Lost in the Darkness (Crusaders of the Lost Book 1) Read online

  After finding nothing of interest, the group of three women found themselves in a town center set at the base of a majestic mountain still capped with snow even in the summer months. The center offered specialty clothing stores, restaurants, bars, a few upscale hotels for the more jet-setting snow bunnies, and an open plaza for outdoor concerts and other entertainment. The clothing shops, outside of the tourist trap t-shirts, were showcasing designer, western wear for the ranchers and cowgirls at heart, available with turquoise jewelry and beads to accent the southwestern look fully.

  Twisting down the middle of the entertainment center was a rapidly moving river that stretched about twenty feet across through the area. The water was quick this time of year as the snow was melting high on the mountains. The dull roar of the rapids gave the plaza a pleasant background noise which the group was unaccustomed to hearing.

  As the three women searched the area for any potential missing kids, they saw advertisements for some type of expo and outdoor sports event coming to the center in the next few days. They discussed possibly staying around the area for the influx of people to come into town, but they passed on the idea when they realized it wasn’t necessarily a family type atmosphere for those events.

  A pretty, green dress displayed in the window of a clothing boutique caught Beth’s eye. The tea length A-line dress was a sexy little number, and she couldn’t wait to see how it looked on her. She talked the other two women into joining her for a minute of shopping delight. Her argument was that they all needed a deserved break from the long and arduous time spent on the road and out in the field.

  After walking into the boutique and setting off a loud distinguishable ding above the door, Beth went straight for the green dress she saw in the window. Melinda and Rachel perused around the women’s sections, looking through the clothing, a more formal and dressier line of clothes neither woman was used to, but they liked what they saw…until they found the price tag.

  “Wow…this blouse costs what I made in a week at DCF,” Rachel exclaimed.

  Melinda smiled at the comment and continued looking through the clothes. She moved on to the designer purses hanging from the wall. Rachel set the expensive shirt down and looked around the boutique to find Beth. She could only imagine how expensive a gorgeous dress like that costs.

  From across the store, in the men’s section, stood two attractive men looking at dress shirts and jackets from the display table. One glanced up, and Rachel noticed he was fixated on Melinda to her left. She smiled for Melinda’s sake but wondered how anyone on this team would have time for a romantic relationship. Clearly, there was no time for dating, as they were on the west coast a day earlier and now smack dab in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. As Rachel thought about it, she preferred it that way.

  “Hey, I think he’s checking you out!” Rachel warned in a mocked juvenile manner.

  “Huh?” Melinda answered.

  “That guy over there…blue shirt, dark skin, great smile.”

  Melinda looked up and returned the gentlemen’s look, but indifferent to the attention, she went back to sifting through another rack of clothes.

  “Not your type?” Rachel asked.

  “Ha! You’re more her type than he is,” Beth blurted out. She had walked up behind the two women, wearing the glamorous, green dress with her feet bare. She spun around revealing her exposed back, needing the dress to be zipped up in the back.

  Rachel looked confused for a second and then realized what Beth meant by her insensitive statement. She looked over at Melinda who kept looking through another rack as she knew Rachel was figuring it out.

  Melinda stepped over to Beth and grabbed the zipper, “Yes, I am gay. Is that okay with you?”

  “Of course it is. That doesn’t bother me at all. I just thought, well…never mind. No, your sexual orientation doesn’t bother me at all.”

  Melinda smiled in acceptance. She turned back to Beth, “You look beautiful dear!”

  “Thanks. And no Rachel; we’re not a couple. I like boys,” Beth said with the same bluntness. Melinda chuckled.

  Beth twirled, spinning the silky, knee-length dress around. She stopped in front of a mirror and smoothed it down her stomach and waist. She checked herself out, front and back.

  “How much is it?” Rachel asked.

  “Oh, four hundred dollars. I may get it; I haven’t decided.”

  “Four hundred!”

  “Yeah, sure. Why not?”

  “Uh, it’s four hundred dollars for starters!”

  “Okay, but I have no hobbies. I don’t do shoes, and you never know when a dress like this will come in handy. Plus, it makes me feel grown up.”

  “Okay. It’s your money, I guess.”

  As the three ladies walked outside of the boutique into the cobblestoned walkway of the town center, Curt was posted up against a light pole and a decorative concrete planter. He still sported his tan trench coat. He met their stares with a furrowed brow, questioning with his eyes what they were doing. Rachel felt a slight tinge of guilt as they were caught goofing off and not following the mission. She walked towards him ready to explain, but he lifted a fountain drink and took an exaggerated sip through the straw.

  “Find anything good?” He asked.

  Beth stepped forward and pulled out the four hundred dollar dress from her bag, proud to show Curt her luxurious find. He liked the dress and explained that he had no luck finding anything around town either. He told the women that he’d found a nice spot in the center for lunch and said he was bringing lunch back to the hotel for Louis. They agreed to continue looking after the local schools let out. If nothing appeared promising, they would call it a day and head out to Chicago later that evening.

