Girl in Trouble

by Stacy Claflin

  Knock, knock.

  "Come in."

  Macy came in, followed by the tabby. She gave him a sad smile. "How are you holding up?"

  Alex groaned. "I don't know how Mom and Dad lived like this for so long."

  She sat on his bed. "Ari's a fighter. I'm sure she's going to be back soon."

  "I hope so." He rubbed his eyes. "Come look at this. These girls who went missing around the state every single year like clockwork—they look just like her."

  Macy came over to the desk and studied the pictures. "Are the police looking into it?"

  Clementine jumped onto Alex's lap and purred as he curled up. Alex scratched the cat's head and looked at Macy. "Maybe someone in the FBI is looking into it?"

  "It seems pretty obvious to me." She glanced at him. "And you look exhausted. Do you want me to do this while you sleep?"

  Alex opened his mouth to protest, but stopped himself. "You don't mind?"

  "Not at all. I want my niece back as much as you do. I've been contacting reporters and news blogs all day, getting the word out."

  "You have?"

  Macy nodded. "They seem to like the angle that I was kidnapped, too. It sensationalizes it, so they want to interview me for the ratings."

  "Of course they do." Alex clenched his fists. "Jerks."

  She put her hand on his shoulder. "Whatever it takes to help find Ari. It's getting her story and picture out to more people."

  "I guess. Doesn't mean I have to like it. They're so slimy."

  "We'll use it to our advantage. Get some sleep." She shoved him out of the chair and sat.

  "These are my notes." Alex clicked over to an open Word document that filled several pages already. "And these are the sites I'm looking at." He clicked over to the open browser that had about thirty tiny tabs at the top.

  "You're nothing if not thorough." She clicked on a few of the tabs. "Let's see what a fresh set of eyes can find while you sleep."

  "Oh, and this is what Fleshman gave me." He gestured to the unfolded paper, set Clementine on the floor, and climbed into bed, his eyes already closing. He barely had time to pull the blankets over him before falling asleep.

  When he woke, he felt more rested than he had since Ariana had been taken. He stretched and sat up. Macy still sat at the computer. From the sounds of it, she was typing furiously.

  "What's going on?" Alex asked, his voice groggy.

  She turned around. "Zoey called. They're having a press conference a little later if you want to go."

  His heart sank. "Right, because I'm so popular."

  Macy frowned. "Then show them they're wrong."

  He shook his head. "It's not worth it. I don't care what people think. My time is better spent trying to find the kidnapper."

  "Oh, that reminds me." She held up his phone. "Your phone rang several times, and Fleshman called."

  Alex threw the blankets off him and jumped out of the bed. "What did he say?"

  "He wanted to talk to you, not me."

  "Did he say anything?" Alex leaped across the room and grabbed the phone from his sister's hand.

  "Just to let you sleep."

  "This is more important." He called Fleshman back. "This is Alex. What did you find?"

  "I interviewed the guy you punched and he has an airtight alibi, Alex. It wasn't him."

  Alex swore. "Did you look into his story?"

  "Yes. Many of his coworkers confirmed his story. He was nowhere near the Ball Palace at the time of the abduction. He was giving a presentation at that time in front of about fifty people."

  "He's lying. Maybe he bribed them."

  "We've got time-stamped pictures and video showing he was there. I'm sorry, Alex."

  "It was him! I saw him. I'd bet my life on it."

  "I believe you, but it had to have been someone who looked like him."

  "Just like him?" Alex snapped.

  "I've seen stranger things than that in this job."

  "Did you go to his house?" Alex demanded.

  "Yes. There was nothing suspicious. I can tell when people are lying, and he wasn't."

  "Did you look for trap doors? People like that will hide a door underneath a rug, you know. You could have been interviewing him just feet away from Ari. She could've heard the whole thing."

  "Look, Alex." Fleshman's voice lowered. "Everyone else has written him off, but I want to keep an eye on him."

