Sheriff Valenti was angry. Actually, anger was too mild a word to describe what he felt. Helpless was added into it as well. He arrived at the Roswell PD in time to witness his offices being swarmed by Federal Agents, orchestrated by Special Agent Stevenson.
The snide Agent handed him a mandate from the City Council and the Mayor’s office. The Roswell Police Department was officially relieved of the Burns murder and the Maria DeLuca missing person’s case. They were now out of his hands.
“Kyle, you and Hanson make sure the Agents have all the case files and pertinent information associated with them. Full cooperation, people.” Jim stormed into his office and slammed the door, while his office was still his. Picking up the phone, he made the call to inform Amy of the turn of events. Thursday. He had hoped to have a little more time, since they were working Kyle’s airplane theory.
A single piece of paper caught his eye as he waited for Amy to pick up the phone. Meta-Chem. Phone numbers to Meta-Chem.
“Hello?”
“Amy, it’s Jim. Hope I didn’t wake you.”
“No. I’ve been awake for awhile.” Jim could hear the smile in her voice.
“Good. Can you meet me? Say I buy you breakfast or something.”
“Breakfast would be good. Where?”
“Just wait. I’ll come get you.”
Jim nodded to Kyle and Hanson on his way out and quickly left news with dispatch to call him on his cell if needed. Hurrying to pick up Amy, he barely spared a glance at the Federal Agents commandeering his space.
“He looks mad.” Hanson said.
Kyle had to agree. “He looks determined. Guess he’s going to break the news to Amy DeLuca.”
“Damn. I thought after we started pooling information about small private airplanes they’d leave us to work it.”
Kyle shrugged. “It was just a matter of time.” Kyle looked at his friend. Hanson had been quiet lately, not talking, and Kyle knew he was taking his break-up with Sarah pretty hard. “Did Ray have any luck on that other number? The reverse directory?”
“Motel on 285 south of Roswell. Cheap place. The person’s name registered at the time doesn’t match anyone in Roswell. Either a person passing through, which doesn’t explain why Maria DeLuca was calling him, or an assumed name. Ray was going to ask questions and try to see if the manager could describe the man who rented the place.”
Kyle nodded and looked at the mess around them. There was nothing they could do around the station until the Feds finished making their mess. “C’mon. I’ll buy you a coffee at the Java Hut.”
They were enjoying a ritualistic cup of Mother Nature’s gift to man, when Kyle finally asked. It was about time. He had held off since Burns died, but that had been a few days.
“So what happened? You and Sarah? I’d swear you were on your way to happily ever after.”
“Sometimes things don’t work out.” Hanson said, looking away.
Kyle nodded sagely. God knew that was true. But still…
“I can believe that. But not about you and Sarah. The two of you have literally lived in each other’s skin since you were young. No one knows you better. And other women? Damn, that’s not you.”
“I know. That was a mistake. I let my pride and hurt get me into that. It hasn’t happened again. It won’t.”
“So you’ haven't given up on you and Sarah then?”
“I haven’t. She has.” Hanson closed his eyes and shook his head. “Sarah is…hurt.”
Kyle didn’t know what to say or how much to ask. Not wanting to pry too much into his friend’s personal life, he held back and waited.
“Two weeks ago, we found out Sarah was pregnant.” Kyle didn’t say anything. He waited. “It didn’t last long. Just about forty-eight hours of us celebrating, all excited, and staying up all night planning our future, our family, finally taking that trip down the aisle, and...well…everything.”
Kyle didn’t want to ask suddenly. He didn’t want to know. Oh damn.
“I woke up in the middle of the night. She was crying hysterically, in pain. I ran into the bathroom. There was blood. So much blood. Everywhere. The doctor said miscarriage. That it happens. The body aborts the baby because the pregnancy isn’t viable, and, well…just wrong.”
“You didn’t say anything.”
Hanson shrugged. “Nothing to say. Sarah wouldn’t talk to me. She doesn’t want to see anyone. I think she hates me. Or maybe she hates herself, I don’t know. The doctor said we could try again, have other children, that as far as he could see there’s nothing wrong with either of us…but Sarah…” Hanson didn’t finish. He couldn’t. His childhood sweetheart. The only woman he had ever loved, and she wasn’t talking to him any longer. She didn’t want him around her.
Kyle felt sick. Eddie. Alex. The illegal dumping. It was causing health problems for Roswell and the surrounding area’s women, even terminating pregnancies. Oh damn.
“There’s something I need to tell you, Hanson. I can’t tell you much. But you need to know that this isn’t your fault, and it’s not Sarah’s. I’ll tell you and you tell Sarah.”
“She’s not talking to me, Kyle.”
“Do you love her?” Kyle asked and waited for Hanson to say something. “Do you love her?”
“Yes. She’s all I love. All I’ve ever loved.”
“Then you make her listen.” Kyle sat back and began his tale.
~~~
“They can’t do that!”
“Amy…” Jim glanced up to see Liz Parker watching them. She smiled a small smile of encouragement on her way out the door. “Look, calm down. They can, and they did. You knew this could happen. I thought we might have longer, but we didn’t.”
