by Willow Rose
I opened the door to the cruiser. "The question is not what, it's who, and if I am not mistaken, the answer is a young girl."
Chapter 82
The girl was running. She was fast, and we could barely keep up with her as we began our pursuit. I was the first one out of the cruiser, Matt coming up behind me.
"Christine?" I yelled as I reached a yard and jumped over the fence. The girl was already at the bottom of it and crawling over another fence to the neighboring house.
"Stop!" I yelled, but she didn't. She slid down into the neighboring yard, then ran across their lawn. A dog barked from inside the house. I followed her.
Why is she running away from me?
"Christine," I yelled again. "Stop. I’m not mad at you."
Christine had reached the other end of the next yard and climbed the wooden fence. She was a lot lighter than me, so she was quickly on the other side, whereas I had to fight to get up there. My hands were filled with splinters as I reached the other side, just in time to see Christine reach the next yard, pushing herself through a row of bushes. I sped up and, panting heavily, I reached the bushes and pushed my way through as well. There was a pool on the other side, and I almost fell in but managed to balance my way out of it and around it before I spotted Christine running up toward the house and trying to go back into the street. As I saw the tall wall in front of me leading to the next yard, I realized she had given up climbing it and taken an easier way out instead.
I managed to almost catch up to her, using all the strength I had, and cursing myself for not having gone on more runs since I got back here like I had promised myself.
"Christine! Stop running," I said, gasping for air. My legs were hurting and the muscles cramping from running, but I ignored it all. I had to catch up to my daughter before I lost her again, no matter the cost.
But Christine was faster than me and soon made it out to the front yard before she ran into the street. And that was when I tripped. Over a stupid sprinkler in the lawn. I fell flat on my face into the grass and, before I managed to get back to my feet, I saw her run around the corner at the end of the street.
"Oh, no, you don't," I said, then spotted a shortcut. If I ran through the yard of the corner house, I might be able to get in front of her. So, I did. I ran as fast as I ever had, through bushes that scratched me up, across a yard with a swing set and a pool, jumped a fence, and then ran into the street, right in front of her.
I held my hand out.
"Stop!"
She stopped. With gasping breath, she stared at me, her eyes blinking, terror glistening in them. Matt came up behind her, panting. I stared at the girl, my heart beating hard.
It wasn't Christine.
I walked closer, and a deep furrow grew between my eyes as I realized who she was.
"Maddie?"
"I’m not going back," she said, crying, then looked at Matt standing behind her. "I’m not."
I reached out my hand and shook my head. "Of course not, sweetie. We're the police. You're safe with us."
She stared at me, her eyes revealing doubt in my words.
"It's okay," I said and bent down to seem less frightening to her. "We’ve been looking for you. I am so glad to see you, and your mother will be too when we tell her we’ve found you. She’s been really worried."
Maddie's face softened. Her eyes were still skeptical. "You know my mom?"
I nodded. "Her name is Patricia, right? She's been so worried. We all have. Even Mrs. Altman who lives downstairs. She was the one who took a picture of the car that picked you up. If you'll let me. I'll take you to your mother right now."
Maddie stared into my eyes and then it was like the air went out of her completely. She started to cry and threw herself into my arms. I lifted her up and carried her to the cruiser, happy to have found her, but secretly wishing it had been my daughter instead.
Chapter 83
THEN
The police came with sirens and blinking lights on their cars. The boy watched them drive up into the street in front of his mother's condominium. His baby sister and their mother were still playing cards and eating candy, laughing like nothing bad had happened, like what they were doing wasn't wrong. For a second, as the boy watched the policemen running toward the house, guns drawn, he regretted having done what he did, having called his dad, but then he reminded himself that his mother was a bad person, that she was the one who had abandoned him; she was the one who had acted crazy and not come when she was supposed to pick him up. She was the one who had chosen the drugs over him; she was the one who used to hurt him, and she was the one who chose that bad life over him and his sister. She was the one who couldn't be trusted, and they weren't safe here with her.
No, it was the right thing to do, to call his dad. And if Dad thought it was a situation that called for the police, then that was what was best for him and his sister. His mother was a dangerous person who had kidnapped them, and now she was going to pay for that.
There was a knock on the door, and then it was kicked in. That was when the yelling began. The boy watched in determination as the smiles finally froze on his mother's and sister's faces. Finally, they realized the seriousness of the situation.
"POLICE! GET DOWN TO THE GROUND. NOW!"
The boy threw himself to the carpet and turned to look as his mother started to scream, holding both hands to her face, when an officer pulled his baby sister out of her grasp.
"NO! You can't do that! She's my child! You can't take my child! Please…"
Two officers held her down while she screamed and yelled, becoming the crazy mommy that the boy had seen and knew she really was deep inside. She screamed so loudly that the officers pointed their guns at her and suddenly she somehow ripped herself out of their grasp and stormed toward his baby sister, ripped the child out of the hands of the officer, and tried to run with her when the officers yelled at her to stop. They reached out to grab her, but she zigzagged her way away from them. When she didn't stop, one of them fired his gun at her as she rushed for the back door, holding baby sister in her arms. But as he did that, the boy's mother turned around in a scream, and the bullet hit baby sister instead.
