by K. H. Pope
“That’s a better idea,” Tip remarks. “Wait it out.”
“I don’t know. This might be impossible.”
“So, what do you want to do now?”
“The only thing I can do. Continue on with the investigation. I start with what I have, and I go from there.”
“What do you have so far?” he asks.
I place the envelope on the table that I got from the hotel and open it. I empty out the contents. “As you already know, there are fifty cases that Detective Boyd and Chief Lacey had. Vanessa Brenlich is in a trap and so is her boyfriend, Theodore Timber. I assume the rest of the missing people are in dimension traps too, but I haven’t been able to confirm that. I wonder if there is something they all have in common.”
Without waiting for me to make a request, Tip starts typing on his laptop. Electronic copies of the police reports start popping up. The computer cursor is going through the fields matching words together. It’s a slow process.
I ask him, “Are you in the police computer again?”
“No, I’m working from the pages I downloaded for you and John.”
“Good, I don’t want Chief Lacey to know we’re in his files again.”
“Naw, we’re good, Alice. Even if I did go back into their database, they won’t know. I messed up that one time. I thought that no one would notice, and I just went in uncloaked. If I go back this time, I’m ready.”
Once the computer finishes, Tip brings up the information I ask for and sends it to my new phone. Then he returns to the previous program, which has put everything from the missing persons’ report into a list that shows matching information. I begin reading through it.
Nothing matches up. I go through each police file to see what each victim do. Vanessa works in the mayor’s office. Geoffrey Campana delivers pizzas. Taylor Eason works at a home improvement store. The older people were retired. Some were professionals. Normal jobs, nothing spectacular or extraordinary about them. These people all seem well-rounded, keeping themselves busy, not causing trouble. I’m missing something.
“Maybe, I should speak to their relatives. What time is it?” I ask.
Tip looks at his watch and answers, “Close to eight.”
“Alright, the families it is, and after that, I’ll go see that dimension weaver in Hawaii. Did you set up that appointment at the asylum?”
“No, they wouldn’t allow it. You and John are not family.”
“I just might have to make an unscheduled visit. See if I can get in.”
“While you’re gone, I’ll start digging into the victim’s backgrounds and see if anything else fits together. You be careful, Alice.”
“I will. Thanks.”
I hope I’m not wasting my time, but this is all I really have. I figure if I keep at it, then maybe, I’ll figure out a way to free Vanessa and maybe even get Chief Lacey to tell me where John is. I’m not even sure if I’ll succeed at what I’m doing to be honest.
CHAPTER 24
Six different families in Dumas I visited, and not a single one of them were willing to talk to me. They wouldn’t let me in the house. Each time, I left aggravated and with less of a drive to continue on.
I decide to try one more time with the Campana family. Geoffrey’s parents live in a small, two-story structure, and it’s tucked at the end of a cul-de-sac. Dirt covers the front yard, and old chairs decorate the front porch. The rest of the neighborhood fairs no better.
As I’m walking up to the house, I notice a young boy with a spiky Mohawk sitting on the top step of the porch. He’s holding a stick, and he’s hitting the steps with it. I know he can hear me coming, but he doesn’t look up. I walk right by him. From what I can tell, he’s upset and more than likely, don’t want to be bothered by strangers.
I knock on the door and wait for the occupants to answer. I turn to look back at the boy. He’s still hitting the steps with the stick. The sound is wrecking on my nerves.
The door opens with a creak. Standing in the threshold is a woman in her fifties. Her round, red face makes her look vibrant.
“Yes,” she says.
“My name is Alice. Are you Stephanie Campana?”
“Yes, how may I help you?” she cordially asks.
“I’m here about your son, Geoffrey.”
From out of nowhere, the kid jumps and asks, “You found him?”
I turn to him and say, “No, I haven’t.”
“Is this about that boy again?” Mrs. Campana asks with annoyance.
That question makes me turn back to her. I’m confused as to why she would talk like that about her son.
“Yes, I guess so,” I reply.
“That’s my brother!” the kid screams at me. Tears are pooling. “Mom, stop acting like you don’t know him!”
She steps by me and grabs the boy by the arm. She’s berating him while yanking him inside the house.
“You don’t have to do that, Mrs. Campana,” I softly remark.
She gives me a dirty look. She returns her attention to the boy and says, “You get in that house and get ready for dinner.” She closes the door and steps onto the porch. “Who are you?”
“Alice.”
“Alice what? You got a last name or something?”
“No, not really.”
“Who are you with?”
“I’m with no one. I’m here to speak to you about Geoffrey.”
“How many times do I have to say this? I don’t know anyone by that name. Why does everyone keep asking me about this Geoffrey?”
“He’s your son, Mrs. Campana.”
This conversation is getting crazier and more confusing by the second.
“The only child I have is Adam, and that’s the knucklehead you just saw.”
I bring out the police report and show her his name. I sure wish I had a picture to show her, too. “Mrs. Campana, you contacted the police and reported him missing.”
“Is everyone in this neighborhood crazy? At first, it was the neighbors, and then it was the neighbors’ kids coming over. Now you. Everyone asking me and my husband if we’re okay, and how we’re holding up. I’ve never heard of that kid. I keep telling people that. He’s not my son.”