  Chapter 10

  The winding highway that led back to the hotel cut through the valley of the Rocky Mountains. Curt had never been in this part of the country before, and he took in the sights. He liked the picturesque mountains, the small granite, rock-lined streams that ran parallel to the roads, old mining and excavating equipment, and the constant advertisements for ski rentals, mountain gear, and Coors beer.

  As Curt neared the service road for the hotel, a radio commercial for an upcoming baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and the nearby Colorado Rockies came over the radio. They were playing an upcoming three game series at Coors Field in Denver. The Giants had been on the east coast and were making the stop in Colorado before returning home. At the mention of the Giants baseball team, Curt’s thoughts instantly went to Josh. It was a direct reaction, because of the Giant’s all-star catcher, Buster Posey.

  Curt remembered the day Posey had played all nine positions in one game while playing for Florida State University. He was there with Josh, watching from the grandstand, as the star catcher completed an interesting, novelty accomplishment in college baseball. It was a warm afternoon in late April in Tallahassee, complete with sunshine, humidity, and solid baseball.

  “Daddy, do you think he’ll play in the major leagues?” Josh asked of his favorite player, Posey.

  “Yeah, buddy. I think he’ll be one of the first guys picked in the draft.”

  “Okay, cool.”

  Curt sat next to his son in the garnet, plastic grandstand seats in section five. His heavy frame filled out the seat and didn’t leave any wiggle room in the average-sized chairs, so he leaned over with an arm around his son so as not to crowd the person to his left. Overhead was a giant propeller fan for cooling spectators in the late spring and early summer heat. Their view was from the first base side and into the visitors’ dugout; the Seminoles at home were in the dugout below them. The ever present “green monster” of Dick Howser Stadium, a green colored chain link fence that stretched from the right field foul pole to the alley in right center, loomed over the opposing team’s outfielder.

  Josh was hugging his customary bucket of popcorn as he and his dad picked away at the snack while watching their favorite team take infield before the start of the game.


  “He’s going to play at each position during the game, buddy. Isn’t that pretty cool?”

  “Yeah, wow!” His eight-year-old mind was amazed.

  “It takes a special player to do that.”

  “Well, he’s awesome, and he’s my favorite player, so he’ll be able to do it.”

  “I think you’re right.” Curt smiled and looked down at his son, grabbed another handful of popcorn, and saw his son thinking hard about something.

  “But…will he still be a catcher, or will he play somewhere else when he plays in the big leagues? He’s got to be a catcher. He’s too good.”

  “Oh, I imagine he will play catcher for whatever lucky team gets him.”

  As Posey moved from catcher to each position around the infield, he managed to wow Josh, and as if scripted, crushed a fastball over the right centerfield fence with the bases loaded for a grand slam. Josh just knew he hit the homerun for him. Curt let him believe that he had.

  After the bucket of popcorn seemed to disappear, Josh wanted to walk around the stadium for a little bit. Curt didn’t seem to mind as he was content with spending the afternoon away from work with his son. The game was in hand as the Seminoles were already up by several runs. He had always loved the game of baseball and hoped that Josh would develop the same love for the sport, and they would share it together as father and son. So far, Josh was heading in that direction, and that pleased Curt as a father and a baseball fan.

  In between the grandstand and the general admission bleacher seats of right field, there was a large, open plaza where pretzel and ice cream venders set up along with the Seminole booster marketing tables. Also, there was normally a table set up for Seminole shirts, hats, posters, stickers, face tattoos, and other memorabilia available for sale. In the back of the plaza, near the entrance were a concession stand and bathrooms.

  After grabbing a large souvenir Coke for Josh and him to split, Curt made his way over to the table with the FSU items for sale. Josh had walked over to the right field fence and looked through it to watch the game at field level and possibly snag a foul ball if one were to come his way. Curt looked around at what was displayed and keyed in on a small rubberized wrist band. They were gaining popularity among kids, and Josh had sported a few during recent promotions he was involved with at his school. This particular band was garnet with gold lettering and read, “Unconquered.”

  The word represented the unconquered spirit of the Seminole nation and the Indian tribe of the same name which the university uses as its beloved mascot. It meant something to Curt, and he liked what it stood for. To him, it meant never to give up and never let anyone stop you from accomplishing your goals. The vision of the awe-inspiring statue on the other side of the football stadium popped in his head. It was of the school’s mascot, Chief Osceola on top of his trusted steed, Renegade, reared back on his hind legs with a fiery, feathered spear raised in the air. To a Seminole, it instilled an overwhelming sense of pride and tradition. He bought two of the bands, one for him, one for Josh.

  “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, he’s going down to the bull pen.”

  “Okay buddy, let’s go.”

  Posey was taking the opportunity while the opposition was changing out another pitcher to run down to the bullpen and warm up his arm. It was planned that he would pitch for two outs of the last inning before taking up his last position in the outfield, completing his “around the diamond” feat.

  The bullpen was a double-mounded pen directly past the right field bleachers in the shadows of the “green monster.” Josh ran ahead of Curt and climbed up the nearly empty bleachers. He stood over the bullpen to watch his favorite player warm up. Curt climbed laboriously up the aluminum bleacher seats behind his excited son and joined him to watch the all-star throw.

