Arden gestured for Joe to follow. They reached the end of the alley. There was a small lot that connected with a smaller road, which ran in a parallel line behind the buildings.
“There are multiple escape routes,” Arden pointed out. She glanced up the buildings. “No security cameras. Big enough to park a van.” She locked eyes with Joe. “If I were to take the girl, this is where I’d do it.”
Joe paced around the area. “There is nothing here.”
Arden didn’t believe that. They circled the lot, taking time to thoroughly examine the ground. She walked down the skinny road that ran along the back of the buildings. Joe went down one side and Arden explored the other. After forty-five minutes, they returned with nothing. Arden was impressed by Joe’s patience. One of the things most people forgot when it comes to being a sleuth was the amount of time it took to find something. It wasn’t like the TV shows, where everything was tightly packed into an intense hour of finding clues and catching bad guys. A lot of what Arden did was guesswork, patiently retracing her steps over and over again, and backed by a lot of prayer. Arden passed through the lot again. The little bit of sunlight that breached the alley illuminated the corner of a small silver bracelet that was partly underneath the dumpster.
Arden knelt down and pinched it with two fingers. She held it in front of her face and scrutinized the silver chain bracelet with a cute cat’s head pressed in on a metal, coin-like charm. On the back were the initials “J.C.”
Joe outstretched his hand. “May I?”
Arden placed it in his palm and stood up.
Joe’s bloodshot eyes glossed over. “I got this for her last Christmas.” His thumb brushed over the cat. “I didn’t know she still wore it.”
A slight smile crept up Arden’s face. “I think she left it here for us to find.”
Joe took a second to process the information and then closed the bracelet in his fist. “We’ve got to keep looking.”
Over the next hour and a half, they retraced their steps, sifted through trash, and got on their knees to examine nearby drainage ditches. They didn’t find anything else of Jessica’s, but Arden was just happy they were on the right trail. If Jessica was witty enough to drop clues during the middle of her abduction, she might have a pretty good chance of survival. At six days gone, she was going to need her wit. It could be the only thing keeping her alive.
Arden and Joe returned to their vehicles.
Arden said, “I want to talk to the girls she hung out with that night.”
“A few of them are on her track team,” Joe said. “We still have a couple of hours before they are out of class.”
“What high school?”
“Broward May.”
“Ah,” Arden said. It was one of the nicer public schools around here. She could possibly convince the principal to let her talk to the minors, but they might want their parents present. Arden would rather avoid that. She needed the girls to be transparent with her, and having an adult could cause them to twist their answers.
A question suddenly popped into her mind. “Where is Jessica’s cell phone?”
“That’s the thing. It’s been off since that night,” Joe said.
“Does she have Facebook?”
Joe groaned. “She has them all.”
Arden quickly looked her up. She didn’t have many posts on any of the big social media platforms. “She’s not on there very often.”
“Good, I tell her most of that stuff rots her brain,” Joe replied. “She prefers reading.”
The last picture that Jessica posted was a picture of her Velma costume laid out on her bed.
The light on the phone screen reflected in Arden’s eyes. “What were the names of her friends?”
“Um…” Joe thought. “I believe it was Emma and Hannah. There were two others, I think. I don’t know their last names. The police has already spoken to them.”
Arden opened up Jessica’s friend list and scrolled through the pictures of different people. Joe pointed them out. Arden quickly looked through their pictures from last week.
Meanwhile, Joe eyed his daughter’s bracelet.
Arden uncovered a few pictures of the girls together on Halloween night. Jessica was the timid one out of the bunch, always more towards the back or side of the frame. After 10:15 pm, the pictures didn’t include Jessica.
Joe’s face went red with anger.
Arden glanced at him. “You good?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m solid,” Joe lied. “Let’s just head to the school already.”
Arden followed him over to the school. Broward May had two thousand students. It had a nice cross-country field, football field, and gym. It consisted of three buildings interconnected by covered sidewalks.
