Lies Never Sleep

by Stacy Claflin

  Brielle blinked back tears. “I hate seeing him like this. It’s not like Atlas at all.”

  Topaz put her arm around Brielle. “How do we find him?”

  “Did he leave any clues in the video?” Scarlet asked. “Maybe he said something in code. That’s just the nerdy kind of thing he’d do.”

  Violet sniffled and half-smiled. “You know, you may be right.”

  “The girlfriend part?” Topaz asked. “He said something about a girlfriend, but he doesn’t have one.”

  Brielle exchanged a look with the twins.

  “What?” Topaz demanded. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  Violet glanced at Topaz then Brielle. “Is she too young?”

  “I’m almost fifteen!” Topaz scowled. “You guys act like I’m still a kid.”

  Brielle nodded. “You’re right. We think he’s been hooking up with a teacher.”

  Topaz blinked several times. “A teacher?”

  “I knew she was too young,” Violet said.

  “I’m not.” Topaz leaned closer to Violet. “I just never pictured your computer-geek brother going after a cougar. That’s all. Did you?”

  Violet and Scarlet both shook their heads.

  “Did you notice he said her name?” Brielle asked.

  “Mrs. Johnston?” Violet asked.

  “No. He said he wants to take everyone to the savanna. Her first name is Savannah!”

  Violet wrinkled her forehead. “Why would he use her as the code?”

  “That part’s probably a code to her,” Brielle said. “He named the rest of us, then said ‘my girlfriend’ but didn’t name her. Then he said he wanted to take everyone to the savanna.”

  “So, what are we going to do?” Scarlet asked. “Beyond handing out the fliers. Everyone already knows they’re missing.”

  “I know that,” Brielle snapped. “The whole reason I made those was to go over to Layne’s and get her to confess. Didn’t work, so I had to print them off and bring her to Emmett’s house.”

  Violet flipped her hair back. “Then I got her to admit it. Watch her act like that never happened once we get to school.”

  Brielle held up her phone. “I’ve got the evidence right here.”

  Violet’s eyes widened. “You recorded it?”

  “Not the video. I kept it in my purse, so all you can see is dark. But the voices are clear as day.”

  Violet grinned. “Good. Now everyone will know the truth.”

  Brielle glanced at the time. “We’d better finish getting ready for school. You guys tell your parents about the video. They’re going to want to see it. And I’ll let Emmett’s parents know, even though he’s not on it. Since Atlas is alive, it only stands to reason Emmett must be, too.”

  Violet’s expression fell. “I sure hope so. I’ll do anything to find them.”

  “Same here.” Brielle stuffed her phone in her pocket. “Let’s ask around at school to see if anyone picked out any clues. Maybe one of Atlas’s computer friends can find something.”

  Scarlet frowned. “Let’s hope.”

  25

  Zion Powell

  * * *

  The pounding in his head woke Zion. He sat up and squinted in the bright morning light.

  No, it wasn’t his headache that had woken him. It was the front door.

  “What’s going on?” Rowena mumbled.

  “Someone’s at the door. I’ll get it.” He flung aside the covers, pulled on some sweats, and grabbed his revolver from his sock drawer—just in case it was Ellen.

  Ding-dong!

  Knock, knock, knock!

  “I’m coming!” Zion stuffed the gun into his pocket and opened the door. “Brielle?”

  “Did I wake you?”

  He rubbed his eyes. “It was kind of a late night. Shouldn’t you be in school?”

  “That’s where I’m headed, but there’s something I thought you should know first.”

  “Worse than the debacle with Layne and Violet last night?”

  “That was Layne’s fault, to be fair. She was lying to all of us.”

  Zion pressed on his temples. “What do you need to tell us?”

  She frowned. “There’s a video going around.”

  “Okay?”

  “It’s of Atlas.”

  Zion flinched. “You mean since the boys disappeared?”

  She nodded.

  “What’s on the video?”

  “Basically, Atlas is begging for his life.”

