The Forgotten Night Page 16

  Cassidy smiled again. “No, that’s not why I fainted.”

  “Why did you panic then?”

  “Andy, I love you.”

  “Oh no, you’re going to tell me you cheated on me with Ian and you’re having his baby,” he joked.

  Cassidy smiled and couldn’t resist playing with him. “No,” she said, looking down at him seriously. “Not exactly.”

  Andrew’s hand stilled over hers. “What do you mean, not exactly?” He sounded hesitant.

  “I’m…I am having a baby. Oh, and I didn’t cheat on you,” she said all at once.

  Andrew looked at her and slowly comprehension dawned on him. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out.

  “It’s yours,” Cassidy felt the need to clarify.

  “Baby? We’re having a baby?” he finally asked.

  Cassidy grinned and nodded her head. Andrew stood up with a huge smile on his face. “We’re having a baby,” he laughed then kissed Cassidy hard. “You nearly gave me a heart attack earlier. You know I might have to get admitted now.”

  “Oh, poor baby,” she said, cupping his face. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I love you Andy.”

  “I love you too, Cassie. A baby?”

  “Yes.” She laughed at him.

  He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck affectionately.

  “You’ve made me even happier. I can’t believe we’re going to have a baby, too.”

  Cassidy smiled at Andrew and just watched as he gushed over her.

  “Are you sure you’re okay? The baby?”

  “I’m fine, Andy. Stop fussing over me and start freaking out about what my father is going to say.”

  “What if we don’t tell him?”

  “You know that’s a horrible idea.” She hit him lightly on the arm. “Maybe we could all go out to dinner, your parents and mine. It’d be a public place, so he couldn’t kill you.”

  “That’s comforting.”

  “I’m just saying, you know my dad is going to kill you. We aren’t even married yet.”

  “Yes, but we are getting married. What if we move the wedding date to…tomorrow?”

  Cassidy genuinely laughed. “I think he would be a little suspicious.”

  “You’re right, your idea was pretty good. I’ll sit next to you and if it looks like he’s going after me with the steak knife, just intervene. He wouldn’t hurt his pregnant daughter to get to the bastard who made her that way.”

  They heard a knock on the door before it opened. “Good, you’re awake,” the doctor said, walking into the room. “Miss Ames, I’m Dr. Michaels. Are you feeling any better?”

  “Yes, I’m feeling fine.”

  “Everything looks normal,” the doctor said kindly.

  “Is the baby okay?” Andrew asked.

  “I believe so. I advised your friend that you should set up an appointment, get you and your baby more thoroughly examined. They would be able to answer all your questions and give you more details on your baby and the due date, things like that, okay? Do you have anything else?”

  “When can I leave?” Cassidy asked.

  “Just fill out these release forms and everything should be set for you to leave.”

  “Thank you,” Andrew said, shaking the doctor’s hand before he left.

  “See, you have nothing to worry about,” Cassidy said.

  “We still need to set up that appointment. We’ll do it before we tell your parents, so we have a little more to tell them other than you’re pregnant.”

  “Hey, guys!” Rachel said, opening the door. “You tell him?”

  Cassidy nodded.

  “Good, I’ve just set up a doctor’s appointment for you, tomorrow. I asked around and I got you scheduled in last minute with, apparently, the best women’s doctor in town.”

  “Now how did you do that? Don’t they have to actually talk to the person who’s visiting?” Andrew asked.

  “Yes, well, we’ve done this sort of thing before. Comes in handy, you know?” Rachel said, smiling at Cassidy.

  “I’m not even going to ask,” he sighed.

  “So did they say when you could leave?”

  “As soon as I’m finished with these papers,” she said, holding up a clipboard full of release papers.

  * * *

  “Baby, you’ve made me so happy,” Andrew whispered into Cassidy’s ear as they snuggled closer on his bed that night. “Are you happy?”

  “Extremely,” she said, shifting to turn toward him. “What are you thinking?”