  "What does that mean?"

  "Exactly what I said, but in the meantime, we need to focus on other leads."

  "Like what? Why don't you want anyone to know?"

  "I need you to focus on the other thing. Have you found anything yet?"

  "They seem connected, but I don't know that's going to help us find Ari."

  "Are you going to the press conference?"

  "No."

  "It would be a good chance to talk to the perpetrator. Chances are whoever did this will watch. You can appeal to his—"

  "It's a media stunt. Let Zoey and her parents plead. If I make one wrong move, everyone's just going to jump all over it. People already blame me—why set myself up for more?"

  Macy turned to him. "The press conference?"

  Alex nodded.

  "I'll go."

  "Macy will do it."

  "That's actually a good idea," Fleshman said. "Everyone will be thrilled to see her again, and she's the face of hope in these situations."

  "And she's not me," Alex muttered.

  "I wouldn't rule out some kind of statement. Does she know the information—time and place? Everyone needs to be there early."

  "Hold on." He handed the phone to his sister, grabbed his laptop, and sat on his bed. He read over the new notes Macy had added to his list. The cases had to be related. How could they not? The girls all looked nearly the same, were taken around the same time every year, and found dead right after Halloween. It was entirely too much to be a coincidence.

  The alert for a new social media notification sounded. Why hadn't he turned those off yet? He went over to the tab to fix that. Just as he did, he saw the preview of the message received.

  His blood ran cold.

  Threat

  The alert notification had shown the first line of the message: Leave innocent people alone or you'll be sorry.

  Alex clicked it to read the entire thing. The message was sent by someone with a picture of a dog named John Doe. The full message read: Leave innocent people alone or you'll be sorry. Don't hit and expect to not be hit back. Like your job? Then let the cops do their job and stay out of it! This is your only warning. And don't be stupid enough to show this to them. I'll know.

  Alex took several deep breaths and read it over three times, trying to believe someone had actually dared to threaten him.

  Who knew about him hitting the kidnapper? As far as he knew, the story hadn't been told on social media. The cops knew, the people who had been at the store, and of course the abductor. No one else should've known.

  He tried to study the profile, but everything was private. He could only see the nondescript, blurry profile photo.

  Fury tore through him. How dare someone threaten him? And hiding behind a fake name, no less. What a coward.

  Alex clicked reply and typed furiously, telling the loser off. Once finished, he read over the message that was so ugly it would've made the ex-marine he worked with blush.

  "Are you okay?" Macy's voice broke through his thoughts.

  He erased the message, closed the tab, and nodded at his sister. "As much as could be expected."

  She squeezed his shoulder. "Sure you don't want to go to the press conference?"

  Alex shook his head. In his mood, he'd only say something he was sure to later regret. "You'd have a better chance at getting through to the kidnapper. Is Fleshman right about the kidnapper? You think he'll be watching?"

  "It wouldn't surprise me. If he's anything like Chester, he's so full of himself, he'll have a hard time not watching anything to do with him. Even if
he doesn't watch live, he'll find replays."

  "Thanks, Macy."

  "Anything for you and Ari. I should get going, though. Fleshman says everyone needs to be there early to get briefed."

  "Do you think we're going to find her?" Alex stared at a smiling photo of Ariana that popped up on his news feed.

  "If I have anything to say about it, we will. Keep digging into those old abductions. It looks like you're onto something."

  "I sure hope so."

  She gave him a quick hug and left the room.

  He closed out all the social media tabs. He didn't need the distraction—especially not messages from trolls. That had to be what it was. Just some idiot trying to get a reaction out of him. He wouldn't give in and respond.

  Like Macy had said, his time would be better spent continuing to look at the other cases. But if the cops hadn't been able to find the guy, what made Alex think he could find anything useful?

  He scanned over the notes and then read over several articles, hyper-focused on finding a clue that had been overlooked by everyone. He studied the maps surrounding each lake. There had to be something.

