Two or three of the rooms had kids in them. A seven-year-old girl sitting on a plush pink rug eating a sandwich just like the one Chloe had brought me. A boy of around the same age sipping from his cup of water. Another boy, this one a few years older, working on some cookies while he sprawled on his bed reading a comic book.
Their rooms were much nicer than my cell. In fact, they were pretty much kids’ dream rooms. Comfy, cheerful, loaded with toys. If not for the weird lunch trays and the complete lack of windows, the rooms could have fit right in at any suburban home.
Then I turned a corner and passed a different kind of room. A well-equipped laboratory. It was spacious and spotless, with shelves and tables full of test tubes, microscopes, and all sorts of other equipment I didn’t recognize.
Right next door was another high-tech room. This one appeared to be a medical facility. Complete with an operating table. And every other piece of medical equipment you could imagine. The place was way fancier than anything I’d seen at the Misty Falls hospital.
“What is this place?” I murmured as I peeked in through the partially open door.
When I stuck my head in, I noticed a second operating table. It hadn’t been visible from outside. Someone was stretched out on it. It was hard to see much in the dim light, but the figure was hooked up to an IV and lying very still.
I took another step in, peering at the figure. Then I gasped.
“Justin!” I whispered.
Mr. Smith Comes to Idaho
I stared at the note in my hand. “If you drop your investigation, we’ll give him back,” I murmured.
Tempting. But only for a second.
For one thing, even if I did promise to drop the mission, what were the odds that they’d really return Frank? It was kind of hard to trust someone who would kidnap a bunch of little kids.
Besides, I knew Frank wouldn’t want me to do it. No way. He’d want to keep on with our mission no matter what. An ATAC agent never gives up.
The thought picked me up. If someone was offering a trade, there was a pretty good chance that Frank was alive and well somewhere. All I had to do was find him.
No problem, right? Yeah, right!
I changed into dry clothes and tucked the note in my pocket. Then I pulled on a rain jacket and headed outside. Lunch would have to wait a little longer. I was planning to walk over to the police station to show the note to Rich.
Then I paused on the front porch. I stared out at the rain as a new thought occurred to me.
What if Rich was involved in this somehow?
Now that I thought about it, it made a crazy kind of sense. Rich was the only local who knew who Frank and I really were. Why we were there.
Him and whoever had left that note.
All the locals around here seemed to know one another from way back. Often with weird interconnections—like old Farley being Justin’s grandfather.
So what if Rich had some secrets he wasn’t sharing too? After all, he was one of the few people who’d known I was on that Search and Rescue ride. He’d made sure we stopped by the ranger station where we’d found Bailey’s body. He’d known that Frank was at the campsite with just the one other cop.
Come to think of it, he’d been around for most of the suspicious stuff that had happened. Should Frank and I have been so quick to trust him?
Reaching into my pocket, I touched the note. Maybe I’d hold off this time, at least until I had a chance to think it over.
Maybe it was even time to put Rich on the suspect list. Just in case.
ATAC got back to me quickly with Rich’s info. Again, he didn’t seem too hard to research. I stared at his bio, feeling uncertain about my new suspicions.
So I turned my thoughts to our other suspects. Well, suspect—singular. With Farley and now Bailey dead, the only decent suspect we had left was Jacob Greer.
Plus maybe the kid in the jailhouse, Stanley from Seattle. But that one seemed like a long shot.
So could Jacob be our guy? True, he couldn’t have been the one who’d taken a shot at Filbert and me. But he could have had an accomplice.
I decided to head to the park and talk to him. Luckily, the owner of the B and B returned just in time to give me a ride over to the lodge. That was one nice thing about Misty Falls. Most people there seemed more than willing to do you a favor.
The B and B owner dropped me off in front of the lodge. The parking lot was almost empty. That made it impossible to miss the awesomely tricked-out motorcycle parked in the handicapped spot right in front of the lobby entrance.
