Careless Whisper

by Stacy Claflin

  Was this a test? A cruel joke?

  It didn’t matter. She was going to find a way out before they returned.

  Josie kicked around, trying to push out a brake light. She vaguely remembered hearing something about that but had never paid attention.

  Because she never thought she’d get abducted.

  Nothing budged. This car was probably too old to have that safety feature.

  Maybe the backseat would fold down, giving her an escape. That wouldn’t help with the tape situation, but at least she’d stand a fighting chance.

  And fight she would.

  Josie maneuvered herself over the bag, ignoring what felt like dumbbells digging into her ribcage. She shoved the seat, kicked at it. But it did no good.

  Footsteps.

  Voices.

  Both grew louder, closer.

  Click, click.

  A key in the lock.

  The lid popped open.

  She screamed, muffled as it was.

  Her two abductors yanked her out. One shoved her against the car while the other grabbed the large bag and slammed the trunk shut.

  “Get up!” One shoved her.

  Josie tried to steady herself.

  Fingers squeezed her arm. “Are you stupid?”

  She couldn’t respond because of the tape.

  He muttered an explicative before throwing her over his shoulder.

  They entered a forest. The trees seemed to go on forever.

  She was far from home.

  Josie paid attention to every detail, memorized the path for when she would have the opportunity to escape.

  The man carrying her stopped. He tossed her to the ground.

  She cried out, unable to protect herself. Rocks scraped her arms and face. The hard ground jolted her shoulder.

  The other guy lifted her up.

  That was when she saw it.

  Dread washed through her.

  This was worse than the trunk.

  Far worse.

  A wooden box shaped like a coffin lay in a hole in the ground. It had a fan, an odd pipe, some water bottles, a blanket, and a flashlight. A pile of dirt sat off to the side.

  She tried to pull away from them.

  One of the men turned to her. He squeezed her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

  She couldn’t make out any features, as he wore a ski mask.

  “You have enough to survive for a week. Assuming your parents fork over the cash, you’ll be out much sooner. If they don’t, well, I’m sure you can figure out what happens then.” He laughed.

  Josie tried to get away.

  They both grabbed her and forced her into the box.

  She struggled against them.

  One of the men slapped her. “Hold still if you want to be able to drink those waters!”

  Heart pounding, she froze.

  He whipped out a knife and cut the tape around her wrists and ankles. The other guy ripped off the tape from her face.

  She screamed as loudly as she could, though her voice was getting hoarse.

  “Don’t use up all your oxygen at once!”

  The lid slammed shut. Hammering sounded.

  Then came the worst noise of all.

  Dirt piling on top of the box.

  She yelled and pounded on the lid until long after all the sounds stopped.

  Chapter 2

  Detective Alex Mercer loosened the tie on his police uniform and chuckled nervously as the three kindergartners decorated his face with the cold paint.

  “Hold still,” said a little girl, holding a brush with a glob of red over the table.

  Behind them, his daughter Ariana laughed and snapped pictures. “Perfect!”

  “Don’t send those to anyone on the force.”

  “She doesn’t have to.” Captain Nick Fleshman appeared with his phone in hand.

  Alex groaned. “That better not end up on the department’s website.”

  His boss and best friend grinned. “Great idea! I was just going to have Lizzie put it on tomorrow’s social media posts about our safety awareness night.”

  “I can always count on you two.”

  “Stop moving.” The little girl turned Alex’s face back toward her before rubbing red paint all over his nose.

  By the time the three kids were done, Alex’s entire face was stiff from the paint which even covered his trim beard. He rose and managed a grin. “How do I look?”

  The two boys giggled, but the little girl nodded proudly with approval.

  Nick and Ariana snapped more pictures. His daughter ran over to Damon and showed him her phone’s screen. She and her boyfriend both laughed, glancing back and forth between the device and him.

  Alex gave police badge stickers to the kids and posed for photos with the artists before they ran off to their parents.

  Nick patted Alex’s shoulder. “You’re a good sport.”

  “It’s for the kids.”

  “And maybe for my entertainment.” Nick threw him a teasing glance and took a deep breath. “It’s so nice to have one of these nights without any abductions hanging over us.”

  Alex resisted the urge to scratch his face. “It hardly seems possible that we’re nearly to the year mark of no kidnappings.”

  “With Cal Jones dead, his cronies seem to have stopped.”

  Alex frowned. “I don’t dare think that optimistically. Everything was quiet for ten years between—”

  “Don’t say it.” Nick shook his head before walking over to a booth where kids were bowling for tickets.

  Alex scanned the community center’s gym for Zoey and the twins. Hopefully they were staying in their double stroller. The two-year-olds had been struggling to get out of it each time they left the house for the last week. This was not the place for them to be running around, especially given they seemed to think that running in opposite directions was a game.

  He didn’t see any of his family members in the gym. They could be in any of the other rooms, or even downstairs, where a group of clowns were performing. Alex was going to stay far from them.

