[Alex Mercer 01.0] Girl in Trouble

by Stacy Claflin

  The door to the station opened, blowing in cold air and a few multi-colored leaves. Two men came in, both yelling over each other. A cop entering with them told them to shut up and directed them to the waiting room.

  Zoey wrapped her fingers around the car keys. Surely, Kellen would understand if she went for a drive.

  She sent him a quick message.

  Text me when you’re done.

  Once locked inside the car, she felt better—at least as much as she could with Ariana missing and her fiancé being interrogated about it. Alex was the one they needed to question heavily, but he always seemed to get out of having to pay for any consequences. It had always been that way. Had his parents not been so willing to look the other way when they were young, they would have never ended up together.

  Sneaking out of the house, smoking—they had always pretended not to see any of it. Heck, Zoey had gotten pregnant with Ariana under their roof. Maybe if they had been better parents, Ariana wouldn’t be missing—or maybe she wouldn’t even exist.

  Zoey’s stomach twisted. She didn’t like that thought, either. She could blame people all day long, but that wouldn’t bring back Ariana.

  What would? Questioning Kellen? That was stupid. He had nothing to do with it.

  She pulled out her phone and checked the news sites and social media—not that she expected any updates. She would be the first to know if anything changed. The news sites just reiterated the same information over and over, some with differing spins on theories. None of it brought them any closer.

  On social media, the case was still a trending topic with people spouting so many opinions it made her head spin. She had nearly fifty unread messages, and scanning the list, it was just people expressing sympathy. Nothing urgent to answer.

  Waiting was the worst. She wanted to get out there and do something. There were search teams in the various woods in the area, but Kellen’s attorneys had advised them to stay close to home and to keep their phones on them at all times.

  There had to be something she could do. There had been talk of a press conference, but nothing more. Maybe it was up to her to make that happen.

  Her phone alerted her to a text.

  I’m finished. Where are you?

  In the parking lot. I’ll come inside.

  She climbed out.

  “Are you Zoey Carter? Do you know what happened to Ariana?”

  She spun around. A woman in a suit shoved a mic in Zoey’s face. A cameraman stood behind her.

  “I need to get in there.”

  “What happened to Ariana? Why did you give her up for adoption?”

  Zoey shoved the mic away and glared at the woman. “It’s none of your business. Move aside.”

  “How close were you to the missing girl?”

  “We are quite close. Now leave me alone.” She pushed the woman out of her way and ran inside.

  Kellen stood in the waiting room, his arms folded. “Why did you leave?”

  “Technically, I didn’t. I just went to the car to get away from the crazies.” She glanced over to see even more had come in while she was outside.

  “Come on. Let’s go.”

  “I need to talk to someone about setting up a press conference.”

  “You couldn’t have done that while I was in there?”

  “I didn’t think of it then.” She went over to the desk. “I need to speak with Captain Fleshman. He’s in charge of my daughter’s case.”

  “He’s off duty. You can speak with Head Detective Anderson.”

  “Where is he?” Zoey asked, stepping toward the hall.

  The clerk glared at her. “Have a seat.”

  “Why can’t I go back there? My daughter is missing.”

  “And our team is doing everything possible, including working around the clock.”

  “I need to talk with him so we can do more.”

  “Have a seat,” the clerk snapped.

  Zoey went back to Kellen. “What happened in there? Did they interrogate you, or just ask more questions? Did your lawyer leave already?”

  He nodded, avoiding her gaze. “Let’s go.”

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  Kellen sighed and looked conflicted. “This isn’t what I signed up for.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Getting interrogated by the FBI for something I didn’t do, that’s what I mean.”

  “This isn’t easy on anyone. I’ve never been more stressed out in my life—more scared. I might never see her again.”

  “And you act like you’re the only one who cares. The only one who this is hard on. Wake up, Zoey. You’re not!”

  The druggies and hookers were starting to stare.

  “Maybe we should have this conversation somewhere else.”

  “Great.” Kellen stepped away from the wall. “Let’s go.”

  “I’m waiting to talk to… what’d they say his name was?”

  “Do whatever you want. I’ll meet you in the car.” Kellen stormed out the door, slamming it behind him.

  Research

  Alex’s chin hit his chest, and he snapped it up, awake. He stared at the laptop screen in front of him on the desk, trying to focus his vision. He’d taken a nap, but it hadn’t been enough. He needed to find everything he could on the previous similar kidnappings.

  He adjusted himself in the chair and clicked over to the images of the other girls. Chills ran down his back. They all looked so much like Ariana—and they’d all ended up dead on Halloween.

  Knock, knock.

  “Come in.”

  Macy came in, followed by the tabby. She gave him a sad smile. “How are you holding up?”

  Alex groaned. “I don’t know how Mom and Dad lived like this for so long.”

  She sat on his bed. “Ari’s a fighter. I’m sure she’s going to be back soon.”

  “I hope so.” He rubbed his eyes. “Come look at this. These girls who went missing around the state every single year like clockwork—they look just like her.”

  Macy came over to the desk and studied the pictures. “Are the police looking into it?”