“I’m never going to find my daughter, am I, Jim?”
“Yes, you are. I promised didn’t I? I promised to find her for you.”
“That was before they took you off the case. With you gone, who will care about Maria? They’ll only concentrate on who killed that Agent, and my child will remain lost.”
“No, she won’t.”
“Jim…”
Jim grabbed her hands. “No. She. Won’t. I’m not stopping. They took it officially, but unofficially, I’m going to find your daughter for you.”
“How? They have all the resources, all the information, and we’ve got nothing but empty leads.”
Jim noticed the use of ‘we’ by Amy. He moved closer. “True, but we still have one piece of information.”
Amy looked around and lowered her voice, already aware of her position as a co-conspirator. “What?”
“Meta-Chem. We’ve got Meta-Chem.”
~~~
Alex leaned up against a tree, enjoying the mid-morning shade. Watching Kyle and his partner leave the local caffeine buzz club, he frowned as Kyle’s partner after talking to Kyle for a moment, suddenly took off. Strange. He had never associated fast movements with Roswell until recently. In his youth, Roswell almost seemed sleepy, except for the overly enthusiastic tourists searching for an encounter with ET.
“You buy me a coffee?”
Kyle startled at Alex’s voice next to him. He had never heard him approach. “Sorry, Alex. No caffeine for you.” Kyle looked at his friend and frowned. “Damn, I take that back. You look tired. Worse. No sleep last night?”
Alex just shrugged. Kyle watched him and his eyes took in everything. Hickey. On the neck. Barely visible, but just enough.
“Damn! That was quick. Isabel Evans?”
Kyle whistled under his breath as a hint of red moved up Alex’s collar. Embarrassed. Oh damn. That was just sweet. And definitely not Alex. Not this Alex.
“This subject is under the domain of 'None of your Business', Kyle. So if you must be a nosy cop, take a look at this list.”
Alex shoved some papers at his friend as they walked, a grand scheme to distract and deflect questions. He wasn’t talking about Isabel to anyone. Not Kyle. Not to anyone. Not until he figured it out himself.
Kyle smiled to himself, wanting to call Vicky immediately but refraining. “Okay, what am I looking at?”
“Meta-Chem’s employee list. I pulled it when I first came.”
“Pulled it? How exactly?” Kyle saw that look and swore. Why did he even ask? Alex, hacker of old, wasn’t above hacking into any place he felt he needed to be. Giving Alex what he hoped was a stern look, he quickly scanned the list. It didn’t take long. It was alphabetical.
Jon DeLuca.
“DeLuca.”
Alex nodded. “Jon DeLuca. Worked in the main offices. I pulled Maria’s birth records. Born to Amy and Jon DeLuca. We have found our connection.”
Kyle stopped and rocked on his feet. “She came looking for her father, the one that deserted her family. Damn. And she walked into this.”
Alex nodded and looked back at the Java Hut. He really could use a double latte. And about six hours of sleep. “Jon DeLuca is, I believe, my Deep Throat, the informer that called Eddie late that night, promising proof. Something happened. Maybe they caught onto him, and now your Maria DeLuca is holding all the information.”
“So maybe Maria’s dad called someone, someone official, and it alerted Meta-Chem’s personal Fed in the Pocket, Burns.”
“Thought of that this morning. A man did call the regional offices. He was redirected to Burns. It was on Tuesday, the day before Maria DeLuca’s accident, and her taking a powder.”
“Damn. He called the wrong place, the wrong person. They might have not even known he took the information until he told their own personal…”
“Yeah,” said Alex as he rubbed the back of his neck in tiredness. “Look, I’ve got more information filtering. I’m almost thinking that, outside of getting Maria DeLuca ourselves and forcing her to remember, I might have to stake out Meta-Chem and follow a truck to see where they dump. But with all the heat, wherever and whatever they’re dumping is probably on hold until things cool down a little.”
“So what you want to do?”
Alex yawned. “I’m thinking of going to sleep for an hour or two. Isabel is calling me when she can have lunch. Maybe I can get something to work in my brain if I just shut it down a few hours, eat, and relax with a beautiful woman. So I’ll call you after lunch. Otherwise call me on my cell if anything happens. After lunch, I’m going back out to the Res to continue searching.”
“There is one thing.” Alex paused and looked back at Kyle. “Feds came in this morning and took over both the Burns and DeLuca cases.”
Alex smiled without humor. “Now that I didn’t know. Stevenson is going to cause waves, big ones. This could shut down the dumping operation for a semi-permanent period of time. Damn. We need to find that dump and clean it up. Keep it from continually contaminating the region. Fucking great! We’ve just been handed a deadline. I wish Maria DeLuca would find her memory, because it looks like she’s becoming our only hope.”
“Maybe we should go see her and Guerin.”
Alex nodded. “Maybe. Confession and souls come to mind. Let me sleep on it for an hour or two. Meanwhile, at least your dad is out of the investigation, and you can stop worrying about him and Amy DeLuca.”