The boy couldn't breathe as he watched his mommy tumble to the ground, three officers on top of her, tackling her, baby sister falling out of her grip, and falling lifelessly to the ground, bleeding from the wound in her chest.
"NOOO! MY BABY, NOOO!" Mommy screamed while the boy gasped for air. He then felt hands on his body and was lifted into the air and, while screaming and kicking, he was carried out into a car and strapped in. He stared at the building in front of him, screaming and hammering on the window until he spotted baby sister being rushed into an ambulance and taken away from the scene.
The boy never saw her again. She went into cardiac arrest in the ambulance and died on her way to the hospital, he was later told.
As the boy was finally taken back to his home and to Dad and New Mommy, they hugged him very tightly and told him he had done what he could, but the woman was crazy, and she had killed his baby sister. She was the one to blame. The Thing was to blame, and she would end up spending a long time in jail for what she had done. At least it was over now, and the woman would be gone for many years. He would never have to see her again.
Ever.
Chapter 84
We drove Maddie to her mother's apartment and rang the doorbell. Patricia opened the door, her eyes red-rimmed. As they landed on her daughter, it was hard for me to keep my own tears back.
"Maddie! Is that really you? Oh, heaven have mercy; I can't believe it!"
Patricia almost screamed the words out, then grabbed her daughter in her arms and held onto her and kissed her face while Maddie laughed. I was smiling, joyful over having been able to bring her daughter back, but inside I was screaming in pain, wishing terribly that this was me, that I too would get to hold and kiss my daughter again until she screamed for me to stop.
"Let me look at you, baby," Patricia said and held
her daughter's face between her hands. "Are you hurt?"
Maddie shook her head.
"Thank God," her mother exclaimed and hugged her again. She gave me a look and mouthed a thank you.
"You're welcome," I whispered back, then raised my voice to normal volume, choking back my own tears. "But more children are missing, and we need to speak to Maddie about where she has been and what she saw."
"Does it have to be right now?" Patricia asked.
"I am afraid so," Matt said. "The sooner we talk to her about these things, the better her recollection will be, and the better our chances are to find the other girl we believe he is holding captive."
"Yes, well, come on in," Patricia said. "I'll make some mac and cheese; are you hungry, Maddie?"
She nodded, and I could tell Maddie was wearied. All the adrenaline from running from her captor was almost gone now, and she would soon be overwhelmed with exhaustion.
We went inside and sat down. Patricia served us some coffee, and I held Maddie's hands in mine. Her skin was smooth and soft like Christine's.
"What can you tell us, Maddie?" I asked. "You told us in the car that you were held captive, but you escaped. What can you tell us about the place you were kept? Were there any other children there?"
She nodded while her mother found a box of mac and cheese and microwaved it.
"There were. Do you know who?" I asked, my heart beating fast.
Maddie shook her head. "I never got to see who it was, but there was someone there. In a box."
"Elijah," Matt said, and our eyes met. This confirmed that Maddie had been held by the same guy that had taken Matt's son, the same guy who said he had killed Sophie Williams, Scott Paxton, and Nathaniel Pullman, the senator's son. We didn't know what his plans with Maddie were, but it looked like they were interrupted by Maddie running away, which was good.
"Who else?" I asked. "Was there another girl there?"
Maddie looked at me, then shook her head. "No."
My heart dropped. "Oh, okay. And you're sure about that?"
She nodded with a sniffle. She was so tired now that her face was turning pale. She wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer. We had to hurry and get all the information out of her that we could.
"What about your kidnapper?" Matt asked. "Did you know him?"
She nodded her head while her mother served her the food. "He used to come here and bring us food."
I looked at her mother for answers. "The church. They send us food from time to time when I sign up for it."
Maddie nodded. "There was one guy who came several times."
"Do you know his name?" I asked.
Her mother shook her head. "There have been so many."
Maddie began to eat, and I realized the girl had probably barely eaten for days.
"I was blindfolded most of the time, but I managed to see a little anyway, that's how I saw the nail that helped me get loose."
"So, you saw his face," I said.
She nodded with her mouth full.
"But you don't know where we can find him?" Matt continued.
She shook her head.
"But you said you jumped into a canal, so that must mean the house was one of the canal houses, and there was a pool, you said?"
She nodded. "Yes. A big one."
"Lots of houses around here have pools and are on the canals," Matt said with a sigh.
"Still, it's getting us closer," I said and looked at the girl. "Try and think back. Was there anything about the place that you remember? Anything that stood out?"
She chewed, then swallowed and nodded. "There was a name. It was scratched into the wall. I was guessing one of the other girls had done it, one that had been there before me."
"A name?" I asked. "What name was that?"
"Sydney," she said and shoveled in another spoonful of mac and cheese while my heart stopped beating. I stared at her.
"S-Sydney?"
She nodded, chewing.
"And you're sure that's what it said?" Matt asked, giving me a concerned look.
Maddie nodded.
"I think I need to get her to bed," her mother said. "She's exhausted and, frankly, so am I. I got a new job at the pharmacy and need to be up early. Can we continue the rest tomorrow?"
