Searching for Angela
Everything seemed to be part of a terrible nightmare, one that she hadn't managed to wake up from. When Monica regained consciousness she found herself lying on the living room floor, with Tess' scared voice insistently calling her name. The worry in the supervisor's eyes soon turned into panic when Monica explained her that someone had broken into the house and placed a cloth embedded with a toxic substance against her nose, causing her to faint with the strong smell.
And their greatest fear was confirmed when the angels climbed up the stairs and rushed to Angela's room: it was empty. This someone had taken their little angel away, and now Tess found herself both grieving and having to hold Monica, fearing she would faint a second time.
Without knowing exactly what to do, the older angel went down the mountains to the nearest police station to report the latest events, taking a miserable Monica with her. The police officers escorted them back to the cabin, where the search for the missing baby started. It was a secluded area and there were no neighbours nearby. Besides, the one who had kidnapped Angela had time to run away while Monica was unconscious.
It was early in the evening that Andrew returned to the cabin, and when he saw the movement outside and Monica crying in Tess' arms, he knew that the strange panic sensation he'd had earlier could be confirmed. Something terrible seemed to have happened there.
"Monica..." he spoke as he entered, and she exchanged the supervisor's arms for his.
"Andrew... Someone took Angela away! Our little angel..." she managed to say, in between sobs and tears.
And at that moment, Andrew experienced the exact amount of pain felt by those who lose a loved one - something that so far he had only witnessed. "Dear Father... Angela..." he whispered, feeling the presence of tears in his eyes, despair taking over his heart.
"Our little one, Andrew... They took her away..."
"H-how... how did this happen?" Andrew tightened the hold around her as Tess and a policeman explained him what happened. He wished that he could turn back time, he wished that he could just go out there and search for Angela and place the little baby back in her mother's arms again. But now, all he could do was to share the pain brought by the sudden separation, and beg God to return Angela to them safely in her human form.
The night fell as a search in the woods went on, away from the cabin and an alert had been transmitted to the nearby towns. It was a long, painful night that left the trio of angels turned into human exhausted. The first sunrays were starting to shine across the horizon when Monica awoke from a twenty-minute sleep. Andrew was holding her tightly, and he too dozed off to a light sleep.
Careful not to wake him up, the Irish angel climbed off the bed and, with slow paces, she headed to Angela's room. Somewhat, she was expecting to enter and find the wee one peacefully sleeping in her crib, and then hold her in her arms. But once she got there, the painful reality stroke: the empty crib and the small toys on a shelf untouched. There was so much of Angela's presence that fresh tears fell from Monica's eyes, and she walked around the room; the first sunrays shining through the window. It was then that something shiny called her attention. The angel knelt down on the floor and saw a small broach in the form of a swan near the crib.
And it was then that her heart started racing: that object didn't belong to her or Tess. And she knew where it had come from. A jeweller in the nearest town! She recalled seeing it in the shop display last Christmas, and even considered giving it to Tess. Monica squeezed the small object in her hand and rushed out of the bedroom.
"Andrew!" her urgent voice woke him up in a second, and his heart was already racing with expectation. "What is it, angel? Any news? Do they know where Angela is?"
"I found something... this..." The Irish angel showed him her new discovery. "It was in Angela's bedroom, Andrew! It's not mine or Tess'! And I know where it came from!"
He ran a trembling hand through his short blond hair. "I'll get the car..."
They rushed down the stairs and saw Tess sleeping in the living room couch, possibly that dearest friend had been beaten up by exhaustion of a sleepless night too, and couldn't resist any longer. They'd better do it alone.
A minute later, the red Cadillac parked in front of the cabin was gone, and Andrew drove it to the town, praying that they could find some information about the owner of that broach.
X
The half-hour journey to the nearest town, by the feet of the mountains, lasted an eternity for both Monica and Andrew. They finally found the jeweller that she had spoken - it wasn't open yet but the owner was already inside. Due to their insistent knocking at the shop display, the woman opened the door for them. She immediately recognised Monica.
"You were here last Christmas... You were very indecisive about choosing a present for your friend..." the old lady mentioned, glad to see the friendly Irish lady again.
"Yes... you are perfectly correct... And now I'm here to ask you a favour... something that means a lot to both my husband and me..." she said, looking briefly at Andrew, who nodded his head.
"Oh, yes, of course. What is it, dear?" She wanted to know, only now noticing the tension on their faces.
The Irish angel showed her the broach she'd found just by Angela's crib. "This jewel... I know it came from your store... I need you to tell me who bought it..."
The woman placed her glasses and took a closer look at the broach. "Yes... it was bought here, for sure, but I'm afraid I cannot give you the names of the clients..."
"We know that, madam, but it's very important!" the angel of death spoke, "Our baby daughter was kidnapped yesterday afternoon..."