“You don’t know my dad.”
~~~
“Liz, come on in and have a seat.”
Liz smiled at the nurse who showed her into the doctor’s office after she dressed from the physical exam. Sitting down, she tried not to bite her lip or look as nervous as she felt.
Doctor John Prescott looked at the young woman and smiled. He had known her practically her entire life. Knew about her family history, and lived through some very bad times with Liz. It was good to finally look forward to some good ones.
“So you were correct. You’re pregnant.”
Liz smiled, her smile faltered, and suddenly it broke free of restraint, and she smiled fully.
“Congratulations. I take it you haven’t told Max?”
Liz shook her head. “Not yet. I wanted to be certain. With all the stomach problems going around and stuff, it was hard to tell at first. But two days ago I finally took a home pregnancy test. I just wanted it to be official.”
“Well, it is now very official. I’m estimating about ten weeks.”
“Ten?” Liz turned a nice shade of pale. “I didn’t realize...I mean, I missed only one period, and…”
“It’s not unusual for someone to have a short period, almost like spotting, on their first real month of pregnancy. It can fool you. But from the physical exam, I think ten weeks. We’ll be able to pinpoint a more accurate due date after the first ultrasound. But everything looks good.”
“Good? The baby…it’s normal?” Liz saw his frown and quickly jumped in with an explanation. “I mean, since I didn’t know for sure for so long, and I wasn’t watching my diet, adding extra folic acid, and other things…”
“Liz. Don’t worry. Lots of breads are enriched with folic acid nowadays, so that essential vitamin is usually covered. I am more concerned for you.”
“Me? I’m fine! I feel great.”
“You’re not fine.”
Liz went silent and clutched her hands in her lap. Maybe the pregnancy was changing her, and they’d know. Know that something was different. They’d come for her child, for Max, and the others…and it would be her fault.
“You are slightly anemic. You’re blood chemistry is showing one extremely tired young lady. You told me that you’ve been having abdominal cramping? Correct?” Liz nodded biting her lip. “Well, I think you’re just a little too stressed. I need you to cut back on work. Try stopping and smelling the roses, for your health, and the health of your baby. Can you do that, Liz?”
“So that’s it? I’m a little tired and anemic, but otherwise…”
“In perfect health.”
Liz smiled in relief. And she nodded. “I can try to cut back, and Max already made me take two days off.”
“Good man. Good. I like hearing that.” John came around the desk and sat on the edge of it, facing Liz. “I’ve known you for a long time, Liz. Your dad was my best friend. I miss Geoff. I’d like to see his grandchildren and his child happy. Nothing pleased me more to hear you were marrying Max Evans, and seeing you getting on with your life is the happiest news I’ve heard in a long time.”
Liz smiled and stood up and hugged her lifelong friend, a surrogate father in so many ways. He helped her through her dad’s death, her grandmother’s death, and he helped her settle everything with her mom.
“Thank you. Really.” Liz smiled though tears. “I wish…”
“What do you wish Lizzie Bear?”
She laughed at her father’s pet name for her. “That he could still be here. That he could see his grandchild and walk me down the aisle.”
John nodded. He wished that too. Placing his hand gently on her still-flat stomach, he smiled. “He is here, Liz. He’ll always be with you. Both of them. It’s all a great circle of life. You’ll see him someday in a gesture of your son’s head when he turns to listen to you, or a smile, or your daughter’s laugh. They give us the greatest gift, the gift of life, and we carry them inside us.”
Liz hugged him tight. “Thank you, John.”
“So, you have to promise me that you will rest.” Liz nodded. “And you will take this prescription for Prenatal vitamins, and you will take them daily.” Liz nodded again taking the script. “And finally, you will call me if you have any problems, any concerns, or just need a friend. I expect you to take time off and be young, pregnant, and in love.”
Liz nodded. “Okay. But only under one condition.”
“Name it Parker, and make it a good one.”
“Walk me down the aisle when I marry Max Evans?”
John smiled and hugged her again patting her on the back. “I was hoping you’d ask.”
Liz laughed, but while hugging him, her face grew serious. She didn’t even know if she was going to be able to marry Max now. How he’d take the news of the coming baby. But just now, once it was officially confirmed, she knew one thing. Her baby was going to live, whether Max Evans stayed in her life or not. Whatever it took. No matter if she had to run to save her child’s life from the FBI or anyone else who would harm it. No matter. This life was important.
~~~
Michael walked into the pharmacy, still swearing under his breath. Bastard. That tux tailor was one sadistic little spud. The weasel must have poked enough holes in him that, if he drank anything he’d spring leaks. Michael frowned at the bandages. Nevermind. He could just see Maria cooing over him and kissing the spots all better. Much better than covering his entire body in tiny little Band-Aids.
He was on a mission. Maria had reminded him more than once. Actually three times. Condoms. Michael stood staring at the display. Just grabbing a package, he stopped and read it. Okay. Good. No freaky colors. Check. No weird flavors. Check. He frowned at the word spermicide. Okay, he needed to read a few more. Best to find the best, most effective ones...Better to be safe than sorry...