Arden was tempted to bypass the authorities and go straight to the track-and-field coach. Instead, she decided to go through the proper channels. They entered the school and stopped by the security guard. “Can I help you?”
Joe smiled. “Is Principal Wyatt available?”
After Arden flashed her P.I. license, the security officer had them pass through the metal detector. The halls were lined with colored lockers. The floors were glossy with little scuff marks. There was a trophy case and the school’s mascot, a bulldog with an ugly mug and spiked collar. They knocked on Principal Wyatt’s partly-open office door. Inside, they could see the lady talking on the phone.
After a few moments, Principal Wyatt called them inside. Her large wooden desk dwarfed her. She was a short woman with a woman’s business suit and rosy blush on her plump cheeks. Her hair formed a frizzy orb around her head. Her rehearsed smile and soft eyes had a way of effortlessly casting judgment, much as if she were looking at a stupid dog who couldn’t helps it ignorance.
“Mr. Carmon,” Principal Wyatt said in her naturally rich Southern accent. She took his hand with her tiny hand. “I’m sorry about Jessica. I must say that we’re doing everything we can to find your little girl. The vigil happened two nights ago and posters are everywhere. I’ve even taken precautions at the school to make sure that such an event doesn’t repeat itself.”
“Thank you,” Joe said.
She pitied him with her masterful, sympathetic smile before turning her attention to Arden.
“Arden Briar, Private Investigator,” Arden introduced herself.
Wyatt seemed amused. “I don’t believe I’ve ever met a real sleuth. You’re working with Joe, I assume?” Before Arden could answer, Wyatt asked Joe, “Why not go to the police?”
Joe felt his anger rise. “I waited six days for them and got nowhere.”
“Well, I for one can vouch for the Macon PD,” Wyatt said proudly. “They are professionals, after all.” She glanced over to Arden.
It was hard to tell why the woman was so stand-offish. It was probably a power play. She was the alpha dog around here. Arden didn’t let it get to her. There were bigger things at stake. “We wanted to talk to the girls that were with Jessica the night she went missing.”
“I don’t think I can do that,” Wyatt said, shooting down her suggestion with a sad look. “We can’t give out information about our students without their guardians’ consent.”
“I understand,” Arden replied. Sometimes it was easier to work with a thug than a bureaucrat. “What if you let us speak to them under your direct supervision?”
“Do you have any idea how much trouble I would be in?” Wyatt replied. “I don’t mean to offend, but you are a complete stranger.”
“I can assure you that I am completely legitimate.” Arden showed her the P.I. license. “I do most of my work looking for missing girls. I saved some from prostitution, others from drug dealers and abusive boyfriends. I can only do that with the proper information. Right now, with Jessica being gone for so many days, her chances of survival are dismal.”
Joe cast down his gaze.
Arden kept going. “Without speaking to these girls, it could spell Jessica’s death. I don’t think you want that in th
e headlines. Moreover, I don’t think you want to see a teenage girl turn up dead.”
Arden let her words marinate. She could see the cogs turning in Wyatt’s mind. Joe watched her too. He was smart enough to let the woman think silently.
“Well…” Wyatt cleared her thought. “Broward May is about community excellence amongst other things, but I’ll need to bring the students’ parents to accompany them.”
Arden responded, “You know high schoolers. They aren’t the most transparent when they’re with their parents. I need to talk to them privately. Just us.”
“But protocol--”
“This goes beyond protocol,” Arden said, growing in passion.
A frown sank Wyatt’s face.
Joe kept quiet.
Wyatt broke. “I guess it couldn’t hurt, but you’ll only have a few minutes.”
“That’s all I need.” Arden replied. Meanwhile, Joe gave Wyatt the names of the girls.
Wyatt called them over the intercom and offered them some refreshments. Arden never refused free coffee. They took a seat on the waiting room’s couch. There were different pictures of various football players and fundraising events.
Wyatt spoke to someone in the other room.
Joe spoke quietly. “I’m surprised you were able to pull that off.”
