by W. J. May
Mom’s cell phone was pressed to her shoulder to try to mute the mike. “You haven’t heard from Brent lately, have you? His mother’s on the phone right now and apparently he hasn’t come home.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Brent
I shifted, trying to shake the sluggish, heavy feeling inside my head. What the hell had happened? The last thing I remembered was waiting in the car for Zoe to come out and seeing the gray car and driving after it. Then… nothing.
I tried to sit and panicked when I realized I was strapped down to a table. I screamed, but it was muffled by duct tape covering my mouth. Thrashing was useless.
“Relax, Brent,” someone said.
The voice sounded vaguely familiar but I couldn’t place it anywhere. It was feminine. One of my mom’s friends?
“The more you struggle the more your blood will flow and I can’t have any of that precious liquid wasted, can I?” The woman moved into view with a piece of gauze.
Pain zinged through my arm as I tried to move. I glanced down at the needle and back at the woman, my blurry vision clearing. I stopped thrashing when I recognized who she was. Eleanor, Dr. Landers’ nurse. She pressed the gauze to a small cut on the inside of my other elbow. A needle prick, I realized. I started struggling again.
“You’re not going to get free,” Eleanor tutted. “I’m very good at tying knots.” She smiled at me, a weird gleam in her eyes. “It’s just my luck, you know? That you have O-negative blood. Do you know what that means?”
It meant I was compatible with every type of blood type out there. It was very valuable at blood drives. It also meant that the radium halos in my blood could be transferred to anyone in the world. Shit!
“You know, Brent?” Eleanor smiled and stuck a syringe into the muscle on my bicep. “When I realized the five of you had radium halos in your blood, I was ecstatic. At first I only thought it was Zoe. Then I knew the rest of you had it, and Kieran too. He fooled me.” She tutted again. “He switched his blood or knew how to hide the result from Dr. Landers.” She shook her head. “I promise I won’t go easy on him. I know how you all feel about him.”
She glanced at the bag of blood hanging beside me. “One full, and another already on the way. The needle here will help you relax.” She rubbed her hands together.
“You won’t get away with this.” The drug she’d just pumped into me confused my thoughts and made it hard to focus. I tried to use my hands to see instead.
She tilted her head as if listening to something. “I have a secret to share with you.” She leaned down close to my ear. “It just so happens Rylee has the same blood type as me.” She squealed and I jerked my head away from the noise. “When Dr. Landers started going down to his basement lab I knew something was up. I snuck in and checked his files, copied them and googled what I didn’t know.”
“You bitch!”
“I tried to get Rylee to get in the car with me,” she continued, ignoring me. “But the little snot wouldn’t listen. I only meant to tap her with the car to knock her out. The stupid snow!” She hit her head with the heel of her hand. “Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!” She dropped her hand and sent a nut-job smile my way. “Since I wasn’t able to kidnap her, I did the next best thing. Then it only took a couple of paltry bribes to see the body before it was embalmed to get what I needed. Now, many experiments later, I have a new pair of eyes.” She fluttered her eyelashes. “I can see everything, Brent! Rylee made me special.”
I thrashed, trying to break free and knowing it was futile.
She ran a finger down the side of my face. “You, handsome, are going to give me another strength, and then you’re going to make me rich.” She picked up a syringe and pressed the plunger all the way down before sticking it into my arm and drawing blood into a vial. There were another twenty or so vials lined up on the table beside her.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Zoe
“I can’t find him anywhere!” I’d called Seth and Heidi immediately and went out to meet with them. I left a message with my dad as well. “Have you guys found anything?”
“His car,” Heidi said. “It was in a ditch outside of town. Judging by the marks on the road, he swerved to avoid something.”
“Another freakin’ trap,” Seth growled. “Where the hell are we going to find him?”
“Somewhere.” I grabbed my car keys. “Let’s go check his car and see if we can find any sign of who took him.”