It was during his investigation of spermicide-enhanced latex that he heard Liz Parker’s voice.
Michael was just about to go pay for his purchase, when he rounded the corner and then quickly stepped back. Liz. Damn. He didn’t want to have to talk to her. Michael was trying to make sure he was unobserved and unnoticed by her when her conversation with the pharmacist finally filtered into his brain.
“Now be sure to eat breakfast. I know that you can feel nauseated in the first trimester, but these vitamins can make you even more nauseated.”
“Great. I really want to add to the whole experience of morning sickness.”
The pharmacist smiled kindly. “If it gets bad, the doctor can prescribe something for the nausea.”
Liz just laughed. “I think the prenatal vitamins will be more than enough medication.”
“Okay. There's an information sheet included. You have ample refills to get you though the pregnancy, so just call before you run out and we’ll fix it up for you, even deliver it if you need us to.”
Michael eavesdropped until he saw Liz leaving the pharmacy. Absentmindedly reaching out, he grabbed any old pack of condoms and took it to the register, while trying to keep an eye on the receding back of Liz Parker.
“So you must be planning a party or something?” The man behind the counter joked, indicating the box of condoms.
“Huh?” Michael looked down and noticed he had just bought a large box. Economy size. Three dozen. Extra large. “Yeah. Thought I’d stock up a week’s supply. You going to tell me my total or do I need to guess?”
The man frowned at Michael’s rudeness and told him the amount, quickly making the change. Geez, he could barely get a date on weekends, and this rude man was going through three dozen condoms in a week! What the hell was wrong with women? Nice guys never got a break.
Michael searched quickly and spotted Liz. Go home. None of your fucking business, Guerin. He followed her anyway. She didn’t go back to the Crashdown. Instead she went to the park. Walking through it slowly, she smiled at the playing children and finally sat down on the park bench. Michael, seeing she was okay, decided to leave. As he was turning, it was her hunched shoulders and a suspicious trembling that made him realize she was crying.
Fuck.
Michael rubbed a hand across his face, and tried to decide what to do. Go get Max? Liz ‘frickin’ Parker. She was too much work. It was exhausting. Michael just shook his head and started to walk away, leaving her to cry out or work out whatever was bothering her.
His feet wouldn’t move. Dammit! Okay, he was going to blame Maria. Before she rushed into his life, more like crashed into it, he had some say. Some control. Now he kept finding himself almost caring about things. She was warping his once-sane mind with her inept laundry techniques, use of cream, and midnight painting frenzies. Maybe residual fumes from the tanning techniques on her leather shoes were melting his brain, and that would explain a lot about Maria as well.
Give up.
Sighing, Michael swore under his breath and approached Liz. Sitting on the park bench next to her, but not too close, he waited until she became aware of him.
“Michael?” Liz said cautiously, looking up in her misery to see him.
Oh geez. Crying didn’t help her looks one bit. Now Maria…
Michael caught his brain starting another nightmarish tour of the Maria DeLuca zone and veered away, concentrating on the problem at hand. Liz Parker.
“Anything I can do?”
Liz looked startled at the question. She didn’t really know how to respond, but she decided to go with what she knew.
“No. I’m fine.”
Michael ignored her reassurances. “You don’t look fine. You look like shit.”
Liz just looked away and bit back an angry retort. She didn’t invite him to sit down next to her. He could just go away. She really didn’t feel up to a bout of Michael Guerin crap.
Michael saw the set of her shoulders and the stiffening of her back. Looking out across the park, he thought about it.
“I said you look like shit.”
“I heard you.” Liz said. Bastard.
“You should look better…”
“Sorry, I’m not pretty enough for you.”
Michael looked at her. “I guess you’re okay. I just expected more.”
“Fine compliment.”
Michael just sighed, but turned to watch the playground. “What I meant was, I would expect a pregnant woman to be glowing.” Without looking, he could feel her reaction and almost hear her heart speeding up. Well damn, that couldn’t be good for the baby. “I just don’t get it. You look tired, and under more than a little stress. I wasn’t going comment on the stress, since I’m sitting next to you that’s to be expected. But what the hell is with the tiredness? What the hell is wrong with Maxwell?. He should be taking better care of you.”
“He does.” Liz said softly. “You…you’re not angry?”
“Angry? About Max not taking care of you?” Michael shrugged. Really none of his business, not that any of it was. Maybe he just read her wrong. He simply felt that she looked like a woman carrying a burden too heavy for her shoulders. “Hey, you’re marrying him. Not me.”
“Am I?”
Michael looked at her. Liz’s voice was too small and soft. “What? You and Maxwell break up? That’s impossible.”
“Why? Why is it impossible?”
Michael just laughed. “First, I just got finished with another tux fitting session, so this better not be true because I have given blood for the cause. Second, I can’t not see you wanting to be with the father of your baby, and third, since Maxwell has mooned over you since as far back as I can remember, I don’t think he’s going to suddenly discover he’s not in love with you.”
