Infinity Chapter 113 - Empty

[itztigress3]

Chapter 113 – Empty

POV:  Zac

Word count: 4222

May 17, 2015

I was glad that none of us were sick as hell and I was even more glad that Hanson Day and the Hop Jam were both going very well. I had seen Emily off and on all day, giggling at Amanda’s failed test to see if I would ever confuse them, I wouldn’t. Sure, I could say that it was the assets that were a dead giveaway when they were standing side by side, but really it wasn’t just that. There were some subtle little things like the color of Emily’s eyes, they were a little bit lighter than Eliza’s were, they gleamed more. Emily’s hair looked smoother, because it hadn’t been overly treated and it was brighter. The tiny little smile lines she’d developed over the years and the smile that not even Eliza could match. It was the little things that set them apart, things that no one else sees or notices. But, I do because there all little things I love.

Our meeting had gone well and we had the set lists for everyone ready when we arrived. We all got dinner at the diner, even though it was busy too it was better than going down to Mexicali’s which was packed. We then made our way back to the festival. I wondered around for a few hours until I had to report to the stage. Taylor approached me as soon as I arrived.

“Dude, I texted Emily she didn’t answer.” Tay said.

“She was headed to Jason’s at 6:30. Dinner at 7, if it wasn’t important she probably didn’t feel a need to answer.”

“Deposit question.”

“She’s doing them tomorrow, because after dinner she’s heading home with the kids.”

“Ok.”

The show went fantastic and we closed out the second Hop Jam festival on a very high note. We returned to the studio to ensure that all of the booths were closed and that the money was locked up securely in the safe. Sean assured us that all of the booths were closed, broken down, and everything was fine so we headed home about 10:15. I tried to call Emily but she didn’t answer her phone, it was possible she was trying to get them asleep though and had it downstairs. I arrived home at 10:45 but her car wasn’t in the driveway and the lights were all off.

“That’s strange.”

I parked in the garage and went into the house through the garage door, the house was so quiet and felt empty. It dawned on me that this must have been how it was last year when she came home. For a brief moment it felt really off.

“Emily?” I called.

There was no answer, no note, and my phone had no messages. I knew the weather was getting bad again, perhaps she was still at Jason’s, she would call me before going to bed for sure. I heated up some leftovers and ate at the counter, there was a strange feeling that something was wrong. The quietness of the house was unsettling and I could imagine her running through looking for someone. About 11:15 my phone rang and it was Jason’s number. Ah hah! That totally explained it, she was at Jason’s and her phone had died. Things were ok and they were just chilling there tonight.

I picked up the phone. “Hey Ems.”

“It’s not Emily Zac. Where is Emily?”

“She’s with you, she left the studio around 6:30. Her and Eliza both left actually, they were meeting you for dinner at 7.”

“Yeah, she never showed up and she never called, I assumed that something occurred and she had to stay there and just forgot to call. Is she not with you?”

“No. You still have Alexander and Isabella?”

“Yes, there both asleep. It’s why I called, she said she left enough but you both were clear you’d get them tonight. I hadn’t heard from either of
you about a change of plans, I was getting worried.”

The quietness of the house suddenly felt wrong, felt empty and depressing. “I’ll call Tay and Ike, maybe she is with one of their wives. I’ll come and get the kids.”

“The kids are fine Zac, there already asleep and it’s storming pretty badly here. I’d rather you not get on the road and try to come get them.”

“Are you sure? I mean she can’t be far away.”

“I’m sure. They are both sound asleep and waking them up now means they’ll be up half the night.”

“Ok. Let me locate her, I’ll call you back when I find her.” I said.

I hung-up and called Natalie and Nikki, neither of them had spoken with her since about four. I tried Isaac and Taylor as well, who hadn’t spoken with her either. I woke Aaron, Christopher, and Craig up and none of them had spoken or heard from her since about five. This was starting to feel wrong, if she felt unsafe she would have gone to someone close by and that would have been her brothers or mine.

I called Maddi and suffered the wrath of a pregnant grouchy woman until I cut her off and asked if Emily was there. She stopped mid-complaint and asked me why I’d asked and I explained. She hadn’t spoken with her since about three when Amanda was putting the clips in her hair. She’d gotten a text that said I’d passed and a picture of them but nothing beyond that. I tried Max as well, but he hadn’t heard from her at all today. Fear was beginning to set in as I dialed numbers and got the same story, either late afternoon or they hadn’t heard from her. I called George and Joshua in Georgia as well, they hadn’t heard from her either.

I tried her number and Eliza’s, neither one were answering and Eliza’s was going straight to voicemail. It was 12:10 when I called Casey, if she wasn’t there then something was terribly wrong.

“Zac, it’s after midnight and I just got in bed.”

“Tell me Emily is there with you, I honestly wouldn’t care if you were having sex, just tell me she’s there.”

