My body goes into defensive mode the moment I see him. I never take my eyes off him. The Sheriff stands in my driveway like a storm cloud. His presence is thick and suffocating. Each time we meet, it's unpleasant, but this time it feels worse: heavier, charged. I'm almost sure he's here because of my visit to his son today. Wow, news travels fast in Sugar Creek, especially when someone wants it to. I square my shoulders, refusing to shrink under his angry stare. My sarcastic mouth moves before I can stop it.
"I'm sure you're not here for a cup of coffee. What can I do for you, Sheriff?"
"We need to talk about the little trip you took this morning." His voice is sharp, slicing through the air. "You don't listen very well."
"I don't see where I go is any of your business."
. "I told you to leave my son alone and let all of this go, but no, you just do whatever you want." His face reddens with each word; the vein in his neck bulges. I was afraid his head would explode. The hate rolling off him feels almost physical, like heat radiating from a fire. It surrounds me, presses against my skin, makes the air feel too thick to breathe.
"I didn't do anything wrong, sheriff," I say, my voice tight.
"This is your last warning, little girl." He says, his tone drips with condescension, which makes anger and fear twist inside me.
"I'd appreciate it if you left my property now, sheriff," I say, hoping he takes the hint and leaves.
He steps closer, invading my space. "You have three days to give me the papers you found. I promise if you don't, life will get worse for you," he threatens. His closeness makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. He's dangerous, and I know that, but right now I just need him to go away from me.
"I'm not scared of you," I say, though my voice trembles. "And Sheriff, the next time you set foot on my property, make sure you come with a warrant."
His eyes narrow. "Don't contact my son again. He has nothing to do with that Catalano girl or her parents. She was a tramp who tried to trick my son." His words hit like a slap, knocking me back a step.
"Leave now, Sheriff!" I shout, my whole body shaking. I'm not sure if it's fear or anger or maybe both. All I know is that I don't feel safe around him. I grab the bags from the driveway and sprint to the front door. As I slam it shut and lock it, a faint tremor runs through the wood frame, like the house is reacting to my fear. Sheriff Dawson's dangerous and I'm pretty sure the house can feel it to. I lean against the door, to take a moment for myself before I join Zeke back in the living room.
"Who was outside?" Zeke asks, concern tightening his features.
"Just the sheriff," I say lightly. "Telling me off about tracking down his son. He just gave me the normal warnings. No big deal," Zeke doesn't need to worry about anything more than what he already is.
"This is why I told you not to go see anybody or do anything without me." He ground his jaw, tightening.
"Why, Z? He would have yelled and threatened me no matter what," I argued.
He exhaled, frustrated but trying not to show it. Instead of fighting he suggests we watch a movie to calm down, and I agree. The rest of the day goes smoothly. The glass in the front window is replaced, and we spend the rest of the night relaxing on the couch, cuddling and watching TV.
We end up falling asleep in the living room. Z is on the couch, and I'm in the recliner. The next morning, pounding on the front door jolts us awake. I stretch as I get up from the recliner and head to the front door, with Zeke's eyes watching my every move.
"Hold on, I'm coming," I call out to whoever is behind the door. At first, my hand rests over the doorknob as I hesitate to open it, afraid of who might be on the other side. I swing open the door. Andrew Dawson is on my doorstep.
"Hello, Roxanne, may I come in?" he asks.
"O-o-of course," I stutter. I swing the door open and motion for him to follow me into the living room where Zeke waits. "Please sit. This is Zeke."
"Nice to meet you, Zeke," he says, shaking Zeke's hand. I sit beside Zeke close enough that our knees touch. His hand rests on my thigh, warm and reassuring.
I clear my throat before asking Andy, "Why are you here?" I ask. "Yesterday, you made it clear you didn't want to be involved."
"True," he says. "But after talking to my wife and giving it some thought, we decided we would like to know the truth too." His voice softens. "I loved Amber. I would like to know what happened to her and my baby. My father was never helpful, and we never saw eye to eye on my relationship with her."
"Oh, he's not my biggest fan either," I tell him. "In fact, he stopped by yesterday and screamed at me. He's not happy that I contacted you."
"What did he say to you?" He asks his expression darkening. "Did he threaten you?"
"Kind of," I admit. "He wants me to give him any documents I've found since we moved in."
Zeke, finally speaks. "Are you here to help Rocky figure out if Amber Catalano is her mom, or did you come to help your father?"
Andrew's jaw tightens, "I moved two towns over to escape my old man; I'm not here in any way to help him. Let's get that straight." His sincerity surprises me. Zeke squeezes my hand, silently reminding me he' here, he's with me, he's not letting me face this alone.
"We're not sure who to trust," Zeke states. "My only goal is to keep her safe and help her figure this mystery out."
I grab my wallet and pull a photo out of my mom and me, taken a year before she passed away. I hand it to Andrew. He looks at the picture and then back at me.
"That's my Amber, my sweet girl," he says lovingly as he stares at the picture and runs his finger over my mom's face. "She looks older in this one. Where did you get it?"
"That's my mom, a year before she passed away from cancer," I explain, softly. The pain of her death still fresh in my mind. Andrew's gaze quickly shifts towards me.