  “What about Emmett?”

  “Atlas says they’re not together.”

  Zion leaned against the doorframe, his headache intensifying. “Is Emmett alive?”

  “It sounds like it.”

  He stared at her. “It sounds like it?”

  “You’ll have to watch the video. The twins and I think there might be a hidden message in what Atlas is saying, but we haven’t figured out what. Maybe you and Mrs. Powell can figure it out.”

  “Let me see the video.”

  She glanced at her fitness watch. “I have to go, or I’m going to be late. Just check any social media. Like I said, it’s everywhere.”

  Zion shook his head and stood taller. “You can’t come over here and tell me that, only to not show me the video.”

  “But I’m going to be late for school.”

  “I don’t care! Show me the video.” He waved for her to come inside, then called for Rowena to come downstairs.

  Rowena stumbled down the stairs in skimpy pajamas. “Brielle, what are you doing here?”

  “She has a video to show us.”

  “Really, you can find it anywhere online.”

  “What’s the video?” Rowena grabbed a hoodie from the coat rack and pulled it on, zipping it up.

  “Someone taped Atlas.”

  “Nobody says taped anymore, Mr. Powell.”

  He ignored the dig.

  Rowena turned to Brielle. “They recorded him since the boys disappeared?”

  Brielle nodded.

  “What about Emmett?”

  “Why don’t we just watch the video?”

  She gasped. “It’s that bad?”

  “Emmett’s not on it, Mrs. Powell.”

  “Let’s just see it.” Zion sat on the couch.

  Rowena sat next to him. Brielle sat on the other side of her and slid her fingers all over the phone’s screen until she came to the video. She pressed play, and they all watched it in silence.

  Zion could barely breathe.

  “Is there a video with Emmett?” Rowena asked.

  Brielle shook her head. “Not yet, anyway. Who knows if another one will be released?”

  “There isn’t anything else? No ransom? No demands?”

  “This is it.” Brielle started to put the phone away.

  “Play it again,” Rowena said.

  “I have to go to school.”

  “Play it again.”

  Brielle sighed, then brought up the video.

  This time, Zion paid more attention to the image itself. He looked for anything in the background, but all he could see was darkness. If Emmett was there—despite what Atlas said—it was impossible to tell.

  The video ended and Brielle held the phone close to her. “Can I go now? Honestly, you can find it anywhere online. It’s literally gone viral. People are sharing it everywhere.”

  Rowena nodded. “Thanks for showing us.”

  Brielle jumped from the couch. “The twins and I are looking into it, trying to find hidden messages.”

  “If anyone can decode Emmet and Atlas, it’d be you.”

  “I’ll let you know if I hear anything.” Brielle scurried out of the room.

  Rowena leaned her head against Zion. “Do you think Emmett’s okay?”

  He frowned. “We have to hope. Atlas seemed to think so.”

  “I hope they release a video of him.”

  “Maybe they will.” Zion rose. “But for now, I’m going upstairs.”

  She arched a b
row. “To do what?”

  “Look through Emmett’s room. Maybe there’s a clue in there.”

  “You’re not going to your office to do voodoo?”

  They stared at each other before he finally spoke. “I just told you, I’m going to Emmett’s room. If you don’t believe me, then follow me.”

  Zion marched toward the stairs, listening for her footsteps but didn’t hear any. He paused at the doorway of Emmett’s room. They hadn’t touched anything since he’d disappeared. Clothes, papers, books, and an array of other things lay strewn across the floor. A costume for his current play was sprawled across his unmade bed. A sweatshirt even hung from the top of the blinds.

  He and Rowena had been on Emmett to clean the mess for a long time, but their son always had more pressing matters, like a test or performance.

  Zion stepped inside, barely avoiding a pile of spilled comic books. Emmett said they were collectible, yet he left them there. Zion took a deep breath. Still so easy to be critical, even when the boy was missing. Was that normal, or was he a jerk?

