by Willow Rose
The boy walked out of his room, and his dad saw him just as he hung up.
"What are you doing up, buddy?" he asked. "I thought you were asleep. You should be. It's a school night."
"Who was that on the phone?" he asked.
"That? Oh, it was no one. Wrong number. That's all. Don't you worry about that; just go to sleep."
"Was it Mommy?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.
"No. No, it wasn't. Now, go back to sleep."
The boy looked up at his father, then wrinkled his forehead. He had been so sure it was her, and he wanted to talk to her. He wanted to tell her he got a new bike. It had been so long since she had last called.
"It was no one. Now, get back to bed, buddy. You have school tomorrow."
"But…?"
"Now, I said. Now."
"Can I call her?"
"Can you call who?"
"Mommy. I want to call her."
His father scoffed. "Your mother doesn’t want to talk to you. Don't you understand that? She abandoned all of us, and she doesn't want to see you. Now, get back to bed. I don't want to have to say it again."
The boy felt like crying. Still, he didn't. He held the tears back, then ran to his bed, cursing his mother far away, deciding he never wanted to see her again. Never.
Chapter 33
I found all the baby pictures of Olivia, and that's when I stalled. Up until then, I had been through several boxes, and the kitchen was beginning to look decent. My mom would be pleased to see that all the plates were finally in place. She would probably find them to be ugly, yes, but at least they were there.
I told myself it was time for a cup of coffee and went through the baby books. I looked through them, lingering especially long on the ones from our trip to California when she was just a year and a half. I remembered the trip as exhausting because I spent most of the time running after her, but as I looked at the pictures, I was suddenly reminded of how simple life had been back then. I was nothing but a young detective with tons of dreams and aspirations of climbing the ranks one day. It had always been my ambition to get to the FBI, but back then, it had been nothing but an idea, a dream that I loved clinging onto.
I placed a finger on Chad's handsome face.
Gosh, I was in love with him back then.
My trip down memory lane was violently interrupted when there was a knock on my front door. It sounded urgent, and I hurried to open it. Outside stood Melissa. The look on her face told me something was very wrong.
"I need your help with something."
"Well, hello to you too. What's going on?" I asked. That was when I realized Melissa hadn't come alone. Behind her stood a woman that I had never seen before.
"This is Patricia," Melissa said. "She's actually the one who needs your help. Can we come in?"
"Sure. Sure," I said and stepped aside to let them in. "The place is still a mess, but what can you do, right?"
Patricia smiled at me feebly as she walked past me, and I closed the door behind them. I guided them into the kitchen and served them coffee.
"I think I still have some of that pie left," I said. "You want some?"
Melissa nodded. "Sure."
I found the plates and served us all some pie. Patricia barely touched hers.
"So, what's going on?" I asked midway through my piece. Unpacking had made me hungry, and I realized I had skipped lunch.
Melissa looked at Patricia, then at me. "Patricia has a request for you."
"Yeah?"
Melissa put her fork down. "Her daughter has gone missing."
I almost choked on my coffee. "Missing? What do you mean missing?" I looked at the woman next to me, then at Melissa for answers.
"She never came home from school yesterday," Patricia said.
My eyes grew wide. "Yesterday? But that's almost twenty-four hours ago?"
She nodded, heavily. "Yes, that's why I’m worried."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Knowing how important the first twenty-four hours were when a child went missing, I couldn't believe they were just sitting there.
"But…but surely you filed a missing person's report? Have they had search teams out…to search the canals and the streets?"
Melissa stopped me. "That's the thing. She hasn't told the police."
"You haven't? But…why not?"
"She can't," Melissa said.
"And why is that?"
Patricia sighed. "I’m a prostitute. I work at night and leave my ten-year-old daughter home alone all night. I’m not happy about it, but it's the only way I can survive. I can't afford a babysitter, and I have no family nearby."
"If the police get involved, they'll take her daughter away," Melissa took over. "She can't go to the police; you must understand this, Eva. I told her it would be safe to come to you. We were hoping you could help find Maddie…without the police."
Chapter 34
It went against everything I believed in. Everything I had been trained for and knew as the way to handle things, yet I still agreed to help her. How could I say no? Her daughter was missing.
I told them to take me to her condo, so I could look around. Patricia showed me in, grabbing the big pit-bull who ran for us as the door opened.
"This is Rosa. She won't harm you. She looks fierce but is like a lamb. She keeps Maddie safe at night."
I smiled and petted the dog.
"This is where she sleeps," Patricia said and opened a door.
It was the only bedroom in the condo. The mother slept on the couch.
"I never bring clients home anymore," she said, looking shameful. "I used to when she was younger, but then I realized how bad it was for her because she could hear it when they treated me badly. I was afraid she would begin asking questions. Now I have them take me to motels, or we just handle it in the car. So, I figured I might as well give her my bedroom."
I looked at the small woman in front of me, then felt like hugging her, yet slapping her at the same time. No one should have to live a life like this. Not the child who had no choice, not the mother who suffered abuse every day.
