The Leaves in Winter by M. C. Miller Read Free Book Online

and guard the house for a while.
    She still felt violated, vulnerable, devastated, heartbroken.
    When the front door finally closed, she discovered how unprepared she was to be alone. Surrounded by silence, the crushing certainty of what had happened weighed down upon her. She had to surrender to the truth. Tears filled her eyes. No longer was she able to stand. Collapsing on the couch, she lay limp, the mother’s heart inside of her imploding.
    Alyssa was gone.
    Even to think such a thing was truth and fiction all at once. She had to admit the reality of what had happened but couldn’t. Hanging onto hope that everything would be fine was unbelievable but necessary. What to do next? All she had left was raw emotion and tormenting questions. Why Alyssa? Why not her? What did this terror have to do, if anything, with the horror that had taken place in the Stockholm lecture hall? Why of all people did they target an innocent girl?
    A fog of despair ushered in night. Janis fainted, awoke, then fell asleep. At that moment it was the only way to escape the pain. She lost track of time and found herself two hours later in the dark. In a pocket, her cell phone was ringing. She raced to answer, thinking it might be the police with news. Caller-id displayed a lab co-worker’s name. She let the call go to voicemail.
    She held the phone with numbing indecision. What to do? The answer came as an impulse more than a decision. Fingers quivering, she dialed the one person who might know something more about what was going on.
    Hearing her voice, Malcolm ramped into gear. “Jesus! I can’t imagine what you’re going through.”
    “You’ve heard?”
    “It’s all over the news. Sounds like the police are turning the city inside out looking for her.”
    “Can you meet me? We have to talk.”
    “I’ll be right over.”
    “No – somewhere else. I need to get out of here.”
    Malcolm named a spot, a favorite dive – a restaurant with privacy enough for conversation. She hurried out and drove there straight away. Every minute mattered. Anything Malcolm knew might prompt a spark of recognition, a wisp of hope, a crucial clue to help unravel the plots in play.
    There was nothing else she could do about the police investigation; it would have to run its course. Given the revelations from Malcolm the night before, maybe she needn’t leave the crisis only in police hands. The thought of it fed her desire to be proactive. Her intuition needled her to focus and pursue anything the authorities either didn’t, couldn’t, or wouldn’t do.
    Malcolm insisted on a back booth upstairs. A lone candle lit the table. Ordering food and drinks was easy. Starting conversation was awkward. The contentious way their last meeting ended lay between them like raw meat they were forced to share.
    Malcolm remained reserved, if not distant. Janis felt out on a limb, naked.
    “After last night, I wouldn’t have guessed we’d be doing this now.”
    Janis felt cold in the warm booth. “After today, I see last night in context.”
    “Ready to be more suspicious?”
    “I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to get my daughter back.”
    “Be careful of desperation. Crafty ones use such things as tools against us.”
    “You mean people like you.”
    He sipped his drink. “Yes, like me. I admit it; but then I confessed as much last night. I’m not the one pretending here.”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “See it from this side of the table. You and Riya spent more time together over the last ten years than the most committed husbands and wives. And yet you still claim complete ignorance of any extracurricular mischief Riya was into.”
    “I don’t care if you believe me. I came here for a simple exchange of facts. If you know something that in any way can help me get Alyssa back, then tell me! My daughter is my only agenda. You’re not the one at risk here.”
    “You sure of that?”
    “It’s patently obvious – your agendas are not up