A Cold Wife, Sweet Husband

Every second that ticked on the clock was one more second that Harrison Sr. had to destroy the evidence. He couldn't shake off the feeling that something wasn't right. Wasn't it odd that Franklin hadn't returned in the time that it took for him and Jessica to fill out the adoption paperwork?

He hadn't known Franklin to take long in any store since he hated to shop. I should have waited until Franklin returned.

He was so startled that someone broke into his office that he hadn't even bothered to think of anything but going to check out the crime scene. He was beginning to regret that decision. After another half hour of waiting, he turned to his uncle.

―Do you mind if I give Jessica a call to see how things are going with Ryan? he whispered. ―Go ahead, his uncle replied. ―If we get called up, we can manage without you.

He nodded and went outside the courtroom so he could call his home on the telephone. When Constance answered, she told him that Jessica hadn't been there since she left with him for the orphanage.

He hung up the phone and tapped his fingers on the wall in front of him. Then he dialed the orphanage. Mrs. Tobias reported that she hadn't returned for anything she might have forgotten. A call to the nursing home and Mary's house reported the same thing. No one knew where Jessica or Ryan was.

―It's not like Jessica to run off somewhere without telling someone where she went, Mary told him. At this point, he didn't hide his apprehension. ―I've been at the courthouse for the past two and a half hours. If she's been trying to find me, she wouldn't be able to.

Lord, if there's an emergency and I'm not there to help her...He didn't even want to consider the consequences involved with that scenario. ―Why are you at the courthouse? Mary asked. He quickly explained the fact that someone broke into his uncle's firm and stole important doc.u.ments.

―So we're waiting to get a search warrant from the judge to see if the person we think did it is guilty, he concluded. ―If you need someone to help with presenting the proposal you and your uncle worked on, I can help with that.

I remember everything I read and I worked on it with your uncle this past weekend. I was adding and subtracting numbers but I recall the words in the doc.u.ment too.

―Do you have a photographic memory? ―Yes. She had no idea how much this was going to help his uncle. ―My uncle could use your help tonight. You can help him remember the key points he planned to discuss. I will tell him to call you once we get things taken care of.

―I understand. I'll stay by the phone and leave a message at the courthouse for you if I hear from Jessica. ―Could you leave a message with Constance instead?

I think I'm going to go home but need to stop somewhere else first. She agreed and hung up. He returned to the courtroom where the men were still waiting for the judge to hear them. He explained the situation to his uncle who assured him that he could take care of everything.

Leo didn't waste any time. His first stop was the shoe store where he asked the owner if Franklin had been there. The owner confirmed Leo's fear.

He hadn't seen Franklin. He went by Franklin's house and his wife hadn't seen him since he left for work that morning. With nowhere else to go, he went to his house to see if Jessica had shown up or if Mary had left a message.

As soon as he entered the house, he saw Franklin sitting on one of the benches in the hallway, looking disoriented.

Constance and Geoffrey had given him a glass of water and were asking him what happened. When they saw Leo, they stopped talking and stood up straight. ―Are Jessica and Ryan here? he asked them. ―No, sir. They're still gone, Constance replied.