[Alex Mercer 01.0] Girl in Trouble

by Stacy Claflin

  “If it’ll get them to find Ariana, I don’t care what happens to me. Halloween is getting closer too fast.”

  “I know.” Her voice cracked. “When are you supposed to email Captain Fleshman?”

  He glanced at the clock. “About an hour and a half.”

  “Do you need any help? I’ve got to do something other than clean. I’m going crazy, too.”

  “You can help me search for more cases online. You’d be surprised how much is out there—I was, at least.”

  “Okay. I’ll—”

  Alex’s phone vibrated and Mom’s phone played music. They exchanged a curious expression and both looked at their screens.

  He had a text from Luke.

  Call me now.

  Mom gasped. “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t know. Call him.”

  She slid her finger around the screen and put the phone to her ear. “Busy.”

  “Let me try.” Alex called his brother-in-law.

  It rang.

  “Alex?” Luke sounded out of breath.

  “What’s going on?” He put the phone on speaker. “Mom’s here, too.”

  “Macy was in an accident.”

  Mom cried out. Alex put an arm around her shoulder.

  “They’re taking her to the hospital now,” Luke continued.

  “Is she okay?” Alex asked. “How bad is it?”

  “I don’t know yet. They called me at work. I’m leaving for the hospital now.”

  “You don’t know anything?” Mom shook.

  “They won’t say. Meet me there. I gotta drive.”

  “Okay. We’ll be right down.”

  The call ended.

  Mom turned to Alex with tears in her eyes. “How much more heartache can I take?”

  “I’m sure she’s fine. Probably a sprained wrist or something. Let’s just get down there and give her a hard time for worrying us.” He helped her up and then went to the staircase. “Dad!”

  He appeared below. “What’s going on?”

  “Macy was in an accident. We have to get to the hospital.”

  Color drained from his face. “Is she okay?”

  “Nobody knows.”

  “I’ll start the car.”

  Alex hurried into his room. Who knew when he’d get back? He needed to email Nick what he had now.

  “I’ll be right down,” he told Mom.

  She nodded, looking dazed, and went into her bedroom.

  Alex uploaded everything he had into an email and sent it off to Nick, explaining what happened to Macy.

  He grabbed his jacket from the bed. A yellow scrap of paper floated to the floor.

  The note from his locker.

  It had warned Alex that Macy would be next.

  Blind fury surged through him. Whatever injuries his sister had incurred, Alex would inflict on Flynn.

  “Are you coming?” Mom asked from the doorway.

  Alex took a deep breath. “Just a minute.”

  “Hurry, please.”

  “Okay.” He picked up the scrap of paper, snapped a picture, and sent it to Nick.

  Hospital

  “Mom, sit down,” Alex said. Her pacing made him dizzy. His mind already raced between Macy’s accident and all the new info he’d found on the cold cases.

  “What’s taking so long?” Mom played with her hair. “The surgery was supposed to be done an hour ago.”

  Luke rose and helped her into a chair. “We have to stay optimistic for her sake.”

  Alex shook his head. Like that would help anything.

  “I’ll see if they can tell us something.” Dad rose and headed for the nearest desk.

  Luke spoke quietly with Mom in soothing tones.

  Alex checked his phone to see if there were any updates from Nick. He was probably going over the information Alex had sent or he was talking to the agent. Or maybe she said no again, and Nick didn’t want to bother Alex with the news while he was in the hospital with Macy.

  It was a good thing Alex didn’t have Flynn’s address. If he did, he’d march over there and let him have it for what he’d put his family through.

  Dad came back. “They can’t tell us much, but the surgery is going longer than expected. A scan showed internal abdominal bleeding due to the rib fractures.” He sat and took Mom’s hand.

  Alex got up. “I’m going to see if I can find out more about the crash. Sitting here isn’t accomplishing squat. Text me when you hear something.”

  He made his way back to the parking lot, and leaned against his car. He didn’t want to sit any more. It was so tempting to pull out a cigarette.

  Why had he quit?

  He needed something. If he had either a drink or a pack, he’d dig in right there on the hospital property. Instead, he texted Nick.

  What’s up?

  Hopefully, he had some news on something.

  Going over Macy’s collision report.

  And?

  Alex’s phone rang.

  “What does it say?” Alex demanded.

  “You really want to know everything?” Nick asked.

  “Don’t hold back. I need to know how bad it is.”

  “Her car was destroyed almost to the point of being unrecognizable,” Nick said.

  Alex took a deep breath. He’d been expecting that. “And?”

  “They had to cut through the roof to get her out. She was pinned between the seat belt and airbag, hanging sideways. The medics on site reported multiple broken bones. Macy was lucky her spine and neck weren’t injured. She’ll recover. It won’t be easy, but she was really lucky.”

  Alex took a deep breath. Now he wanted a smoke more than ever. “What about the guy who did this to her?”

  “Some kid was delivering pizza in a tricked-out oversized truck.”

  “Let me guess,” Alex said. “Walked away without a scratch.” Probably paid off, too.

  “Pretty close,” Nick affirmed.

  “Can I see the report?”

  “How about you focus on your family? I’m going to talk to Williams about the stuff you sent over about those other cases.”

