Death in Absentia

To the reader:

I wrote this story two years ago and put it in my file of stories I didn't think were good enough to submit. Then I saw a story on the morning news and knew I had to resurrect it. The story on TV was eerily close to this one, even to the point where everything happened in the same city. (I changed the location when I re-edited it.) All that being said, this is a work of fiction, everything came out of my head and is in no way a reflection of any real events. As they say on television, all characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

And just as a warning, there isn't any sex in the story.

Thanks to jo for editing.

© 2013 by the author.

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Chapter 1: Destruction

Destruction, hence, like creation, is one of Nature's mandates.

- Marquis de Sade

June 24, 2011 (Friday)

Maureen poked her head out of the kitchen and yelled, "Rose, could you answer the door? My hands are full at the moment." The teenager looked up at her mom pointing at the front door and scrunched up her face. Begrudgingly she got up off the couch and removed her iPod headphones. A tall man in a suit and a uniformed police officer stood on the other side of the screen door.

"Can I help you?"

The man in the suit replied, "Hello. Is Jason Woods here?"

"Just a minute," Rose said turning around. She cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "DAAAAAAD! The police are here!"

Almost immediately Jason walked out of the kitchen wearing an apron and drying his hands on a dishtowel. "What did you say?"

"Dad, the police," she smirked and pointed over her shoulder to the door. "Boy, are you in big trouble."

"Get out of here; go help your mother in the kitchen. Now scat!" He swatted at the girl's bottom as she scurried past.

"Good evening, I'm Jason Woods. What can I do for you?"

"I'm Detective Scanlon and this is Officer Pellegrino," the man in the suit said as they both held up their identification cards and badges. "May we come in?"

"Uh, sure, come on in. Pardon the chaos. My daughter's getting married tomorrow and someone forgot to tell the caterer about some south-seas poi dish or something like that, and we're doing our best to get it all together. Let me give you a bit of advice. Don't ever have daughters and if you do never let them get married. It's too expensive and they just end up driving everybody crazy."

"I heard that!" A harried woman's voice from the other room yelled.

"Crap, I'm in trouble now. Okay, so what can I do for you two?"

"Sorry to disturb you at a time like this but were you the husband of Alycia Woods?"

All the color drained from Jason's face and his arms went slack at his side. The dishtowel fell to the floor. He just stood in the entranceway looking dumbstruck at the two people standing there.

"Honey, who was at the door?" A cute middle-aged blond woman wearing a matching apron walked out of the kitchen and up alongside Jason. "Hi, I'm Maureen," she said extending her hand to the two officers. "Oops, hold that thought. Unless you want papaya all over your hands wait a minute." She bent down and picked the dishtowel up off the floor and started drying her hands. That's when she noticed the lack of color and the expression on her husband's face.

"Jason, what's going on?"

"Are you Mrs. Woods?" the officer asked.

"Yes."

"We have some news about the first Mrs. Woods, Alycia."

Now the color drained from her face and she turned to look up at her husband. "Oh God, no!"

"Mr. Woods, Mrs. Woods, I don't know if this is going to come as good news or not but Alycia Woods has been found alive and living in Washington State. We got a fax from the Seattle police department and they have her in custody related to the death of her husband. Their fingerprint check identified her as a missing person from 1987. She now goes by the name of Christine Marx but there is a positive identification. Alycia Woods is now Christine Marx."

The detective took a breath and waited for some reaction to his news. The silence in the hallway was eerie. Nobody moved. Nobody reacted. It was as though time stopped and everything froze in place. Maureen continued to look up at her husband, his eyes now glistening with tears that couldn't make up their mind whether to fall or not.

Maureen broke the dreadful silence. "Uh, thank you officer. I'm... We're... I don't know what to say. This is going to take some time to... You know what I mean. It's a lot all at once."

"I understand ma'am. We only have the one fax from Seattle but I'm sure there'll be more. We had to pull the case files from storage to understand what we're dealing with here; after all it's been 24 years. I was in grade school when all this happened. As soon as we know more we'll contact you, if that's okay with you."

"Certainly officer, call or stop by anytime," Maureen said. "We want to know what's happening as soon as you do. Thank you for coming by."