I couldn’t help walking over to stare at it. Frank and I have some pretty nice bikes back home. We ride them almost everywhere we go, and they’re probably the coolest things we own.
But this thing made ours look like kids’ tricycles. I’m talking custom everything from handlebars to taillight.
Still, I had more important things to do than drool over a bike. Especially when all it did was remind me of Frank.
Turning away, I headed inside to find out Jacob’s room number. But I didn’t need it. Jacob himself was right there in the lobby. Donna was standing beside him with a big smile on her face and her arm tucked through his.
They were both talking to a tall man with slick, dark hair. He was wearing a suit and tie and expensive-looking sunglasses.
When I went over, I found out this was him. The bigshot PI from California.
“Mr. Smith is sure he’ll be able to find Justin,” Jacob said as he introduced us.
Mr. Smith? Yeah, right.
“Are you one of Justin’s young friends?” Smith asked as we shook hands. His voice was as snooty and over-the-top as his look.
I shot him an innocent smile. “Something like that.”
“Joe’s got a special interest in this case,” Donna put in. “His brother was taken the other night. Possibly by whoever’s responsible for Justin’s disappearances.”
“Hmm.” Smith looked me up and down. Then he turned away and flicked a spot of lint off his suit sleeve. “I suppose we should get started. Why don’t you get me up to speed on this case?”
He sounded kind of bored. Jacob and Donna didn’t seem to notice. They started filling him in on Justin’s disappearance, reappearance, and latest disappearance.
“Seems simple enough,” Smith said when they finished. “I’m sure we can wrap this up quickly, especially if the local yokels stay out of my way.”
I winced. Smith’s voice was pretty loud. At least loud enough for the lodge staff to hear him. Tacttastic.
“Want to take a look at Justin’s hospital room?” Jacob asked. “Maybe talk to his doctors?”
Smith shook his head. “Let’s start right here in the park. I want to see the spot where he first disappeared.”
Jacob and Donna exchanged a confused look. “Where he first disappeared? Are you sure?” Donna asked.
“That all happened almost twelve years ago,” Jacob added. “I can’t imagine what you expect to find there after all this time.”
But Smith was already striding toward the door. Donna put a hand on Jacob’s arm.
“Come on,” she told him. “Mr. Smith knows what he’s doing.”
Jacob looked ready to argue for a second. Then he shrugged and allowed her to drag him along.
I tagged along. So far I wasn’t too impressed with Mr. Snazzy-Suit Smith, Super PI. But I was willing to be convinced. We needed all the help we could get on this case.
When I got outside, Smith was walking toward the motorcycle I’d been admiring earlier.
“Whoa, that your ride?” I said. “Nice sled!”
He shot me a smug smile. “Thanks,” he said, climbing on. “Hard work has its rewards, my boy.”
I waited until he turned away to roll my eyes. Yeah, I’d just met the guy, and he already annoyed me.
But if he actually found something, I didn’t want to miss it. Especially if it might lead me to Frank.
I managed to invite myself along as Jaco
b and Donna climbed into their rental car. Smith followed on his bike, and we headed deeper into the park.
We started at their old campsite, just as Smith had ordered. Jacob seemed pretty uncomfortable being there. He wouldn’t move more than a few steps from the car. Or look around much.
But Donna and I joined Smith as he wandered around the site for a while. He kept both hands in his pockets, kicking randomly at rocks and leaves and stuff.
I was getting less impressed all the time. “Um, what are you looking for, exactly?” I asked after a few minutes.
“It would take too long to explain to a layperson,” he replied with a condescending smile. “Just be careful not to damage any evidence while you’re wandering around.”
Yeah, right. As if there was any evidence left after a dozen years. Even if there was, he’d be just as likely to mess it up as anyone, at least based on what I’d seen so far.
But I bit my tongue. I didn’t want to get kicked out of this investigation. If you could call it that.
