When Memories Fade (18 page)

After talking to Angel, Wes was a bit anxious to learn more about that unidentified body. He couldn't seem to turn his thoughts away from the possibilities of the story aspect, so he looked up more information about the Bring Them Home Foundation. He also started to expand on his theory about the missing women a bit more. Suppose the two cases, though twenty years apart, were connected. It was probably one of the crazier angles he had ever conceived of for a story, but the what-if was too enticing not to look into it further.

He didn't want to ask any direct questions about the information Angel had given him, knowing she had confided in him as a friend, but he decided to contact Jennifer.

The woman was warm and friendly on the phone. “How can we help you, Mr. Cade? I enjoy your reports on WYNN.”

“I'm working on a story about Melanie Stowe. It's been over three weeks since she went missing. I understand your organization has helped with coordinating the search efforts. What's next? Say her body was found somewhere without ID on it, how would she be identified?”

“Well, we certainly hope that isn't the case. The process starts with the medical examiner's office. If they are not able to identify a body, they will extract DNA samples. The samples are then entered into the Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS, database, which is managed by the FBI. This database can run matches against anyone who has been reported missing.”

“How are DNA samples obtained for the database?” Wes asked.

“Well, our organization helps inform family members on how to provide items. A toothbrush is a very good item to provide. A hairbrush, as long as it hasn't been used by anyone else in the household, often provides good DNA samples. Then there are dental records in cases where the body has become decomposed.”

“How would I be able to find out about any missing persons that may fit similar demographics?”

“You may be able to find some information in the NamUs database, but keep in mind many people go missing that are not reported.”

“Thanks. I appreciate your time.”

For the next few hours, Wes pulled up profiles and made notes. It did surprise him to see the sheer number of adults that went missing every year. It was like they just vanished. No clues, no body. Just nothing.

He'd printed out information on two African American women who were similar in age, early twenties, and who had gone missing between the time Elisa disappeared and now Melanie. Wes wasn't sure if he would discover any further connections, but finding out the truth had become important to him. He looked at the clock on his computer and realized he needed to get going if he wanted to get a seat at Southern Soul Café.

 

 

An hour later, Wes recognized the song playing as he walked into Southern Soul Café. Tonight the restaurant had been transformed into an event venue. The stage, which was normally filled with tables and chairs for patrons, had been cleared. The current members of the band were on the stage, but they weren't playing. The artist on the stage who was performing had a DJ accompanying him. It was the same young man he'd seen at Minister J.D.'s recording studio earlier this week. Shadrach had the crowd up and moving as he spoke his lyrics in rapid-fire fashion over the hypnotic beat.

Wes thought,
Nice!
Shadrach certainly had his vote for tonight's talent show. He looked around the room. The first person he laid his eyes on was Angel. She was behind the camera, capturing the stage and the crowd's reaction. Wes couldn't remember the last time he'd been out just to have fun on a Friday night. He was always so focused on a story. When Angel had mentioned the talent show, he'd figured it would be another opportunity to spend time with her. He didn't want to disturb her right now.

He scanned the crowd and saw Darnell sitting at a table with Candace. Wes started to head toward them but was tapped on the shoulder. He turned to see Minister J.D. Wes held out his hand and shook hands with him.

“Hey, Minister J.D.”

“Good to see you. I hope you are paying attention to Shadrach up there. He's spitting fire tonight.”

Wes responded, “He sure is. The crowd loves him, and he's spreading the gospel in his own way. I hope he gets far.”

The minister nodded. “Yes, he's God's messenger. That's going to be the title of his album, by the way.”

“You have a lot of plans for him.”

“I do. He's like a son. Plus, I remember how I was at his age. Just wanting to get into the game and be out there on the stage. Shadrach is doing it right. Using his skills to glorify the Lord. I just want him to always keep that at the front of everything he does. The music business can be brutal.”

“I can imagine.” Wes wasn't planning to do any more work tonight, but he asked, anyway. “So, I thought I saw Larry Stowe the other day, when I left you. How's he doing?”

Minister J.D. turned his attention from the stage to Wes. “Larry, he's doing as well as he can. He's sober, which is good, but now he is really depressed, now that he knows Melanie is missing.”

“He really didn't know his daughter was missing?” Wes shook his head.

“Hey, don't judge. Some people have demons that ride them hard, and they don't know how to deal with them or who to go to. Larry was and still is a good guy. He was always clowning around. After we all lost K-Dawg, it just changed the dynamics for all of us. We all reacted to his death in different ways. Larry would never really drink, but after K-Dawg's death, he started drinking heavily. He would get into all kinds of get-rich schemes, trying to get cash flow. It catches up with you.”