Patricia saw it on my face. She looked shameful.
"I tried getting other jobs, but…when I lost the one I had…well, I have to eat, right? I have my girl to feed. My ex refuses to pay anything."
"No one is judging you," Melissa said and placed a hand on Patricia's shoulder.
I smiled at her to reassure her that I wasn't, even though I had to admit that I had been at first. I was just suddenly so extremely grateful that I had made my own money and could take care of myself. Chad had promised he would pay alimony, but so far, I hadn't received any. He was still having the time of his life in Greece and not thinking about the kids or me. He had inherited a good amount of money when his mom passed recently, and I suspected that he was out burning all that off on his screaming midlife crisis. Luckily, the publishing house had given me a big advance, and I still had royalties coming from my previous books. If I didn't overspend, I’d be fine. And if everything went south, I always had my parents. My mother was cold and emotionally distant, yes, but I knew she and my dad would always bail me out if they needed to. I was one of the fortunate ones; Patricia wasn't.
"So, you say she left for school on Monday morning?" I asked and looked around the girl's room. Patricia had handed me a school photo of her daughter, so I knew what she looked like.
Patricia nodded. "Yes. I spoke to Mrs. Altman downstairs. From her window, she saw her walk to the road wearing her backpack, but she was too late. The bus had already been there. Mrs. Altman saw it pick up another kid from this block. But Maddie came out afterward. Before Mrs. Altman could come out on the porch to tell Maddie that she was too late, a car drove up on her side, and Maddie got in."
The blood in my veins froze. "She got into a car?"
Patricia nodded with a loud sob. "I just learned it this morning when I came down. I thought she was at a friend's house all day yesterday and I went to work in the evening,
thinking she would be home later. I was preparing to scold her for being out so late. Then, when I came home this morning and could tell that Maddie hadn't been home all night, I panicked. I ran downstairs and knocked on Mrs. Altman's door to ask her if she had seen her and she told me this."
"I need to talk to this Mrs. Altman," I said. "Now."
Chapter 35
Before we left Patricia's condo, I texted Olivia and asked her if she could be sure to be home when Alex came home with the bus today since I was out. He was usually about half an hour later than her if she came home directly from school and didn’t go into town with her friends. Luckily for me, she texted me back that she had tons of homework, so she was planning on going home straight after school anyway. I was pleased with this. I needed my kids home today.
"Mrs. Altman?" I said as the old lady opened the door, leaning on her walker. A smile appeared on her weathered face.
"Yes?"
"My name is Eva Rae Thomas," I said. "I’m with the police. We're trying to figure out what happened to Patricia's daughter, Madeleine Jones. She told me you saw her get into a car?"
The old woman nodded. "Yes. It's true."
"What can you tell us about the car? Do you remember what it looked like? Maybe the color or the brand? Was there anything particular that stood out about it, like a sticker or anything?"
The old woman became pensive, and her face lit up. "I don't know any of those things since my eyes aren't what they used to be, but I did take a picture of it with my phone. I had a feeling that car was up to no good, and watching little Maddie get into it scared me. I knew something wasn't right. Wait here a sec while I go get my phone."
"You took a picture with your phone?" I asked, surprised.
The old lady returned a few minutes later, holding a phone in her hand. She pressed the screen and navigated through it like it was the easiest thing in the world.
"I love this thing. My daughter bought it for me, and I can't seem to stop using it. This is how I keep track of my grandchildren up north when she posts pictures on Facebook. The kids use Snapchat more, and we have over one hundred streaks. I send them pictures of myself wearing all these different filters; it's loads of fun. Keeps their old grandma on her toes. Here it is," she said. "It's not a very good picture since I took it as the car took off, but you can see some of it. Have a look for yourself."
I took the phone and looked. The car was definitely in motion when the picture was taken, making it a little blurry, but I could see that it was white, and I could see the shape of the driver. Unfortunately, I couldn't see a face, no matter how much I zoomed it in.
"There’s more if you swipe sideways," she said.
I did, and to my excitement, there was a perfect picture of the license plate. This was our lucky day.
"Can you send me these two pictures, please?" I asked.
"I can airdrop them to you," Mrs. Altman said, as she touched the screen a couple of times, and then I had the pictures.
"Thank you so much, Mrs. Altman," I said and shook her hand. "You've been a tremendous help."
"You're very welcome. I just hope you find the girl. So much bad stuff is happening these days. Find her and bring her back home, will you?"
"I will do my best, Mrs. Altman. I will do my best."
Chapter 36
I called the station and asked to speak to Cooper. Patricia was sitting on her daughter's bed, biting her nails, while Melissa sat next to her and tried to calm her down. While waiting for Cooper to pick up, I saw Melissa pull out a pack of Kleenex from her purse and hand them to Patricia. The sight made me chuckle since I suddenly remembered how Melissa always took care of all of us back in the day. She always had a shoulder to cry on when you needed it and always had a piece of chocolate in her bag or a pack of Kleenex. It was just who she was. Always taking care of anyone in need.
