Not Alone

by Frederic Martin

  She took her new information and headed straight to the station to get her team moving in a new direction. On her way she called a detective she knew in up in Burlington. They didn’t have a detective in their small town, and she was desperate to tap some deeper expertise.

  “John, this is Summer Hannah. You got a minute?”

  “Sure, Summer, how are things going? I haven’t heard from you in a while. Nothing bad I hope,” said John

  “I hope nothing bad, but I’ve got a feeling, and it’s not good. I’ve got a missing juvenile—girl, fourteen, foster home—possible runaway, but I just got some new credible information that it is likely an abduction. It happened sometime last night. Girl probably left the home on her own—she liked to slip out at night and hang with a friend. The friend is the one with the credible information. I know the kid and the family. Apparently, she had a bit of vigilante obsession with some characters in town that are possible drug dealers. We know one of them—a high schooler, probably sells marijuana—we’ve been watching him for a while. But the other is unidentified and likely dealing in heroin. We are going to start canvassing for witnesses. These two alleged dealers were apparently seen frequently at the local park. The park is close to the victim’s home. Just tell me if you think I am justified in cranking this up to probable abduction.”

  There was a pause and then John said, “If you say she left on her own then it would be a Type C runaway, but given the circumstances, I think you have to assume Type E which assumes abduction and possible foul play. You said she was fourteen?”

  “Yes she’s fourteen, and I agree, we need to assume possible foul play.” She didn’t want to make that assumption on her own because of the awful implications, but it was her job to. She didn’t have to call John to know this, but it sure helped to get his confirmation.

  “If she is fourteen and she left on her own, then ordinarily the risk factor is not consider as high as it is with a thirteen-year-old or younger. We assume fourteen and older know the risks of leaving home. However, in this case, I think it is wisest to assume high-risk factor—that is, she was ignorant of the risks of what she was doing.”

  “Thanks, John. Do you think it is too early to call for outside help?”

  “Well, calling me, you’ve called for help. I can help you get information into the NCIC Missing Persons file. As you know, the law says there is no waiting period for missing children, you can file immediately. There is also Amber Alert when you are ready to go public. How long did you say she has been missing?”

  Chief Hannah checked her watch. It was noon. The O’Days said she went to bed about 10 o’clock last night. “Fourteen hours,” she said into the phone. As she said it her heart sank.

  John was silent for a moment. “That is not good. Fourteen hours is forever. Jesus, Summer, time is running out. Look, send me all the information you know to date, and make sure you have phone numbers and addresses of the foster parents, the parents of the high schooler, and the parents of the girl’s friend. It is never too early to pull out all the stops for missing children. Tape off the girl’s bedroom, and I’ll send a detective down. Do all you can, and if you need more help, let me know. Good luck! These are the toughest cases.”

  Chief Hannah hung up the phone. Talking to someone who knew what the hell they were talking about was better than a decade of academy classes. And John knew what the hell he was talking about. Now she knew what had to be done. She took a deep breath and then kicked her high gear into higher gear.

  Rose and Sam headed for Sam’s room to log into his computer. Sam was chattering all the way. “If she was kidnapped . . .”

  “Sam!” said Rose sharply.

  “. . . I’m just saying if she was kidnapped, we should figure out how far away they could be by now and then search inside that circle. I think she went out around ten or eleven.”

  “I don’t think she was kidnapped,” said Rose. “I just think she is out to walk and get away from everyone for a while. I think we should draw a circle that shows how far she could have walked instead.”

  “Okay, we can do both. We’ll draw two circles and we can tell Will to search inside the small one first and then the big one, okay?”

  They reached Sam and Wu’s room and Sam slid down in front of his computer and instantly started tapping away like the keyboard was an extension of his arms.

  “Okay, let’s look up how fast someone can walk,” Sam said as he typed, “. . . and it says here, about 3 miles per hour. It’s 10 o’clock now so she’s been gone about 12 hours. The first circle is going to be . . . Crap.”