Wes nodded his head. “You are right. All of us can walk down the wrong path.”

“We have free will, so we can at any time step out and make the wrong choices. The awesome thing is God is always there, whispering in our ear to turn around, to come to Him, and let Him direct our paths. Boy, you about to have me preach up in here.”

Wes laughed. “It was good talking to you again, Minister. I hope Shadrach does well tonight.”

Wes headed toward the table where Darnell and Candace sat. “You two lovebirds mind if I take a seat?”

“Hey, man, come on and grab a chair.” Darnell had his arm casually around the chair on which Candace sat.

Wes sat down and looked toward the back of the café again.

Candace asked, “You checking out my girl, Angel?”

“Oh, you know he is.” Darnell winked.

Wes rubbed his forehead, knowing the grin on his face spoke volumes about his feelings for Angel. “I didn't want to disturb her. She's working tonight.”

Candace said, “I'm sure she will be happy to see you. Did you know she was going to sing tonight?”

“Really? She's going to be a contestant in the talent show?”

“No. She's going to sing with Southern Soul at the end of the show. I did her hair today, and she was so nervous about it. Never sang in front of an audience before. I told her, ‘Just do your thing, girl.'”

“Wow.” Wes was really glad he'd come tonight. Angel hadn't mentioned she would be singing. He'd always wondered if she had inherited her mother's gift of voice.

He turned his attention to the stage, where Eddie was introducing the next contestant. A young woman, Janet Bruce, came up onstage with a guitar and sat down on the stool.

Before she started to sing, Janet said to the audience, “This song is dedicated to a friend of mine. Some of you may know she's been missing for a few weeks now. I went to high school with Melanie Stowe, and we miss her so much.”

While Janet sang a ballad, Wes noticed that in the middle of the table where he sat, there was a postcard with Melanie's face on it. Wes took the postcard and read the bottom, where the Bring Them Home Foundation was listed as a contact. He looked at Melanie's photo. This was a different photo from the ones that had been circulating, possibly taken before she was on
American Voices.
A younger Melanie had looked into the camera, her face free of any makeup and her hair pulled up into a ponytail.

What happened to you? he thought. Wes wondered if it was even possible that she could still be alive.
If so, who in the world has you?

Angel panned the camera around to the audience. It almost felt like they were live on
American Voices
in Southern Soul Café. Eddie had implemented a superb marketing campaign in such a short period of time, because they really drew a crowd tonight. Latecomers were standing against the wall now to see the live performances.

She saw Wes come in and sit down at Candace and Darnell's table. Angel thought,
No telling what they are talking about
. She was sure Candace would make it known that she was aware of their growing friendship. Angel smiled. She was so happy that Wes took the time to have lunch with her and Grams the other day. Even her uncle Jacob, who was always in an odd mood, had commented that Wes was a good kid. Of course, Wes was clearly no kid.

Angel turned the camera back to the stage to focus on Eddie. Someone came to stand beside her. “You are everywhere with that camera.” Angel closed her eyes.
Why is he here?

She needed to focus on what she was doing, but she turned her attention to Kenneth and pointed to the camera. “I'm a little busy right now.”

Kenneth jumped further into the conversation, as if he didn't hear her. “The competition is pretty stiff here tonight. So who do you think will win?”

“I don't know.” Angel didn't want to admit it, but Kenneth was looking good tonight, which made her want him to get away from her even more. Kenneth had always been a careful dresser, and tonight he had chosen a snug pair of jeans and a button-down shirt, which probably could have been buttoned up more.
Why won't he just go away?
Here she was, finally thinking of moving on and happy about getting to know Wes, and her past was standing next to her, being annoying. She didn't need this right now.

“And how do people vote?”

Angel frowned at him. “Didn't you hear the rules? Eddie has said them several times already from the stage. We will upload the contestants on the YouTube page. People will be able to vote as many times as they want. Whoever has the most views wins the talent show. The winner will be announced next Friday.” Angel looked around and asked, “Where's Denise?”

“Why aren't you singing?”

“What?”

“Come on. You can sing. Why aren't you up there?”

“I'm videotaping the event, Kenneth.”

“I can take over the camera while you go up there.”

“No thanks. It's too late, anyway, not that I'm interested.” She wasn't going to tell him that she had finally caved in and agreed to Eddie's request that she sing with Southern Soul at the end of the show. For most of the week, Angel hadn't been sure what she would sing, but a song came to her when she woke up this morning. She had been singing the song throughout the day.