“Mrs. Campana, are you sure?”
“I think I would know if I had another child. Look, you have the wrong house. Sorry you made the trip out here for nothing.” She goes back inside and slams the door shut.
I compare the address on the report with the numbers on the house. They match perfectly, but yet and still, this woman denies knowing Geoffrey Campana. They have the same last name. I don’t get it. But then I remember that every house I went to today nobody was willing to speak to me. I’d tell them I was there to talk about their missing loved one, and they would either slam the door in my face or yell at me to leave. This time is no different.
Obviously, there’s some dark magic that’s at play here. Someone has scrubbed Mrs. Campana’s mind, along with the other people I tried to speak to. I don’t understand how that’s possible. A mother never forgets their children. It doesn’t matter what the circumstances are.
As I’m stepping off the porch, I remember what Tip told me about Chief Lacey. He’s a mind manipulator. He can make people do things, and he can affect people’s thoughts. This is something else that points to the Chief’s involvement. I bet he’s scrubbed all family members of their memories, made them believe in his lies.
The moment I get into the truck, I start it up and look at the address for the wizard in Hilo, Hawaii. I’m hoping that dimension weaver can set Vanessa free.
Just as I put the truck in drive, I look up and see Adam Campana standing in front of it. He’s looking right at me. He wants to talk. I throw the truck back in park and shut it off. I get out and stand in front of him. I’m ready to listen.
CHAPTER 25
“Are you trying to find my brother?”
Those words coming from this child breaks my heart. I can tell Adam loves and misses Geoffrey trem
endously, and not having the one true person he looks up to must be more than he can deal with. I feel for him. I try to remain stoic. I believe crying will only make Adam more emotional, and I don’t want him to feel any worse than he does.
“Yes, I am,” I gently answer.
“He’s been gone since March 21st,” Adam remarks. “I miss him, and I want him back.”
“I’m doing my best to find him.”
He looks at his home and says, “They don’t remember him.”
“It’s not their fault, Adam.”
His bottom lip starts quivering.
I ask him, “How old are you?”
“Eight,” he answers while wiping his face.
“You want to go for a walk? I saw a playground not too far from here.”
“Playgrounds are for little kids.”
“Then we can just walk.”
He silently agrees to it, and we casually stroll up the sidewalk. Neither one of us is in a hurry.
“What’s your name?” he asks.
“Alice.”
He extends his hands, and I take it without hesitation. His guardian angel appears instantly. He’s walking behind Adam with his hands behind his back, and he’s watching me. I smile at him, but I do not openly acknowledge him. The guardian is undoubtedly concerned with my presence.
“My name is Adam.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Adam.”
“Are you really going to look for Geoff?”
“I won’t stop until I find him.”
“You’re the first one to really try, Alice. I don’t like those cops. They don’t care about my brother.”
“Which one came by your house?”
“Detective Boyd came over a couple times in the beginning, but then he stopped. I called him once to find out what he’s doing about my brother, and he told me not to worry about anything. Called me son. I told him I wasn’t his son.”
“Good for you,” I remark. “You told him the right thing. Did any other police officer come by your house?”
“Chief Lacey,” he answers. “Last year some time ago. I’ve never seen him before then. I was going into the house, and he was sitting there with my parents.”
“What did he talk about while he was there?”
“I really can’t say.”
I look at him strangely and ask, “Why not?”
“Because I can’t really describe what he was saying. It was a strange language. It sounded like gibberish. They were just sitting there, looking straight ahead. When the Chief realized I was standing in the door, he stopped. He shook their hands, said good-bye, and he left. They didn’t move from the sofa for hours. It was just so weird.”
“Did they remember him being there once they started moving around?”
Adam shakes his head.
I ask, “Ever since the Chief left, they haven’t been able to remember Geoffrey at all, right?”
“Yep. He doesn’t exist to them. Alice, when I show them a family picture, they don’t see him. They see me. They see themselves but not Geoff. I mean, he’s in most of the pictures at the house, and they walk by like there’s nothing on the walls. When people come by to offer their help in finding him or to ask if they’ve heard from him, they have no idea what anyone is talking about.”
Adam has confirmed my assumptions. Chief Lacey did scrub their minds.
I ask him, “Do you remember your last day with your brother?”
“Some of it,” he answers.
“Tell me about it.”
Adam eagerly begins, “I got up that morning to go to school, but Geoff got a notification on his phone saying that my school was closed for the day. I think there was some kind of flooding or electrical problem. I don’t remember exactly. Anyway, since I didn’t have to go, I stayed around the house with my brother all morning. We watched baseball. I remember that because I watch them all the time during the spring and summer.”
“Okay, keep going.”
“Then we went to the Nottowon Museum in the early part of the afternoon. That place is so boring. We were there for a couple of hours.”
“Doing what?” I ask.
“He was looking at pictures or drawings of some kind, comparing them to an old book he had. It had some ugly thing on the cover, some weird gold looking shape. I don’t know.”
“Where is the book now?”
“I don’t know. It could be in his room.”