“Favor of God,” Arden grinned.
Joe looked at her like she was crazy.
Arden didn’t care. “The girls’ parents might be upset with me overstepping my bounds. I’d almost ask you to leave the room.”
“No,” Joe said. “We agreed that we do this together.”
“Do they know you?” Arden asked.
“I don’t think so. Jessica rides the bus home. None of these girls have come over to the house. The media has only shown her face, not mine,” Joe explained.
Wyatt entered wearing a weary expression. She folded her hands together. “They are on their way. I’d caution you not to make this a bigger deal than it already is.”
Arden nodded.
One by one, the girls funneled into the room. Emma was tall, lean, and beautiful. She would probably end up being a model. Lindsey was shorter, with highlighted blonde hair and an air of arrogance. Ashlyn had red hair, freckles, and locked eyes at Joe. Last was Hannah, who was African-American, thin, and had a quiet confidence. Out of all of them, Arden could quickly pick up that Lindsey was the ringleader.
Arden and Joe stood up and let the girls have the couch.
“What’s going on?” Ashlyn asked.
Wyatt smiled politely at them. “This is Ms. Briar. She’s a local investigator who wants to ask you some questions about Jessica Carmon. Then you can return to class.”
Lindsey looked confused. “But we already spoke to the police.”
Arden replied, “I’m running my own investigation. Like Principal Wyatt said, it’ll only be a few questions.”
Ashlyn smiled. “If it keeps me out of class, she can ask as many questions as she likes.”
The other girls didn’t look as comfortable.
Lindsey looked at Wyatt. “Shouldn’t we have our parents here?”
Arden spoke before the principal could. “You are mature girls. You can handle it.”
“But--”
“Tell me what happened Halloween night,” Arden said.
The girls went silent.
Emma spoke up. “We all went out. Jessica got split up. We thought that she found a way back home, but, uh, we were wrong. Is she okay?”
“I’m trying to figure that one out myself,” Arden answered. “Now, let’s be honest, girls. You didn’t really like Jessica, did you? Don’t worry. You won’t get in trouble.”
None of the high schoolers looked at her.
“I get it. She seemed a little nerdy, awkward. An outcast,” Arden said.
The room got uncomfortable.
Arden didn’t pull any punches. “You thought it would be funny to play a little prank on her. So you had her dress up and go out on the town with you. That only confirmed just how much of an outsider she was, but you didn’t mind. You knew you were going to leave her alone. That was the whole point.”
The room got so quiet Arden could hear the wall clock ticking. The conviction was heavy. Good. That’s what Arden needed. “You asked for her phone, didn’t you? Otherwise your prank wouldn’t work. So what did you tell her? Can I take a pic? Or let me show you something?”
None of the girls replied. Hannah sniffled.
“Then you sent her to run an errand,” Arden continued. “Like getting something from the local stand. Once she turned her back, the group of you hid. You probably watched her for a bit and when you saw she was going the wrong way, you decided it was time to go. Funny, right?”
Emma wiped a tear. Lindsey refused to look anywhere near Arden. Ashlyn was as pale as a ghost. Hannah’s mask of quiet confidence was breaking.
“Jessica’s gone now,” Arden said plainly. “Possibly dead.”
Wyatt saw she was losing control. “Ms. Briar, perhaps we should discuss this…”
Arden turned to her with dagger eyes. “Give me a moment. Please.”
Wyatt averted her gaze.
Arden turned her convicting look back to the student.
“Chin up, girls,” Arden said. “Come on.”
One by one, they forced themselves to look at Arden. All of their eyes were glossy. Emma and Ashlyn were terrified of her. Hannah wept. Lindsey hated her with a passion.
Arden spoke calmly. “You can’t change what happened, but you can decide what you want to do in the future. Jessica’s life depends on it. So which one of you has her phone?”
The girls didn’t reply.
“I’m not a cop,” Arden said. “I can’t arrest you, but I need to know.”
Emma relented. “We… we hid it.”