The officers gently closed the screen door as they left and slipped into the darkness. Jason hadn't moved since he heard the name Alycia. Maureen put her arms around her dazed husband and laid her head on his shoulder. When she felt a drop of water fall on the side of her head she started crying too. They stood like statues in the doorway for what seemed like hours but in reality was only a couple minutes.

A cry from the kitchen jolted one of them back to reality, "MOM, something's boiling over out here!"

Maureen looked up at Jason. "Honey, why don't you go lie down? Rose and I can finish up in the kitchen. I'll be there in a few minutes and we can talk. Okay?"

Without a word Jason turned and walked up the stairs. After he turned the corner the bedroom door quietly clicked shut.

"Why now?" Maureen lamented under her breath. "Please God tell me what did he do to deserve this. Tomorrow is supposed to be a happy day and now it's all screwed up. God, please help my Jason."

Maureen wiped the tears off of her own face with the dirty dishtowel before going back to rescue her daughter from the boiling pot.

********

An hour later the emergency cooking was done and Maureen was free to go upstairs. Darkness greeted her as she opened the bedroom door. As a bit of hall light crept into the bedroom she could see Jason sitting in the old wingback chair next to the window. He was still wearing the apron. His head was down. His hands folded in his lap. Maureen crept over and knelt in front of her seated husband. She tried to see his eyes but shadows hid them. She pressed her body into his legs and placed her hands on his and listened to his breathing. He was breathing. That was a good thing. She would wait a while before saying anything.

They remained together in the dark for what seemed like hours. This time it was an hour and not a few minutes.

Maureen looked up and broke the dark silence. "Honey, look at me, please look at me."

Jason tilted his head up an inch or two and looked down at the beauty hugging his legs.

"I know what you're going through and I understand just how much it hurts. God how I understand your pain. I don't know exactly what you're thinking but I can guarantee you one thing: I'm here for you and I will always be here. I'll never leave you. We are going to get through this together, you and me, together, the two of us."

Maybe Maureen wanted to see what she saw, but in the shadowy light of the room at least she thought she saw one side of his mouth curl upward. A smile, imperceptible as it was, was a ray of light into her heart.

"Jason, listen to me. Tomorrow is going to be a very big day, an important day, and I don't want this to ruin it for anybody. We're going to have to put on a happy face and make like the police never came, until the wedding is over. You can do this, I know you can. You're strong. If you need to you can lean on me. I'm with you on this. Afterwards we can deal with Alycia."

As he gazed down into her eyes he used every bit of will he had to force the pain into a little cubbyhole in his mind. For now his daughter's wedding was the only thing that mattered. Later he would have to visit the pain again. He would need Maureen's help but she promised to be there and he trusted her word.

Jason spoke for the first time since coming upstairs. "I love you."

He took one hand out from under hers and gently slid the back of his fingers down her cheek. "Let's get to bed. We've got to get up early and it's going to be a very long day. I don't want our daughter to see anything but smiles, that is until she finds some other last minute emergency to panic over."

24 Years Earlier

May 19, 1987 (Tuesday)

Jason sat cross legged on the floor with little Bethany in his lap watching a Disney cartoon playing on his new VCR player. Bethany was as happy as any 3-year old could be watching Chip and Dale running around crazily on the screen. Every so often she would try to mimic the same squeaky voices they had. Dad loved watching every second of it.

Bethany's older brother was sitting on the couch concentrating on his new hand-held electronic Space Invaders game. Jeremy was so involved with killing invading aliens that he wouldn't have heard a tornado go through the living room let alone the television or squeals of a 3-year old.

Jason was in heaven. And heaven was wherever his family was. On Tuesdays and Thursdays it was his responsibility to pick the kids up from the sitter. But he didn't mind. He loved spending any amount of time with them and used Tuesdays and Thursdays as an excuse to get down on the floor and play. His wife's schedule had her working late two days a week and Alycia wouldn't be home until seven o'clock, so he was also responsible for dinner. Usually that meant Sloppy Joes or Hamburger Helper or hot dogs or something that he could handle. Tonight they were having macaroni and cheese. Yum!

"Did you save me any dinner?" Alycia said standing in the doorway smiling down at the three of them.

