Black Jack: A nail biting, hair-raising thriller (Jack Ryder Book 4) by Willow Rose
Authors: Willow Rose
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good.”
Ron poured himself another bourbon and let his wife answer for him. “Why not? I asked. “Is she not feeling well?”
“No. No. She’s fine. It’s just…well we’re trying to get her to forget everything from her past and you play a big part of it. Seeing you might rip up in some memories that…” Heather stopped talking and I sensed something behind me. As I turned I saw Betsy Sue. She was standing right behind me, her blue eyes staring up at me from her still very pale face.
“My god, you scared me,” I said and put a hand to my chest. My heart was pounding behind it.
“I have told her to not sneak up on people like that,” Heather said. “ She does it all the time. Scares me half to death every time.”
I kneeled in front of her and wiped a lock of hair away from her face. “How have you been, pretty girl?” I asked.
She didn’t answer.
“It’s no use,” Heather said. “She refuses to talk to anyone. The police, the psychiatrist, us, anyone.”
“Except she did talk to me,” I said.
Heather paused. I could tell she was curious as to how I got the girl to talk to me. I needed that curiosity. I needed them to want me to talk to her.
“She told me a lot of things when I was alone with her. Could I get some time alone with her today? I think I could get her to talk again. Maybe I would be able to get her to open up a little.”
I looked up at Heather who seemed very uncomfortable with the situation. “I don’t think that’s a very good idea. Right now she needs peace and quiet. She needs to forget everything that has happened…”
“I don’t see any harm in him talking to her,” Ron said and put a hand on his wife’s shoulder.
It made her back off. I got the feeling that he was used to get the last word around here.
Heather nodded. “Well then…go ahead.”
“Thank you,” I said heartfelt.
Right now Betsy Sue was my only connection to the man who might have taken my son. I had to get her to tell me more about this strange doctor and where she had been held the past five years in order to find him and hopefully my son as well. I knew it was a long shot, I knew it was going to take a lot of effort given how little she had talked about her time in captivity so far. But it was worth a try. It was all I had right now. And time was not on my side.
I turned and looked at Betsy Sue again. “So…could you maybe show me your room? I would love to see it.”
Chapter 30
M ay 2016
The room was sparsely decorated and not at all for a child. A bed, a dresser, a walk-in closet, a row of shelves with many books, all thrillers and mysteries or biographies. None of them for children. On the bed lied a deck of cards.
Betsy Sue walked to the bed and sat down. I closed the door behind us. “Was this your room when you were younger?” I asked.
She didn’t answer. I wondered if the Hawthornes had simply removed everything that reminded them of their daughter when she disappeared. Would I do that myself once I was forced to realize my child wasn’t coming back?
I wasn’t sure. But then again, life has to go on at some point, right?
“So do you have any of your toys from back then? Maybe a teddy bear?”
Betsy Sue looked at me, and then shook her head. I walked to her and sat down on the bed.
“You like cards?”
Betsy Sue looked up at me with a smile.
“Do you want to play Black JACK?”
She almost yelled my name and it startled me since it was a lot of sound coming from a girl who hadn’t said anything at all while I was there.
I looked into her eyes while wondering what to answer. I hadn’t played Black Jack for many years, not since I was in my early twenties. It had been a problem for me back then. I became addicted to it. I couldn’t stop. Not till my parents interfered. By then I owed a lot of money. They paid everything and took me home to live with them till I got back on my feet. Cost them a huge part of their savings. I hadn’t held a card in my hand
Ron poured himself another bourbon and let his wife answer for him. “Why not? I asked. “Is she not feeling well?”
“No. No. She’s fine. It’s just…well we’re trying to get her to forget everything from her past and you play a big part of it. Seeing you might rip up in some memories that…” Heather stopped talking and I sensed something behind me. As I turned I saw Betsy Sue. She was standing right behind me, her blue eyes staring up at me from her still very pale face.
“My god, you scared me,” I said and put a hand to my chest. My heart was pounding behind it.
“I have told her to not sneak up on people like that,” Heather said. “ She does it all the time. Scares me half to death every time.”
I kneeled in front of her and wiped a lock of hair away from her face. “How have you been, pretty girl?” I asked.
She didn’t answer.
“It’s no use,” Heather said. “She refuses to talk to anyone. The police, the psychiatrist, us, anyone.”
“Except she did talk to me,” I said.
Heather paused. I could tell she was curious as to how I got the girl to talk to me. I needed that curiosity. I needed them to want me to talk to her.
“She told me a lot of things when I was alone with her. Could I get some time alone with her today? I think I could get her to talk again. Maybe I would be able to get her to open up a little.”
I looked up at Heather who seemed very uncomfortable with the situation. “I don’t think that’s a very good idea. Right now she needs peace and quiet. She needs to forget everything that has happened…”
“I don’t see any harm in him talking to her,” Ron said and put a hand on his wife’s shoulder.
It made her back off. I got the feeling that he was used to get the last word around here.
Heather nodded. “Well then…go ahead.”
“Thank you,” I said heartfelt.
Right now Betsy Sue was my only connection to the man who might have taken my son. I had to get her to tell me more about this strange doctor and where she had been held the past five years in order to find him and hopefully my son as well. I knew it was a long shot, I knew it was going to take a lot of effort given how little she had talked about her time in captivity so far. But it was worth a try. It was all I had right now. And time was not on my side.
I turned and looked at Betsy Sue again. “So…could you maybe show me your room? I would love to see it.”
Chapter 30
M ay 2016
The room was sparsely decorated and not at all for a child. A bed, a dresser, a walk-in closet, a row of shelves with many books, all thrillers and mysteries or biographies. None of them for children. On the bed lied a deck of cards.
Betsy Sue walked to the bed and sat down. I closed the door behind us. “Was this your room when you were younger?” I asked.
She didn’t answer. I wondered if the Hawthornes had simply removed everything that reminded them of their daughter when she disappeared. Would I do that myself once I was forced to realize my child wasn’t coming back?
I wasn’t sure. But then again, life has to go on at some point, right?
“So do you have any of your toys from back then? Maybe a teddy bear?”
Betsy Sue looked at me, and then shook her head. I walked to her and sat down on the bed.
“You like cards?”
Betsy Sue looked up at me with a smile.
“Do you want to play Black JACK?”
She almost yelled my name and it startled me since it was a lot of sound coming from a girl who hadn’t said anything at all while I was there.
I looked into her eyes while wondering what to answer. I hadn’t played Black Jack for many years, not since I was in my early twenties. It had been a problem for me back then. I became addicted to it. I couldn’t stop. Not till my parents interfered. By then I owed a lot of money. They paid everything and took me home to live with them till I got back on my feet. Cost them a huge part of their savings. I hadn’t held a card in my hand
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