Chapter Two
Back in Chicago, Joshua was getting worried as he looked at his digital clock. There was still no sign of Caitlin. He tried her house and cell phone and got her voice mail in both places. Something awful had happened to her, he just felt it deep in his heart. Thinking rationally, he decided to make some more calls before he went crazy trying to find her. First, he called Rick.
“Hello? Caiti?”
“No, it’s Joshua, Rick. Were you expecting a call from your sister?”
“Yes, I was. Isn’t she with you?”
“No. I was hoping that she was with you. She’s late, and I’m worried.”
“I was with Caiti all afternoon. She had a really bad episode at work this morning. I had to come and take her home. I spent my afternoon babysitting. I told her to call me when she got to your place.”
“Oh damn,” Joshua mumbled under his breath. “Rick, I don’t want to scare you, but I think something happened to Caitlin. Have you checked your mother’s house?”
“No. I don’t want to worry my mother yet.”
“Um, have you tried any of her girlfriends? Have you checked with any of her sorority sisters?”
“No, not yet. Let me do that. I’ll call you back in about fifteen minutes.”
“Okay. Bye.” During those fifteen minutes, Joshua called the area hospitals. Fortunately, Caitlin wasn’t in any of them, but it scared him even more. If she were in the hospital, he’d know where to find her. Rick called him back right on time.
“Hello?”
“Hey Josh, it’s Rick. I called some of Caiti’s best friends. None of them have seen her. I checked the sorority office. Sometimes she hangs out down there. Nobody’s seen her or heard from her.”
“Well, she’s not in any of the hospitals in the area. Listen, what are you doing right now?”
“Right now, chewing on my nails and praying that my sister is safe.”
“I’m coming down there. We’ll look for her together. She has to be in the neighborhood.”
“See you in a little while then.” Rick hung up. He paced the floor for a moment. He picked up the phone again and called his mother. He got her voice mail.
“Hello, this is the Ryan household. I’m sorry I can’t take your call right now. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”
“Mama, this is Ricky. I’m calling to see if Caiti is with you. She was supposed to be meeting her boyfriend tonight, and she hasn’t shown up yet. It was probably just some mixed wires or something. Call me if you hear from her. Love you, Mama. Bye.” Rick heard a car horn honking outside of his building. He stuck his head out of the fire escape window. Joshua was waiting downstairs in his black Honda SUV.
“I’m coming!” he called. Rick grabbed his wallet, keys, and threw on his leather jacket. He locked up his place and ran down three flights of stairs in three seconds and out the front door.
“Hey Josh,” Rick said as soon as he got into the truck.
“Hey yourself. Still no word from Caitlin?”
“No. I just called my mother and left her a message. We can’t hide this much longer brother.”
“I know. Hopefully, Caitlin will turn up in the next hour or so.” Joshua left the south side and headed onto the Dan Ryan expressway. The Friday night traffic was full of partygoers anxious to get downtown and hit the bars. Joshua’s concentration was focused solely on Caitlin. He maneuvered easily past the people driving like the Ryan was the Ryan 500 and those acting like it was the Tortoise Express. Rick kept his eyes peeled for any signs of accidents. By the time they reached the north side, they had turned up nothing.
Joshua exited Lake Shore Drive at Fullerton Avenue, where Caitlin normally would have to come and see him in his Lakeview apartment. He drove a little more slowly, ignoring the cab drivers that blew their horns at him. Rick took the liberty to roll down his window and shout a few choice words at them. Joshua drove around Lakeview and into Old Town, an area just north of zoo. Still, his search turned up nothing.
“Rick, I have an idea. I’m going to park at my building so we can look for Caitlin on foot. She might have gotten lost on the way up here or something,” Joshua said, trying to sound hopeful. Rick shook his head.
“All right, but I still have a real uneasy feeling. I know my sister. She would never just take off and not tell anyone. Unless…”
“Unless? Go on brother, finish your sentence.”
“Do you think she was kidnapped?”
“It has entered my consciousness. Who would want to kidnap her though? That’s really kind of an absurd idea right now.”
“Why else would she come up missing and not tell a soul where she was going? You know that Caiti is so much more responsible than that.”
“Rick, I know that Caiti has been under a lot of stress lately with what’s happened. She has been a little depressed.”
“Hmmmph! Depressed isn’t the word. Sometimes, she seems fine. Other times, it’s like I don’t know my sister. It’s almost as if someone put her under a spell of gloom. She’s been so moody lately.” Rick paused and looked at Joshua. “Just what exactly are you driving at here, Joshua?”
“I’m not driving at anything.”
“Look man, don’t bullshit me. What are you getting at?” Joshua gripped the steering wheel firmly. He had to speak his mind, as a police officer and as someone who loved Caitlin very much.
“I’m wondering if Caitlin was so depressed that she might have run away or done something to herself.”
“Caitlin? My sister Caitlin?” Rick laughed nervously. “No, she would never do anything stupid! She wouldn’t…do you think so?”
“You tell me. You’ve known her much longer than I have.” Rick flopped back against the seat. He sighed. The truth was bubbling to the surface of the pot.
“Josh, when I went to get my sister this morning, it was the worst I’d ever seen her since the robbery. She was sitting in a corner of the locker room, rocking back and forth and talking to people who weren’t there. She was whimpering and crying like a small child. It was almost as if she’d regressed to a child. I was afraid I would have to check her into the hospital. I don’t understand what could’ve happened. Those men never raped her. Why is this happening to her? Why is her mind rebelling so badly?” Joshua thought for a moment.
“I know they didn’t rape Caitlin, but that doesn’t matter. She was violated nonetheless. She was grabbed, bound, gagged, and frightened out of her mind. She thought she was going to die from her disease. I know that had to do something serious to her psyche.” Joshua pulled into his garage as he talked. He pulled into a space and shut off the truck’s engine.