  Clementine jumped onto Alex’s lap and purred as he curled up. Alex scratched the cat’s head and looked at Macy. “Maybe someone in the FBI is looking into it?”

  “It seems pretty obvious to me.” She glanced at him. “And you look exhausted. Do you want me to do this while you sleep?”

  Alex opened his mouth to protest, but stopped himself. “You don’t mind?”

  “Not at all. I want my niece back as much as you do. I’ve been contacting reporters and news blogs all day, getting the word out.”

  “You have?”

  Macy nodded. “They seem to like the angle that I was kidnapped, too. It sensationalizes it, so they want to interview me for the ratings.”

  “Of course they do.” Alex clenched his fists. “Jerks.”

  She put her hand on his shoulder. “Whatever it takes to help find Ari. It’s getting her story and picture out to more people.”

  “I guess. Doesn’t mean I have to like it. They’re so slimy.”

  “We’ll use it to our advantage. Get some sleep.” She shoved him out of the chair and sat.

  “These are my notes.” Alex clicked over to an open Word document that filled several pages already. “And these are the sites I’m looking at.” He clicked over to the open browser that had about thirty tiny tabs at the top.

  “You’re nothing if not thorough.” She clicked on a few of the tabs. “Let’s see what a fresh set of eyes can find while you sleep.”

  “Oh, and this is what Fleshman gave me.” He gestured to the unfolded paper, set Clementine on the floor, and climbed into bed, his eyes already closing. He barely had time to pull the blankets over him before falling asleep.

  When he woke, he felt more rested than he had since Ariana had been taken. He stretched and sat up. Macy still sat at the computer. From the sounds of it, she was typing furiously.

  “W
hat’s going on?” Alex asked, his voice groggy.

  She turned around. “Zoey called. They’re having a press conference a little later if you want to go.”

  His heart sank. “Right, because I’m so popular.”

  Macy frowned. “Then show them they’re wrong.”

  He shook his head. “It’s not worth it. I don’t care what people think. My time is better spent trying to find the kidnapper.”

  “Oh, that reminds me.” She held up his phone. “Your phone rang several times, and Fleshman called.”

  Alex threw the blankets off him and jumped out of the bed. “What did he say?”

  “He wanted to talk to you, not me.”

  “Did he say anything?” Alex leaped across the room and grabbed the phone from his sister’s hand.

  “Just to let you sleep.”

  “This is more important.” He called Fleshman back. “This is Alex. What did you find?”

  “I interviewed the guy you punched and he has an airtight alibi, Alex. It wasn’t him.”

  Alex swore. “Did you look into his story?”

  “Yes. Many of his coworkers confirmed his story. He was nowhere near the Ball Palace at the time of the abduction. He was giving a presentation at that time in front of about fifty people.”

  “He’s lying. Maybe he bribed them.”

  “We’ve got time-stamped pictures and video showing he was there. I’m sorry, Alex.”

  “It was him! I saw him. I’d bet my life on it.”

  “I believe you, but it had to have been someone who looked like him.”

  “Just like him?” Alex snapped.

  “I’ve seen stranger things than that in this job.”

  “Did you go to his house?” Alex demanded.

  “Yes. There was nothing suspicious. I can tell when people are lying, and he wasn’t.”

  “Did you look for trap doors? People like that will hide a door underneath a rug, you know. You could have been interviewing him just feet away from Ari. She could’ve heard the whole thing.”

  “Look, Alex.” Fleshman’s voice lowered. “Everyone else has written him off, but I want to keep an eye on him.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Exactly what I said, but in the meantime, we need to focus on other leads.”

  “Like what? Why don’t you want anyone to know?”

  “I need you to focus on the other thing. Have you found anything yet?”

  “They seem connected, but I don’t know that’s going to help us find Ari.”

  “Are you going to the press conference?”

  “No.”

  “It would be a good chance to talk to the perpetrator. Chances are whoever did this will watch. You can appeal to his—”

  “It’s a media stunt. Let Zoey and her parents plead. If I make one wrong move, everyone’s just going to jump all over it. People already blame me—why set myself up for more?”

  Macy turned to him. “The press conference?”

  Alex nodded.

  “I’ll go.”

  “Macy will do it.”

  “That’s actually a good idea,” Fleshman said. “Everyone will be thrilled to see her again, and she’s the face of hope in these situations.”

  “And she’s not me,” Alex muttered.

  “I wouldn’t rule out some kind of statement. Does she know the information—time and place? Everyone needs to be there early.”

  “Hold on.” He handed the phone to his sister, grabbed his laptop, and sat on his bed. He read over the new notes Macy had added to his list. The cases had to be related. How could they not? The girls all looked nearly the same, were taken around the same time every year, and found dead right after Halloween. It was entirely too much to be a coincidence.

  The alert for a new social media notification sounded. Why hadn’t he turned those off yet? He went over to the tab to fix that. Just as he did, he saw the preview of the message received.

  His blood ran cold.

  Threat

  The alert notification had shown the first line of the message: Leave innocent people alone or you’ll be sorry.