"Mommie!" little Bethany squealed and put her hands out to be picked up. Alycia bent over and kissed Jason on the top of the head, scooped up her beautiful, squealing little girl and gave her a great big hug. Jeremy never looked up from his game.

Jason stood and groaned as he stretched out the kinks in his legs. He tried to kiss his wife but the wiggling little girl was shifting from side to side and no matter which way he went he couldn't get near her lips.

"How was your day?" Jason asked.

"Nothing to talk about: Another dead person, another estate to liquidate. How about you?"

"It just got a whole lot better," he said scurrying around behind the tall brunette and kissing her on the back of the neck. "Come on in and sit down. I saved you some dinner. Let me heat it up in the microwave."

When the table was set and dinner served Alycia sat down to eat. "Wine with mac and cheese? How gourmet can you get?"

"I just thought you would like a little something to help you relax, you've been so tense lately. Oh, and it came from a bottle, not a box. It's the good stuff."

"Wow, and it's only Tuesday. Are you trying to get me drunk so you can have your way with me? Because if you are then bring the bottle over here and keep pouring."

"All right! Let me top off your glass. "

Jason sat quietly watching Alycia eat, his eyes never leaving her. He couldn't get enough of her. The mere sight of her made his heart jump. Her touch made chills go up and down his spine. Even the smell of her perfume would make his knees weak. There was nothing about Alycia that didn't turn him into a quivering mass of jelly. To him she was the most beautiful woman on earth. She was his whole world. He worshiped her so much that everything else in his life was unimportant in comparison.

After Jason put the kids to bed he had a quiet moment to sit and enjoy his wife. They both curled up on the couch talking and sipping the last bit of the leftover wine.

"As soon as the kids settle down why don't we go upstairs and start making number three?" Jason whispered into her ear.

"Jason, I think we need to give our full attention to the two we've got right now. We've got to make sure they grow up good and strong. Any more kids and I'll, I mean we'll go nuts. Let's just go to bed and enjoy each other. Make love to me and don't worry about making more babies. Okay?"

"Yeah, I know," Jason admitted. "It's just that when I'm down on the floor playing with the little munchkins I think of how much fun we're having and if two kids are that much fun I just imagine how much more fun three or four or five would be. I just wish you would get down on the floor with me and chase them all around the room too; you'd see what I mean. I've never, ever done anything more enjoyable than that, with the possible exception of creating them in the first place. Hummmmmm."

"I'm tired and I don't want to talk about it anymore," Alycia complained as she snuggled into his shoulder pulling him tight to her body. "I just want to hold you and make love like we were the last two people left on earth, like tomorrow will never come, like it's the last time forever. Just hold me and tell me you love me."

"Ummmmmm, I love you Alycia Woods."

May 20, 1987 (Wednesday)

Jason's day at work was the usual chaotic mess. One person called in sick, another was out of town for some sort of training course, and one of the secretaries had a major fight with her boyfriend and spontaneously broke into tears about every thirty minutes. That left Jason as the only person getting everybody's work done, at the expense of his own. Things were so crazy that he worked through three emergencies simultaneously missing lunch altogether. When one of the office secretaries paged him and said he had a phone call that was the first time he had to sit down and have more than a single sentence conversation with anyone.

"This is Jason, how can I help you?"

"Hi Mr. Woods this is Tracy. I was trying to get in touch with Mrs. Woods to see what time she was going to pick up Jeremy and Bethany today but I couldn't reach her. Do you know what time she'll be here?"

"I guess the usual time, three o'clock. Why?"

"Well it's four now and I have an appointment at five thirty across town. I need to have them picked up soon."

"Let me call her and check. If I have to I'll come over and pick them up. I'll call you back in a minute."

After hanging up with the sitter Jason called his wife's office.

"M and P Estate Liquidations, Barbara Ross speaking."

"Hi Barb it's Jason, is Alycia around?"

"Hey Jason. I don't know I haven't seen her today. Wait, let me check with Harry."

The phone was set down on the desk as Barbara talked to a number of people around the office.

"Jason, I'm sorry she's not here. We don't know where she is. I thought she was out at a client's house working through their papers but Harry said that he was over there and she wasn't with him. Nobody's seen her today. I looked outside and her car is in the lot but she's not in the building. Is there something I can do?"

