“Do I have everything?” Clisty mumbled
in the middle of her living room. “Maybe I’d better check it all again.”
Compulsively, she ticked off her list over and over, multiple times until she
willed herself to stop. That didn’t put an end to her anxiety however. “Maybe
I’d better—” She stopped herself. “I’m ready. I have to let it go.” She hung
her head down, let her hands and arm swing freely, and let the blood rush to
her head. She needed energy but not the kind of energy generated from nerves.
The next day
was Monday, the day the quest was to begin. Clisty spent Sunday evening,
staging her gear in the living room. She had finally put aside her fear of
failure and put on success. Like an alter ego, her confident-self took over
more frequently in recent days.
She had packed a zippered binder with all of her hand
notes, her laptop and her iPad. She packed her travel bag with a night shirt,
make-up, a change of clothes and other toiletries. She was determined to take
everything she needed and not stew about it.
By the next morning, Becca had made studio
arrangements. A Friday afternoon telephone call to North Central College’s
NCTV17 in Naperville, assured a link to Naperville Community Television. Clisty
would broadcast from the remote location for the six o’clock news and the news
at eleven. Becca was pleased that the trip was falling into place.
Clisty was excited as she hopped in her car that
Monday morning and pointed it to the studio. So much had turned in the right
direction. First, Faith was finally home. So far, she was just a reasonable
facsimile of the Faith she would have been if she had grown up in Fort Wayne
and gone on treasure hunts with Clisty. But, for now, Clisty would celebrate
that she was home. Second, a new job came out of a dream she never even knew she
had. Her fantasy was to be a news anchor at a local station and balance that
with a home, husband and children. Third, but certainly not the last of her blessings,
there was Jake Davis. She pulled into the station parking lot just as her dream
fully formed into the face of the police detective.
She hopped out of the car and hurried into the
station. “Jake Davis just called before you got here,” Clint told Clisty as she
walked into the newsroom.
“You said more in those eight words than I usually
hear you speak in a week,” she smiled as she slapped him on the shoulder.
“Then, I’d say …,” Clint paused and thought, “I’m
done.”
“Well, what did Jake have to say?” Clisty coaxed.
“Okay, these next words are for free, no charge. He
said he’d be here in a few minutes. He was just leaving.” Clint threw back his
head and laughed. “You and Becca are the only people who think I don’t talk
much. My wife says I never shut up.”
“This could be a long trip,” Becca rolled her eyes at
Clisty.
“Okay, it’s about a hundred-and-sixty miles over
there and should take us three and a half hours,” Clisty calculated. “It’s ...
eight fifteen. If Jake gets here in the next fifteen minutes, we should get to
Naperville about noon. The school should be nearing the end of their lunch
schedule by then.”
“No, the beginning of the rotation,” Jake said from
behind her.
Clisty jumped. “You startled me,” she moaned with a
smile on her face. She was glad Jake was back to his joking self.
“I heard what you were saying when I came in.
Illinois is on Central time, so we’ll get there around eleven o’clock, our
twelve, just as they start their lunch cycle.” He held up a dark brown duffle.
“I have my go-bag unless we need to stay over. No one’s waiting for me. Are you
all ready to go?”
“I think we are, complete with travel bag and two
pair of shoes, walking and sitting.” Clisty patted the colorful print on her
duffle. “I was thinking,” she admitted as she hoisted her bag to her shoulder,
“all of our plans may change, depending on what we find. We may have to leave
Naperville in a hurry.”
“Is this a premonition?” Becca asked with measured
gaze.
“No … logic. So far, everyone, including my memory as
a child, has reported that The Guardian is a very mean and dangerous man.” Her
eyes narrowed. “We may have to cut our trip short. We might even have to go
back some other time to finish our investigation. For now, let’s agree to error
on the side of caution.”
“I agree one-hundred percent,” Jake said and the
others added a firm. “Yes.”
The four gathered all their personal baggage and the
station gear and took it all out to the van. Becca helped Clint load the camera
and other equipment. “I’ll drive, Clint, so you can get some shots out the
window when we get near Chicago.” Becca put the station van keys in the
ignition.
“Sure,” Clint nodded. “That makes sense. Besides, you
usually don’t relinquish your control on—“
“Are you saying I’m controlling,” she quipped?
“I’m saying I’ll be happy to film the trip,” he said
and settled back into his usual elective mute self. He hopped up into the
co-piolet’s seat. That left Clisty and Jake in the back.
“Have you planned a route?” Becca pulled to the edge
of the parking lot and waited for driving instructions.
“We’ll take US 30 northwest out of Fort Wayne,”
Clisty thought out loud. “I think that may have been the way they went.” She
checked the map again. “Darla said she escaped when her kidnapper got out of
the truck before he merged onto I-65 off US 30.”