Liz watched the children playing. Finally she had to ask again, since he misunderstood the first time. “Actually, what I meant originally was, are you angry that I’m pregnant?”
Yes. No. Michael thought about it. Maybe. Maybe he was angry, because once again Max was breaking a pact between the three of them. Maybe he was angry, because once again Max was getting something Michael wanted. Was he angry? No. No he wasn’t. Not really. Only at superficial levels, and in the larger scheme of things, those levels really didn’t mean much. A baby was on the way. There wasn’t much to change that fact. Not now.
“No. I don’t think I am, not really.” Michael said quietly. “So, why don’t you tell me why you’re so unhappy on a day that should be the most important day of your life.”
Liz sniffed and just shook her head. “I’m scared, okay? I knew. I really understood that there could never be children. We were careful, so careful. And this happens. Max…I haven’t told him, or even shared with him the belief I was pregnant. I’m ten weeks along, and I didn’t even know. The last week since I suspected, has been hell. Keeping it from Max, worrying, and wondering if it was going to be normal. If it would expose all of you, and even if Max would leave because of it. I knew the rules from the beginning, and…”
“The 'no children' rules. Never.” Michael asked quietly.
Liz nodded, and searched for a tissue. Her last one was waterlogged. “Yes. I knew. And I didn’t know why, and then I was to afraid to ask.” Liz looked at Michael. “I can’t terminate this pregnancy. I can’t. Call me selfish or whatever, but I want it too much. I want Max, too. How do I tell him? How do I choose?”
“Sounds like you already have.” Michael said dryly.
“What if the baby is…”
“Alien?” Michael asked.
“Yes. What if my baby can’t survive here, and…”
“Liz, whatever we are, we’re human. I have very recent concrete reasons to know that. We come from human DNA. Sure there’s some alien mixed in, but if we can survive on the earth, and the mother of the baby is human, chances are the baby will probably be very much human, with maybe some special abilities and a little strange blood chemistry.”
“You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”
Michael looked at her like she was insane. “Me?”
Liz laughed. “Sorry. I forgot who I was talking to for a moment.”
“Well, don’t let that happen again.” Michael said in a brusque tone. Looking at Liz, he sighed. “So, wipe your eyes and go tell my brother he’s going to be a father.”
Liz wringed the tissue in her hands. “What if he doesn’t want it? I mean…”
“I never really liked you, Liz Parker. I never had any qualms about admitting that or showing it. I also tend to not like most other people as well, so you shouldn’t take it personally.” Liz just shrugged. He had a point. “One thing I can say is, I never thought of you as a coward. Courage is a strange thing. It can be the most powerful asset, and at other times, the most fleeting. So find your courage and go tell the man you’re marrying that he’s going to be a father.”
Michael stood up to leave.
“What if he's angry, or doesn’t want it? I mean the rules said…”
“No babies. Never. Yeah, well I’m finding certain rules are made to be broken.” Michael looked down at Liz. “It was never a rule cast in stone. It was a pact between the three of us. We spent our whole lives on the outside, looking in. Spent our entire lives afraid that our secret would be discovered, and we’d end up a government autopsy on some cold slab. That much fear, Liz...it warps and destroys. How could we do that to our children, knowing what we know? It’s not that none of us want children, because we all do. Desperately.” Michael noticed Liz’s startled look at him. “Yes, even me. Somehow the most denied thing is often the most desired. We just tried to make an adult decision to protect our unborn children from a lifetime of fear and grief.”
“I think I understand, but still…”
“This baby changes everything. Just tell him, Liz.” Michael started to walk away, but quickly looked back. “And for god’s sake, get some rest. You really look like shit.”
Liz watched him walk away, staring at his back as he finally disappeared. “Thanks. I think.”
~~~
“Sheriff Valenti?”
Both Jim and Amy looked up from where they were sitting, waiting for the secretary to get them an interview with the owner of Meta Chem, Clayton Wheeler, Jr.
“Mr. Wheeler will see you now.” Jim and Amy followed her into the office and refused coffee. They had already drunk enough while waiting.
“Sheriff, please come in and take a seat.”
The smallish man, almost owl-like behind the large desk, seemed unintrusive and pleasant. In his thirties, he seemed more of a librarian than a business man.
“Mr. Wheeler, we appreciate the time you’re taking…” The man waved off the thanks.
“No problem, Sheriff. I remember you quite well from when my father died over seven years ago. You made things easier for my family, and especially my stepmother.”
“How is your stepmother? Merris?”
“I’m not sure. Just recently she decided New Mexico and the pain of living with my father’s memory was too much and she took off to Europe. I’ve yet to hear from her, but I’m sure that sooner or later I’ll catch up with her when the bills start showing up.” The man stood and shook both Jim's and Amy’s hands, indicating a chair. “It doesn’t matter. As long as she is finally happy, and feels better.”
