There Are Moments When The World Revolves Around Us., chapter 3
Billie paid the babysitter and left, after having taken her up on the offer of coffee, and his sons were bounding along in front of him, telling them all of their top scores on the video games they had played, each trying to get more attention than the other. Jakob was at this point almost attached to Billie's leg.
As Billie neared the door he noticed it was a bit ajar. "Wow. That's weird," he thought to himself. Adie usually yelled at him for doing this. He stepped inside, joking aloud to Adie, wherever she was in the house, about the door. The boys ran off to the living room and Billie walked upstairs, exhausted and toying with the idea of having another go with Adie. He stretched and yawned, stumbling into the bedroom, where he called for his wife. When he heard no response, he checked some of the other rooms in the house. Still, she wasn't there. He went down the stairs two at a time, calling from the main hallway. It was then that the phone rang. He ran over to it, picking it up so hastily that he knocked the cradle onto the floor.
"Hello?" His voice quavered a bit. This was ridiculous. Why was he getting so worked up?
"Hello, Billie. Your wife just stopped by for a little chat. Wanna say hi, dear?" Billie's heart sank into his stomach, and he felt the hair stand up on the back of his neck. He could hear Adrienne in the background, but she was screaming, her mouth muffled by some sort of material. Billie had to put his hand on the counter to steady himself.
"W-who is this? What do you want from us? I want to know where my wife is."
"Oh, you'll be joining her in due time. I can't, however, guarantee that she'll be alive when you see her."
The tears were pouring down his face now. Who was this? Why had they taken Adie? Was he ever going to see her again? The questions flooded his mind, and before he had a chance to formulate one into the words he heard a click on the other end, and a dial tone rand loudly in his ear, as if re-iterate the sickening reality of his situation. He pulled himself together and called the police, explaining what had happened. He got the boys over to a friend's house as quickly as he could, and was back home by the time the cops showed up. They tapped his line in case the kidnapper called again. While they were standing around discussing the situation, Billie paced back and forth. He didn't feel like he was doing enough. The sound of the doorbell tore him out of his thoughts. He pulled the door open expecting to see more policemen, but he was instead greeted by Mike and Tre, who was the first to speak.
"Dude, what the hell is going on? What's with all the cop cars. Geez, man, you look terrible, were you crying?"
"Adie's gone. Someone took her, I don't know who, but they called, and-" was as far as he could go before he broke down again. Mike stepped forward purposefully and held his best friend, feeling his shudders as he gasped for air. Tre stood there helplessly, running the situation through his head over and over until it finally clicked. They were interrupted by the phone ringing, and Billie's head shot up. He ran over to the phone, but the policeman stopped him. "Remember, you have to keep her on the phone for more than 30 seconds or we can't track her." Billie nodded and grabbed the phone off the counter.
"H-hello?"
"Hello, Billie. Sorry our last call was so rudely interrupted. Stupid cell phones. So, how are you?"
The sheer enormity of what he was feeling was beginning to bubble to the surface, and he had to take a deep breath before he could continue.
"Why do you have my wife?" he asked, as calm and cold as he could muster.
"Because she doesn't deserve to be your wife. I do. And I'm going to see to it that I am your wife by the end of this week."
Billie was about to retort when he noticed one of the policemen at the monitor was giving him a thumbs-up. 'We got her' he mouthed. They had tracked her, and in a few moments he would know where his wife was.
As Billie neared the door he noticed it was a bit ajar. "Wow. That's weird," he thought to himself. Adie usually yelled at him for doing this. He stepped inside, joking aloud to Adie, wherever she was in the house, about the door. The boys ran off to the living room and Billie walked upstairs, exhausted and toying with the idea of having another go with Adie. He stretched and yawned, stumbling into the bedroom, where he called for his wife. When he heard no response, he checked some of the other rooms in the house. Still, she wasn't there. He went down the stairs two at a time, calling from the main hallway. It was then that the phone rang. He ran over to it, picking it up so hastily that he knocked the cradle onto the floor.
"Hello?" His voice quavered a bit. This was ridiculous. Why was he getting so worked up?
"Hello, Billie. Your wife just stopped by for a little chat. Wanna say hi, dear?" Billie's heart sank into his stomach, and he felt the hair stand up on the back of his neck. He could hear Adrienne in the background, but she was screaming, her mouth muffled by some sort of material. Billie had to put his hand on the counter to steady himself.
"W-who is this? What do you want from us? I want to know where my wife is."
"Oh, you'll be joining her in due time. I can't, however, guarantee that she'll be alive when you see her."
The tears were pouring down his face now. Who was this? Why had they taken Adie? Was he ever going to see her again? The questions flooded his mind, and before he had a chance to formulate one into the words he heard a click on the other end, and a dial tone rand loudly in his ear, as if re-iterate the sickening reality of his situation. He pulled himself together and called the police, explaining what had happened. He got the boys over to a friend's house as quickly as he could, and was back home by the time the cops showed up. They tapped his line in case the kidnapper called again. While they were standing around discussing the situation, Billie paced back and forth. He didn't feel like he was doing enough. The sound of the doorbell tore him out of his thoughts. He pulled the door open expecting to see more policemen, but he was instead greeted by Mike and Tre, who was the first to speak.
"Dude, what the hell is going on? What's with all the cop cars. Geez, man, you look terrible, were you crying?"
"Adie's gone. Someone took her, I don't know who, but they called, and-" was as far as he could go before he broke down again. Mike stepped forward purposefully and held his best friend, feeling his shudders as he gasped for air. Tre stood there helplessly, running the situation through his head over and over until it finally clicked. They were interrupted by the phone ringing, and Billie's head shot up. He ran over to the phone, but the policeman stopped him. "Remember, you have to keep her on the phone for more than 30 seconds or we can't track her." Billie nodded and grabbed the phone off the counter.
"H-hello?"
"Hello, Billie. Sorry our last call was so rudely interrupted. Stupid cell phones. So, how are you?"
The sheer enormity of what he was feeling was beginning to bubble to the surface, and he had to take a deep breath before he could continue.
"Why do you have my wife?" he asked, as calm and cold as he could muster.
"Because she doesn't deserve to be your wife. I do. And I'm going to see to it that I am your wife by the end of this week."
Billie was about to retort when he noticed one of the policemen at the monitor was giving him a thumbs-up. 'We got her' he mouthed. They had tracked her, and in a few moments he would know where his wife was.