Angel looked to her right and saw Denise was a few feet away. Denise was watching Kenneth, who at that moment had decided to step uncomfortably close to Angel.

“Denise is looking for you.” Angel pointed in the direction where Denise stood and turned back to the camera. She sensed Kenneth leave her side. A minute later, Angel observed Kenneth approach Denise, who was glaring at him. Denise jabbed Kenneth in the chest with her finger and walked away.

Angel felt a slight pang for Denise. Kenneth had always been a flirt. He wanted what he wanted no matter who got hurt in the process. Angel had learned the hard way, and it appeared Denise was getting a dose of the same medicine.

Angel wanted someone she could trust, someone who was always a gentleman and respected her. Even more importantly, he had to be a man of God. A man who sought God for guidance was going to think long and hard about how he treated a woman. Angel liked how Candace and Darnell interacted. Now, that was a couple who'd been through a lot together, and they really supported each other.

She kept an eye on the stage so she could make adjustments to the camera, but she also watched Wes, who seemed to be deep in thought instead of focusing on the stage. He was always dressed so preppy, but tonight he was a little more casual. Angel thought it was the first time she had seen him in jeans.

As if he felt her stare, Wes turned in her direction. He smiled and winked at her. That made her feel much better after having Kenneth interfere in her zone.

Angel caught sight of Eddie, who was weaving his way through the crowd toward her. “How's everything going?” he asked when he reached her.

“Everything is going good. I can't wait to get the videos online.”

“Good! I'm happy about the turnout, and we have some great talent, but I know they haven't seen the best yet.” Eddie grinned.

Angel stared at him. Then it dawned on her. “Oh yeah, when do you want me onstage to sing with Southern Soul?”

“I would say in the next twenty minutes. Can you find someone to help with the camera?”

Angel looked over at Wes. “I think so.”

“Good! I can't wait to hear you. Make Nick and your momma proud.”

Angel tried to figure out how she could get Wes's attention without leaving the camera. She pulled her phone out and sent him a text. A few minutes later, he was by her side.

“Thanks. I appreciate you doing this for me,” she told him.

“Not a problem. I'm excited that you are going to sing tonight.”

“I'm actually pretty nervous now. Will you pray for me?”

Wes grabbed her hand. “You will be fine, and yes, I will be praying for you. Now, go show them how singing should be done.”

She laughed, liking the fact that Wes was holding her hand. Angel didn't want to let go, but she did and walked through the crowd.

This was crazy. What in the world was she thinking? Her mind locked in on how the crowd seemed to have grown more. The last contestant was a male singer, and he was belting out the final lyrics of the song “I Believe I Can Fly.” She heard a round of applause from the audience as she entered the back of the café. To get to the stage, Angel walked through the kitchen. She thought she heard someone down the hallway, near the offices. Angel peeked around the corner. Kenneth and Denise were leaning against the wall. Was Denise crying? Angel stepped back. That was their business.

She continued to the stage from the back as the music grew louder. Angel observed the members of the band. The Southern Soul band members onstage were from a very different generation than her granddad's. Angel recognized only Eddie. Angel stepped closer to the opening to view the crowd from where she stood. She specifically looked for Wes, Candace, and Darnell.
Good.
She could see all of them. She wished Grams could have been there.

Angel stepped back and bowed her head. Her stomach was in knots. She prayed for that same peace she'd felt when she sang earlier this week with Grams. Angel also prayed for the song to touch someone who needed to be encouraged. It was one of her favorite songs by Nicole C. Mullen.

She opened her eyes to see Eddie beckoning her to come on the stage. Angel inhaled a deep breath and exhaled as she walked out onto the stage. She heard Eddie say, “Now, this here young lady comes from generations of Southern Soul singers and musicians. Her granddad, Nick Roberts, was one of the founders of the band. Tonight, as we close out, I ask Angel to share her voice with us. She hasn't done this before, so give her a round of applause and show your support.”

Angel hugged Eddie and then stepped to the microphone that the other performers had used throughout the night. There were so many people in the audience. She focused on where Candace was sitting, beaming like a proud big sister. And then Wes. His smile was all for her.

It seemed like so much had happened to her in just the past few weeks. Some days she didn't know whether she was coming or going. She didn't know if she would find out the truth about her mother.
Focus!
Angel turned to the band members and nodded. As they began to play, she became one with the music and opened her mouth. Her focus shifted to the one who she was really singing to tonight. By the time she got to the chorus, all the knots in her stomach were gone. “Well, I know my Redeemer lives, I know my Redeemer lives, all of creation testifies, this life within me cries, I know my Redeemer lives.” Whatever lay ahead for her, she knew God would be there.