The Reincarnationist

Chapter 51

New York City-Tuesday, 4:30 p.m.

One day Josh would understand why he rushed back to the foundation, borrowed Malachai’s car without checking if it was all right, and drove out to New Haven without calling Gabriella to make sure she’d see him.

Later, Beryl Talmage would give him two different explanations. Rationally, she argued that, having recently been in jeopardy, he was overprotective of everyone he cared about and of course he’d want to check on her.

But intuitively she thought the strong karmic bond that Josh shared with Gabriella propelled him to her.

As soon as he saw the front door to Gabriella’s house wide open, adrenaline surged through Josh, and he raced inside, afraid of what he was going to find.

She was leaning against the staircase wearing a damp raincoat, her umbrella and pocketbook at her feet, a sheet of paper trembling in her hand.

“Gabriella? Are you all right?”

She looked up. Her golden eyes shone like glass; all other color was drained from her face. Her lips were pale except for one drop of blood where it looked like she’d bitten herself.

“What’s wrong?”

“My baby…”

“What?”

All she could do was repeat, “My baby, my baby…”

Josh took the paper from her.

Quinn is all right. We don’t want to hurt her, but we will if you call the police and report her disappearance. As soon as you translate the Memory Stones and can tell us how to use them, your child will be returned to you unharmed. Leave your cell phone on.

Right now this is just a nightmare. Don’t let it become reality.

“When did you get this?”

“I just got home. Just now. It was in the mailbox.”

“Did you call the police?”

She shook her head. “I won’t. I can’t risk her life. Didn’t you read it?”

“You need to-”

Gabriella interrupted, her voice low, like the growl of a feral cat. “I can’t. I’ll do whatever these people want. She’s my heart. Don’t you understand?” Veins in her neck were standing out, showing the strain in every word. “These…these must be the same people who killed Rudolfo. I can’t take a chance. They’re killers, Josh.”

She was shaking violently so Josh reached out, pulled her close and held her, feeling every one of her tremors along his whole body. She continued talking, almost as if she didn’t know she was in his embrace.

“I’ll find someone to translate the markings. I know everyone in the field. I’ll find out what they say. I’ll figure it out now. Tonight. Then by tomorrow I’ll have Quinn back, won’t I?”

She was becoming frantic, and Josh was worried that she might become hysterical.

“We need to call the police,” he said.

She pulled back suddenly, her face set in anger. “No! If you aren’t going to help me do this my way, then get out. I need to save my baby. Don’t you understand?” She was screaming.

The longer they waited to call the police, the colder the kidnapper’s trail would become. “Gabriella, listen to me, you said this yourself, they are killers, and-”

Ignoring him, she kept talking, too quickly, too loudly. “I can’t. All I can do is what they tell me to do. I can’t do anything else. If you don’t want to help me, then just get out. Get out!”

“I do want to help you,” Josh said softly, trying to soothe her, but she wasn’t listening to him. “Of course I want to help you,” he repeated. This time she heard him. She took a breath. He’d broken through.

“How did you know what happened? Who told you?” she suddenly asked.

“No one. I don’t know. I had this crazy feeling…it doesn’t matter. C’mon, sit down, let me get you some water. Let’s talk about what to do.”

He led her to the couch where she did as he asked and sat down, and then popped up immediately, running toward the stairs. “I need to see if she has her bear…” She took the steps two at a time. “Her father gave me the bear when I was pregnant. She knows it’s from him and she never goes anywhere without her bear. She never does…”

Josh followed her into the baby’s room while she frantically searched in the bed, under the blankets and in the toy chest. He knew why she was looking for it. If Quinn took the bear, then she was alive when she left the house.

“It’s not here,” she said, managing a heartbreaking smile through her tears.