Chapter Fifty-Seven

I wanted to follow the ambulance to the hospital so I could be with Joe. But I decided I'd feel safer once I watched handcuffs slapped on Angel. Then I could follow her to the hospital so her head injuries could be tended to before she was hauled off to jail.

Mitch trailed me home, where my driveway was lit up with flashing lights that sat atop at least a half dozen police cars. Luckily, the rain wasn't coming down by the bucketful anymore, since I had to park at the edge of the driveway.

I heard Mitch start to tell the state trooper that stopped us before our feet landed on the driveway who we were. But I didn't hear his last words. I took off running for the house when I spotted Alicia standing near my wide open front door.

"Mom," exclaimed Alicia the instant I charged through the doorway. I wanted to grab her and shake her one for what she had done. I also wanted to throw my arms around her and tell her how glad I was she had come home. And that s what I did.

"Mom, are you all right?" she asked, as she wiggled herself out of my bearhug-type embrace.

"I'm fine, honey," I told her, while my eyes began searching for Angel. When I saw only police officers examining the area in front of the living room fireplace, I demanded from whoever, "Where is she?" I noticed the blood droppings on the carpet that led from the living room, into the foyer, and out the front door, before my question was finally answered.

"The woman that everyone around here's been looking for, isn't here, Mom. I told them that. When I got here, the front door was hanging open."

"Sorry again, Miss, for the misunderstanding," the handsome young state trooper was suddenly saying to Alicia. I was taken back a bit when I saw the way the two of them were looking at each other. I recognized the look. And the thought that crossed my mind was, Heaven help us, she's turning into her father.

She supposedly got hitched yesterday or today, and already is looking at this handsome young man as if it were love at first sight.

"Alicia?"

It took a tug on her arm before she blinked and gave me a small fraction of her attention.

"At first, Brian thought I was the woman they were looking for."

"Brian, huh? How wonderful" is all I could say at the moment.

"They said she's gone, Fay," Mitch said, as he walked up next to me.

"I know. But she can't have gone far. She's hurt. And she's on foot."

"Right. But the interstate's not even a half mile away. She could a hitched a ride and be long gone by now."

I had my doubts about that. And I told Mitch as much. What suddenly occurred to me next sent panic into me.

"Joe! What if she finds out he's been taken to the hospital? What if she goes there to finish-"

"Already taken care of. A guard's bein' put on Joe as we speak. A few plain-clothed guys are headed over there too. So you can relax."

"I won't be able to do that until that awful woman is in custody."

"I see another young lady decided to come home."

My daughter had Brian backed against a wall. They were smiling at each other. I'm not sure which one of the two was putting the moves on the other. I did know one of those mother-daughter talks was way overdue.