Hostage of the Heart

What Wonders Never Cease (Four)

Swallowing the last bit of strong black coffee from the cup that he had refilled three times already, Judge Richard Love Sr. leaned forward to place it on a simple wooden table covered with mostly outdated magazines. Reaching into a pants pocket, he pulled out a non-denominational red, black, and white clay poker chip. Tiny hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades decorating the edge of the chip, the number eleven had been written in the center with the help of a black Sharpie permanent marker. Recalling the day he wrote it on there as though it occurred just yesterday, Richard's thumb grazed the chip while troubled thoughts raced through his brain.

"Did you manage to get ahold of her?" he asked the moment she walked into the room while hurriedly pocketing the chip.

Lips tightly pressed together, she shook her head, watching as her husband ran his fingers through thinning silver hair. Dropping her purse on a chair, she occupied the one to the left of his.

"Where could she be? Did you try her at work?"

"I did. As of yesterday, she doesn't work there any longer."

"She quit?"

Sandra shook her head, recently dyed curly dark brown locks bouncing around. "She was fired."

Richard's expression was one of great shock. Five years as a secretary and they decided to fire her? "She was fired?" he repeated.

"Apparently, she was late and as a result, she and her boss exchanged heated words." She took her husband's hand and squeezed it gently. "I'm sure she's fine, Richard."

A gnawing and queasy stomach had the judge wondering if soon he would need to hurry into a nearby restroom to regurgitate the coffee. "Sandy, I just can't shake the feeling that something is wrong. It's not like Desiree to be gone without giving us any information on her whereabouts."

"She's a grown woman, darling. Probably just went out of town with some friends and that's why she didn't get our messages. She's probably just using this all of the sudden free time to relax a while before finding other employment."

"Surely she has seen the news. Her brother was shot and we haven't heard from her yet. She should know by now, no matter where she is." Richard scratched his silver hair in thought. He was worried about his youngest daughter. His son's life had already been put in jeopardy and now his daughter was missing. She was not the only person missing. He had discovered just a few hours ago that Piper Redding was now considered a fugitive.

It was thought that after she had attempted to kill Richard Love Jr. that she fled. She was considered armed and dangerous, and Judge Love was almost certain that Desiree's disappearance had something to do with her. He would never be able to forgive himself if something were to happen to his daughter. Not wanting to further worry his wife, he didn't intend on sharing these suspicions -- at least not yet. If Desiree did not show up or if they did not hear from her within the next couple of hours, then he was going to take some action. For now he would try to be patient.

"Thank God our son will be all right," he stated.

Sandra nodded. "I don't know what I would have done if we had lost him. Losing a child...they aren't supposed to go before us. I've witnessed friends of mine having to bury a child...don't think I could recover." Her voice broke, and she began to cry. Feeling her husband's arm wrap around her, he tugged her toward him until her face was nearly pressed against his neck.

"If I ever get my hands on that Redding woman, she will be sorry she was ever born," he vehemently stated.

"That goes double for me," said Larisa, the couple's oldest child, as she walked into the waiting room.