Chapter Eleven

 

Anna Witt was trying to sleep for the fourth time when her phone finally rang at four past midnight. It was almost a Godsend, because at least it finally meant that she had a reason that she couldn't get to sleep.

She pushed her hair back out of her face in an attempt to try to sound as awake and alert as possible, and then answered the phone.

"Hello?"

A familiar, low voice answered on the other end of the line. "Miss Witt? Are you up?"

"Detective. Yes. I'm up."

"Good. I'm coming over. We need to talk."

That seemed awfully late. How long were his hours? "Okay."

He hung up first. Anna let herself lay back down, let her eyes droop shut for a minute. It felt, every time, like she was only moments away from the sweet embrace of sleep, and yet… every time, she lay awake for thirty or forty minutes, her mind completely alert even as her body was exhausted.

Anna buzzed him in when the ringer went off, and a minute later, a knock came at the door. Mom and Dad probably wouldn't mind that much, right?

Mitch had always come by, all hours of the night. It wouldn't be that weird for them, probably. She hoped. At least this was for something important, so she could tell them she had to do it, if they were mad about it. Hopefully, though, they wouldn't be.

"Sorry about the late hour, Miss Witt."

"No, it's fine. Come in." Anna feels tired, but part of her still screams to make sure that the door is locked when he comes inside. She fights it for as long as she can before turning the bolt closed.

"Sit down, please."

Anna does what she's told. She likes it when people are easy to understand, and when they're direct. It makes life easier. She waits for him to say something.

He wouldn't have come over for nothing. Not that she would mind him coming over outside the case, but he's never given any indication that he thought about it.

"We just got off the phone with the kidnappers."

That got Anna's attention. "What did they say?"

"They demanded a million dollars' ransom, to be delivered tomorrow evening."

"Well—they're gonna pay it, right? I mean, a million, that's not so much. But like. If they're not—could I talk to them? The kidnappers, I mean?"

She wanted to believe that Mitch would pay. That his father would pay. Someone there would have real human decency and wouldn't let her daughter die. But if they didn't…

Then it would have been all her own stupid fault somehow. It seemed so real in her mind, that she definitely locked the door. And they'd have to have a key to get in the outside door.

But what if she'd made a mistake? What if she remembered wrong? What if, when she thought she went and checked on the door, she was remembering the night before, or the night before that?

What if… Jesus. It didn't seem right. She didn't think that she forgot. But what if she did, and all of this was because she didn't do enough to keep her daughter safe?

She'd never be able to forgive herself. Never mind being forgiven by anyone else, she'd blame herself forever and that would be exactly what she deserved.

Mitchell was right about her. She was an idiot. She was just too dumb to be left on her own, and that's why she had to have someone there to tell her, when she was, you know... messing up.

"Anna? I need you to focus. Look at me."

Anna blinked. What? Oh. She'd lost herself in thought for a minute. "I was listening—I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he says. He doesn't look angry. Not right now. After seeing him so upset before, it's a strange reminder that he didn't look like that in the beginning. "The instructions are very specific. You're going to be the one carrying the money."

"Me? What? Why?"

Detective Meadows's eyebrows furrow together. "I don't know. You take the money, you go to the park. A car will come by, they'll pick up the money, and they'll go. Then they'll call, and they'll give Ava's location."

"But why do they want me? I might screw it up somehow."

"We're not going to let that happen, Anna, but you shouldn't be so down on yourself. You're plenty smart. Just hold yourself together, keep your head straight, and you're going to be fine. We'll get you prepped tomorrow. You'll be fine, okay?"

Detective Meadows stood up. "I'll let you get back to bed."

He makes it most of the way to the door by the time Anna decides to speak. "I can't fall asleep."

"I'm sorry?" The detective stops and turns.

"I can't fall asleep. I've been trying for hours. And I just can't."

"Try to sleep."

"Do you have anything that helps you sleep? Not like. Medicine or something, just. Advice, maybe. My head feels like it's racing."

Detective Meadows looks at her flatly for a minute. "You're real upset about this, aren't you?"

The question is fairly innocent, but it hits in a way that Anna isn't expecting, and all of a sudden she's crying without really knowing for even an instant why.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what I did, but I'm really sorry about it. I didn't mean to screw everything up, I promise. Please, just get Ava back. Please? I'll do whatever you want. I'll say whatever. I don't know what I did but it's my fault and—"

She doesn't see him walking closer, and she doesn't hear anything over the sound of her sobs. Anna doesn't realize anything's changed until his arms circle around her shoulders and pull her in tight.

"You're doing fine, okay? You're doing just fine. Nobody's upset with you. Calm down, and everything is going to be alright."

Anna's head hurts. She wants to sleep, but she just… can't. She wants to stop crying, but every time the tears slow down for a moment, she can hear her own voice in her head, a voice that's telling her that she's a terrible mother.

A voice that tells her that it's her fault someone took Anna. And it's her fault that Mitchell left. And as much as she was finally starting to feel really comfortable with Ava, with the weekly appointments, with everything…

She didn't deserve to feel that way. She didn't deserve to be happy. She's suffering right now because she deserves to suffer. Detective Mitchell's hands start brushing through her hair, pushing it out of her face.

"Everything's going to be alright, Anna. Don't worry." His voice is soft, only a little above a whisper. "Don't cry. It's all going to be alright."

His arms feel strong and warm and comforting, and Anna wants nothing more than to stay there forever. She pushes him back, and he steps away like he was spring-loaded. She doesn't deserve strong and warm and comforting. The tears, which had abated for a moment, start up again, renewed at the thought.

Anna fell back into the couch, her hands pressed into her eyes. "I'll do my best tomorrow, okay?"

Detective Meadows doesn't answer right away. He sounds a little sad when he finally does. "I know you will, Miss Witt. I'll call you tomorrow, around noon."

She rubs her eyes and watches him open the bolt and head out the door. She can just barely hear the door below closing as well. It usually slams hard enough that you can hear it through the whole complex.

Anna takes a deep breath. In one, hold. Out two. Hold. In three, hold. Out four, hold.

She's going to be okay. She has to be okay. Because tomorrow evening she's going to do something very important to save her baby, and she's got to do it exactly right, or she's never going to see Ava again.

So she's not going to get another chance.