  He maneuvered around other things over the floor, stopping at the desk. He shoved a pair of gaming headphones off the chair and sat. Guilt stung for what he was about to do, but this might help save Emmett.

  Zion pulled out the top drawer and rifled through it, not finding anything helpful. Just pencils, erasers, a calculator, and some random knickknacks. He moved to the top side drawer and looked through those contents. More typical items. Once he started digging through the next drawer, he froze.

  A prescription bottle. Emmett wasn’t on any prescriptions. The kid was about as healthy as they came, only ever going to the doctor for required wellness checks. Was he taking something illegal? Buying someone else’s prescriptions?

  Zion’s pulse pounded in his ear, making it hard to think. What was he about to find out about his son? Part of him wanted to close the drawer and walk away, keeping the clean image of Emmett that he’d always held.

  But this could help him. Possibly lead to bringing him back home.

  Hands shaking, he reached for the little orange bottle lying on its side, label facing down. He turned and picked it up and turned the bottle slowly.

  It was written out to Emmett. The prescription was his. For what? Zion couldn’t remember the last time he’d gone to the doctor. No, that wasn’t true. It had been right before the school year started for a checkup. There had been nothing unusual then.

  He examined the bottle, trying to fill in the gaps. It had a few refills, meaning it was a long-term prescription. For what? When had he been prescribed?

  Zion pulled out his phone and searched the drug name. Without clicking on any of the millions of links listed, he could see that it was an antidepressant.

  For Emmett? The happy-go-lucky kid who was always joking? It made no sense. He was good-looking and popular. Happy. From a good home. Unlike so many of his friends, Emmett’s parents were happily married and could provide him with whatever he wanted. The kid had girls fighting over him—literally.

  Why the hell did he have antidepressants prescribed to his name?

  Zion poured several of the pills into the cap and checked online to see if they were a match. To see if the label was a distraction from the real product.

  They were a match. The pills in the bottle looked exactly like the ones pictured on the websites he checked.

  How was that possible?

  Zion quickly searched the prescribing physician. A legitimate doctor near the school grounds.

  “What’s going on? You look furious.”

  He turned to Rowena, who stood in the doorway. “Our son is on antidepressants.”

  “What?” She stepped inside, stumbling over the collectible comics. “Are you sure?”

  Zion returned the pills to the bottle and handed it to her.

  She studied the bottle, then looked at him. “Did you know about this?”

  “No clue. I’m as shocked as you are. He’s always been so upbeat.”

  “How did he get this without either of us giving approval?” She squeezed the bottle.

  “Don’t you remember? Ever since he’s been thirteen, the doctor has been asking Emmett’s permission for us to go in the exam room with him.”

  Rowena frowned then sat on the bed and stared at the bottle. “I had no idea he was depressed. Why wouldn’t he have spoken with us?”

  “When did we ever talk to our parents in high school?”

  “I suppose you’re right.”

  Zion tried to think of anything that would explain this. Then a thought struck him. “What if he was being bullied?”

  “Emmett? But everyone loves him.”

  “Kids are cruel.” Zion thought back to his own teen years. Kids had picked on him relentlessly because of his Jamaican accent and dreads. The hair had been easy enough to change, but the way he spoke and thought had been a different story because they were a part of him.

  Rowena frowned. “Could it be racial? That stuff never seems to go away completely.”

  Zion nodded. “That’s true. I don’t think about it much anymore, but it still affects my job from time to time. Remember that guy who refused to let me represent him once he laid eyes on me?”

  She nodded. “I never thought about Emmett being affected because his friends have never cared, but I’m sure there are kids at school who make an issue of it.”

  “I wish he’d have talked to us.” Zion took a deep breath.

  “Maybe he didn’t realize that we could understand.”

  “Maybe.” He paused. “Let me see that bottle.”

  Rowena handed it to him and threw him a curious glance. “What are you thinking?”

  “That the doctor might tell us what’s going on.”