  “I was thinking how lucky I am,”

  “Stop being such a cheese, what are you really thinking?”

  Andrew laughed. “Okay, I was thinking about the baby.”

  “What would you name it if it was a boy?”

  Andrew looked at her. “Didn’t we already decide on Benjamin?”

  “That was nearly three years ago, you still remember that?”

  “Yes. Does that mean you have changed your mind?”

  “No, I like the name Benjamin Lukas.”

  “Benjamin Lukas Winbright. Sounds good, I like it. What about for a girl?”

  “Mikayla.”

  “Mikalya Mariah-Faith Winbright.”

  “Mariah-Faith?” Cassidy asked.

  “Yeah, I kind of like it.”

  “Me too,” she said, kissing him

  “Are you anxious about tomorrow?”

  “A little. I still can’t believe that I didn’t realize that I was pregnant. The doctor’s going to think I’m a complete idiot.”

  Andrew caressed her cheek and kissed her softly. “She’s not going to think that, Cassie. Everything will be fine.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  It was a long appointment and even Cassidy was beginning to get restless.

  “I’m sorry about all the questions, but since this is your first visit,” the doctor said, “I want to make sure I know about everything.”

  “No, that’s fine. I don’t mind.” Cassidy smiled at the doctor and nudged Andrew awake.

  “You said your last period was the beginning of November so that would make you about ten or eleven weeks pregnant.”

  Andrew smiled at Cassidy.

  “You’re almost done with your first trimester.” She sounded astonished. “I’m running the calculations and I believe your due date will be anywhere between July twentieth and twenty-eighth, approximately.”

  After getting the fundamentals on paper, the doctor proceeded to give Cassidy a full examination. Andrew opted to stay with her, which she didn’t mind.

  “Your blood pressure is normal, which is a good sign, we just need to take a sample of your blood and we’ll be done. We’ll set up another appointment in about a month to check your progress and by that time you will be able to see the sex of the baby.”

  “Thank you,” Cassidy said after they were all finished. It had taken them a little over an hour to finish their appointment. “I’m starved,” she said as they stepped onto the elevator heading down to the first floor.

  “Me too, we’ll grab something to eat before we head home, how does that sound?”

  “As long as it’s not fish,” she said, grabbing his hand.

  “The smell of fish is making you sick?”

  “Yeah, this morning I woke up and Sherry was already working on lunch. Something with…okay, I can’t even talk about it,” Cassidy said, clutching her stomach.

  “You’re not repulsed at the smell of barbeque ribs anymore?”

  “No, in fact do you think there are any left over from yesterday?”

  Andrew chuckled. “I doubt it.”

  “Why? Only you and Ian ate them.”

  “I might have snuck out last night and ate the last of them.”

  Cassidy hit him playfully. “Well, then I suppose a burger sounds good.”

  Andrew laughed. “Burgers, it is, then. I love you, Cassie.”

  “I love you, too, Andy,” she said as the elevator doors opene
d.

  “Baby, why don’t you wait right here,” Andrew said, gesturing to a bench as they walked outside. “I’ll go get the car.”

  “Andy, I’m not incapable of walking to the car.”

  “I know, but I parked far away. I don’t want you slipping on any of the ice.”

  “They’ve plowed the roads. I don’t think I’m in danger of slipping on any ice.”

  “You never know.”

  “So you’re saying you wouldn’t do a good job at catching me if I did slip.”

  “Baby, I would catch you, but whether or not I could keep you up would be another thing.”

  Cassidy hit him on the arm softly. “Are you implying that I’m fat?”

  “No, not yet.”

  “Hey!”

  “In a good way, baby. Just sit here and wait for me, okay? This way the car will be warm when you get in.”

  “So I’ll freeze out here waiting for you?”

  “Exactly.” He smiled down at her then kissed her lovingly. “You see this guy had the right idea,” he said, pointing to the Toyota Camry that sat unattended in front of them.