  “Hey buddy, I got you something.”

  Josh’s head whipped around to see what it was. Curt presented him one of the garnet wrist bands.

  “Oh, cool Daddy, thanks.”

  “Do you see what it says?”

  Josh pulled his tiny hand through the band and read it by twisting his wrist around.

  “Yeah, Unconquered. Like the Chief Osceola statue?”

  “Yeah, buddy, just like it.”

  “I love it Daddy. It’s awesome.”

  “I got one for me too.” Curt flashed the wrist that donned his wrist band. Curt sat down and addressed his son at his level.

  “Josh, I want you to keep this with you buddy. Unconquered means never broken, that you never lose sight of who you are, and never let anyone change who you are inside. Do you understand that, buddy?”

  Josh studied the wrist band closer, believing that it now held some type of super power and then looked at his father with love in his eyes. He smiled, his cute dimple creasing in the corner of his mouth.

  “Yes, Daddy. I understand.” He reached over and grabbed Curt’s hand and pulled him back over to the edge of the fence to watch Posey finish his warm up session. Curt stood next to him enjoying the moment when Josh looked up at him, “I love you, Dad.”

  “I love you too, buddy!”

  ***

  The shrill of his cell phone chirped as and vibrated in his pocket. Curt came out of his reverie to realize his cell phone was ringing. He wiped the tears that began to well up in his eyes and fished out the phone from his trench coat breast pocket. It took a moment to get his bearings. He looked around and found himself sitting in the front of the hotel parking lot; the Crown Vic was just idling. He was absentmindedly rubbing the St. Anthony’s medallion hanging from his neck, reliving the memory of his son.

  He checked the phone. It was Louis. He was waiting for his food. Curt checked the time display in the dash and noticed he had been sitting there for nearly thirty minutes. He extended his right arm and exposed his wrist beyond the coat sleeve to reveal the worn, garnet wrist band, the gold lettering had dulled over time and wear, but the word was still legible. “Unconquered.”

  Curt wiped the remaining tears away, grabbed the bag of food for Louis, and walked into the hotel.

  Chapter 11

  A brisk wind rolled over the top of the Rocky Mountains and down into the town cradled in the valley, cooling the late summer evening. The three women decided to explore the rest of the town center when a crowd of teenagers seemed to flood the area after their late lunch. Clearly, school was out for the day. They spread out and focused mainly on the food court and the popular chain stores that anchored the shopping complex. Rachel took up a position overlooking the food court. She felt awkward as she watched a bevy of teenage girls interact with each other. Never a part of the popular girl clique, it was hard for her to decipher exactly what she was watching and the corresponding interaction.

  As she watched over the young people in the food court like a protective falcon high on her perch, Rachel watched two girls, in particular, sitting across from each other at a table, disconnected from the larger group. Something about how they sat and talked to each other struck a familiar chord. When the two girls got up from their table, Rachel moved closer and decided to follow them more out of curiosity than suspicion.

  The two girls were close in age and size. They talked non-stop as they walked around the entertainment center oblivious to their trailing shadow. They both wore the same hair-style, dark blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, and they had the same innocent and pretty face. They were sisters Rachel realized. They were the kind of close-knit sisters blessed with being the other’s best friend, confidant, debate partner, and backup, all in one faithful and loving person.

  Rachel was drawn to the pair of sisters as they found a music store to snoop around in. The smaller of the two then broke away and headed in a different direction. But before doing so, they faced each other and did some kind of hand-slapping ritual and shake with rehearsed lyrics. Rachel was astounded and watched in amazement as they shared this kind of bond and actually performed their own secret handshake.

  Rachel immediately thought of her.r />
  Like the sisters at the town center mall, Rachel and Rhonda had been inseparable. Wherever Rachel went, her little sister, who was only a year and a half younger, would surely follow. They loved the outdoors. Every chance they got to play outside, they took advantage. Whether it was riding their bicycles, playing at the park down the block, or swimming in their aunt’s pool across town, they were always outside.

  During the middle of spring break when Rachel was fifteen and Rhonda thirteen, the girls had hurried and finished all their chores before their mother got home from work. They were eager to spend their hard earned cash at the convenience store down the road for coveted Jolly Ranchers, a box of grape and watermelon Nerds, a strawberry soda for Rhonda, and a peach soda for Rachel. Gummy Bears were the preferred addition but only if they pooled their leftover change. They barely made it out of the store before ripping into their sugary snacks.

  As they pushed their bikes along the sidewalk, feasting on their candy, they immersed themselves in a heated debate on who was the cutest member of New Kids on the Block. Rhonda argued Jordan while Rachel pushed for the more edgy Donnie as her favorite. Both traded off saying their names with the associated last names attached in the fantasy of marrying the band members one day. They giggled together and planned to be married at the same time, and the weddings would precede a concert in their honor.

  Neither girl noticed the van from the convenience store following them on the way to the park.

  Rachel had blocked out most of the abduction from her memory but remembered that the man was very strong, much too strong for her to fight off and run away. She remembered fighting as hard as she could and screaming as loud as she could until everything went dark. She didn’t understand why this had happened and why no one was helping her.