“Where?”
Emma looked at Lindsey for guidance.
Lindsey glared at Arden. “I want to talk to my parents. Why aren’t they here?”
Arden gave her a look that shut her down.
Hannah broke down crying. “I hid the phone in my purse.”
“Do you still have it?”
“No.”
“Where is it?” Arden asked
Hannah spoke through her sobs. “I lost it. I got home and checked and it was gone. I swear. I was going to give it to her the day after. I never meant for any of this to happen.”
“You’re on the track team, yeah?” Arden asked them.
They nodded.
“Did Jessica act strange days prior to her abduction? Did you see anything suspicious?” Arden asked.
Ashlyn’s voice cracked. “There was this guy.”
“Who?”
“I didn’t get a good look at him, but he was around the cross country track a few days before Halloween,” Ashlyn wiped a tear. Her mascara was staining.
“What did he look like?”
Ashlyn shrugged. She had her arms crossed. “I don’t know. He had a ball cap and sunglasses. He was white. I think he had a polo on.”
Arden asked the other girls. “You saw this, too?”
Lindsey shook her head and the other two followed.
It could be a worthwhile clue… or it could be nothing.
“Anything else you want to tell me about Halloween?”
Emma shook her head. “We didn’t see her again, after we… split up. We just assumed she got home somehow.”
The silence of the rest of the girls confirmed her statement.
Arden took a step back from the girls and turned to Wyatt. “I think we’re done here. Give them a few moments to collect themselves.”
Arden and Joe waited in the hall until the last of the girls had gone to class. When they returned to the office, Wyatt wore her discontentment on a sour face. The fake smiles and judging eyes had fallen into despair.
Arden asked her about the cameras at the cross-country field. Wyatt, already dug in too deep, allowed them to view the security footage. Than
kfully, track practice was at 3:30 every day, so it was easy to fast-forward to the time when the stalker arrived. Five days before the abduction, Arden saw the shoe of someone step into the camera frame. Arden concluded that the man either had tremendous luck to stop just outside the camera’s view, or he knew where the camera was before he arrived. None of that could be proven now. The list of suspects grew. Perhaps it was a teacher or parent. If that was the case, Arden had her work cut out for her.
Arden addressed Joe. “Ready?”
Frowning, he nodded curtly.
Arden left the room and then the school without saying a word. She got to her car and fished out her keys. “Lunch?”
Joe drew in a deep breath.
4
Hidden in Frame
They ate at a small hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant. Murals of rural Central America were painted on the walls, catchy music played through the speakers, and the authentic food filled the room with an appetizing aroma.
Arden squeezed a lime over her fish tacos.
Pensive, Joe stared at his burrito bowl.
Arden eyed him. “Not hungry?”
Joe speared a piece of steak on his fork and ate it.
“Like it?” Arden asked.
Joe nodded.
Arden took a bite of her taco. After chewing, she said, “You want to say something.”
Joe smirked halfheartedly.
Arden put down her food. “You don’t agree with my methods.”
“I don’t like seeing girls cry,” Joe remarked.
“How would you have handled it?” Arden asked.
Joe didn’t have a response.
Arden leaned back. “For a long time, I was just like them. I played little gossip games, stuck around busybodies, and said something nice to someone and then immediately insulted them behind their back. I can’t tell you how many relationships I destroyed, men I stole, and disruption I caused just because I couldn’t help but get involved in other people’s business. I was addicted to it. It was like I was part of my own little movie.”
“What changed?”
“That’s a long story,” Arden replied. “In the end, I learned that the only way to break that cycle was to come out swinging. They expect people to meet them at their level and play their word games. We could’ve listened to those girls go on for hours about how they loved Jessica, that they just wanted her to feel accepted, and that’s why they invited her out. It would’ve all been about how they were good people and your daughter was the idiot for separating from the pack. I’m not putting up with it. You shouldn’t either.”
Secrets Boxset: A Riveting Kidnapping Mystery Collection Page 3
