. There was nothing she could do right now. Aralyn would be back when she decided to come back. She knew her cousin better than anyone. Any pressure on Aralyn and she’d bolt.
Movement outside caught her eye and she looked out in the dusky twilight of evening. She had thought she saw someone near the Henderson’s bushes, but whoever it was, was gone now.
Her eyes strayed to a graduation picture of her, Aralyn, Cam and Dean. Life had been so much simpler last year, she thought sadly.
***
Luke grunted as Bo delivered a series of heavy blows to the punching bag. Nearby, Dan was sparring with another Marshal on their team.
“Ease up there, cousin. I ain’t as young as I used to be,” Luke said, when Bo took a break.
“Sorry, Luke. I’m just so pissed off!”
“I know.” Luke braced himself for another round of holding the bag. Dan had done it last time. His heart ached for his younger cousin. He had to keep his game face on, for Bo. So did Dan. If Bo saw either of them crack under Aralyn’s leaving, Bo would lose it. Bo had to be strong for Trixie, so Dan and Luke were strong for Bo.
Trixie had melted down the second day, when it became apparent Aralyn had vanished and no one had seen or heard from her, except Tim. Bo hadn’t said much to him, but Honey had been there.
Honey hung up the phone, her head in her hands. “That was the last cousin I can think of. Nothing. The only cousins left I can think of are overseas, or in Ontario.”
“She don’t have her passport,” Bo rubbed his eyes. They had been up all night, trying to track her. “She’s still in the country.”
Trixie stood up, marched to the wall and yanked off a picture of her and Aralyn. Bo watched her warily. Without warning, Trixie turned and hurtled the picture at the opposite wall. The frame hit and the glass broke. Turning back to the wall, Trixie started tearing at the pictures that hung there, flinging them to the ground. A guttural cry escaped her throat as she grabbed the family picture from Aralyn’s graduation and flung it to the ground, the first scream came out of her.
Honey stood to go to her best friend, but Bo crossed the room first, catching his hysterical wife in his arms.
“Trix,” he whispered, “Trix, it’ll be okay.”
“She’s gone!” Trixie screamed at him. “It is not okay! My little girl is gone! She just took off and left! It will Not. Be. Okay!”
He tried to hug her but she swung her fist at his chest. He winced but held her as she pummeled his chest, screaming out her anger with every hit.
Tears ran down Honey’s face as she watched Trixie hit her husband in anger. Bo just held her tighter, until the hitting stopped and Trixie was sobbing against him and her knees gave out. He gathered her petite frame up in his arms, and carried her upstairs.
Honey wiped her eyes and found her handkerchief in her pocket. Why had Aralyn done this to her family? Why?
Honey’s heart ached as sank into a chair, weeping. It might as well be Tiffany that had abruptly left. The first of the children to come along and only a few weeks apart, Honey, Daisy and Trixie truly considered the oldest trio to be 'theirs'.
Luke couldn’t help but be angry with Aralyn. Tiffany was so stoic in front of the others, defending her cousin, but Luke heard her crying at night. Why had she done this, knowing how it would hurt her family? They had tried to be helpful and supportive, not run her off. She had always been a dreamer and a wanderer, but she had never done anything so selfish. Luke had faced tough times in his life, especially during his stint as a Marine, before he joined the Marshals. You didn’t run away from your problems. You had to face them. They might knock you down but you got up again and faced them.
Aralyn was nineteen, and out on the road by herself. Evidently she was in touch with Tim, who was relaying messages to the family. That was really killing Bo, that she wouldn’t contact him. Dan and Luke suspected that Tim was helping Aralyn more than just passing messages, but agreed it was better she have someone in the family helping her. For now, they’d respect it. Dan wasn’t happy that his son was likely lying to them, but understood it might be what was keeping Aralyn safe, and was likely their link only to her.
They had done all they could do alone. Aralyn wasn’t a minor, and while they filed a missing persons report, there wasn’t much that could be done. Trixie had finally called an old friend, Fenton Hardy in Bayport, New York. A retired NYPD detective, he was now a private investigator. He had agreed to look at the case, and was coming to town Saturday afternoon to meet with them.
Bo was torn. Nat had warned him to back off and leave Aralyn alone. He knew his daughter. The more he pushed, the more she resisted. But Trixie was shattered, Honey a mess, Tiffany inconsolable. All he knew to do was try to find his daughter.
Meet the cast in full & see the family tree!
***
Author’s Notes
- A huge yeee-haa to Ronda, my lovely editor who helps keep me on track!
- Fear not, dear readers, Aralyn will remain safe while she's out of town, I promise! She's just off trying to find herself.
- Word Count, 3,586
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