Kelly Was Here (Read on FicFun now)

Chapter 24

"Hope is the only thing stronger than fear."

Mary Anderson's P.O.V

"Mary, this is insane. I can't believe you called me here because of something like this." My husband muttered beside me, his eyes scanning the walls of Gloria's bedroom.

Ben had shown up twenty minutes after I called him. He hadn't spoken a single word until now, only staring at the walls with a blank expression on his face. Gloria had left the room five minutes ago, saying she wanted to give us some privacy.

I looked wide-eyed at Ben, shocked. "Something like this?" I repeated his words. "Ben, how aren't you seeing this?"

He puffed out a long breath, his eyes moving slowly as if he was still sleeping. He looked awful, weary with the burden of long-closed eyes. His breath didn't fool me at all though. He had been drinking. I just knew it.

I tried not to be angry about it. I tried to remember that this was difficult for him too, that maybe the pressure of finding Kelly was starting to weight on his shoulders and demanding some sort of release. But I couldn't. I was so angry at him, so frustrated that he had chosen to drown in his sorrow.

But then again, I had chosen the same path too. The only difference was that I didn't have the frustration of a failed investigation in my hands. Until now.

"Look, Mary, all of these cases are from other towns, miles away from Bedford. These are completely different cases, different ages, different stories. The gap between the kidnaps is too big, you can't -"

"You are blind, Ben," I interrupted him, shaking my head. How couldn't he see the same as me? "It doesn't matter if the disappearances took place in different towns, or if the gap between them all is too long. That just shows that whoever took our daughter was careful enough not to kidnap them all the same time." I heaved a breath, tightening my hands.

"Ben, all these kids haven't appeared until now. After all those years, there is still no sign of them, no bodies dumped, nothing. Seven kids, Ben, seven. Don't you think that's strange?"

"It is strange!" He fired back. "But that's not the point here. There's nothing to prove they were all kidnapped by the same person, there's nothing-"

"But she saw him." I interrupted him again.

Before Ben had arrived, Gloria had told me how she had seen her son five years after he had been kidnapped. She said he was with a woman and two other kids. She didn't remember them well because she was only looking at Charlie. Yet, it only proved her theory even more.

"Gloria saw Charlie, and he was with two other kids. You can't ignore that too."

Ben sighed, closing his eyes. "That woman is crazy, Mary. She came to my office drunk, you can't possibly believe in a word..." He swallowed back the words, a cold shadow flashing before his eyes.

I didn't say anything. I was afraid that if I opened my mouth ugly things would be thrown and smashed at each other. I was afraid that if I opened my mouth a war would start between us. And I didn't have time for a war. No time at all.

Ben ran his fingers through his unruly hair, exhaling a deep long breath. His shoulders loosened and he looked at me. "You're right," he murmured in a tone of voice that I knew like the palm of my hand, a tone of voice I loved. He was finally acting like the man I'd fallen for. "I'm acting like a jerk. You're right, Mary. This might be the first clue we have in while. We can't throw that away. I have to hear what Gloria has to say."

I nodded, relieved that he was finally on board. I accepted the hand he was extending me, and together we made our way to the living room. Gloria was sat on the sofa with a cup of coffee in her hands, the entire house immobile around her. She got up once she felt our presence, her eyes connecting with mine in an instance.