“That’s very kind of you,” said Amy softly. She quickly took her hand back and sat on it to keep from wiping his touch away. From behind the desk he looked unassuming, but up close he had more the look of a small rodent. His eyes were beady, dark and almost snakelike. A cold shiver ran down her back, and she suddenly was uncertain about coming to Meta-Chem.
“I searched my employee records per your request. Interestingly enough, there was a name that caught my eye. Jon DeLuca. He is, or was, an employee in the Roswell branch in acquisitions and deployment.”
Amy started at the name of her ex-husband, Maria’s father. Maria had tried to find her father! Clenching her hands in pain, Amy remained silent.
“Was?” asked Jim softly.
Clayton nodded and returned behind his desk. “Yes, was. It seems that just over a week ago Mr. DeLuca left work and never returned. After a few days with no contact, and the department in which he worked unable to locate or contact him, they immediately terminated his position and began to take steps to hire someone else.”
“No one knows where he went? You didn’t inform the police of a missing employee?”
“Sheriff, this is Roswell. We have people wandering in and out of employment with ease all the time. Our security staff is a constant revolving door. And forgive me for mentioning it, but I believe it's the missing man’s family's duty to notify the authorities. I’m led to believe and understand that Mr. DeLuca isn’t above leaving his responsibilities without notice. After all, he did desert his own family some…what?....eighteen years ago, and never even bothered to contact them again. Correct?”
Amy felt uncomfortable with this man knowing her personal business. Jon DeLuca wasn’t an ideal husband or father, but he didn’t just leave. She knew he was going. Maria sat on the front step of their old house and watched him drive away. No amount of begging or pleading on her part could get him to stay. It didn’t matter anymore, but one thing was true, Jon DeLuca hadn’t just disappeared then. Not like this time.
“That’s not right.” Jim looked at Amy. “Jon was many things, but he was honest enough to inform us before he left, and I’m certain he would’ve done the same for his place of employment.”
“Perhaps, Ms. DeLuca, but there it is. We had no notice, and the man never came back to work.”
Amy ignored Wheeler. “Maria must have called him here and made arrangements to meet him. Something had to happen. It’s too much to believe they’re not connected. Jon DeLuca missing, my daughter run off the road, almost killed, and now missing. This stinks of something…”
“Illegal?” Clayton said softly.
Jim swore under his breath. He would rather get Amy out of there and discuss the implications later. Meta-Chem was a mistake. They definitely had found out why Maria DeLuca returned to her childhood home after eighteen years, but why she was in danger was still a mystery. The vibes coming off the man sitting behind the desk were alarming, and Jim wished he did more than just leave his destination with dispatch.
“Amy, I believe we’ve taken up enough of Mr. Wheeler’s time. At least now we know why Maria came home to Roswell, so let's go find Jon DeLuca’s house and see if we can find something there.” Jim was in a hurry. Turning to the man, he put on a polite smile on his face. “Mr. Wheeler, we really appreciate everything you did and the time you gave us.” Jim took Amy’s arm and was quickly leading her away, out of potential danger.
“I’m afraid Sheriff that our association is far from over.”
Jim stopped as the office door opened and three large men entered the room. Their intent was menacing, but the gun in one man’s hand was confirmation that they had made a huge mistake.
~~~
Max ran up the stairs to the apartment. Taking off early, he went home to find Liz and see about her doctor’s appointment. With Brody in town, Max was able to take more time off and help out at the Crashdown.
“Liz?”
He found her in their bedroom looking through some old photo albums. She had kept her promise to rest and let the staff work the diner. It was her quietness that bothered him.
“Liz?” Max sat down on the side of the bed next to her. “What’s wrong? Did the doctor…”
“I’m pregnant.” Breathing deeply, Liz couldn’t believe she just said it. Sitting in their room, she went through endless scenarios on how to tell him, and even what his various reactions would be. Most of them were bad. Taking down her family photo albums she looked at all the photos of her and her parents as she was growing up. It was heartbreaking to think that she might not have that life with Max and her child. Maybe they were right. Maybe it was cruel to bring a child into this world, a special child with a special heritage. The thought of anyone taking her baby or hurting her child made her blood run cold. It was even worse than her fear of telling Max. Nothing could be worse than thinking of her child in a White Room.
“Excuse me?” Max felt the room spin a little, and the feel of his own tongue in his mouth was too big.
“Pregnant. I’m going to have a baby.” Liz couldn’t say that enough. It was still hard to believe. She hadnever thought to be a mother. Especially not after becoming engaged to Max. “I don’t care, Max. I know there were rules. I know you said…”
Max wasn’t listening. He dropped to his knees in front of her, his hands resting on her waist. Too small. She was too small. Max leaned his head against her abdomen. Father. He was going to be a father!
“Max?” Liz couldn’t keep the question from her voice. That same voice was lost to her when Max looked up at her.
His eyes were wet, and he kept her firmly in his hands. Slowly a smile of wonder broke across his face. Liz let herself smile a little, uncertain. Max quickly stood and swept her up, moving her further on the bed. Lying along her full length, he moved his hand down to rest on her flat stomach, and then moved it slowly up her body to cup her face, forcing her to look at him.