  Alex clicked it to read the entire thing. The message was sent by someone with a picture of a dog named John Doe. The full message read: Leave innocent people alone or you’ll be sorry. Don’t hit and expect to not be hit back. Like your job? Then let the cops do their job and stay out of it! This is your only warning. And don’t be stupid enough to show this to them. I’ll know.

  Alex took several deep breaths and read it over three times, trying to believe someone had actually dared to threaten him.

  Who knew about him hitting the kidnapper? As far as he knew, the story hadn’t been told on social media. The cops knew, the people who had been at the store, and of course the abductor. No one else should’ve known.

  He tried to study the profile, but everything was private. He could only see the nondescript, blurry profile photo.

  Fury tore through him. How dare someone threaten him? And hiding behind a fake name, no less. What a coward.

  Alex clicked reply and typed furiously, telling the loser off. Once finished, he read over the message that was so ugly it would’ve made the ex-marine he worked with blush.

  “Are you okay?” Macy’s voice broke through his thoughts.

  He erased the message, closed the tab, and nodded at his sister. “As much as could be expected.”

  She squeezed his shoulder. “Sure you don’t want to go to the press conference?”

  Alex shook his head. In his mood, he’d only say something he was sure to later regret. “You’d have a better chance at getting through to the kidnapper. Is Fleshman right about the kidnapper? You think he’ll be watching?”

  “It wouldn’t surprise me. If he’s anything like Chester, he’s so full of himself, he’ll have a hard time not watching anything to do with him. Even if he doesn’t watch live, he’ll find replays.”

  “Thanks, Macy.”

  “Anything for you and Ari. I should get going, though. Fleshman says everyone needs to be there early to get briefed.”

  “Do you think we’re going to find her?” Alex stared at a smiling photo of Ariana that popped up on his news feed.

  “If I have anything to say about it, we will. Keep digging into those old abductions. It looks like you’re onto something.”

  “I sure hope so.”

  She gave him a quick hug and left the room.

  He closed out all the social media tabs. He didn’t need the distraction—especially not messages from trolls. That had to be what it was. Just some idiot trying to get a reaction out of him. He wouldn’t give in and respond.

  Like Macy had said, his time would be better spent continuing to look at the other cases. But if the cops hadn’t been able to find the guy, what made Alex think he could find anything useful?

  He scanned over the notes and then read over several articles, hyper-focused on finding a clue that had been overlooked by everyone. He studied the maps surrounding each lake. There had to be something.

  His eyes grew blurry, but then he saw it. He sat up straight and switched back and forth between the tabs.

  That was it. He’d found the connection. A connection, at least.

  Each of the lakes had a small island—if they could even be called that. A small chunk of land, each big enough to have some kind of plant life, sat on each lake where the Halloween girls had been drowned. That had to be more than a coincidence—and enough to get the FBI to pay attention to the cases.

  Alex looked around for his phone. Macy had left it on his desk. He moved his laptop and scrambled over there, calling Fleshman as fast as he could.

  “Change your mind, Alex?”

  “No, I found something.”

  “What?”

  “A connection between the other cases.”

  “What is it?”

  Practically out of breath and stumbling over his words, Alex told him about the lakes.

  “Hmm,” was all F
leshman said.

  “That’s it?” Alex exclaimed. “This is huge. We can get the rest of your department on board with this. They’ll—”

  “It’s not enough, Alex. We need a bigger connection—like someone who lived by each one at the time of the murders. Something like this is like saying they all happened on a cul-de-sac. It might be helpful, but we can’t change the direction of the case because of it.”

  “This is something. It’s a start. We have to tell them.”

  Fleshman didn’t respond.

  “I’m going to keep looking. I’ll find more.”

  “Good idea. I’ll give you a call after the press conference.”

  “Okay.” Alex ended the call, deflated that Fleshman hadn’t been nearly as excited about the new information as he was. They were definitely on to something. Maybe he just had to work a little harder to prove it to him.

  His phone buzzed. Alex glanced at the screen—a text from his boss.

  Just what he needed.

  Call me.

  Probably better to get it over with before he forgot all about it. He called.

  “You coming in Monday?” Darren greeted him.

  “Have you seen the news? My daughter was kidnapped.”

  “See, I thought that was someone else because in all the time you’ve worked here, you never mentioned a kid.”

  Alex bit back vehement retort. “I gave her up for adoption. Doesn’t mean I don’t care.”

  “Whatever. Just get back here Monday.”

  “I have two weeks of sick days built up, plus vacation time.”

  “You can’t use the vacation time—not without a month’s notice. And you don’t sound sick to me. We have that big project next week, and you know how important that is. I need you for this job.”

  Alex swore. “My daughter is missing!”

  “And we have a mansion to re-roof.”

  Was Darren for real? Or maybe Alex had been too much of a pushover, taking every opportunity for overtime given to him.

  “You there?”

  “Yes,” Alex snapped.

  “Will I see you Monday?”

  “You can count on that.” Alex ended the call. He’d either show up and have it out with Darren, or maybe bring Fleshman or a lawyer with him. Darren couldn’t threaten to fire him for missing work because of this. It wasn’t just heartless, it had to be illegal.