“Emily isn’t here Zac, she left at 6:30 to go to Jason’s. What’s wrong?”

“I can’t find her and she’s not home and she never showed up at Jason’s.”

“Have you called Eliza? She may have had her divert somewhere else.”

“Eliza isn’t answering her phone.”

The silence in the house became very suffocating, like a elephant had sat on my chest. The logical conclusion was that Glen or someone else had
taken her. I heard Casey’s voice but I couldn’t understand anything he was saying. My chest had started to really hurt and I was sure my heart rate had increased tenfold. I slide down to the floor and the phone landed beside me somewhere.

A year ago if he had taken her I probably wouldn’t have cared that much, after all Ian had put those images in my head and I felt like we didn’t really love one another. Yet, I had come around to the truth and move past the lies he infected me with. Now, the idea that she was taken somehow, somewhere by this man was painful. I had seen all of the messages and the items that sick bastard had promised to use on her. I couldn’t breathe and I just sat there as the images of Emily’s perfect skin being sliced open by those horrible items came to my mind. My eyes finally focused on the butterfly painting hanging on the wall and it’s what I was staring at then someone came into my view.

“Zac! Talk to me.”

I really couldn’t respond very well but I could feel the hands on my arms.

“Look at me Zac, focus on me. It’s Zander, come on.”

I turned my attention from the painting to him, still in his pajamas. He began to coach me on breathing and before long I had calmed down
quite a bit. My breathing at least was more normal.

“That’s it, are you ok now?”

“He took her, I can’t…she won’t..”

“Hey, stay calm. Aaron is calling the detectives now. We’re going to find her. Where are the kids Zac there not up-stairs?”

“Jason’s, she never showed up and they were asleep. He said not to come get them because it was storming there.”

“Ok. I’m going to have Aaron call Jason, do you want them to be brought here?”

“No..they were asleep when he called me. Don’t wake them up, they may not go back to sleep.”

“Ok.”

He kept having me breathe and all I could see in my mind was Glen hitting her with those floggers, how I’d never see her again. Aaron had called the detectives and they showed up about two and I retold them what I knew and they even contacted Jason to confirm.

Agent Rodriquez was talking to someone on the phone as Agent Stewart was talking to Jason, when they hung up Rodriquez talked to Stewart in a very quiet tone. He then came to me, I had been moved from the floor to the love seat, but it wasn’t making me feel any better.

“Local police responded to a flipped car about 7:45 on the road headed toward Jason’s house, curve at the end of the road it appear the car slid and flipped. It was your wife’s car. There was no one in the car or around it and they don’t yet know what happen. We’ve tried the trackers and they stopped at the roadway and their phones are not showing up, we suspect there off.”

“Emily’s is on, it’s ringing. Eliza’s is going to voicemail. No one saw them?” I asked.

“No. A driver saw the car about 7:30 and called it in, but no one was in the car. It was raining on that side of town around the time is it possible she lost control?”

“It’s always possible but she wouldn’t have just left her car there and Eliza was with her. They left together, can you not reach her?”

“No. We cannot reach her either.”

“Then Glen has them both.”

Zander laid his hand on my back. “We’ll find her Zac, he may not have them. It’s possible Eliza got her out and went elsewhere.”

“Don’t patronize me Zander. I’m not stupid. She’s missing and Eliza would contact me, if no one else, to tell me she was ok. She hasn’t. Either
he has them or someone else does, either way they’re not going to be found.”

I got up and went up-stairs but I couldn’t go to our room so I went to Alexander’s. I sat in the rocking chair for about an hour before I moved to his bed, it wasn’t very comfortable but the comforting smell of my son helped me to finally close my eyes. I didn’t care who stayed, who left, or what they did. Being in Alexander’s room allowed me to calm the torrent of thoughts containing blood, knives, and other unpleasant things down enough to get some sleep.

May 18, 2015

It was Casey that woke me up about 9:30, slightly shaking me and calling my name.

“What?” I asked.

“Jason is bringing the kids back, Isabella took her last bottle at 9. If you want to sleep some more, go get in bed. I’ll watch them.”
I blinked, barely registering what he said but I sat up. “No, I need to get up.”

I sat there a few moments and then went to the bedroom to change and shower. It was during the shower I wondered exactly how long I had before Isabella did in fact run out of milk. I know she had a decent stock but I didn’t know the exact number. After drying off and getting dressed I went down and checked, thankfully I had about a week’s worth of milk with some extra as well. There was also some at the studio, which probably means I had a good week and a half to two weeks before I would have to get her formula. I stood there because the idea of giving my daughter formula was foreign, I didn’t even know what kind to buy. Neither of them had ever been given formula and I had no idea what to get.

“Zac?” Casey asked.

“She’s good on milk for a while.”

“She won’t be gone that long Zac, they’ll find her.”