It was after midnight and every sane person was basically sleeping, in their homes or doing anything but hanging at the edge of down. The three of us were too wide awake and scared to even think about sleep. Brent’s parents might have to wait forty-eight hours before they could fill out a missing person’s report, but we weren’t going to wait. After combing through the town, the car was our only clue.
We drove and parked just behind Brent’s car. All of us jumping out and racing to it. My stomach twisted in a knot as I forced myself to keep my pace moderate. Every second we wasted meant one more second Brent was in danger, but we also needed to save our energy if we were to be of any use in saving him.
We shined our flashlights on the car. The front end was crumpled from falling into the ditch and covered in mud. The ditch was deep enough to hide the car from the view of passing drivers, which explains why no one had found it yet. Or the police had not had it towed. We went down the steep slope carefully before landing on the car.
“Look at that!” Seth pointed the beam of his flashlight to long marks in the ground going away from the car. “Something was dragged out of the car.”
Brent. “Can you see any footprints?” I asked.
He knelt down and examined the ground up close. “Nope. Not clear ones, anyway. I’m thinking whoever it is had small feet. I’m guessing a woman. I can smell something sweet.”
Heidi gagged. “I can taste it.”
Seth straightened and shined his flashlight up the steep slope to the road. “She probably dragged him out of his car up the hill to her own car.”
“You sure it was a woman?” Heidi said, going to the driver’s side door of the car. I realized it was swinging open and my stomach tightened. “For a hill like that, it would take a lot of strength.”
“What?” Seth said. “You don’t think women are strong?”
“I don’t think most men are that strong.” She ducked her head into the car and quickly covered her mouth. “There’s blood in here, guys.” She gagged loudly. “It tastes awful.”
“Brent!” I ran over to the car and shined my flashlight inside. There was a smear of blood on the cracked windshield. “Seth, get over here,” I shouted.
He jogged over and pushed me aside. He and Heidi huddled in the doorway, taking in everything they could.
“There’s no taste of sweat or nervousness,” Heidi said. “He had no idea what was happening then. Probably passed right out.”
“That sweetness I smelled wasn’t perfume. It had to be something emitting from the kidnapper’s body. Maybe it isn’t a woman.” Seth sniffed again. “I only smell a little bit of your perfume, Zoe, and Brent’s aftershave in that regard. But whoever it is had definitely used hand sanitizer very recently.”
“Do you think you could follow Brent’s scent or the smell of the getaway vehicle, Seth?”
“I’m not a bloodhound, Zoe.” Seth made a face. “My nose isn’t that strong.”
I groaned. “Damn it! Maybe we’ll find something else that can at least point us in the right direction!”
But we couldn’t find anything and we went home, exhausted and frustrated.
When I got home, I found Mom pacing the living room. “Where were you?” she asked, barely containing her anger.
“I was at Heidi’s.” I fidgeted. “She was freaking out about Brent being missing.”
“And a simple phone call is too much to ask?” She raised an eyebrow at me. “You don’t leave this house without telling me. Especially at night! I don’t care how old you are
!”
I clenched my teeth. I knew it was a bad excuse but there really wasn’t any good reason for me to be out so late, especially on a school night. “We already lost one friend this year! I’m terrified I’m going to lose another. So excuse me for not thinking to call you!” I inhaled a sharp breath. “I left a message with Dad.”
“You don’t live with your father.”
I glared at her. “Half the time I do! You think it’s fair I have to tell both my parents every time I make a move? I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t ask for any of it and yet it’s all thrown on me and I’m expected to act completely normal, like nothing’s wrong. Bull shit!”
She stared at me with big eyes and her mouth hanging open. Her eyes softened and I’d managed to avoid an argument tonight. But then she closed her mouth in a tight set line. “I know it’s been a rough year for you, but that’s no excuse to be out past midnight and without my knowledge. Grief counselors recommend structure after a suitable time of mourning to help the grieving move on. Whether you’re referring to your friend passing or my and your dad’s divorce. Zoe, that time of mourning has passed. You’re grounded.”