“How far along?” His voice stuck in his throat coming thick and deep.
“Ten weeks.”
“God, Liz.” Max buried his face in her hair and pulled her tight into him. “You should have told me.”
Liz hand stroked the back of his neck. “I only just started to suspect, so I took a home pregnancy test two days ago. That’s when I made the doctor’s appointment. I wanted to be completely sure before…”
“You told me. Why? Because of the 'no children' rule?”
Liz just nodded. Max didn’t look upset. He looked anything but upset. Maybe Michael was right. Maybe it would be okay.
“Did you think it would change things for us? That I would demand you abort our baby or leave you?” Liz didn’t know what to say, so she just looked at him. “Dammit, Liz. You should know me by now, and if you don’t, then that's my fault.”
“Max, I was just…”
“Uncertain. You shouldn’t be.” Max cupped her face in his hands. “I love you. I’ve loved you all my life, for as long as I can remember. There will never be another love for me. Just you. The baby? It’s part of us, and I want it. I want it as much as I want you.”
“But you said…”
“I know, but this changes that. If given a choice I wouldn’t have willfully broken my pact with Michael and Isabel, because we all had reasons for making the rules we’ve lived by. This pregnancy changes things. It changes things for the better, Liz.”
Michael was right. Wonders never ceased. Liz smiled and pulled Max’s head to hers. Life was good. For the first time in a long time, she didn’t feel alone! She and Michael had actually had a real conversation, and Max wasn’t leaving. He wanted the baby as much as she did. Liz Parker was happy, for at least five seconds, and then Max blew it.
“We need to call my mom and tell her the news.”
Damn. Liz just groaned and laid back on the bed in abandon. Diane Evans and her little Nazi daughter, Isabel were going to take over the pregnancy like they did the wedding preparations. Then she just laughed. So that was what it was like to be part of a family. Scary. Be careful what you wish for!
~~~
Alex sank to the ground in exhaustion. Fucking heat. It had to be over one hundred degrees in the shade, and there was no shade. Eddie dropped down next to his cousin and sprawled out on the ground, tipping his hat over his eyes to keep out the sun. It was summer, almost. Dammit. In the desert it felt like mid-summer, not early summer.
“We’re never going to find it, Cuz.”
“This reservation is too big. There are too many access roads. It could be worse.”
Eddie looked at Alex from under his hat. “Worse? How?”
“Well the Mescalero Apache Res is hardly big compared to the Navajo’s Big Res. We could be searching that son-of-a-bitch.”
“Small comfort. We’re still not finding the area.” Eddie reached for a canteen. This was like looking for a needle in a haystack. “What do you think that underground cavern we found today was?”
“The place with all the blue shit?”
“Yeah. It was weird.”
Alex just shrugged. He wasn’t a geologist, so he was clueless. The cavern was covered in a leaking blue ooze that still had some crystallized forms. But the cavern had caved in years ago, and it had been a dry oxygen-deprived space until they opened it. The blue ooze seemed to just slowly seep into the ground and that was it. It probably at one time had been some very interesting blue crystals, maybe even unique and valuable, but they’d never know now. The crystals were liquified and then gone.
Alex’s cell phone rang, and he accepted a quick drink from the canteen before answering it.
“Yeah?”
“Alex? It’s Kyle. We’ve got a problem.”
~~~
“I don’t know, Alex.” Kyle looked at his tired friend. Alex was hot, covered in dirt and sweat, and not just a little red.
“Time's running out fast, Kyle. Time to find some answers. I’ve gotten numerous calls from my supervisor wanting me to return to work, and now with your father and Amy DeLuca missing, we’ve got next to no options left.”
“Guerin is going to be difficult.”
“Let me take care of Guerin. We need Maria DeLuca to remember, and we need her to remember right now.”
Kyle just nodded as they turned and headed deeper into Fraser Woods, approaching Michael Guerin’s home. Time was up for all of them.
Jim had informed dispatch that he was going to Meta-Chem, but he never checked in again. When dispatch informed Kyle, his first instinct was to go tear Meta-Chem apart, but a higher power of reason had him calling Alex instead. They had already established that Meta-Chem was the Big Bad.
“What?” Michael opened the door in a fury, unhappy to be interrupted. All the people he wanted to see were already in his house, himself and Maria. “Valenti? What the fuck do you want now?”
Michael eyed the tall silent man next to Kyle, and frowned. Something. There was something about him, something…
“Son-of-bitch! You were in my house!”
Alex ignored Michael and entered the house, followed closely by Kyle.
“Yeah, we were here, and we know that Maria DeLuca is here.”
Michael’s face was shuttered and angry. His eyes narrowed as they stared daggers at Kyle, who avoided making eye contact.
“This is Alex Whitman. You might remember him from High School.”
“Not really.”
Alex just shrugged and looked around the place. “Where is Maria? We need her help, and we need it now.”
Michael refused to relinquish the guest who was under his protection. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t remember you, and I want you the hell out of my home.”