“Where did he get it from?”
“I don’t know, but I do know it wasn’t his. I think he borrowed it from someone.”
“Did he meet anyone while he was at the museum?”
“No.”
“Where did you go afterwards?” I ask.
“We went home and spent the rest of the afternoon there. He was going to a party that night. I wasn’t supposed to know about it, but I got super hearing.”
He was being nosy and eavesdropping. That’s good because he is a wealth of information.
Adam continues, “The party had a strange name. I forgot what it was called, but I wanted to go because it sounded like fun. He was surprised that I knew about it. He wouldn’t let me go. He was taking that foul girlfriend of his.”
“Foul girlfriend?”
“Yeah, Alice, she stinks.”
He’s serious, but I’m tickled by his statement. “Adam, is this girl from El Paso? Did he meet her online?”
“Melissa lives in Dumas,” he answers with a frown. “I don’t like her very much.”
“You don’t like too many people, do you?”
“Especially her,” he responds.
“Why not?”
“Because she’s not nice, and she was trying to take my brother away from me. He was talking about getting married. Do you know how disgusting that is? And he bought an engagement ring for her? First chance I got, I flushed it down the toilet.”
“Adam, you really didn’t do that, did you?”
“Yes, I did.” Adam folds his arms with a nod of defiance.
I move on. “So, you can’t remember the name of this party at all?”
“Full Moon something or other. The last part is a big word. I can’t remember it.”
“And he was going with Stinky Melissa?”
“Yeah, pissed me off. I wanted to go because they wear cool looking masks, and they wear all black. They go way out in the desert. It’s like miles and miles away, and they party under a full moon for most of the night.”
“Did he come home that evening?”
“No,” Adam says with a pout.
“How did Geoffrey hear about the party? Someone invited him or was there posters hanging around town?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you know Melissa’s last name?”
“Oyster,” he mumbles.
“Her name is not Oyster.”
He sighs and says, “It’s Ostberg.”
“Adam, some of the things you’re saying about your brother’s girlfriend isn’t very nice. If Geoffrey likes her, you should give her a chance.”
“I gave her a chance, Alice. She’s snooty and stuck up and thinks she’s perfect. Just because her dad is the mayor doesn’t mean she can treat me like dirt.”
I know I didn’t hear this kid right. Melissa Ostberg is the mayor’s daughter? I bet she knows Vanessa.
“Do you know Vanessa Brenlich?” I ask him.
“No, is she pretty? When Geoff gets back, I’ll introduce her to him. Maybe, he’ll forget about Melissa.”
I laugh and remark, “Adam, you’ve been a lot of help.”
“I have?”
I nod with a reaffirming smile.
“Will you be able to find my brother?”
“I hope so.”
“That’s so cool! Don’t let me down, Alice.”
Talk about pressure.
“I have to go, Adam, but if you happen to see Stinky Melissa, contact me.”
“I need your number, Alice.”
I don’t know it. So, I c
all him. He programs my number on his cell and calls back. I nod and give him a wink.
Then I remember something he said. I ask him, “Adam, there’s one more thing before I go. Can you do me a huge favor?”
“Sure,” he says with anticipation.
“Will you go see if that book is in your brother’s room and bring it back to me?”
“I sure will!” Adam takes off as fast as he can. He runs into his fenced-in backyard through an open gate.
I really want to know about that book and where Geoffrey got it from. He’s not doing a thesis or a research paper. Unless he’s addicted to Native American art and literature, then he has no business being in that museum. I want to know what kind of book it is and why he has it.
Adam returns with nothing in his hands. The kid is panting like he ran six full length marathons in six minutes. He shakes his head and bends over to catch his breath.
“No luck, huh?”
He shakes his head again.
“Alright, if you find it later, call me.”
He nods and blows out in exhaustion.
“Thanks for your help, Adam.”
“Call me the moment you find my brother,” he pants out.
“I will.”
With a new lead under my belt, I rush back to my truck. I call Tip and get the mayor’s address. Yes, I have renewed energy, and I’m going to his house unannounced. I sure hope Stinky Melissa is home.
CHAPTER 26
The neighborhood Melissa Ostberg lives in is called Joshua Tree Terrace, and unfortunately for me, it’s gated. There are two guards manning the entrance. One is writing plate numbers and the times the motorists enter on a clipboard, and the other is scanning driver’s licenses. I know for a fact I won’t be allowed in. Maybe, there’s another way to enter into this community.
I drive farther down the road and make a left at the next street. There are houses on each side, but the road dead ends at a brick wall, and it’s too high to see above it. I make a U-turn and leave the neighborhood. The next left leads to a marketplace with everything from an ice cream store to a 24 hour gym. Instead of giving up, which is probably the smartest thing to do, I drive around to the back of the largest building, which has a large grocery store as its cornerstone. A same wall is a yard or so off the back parking lot, and it stops halfway and goes perpendicular for what seems like a few miles into the desert. From where I’m standing I can see the angled roofs and the top floors of multi-story houses inside of the brick wall. I get out of the truck and start my trek. I have to find a way inside and not make a lot of noise while doing it.