  “You think it’s enough?”

  “It better be. I don’t see how she can turn a blind eye to thirty years of the same exact cases.”

  “Hey, did you get that picture I sent you?”

  “Yeah, and I have one of my best guys on it. Look, I have a meeting in two minutes. Let’s talk a little later.”

  They said their goodbyes and Alex wished he still kept beer and cigarettes in the trunk for emergencies. He took a deep breath and headed back inside, stopping at a little coffee stand outside the cafeteria. He carried a little tray of four espressos back to the waiting room. His parents and Luke were all in the same seats as before. He handed them all a cup and sat down with the last one.

  “Thanks,” Luke said.

  “I talked to the police captain. He said Macy’s car was pretty bad.”

  They all grimaced, not that anyone was surprised given how long Macy had been in surgery.

  “She’s got a lot of broken bones but was lucky it wasn’t more serious.”

  “How could this have happened?” Mom exclaimed. Tears ran down her face.

  Because a kidnapper thought he could control Alex with threats. Alex didn’t see how saying anything would help.

  A balding guy in scrubs came over to them. “Luke Walker?”

  “That’s me.” Luke rose and shook the doctor’s hand. “These are her parents and brother.”

  He introduced himself and shook hands with them all and then took a seat.

  “Why did the surgery take so long?” Mom asked.

  The doctor spoke in technical terms that made Alex’s head spin. He’d ask Mom or Dad for a translation later, but the gist was what Nick had said—that Macy was lucky based on the severity of the accident. Not that it was an accident.

  Alex followed the conversation with his eyes, but his mind was far away.

  He was trying to fi
gure out how to get his hands on Flynn Myer.

  Convincing

  Nick looked around his office and rubbed his temples. He really needed to get some solid sleep tonight. But first, he needed to show the load of information to Williams and convince her that it was in the FBI’s best interest to focus their resources in that direction. Hopefully she would be in an agreeable mood.

  Mentally, he went over the major points. He had to be convincing—they needed to find Ariana and this had to be the same serial killer. There were simply too many similarities to be a coincidence. He’d seen people brought down with a lot less proof.

  Knock, knock.

  “Come in.”

  Williams entered, eating takeout. Nick’s office filled with the smell of spiced chicken. “You wanted to see me?”

  He motioned for her to sit. “I have some new information about the kidnapping case you need to see.”

  “What is it?” She sat and continued eating.

  “It’s the cold cases. They—”

  “Why are you so hung up on them?”

  “Just hear me out. This will help us find the girl.”

  “All right. You have my full attention for the next ten minutes.”

  Nick would have to talk fast. He glanced back down at the computer and then to her. “I believe this criminal has been getting away with these abductions and murders for the last thirty years in at least four states.”

  Williams froze, her fork midway between the container and her mouth. “Come again?”

  “Thirty years, thirty girls, four states.”

  She put the fork down and set the food on the chair next to her. “All the same MO?”

  “Let me show you.” Nick spun the laptop toward her and went around. “It appears to have started in Montana, unless there are earlier cases I can’t find.” He brought the information he had on the first case. “Look, this girl bears a startling resemblance to Ariana Nakano, wouldn’t you say?”

  Williams narrowed her eyes and leaned closer to the screen. “A little older, but yes, there are similarities.”

  “Similarities?” he exclaimed. “These girls could all be related.”

  “Really?” Williams scrunched her face. “This one has fiery red hair. Look at those curls. And this other one—she’s Hispanic. The only thing she has in common with the Ariana is brown hair and eyes. Did you notice they’re all two years older than Ariana?”

  Nick wasn’t surprised she was clinging to those discrepancies. He’d seen it coming. “Ariana’s tall for her age—that explains the age differences. Also, the redhead was wearing a brunette wig at the time of her abduction.”

  “And the Hispanic girl?”

  “Brown eyes and hair! Same height!” Nick glared at her.

  Williams studied the pictures again. “It’s a stretch, Fleshman. Our resources are already tight. I can’t allocate more resources on something this thin.”

  “They were all taken within eight days of Halloween! All found after Halloween, dead near lakes. Drowning victims. Taken from parks. There are too many similarities to ignore.” Nick clicked from one case to the next, enlarging each photo. “Look at how much these girls look like Ariana!”

  “And there are thirty of these cases?”

  “Roughly, yes.”

  “Show me more.”

  Relief washed through Nick. He finally had her attention. If they had the FBI’s support and resources, they stood a chance at actually finding the creep—and Ariana—before she ended up at the bottom of a lake. Next he went through each case, showing the pictures of each girl, their location, and how long they’d been taken before their untimely end on Halloween.

  Once he was done, Williams leaned back in the chair and stared at the ceiling. “Unbelievable.”

  Nick arched a brow.

  “I can’t believe he has gone undetected all this time. How is that possible?”

  She actually believed him? He nearly dropped the pen in his hand. “He’s careful, and he’s moved around. Also, not all of the bodies were found right away, making it harder for the local authorities to make the connection.”

  Williams looked deep in thought. “We need to figure out where he keeps the girls and what goes on while he has them.”

