[Alex Mercer 01.0] Girl in Trouble

by Stacy Claflin

  “Like saying he’d go after my sister? Nope. Just this one.”

  “We’re obviously getting close.”

  “Not close enough,” Alex muttered.

  “Too much for his comfort. That’s good. It tells me to keep going down the path we’re on. Any update on Macy?”

  Alex shook his head and sighed. It sickened him to think of her lying in the bed like a vegetable. “She’s going to be there for a while.”

  Nick’s phone beeped. He checked it. “I have to get back to the station. If you get anymore threats, forward them immediately. Don't meet me, just tell me.”

  “What should I—?”

  “Doesn’t matter. I’ll know what you mean.” He shoved a couple files over to Alex. “Look these over and get them back to me.”

  “What are they?”

  “Something I think you’ll find interesting.”

  Alex slid off his coat and slung it over the back of the chair. He stared at the faded tan file folder for a moment before opening it. Old, yellowing pages filled it.

  Curious, he flipped through the pages. He stopped at an old, faded picture of a girl that looked like Ariana—not that it was much of a surprise, given the thirty other missing girls who resembled her so closely.

  There was something different about this file, though.

  It wasn’t a missing child case. The file was dated thirty-five years ago and the thirteen-year-old girl had been found in a lake in Montana by her mother on the evening of Halloween. She’d left the house without telling her parents and had run around the neighborhood with some older teens. Her brother had found her body and ran home to tell his parents.

  His name was blacked out, but hers wasn’t: Janet Vassman.

  Alex flipped through the pages, trying to make a connection to missing girls and Janet. Nothing made sense. Unless…

  Could Nick be right about the other cases being copycats of this one?

  His head spun as he tried to make sense of it all.

  That had to be it. It was the only explanation. The missing girls had started five years later and continued for thirty years. Why else would Nick hand him the file?

  He went through each page, reading every painful detail. Not much was known about who Janet had been with on her final night. Only that she’d defied her parents and wound up dead. Nobody had ever been charged with any wrongdoing.

  Alex turned one more page and saw pictures of the bloated body. His stomach lurched. He turned and threw up on the library floor.

  Leak

  Alex held onto the file, eager to give it back to Nick, but first he needed to see if he could find the spy. He went outside and glanced around. Just as before, he saw no one. Either Flynn or the investigator was good at hiding, or Flynn was busy plotting his next evil move.

  Alex’s stomach still felt weak. It was probably better he didn’t have to confront a killer. He looked around again just to be sure and then headed down the street for his car. He expected the tires to be slashed or the windows broken, but it looked exactly as he’d left it.

  That was almost worse. It made him wonder what was coming. He walked around the car using his cell phone’s flashlight, looking all around. Once he was fairly certain everything was fine, he slowly opened the driver’s side door. It opened as usual, even creaking where it normally did.

  He climbed in and rubbed the back of his neck. It ached and radiated up to his head. He really wanted a drink, too, but that would have to wait. There was too much to do, and besides, once Ariana was back, he didn’t want to be a drunk. Alex wanted to turn everything around in his life, including living here in town, even if that meant a higher rent or living with his parents for a while.

  Just as he was about to start the car, his phone buzzed with a text. There it was. His new threat.

  Actually, it was from Nick, telling him to get down to the station right away.

  Alex started the car and wondered what the problem was—had Flynn moved to threatening the police captain? Or was it something else altogether? Nick might just want the file back.

  He headed over, and as was becoming his custom, Alex walked by the desk straight to Nick’s office.

  “What’s going on?”

  Nick glanced up. His hair stuck out in different directions like he’d been pulling at it and his face was flushed.

  Alex dropped the file on the desk. “It’s all here.”

  “It’s not that. Did you hear?”

  “What?” Alex exclaimed.

  Nick turned his laptop toward Alex. A livestream played with a reporter standing out in the wind outside the Ball Palace.

  Alex grasped the edge of the desk. “What? Did they find her?”

  Without a word, Nick turned up the volume.

  “…possibly the worst serial killer the nation has ever seen. Thirty victims over thirty years, and he’s continuing to get away with it. Now he has Ariana Nakano, and Halloween’s only a few days away.” Nick muted the volume and turned to Alex.

  Alex’s mouth dropped. “I thought we were going to keep this away from the media.”

  “That’s what I thought, too. Any idea how this was leaked?” Nick narrowed his eyes.

  “Wait a minute.” Alex backed up. “You think I had anything to do with it?”

  “The only people who know about this are you and those of us on the case.”

  “Macy was helping me look into it, but she wouldn’t say anything. Neither would Zoey.”

  Nick pulled on his hair. “Anyone else know about this? Before the media circus, I mean.”

  “Just them.”

  “Every advantage we have is out the window.” Nick jumped from his chair. “I want to find out who leaked this and wring their neck!”

  “Well, it wasn’t me. I was busy throwing up on the library floor.”

  Nick gave him a double take.

  “I saw the picture of the first girl’s body. It made me think of Ariana.” Alex’s stomach churned again. “I—” He grasped his middle.

  “Don’t puke in here.”

