Unbelievable

Two days later the band members and there families met at Tico’s NJ home. They all wanted to see Isabella again, before the Torres’ would fly back to Miami.

Everybody was very happy that the police after talking with the responsible person from the Department of Youth and Family Services would let them take Isabella to Florida until her parents or other relatives would be located.

“She looks a lot like you.” Jon told his daughter while she was holding Isabella. Surprisingly the little girl didn’t start to scream when Steph or Gabby held her, even though the two girls were blond.

“Well, I think she looks more like Lily or Gabby.” David interjected. Steph chuckled.

“Let me guess, Rich…she looks a lot like Ava?” she asked the guitarist. He grinned too.

“Yes.” He simply answered. Steph laughed.

“Men!” she said.

“Hey, what’s that suppose to mean.” Her father asked pouting and making everybody laugh.

“That means you guys want your daughters stay little girls forever.” Dorothea told him and took Isabella from Steph and sat down with her on a blanket on the floor. The little girl reached for the toys which were lying on the blanket and looked at them interested.

Carefully Hector sat down next to her and smiled when she handed him one of the pink-colored rings of her rock-a-stack toy.

“Gracias.” The six year old said and made Isabella squeal happily. The boy figured out very fast that she loved it when he was speaking in Spanish to her.

Just when everybody was ready to leave and let the Torres’ with the sweet new edition to their family alone, the police showed up.

Ali tensed when she spotted the two police officers from two nights ago walking into the living room together with Tico and picked up Isabella immediately. The others watched her surprised and followed her gaze over to the police officers. Jon got to his feet.

“Did you find her parents?” he asked calmly, watching from the corner of his eyes how Dorothea supportingly put her hands on Ali’s shoulders.

It would be hard on Tico’s wife if she had to give Isabella back to her family. Like Tico she always hoped they would have more kids and a little girl would just make their family complete.

“Yes, sir…but there are certain circumstances that you need to know about.”

“So, Isabella can stay with us?” Tico asked with a light tremble in his deep voice.

“Yes, sir. Preliminary.” The officer said and watched how relief washed through the whole group of people.

“Could we talk somewhere a little bit more private, Mr. Torres?” he asked Tico and pointed shortly at the group of kids in the room. “It would be better.”

“Of course.” Tico said and lead the adults into the next room after Isabella was handed to Hector, who protested loudly when the older girls tried to take her.

“I didn’t want the kids to hear the details. They ain’t very nice.” The police officer started. The band members and their wives nodded.

“We found her father in a car close to the Stadium, in which you were playing two nights ago. It seemed that he had a fight with his wife in the car and came off the road and collided with a tree.” He paused.

“He’s dead.”

“Fuck.” Jon cursed.

“The trace of evidence shows that his wife left the car and runaway. She was later found on the side off the road….a car had hit her when she tried to cross the street.”

“Jesus!” Ali whispered and grabbed Tico’s hand. He squeezed it gently.

“She is dead as well.” The officer told them. There was dead silence in the room.

“How come she didn’t take her baby girl with her?” David asked after while.

“Well, we asked some of their neighbors…apparently, she didn’t have a good a relationship with her daughter. She never wanted her, she wasn’t really taking care of her and when she had to it was in a cold and not very motherly way.”

They all stared at the officers, when he continued. “It was her father who was taking care of her. The neighbors said he adored her and tried to make up for his wife’s behaviour.”

“Was he from Spain?” Tico asked with a lump in his throat.

“He was from Cuba.” Everybody looked a Tico, who had a small smile on his face.

“And her mother was blond?” Richie asked.

“Yes, that should explain the little girl’s reaction to blond women.” The officer told them. “She probably thought they were her mother and would hurt her.”

They all nodded agreeing.

“How come you didn’t know her parents died only a couple meters away, when we called you?” Jon wondered. “The connection is there right?

“There were no signs for a baby in the car when our colleagues first looked at it. No baby seat, no clothes, no toys. The missing baby shoe was found when the car was checked the second time at our compound. It was lying under the driver’s seat. That’s when we connected the cases.”

“It’s unbelievable.” Richie whispered. “She had such luck to survive the crash without a car seat.”

“What’s her complete name and when was she born?” Ali suddenly asked.

The officer handed her some papers. “Her full name is Isabella Felicitas Alejandra Maria Gonzales. She was born on November 25^th 2009.”

Ali just stared at the copy of the certificate of birth. She couldn’t believe it.

“She has your name, mi amor.” Tico kissed her cheek softly.

“She isn’t even 15 months yet, Tico.” His wife whispered with tears in her eyes. He pulled her close and kissed her temple.

“Poor little Lady.” Jon said and wrapped his arms around Dorothea. He needed some comforting too. Just the idea that any of his kids at that young age wandered alone at a parking lot or stadium…a nightmare.

“Does she have other relatives?” David asked hesitant. Ali’s head snapped around, but the officer shook his head.

“The neighbors told us they never saw other family members, but we will of course have to do some background search on our own.”

“But she can stay with us…in Miami.” Ali asked.

“Yes, she can…and if no relatives will be found. You have the chance to go for adoption.” The officers told her softly. Ali smiled.

“That we will do for sure.”

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