"Oh, goodness gracious! How terrible!" she exclaimed, immediately feeling sorry for the couple.
"The person who took her away... she left this behind..." Monica explained, "And the information we're asking you may be the key to find her..."
There was no way she could deny what the angels were asking her. On Monica's face, there was a mother's plea and the genuine truth. "Hold on..."
Minutes later, they left the store with a valuable paper in their hands: the name and address of the woman who owned that broach. It wasn't far from there, and Andrew had to control himself not to break the speed limit in those calm streets. But the search wasn't at the end - not yet. When they arrived at the right address the house seemed empty, and this suspect was soon confirmed. Windows and doors locked, and no sign that there was human presence in it.
"She... she might have ran away with Angela..." Monica spoke, leaning against the door and on the verge of despair.
The angel of death sighed deeply, and placed both hands over her shoulders, pulling her for a warm embrace. He was grieving and know that his beloved angel was feeling exactly the same. Andrew pressed her head against his chest as she wept softly, exhaustion draining their last energies.
"We'll find her, angel..." the blond angel spoke, kissing the top of her head, never releasing her from his strong arms.
"She might be hungry, Andrew... What if she feels cold? What... what if she misses her little toys..." her crying voice broke his heart, and he had to fight hard his own tears.
"This person, as terrible as she can be, took Angela for a reason, Monica..."
She pulled away and looked up at him, her crying face red and wet with tears. "What reason?"
"I don't know, but I do know that if she intended to take her, she might have been prepared to take care of her." He explained, trying to put her heart at ease even if his own wasn't. "The house is empty, and..." a sudden thought crossed his mind. "The bus station! She's running away!" He grabbed Monica's hand and pulled her back to their car.
"I see what you mean... Do you think there's still time?" she wanted to know, as they rushed back to the Cadillac.
"The chief of police said that they alerted the bus stations of the nearby cities... If she tries to pass, they'll catch her..."
x
Edina Saunders took the seat number 8 of the bus that headed to Salt Lake City, where finding her and the baby she carried in her arms would be a very hard assignment. As a matter of fact, suspecting that she had kidnapped a baby from a cabin in the top of the mountains would be difficult too. She had all the documents in her purse to prove the opposite.
"Excuse me, but I have to tell you that your baby is just beautiful!" A woman sitting next to her spoke, as the bus driver turned the motor on and closed the vehicle's door.
Edina smiled, as she carefully placed little Angela on her lap. The little girl's usual smile had gone away, and she was frowning at the new company and her surroundings. "Thanks! Little Kathy here has a lot in common with her father!" she said, kissing the baby's cheek affectionately.
The lady took the baby's tiny hand. "Hello, Kathy! You're a very cute young lady, did you know that?"
Something similar to a smile appeared on Angela's face, but as she heard Edina's voice again, it was gone, and she rubbed her chubby little hands together. "He's waiting for us in Salt Lake, Thomas works there as a manager of a small restaurant."
"Oh, I see! It's very nice to know that such a beautiful family will be together again!"
The bus left the terminal 20 minutes before Monica and Andrew arrived there. The couple rushed towards the information counter.
"Please, sir, we need to know if Edina Saunders is on the next bus to Salt Lake City!" Andrew spoke to the attendant.
"I'm sorry, sir, but we cannot give you this kind of information..." the young man replied, even though he didn't miss the urgency in the tone of his voice.
"It's very important... This woman kidnapped our daughter!" Monica was quick to say, permanent tears falling from her eyes. "Please, help us!"
"Your daughter..." the attendant seemed surprised and sympathetic to their words. Besides, he had been informed about a baby girl being kidnapped. "There's an alert about a woman carrying a baby..."
"Did you see anything? Is she on that bus?"
The young man sighed deeply, concern evident in his own eyes. "There was a woman carrying a baby, and..." he searched the files over the desk. "Yes, her name was Edina Saunders."
"Where is she?" Andrew wanted to know, sensing how Monica flinched hearing that.
"She got on the 9 o'clock bus to Salt Lake City."
"What? How come you guys let her go like that?" Andrew's loud voice was inevitable, as he too was extremely nervous.
"She was carrying a baby and the baby's birth certificate, sir. We checked all the documents and they were ok! The little girl's name was Kathleen Saunders, her daughter..."
"Our little Angela..." Monica whispered, wandering away from the counter, feeling lost and defeated. Andrew ran a hand through his hair before going over to her and holding her tightly once again.
"Calm down, angel... shh... Calm down..."
"Our wee one, Andrew... This woman wants to steal Angela from us..." she managed to speak, sobbing and clutching his shirt desperately. "We might not see her again..."
"Don't say that, of course we we'll see our little angel... Shh..." Andrew held her for dear life and lifted a silent prayer begging God to make his words become true.
X
To be continued