  “That’s a good question. There has never been any sign of sexual trauma. It must be all about the kill. I’d like to run a search to see if Myer was near any of the other locations at the time.”

  “It’s worth looking into. This guy needs to be stopped before he can kill again.” Williams grabbed her food. “Email everything to me. I need to go over this and send some agents to look into the older cases. There has to be a clue to who this man is within all of those cases. He’s been careful, but everyone slips up somewhere. We’re going to find that out.”

  “What can I do?” Nick asked.

  “Debrief the team. Get as many people as you can to come to the meeting. I need to call into headquarters and get more agents involved. We need them in each of the other three states. We don’t have much time to save that little girl.”

  “Yes, we do.” And they would’ve had more if she hadn't been so stubborn.

  “We also have to figure out how to handle the media—if at all. Do we want the perpetrator knowing we’re onto him?”

  “It might push him to let her go. He obviously doesn’t want to get caught. Otherwise, he wouldn’t move around so much.”

  “He might also overreact and kill her early. We can’t risk that.”

  Nick shook his head. “He won’t.”

  “You don’t think so?”

  “There’s something special about Halloween. Maybe it’s some kind of ritual sacrifice. I have no idea. But it’s always done the night of Halloween.”

  “We’ll worry about the media later. First, I need to find out what I can about all these other cases—and time isn’t on our side.”

  Williams hurried out of the office. Nick sent a group text to everyone on the team. He gave them an hour to get to the conference room they’d set up for the case. Nick had to prepare a presentation to get the information to the officers as quickly as possible.

  Renewed energy raced through him. Finally, they were on the right track and had the FBI’s resources at their disposal. Maybe they could stop the murderer and put him away before he could kill Ariana or any other little girl ever again.

  Reminisce

  Zoey swallowed the Tylenol with a swig of black coffee. She’d woken with a splitting headache, and that was after hardly sleeping. Her mind wouldn’t shut up. She couldn’t stop worrying about Ari, and the more she thought about her argument with Kellen, the angrier she grew.

  How dare he throw all that stuff at her, now of all times? And the kid card—what a bunch of crap. She didn’t use Ariana to get her own way. Her daughter was important, and if he couldn’t grasp that, maybe he was right about breaking off the engagement. As embarrassing as it would be to tell everyone they had split, everyone would be on her side. She couldn’t marry someone who didn’t support her as a mom.

  She glanced at the calendar next to the fridge. Ariana’s smiling face greeted her—a picture from last year’s Halloween party. Zoey’s heart ached as she stared at it until she couldn’t take it any longer. She glanced down. How could it already be Tuesday? Tonight would make it twice as long as the critical forty-eight-hour time period.

  Zoey leaned against the wall and slid to sitting, resting her head on her knees. Why couldn’t they find her? Or at least a decent lead? Kellen may be a jerk—a first class one, even—but he was no kidnapper. She couldn’t figure out why the FBI was so interested in him. They were wasting valuable time.

  Her phone rang. She didn’t want to get up, but it might be news about Ariana.

  Zoey pulled herself up and found the phone on the counter. It was her mom.

  Heart thundering, she answered. “What is it?”

  “Did you hear about Macy?”

  “Macy? You mean Ariana?”

  “N
o, Macy. She was in an accident.”

  The room spun around Zoey. She held onto the counter. “Is she okay?”

  “She’s in the hospital. Sounds like she might be there a while.”

  “I better get down there. There’s no news on Ari?”

  “Not that anyone’s told me. Are they still questioning Kellen?”

  “They released him, and his lawyer told them not to call him in unless they have real evidence against him.”

  “That’s good. You guys visit Macy. I’ll let you know if I hear anything.”

  “I’ll visit her. Kellen and I broke up.”

  “What?”

  “It’s a long story, and I don’t feel like talking about it now. I’ll tell you about it later.” Zoey ended the call before Mom could object, then got into the shower.

  Could things get any worse? Zoey knew better than to think that, but really, it didn’t seem like they could. Not unless Ariana—no. That was one thought she wouldn’t allow herself to think.

  She got ready as quickly as she could and headed over to the hospital, her mind swimming. Once inside, she found her way to the waiting room for the critical care unit. She shuddered, thinking of how bad a shape her childhood best friend must be in to be there.

  Chad slept in a chair. She didn’t see any of Macy’s other family. They were probably in the room with Macy.

  She sat next to Macy’s dad. “How is she?”

  Chad opened an eye and then sat up, rubbing both eyes. “Hi, Zo. She’s still intubated, on a ventilator, and sedated. Alyssa’s in there now. Luke just went home to get some sleep.”

  Dread washed through Zoey. “She’s going to be okay, though. Right?”

  He nodded. “We’re thinking positive.”

  “What about Alex?” Zoey asked, though she suspected he was suffering a hangover.

  “Grabbing some more coffee. That kid can run off fumes longer than anyone I know. I’m not sure he’s slept a wink.”

  “Can I see Macy?”

  “You’ll have to wait until Alyssa comes out. They’re only allowing one visitor at a time. The room’s really small, and it’s crowded with equipment.”

  Zoey nodded. “There’s nothing new on Ari.”