Up front, Becca thought about fluffing her pillow and
curling into a kitten ball. But, drivers can’t do that. In the back seat, there
was an uncomfortable silence. Clisty watched the scenes pass by outside her
window but nothing caught her eye. Jake was silently surveying the view on the
right. The longer they sat motionless, the louder the silence between became.
“I don’t know what to say,” she whispered.
“About what?” Jake questioned from his side of the
car, actually a mile away in emotional measurement.
“I guess I was thinking out loud ... never mind.” She
didn’t look at Jake, although it felt like he had fixed his eyes on her, even
though she knew he had turned his head away.
The energy between them was alive with magnetism.
There was a force that neither could deny. Jake reached over and took Clisty’s
hand. She wanted to fold herself into his arms and lay her head on his
shoulder, but her own professionalism didn’t permit back seat cuddle. She stole
a look at him and his eyes were so full of his raw feelings, she blushed. There
were things to say, but that was neither the time nor the place.
•••••
Gary, Indiana appeared as busy and frantic as usual
from the highway that rose up above the chaos. “I know we are taking the long
way,” Clisty said as she watched the route out the windshield and the side
windows. “But, we want Clint to get some good video of Chicago.”
They followed Route 30 West for one-hundred seventeen
miles, and then connected to I-65 and drove north to Gary. It would have been a
shorter route to by-pass Chicago and go directly to Naperville, but, they
weren’t on a family outing. They had video to take to accompany the story of
Faith’s journey to freedom. In Gary, Indiana they took I-80/90 toward Chicago.
Becca pointed to a sign down the highway. “Look, at
the next exit there’s a Starbucks. Let’s stop here, get something to drink, and
Clint can film us and the area.” As she neared the exit, they all straightened up,
stretched and cleared their eyes. “I’ll pick something up for you while you
film, Clint. What do you want?”
“Straight up coffee, black,” he said as he unpacked
his equipment in preparation for filming. He had stowed the shoulder-held
camera bag beside him in the van.
When they stopped, Jake jumped out, came around the
van and took Clisty’s hand as she stepped out onto the ground, freshly washed
by a light spring rain. “Are you tired?” he asked.
“No,” she denied. “I’m too excited to be tired.
Besides, if I admitted it, I’m afraid I’d fall over where I stand.”
Inside the store, Clisty bought her usual, café
mocha. “I’m out of my element,” she said as she sipped a little of the whipped
cream off the top. “It feels safer to stick with what I know.”
“And you’re considering a move to New York City?”
Becca’s eyes grew large. “Illinois makes you uncomfortable and you’re debating
the merits of moving to New York?”
“I know,” Clisty sighed, “I hear ya. I don’t want to
think about that adjustment right now, but … I hear ya.”
Jake smiled, rolled his eyes and ordered a vanilla
cream steamer, made with half-and-half and plenty of whipped cream on the top.
Since ten pounds wouldn’t even appear on his slim frame, he ordered a venti.
They took their cups and went back to the van.
“Okay, Clint” Becca said as she placed her coffee in
the cup holder. “If you got enough video of this area, we’ll press on. We’ll be
passing by Chicago in a little while. Have your camera ready.”
From the open side window, Clint filmed some of the
tall buildings of the city before they turned west on I-88. At I-88 they
dropped south on Route 34. “Good, this places us on the north side of
Naperville.”
They traveled over two-hundred miles, including their
detour into the Chicago area, which placed them in the circular driveway of Principal
Mitchel’s elementary school around noon, Indiana time. Becca parked in a
student-pickup spot and hopped out. Clint positioned the camera while Clisty
took a reporters position in front of the double school doors.
Clisty pointed to the sign with the school name over
the door. “Make sure there are no children in the background and that the
school name is not in focus. We simply cannot invade their privacy and it
doesn’t advance the story in any way. These people have only been helpful.”
“Okay, Clint, send a link to my tablet so I can see
your lens view.” Becca said as she touched the screen on her iPad. Quickly the
scene in front of the school popped up on her tablet. “I can still see the
school name, Clint. Pan down a little.” She studied the screen. “Good, hold it
there.”
A man with a closely clipped graying beard walked out
of the school and approached the crew. “I saw the name of your station on the
side of your van,” he said as he reached out his hand to Clisty.
“You must be Principal Mitchel, Sir,” she greeted
him. “I’m Clisty Sinclair.”
“Mr. Mitchel,” Becca reached out and shook his hand,
“I’m Rebecca Landers, producer of the six and eleven o ‘clock news.” She
stepped beside him and offered to share her e-tablet. “I can show you the angle
we are taking.” She offered him an opportunity to peruse the view finder.
“Oh, that looks fine. That could be any Illinois
elementary school in the state. When the children go out for recess, they will
go out the back doors. All play areas are behind the school.”