  Alex took a deep breath and focused on Nick. “I’ll be okay. I just have to get that image out of my head.”

  “We’ll get her back. Any more threats?”

  “Nope.”

  Nick sat back down. “I really wanted to have the element of surprise on our side. It’s going to be a lot harder now that the killer knows what we know.”

  “He doesn’t necessarily know you know about the threats. We could use that.”

  “It’s not the same.” Nick stared at the screen. “Everyone’s talking about this. It’s everywhere.”

  “I’m sure it is,” Alex muttered. That was also probably why Flynn didn’t appear to have been following Alex when he met Nick.

  “Go get some sleep. You look like you need it. I’ll call you if anything changes.”

  Alex looked up and stared at him. “What’s the plan now?”

  “I need to talk with Williams and the rest of the crew. They want to know if you leaked it. I knew you didn’t, but I had to ask.”

  “Was it a cop?”

  “I sure hope not, but I can’t rule it out.” He got up. “Look, like I said, get some rest. You’re going to need it as Halloween comes closer. I’ll call you if anything important comes up. In the meantime, support your sister and let me know if you get another threat.”

  “Okay.” Alex headed for the door.

  “And do yourself a favor—stay away from the media.”

  “Why? Is there something you don’t want me hearing?”

  “Nothing new. You just don’t need the distraction.”

  Nick gave a nod, closed the office door behind them, and went down the hall. Alex went in the other direction and headed for the parking lot. If Flynn wasn’t glued to the news coverage, then he would know Alex had been talking with the cops.

  Alex waved to anyone who might be watching and then climbed into his car.

  Escape

  Ariana stared at the moon t
hrough the clouds. It seemed like every time the wind blew, it got covered up. She’d been standing by the window for what felt like hours. Her heart hadn’t stopped racing since Lloyd got home. She thought for sure he would know she’d been playing with the lock.

  He didn’t notice.

  When he unlocked the door, it worked just as it should. The broken bobby pin hadn’t done anything. He’d also been harried from his job and hadn’t noticed Ariana’s stress. They’d had a quiet meal, and then he had her go back to the room.

  The house had been quiet for hours. Ariana wanted to try to get out another time. She thought Lloyd must be asleep, but couldn’t know for sure. What if he was awake downstairs, and she just couldn’t hear him?

  She watched the wind and the clouds for a little while longer, but couldn’t relax. The woods seemed to call her, begging her to make her escape. She’d wanted to be long gone by now, but she was still locked in the room.

  Ariana went to the door and pressed her ear to it. Everything was quiet out there. She squatted and pressed her ear against the fuzzy carpet. She couldn’t hear anything.

  Her heart raced. Maybe she should try one more time. She sat up and eyed the dollhouse that once more hid her escape tools.

  Did she dare? Lloyd was home, but then again, who knew when he would leave next? He’d mumbled something about working from home. She might not have another chance while he was out for some time.

  Ariana took a deep breath to try and calm her racing heart. She needed to at least try. Maybe the other bobby pin would break. If it did, she would take that as her sign to stop trying—at least for now. She might need to find some new bobby pins later, but she wouldn’t ever quit trying.

  She tip-toed over to the dollhouse and lifted it, practically like an expert. Heart racing, she slid the items out and crept over to the door. She took another deep breath and got everything into position, extra-careful to be quiet. The pins seemed so loud next to her ear, but she knew Lloyd couldn’t hear them from wherever he was.

  The bobby pins slid in easily, and Ariana adjusted them so one was up and the other down. She jiggled them just so, holding her breath.

  Click.

  She froze in place. Had she heard that right?

  Ariana set the knife and pins down and rested her hand on the doorknob. Her pulse drummed in her ears.

  Was this it? Would it open?

  The room seemed to spin around her. She struggled to breathe normally—she needed to. If Lloyd was awake, she had to be able to hear him, but right now, all she could hear was the sounds of her own heart thundering like a pack of wild horses running through a field.

  Ariana forced a deep breath, then another and another until she could hear normally again. She pressed her ear against the door. Everything still sounded quiet. She listened to the floor, and couldn’t hear a sound.

  This was her chance.

  She made sure the old sneakers were laced tightly and double-knotted the ties just to be sure. There would be no time for stumbling over those.

  Ariana grabbed the doorknob and twisted. It creaked a little as it turned, but it did turn. She pulled the door open, half-expecting to find Lloyd standing there, staring at her.

  The hall was empty and quiet. Dark, too, but at least her eyes were already adjusted.

  She stepped out of the room and tip-toed down the hall, aware of every magnified sound. A wall clock clicked as the minute changed. The heaters rumbled, pressing air out of old heater units. But there were no footsteps, voices, or doors opening.

  Ariana held her breath, reminding herself to breathe every so often. She came to the stairs leading down to the nice living areas.

  This might be the hardest part. With as nice as everything was down there, there had to be an alarm on the doors. It wouldn’t have even surprised her if there were red lasers shooting out from every direction on the floor—but that was probably her overactive imagination.

  She crept to the top stair and glanced down. Everything was dark there, too. Hopefully, that meant Lloyd was sound asleep. She put her foot on the first step, testing it. It didn’t creak, nor did sirens wail. She tried the next few just as carefully, finding them all to be safe.