  “What?” said Rose.

  “Jeezum—it’s about 36 miles. She couldn’t have walked 36 miles. That’s, like, more than a marathon. She couldn’t have walked that far.”

  “Well how far do you think she could walk?” asked Rose.

  “I don’t know. Maybe four or five miles. Does that sound about right?” asked Sam.

  “We went for a hike in Colorado once that was about five miles. My legs nearly fell off. Will seemed okay though and he was about fourteen then. I bet Blue could walk that.”

  “All right we’ll go with that. I’ve got a town map here and I’ll just take a ruler . . .” Sam got busy flattening the map out on his bed and drawing a circle five miles in every direction. He couldn’t believe what he saw, though. “Crap.”

  “What now?” asked Rose. She was at the computer herself, looking stuff up.

  “It’s the whole town,” said Sam in exasperation. “I mean the whole town. The village and everything around it. It’s halfway to Hanksburg. She could be anywhere.”

  And then Sam froze. He sat down. “Holy crap, in 12 hours in a car she could be . . .”

  “As far as Boston?” said Rose.

  “Or New York. Anywhere. ANYwhere! We’re never going to find her,” he said in despair.

  Rose was concentrating on the computer. “Will thinks she went to the park, right? Maybe they have some webcams there or something.”

  Sam perked up, “Yeah, that’s true. They must have some surveillance cams there! But how would we ever be able to look at them? We’re just kids but the police could! Chief Hannah said to call anytime!”

  Rose called the number Chief Hannah had given them and told her their idea. Chief Hannah thanked her and said that it was an excellent idea and that she would check into it.

  Rose blushed as she hung up. “I like Chief Hannah. I know she is going to find Blue.”

  “Yeah, I hope so,” said Sam, “But I wish there was more we could think of.” And they sat there thinking, waiting for some other inspiration to come along.

  Rose was thinking about where she would walk, and Sam was thinking about where he would hide somebody if he kidnapped someone.

  At first, Wu was at a complete loss for what to do next. His mind was absolutely spinning with what was happening, and what Will and Rose had said about . . . voxing? That’s what they called it. Talking with their eyes. And Blue could do it, too? And Blue and Will were meeting at night? And on top of that all, Will had pulled him aside just before he went off with Chief Hannah and told him that Blue had gotten a joint from Jack in order to try and get evidence on Jack and Bronco.

  Wu kicked the nearest convenient fence post. He was angry and frustrated, about what? That Will had kept a secret from him? That Will and Blue were hanging together? That this whole thing was happening at all?

  “Get a grip Wu!” he said to himself. “Blue is in trouble, we know that, and we have to find her.”

  He started pacing back and forth, slapping his arms against his side. It was his thinking stride. Will said Wu should try and find Jack. Wu knew a few of the kids that smoked dope. He even knew where a couple of them lived. That was the next place to look. He was pretty sure that these kids would trust him when they wouldn’t trust anyone else, especially a cop—even if it was Chief Hannah, who everyone at school liked and most kids respected. Probably one of them knew Jack or where he lived or at least
his last name, so Wu could start tracking him down.

  The first kid on the list in his head lived very close, between here and the park. Wu thought about calling him, but it would be quicker to run there anyway. At last, something he knew how to do. Wu bolted from the yard and headed as fast as his feet would take him to that first possible clue.

  “Dad, I’m out on my bike looking for Blue,” said Will on his phone. He had helped the police tape off the area around the tree and parking lot where he and Blue had scoped out the hiding place in the tree. He had then gone home, grabbed his bike, and taken off before anyone noticed. He knew that his parents might not have allowed him to go alone, but if he was already on his way, they might relent. At least his father would.

  “Who is with you?” asked his dad.

