Abducted

CHAPTER 40

Surprise registered on Geronimo's face, when he saw Marina.
"What are you doing here? Is everything okay?" he asked concernedly.

"Yes!" Marina replied emphatically.
"What about you? Why are you here?"

"I am not certain. Lieutenant ......"
Before Geronimo could have uttered another word, in walked Lieutenant Ralston, looking flustered and tired.

Apologising for being late, he asked that they both follow him to the conference room.

Marina and Geronimo, looked at each other questioningly.

Not wanting to be in The Lieutenant's company for longer than necessary, Marina spoke up:
"I am only here to collect Geraldo's possessions. I have another urgent appointment!"

"I apologise, but this is more urgent, Mrs. Hartland."
Marina glared at him.

Entering the room, they were asked to be seated.
The Lieutenant took a seat at the head of the table.
Looking from Marina to Geronimo, and back, he massaged his forehead.

"What I am about to say will come as a huge surprise. Believe me, if I could have thought of another way, it would have been done differently.
Nevertheless, I am pleading with you for confidentiality on this matter. Do we have an agreement?"

A wall of tense silence met his gaze. when he looked at Marina.
The Lieutenant then looked to Geronimo, quirking his eyebrows, in the process.
"I don't understand." Marina broke the silence.

"I just need reassurance that this will stay a secret until further notice."
Not knowing what they were agreeing to, both Hartland's nodded in unison.

The Lieutenant then proceeded to spin an intricate detail of a web, which was so tangled, that Marina felt like her head would have exploded.
When the Lieutenant mentioned that Sara was arrested and she was at that time being questioned, Marina gasped. Her face had turned pale and her vision began to sway.
Her body trembled visibly.
Geronimo rushed to her side.

"Sara and Isabella?" Geronimo asked doubtfully. "You must be making a mistake. Isabella is not capable of hurting anyone and Sara has been a good friend to the family."

Marina sobbed loudly.
"If they  kidnapped my baby, where is she?" Marina raged as she choked on another sob.

"Marina, I never said they did. I confided that we suspect!" admonished the Lieutenant.
"We are currently working on a lead."
"Well how soon will we know?" Geronimo asked.

"Trust me please. We will know quite soon".

Sara also confessed that Isabella switched the twin's medical records, with Dr. Rousseau, a willing accomplice.

"Dr. Rousseau?"
They both gasped together.
Pieces of the puzzle, were beginning to come together.

"Wait a minute. How can he be sterile, if he fathered Sally?"

"I did not father Sally, Marina. She was adopted. Isabella begged me to keep it a secret. I did so to save my marriage."

"Adopted?" screeched Marina between sobs.

The room grew into a stunned silence.
Geronimo stood stock still.
His brains were connecting the dots, which were carefully tucked away in his subconscious.
Realisation began to dawn on him.

Isabellas's deceit!

Credit card withdrawals!

Sally's uncanny resemblance to Serena, despite being thought to be cousins!
It was all becoming much clearer to him.

Geronimo glanced at the Lieutenant. When their gaze clashed, he knew for certain.
The Lieutenant's eyes told him everything!.
There was a possibility that Little Sally could be The "Abducted" baby Serena.

The room began to whirl.
Geronimo slumped on the nearest seat, his palms covering his teary eyes.

"I wish Geraldo was alive." he muttered. I cannot deal with all this by myself."
 
Hearing Geronimo's words caused Marina to resume her sobbing. Louder this time.
Both men looked at Marina as she cried bitterly, her echoing throughout the room.

The Lieutenant excused himself and walked out to the corridor.

Taking out his phone, he dialled.
"It's time!" he told the listener.
"Meet us in the conference room."

Meanwhile, in the Interrogation room, Sara sat despondently.
With  hands handcuffed, she looked despairingly at the one way mirror.
Two police officers, scrutinised her from the other side.

Her hair looked wild and wary, a complete match with her eyes.
A single table and one chair, kept her company.

Sara had cooperated fully with the Senior Officer, when she realised that the chips had fallen.

Feeling lost....
Thinking of her fate and all that she had lost ..

Sara lost control.

A shattering scream reverberated through the room, bouncing off the walls and curling back to launch another attack on her desperate lungs.