“Even if they do find her Casey, I don’t think I want to know what her state of mind will be.”

He hugged me, randomly. “Whatever her state of mind is, you will make sure she recovers, just like she did with you.”

“Who all is here?”

“Zander, Aaron, Robert and I. The other’s are still asleep, your phone was laying beside me when Jason called I got up. He called about nine, they were feeding them then.”

I nodded and they arrived at 10:30, Alexander was wide open and Isabella was too and it struck me how much Isabella looked like Emily. She really did look like her mother!

Sophia hugged me. “They’ll find her, she’s a strong woman and you know that.”

“I know. Were they ok yesterday and last night?”

“Wide open the whole time but they were fine. Isabella was slightly off at her first two feedings but I think I didn’t warm the milk enough or something. Jason heated it up for dinner and she was fine.”

“Yeah, she can be pretty picky sometimes. She really is use to getting it from Mom, whose milk is always warm and consistent, it’s hard to match that perfectly.”

“I know.”

They opted to stay and I was somewhat glad because it would give me adults to talk with. We fixed them lunch about noon, I fed Isabella while Alexander ate and I was almost done when Agent Stewart came in. He waited for me to finish and then Casey, Robert and Sophia took them up-stairs so we could talk.

Jason took over the conversation, asked if they knew anything, what they knew and I think he asked every questions at once. Agent Stewart was patient and let him finish everyone before he consulted his note pad.

“First off we reported her missing this morning, ran a news post on the 6 am news.”

“Why?! It’s the day after Hanson Day and hundreds of fans are still in Tulsa.”

“That is actually why, the fastest way for us to track her movements are to find people that knew what she looked like. It panned out. Several dozen came forward and said they saw her Sunday afternoon with her sister. A couple of fans near where she parked saw her and Eliza get in the car and leave, the time you gave us is accurate. They saw her driving away.”

“She was there all day.”

“Yes, there were also fans that saw her heading down the expressway, clearly headed to your house Mr. Daniels. The biggest tip was a call came through that said they saw her car on the road and they said she looked stressed. Another caller said they saw a green van parked beside the road about the same time she wrecked. They didn’t see the wreck itself because it was pouring down rain and they didn’t look away because of the curve, they saw the van because it was parked on the curve. Do any of you know anyone who owns a green van?”

“No. My older brothers have mini-vans but one is maroon and the other one is a dark grey color. Only the maroon car is here in Tulsa, belongs to Joshua, my twin brother but it’s at my house.”

“Has your entire family been notified?”

“Yes.” I said.

If they hadn’t been told last night they would have found out this morning anyway, I wish they had asked me about that!

“Our garage technicians went over the car last night, they found evidence that the brakes were tampered with. Police reported her car was sideways in the field, we cannot be certain but we believe she lost her brakes, hydroplaned and went into the field. It is the best theory that matches what looks like happened.”

“Her brakes?”

“There was no brake fluid at all, unfortunately the rain washed away any evidence of leaks where she parked or where she drove. They believe the line was cut though.”

“What else?” Jason asked.

“We have not been able to locate Agent Marshall either. Is there any reason why Glen Franklin would want them both?”

“He never mentioned Eliza in his messages. She never mentioned getting any. But, Eliza was with her and if she was trying to keep him away he could have taken her too. I really don’t know much about Glen. He’s sadistic that’s for sure.”

He nodded. “Did Eliza say anything that might lead you to believe she was able to get away and there just hiding?”

“No. Zander suggested it last night too but Eliza knows how I am, she knows everyone would be worried about them. She wouldn’t take her anywhere or go anywhere else without calling me or contacting me somehow. Eliza wouldn’t do that.”

“Unless she was working with Glen.” Jason said.

I blinked. “Eliza wouldn’t do that Jason.”

“I don’t know her that well.”

“She’s a good agent Mr. Daniels, she wouldn’t vanish on us either. Ok. If you think of or hear anything please contact me.”

“He’s a real estate agent.” I said.

“We know. Eliza’s contact came forward when we released she was also missing. We are currently going over property records and mortgages
where he was listed. Verifying addresses and ensuring that residence are the real individuals there. We are also re-visiting the houses we’ve been to before, except next door we know there not there.”

“Yeah, the new house is almost done.”

I heard crying and Sophia was coming in with Isabella, who was crying very hard.

“What happen?”

“She was standing in front of the drums and Alexander pushed her down, she hit her head on the corner of the bass drum, she won’t calm down
for us.”

I got up and took her, checked her myself and I could see the little mark on her forehead.

“We corrected Alexander, or rather Casey did.”

“Ok.”

I held her, kept telling her she was ok and bounced but she wasn’t really calming for me either and I remembered the whole time she was sick she only wanted Emily. She was probably wanting the comfort of her mother and right now, I really couldn’t give that to her.