“We’ll give this search a good hour.”
“And what if we don’t turn up anything?” Rick asked, preparing himself for the worst.
“We’re going to the precinct and reporting Caitlin missing. If she has been kidnapped or ran away, our best chances of finding her alive are in the first forty-eight hours.”
“Come on man, let’s hope for the best.” They ventured out into the park, calling frantically.
“Caitlin! Caitlin! Where are you baby?”
“Caiti! It’s your brother! Come on honey, stop teasing!” Joshua and Rick circled the park twice, but their search turned up nothing. They searched near the pond, the zoo parking lot, and the playground. They even searched Diversey Harbor and parts of Canon Drive. Their search turned up nothing.
“Rick, we need to get down to the precinct right away. I think it’s time we bring some higher powers into this.”
“How am I going to tell my mother?” Rick moaned. “This will kill her!” Joshua sighed.
“Caitlin, where are you baby? Please, come home…”
* * * * * * *
Caitlin opened her eyes. The monstrous trees looked down at her with their dark branches. She tried to move, but searing pain shot through her body. She was still bound and tightly gagged. She knew in her heart though, that if she didn’t get help soon, she would die for sure. Moving sent shearing pain throughout her body. It was damn near impossible. She was dying. The rope seemed to cut more into her sore limbs. The gag was draining her saliva, quickly driving her to dehydration.
“He’s won,” she thought sadly. “He’ll get his wish. I’m going to die. I am really going to die.” Hot tears formed in her eyes and spilled over onto her cheeks. They stung the wounds on her face. As she lay there, she heard noises. She heard footsteps crunching over the leaves. Was it her captor coming back to finish the job? Dazed with pain, Caitlin was frozen. She couldn’t run, couldn’t move, or scream. He’s come back for me! He’s coming to kill me!
Eric slowly approached the figure before him. He didn’t want to shine his flashlight on the person until he was sure that they weren’t going to bring him any harm. Just in case, he was carrying a huge branch as a walking stick. As he got closer, he heard whimpering, muffled whimpering. Someone was in trouble. He got closer and finally turned on his light.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt? Holy shit! God Almighty!” Eric saw a young woman, lying on a pile of dead leaves, bound with rope and duct tape and cloth silencing her cries. Her face and body had been the victim of some sick man’s motives, as he saw the deep cuts and bruises.
“Please don’t hurt me! Oh please, help!”
“Hey, it’s okay. I’m a friend. Lie down. I’m not going to hurt you.” Caitlin knelt and gently lay on her stomach. Eric worked quickly to free her from the hated ropes. He then gently pulled the gag from her mouth. Caitlin spit out the rag and coughed. Her tongue and mouth had become a dry dessert since the cloth absorbed most of her saliva.
“Help me…” she whimpered. She could hardly speak.
“I’m going to take you somewhere warm and safe. Just put your arms around my neck and hold on.” Eric effortlessly scooped her up into his strong arms. He noticed her purse lying nearby along with a pharmacy bag. He managed to carry the package, her purse, and her back towards his cabin. Once he got there, he wasted no time in assembling a basin of warm water, bandages, ointment, and medical tape. Eric gently sat on the side of the bed and looked at his little patient.
What did that monster do to you? Where did you come from? Despite the ugly slashes on her face and the bruises on her neck and body, Eric still thought the mysterious girl was beautiful. She looked so familiar. He touched her hand.
“Mmmmmm…Mommy? Is it time for school yet?”
“Miss? Can you hear me?” Caitlin slowly opened her eyes. She saw that she wasn’t at home anymore. She was in a dimly lit bedroom, with a fire burning nearby and the sweet smell of cedar chips filling the room. She saw that her rescuer was a young man with a black mask covering half of his face. He wore a beautiful knit sweater with swirling red and black patterns and blue jeans. He looked at her with concerned blue eyes. She felt his hand closing around her own.
“Where am I…hospital?”
“No, not the hospital. You’re in my home. You’ll be safe here, I promise. Can you tell me your name?”
“Can’t remember…” Eric quickly found the pharmacy package.
“Ryan? Is your name Caitlin Ryan? You’re a diabetic.”
“I think so…oh, my head hurts…”
“Shhh, take it easy. You’re safe now, Miss Ryan. That person who hurt you, he won’t find you here. I’ll take good care of you.”
“Are you a doctor?”
“No, but I’ve had some training in emergency medicine. My name is Eric Malone. Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you, Miss Ryan. What hurts?”
“My body…my ribs…it hurts to breathe…my face…”
“I’ll be gentle. Can you hold your arms straight out?” Caitlin obeyed. Eric gently pulled off her sweater. Then he removed her shoes and jeans. He set to work bandaging and bathing the wounds, all the while, humming a soft love song.
“You have…such a nice voice…do you sing?”
“I used to, when I was a boy in church. I just thought it would help you relax. Do you know who did this to you?”
“A man…he seemed so nice…we bumped into each other at the pharmacy…he wanted to kill me…he tied me up and…”
“I know. I saw what he did to you. He’s an absolute monster.” Eric finished his little treatment session by taping Caitlin’s ribs together. He put one of his flannel shirts on her and covered her with extra blankets.
“Now, you try and get some sleep. I’ll be right here if you need anything. I won’t leave you, Miss Ryan.” Eric took her hand again.
“Thank you…Mr. Malone…” Caitlin drifted away. Eric sat there a long time, looking at Caitlin and thinking about Jayla.
“Who are you really, Caitlin Ryan? Who’d want to hurt you like this?” Caitlin Ryan became one mystery that Eric knew he had to solve.