"Thanks Barb but no. It's her turn to pick up the kids and she's late. I'll just go get them and take them home. If she comes back any time soon tell her I got the kids and to call me."

Actually, Jason was relieved to find any reason to get out of his madhouse of an office. Picking up the kids was as good an excuse as there was. But it wasn't like Alycia to forget to pick up the kids. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday she was at the sitter's promptly at three o'clock. Today she wasn't there at all.

After getting the kids home and in front of the TV Jason called Alycia's work again. They still hadn't seen her. He called her best friend Linda and she hadn't talked to Alycia for a couple weeks. He even called his mom on the off chance that she had talked to her today. She didn't know any more than anyone else. It took a couple more calls to find a babysitter that could come right away. The young girl from down the street arrived to watch the kids and Jason got in his car and drove to Alycia's work. He parked next to her car and looked inside. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary, the usual trash in the passenger's seat and a coat and a pair of gloves on the back seat. The doors were all locked too. Jason went inside and talked to everyone and everyone was just as clueless as he was. He was starting to get a little concerned because this wasn't usual behavior for Alycia. She always let him know where she was going and if she was going to be late. She never missed picking up the kids.

When he left Alycia's work he drove around to all the shops and restaurants that he knew she frequented. She was not in any of them. When he got back home and paid the little girl for watching the kids he realized how late is was and that nobody had had dinner yet. He sat the kids down in front of a nourishing meal of fish sticks and French Fries and made a few more calls. When he called his mother again she insisted that she drive over and do what she could to help. If nothing more she could watch the kids.

Jason was really worried now. He hadn't seen his wife since he kissed her goodbye that morning. He thought about everything and couldn't come up with any clue or hint or anything that would help him figure out where she was. He couldn't think of anything he did or said wrong that would have upset her either. There was nothing, no reason, no clue, no nothing. And worst of all no Alycia.

When Jason's mom arrived the first thing she did was to start giving orders. She cleaned up the kitchen before putting the kids to bed and reading them a story. She told Jason to call the police. When the kids were asleep she came back downstairs and found Jason sitting on the couch with his head in his hands.

"What'd they say?" she asked in a quiet but concerned voice.

"They said that it doesn't meet their criteria to take a report. They said that I should continue checking the jails and hospitals in the vicinity to see if she shows up."

"Oh my God, they really didn't say that did they?"

"Yeah, and a lot more. They said that they don't go actively searching for missing people. They won't go out looking for a person because someone says they're missing. And they had the gall to tell me that she's an adult and can do whatever she wants or go wherever she wants and with whomever she wants. She doesn't have to tell me a thing. Damn, it's almost like they were telling me that unless she turned up dead, they weren't going to do anything. They weren't going to care."

"Now what are you going to do?"

"I called both hospitals and she's not there. I called the police stations in all four neighboring counties and they don't have any record of her either. I called her boss again and I've got her all worried now. Nobody knows anything. She's nowhere! She's vanished like a fart in the wind."

"Jason, I know you're upset, but please watch your language."

"Sorry mom. I just don't know what to do. Every few minutes I look up and expect the door to open and Alycia to walk through. I jump at every car that drives by or car door I hear slam. I'm constantly looking out the window, but there's nothing. Mom, it's driving me crazy. I want to do something other than sit here and worry but I don't know what."

"I can't tell you what to do because I don't know either. I do know that when she comes home I'm going to give her a big piece of my mind for making you go through all this. And don't tell me I can't. I'll say my piece and she'll have to live with it."

May 21, 1987 (Thursday)

Before the sun was even up Jason was in his car driving to Alycia's work. He hadn't slept all night and he looked like hell and felt about as bad. He did take time to splash some water on his face to wash off the tear tracks before he left. Again he parked next to Alycia's car. With his spare key he unlocked the front door and got in. He checked every place; in the glove box, under the seats, behind the visors, in the ashtray, everywhere. He found no clue to tell him where she was. The trunk was no different, nothing out of the ordinary, no clues, nothing. In front there was nothing but an engine under the hood. He got back in and started the car. The radio came on with music from her favorite station. There was an almost full tank of gas. Everything was normal. He slammed his hand on the wheel and spit out a litany of curse words that any sailor would have been proud of. Then he put his head down on the steering wheel.