“I’m sorry, I need to take care of my daughter. If you need anything else Jason can answer or someone can come up.”

“I’m done, take care of your baby. She’s far more important at the moment.”

I went up-stairs with her and got the shirt Emily had worn Saturday and put it around her.

“Shh, Isabella I know Mama’s not here right now. You’re ok.”

I cooed and rocked and she was just whimpering when Alexander came running in crying as well, with Casey right on his heels, Alexander had paint on his clothes and I surmised that his crying was because he got in trouble, but I didn’t stop him from getting beside me.

“I have them Casey, it’s ok.”

“He’s in trouble, he shouldn’t be comforted.”

I blinked. “He’s my son. If I want to comfort him then I will and there is nothing any fucking one can do about it. I’d rather they not cry for her right now Casey, I can’t give them her. He needs to calm down and so does she. There fine with me.”

“Zachary.”

“Don’t argue with me. I’m there father and I said there ok.”

He looked slightly hurt but he did leave the room, I did not need Alexander to want his mother right now. He sat down beside me and I kissed his forehead.

“Baby hurt?”

“Yes, you pushed her down. She hit her head.”

“I hurt Isa?”

“When you pushed her against your drums you did. See the booboo?”

He had to get up to see, but I didn’t stop him when he kissed her forehead. I didn’t want him to be mad at himself or upset, but at the same time I knew he had to know he couldn’t do that. Isabella had calmed down and was holding onto the shirt and I knew it was comforting to her, the smell was. I got her to sit down and they sat here with me for a bit until Alexander got itchy for toys and Isabella was showing signs of wanting another bottle. I got up and we went downstairs, Alexander went to play and I fixed her a bottle and sat down in the living room.

“Where is everyone?”

“They went to either help search or home, although your phone has blown up.”

“I will check when she’s done.”

She ate slowly and held onto Emily’s shirt, tightly. I wondered if I had another shirt incase the smell wore off.

“Is that Ems shirt?” Casey asked.

“One she wore yesterday actually. She wouldn’t calm down so I figured her scent would work.”

He nodded and when she was finished and burped she laid there in my arms cuddled with her shirt and fell asleep. Alexander played a bit longer and then he too got beside me. The messages on the phone were from family, asking if I was OK, if I wanted them over, if I needed help. I pondered that really, I should have someone here in case we get news or I need to leave without these two but at the same time if things were closer to normal it may not stress the kids as badly, I could always say she was with an Uncle or Aunt. I called everyone, let them know what the agents said and that I was fine, if I needed them I would call. I decided I wanted their routine to be as close to normal as possible. About four I sent Casey and Robert home as well, Casey disapproved of that decisions. Robert was even concerned but I didn’t care right now. I played with them after they left and tried to remain normal.

It didn’t mean I wasn’t worried, didn’t mean my heart wasn’t breaking in half, didn’t mean that seeing Isabella smile and laugh didn’t remind me painfully that I may never see Emily again. I snacked some but fixed dinner for us all, making too much actually. Standing there in the kitchen hurt, realizing I fixed my wife a plate when I knew she wouldn’t be coming home to eat it. Knowing she could be in some room hurting like hell right now.

Both of them were fine through dinner and the playtime, I couldn’t bathe them individually so I gave them both a bathe at the same time, letting him run around in the bedroom naked while I re-dressed Isabella. Mom had said him being naked would be a good thing for potty training. I then sat her in the crib and got him ready.

“Were mama?” Alexander asked.

“She’s with Aunt Eliza tonight.”

He seemed mildly confused but didn’t ask again, I laid him down about 9 and sat down with her in the rocking chair, my plan was to feed her while he fell asleep. Alexander was really good about laying down and going to sleep, and he was out pretty quickly. I carried her across and laid her down when she was done. I was mildly pleased with myself. I texted everyone to let them know we were fine and then laid down myself.

It was almost midnight when Alexander came in crying, he wasn’t hurt and I hadn’t heard him fall out of the crib or anything, so I figured he had a bad dream or something. I couldn’t get him quiet and within fifteen minutes she was awake too. Alexander kept asking for mama. Isabella sounded like she was too, I laid down with them both giving Isabella a bottle of juice and Alexander a cup of juice too but neither wanted them. It wasn’t until I was near tears myself when they began to calm down and eventually they went back to sleep.

Laying there with both of my children in the bed made me realize that if we couldn’t find her, if Glen kept his word and never let her go I would be a single father and I would have to find some way to explain to them why their mother was suddenly gone and I really didn’t think I could do that. I wasn’t even sure I could accept that reality, let along explain to my children that she was alive and she loved them, she just couldn’t come home.

I could only hope that whoever had them, they could either get away or the FBI could find them before he hurt them. It was somewhere around 2:30 when I went to sleep Isabella was curled up beside me and Alexander was curled up just on the other side of her.