  His eyes grew blurry, but then he saw it. He sat up straight and switched back and forth between the tabs.

  That was it. He'd found the connection. A connection, at least.

  Each of the lakes had a small island—if they could even be called that. A small chunk of land, each big enough to have some kind of plant life, sat on each lake where the Halloween girls had been drowned. That had to be more than a coincidence—and enough to get the FBI to pay attention to the cases.

  Alex looked around for his phone. Macy had left it on his desk. He moved his laptop and scrambled over there, calling Fleshman as fast as he could.

  "Change your mind, Alex?"

  "No, I found something."

  "What?"

  "A connection between the other cases."

  "What is it?"

  Practically out of breath and stumbling over his words, Alex told him about the lakes.

  "Hmm," was all Fleshman said.

  "That's it?" Alex exclaimed. "This is huge. We can get the rest of your department on board with this. They'll—"

  "It's not enough, Alex. We need a bigger connection—like someone who lived by each one at the time of the murders. Something like this is like saying they all happened on a cul-de-sac. It might be helpful, but we can't change the direction of the case because of it."

  "This is something. It's a start. We have to tell them."

  Fleshman didn't respond.

  "I'm going to keep looking. I'll find more."

  "Good idea. I'll give you a call after the press conference."

  "Okay." Alex ended the call, deflated that Fleshman hadn't been nearly as excited about the new information as he was. They were definitely on to something. Maybe he just had to work a little harder to prove it to him.

  His phone buzzed. Alex glanced at the screen—a text from his boss.

  Just what he needed.

  Call me.

  Probably better to get it over with before he forgot all about it. He called.

  "You coming in Monday?" Darren greeted him.

  "Have you seen the news? My daughter was kidnapped."

  "See, I thought that was someone else because in all the time you've worked here, you never mentioned a kid."

  Alex bit back vehement retort. "I gave her up for adoption. Doesn't mean I don't care."

  "Whatever. Just get back here Monday."

  "I have two weeks of sick days built up, plus vacation time."

  "You can't use the vacation time—not without a month's notice. And you don't sound sick to me. We have that big project next week, and you know how important that is. I need you for this job."

  Alex swore. "My daughter is missing!"

  "And we have a mansion to re-roof."

  Was Darren for real? Or maybe Alex had been too much of a pushover, taking every opportunity for overtime given to him.

  "You there?"

  "Yes," Alex snapped.

  "Will I see you Monday?"

  "You can count on that." Alex ended the call. He'd either show up and have it out with Darren, or maybe bring Fleshman or a lawyer with him. Darren couldn't threaten to fire him for missing work because of this. It wasn't just heartless, it had to be illegal.

  He hoped.

  Hungry

  Ariana's stomach rumbled. The house had been quiet since Lloyd had left. She'd had more than enough time to search every little part of the room. He'd sealed it tight. There wasn't even a piece of loose molding.

  She went back to the window and stared at the woods. It was dark outside, but she hadn't turned on the light in the room. With no curtain or blind, she felt like someone could watch her from out there. There were so many places to hide out in those thick woods and she already felt so vulnerable.

  The moon cast a light glow on everything and the branches rustled. Normally, she'd have loved the spookiness of everything, especially so close to Halloween, but all she wanted was to go home. To be safe and secure, able to hug all of her loved ones.

  She couldn't help wondering what they were doing right then.

  A noise startled her. It took Ariana a moment to realize it was the sounds of gravel crunching under tires.

  Was Lloyd finally back? She was so hungry by now that she was actually excited for his arrival. If his mood had improved, maybe she could even talk him into a trip to the backyard.

  Her stomach roared as she hoped for something to eat. He had been gone so long, maybe he was bringing takeout. She didn't think she could handle waiting as a meal cooked.

  Maybe Jan had liked fast food. Lloyd really seemed to want to make her happy.

  The thought of a greasy burger and fries made Ari's mouth water.

