THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 5, 1995 TAG: 9503050056
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY W. BROWN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 108 lines
Every time the phone rings these days, Brad Albus' heart stops.
He sprints to the receiver and speaks quickly, never knowing if the caller will have news about his mother, who has been missing for nearly three weeks.
Kathryne Albus left their Ocean View apartment on the evening of Feb. 13 to go for a drive and to pick up a few groceries. She never returned.
``I don't know whether to be mad or sad,'' Brad Albus, 16, said last week. ``I don't know what to do.''
In the past few weeks, he and his grandmother, Barbara Holmes, have struggled to solve the mystery of Albus' disappearance. They're uncertain whether she left town or was abducted.
Police have issued a description of Albus and the car she was driving. They have not found any evidence of foul play.
Albus, 36, has lived at the apartment in the 9600 block of Chesapeake Blvd. with her son and Holmes for two years. Both said she seemed fine the night she vanished. Albus, a manager at the Open House Diner in the Aragona section of Virginia Beach, had the day off and just wanted to go out, Brad said.
``I thought maybe she was . . . stressed out or something. It was weird,'' he said. ``She was reading on the couch and looking worried.''
Albus watched television with Holmes and then left about 10:30 p.m. in her red 1985 Mitsubishi. Holmes then went to bed. She said her daughter often would leave for work around 4 or 5 a.m., so when she wasn't there the next morning, nothing seemed strange, Holmes said.
But later that day, Albus' co-workers called the apartment, wondering why she had not shown up. She'd never missed a day of work, Holmes said.
Holmes and her grandson said they became overwhelmed with worry and fear. They called friends and relatives, checked hospitals and filed a report with the police, who listed her as a missing person the next day.
The family has since been in constant contact with investigators. They jump when the phone rings and eye-ball every red car they spot.
But no one has stepped forward to say they have seen or heard anything.
``You take turns being angry and sad. You hit all these valleys and peaks. You can hit these four, five times in a minute,'' said Holmes, 61.
When Albus disappeared she also left a deep financial void. The rent she normally paid is past due and the family may be forced to move.
``It's terrible,'' Holmes said. ``She hadn't paid February rent.''
Holmes, a saleswoman at Sears at Pembroke Mall, said she's trying to take control of her daughter's finances, but the danger of eviction is looming closer. She said she may have to take a second job.
She said she also is trying to get custody of Brad.
Through the searches and financial hassles, they are trying to cope. Eating and sleeping have been difficult, Brad said. His studies are a challenge.
A junior at Granby High School, he maintains a 3.5 grade point average, is on the debate team, in the Latin club and in Norstar, an aerospace science program.
He said he's trying not to fall behind, but since his mother's disappearance, he's missed two days of class - his first absence in two years.
``It's hard to concentrate on school,'' he said. ``You get that feeling in your stomach . . . like you're on a roller coaster.''
His school teachers and counselors have helped, he said, but they cannot bring his mother back.
``They can't say `Poof,' here she is,'' he said. ``That's what I want. Even if I knew she was in the hospital . . . that's better than waiting.''
He's been busy printing fliers with his mother's picture and description.
Albus is a former Air Force flight engineer and has read many books on English, philosophy and politics. She's a die-hard Rush Limbaugh fan, Holmes said. They're considering making a plea for her return on Limbaugh's talk show.
They also have placed calls to ``America's Most Wanted'' and ``Unsolved Mysteries.'' ``I'm grasping at straws,'' Holmes said. ``I want to take every lead to its fullest.''
At Granby High, Albus has organized fund raisers, chaperoned dances and regularly visited her son's guidance counselors. Holmes said she helped set up her son's class schedule.
``She's always been so active in his school,'' Holmes said. ``For her to walk away from that is mind-boggling.''
Sometimes, Holmes said, she wants to give up, but that feeling quickly passes. They will keep looking for as long as it takes, she said.
``Right now I can't think about next week, only tomorrow,'' she said, her eyes misting. ``It's too hard.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
L. TODD SPENCER
Brad Albus, 16, a Granby High honor student, who lives with his
grandmother Barbara Holmes, is having a hard time keeping his mind
on his studies since his mother disappeared from their home three
weeks ago.
Brad Albus made this flyer with his mother's picture and description
and called ``America's Most Wanted'' and ``Unsolved Mysteries,''
hoping for clues to her whereabouts.
Graphic
HOW TO HELP
Anyone with information on Kathryne Albus is asked to call police at
441-5543. She is described as white, 36, 5 feet 6 inches tall and
110 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. When last seen on Feb.
13, she was wearing a black jacket with a pink collar, blue jeans, a
green shirt and white tennis shoes.
KEYWORDS: MISSING PERSONS by CNB