  Alex walked around, giving stickers and high-fives to kids along the way. He stopped to say hi to his colleagues and neighbors, forgetting about his decorated face until someone pointed it out. He laughed and continued strolling through the building.

  The event had turned out to be a hit. More people had come out than in the previous years combined. They had already handed out most of the crime prevention tip sheets, and people were still coming in.

  When he reached the main entry, he saw his twins’ stroller. He’d know it anywhere, not only because of it being a double-size but due to a large purple paint stain they hadn’t been able to get out. Ariana said it gave it character.

  Zoey stood near the entrance with her back to the stroller, speaking with one of the women from the HOA. He was about to walk over, when someone tugged on the bottom of his jacket.

  Alex turned around to see a little girl in a tutu with sparkly paint all over her face. She pointed to his stickers and looked down.

  He kneeled. “You want to be a policewoman?”

  She nodded, barely making eye contact with him.

  He gave her a bright smile. “You would make a fine officer.”

  She beamed.

  Alex handed it to her. His heart warmed when she stared at it like it was gold.

  “Thanks!” She spun around and burst into a run.

  He chuckled as he rose to his feet and again resisted the urge to scratch his face. If it wouldn’t upset the kids, he’d go to the bathroom right then to wash the paint off. Instead, he turned back to Zoey.

  He froze in place.

  Someone was walking toward the twins’ stroller. Not only that, the woman had her hands reached out toward them.

  Everything else disappeared around him. His pulse drummed in his ears.

  None of his kids were going to be taken on his watch. Not again.

  Zoey was still busy talking with her back to th
e kids. Sandra McMillan, who was facing them, wasn’t looking their way.

  He couldn’t make out any details of the woman inching toward his children, other than she wore jeans and a red sweater. Her hair was blonde.

  And she was nearly to his kids.

  Alex bolted over and cleared his throat. “Can I help you?”

  The woman turned to him, surprise on her face. She wasn’t a woman, but a tall preteen. Her eyes lit up as she turned back to the toddlers. “Are they twins?”

  Relief ran through Alex. He almost felt stupid for the mistake, but after all the abductions he’d seen, he would rather be safe than sorry. “Yeah. Their names are Laney and Zander.”

  “So cute!” She waved to them and made a silly face, which caused Laney to laugh.

  Alex stepped closer. “She likes you.”

  The girl beamed. “I’ve always loved kids. I can’t wait to start babysitting.”

  “Have you taken the babysitting course here at the center?”

  She shook her head no.

  “Grab a flier, and after you’ve taken the class, give me a call.” He pulled out a card and handed it to her.

  “Really?”

  “Of course.” He leaned over and ruffled Zander’s hair.

  His son grabbed for him, laughing.

  He gave both kids a kiss and turned back to the preteen, but she was already over at the bulletin board, checking out the fliers.

  Alex maneuvered around the stroller and put his arm around Zoey’s waist.

  She gave him a funny expression. “That’s a nice look. You planning on making it permanent?”

  He chuckled. “I am. How’d you know?”

  “Funny. Are you going to drive Ari home? I’m going to leave soon because the twins are getting antsy.”

  Zander pulled on Laney’s hair and giggled. His sister burst in tears.

  “See what I mean?” Zoey sighed and turned back to Sandra. “It was nice talking to you, but I need to get these two home.”

  Sandra said goodbye, and Zoey glanced at Alex. “You’ll get Ari?”

  He kissed her cheek. “Yes. But I’m pretty sure she’s planning on getting a ride with Damon.”

  His wife stiffened. “Make sure he takes her straight home. I don’t like that he lives in that big house all by himself.”

  Alex nodded. “I’ll give him a talk. Again.”

  “You can’t repeat it enough.”

  “Don’t I know it?” He helped her settle the twins down and gave a sticker to Zander to play with instead of his sister’s hair.

  Alex and Zoey had been young when Ariana was born, which was why there was such an age gap between her and the twins. Alex had only been fourteen, and Zoey sixteen.

  He waved as Zoey left with the younger kids and checked the time. Things would start winding down before long, and he couldn’t wait to get home. It had been a long day at work before coming to the event.

  He glanced around for Ariana and Damon but didn’t see them. He’d be sure to mention Ariana’s curfew, though he’d already had several man-to-man talks with his daughter’s boyfriend. Damon, who was technically in foster care since both parents were dead, actually lived in his parents’ house. The property had been left to him upon his dad’s death. As long as Damon checked in regularly, his new foster parents didn’t care where he stayed—and the seventeen-year-old certainly preferred the house he grew up in.

  Not that Alex blamed him. He’d feel the same way in Damon’s shoes—he’d even helped the kid make sure the security system was updated and had worked on a few things around the house. But as Ariana’s dad, he made it clear they weren’t to be there alone.

  Alex headed back to the gym, but they weren’t there, either. He went down the hall to a dance studio now filled with shrieking kids playing a game that looked like a cross between tag and interpretive dancing.

  No way was he going downstairs where the clowns were. He pulled out his phone and sent Ari a quick text asking where she was.

  “Excuse me,” came a feminine voice from behind.