“Mr. Mitchel, have you found any other information
about Pooky Jones?” Jake asked and extended his hand. “I’m Jake Davis, a Fort
Wayne police detective.”
“Detective, I’m glad to meet you.” He raked his hand
through his hair. “I’ve been thinking about Pooky Jones and the Freedom Temple
since you called. May I ask what all of this is about?”
“We can tell you what the Fort Wayne viewers have
already been told. First, the bank robbery,” Clisty nodded at Jake to let him
answer the police questions.
When the WFT crew brought Principal Mitchel up to
date, he was silent. “Right here in our own town ... and no one knew.”
“Don’t blame yourself, Sir. I’ve self-blamed for many
years. The Guardian kidnapped Pooky’s mother right out of my living room when
we were both nine years old. He jerked her out of my hand and all I could do
was run and hide.” Clisty cleared her throat and took hold of her composure.
“I’ve learned that evil gets it way sometimes, but when good people can put a
stop to it, they do.”
“I’ve noticed you have had the camera rolling for a
minute.” The principal was thoughtful for a moment. “You don’t need to use my
name. The story isn’t about me or this school. It has taught me that we have to
be on watch for all of our children. In the building in which I did my student
teaching, the teachers made a home visit to each of their student’s homes. I have
tried to do that here. When the teacher called to set up a time to make a home
visit, the parents of the child in question immediately pulled her out of
school. I will instruct my teachers to report any similar incident that may
happen. Social services or a school psychologist should follow up with a home
visit of their own. We have to assume the parents had something to hide, until
an investigation proves another cause for withdrawing the child.”
“Can the school psychologist do that, if a child is
no longer enrolled?” Jake asked with the legal issue in mind.
“That’s a good question. We’ll check with our legal
department. I know CPS can make a contact. For the school, at a minimum, a
teacher could offer information about home schooling guidelines and perhaps, a
list of programs a home-schooled child can participate in within the public
school system. Whether the child is in the school community or not, they could
still be part of the educational outreach of the school.”
“So, as a principal, you’re not against home
schooling?” Clisty asked, and then pointed the microphone back to Mitchel.
“There are many reasons why home schooling is a
better option for a particular child. The neighborhood can still offer group
sports, band and choir participation, and many other in-school and
out-of-school activities.”
“Thank you Sir,” Clisty said then turned to the
camera. “That is the first in our kaleidoscope of vignettes that will tell the
story from the heartland about a child who was lost and has now been found.”
Once the camera was off, Clisty asked, “Can you tell
us where the Freedom Temple is or a good guess as to its location?”
Principal Mitchel brightened, “I am honored to tell
you what I know. It sounds like The Guardian is not a protector of children.”
He stroked his beard. “There is a plot of land out in the country all of us
have wondered about. There are quite a few acres and it sits off the road. The
buildings aren’t visible from the road and it has a fence around it.”
“Can you give us directions?” Jake asked.
“Go down about five miles, turn left on Old Mill Road
and follow it ... here, let me jot it down.” Principal Mitchel took a business
card from his pocket and scribbled out the location. “There you are,” he said
as he handed it to Clisty. “Now, I have to get back in, so my secretary can go
to lunch.”
“Thank you so much,” she said and waved.
After the principal went back inside, Jake stepped
into Clisty’s space and would not let her pass. She looked toward the
school and whispered to Jake without looking at him. “There are a lot of kids
watching us Jake. We’re the big TV stars, I guess; although, I feel like Grandma’s
Pooky who needs a hug.”
“I’ll be happy to provide the arms,” he said with a
smile.
“Don’t forget that offer,” she said as she waved at
the excited, curious children at the school windows.
“I plan to always have ready arms,” he whispered low
enough Becca and Clint wouldn’t hear it.
Clisty took him by the hand and walked around to the
other side of the van. She checked the school for visibility then threw herself
into Jake’s arms. He didn’t withhold a single unit of kinetic energy. Clisty
received his love and covered his face in kisses.
“Does this mean that you have changed your mind about
the network’s offer?” Jake’s voice was raspy with the strength of his passion
for her.
She pulled back and studied his face. “No. I haven’t
decided. But, are you saying you won’t accept my love ... unless I turn the
network down?”
“Are you two ready?” Becca asked as she got into the
van.
“Yes,” Clisty snapped as she pulled away from him.
“No, we’re not,” Jake insisted and took her arm.
“Jake, don’t,” she sighed.
“Honey ... okay,” he threw up his hands in surrender.
“Just know, I did not say that at all, because that’s not what I meant.”
She stopped and placed her hand softly over Jake’s
heart but could not meet his eyes. She didn’t move on but stood there for a moment.
Jake put his hand on top of hers and caressed her fingers. “Can we at least say
this conversation isn’t over?”
“You bet your shinny badge it’s not over,” she said,
looked into his eyes and felt his fire.
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