“What?” I said. “That’s not fair! There’s no freakin’ suitable time of mourning. Rylee was murdered! Who knows if Brent is next!” I clamped my hand over my mouth, terrified I’d said too much.
“You’re grounded, young lady,” she said. “Two weeks. I’ll tell your father about all of this so don’t think you’ll get away with it at his place either.” She covered her face with her hand. “Now go to your room and get some sleep. I’ll take you to school in the morning.”
I was totally screwed. We were all screwed. I covered my face with my hands. “I’m going to call Dad.” I turned and stomped out of the room. My mom knew nothing. Nothing at all.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Heidi and Seth were both as exhausted and nervous as I was the next morning. They met me in the school parking lot and gave me a cup of coffee. “I don’t suppose you got a call from Brent last night,” Heidi said. “You know, to the effect that he was run off the road, taken to the hospital and was unconscious for several hours but he’s now awake and stable?”
“Nope.” I shook my head. “Besides, my dad already checked the hospitals. He was up all night trying to find out anything he could.”
“I knew it was a long shot.” Heidi leaned against Seth, dejected. “You don’t think he was taken out of Elliot Lake, do you? You don’t think…”
“I sure hope not,” Seth said. “How about one of us checks the car again now that it’s daylight? One of us goes searching up in the mine and the woods, and one—”
“Sits in her father’s office, helpless and upset because she was caught and grounded last night,” I finished for him. “Sorry, guys. My mom’s ticked.”
Seth groaned. “Blow them off. We need to get Brent.”
I shook my head. “My mom’s being ridiculous. I’ll talk to Dad. He’ll be more understanding than Mom is, but the chances are still slim. If I blow them off, then something a lot worse than a grounding will happen.” I knew my parents were very worried about me because of all of this. Dad understood, Mom knew nothing except I was skipping school and talking back.
“Go talk to your dad. He’ll understand. Seth and I will go check Brent’s car, tell his parents we found it and then also go check by the mine and forest.” Heidi squeezed my hand. “We’ll check back in at your dad’s office if we find anything.”
I nodded. We looked at the school building grimly. It had sucked enough to arrive there without Rylee. Without Brent, the sense of normalcy was completely gone. “We can do this,” I said with fake determination. “And the two of you will get Brent back by the end of the day.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Heidi
I insisted on taking the woods, telling Seth I would be safer there where nobody really went in the winter instead of on the side of the road. He wasn’t happy about it and I knew he didn’t believe my story because, after all, it was mostly bullshit. But he would be more help at the car than I would be. He could smell things that I couldn’t taste, and he was better at identifying what he smelled. Besides, tasting Brent’s blood made me feel creepy and nauseous.
We didn’t have time to cover everything together. We could get more ground covered on our own.
I walked carefully over the roots to keep myself from tripping as I looked around. Every now and then I opened my mouth and breathed in to see if I could taste anything on the wind, but I picked up nothing but the normal smells of the forest. I walked up to the mine and decided to make that my starting place. It was the most likely place for Brent to be held captive. It was out of the way, old, and nobody ever wanted to go near it, especially after everything that had happened up there. There weren’t any hunting cabins in the area or fishing shacks. So unless the kidnapper was parking Brent out in the open, he would be in the mine in this area.
I tried my best to breathe evenly as I approached the mine. You would think I would be over it already, but the mine still freaked me out. It was there where everything changed. We were trapped in that room. It was here that Kieran’s father’s body was found. It was here that our lives fell apart.
I ignored my fears and moved closer to the mine, steeling myself to the stenches seeping out of the mine.
It was re-blockaded from after the storm when we were trapped there. I went up to examine the new wooden boards blocking the mine securely. They didn’t look tampered with. Just in case, I pressed my ear to the side in case I heard anything.