  He turned around.

  “Are you Alex Mercer?” The woman had curly red hair and icy blue eyes.

  “Yes. Is everything okay?”

  “I don’t know, but I was told to give this to you.” She shoved an envelope in his hands. “I don’t know who it’s from. Sorry.”

  She bolted out of sight.

  Alex called out to her, but she was already gone.

  An envelope from an unknown person. Nothing good could come from this. And it was already in his hands.

  He tucked it under his arm to pull on a pair of gloves. Then he slipped out the back door. After stepping away from the building, he opened the seal. There was still enough natural light to see the paper inside.

  His breath hitched as he pulled it out. Nothing else fell out. There was no powder or anything else suspicious.

  Just a folded notebook page with his name on it.

  The message inside took his breath away.

  Our daughter has been kidnapped. They’re demanding a ransom and said we can’t involve the police. We’re asking for your help as a missing persons blogger. Help us!

  The only identifying information was a local phone number. No names or anything else.

  Alex stared at the paper shaking in his hand.

  After a year of no abductions, the ring was back.

  Chapter 3

  Alex followed the long, narrow driveway and double-checked the GPS. They were on the right path. It was just a long one.

  He glanced at Anderson. “You think they’ll talk to both of us?”

  Anderson drew in a deep breath. “They don’t have much choice if they want to find their daughter. Our plain clothes should offer some comfort. You didn’t get more information from them over the phone?”

  “No. She said it was a burner phone, but she didn’t trust that it was safe.” Alex tapped the brakes as the gravel road suddenly turned steep and twisty.

  When they finally made it to the bottom, Alex parked in front of a large home and cut the engine.

  Anderson pulled out his phone and looked at the screen. “The girl never showed up last night?”

  “No. The parents didn’t realize she’d missed curfew because they’d already gone to bed. But when they discovered her missing, they found the ransom note taped to the front door. They found one of her shoes on the driveway.” Alex’s stomach knotted, knowing too well what it felt like to have a missing child.

  “She was taken from home, or it was made to look that way.”

  “Right.” Alex climbed out of his sedan and slammed the door.

  Anderson met him on the other side. “They won’t be happy, but we’re going to have to have a team scour the woods for more clues.”

  Alex nodded. “We have to be careful not to tip off the abductors. They’ve threatened the girl’s death should we get involved.”

  In years past, Alex would’ve preferred to work rogue in order to keep the criminals happy. Now he wouldn’t consider any such thing.

  As soon as they reached the front door, it opened before they had a chance to ring the bell.

  A woman with disheveled silvery-brown hair answered. “Alex Mercer?”

  He nodded. “Yes. And this is my partner Detective Anderson.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “I thought you’d be working alone.”

  “No. I apologize for the confusion, but we have to do this by the books.”

  “I told you—they can’t know I’ve involved the police!”

  “They won’t,” he assured her. “We drove here in my personal car, and as you can see, we’re not in uniform. Can we come inside?”

  She looked back and forth between them, her brows furrowing.

  “Let them in, Trina,” called a male voice behind her.

  She hesitated, then stepped back, opening the door to give them room.

  Alex and his partner thanked her as they entered.

  A slightly balding
man waved them over to the living room. “Will you be able to help us?”

  “I’ll do everything in my power,” Alex promised.

  Anderson arched a brow, giving a silent warning not to get too involved.

  It was widely known that Alex took abduction cases personally, and Anderson knew that better than most. He’d been on the case when Alex’s sister had been taken as a teenager, and he’d been there when Ari had been kidnapped. Not to mention all of the other cases since then due to the criminal ring in the area, which now appeared to be back.

  The two detectives sat on the couch and introduced themselves further to Trina and Louis. They declined the coffee offered them and got down to business.

  “Do you have the ransom note?” Anderson asked.

  Louis nodded. “Yes, but I already emailed everything Detective Mercer asked for.”

  “Good. We have officers going through all of that as we speak.” Anderson readjusted his position on the couch. “But I’d like to see the actual note.”

  The husband and wife exchanged a glance before Louis got up and left the room.

  Trina twisted her sleeve tightly, tears welling in her eyes. “What are we supposed to do? Send the money? Wait for you guys to do a sting operation?”

  Alex cleared his throat. “Probably a bit of both. We may have you speak with them if they contact you. But you’re not to drop off any money personally. You need to let us handle that.”

  She nodded and wiped her eyes. “Do you think my baby is still alive?”

  Alex’s stomach knotted. It was growing close to twenty-four hours, which meant their chances were waning by the moment. If only they’d contacted him sooner. “If what they really want is money, then I’m sure she is.”

  Louis returned and held out a folded paper.

  Anderson slid on some gloves before taking it.

  “Our prints are all over that.” Trina gasped. “Should we have not touched it?”

  “It’s fine,” Alex reassured her. “Forensics will keep that in mind while looking for the suspects’ prints.”

  She rocked back and forth. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

  A teenage boy with green hair covering his eyes entered. He leaned against the wall but didn’t say anything.