  “I’m by myself, Dad. So is Wu, but Sam and Rose are together at the O’Days. Look, Dad, we have to spread out if we are going to have a chance of finding Blue. Please don’t make me come back and team up with someone. I’ve got the phone, and I’ll be careful.”

  There was a pause on the other end of the line. He could almost hear his dad making his mind up about something.

  “Okay, Will, but be safe. If what you told Chief Hannah about this man, Bronco, is true, don’t go anywhere near him, right? Just call the police, or us. And Will . . . you do know there is not a very big chance that you will find her. If she was abducted, and we still hope and pray she wasn’t and that she just ran away, then she is likely very well hidden or miles away.”

  “Yeah I know, Dad, but if she is nearby, we can find her. I wanted to tell you this before, but you’ve got to know now. Blue can vox! If she is near a window, we can hear her! Bronco can’t know that, so what if he just put her in a room with blinds drawn or cellar or something like that. We’ve got a much better chance of finding her than anyone really knows!”

  There was silence on the other end of the line.

  “Dad?”

  “I’m still here, son. A curious time to be telling me this is all. So Blue can vox! Interesting. Mom and I will take advantage of that information. We are already out looking, you know. Like you, we couldn’t just sit around and wait for the police to get organized.”

  Will was relieved, not only that his dad wasn’t angry that he had taken off on his own, but that he had finally shared with his dad the news that Blue could vox. Or was it news? His dad didn’t sound that surprised. This thought was interrupted because his dad was speaking again.

  “And Will, call Pa Bill and let him know where you have searched. He is setting up a map to track who has covered what territory until the police search center is set up. So check in with him as you go along, okay?”

  “Got it. And thanks, Dad,” replied Will. “I am headed down toward the south end on Birch Street. I’ll call Pa Bill. And Dad, bonam fortunam!”

  His dad chuckled “Audentes fortuna iuvat, Will!”

  “Hmm, I don’t know that one Dad.”

  “Hah! Then I’ll have to tell you when I see you. Bye!”

  Will was relieved. His dad was on his side and that made him all the more determined. And now his parents were on the hunt, too. This was better. This was some hope. As soon as Will checked in with Pa Bill, he was back on his bike, pedaling faster than seemed possible or safe, dancing and weaving through traffic while scanning side to side, looking for something. Something. What it would be, he had no clue, he just hoped it was there and that he would recognize it in time.

  Chief Hannah was busy making phone calls. She had considered the possibility of calling for roadblocks, but it was a drastic measure and she had to have a lot more evidence than what she had so far in order to justify the action. It wasn’t a good use of the manpower she had. She was just going to have to be creative.

  George had come in on his day off and was setting up a search headquarters, where they could recruit volunteers and do a methodical, coordinated search. She sent Eddie down to monitor the taped off area in the park until the detectives arrived. She called a K9 unit to help search there. They also already knew about Jack, and she was going to go pay a visit to his house to question him. There were others in the high-school marijuana trading group that she knew she could track down and at least question. It was the best bet for turning up a clue.

  She took her list of names and addresses, logged in with the dispatcher, and headed out in her cruiser for Jack’s house.

  Sam and Rose had gotten tired waiting for something to come to them, and Rose had the idea of putting up posters. Sam thought that was a great idea, and he started going through his album of pictures.

  “This is crazy,” he said after a while of looking. “I can’t find a single decent picture that has Blue in it, not even a phone picture!”

  “Wait,” said Rose. “I think I have one on this phone. We share this phone at home and everyone’s always taking pictures with it. Look, here’s one.” Rose held up the phone.

  “Whoa, look at this,” said Sam. “Look at her eyes. Can you see something funny about her eyes?”

  Rose looked at it and said, “Well have you ever looked at my eyes? Is it the same thing you see in my eyes?” She stared wide-eyed at him.

  Sam squinted and looked back at her. Then he looked at his own eyes in the mirror. He looked back at Rose.

  “Wow, I mean you don’t notice it unless you’re looking right at it, at the right angle, but you’ve got kind of a . . . a . . . like a ring around your iris, and your iris is kind of wrinkly.