  By the fourth one, she was relatively sure the staircase was safe. She hurried down the rest and stopped at the last step, looking around. Nothing seemed dangerous—she didn’t see any blinking lights or cameras or anything suspicious.

  Ariana just needed to decide how she was going to get outside. The front door seemed like a bad idea—if anything would have an alarm, it would be that one. With a house this big—it seemed to go on forever—there had to be a back door somewhere.

  She crept around toward where she’d seen the small office before and came to a hallway. She followed it, finding more rooms.

  How big of a house did one guy need? It made her skin crawl, feeling like she might run into someone else. She shivered, but kept moving.

  The rumbling of a clothes drier sounded from farther down the hall. Her eyes lit up. There was a back door from the laundry room at Emily’s house. Maybe this house had one, too.

  She whispered a quick prayer and hurried down the hall, not stopping until she came to the door from where the noise sounded. She turned the knob. A large laundry room greeted her, complete with a door to the outside.

  Woods

  Ariana braced herself and then ran for the door. If she couldn’t get it open, she would break it down. She didn’t care how. All she knew was that she needed to get out, and nothing was going to get in her way now. She’d come too far to let anything stop her.

  She unlocked a deadbolt. It was so easy on this side without the stupid pins and knife. She twisted the knob and the door opened!

  Several low beeps sounded and then an electronic female voice asked for a code.

  Her heart nearly burst through her ribcage.

  Ariana ran outside, slamming the door behind her. It would only be a matter of seconds before the system alerted Lloyd of her escape. She glanced around. The only thing she saw were the woods.

  A wailing noise sounded inside. The alarm. Lloyd would be awake now.

  She burst into a run, suddenly wishing she’d at least thought to put a hoodie over the thin, white nightgown. It was too late to worry about that. She ducked under some low-hanging branches and ran as fast as she could, darting around trees and thick bushes. She stumbled over a root sticking out of the ground.

  Ariana grabbed onto a tree trunk to balance herself and kept going. An owl hooted from above. A wolf howled somewhere. Maybe Lloyd wasn’t the only thing she needed to worry about. It didn’t matter. She would get out of the woods. The next bed she slept in would be her own.

  She tripped over another exposed root, this time sailing through the air and landing with a thud on her stomach. It knocked some air out of her lungs. A branch dug into her side. She sat up, gasping for air.

  A twig snapped somewhere.

  Ariana jumped up and ran. She hadn’t made it this far just to get caught.

  “Jan!”

  Her heart sank. Lloyd wasn’t far away. She pushed her legs to run faster. Her mouth dried, and she gasped for air. Her ribs and side hurt. It didn’t matter. The only thing that did matter was getting home.

  Ariana used branches and trees to steady herself as she ran toward freedom. Something wet clung to her side. She wiped at it and glanced down at her hand. Blood. She’d bled straight through the nightgown.

  She kept running until her breathing grew labored and her muscles all burned, begging her to stop.

  “Jan,” Lloyd called. “Where are you going?”

  He sounded closer.

  Ariana’s body begged her to stop. The blood-soaked stain was growing bigger. Her muscles ached and burned more than before. There was no other choice but to keep going. Whether the woods went on for miles or she was almost to the other end, it didn’t matter. She had to keep going until she reached a road.

  Then she would probably have to keep g
oing. She’d have to find a police station. Or at least someone with a phone.

  She had to get out of the woods first.

  “Jan! Why are you running from me?”

  Tears stung Ariana’s eyes. She hoped he didn’t have that horrible-smelling towel he’d used back in the van to make her sleep. The thought of that only made her press on. She ran, continuing to dart around trees, now more careful of the roots. Her side hurt, but she did her best to ignore it.

  She could hear leaves crunching and twigs snapping behind her as he followed. He had to have been able to hear the same from her. Her stomach tightened.

  Ariana looked around for a bush to hide in. That was probably her best bet. She was tired and sore, and he could probably outrun her. Most of the shrubbery had sharp leaves and were small.

  Maybe she could climb a tree instead. But then he would just have to look up to find her and the moonlight, though weak from the clouds, was shining down through the trees in places.

  “Jan, come back! We need to talk.” He sounded even closer than his footsteps made him seem.

  A bush bigger than the rest came into view. It wasn’t super big, either, but maybe it would do the job. She pressed on and then jumped in, scratching her arms and face on leaves and twigs. Ariana pulled her legs and pulled them close, wrapping her arms around them.

  Her entire body shivered as she sat there. Even her teeth chattered. She tried to hold still. Once Lloyd left, she could come out and get away. She couldn’t now. Not with him so close.

  The sounds of his footsteps slowed not far away. “Jan?”

  Ariana held her breath and tried to stop shaking. She could see a few leaves moving because of her.

  His steps slowed even more. He walked around, staying close to the bush.

  He stopped in front of it. “Jan.”

  Chase

  Ariana held perfectly still. Not a single leaf on the bush moved. Her heart pounded and her pulse raced. She was covered in sweat, despite the cold air. Her side ached more than before.