Alex got in Michael’s face. The two men faced each other, staring each other down. “I don’t care if you remember me. I know she's here, and have known for a few days. She was safest here, but now we’re out of time.” Alex refused to back away from an angry Michael. “Sheriff Valenti and Maria’s mother, Amy DeLuca, are now missing.”
“Missing?” The three men turned to the voice of Maria. She stood on the stairs coming from the bedroom. “My mother is missing?”
Alex nodded and ignoring Michael, walked over to Maria. God, she was beautiful! He had seen pictures, but in person she was so much more. Something about her was vital and alive. Maria was having the same effect on Kyle. She reminded him of her mother. Amy had the same vitality. She had entered the Roswell PD and people including his father, came to a screeching halt, then jumped to her commands. These DeLuca women were like the fabled Sirens.
“Yes. She and Sheriff Valenti were looking for you. We tried to keep them off your track. Once we knew where you were, it was a matter of burying the information.”
“Why?” Maria finished coming down the stairs. Michael noticed that she had dressed in another one of his t-shirts and a pair of cut-off shorts. Barefoot, she had to look up at Alex. While on the stairs she almost could meet his eyes. She seemed so small and helpless. Michael circled the intruders to stand next to Maria.
“Why did we bury the information that would lead them to you?” Maria nodded. Alex reached for his pockets to find a cigarette. “I knew that the people looking for you were funded by a very powerful man, a man able to buy off a Federal agent. They knew you were once with Mr. Guerin, and he was successful in making them think he got rid of you. It was like hiding in plain sight. As long as Mr. Guerin didn’t abuse you or take advantage of your condition, I figured you were safer here than anywhere else.”
Alex pointedly looked at Michael, knowing that Michael and Maria were lovers. His dig about taking advantage of Maria’s confusion hit a mark, and Michael’s eyes narrowed again.
“How did you know? What information did you suppress?” Michael asked, needing to know where he made a mistake.
Kyle answered that one. “The hotel room. Once Amy DeLuca realized that Maria’s paints and brushes were missing, we knew she came back. The room was fingerprinted, and the Roswell PD has yours on record. They've had them for years.”
Michael gave Alex an evil look when he noticed the cigarette in the man’s hand. Smoking in his home was not allowed. That was it. That was how he knew someone had been in his home. Residual smell of tobacco.
“Why did you break into my home?” Michael asked and then another question occurred to him at the same time. “How did you break in without alerting the security company?”
“We broke in to confirm that Ms. DeLuca was with you. Kyle couldn’t stop looking for her with a clear conscience without knowing she was being protected. The house was easy. A simple override and your locks are a simple six tumble pin click. A child could pick them.”
“I should beat the crap out of your…”
“Michael. Not now.” Maria said quietly, coming to join the three men in the living room. “Where is my mother?”
Kyle noticed Maria placing her hand on Michael’s back, and the man’s reaction. He backed down and moved closer to her, his own hand going to her waist. Interesting. Kyle couldn’t remember Guerin ever touching another human being except in anger.
“Your mother and my father were last seen going to Meta-Chem. They were following the phone logs from your hotel room. The Feds came in and took over the cases this morning. Your case and the death of Special Agent Burns.”
“He’s dead?” Michael asked. Good. It saved him from having to do it himself. He hated that man.
“Dropped from a plane from about a mile up.” Alex said fingering his smokes.
“Michael…” Maria said in distress. He moved even closer pulling her into his arms.
“I think it’s time to share information.” Michael said. Obviously both Kyle and this Alex person knew enough about what was going on to be concerned about Meta-Chem. It was where their lead ended, and unable to risk exposure, he and Maria were at a stalemate waiting for her memory to come back online.
Alex looked at Maria hopefully. “Did you regain you memory?”
Maria shook her head no. Michael kept her next to him.
“She doesn’t have her memories, but she's painting in her sleep. Her father. She saw her father die.”
Alex swore, and ignoring Michael, lit up a cigarette anyway. Michael calmly reached out and swiped the offensive cancer stick, disposing of it immediately.
Kyle was in no mood to watch Michael Guerin and Alex Whitman have a pissing contest over smoking or anything else. “We don’t have time for this. I’m on the verge of losing my father, and Maria is going to lose her last parent if we don’t do something now!”
The group of them finally took seats to tell their stories, piecing together as much as possible with the hope that something would jar Maria’s memories. Michael was getting the picture. Jon DeLuca needed to be beaten for exposing his lost daughter to the danger he walked into. Michael retrieved the pictures that Maria had drawn in his office and the ones from the motel.
“There is one more thing.” Michael reached into his pocket and pulled the medallion he took from the Sheriff’s office.
“Bastard! Where the hell did you get that?” Kyle said angrily.
Michael just ignored him. It was Maria reaching for the medallion that diverted his attention. Her face was screwed up in concentration, and she held the small medallion in her hand. For a second, he thought she was going to faint, but she held on.
“What is it, Maria?”
“Michael, I remember.”