Matt nodded and got up. I was staring at the girl, while it felt like a thousand pieces of a puzzle fell into place in my mind. It made no sense, but something was beginning to add up.
"We're done here anyway," Matt said. "Right, Eva Rae?"
I steadied my breath and calmed myself down, then rose to my feet as well. "Yes, we're done."
As we walked to the car, Matt looked at me. "Are you okay?"
I swallowed, pressing the anxiety and fear back. "Yes, yes. I’m fine. Just tired, that's all."
"I meant from hearing your sister's name like that. It must be a shock. Do you think it's the same guy who took your sister back then?"
I walked to the door of the cruiser and grabbed the handle. "I…I have no idea. I just want to go home now. And take that nap we talked about. I can't even see straight anymore."
Matt nodded. "Sure. I'll keep in touch with the search crews and let you know as soon as we find her, and we will find her, you hear me?"
I strapped myself in, nodding. "I heard you. And I believe you. Now, take me home, please."
Chapter 85
He dropped me off in the driveway, and I thanked him, then waved and watched him drive away. As soon as he reached the end of the road, I took one glance at my house, then left, walking down the street. Walking soon became running and, a few minutes later, I was standing in front of a house with a swimming pool and a canal in the backyard. I walked around it, kicked the back door in and walked inside, holding my gun out in front of me.
Quietly, I walked to the stairwell, then rushed up the stairs and down the hallway. I stood in front of the white door, my heart thumping in my chest. I tried to turn the knob, but it was locked. I kicked it open, not caring that I broke it, thinking I'd have to deal with this later.
I walked into the room and found it completely barren—no furniture and nothing on the walls except for black foam. I walked to the end of it and found small splinters on the carpet.
From a wooden box.
Then I spotted the words on the wall and walked closer, reaching out my hand to touch them.
"Sydney," I mumbled. A flood of images from the day she had been taken away from me rushed through my mind. I pushed them back, deciding this wasn't the time for me to get mushy and emotional.
I looked around me, searching for any trace of Christine having been here too, then when I didn't find any, I left the room. I searched the rest of the house but didn't find any trace of her there either. Disappointed, I found a stationary computer inside an office and pressed the spacebar. I searched around on it for a little while and found first the video of Elijah that had been sent to Matt, then the video of Sophie and Nathaniel. I found the original videos of them as well and the program he had used to edit them. Then, I found a document and opened it.
Up came a list of names and plans for how to kill them and place them. I saw Sophie Williams' name on top, then followed the senator's son and then Elijah, then Maddie, who was supposed to have been strangled then placed at the house of a famous politician who lived in Satellite Beach, who had often frequented Maddie's mother. A total humiliation for all involved. Next on the list was the name of a boy I didn't recognize. But there was something else.
An address.
Chapter 86
Rylan had to pee. It was the middle of the night, and he and Faith had been sleeping with their mommy.
He held his nose as he sat up straight, feeling woozy from sleeping near the bad smell. He blinked his eyes a few times to make sure he wasn't seeing things. As he looked again, he knew he wasn't. Someone was there, sitting in a chair and watching him.
"W-who are you?" he asked.
The man smiled. Between his hands, he was holdin
g a gun. The sight made Rylan gasp. He hadn't seen one in real life before, only on TV. It looked smaller in real life than on the screen. But just as dangerous.
"I’m here to help you," the man replied.
Rylan looked away, then glanced carefully at his mother and sleeping sister. "Help me with what?"
The man scoffed. "How's your mommy? Huh?"
Rylan swallowed. "She's fine. She'll wake up soon. She just needed to sleep; that's all."
"How's that going for you, huh? Taking care of yourself and your sister while she sleeps, huh?"
Rylan breathed heavily. "Fine."
"It's tough, am I right? Taking care of a sibling. You are all alone."
Rylan bit his lip. "I can do it."
"Can you?" the man said
The boy nodded. He felt like crying but knew he couldn't. Not while the man was looking. He had to be strong now. For Faith and for his mother's sake. Rylan had heard stories about Timmy from third grade who had been taken away from his mother because she couldn't take proper care of him. Rylan knew his mother would take care of him as soon as she woke up. Everything would go back to normal. As soon as she…
"You know she's dead, don't you?" the man suddenly said.
Rylan stared at the man, his upper lip shaking. He was biting his tongue, so he wouldn’t cry but had to bite so hard that he soon tasted blood.
"You're lying! She'll wake up soon."
The man winked. "You really believe that?"
The boy breathed, his nostrils flaring. But he didn't answer. Because, deep down, he knew the man was right. As the realization slowly sunk in, Rylan began to cry, finally allowing himself to let it all out. The tears rushed down his cheeks while his young body shook with the effort of trying to hold them back.
"Come on, Rylan. Don't lie to me. You know that she's dead, don't you? She has been for a long time."
The boy tried hard to fight his desire to yell and scream at the man, tell him he was a mean liar and that everything would change when she woke up, and to go away. He didn't dare to because the man was still holding the gun, yet despair was filling Rylan with such overwhelming force, he didn't really know what to do with it, how to make it go away.