  “Well, he’s parked in a no parking zone, no one’s in the car and—”

  “He’s probably getting his pregnant wife from inside, she probably went inside while he went to go get the car.” He winked.

  “Yeah, yeah. I might go inside if you aren’t back soon.”

  Andrew bent down and kissed her once more before stepping away. “I’ll be back.”

  Cassidy waved at Andrew as he started to walk across the large parking lot. Andrew looked back at her sitting on the bench and smiled and nearly lost his balance.

  Cassidy couldn’t contain her laughter.

  “See this is why I’m bringing the car to you!” he yelled.

  “I believe you, now!” she called back with a huge grin on her face. Cassidy had her purse in her lap while she waited for Andrew to come back with the car. He really must have parked far. She was glad he had made her wait. She was tired from waking up so early and answering so many questions.

  Cassidy looked around the area and noticed how empty it looked. No one was outside, she didn’t even see anyone looking out of any of the windows. Eerie how quiet everything was, how empty everything felt. Where was Andrew?

  Cassidy looked down at her watch just as she heard movement behind her. Her heart began racing faster and she felt uneasy. She heard the noise again and she turned just as something covered her face. She screamed but everything began to get blurry, fading, growing darker.

  * * *

  Andrew turned on the car, put it in reverse, and made his way back toward the entrance to the building. He pulled up to the sidewalk, to the bench Cassidy had been sitting on, but he didn’t see her. The car that had been parked there earlier was gone. Andrew killed the engine and stepped out of the car. She had probably just gone inside. Andrew left the car with the hazards on and went inside the building. No one was around, and he could find no signs of Cassidy anywhere.

  Andrew walked back outside and looked around the area, seeing no one in sight. His heart started to pound and his pulse began to race. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Cassidy’s number. He heard the ringing both in his ear and close by. He looked around until he came upon a bush and saw her phone blinking. Her purse was also strewn in the bushes.

  Andrew began to panic. He ended the call and searched through his wallet for the card the detectives had given them. It had been a year since the investigation had been finished, but he knew he had never taken their card out. He found it and dialed the number.

  “This is Detective Coulter,” she answered.

  “Detective Coulter, this is Andrew Winbright. I’m not sure if you remember me, but you worked on a case involving Cassidy Ames.”

  “Yes, yes, I remember, what is it? The case has been closed and Mr. Stokes put behind bars, if I’m not mistaken.”

  “No, you’re right, it’s just Cassie. I took her to a doctor appointment and she’s missing, Detective. Someone has her! I only left her for a few minutes. I came back and she was gone. I found her cell phone and purse in the bushes.”

  “All right, calm down, Mr. Winbright. Detective Rice and I are on our way over. Where did you say you were?”

  Andrew gave her the location and address and waited for the detectives to arrive, all the while praying that Cassidy was all right.

  “Now tell us again, what happened?” Detective Coulter asked. Andrew walked over the scene with them, but when they found nothing else, they went to Cassidy’s house to inform her parents what had happened and see if they knew anything.

  “We went to a doctor’s appointment,” Andrew explained uncomfortably.

  “For what? Is Cassidy okay?” Edward demanded.

  “Uh…” Andrew hadn’t told the detectives about the pregnancy. “She was feeling sick—you know that bug has been going around.” Mr. and Mrs. Ames nodded in understanding and pressed Andrew to continue. “I left her sitting on the bench, there had been a silver Toyota Camry, 2008, I think, parked near her. I went to go get the car, it took me a couple of minutes because I had parked so far away. When I came back, she was gone. And I looked inside, but nothing.” Andrew felt his throat tighten. “You have to find her, please.”

  “Andrew, we are doing everything we possibly can, but as of right now, there’s not much to work on,” Detective Rice told him.

  “Wait, there is something else,” Andrew said, looking up at the detective. He looked over at Rachel, who had been sitting quietly with Ian.

  Rachel nodded. “Well, every time I’m with her she always seemed to get these phone calls, she claimed they were wrong numbers, but they came so often and she always seemed to be a little scared or upset when she got off the phone.”