"Miss me already?" Cooper said as he picked up.
"Very funny. No, I need your help."
"And Matt isn’t your go-to guy anymore?" he asked. "That's new. Can't say I’m not flattered…"
I exhaled. What was this? Sixth grade?
"Matt and I aren't exactly…you know what? It doesn’t really matter. That's not why I’m calling. This is urgent. I need your help. And I need you to be discreet about it."
"Sure. I guess I can do that," he said, sounding a little hesitant. I knew it was a lot to ask him.
"I need you to run a plate for me," I said.
He breathed, relieved. I don't know what he had feared I would ask him to do, but clearly, he had thought it was something bad. "I can certainly do that. Hit me."
I read the numbers for him, then waited while he put it in the system. I smiled confidently at Patricia to make her feel calmer. I hated seeing that look of despair in her eyes. I didn't even know how I would react if I didn't know where my child was and if I knew she had gotten into a car with some stranger. It would tear me apart with anxiety. It was unbearable to even think about, especially when thinking about what had happened to Sophie Williams and Nathaniel Pullman.
Cooper returned a few minutes later.
"I got it. It belongs to Thomas Price."
My eyes instantly grew wide. "Thomas Price?"
"Yeah, " he said. "Why are you checking up on him?"
I swallowed, thinking about Sophie and her mother.
"I have to go, Cooper. Thanks for helping me. I owe you one."
"But…?"
I hung up before he could ask any more questions. I stared at the name I had written on a piece of paper on Maddie's desk. I had seen this guy this same morning. Had he taken Maddie? If so, what had he done to her? Was she still alive or had he killed her? Was he also responsible for the death of Sophie Williams?
I wondered for a few seconds how to handle this. I knew Patricia was terrified of involving the police. She was absolutely right. If the police found out she had left her daughter alone all night, they would have to involve the DCF, and she would lose her child. I couldn't do that to her. But if this guy had taken Maddie, there was no time to waste. Not if we wanted to find her alive.
Chapter 37
Maddie couldn't cry anymore. She had been crying so much her blindfold had gotten soaked, but now there were no more tears left in her. Her arms were strapped around her back so tightly they began to hurt, and she tried to sit up straight, but it was impossible when she couldn't use her hands to help. She tried anyway, using her elbow, but just as she just managed to get herself almost up, she fell over and landed flat on her face.
Maddie cried out in pain as her cheek hit the carpet. She sobbed, feeling sorry for herself and so, so very hungry. Her prison guard had been there and poured water down her throat before pushing the bad-tasting cloth back into her mouth, so she felt like she was choking, taping it shut with duct tape. But she had welcomed the refreshing water in her mouth and throat. Now, she was mostly hungry, but so far, she had gotten no food at all while being held like this and she felt like she was about to die. Her stomach hurt so bad.
Maddie had felt this starving feeling before when they had run out of food, and her mother hadn't come home. Sometimes, she would be gone for days, working, she said, then come home with purple bruises all over her body. Maddie hated going hungry for days or waking up to an empty fridge. It was the worst. Actually, if she was honest, that wasn't the worst part about her life. The very worst part was the fact that all her friends knew what her mother did for a living. And they would tease her about it. Just the thought of how the kids in her class looked at her filled her with such deep shame it almost made her cry again.
One time, a boy from her class, Gareth, had held her down and spat in her mouth, telling her to get used to that feeling since she would grow up to be a whore too. That was the most humiliating thing anyone had ever done to her.
It was Gareth's dad who had seen Maddie's mom down by the harbor one night and then told Gareth about it. The next day, Gareth had told everyone else in their school.
&nbs
p; What Gareth's dad was doing down there at night was something Maddie had often thought about asking him, to get back at him, but that was only when she thought about it afterward, lying at home in her bed. Once the teasing started, she never knew how to say anything. At least nothing clever. Fact was, she too was embarrassed by her mother's profession. She didn't even want to defend herself. Because if her mother was dirty like they said, then so was she.
Maddie sobbed a little more when she realized that her blindfold had slipped up slightly on the right side and light was coming in. It must have happened when she fell. She managed to push it further up by sliding across the carpet, and soon she could actually see something.
Maddie gasped as she looked around the barren room with nothing but the carpet she was lying on and strange black foam on the walls. There was only one other thing there. A huge wooden box was placed against the end wall. Maddie stared at it, and as she paid attention, she thought she could hear a noise coming from inside of it.
It sounded an awful lot like nails scratching against the wood.
Chapter 38
"What's the rush?"
Matt got out of the police cruiser. I was standing in my driveway, where I had asked him to meet me.
"You said you owed me, remember?" I asked. "Big time, you said. I’m going to have to cash in on that right now."
It had taken me a couple of deep breaths to call for his help, but the fact was, a girl's life was on the line, and our little quarrel shouldn't be allowed to end up costing her life.