“There’s my prize.”
I swung around to see the druggie from the jewelry store. He stood grinning at me. His tremors had stopped and he looked stronger and more in control than during the robbery. He had gotten his fix. “I thought you were in jail,” I said, stalling for time.
“I made bail. The promise of big money makes my acquaintances very motivated when it comes to giving me a hand.” He laughed, an eerie hollow sounding noise. “You’re easy, you know? All I had to do was stay downwind of you and follow you all the way from Elliot Lake.” He stepped closer. “I knew I’d find you,” he whispered. “Now you’re mine.”
I side-stepped him and bolted into the forest as fast as I could. I heard his footsteps crashing behind me so I kicked it up a notch, running faster than I had ever run before. I knew it would make me lose steam fast, but that was better than letting him catch me, which would happen if I stopped running or slowed down even the slightest. If I could get back in town, he couldn’t stop me. There would be too many witnesses. I had speed, but the tree roots had other plans. I stumbled and fell, scrambling.
He grabbed my arm and pulled me down to the ground. I did a kip-up and punched him in the nose as hard as I could before I took off running.
“Bitch!” he shouted. “You’re not getting away that easily.” He tackled me from behind and pinned me down before I could hit him or get away. He held my hands pinned behind my back and I felt an old rope dig around my wrists.
I struggled but he was too heavy for me to shake off. An awful taste hit my mouth. He’d pulled something out behind me. Without seeing it, I knew it was a needle with some kind of drug in it. I struggled harder.
A sickening thump sounded behind me and vibrated through my body. The rope on my wrists went slack and the man fell forward on top of me, crushing me and filling my nose and mouth with the stench of bad hygiene and the cloying smell of drugs.
“Seth?” I pushed the man off of me and rolled over, scrambling to sit up.
“Heidi? Are you all right?” The vaguely familiar feminine voice threw me. “Let me help you up.” Eleanor, Dr. Landers’ secretary stood above me holding out her hand.
“Thanks,” I said, taking her hand. “What’re you doing out here?”
“I was just going for a hike.” She glanced quickly around and then at the unconscious man beside me. “It’s my day off. I heard you scream and came running. I hit him over the head
with that log.”
“Smart thinking.” I stood and wiped off my pants and shirt. “Is he dead?”
She glanced down. “Not sure.” She shivered. “I’m not into sticking around to find out.”
“Me, either.” I looked at the man lying unconscious on the ground and nodded. He was probably the person holding Brent. “We need to call 911.” I pulled my phone out and frowned. No reception.
“How about we walk toward the road and see if we can get a hold of the police?” Eleanor glared at the druggy. “What a worthless piece of money spent.”
“Pardon?”
She smiled. “I wanted to swear but Dr. Landers always says I can’t around kids. So I make up little sayings to cover my need to swear. Bad habit, I know. Silly me.” She wiped her hands. “Let’s get going before he wakes up.”
Once the police had him in custody, he could tell us where Brent was. I needed to call Seth and get a hold of Zoe – fast. Brent could be in serious danger. I nodded. “Sounds good.”
Chapter Thirty
Seth
There really wasn’t anything left at the car. I tried to look at the footprints to see if there was really anything I could make out, but aside from the size, there wasn’t anything. The warm air had melted some of the snow. I even tried doing the bloodhound thing Zoe suggested, but Brent’s smell ended at where he was put in the car and I couldn’t discern the smell of the car from the thousands of other cars that had been on the road. I sighed and went back to see if I could find anything useful, even though I hadn’t yet and I doubted I ever would.
A car driving by slowed. I heard the driver get out of the car and I made my way out of the ditch, ready to pretend it was me who needed help.
“Seth?”
I looked at the older version of Brent and grinned, pulling him into a man-hug. “Nate! What’re you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be nursing off a hangover right now?” Nate was Brent’s older brother who was attending college right now. Except he was driving a rental vehicle from the airport at the moment.