  “I told Edward and he said he was looking into it,” Andrew said and Mr. Ames nodded in confirmation.

  “Did you recognize the number?” Detective Coulter asked.

  “No, it was always a private number. That’s why I asked Edward to take a look,” Andrew answered.

  “My guy is still working on it, tracing the number back, whatever it is that computer guys do,” Edward said tightly.

  “Anything else?” Detective Coulter prompted.

  “Right before the phone call,” Rachel continued, “she got this letter. It was addressed to our house, but it was for Cass. It had no return address and no postage, like somebody dropped it in the mail that day. She was kind of apprehensive about opening it up.”

  “What did it say?”

  “I still have it,” she said, pulling it out of her bag. “It says, ‘I hear congratulations are an order’.”

  “You know, Cassidy has been getting those same kind of letters in the mail,” Edward said. “She never told me who they were from, so I guessed they were from Andrew.”

  “They aren’t from me,” Andrew supplied quickly, wondering why she’d never told him about them. “Do you know where the other letters are?”

  “Probably somewhere in her room, she might have thrown them out. You’re welcome to go look for them,” Mr. Ames said to Andrew and the detectives.

  “I think I might know where they are,” interjected Rachel. “I’ll be right back.” They all watched as Rachel went upstairs and waited until she returned with a small shoebox in her hands. “I think these are all of them,” she said, handing over the box to the detectives.

  Detective Rice opened the box. “These are all handwritten.”

  “Why would someone hand write letters if they thought there was a possibility of tracing it back?” Andrew asked.

  “Maybe this person doesn’t plan to get caught,” Detective Rice thought out loud.

  “Or maybe they are mimicking someone else’s handwriting,” Detective Coulter offered.

  “Whatever their motive, you have to get to the bottom of this,” Andrew pushed.

  “Did anyone else know you were going to this appointment?”

  “No, just R
achel and Ian, but they were at home this entire time,” Andrew said.

  “We’ll look into every avenue, but for now we’ll wait to see who has been calling,” Detective Rice said.

  “Do you know of anyone who has a grudge against Cassidy or you, for that matter?” Detective Coulter asked him.

  Andrew looked at Rachel then back at Detective Coulter. “Brian Fisher. He and I had a fight a couple nights ago, Christmas Eve. He’s always disliked Cassie, but it wasn’t until recently that he’s really been more aggressive.”

  “Okay, we’ll take a look. We’re doing everything we can to find her. We’ll keep in touch.” Detective Coulter gave him a reassuring smile as she turned to go.

  “Detectives?” Mr. Ames said. He had stepped away for a few moments and was just now entering the room. “I just got off the phone with my tech guy. He says he’ll have everything by tomorrow morning.”

  “Okay, thank you. Call us when you have a name and we’ll work on a warrant,” Detective Coulter said. She and Detective Rice left.

  * * *

  Cassidy felt nauseous. It was dark, and she was sore and groggy. She opened her eyes but she could see nothing. She tried to move, but her arms and feet were tied. She was lying on a bed, someplace she didn’t recognize. Cassidy’s pulse quickened. She was scared and she wanted to believe this was all a dream, but she couldn’t. She had been sitting on a bench when someone came up behind her.

  She tried pulling on the bonds around her wrists but it only made them chafed and red. She gave up her feeble attempt and focused on trying to see what was around her. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the dark and she could make out certain features in the room. There was definitely a staircase leading up to somewhere along with some other miscellaneous items gathered in one corner. If she had to take a guess, she would suppose she was in a basement.

  The lights turned on and Cassidy closed her eyes, blinded by the sudden brightness. She heard laughter along with footsteps. Cassidy opened her eyes slowly, giving them time to adjust to the light.

  “What do you want?” she called out. “Who are you?”

  Only more laughter. Cassidy’s throat tightened. She would not cry. She would not give this psycho the satisfaction. She opened her eyes to the blinding light and looked in the direction of the voice. “You?”