After Smith finished at that site, we headed to a few others around the park. The spot where a girl named Kerry had gone missing the year after Justin. The parking lot where a boy named Luke had been snatched while sleeping in his parents’ car. Jacob and Donna had been doing their homework. They knew them all.
Finally we ended up at our campsite. The one where Frank had disappeared. The tent was still there. So was the word LOST scrawled in the dirt, though it was kind of smudged thanks to the rain earlier that day.
I stared at it. It gave me the creeps.
Smith climbed off his bike. He’d ridden it all the way to the campsite, though the rest of us had left the car back at the parking lot and walked. The thing wasn’t exactly built for off-roading. But since he only went about two mph, it didn’t really matter.
“So what happened?” he asked me, sounding more bored than ever. “Your brother wandered off and disappeared?”
“Not exactly,” I said. “It all started with the grizzly bear. . . .”
I told him the whole story. The bear. Me and Rich heading for the hospital. Coming back to find the other officer out cold and Frank nowhere to be seen.
When I finished, Smith looked skeptical. “You boys experienced campers?”
“What does that have to do with anything?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I’m just not convinced yet that your brother’s situation is connected with Justin’s disappearance. Of course, if you’d like me to look into it for you, I’m sure I could combine the cases for an appropriate supplemental fee. . . .”
Annoyance bubbled up in me. I tried hard not to let it show.
“Thanks for the offer,” I said through clenched teeth. “I’ll think it over.”
Then I walked away. I was really getting tired of this guy’s attitude. Who did he think he was? After what I’d seen so far, I’d hire my aunt Trudy as a private investigator first! At least she might be able to pass ATAC’s novice-level training courses. Smith? Not a chance.
Smith started pontificating to Jacob and Donna as they wandered toward the tent. Leaving them to it, I started poking around on my own nearby. Yeah, I’d pretty much covered the area with Rich the day before. But what if we’d missed something? There had to be some clue. No way could Frank just disappear like that. Without a trace.
I was searching a wooded area near where Smith’s bike was parked when I felt my cell phone buzz in my pocket. Pulling it out, I saw a new e-mail message. It was from ATAC HQ.
Frank! I thought with a flash of hope.
What if he’d managed to get in touch with them? Maybe they were writing to say he was safe and sound somewhere. . . .
As soon as I clicked open the message, my hope faded. Of course. They were responding about those photos I’d sent them. The ones of the scrawled notes on Farley’s calendar. I’d almost forgotten about that.
Our handwriting experts have worked out most of the notes, the message read. See transcribed messages below—
I didn’t get a chance to read any more. Something had just moved in the woods nearby.
My head snapped up as I scanned the area. I could barely hear the others talking; they were still over by the tent. At least thirty yards away.
Whatever I’d just seen was much closer.
A twig snapped. I spun around.
“Who’s there?” I called out.
For a second I felt stupid. I shot a look back over my shoulder. If the others heard me talking to some passing deer or squirrel . . .
SNAP!
My head spun back around. Just in time to see something dart behind a grove of trees. Something . . . or someone.
“Hey!” I called. “Is someone there?”
I was answered by the muffled roar of a motor. A second later an ATV shot out from behind the trees! “Stop!” I yelled.
The figure hunched over the handlebars ignored me and gunned it. The ATV went tearing off down the hill, farther into the woods.
I glanced around frantically. Smith and the others were nowhere in sight by now.
But something else was.
Smith’s bike.
Rushing over, I vaulted aboard. The motorcycle roared to life beneath me, its powerful engine purring like a kitten. A very large kitten with some serious horsepower. And lots of teeth.
“Hey! What are you doing?” I heard Smith yell out from somewhere behind me.
But I ignored him. The ATV was already out of sight ahead.
Jamming the motorcycle into gear, I revved the engine and took off after it.
Nowhere to Run
I stared down at Justin, my head spinning with questions. His eyes were closed. He was lying very still. But I could see his chest rising and falling steadily.
Good. He was alive.