  She shook her head. “You know more about patient-client confidentiality than I do. He can’t tell us anything.”

  “But Emmett’s missing. That’s more important.”

  “Couldn’t he lose his job for saying anything?” Rowena asked.

  “If he has even an iota of a conscience, he should be willing to tell us what has been going on with our son if it could save his life.”

  “It’s worth a try.”

  “If it doesn’t work, I’ll go for a court order. That could take some time, which is why I want to speak with the doctor first.”

  “Right now?”

  Zion nodded.

  “Let me get ready real quick, and I’ll go with you.”

  “Sure.” Not that there was ever anything quick about Rowena getting ready, but Zion also needed to get ready and figure out what he was going to say to the doctor. Getting the doctor to agree would all be in how he asked. And with Emmett missing for three days now, hopefully the physician would be more than happy to help.

  Then he needed to do the most important thing of all. He double-checked that Rowena was busy, then he headed to the office to send out good luck for everything regarding Emmett and bad luck to Ellen. He picked up one of his voodoo dolls and closed his eyes.

  If it all worked out, then Rowena would finally understand. He hoped.

  26

  Lila James

  * * *

  “Are you sure you don’t want to go home?” Worry ran through Lila as she stared at Morgan’s bandaged arm. She squeezed the steering wheel.

  “I can’t sit at home doing nothing for the next week, or however long it takes for this to stop hurting.”

  “You need your rest, Morgan. You were shot.”

  “The bullet grazed me. I only needed stitches. It’s not like it penetrated a major organ. I’ll be fine.”

  She frowned. “If you’re sure. I can go to the school myself and talk to Ms. Johnston.”

  “I’m going.”

  “Okay.” She started the ignition and pulled out of the parking spot. “What are we going to say to her? Ask her if she’s in a relationship with our son?”

  “If she won’t admit to it on her own, then yes.”

  “Do you real
ly think this will help us find him?” Lila turned onto the main road.

  “She could be behind Atlas’s disappearance! If he tried to break it off or threatened to expose her, she might’ve done anything to save her job. Once exposed as a child predator, she’d never be able to work with kids again.”

  Lila sighed. “I just keep thinking there has to be another explanation. Atlas just isn’t the type to do something like that.”

  “He’s not your baby boy anymore, Lila. I can’t think of a boy that age who wouldn’t turn down a relationship with a teacher like her. That would be instant popularity among the boys.”

  “Atlas isn’t like that,” she insisted.

  Morgan didn’t respond.

  Lila thought about the girls Atlas had introduced them to. He’d never introduced any of them as a girlfriend, but Lila had suspected a few were. Most of them were younger than him, not older—and certainly not a teacher.

  She pulled into the school’s parking lot and found a spot near the back. Neither she nor Morgan got out of the car.

  “What are you thinking about?” she asked.

  Morgan rubbed his bandage. “Trying to figure out the best way to approach this. We could either ask her straight out, and possibly shock her into admitting it. Or—”

  “But you’ve already questioned her about it. She’s going to see you coming and know exactly what this is about.”

  “She doesn’t know you. You could walk up to her and demand the truth.”

  “That’s one possibility. Another is that we could ask Atlas’s friends and see what they’re willing to tell us. If any of them know, we have proof. She can’t deny it.”

  “We can try that, but none of the kids I talked to said anything about it.”

  “Did you ask them directly?”

  Morgan shook his head no. “I asked if they knew anything. Nobody mentioned it.”

  “They might not have thought it was relevant.”

  “We’d better get inside and start asking around. It’s Friday, so it’s our last chance to find the kids congregated in one place until Monday.”

  Lila shuddered. Monday felt so far away, especially with the thought of Atlas being gone the entire time. So much could go wrong, especially if they couldn’t find him. The fact that the video had been uploaded showed that someone wanted them to come and try to get him. But where was he? And if they figured it out, then what? Would someone demand a ransom? They didn’t have much in savings. What money they did have went to pay for all of their nice things.