  Lloyd pulled the sedan up to the house, but didn't get out right away. She strained to see what he was doing, but couldn't see into the car from her angle.

  Didn't he know how hungry she was?

  Ariana grew tired of waiting and went over to the bed. She stumbled over her own feet, feeling faint. Her stomach continued growling.

  It had been so hard staying in the ugly room all day, knowing food was just on the other side of the door. So close, but so far away. She'd tried pulling and twisting on the doorknob, hoping to loosen the lock somehow, but had given up. The thought of breaking down the door had crossed her mind, too, but there was nothing in the room hard enough—just stuffed animals, dolls, posters, and paperback books.

  She sighed and closed her eyes.

  A car door slammed outside. Ariana didn't bother getting her hopes up. Not until Lloyd said the food was ready.

  The house remained quiet for a while—it felt like days—until she finally heard something outside the room. It sounded like he was rummaging through something in the kitchen.

  She moaned and then her stomach rumbled again.

  More noises sounded from the kitchen. Pots and pans banged around. Water ran. A fan sounded. Dishes clanged against each other. Silverware rattled.

  All familiar noises, but none of it brought any comfort.

  Tears blurred her vision of what little she could see in the room from the moonlight. She tried to blink them back, but they spilled out and rolled down her face, pooling in her ears. Ariana sniffled and sobbed silently.

  She thought about her parents—all of them—and her friends. Would she ever get to see them again? Or would Lloyd be the only person she saw anymore? What if he was the last person she ever saw?

  Ariana rolled over and muffled her sobs into the pillow. She couldn't let that happen.

  The lock clicked.

  She sat up and wiped the tears from her face.

  The door opened. The smell of garlic bread and spaghetti sauce filled the air.

  "Are you sleeping?" Lloyd asked.

  The light came on, blinding Ariana for a moment. She covered her eyes. When she lowered her arms, she met his gaze.

  "Y
ou've been crying? What's the matter?" He rushed over to her, putting an arm around her and and pulling her close.

  Ariana could hear his rapid heartbeat against his chest.

  "Talk to your brother. Are you upset because I was gone so long?" He ran his palm over her hair, over and over again.

  She needed to get into character. "Yeah. Where were you?"

  He cleared his throat. "I had some business to take care of, but I'm back now. Are you hungry?"

  "Starving."

  "Let's get you cleaned up and eat."

  Her stomach growled.

  "Come on." He helped her off the bed and led her down the hall, into the bathroom.

  Suddenly, she realized how badly she had to go. "Can I have some privacy?"

  "Do you have to pee?"

  Ariana glanced to the floor and nodded, silently pleading with him to let her go alone.

  "I'll be right out here." He closed the door. "Don't lock it."

  At least it was closed. "Okay." She opened the lid and sat. As she went, she studied the bathroom again, hoping to see something she'd missed. There wasn't even a vent. Only the door.

  She flushed and then turned on the water to wash her hands. The door opened and Lloyd came in. "You'll feel better after we eat. I made spaghetti."

  Ariana tried to force a smile, but her mouth wouldn't cooperate.

  He opened a drawer and pulled out a hairbrush. While she washed her hands, he ran the brush through her hair.

  "You're perfect, you know that?"

  She washed her hands harder.

  "Just like you always were."

  What was she supposed to say to that?

  He put away the brush and handed her a towel. "Let's eat. I think the meatballs are done sautéing."

  Ariana followed him into the kitchen.

  He pointed to a salad bowl. "Mix that while I check the meatballs."

  Without a word, she did as she was told. It had strange purple leaves mixed in with the dark green ones. It also had radishes, celery, and other things she'd never seen in a salad.

  He carried the hot food over to the table, so she brought over the salad.

  "Have a seat."

  Ariana sat in the one she had at breakfast. Lloyd dished them both food and poured her some milk. She ate so quickly, she could barely taste the food and she burned the roof of her mouth, but she didn't care. There was no telling when she would eat next and she was already so hungry.