“Hey!” someone shouted from somewhere behind me. “What are you doing in there?”
I spun around. Scar Guy was hurrying down the hallway toward me. The big guy he’d called Baby Doc loomed behind him.
Darting out the door, I started to run in the opposite direction. I’d only gone a few steps when several more people appeared at that end of the hall. Three other young, strong, tough-looking dudes. A pretty brown-haired girl in her late teens. And Chloe.
Uh-oh. I was busted.
I glanced over my shoulder. Baby Doc was holding up his taser as he and his pal barreled toward me.
There was nowhere to run.
“Should I fry him, guys?” Baby Doc asked eagerly as they all reached me. He raised his taser.
“No!” Chloe cried.
Scar Guy held up a hand to stop the bigger man. “Hang loose, Baby Doc,” he said. “I just talked to the Big Boss about this guy.”
“You did?” Chloe glanced at him. “What’d he say?”
Scar Guy shot me a smile. It wasn’t particularly friendly .
“Looks like Frank here will be a permanent guest in the compound,” he said. “We’re supposed to start his prep.”
Chloe’s mouth formed a little O of surprise. But Scar Guy ignored her, turning to the younger girl.
“Hey, Kerry, grab me a pair of gloves, okay?” he told her.
Despite my present situation, I couldn’t help doing a double take when I heard the name. “Kerry?” I blurted out. “You’re one of them! One of the Misty Falls Lost!”
Kerry had been the name of the second child to disappear, about a year after Justin. She’d been eight years old when she was taken. That had been nearly eleven years ago, which would make her about nineteen today.
She stared at me blankly. “What are you talking about?” she asked.
“Shut up, you.” Baby Doc’s beefy hand darted out, giving me a resounding slap on the head. Ow. The guy didn’t need a taser to do some damage.
Chloe followed Scar Guy as he led the way into the medical room. Baby Doc wrestled me along behind them.
“Listen,” Chloe said, sounding anxious, “are you sure about this? Frank’s not like the other ones. He has people ou
t looking for him, and from what I’ve heard in town I don’t think they’re going to give up. Or believe he got eaten by a bear, either.”
Scar Guy just laughed. “Don’t worry your pretty little head about it,” he said. “The Boss will figure something out.”
“Yeah,” one of the other tough guys put in with a smirk. “And even if he doesn’t, they’ll never find us here. You know that, Chloe.”
Scar Guy nodded. “I almost forgot,” he told her. “The Boss wanted me to tell you—he wants Frank to be your special project. Says he thinks you’re ready.”
Chloe’s eyes widened. “Really?” she said. “He really said that?”
“Uh-huh. So are you ready to get started?”
Chloe hesitated, shooting me an uncertain glance. Then she straightened her shoulders and turned back toward Scar Guy.
“I’m ready,” she declared. “Let’s get this done.”
“Chloe!” I said. “What’s going on? I thought we were, you know, friends or whatever.”
She ignored me. Baby Doc’s grip on my arm tightened, and one of the other guys helped him wrestle me farther into the room. Toward that second operating table.
I tried to protest. Kept fighting to get loose. But Baby Doc was scary strong. And nobody was paying attention to anything I said anymore.
Not even Chloe. She was pulling on a pair of latex gloves. Nearby, Kerry and Scar Guy were opening cabinets and bustling around.
To be honest, I wasn’t too focused on them. I was paying a lot more attention to Baby Doc and the other guy. They dragged me over and hoisted me onto the table.
“Let me go!” I yelled, struggling for all I was worth.
It didn’t do any good. Within seconds, they had me strapped down onto the table. My arms and legs were immobilized. Even my head was held in place by a wide strap.
I was helpless.
From that position, I couldn’t see much. All I could do was strain to hear what they were saying. Figure out what was about to happen to me.
But they weren’t saying much. Kerry murmured, “How many cc’s?”
“Start with six,” Chloe answered.
The Lost Brother Page 7