"She passed away? No, that can't be possible. This is some kind of joke," he places his head and his hands and shakes his head in disbelief.
"Look, Andrew," I say gently, placing my hand on his arm. "All I know is my mom was scared of someone or something. She wouldn't answer questions about her family or my father. She said it was safer if I didn't know. Please help me solve this mystery so I can find out what happened to her family." He nods slowly and relief floods through me. "Thank you," I breathe. "Thank you so much."
He tells me he already made an appointment at a DNA lab closer to his town. It's far enough away that no one in Sugar Creek will know.
"After the test tomorrow, my wife and I would love to take you both to lunch if you're free," he says before leaving.
"If Zeke feels up to it tomorrow, we will take you up on that offer," I say, not wanting Zeke to overexert himself after this recent injury.
"Quit worrying, baby; you know I'm not going to sit around this house. I'm going with you." There is no point in arguing with him. Walking Andrew to his car, he hugs me before leaving. His embrace is warm, hesitant, but hopeful.
We sleep in the living room again rather than climb the stairs because Zeke still can't maneuver them. We make do and make the space as comfortable as possible for both of us. An unsettling feeling has taken over the house as the hallway lights continue to flicker on and off, as if the wiring has come alive. We hear no sounds out of the ordinary, and I have no weird dreams. Yet, the air around us still feels charged.
The next day, as I get ready, my excitement is hard to contain. I'm finally going to get answers to one of my questions. After breakfast, we head toward the DNA center Andy picked. Even though I was happy about the test, I can't help but be sad that my mom can't be here to see this moment. The hour-long drive flies by fast.
Zeke looks at me with concern. "Are you ready for this baby?"
Taking a deep breath, I replied, "Actually, I'm fine. I've been waiting so long for these answers. I feel excited and relieved. I'm not upset, I promise." To my surprise, it's the truth. I feel a sense of calm washing over me.
The testing process was swift. The technician takes cheek swabs from both Andrew and me, then informed us that we will receive the results within the next three weeks. We spend the rest of the afternoon with Andy, and his wife Sharon. Sharon is thrilled at the possibility that I am Andrew's daughter. She's never had any children and seems genuinely happy at the thought of welcoming me as her own. For the first time in a while, I feel happy.
Zeke stays close, always within reach. He tries to keep my expectations in check by urging me to wait until we receive the results, so that none of us gets heartbroken.
As we wait for the test results, we have another issue that terrifies us. The three-day deadline Sheriff Dawson has imposed has passed without any further incidents. Each day, I feel more on edge. Every shadow feels like a threat, and every sound makes me jump. The sheriff isn't one to make empty threats. It keeps us wondering when and where he will retaliate. Every sound or shadow makes me jump; we don't let our guard down once.
To distract myself, I grab Amber's journal; it's become instrumental in understanding the Catalano family's dynamics. My biggest hope is it will lead to a clue about their disappearance. I hold the journal tightly in my hands, taking a moment to appreciate the worn cover and how it's frayed at the edges from being opened and closed so many times. Running my fingers along the spine, I feel the creases and indentations that had formed over the years. Opening the journal to the next entry, I begin to read.
Dear Diary,
My father has decided that Andy and I will be giving our baby up for adoption. He didn't ask us what we wanted or how we feel. He just made this decision on his own because he thinks it's for the best, but Andy and I really want to keep her. We keep hearing we're too young to take care of an infant, but they're wrong. I know I can handle it. How can they expect me to give up my precious daughter? It will rip a piece of my heart out because I already love her so much.
I went to my mom and pleaded for her help, but she's not much help; she seems to agree with him. There's something they are keeping from us. A secret that involves not only our family but also my unborn child. I'm not due for another five months. I'll do everything I can to change their minds. Do you have any advice on how to convince them we can handle this big responsibility?
I told Andy what they said, and he's decided that if we can't change their mind, we'll have to take the baby and run away. He's been working hard at his uncle's autobody shop to save money. He's been taking extra shifts after school and on weekends. The downfall is we hardly get to see each other, but he visits when he can. I know he's doing it all for us and our daughter's future. It makes me love him even more. Seeing him is a bit tricky because my parents don't want me around him. He usually climbs the tree near my bedroom window after everyone falls asleep. I lock my door, and we lie in my bed and talk about the baby or our plans for the future. Sometimes, he even puts his head on my stomach and talks to her! It's so cute.
Andy told me he doesn't want his parents to know about our baby girl, because they don't deserve to know. He hasn't given me any details on what happened between him and them, but I trust his judgment. Whatever it was, it must have been bad, and he's trying to keep us safe. He also said that I should stay away from his dad and that if I see him on the street, I should walk the other way. Apparently, he doesn't want his dad to know about Roxanne!
Oh, one last thing. You won't believe what Donovan and I found. We snuck into our dad's office and found these backpacks. There was one for each of us. Can you guess what was inside? Cash and passports for the whole family! But get this, all our last names are different. Not only that, but there were also birth certificates and Social Security cards in each bag. Donovan looked super scared and made me swear not to tell anyone about what we found. Weird, right?
As always, thanks for listening, diary.