  “Really? You don’t notice it in other people?” asked Rose. She had never really thought about it, that ‘normal’ people would see her eyes differently than what she saw.

  “I don’t think so,” said Sam honestly, “but I haven’t been looking for it. I’m going to be looking for it now, though.”

  “But Sam, you really, really, really have to keep this a secret,” said Rose. There was a tinge of real concern and a bit of fear in her voice. She was starting to feel a little regret about having revealed their secret.

  “Hey, don’t worry. Really. I promise,” and he held his hand over his heart. “Over my dead body, I won’t tell anyone.”

  Will was getting hot and sore and frustrated. He had ridden who-knows-how-many ragged miles with lots of stops and side-tracks into alleyways and long driveways. He also had talked to a lot of people. He got a lot of sympathy and concern and offers of help, but he didn’t know what to tell them other than suggesting they just go to the police if they think of or see anything or want to help search. There was a chance that would help—the more eyes on the lookout, the more likelihood of a tip. He wished he had brought a picture of Blue with him.

  Will looked at his phone. It was 2:30 already. More than 16 hours since Blue had disappeared. Sixteen hours. Jesus. He called Rose to see if they had heard anything. She said they were going to put up posters of Blue.

  “Did you put a phone number on it?” he asked her.

  “Yeah, this one!” she replied.

  Will groaned. Great, now they were going to get crank calls from now until doomsday. “All right, maybe not the best idea. Can you check with Chief Hannah for a better phone number to put on the poster? Just make sure you call me if you get any clues at all, okay?”

  “Okay,” said Rose “And don’t worry. I think you are going to find her and she is going to be fine, because you are the best brother ever, okay?”

  Will smiled. She always knew how to get a smile from him in the worst situation. “Okay little Meerkat, I love you too,” and he hung up. He looked at his bike. His legs were not anxious to get back on. Tough luck, legs, he said to himself. No rest for the weary. He took a deep breath and willed a protesting limb over the bar, settled his sore butt onto the inadequate padding of the seat and pressed on.

  Wu had talked to the first two people on his list, but had come up empty. The two kids both knew Jack and about “the other guy”, but that’s all. That’s all anyone knew about Bronco. Either this guy was a genius or a ghost. He was b
eginning to think the latter. But at least Jack was real. This he knew. And he knew Jack’s phone number now. He had tried it but no answer.

  Now all he had was the third kid on his list. He wasn’t sure what he would do next if this one didn’t pan out. Wu had gotten a phone number for him, but this kid didn’t answer either. It took Wu about three miles of running, knocking on doors, and searching stores. It was like a scavenger hunt—the kid wasn’t at home, he was at a friend’s house, and then at the friend’s friend’s house, then apparently they had gone off into town. It seemed endless. But in the end, Wu finally spotted him with another kid as they went into the hardware store downtown. He ran to catch up to them but before he got to the door to the hardware store, Jack came walking around the corner.

  A whiplash of emotion drove over Wu as he experienced a wave of relief followed immediately by an eruption of suppressed anger. He wanted nothing more than to run up to the guy and punch him in the face. He did run up to him, but kept his fists in check. He needed information right now, not bruised knuckles.

  “Jack, I need to talk to you.”

  Jack kept walking but turned around coolly to look at Wu. “Hey, what’s up? Hey, you’re the basketball phenom’ Wu, right?”

  Wu brushed off the compliment and the recognition and got right to the point. “My sister is missing and I want to know where she is!” And then he added in a loud hissing whisper, “You sold a joint to her and she is only fourteen years old, you bastard!” Wu could barely contain himself.

  The hostility was not lost on Jack. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down, Wu. I’m not sure what you’re talking about. Let’s just discuss this—maybe where we aren’t around so many people.”

  “No way, man I don’t trust you one second. I want answers right here and right now!”