by Charly Cox
‘I have it right here.’ He stopped her with a hand on her arm as she snatched the paper he’d extended her way. ‘I expect an update the second you have a chance; I don’t care what time it is. I don’t like what my sixth sense is telling me about this disappearance.’
Some people swore the eyes were windows to the soul, and with the shadows filling Hammond’s eyes, Alyssa believed it. ‘I don’t like what it’s telling me, either.’ She flung her bag over her shoulder and pushed past him.
Unable to stop them, memories of Jane Doe’s then Callie McCormick’s battered bodies haunted her as she raced to her car. She shook her head. This couldn’t be happening again. She wouldn’t let it.
Her nerves singed with a renewed sense of urgency, she tossed her bag into the passenger seat. The second the ignition caught, she ordered her Bluetooth to call Cord. Just as she was about to join the traffic, a group of kids on bikes executing complicated wheelies and other tricks passed in front of her, forcing her to wait instead of punching the gas and speeding to Katelyn Phillipson’s home.
‘Hello?’
‘We’ve got another one. Thirteen years old, didn’t return home from school.’ The days of terror following Isaac’s kidnapping, of realizing he wasn’t home, tried to drag her under, but she shut it down.
‘Um, Lys, this is Sara. Cord’s in the shower. If you want I can drag him out, or I can have him call you right back.’
Already overwhelmed with the pressing need to find Katelyn, Alyssa didn’t have time to be embarrassed that she hadn’t realized she was speaking to Cord’s wife and not him. ‘Yes, please have him call me back immediately.’
‘You know what, I just heard the water shut off. I’ll just go let him know now.’
Muffled words whispered through her speakers, and then Cord was on the phone, his voice tight and controlled, something she still wasn’t used to hearing from his normal laid-back personality. ‘Lys, what’s going on? Sara said something about another missing girl?’
‘Katelyn Phillipson, thirteen years old, never returned home after school. That’s all Hammond gave me. I’ll be driving near your neck of the woods, so I’ll swing by and pick you up.’ Her gaze swung from the time displayed on her dash to the red lights of stopped traffic in front of her. Damn construction. ‘I’ll be there in more than five, less than ten.’
‘I’ll be outside waiting.’
And then he was gone.
* * *
Less than twenty minutes later, Alyssa pulled up to the residence on Glendale Avenue in Northeast Albuquerque Acres where many homes went for at least half a million. This one probably soared closer to the million-dollar range. Like Rachel Otis and Jersey Andrews, Katelyn Phillipson came from wealth.
Cord released his seat belt, fingers on the door handle. ‘Ready?’
‘Not even a little,’ Alyssa answered truthfully. She took a calming breath, then climbed out of her SUV. They’d barely cleared the courtyard when the front door opened, revealing a tired-looking man in his late forties wearing rumpled clothes. His thinning hair stuck out in tufts where he’d run his fingers through it. Fear and frustration rolled off him in waves, something Alyssa was all too familiar with because it had been her and her family just six weeks ago.
‘Mr. Phillipson?’
‘Ye…yes.’ Jason Phillipson cleared his throat and wiped a hand over his haggard face. ‘Follow me,’ he said as he stepped to the side and ushered the two indoors.
It wasn’t the massive, expensive paintings that decorated the small foyer or the crystal chandelier hanging from the high-vaulted ceiling that immediately snagged Alyssa’s attention. It was what could only be described as a shrine to their daughter that did it. One four-tiered shelf held a multitude of silver soccer trophies, a couple of swimming medals, and what appeared to be dance or cheerleading accolades. On either side of the shelf were nearly wall-to-ceiling photographs of a smiling and quite petite Katelyn in various poses and throughout various stages of her life from infancy to her eighth-grade dance, which if it was anything like Isaac’s school, would have been held just two weeks ago.
Despite the obvious wealth, it was equally obvious that the Phillipsons cared more about showcasing their pride in their daughter than interior decoration. The differences between them and the Otises were glaring.
Alyssa moved closer to the pictures. Without fail, in every single photo, whether by herself or posing with her friends, family, or with a myriad of different animals ranging from a leashed rat to a kangaroo and everything in between, Katelyn Phillipson wore an ear-to-ear smile, the kind that worked itself up all the way into her eyes. It didn’t take detectives of Alyssa and Cord’s caliber to realize the missing teen was not only a happy girl, she was adored by her parents; the wall collage just proved it.
As Katelyn’s father led the way into the family room, he said, ‘My wife will be out in a moment. She’s just getting off the phone with her mother back in New York.’
While this room wasn’t a continuation of the absolute adoration found in the other one, evidence of the love and pride they had in their daughter still decorated several spaces.
‘She’s a straight-A student,’ a voice said from behind Alyssa, and she turned her neck to see Mrs. Phillipson exit from a home office and cross over to the brown leather sofa, stopping to stare at the wall where yet another photograph of their daughter hung. Then, as if her legs could no longer support her weight, she sank into the sofa. ‘She’s not only smart, but she’s kind and respectful.’ She turned her teary, fear-filled eyes to Alyssa. ‘Please, you have to find her.’ She held out her arm, her hand gripping a stack of photographs which she offered to Alyssa.
‘I promise you she didn’t run away, Detectives. That’s not like our Katelyn. She was so looking forward to her last summer before high school, and with only two and a half days left, she’d already made plans for most of it.’
Katelyn’s mother rambled, but neither Alyssa nor Cord stopped her. Sometimes they learned more that way, things that would assist in finding their daughter.
‘She’s a good girl,’ Mrs. Phillipson whispered. ‘She was already planning on helping me out at The Rescue Center downtown where I volunteer. That’s the kind of teenager she is, the kind who helps feed the homeless on her first day of summer break.’ Her voice cracked, and Mr. Phillipson moved in closer to his wife, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She reached up and squeezed his fingers. ‘Jason and I wanted Katelyn to realize that, while she had a good life here, there are many out there who don’t. We tried to teach her that money doesn’t bring a person respect. Kindness and your actions do.’
The Cambridge and Otis families could take some pointers.
Mrs. Phillipson pressed the heels of her hands into her red, swollen eyes.
Alyssa moved so she could sit across from Katelyn’s parents. ‘Mrs. Phillipson…’
‘Please, call me Mary,’ she said, looking up again, her voice thick.
Maybe it was because Katelyn Phillipson was so close in age to Isaac, or perhaps because her own experience so closely mirrored Mary’s, but Alyssa found it increasingly difficult not to reach over and clasp the woman’s hands between her own and promise her everything would be okay.
Cord took a place beside Alyssa and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. ‘Mary, Jason, we know this isn’t easy, but why don’t you start from the beginning? We need to try to retrace your daughter’s steps so we can find her and bring her back home to you.’
Mr. Phillipson dropped his head forward in wordless assent and settled himself next to his wife, pulling her in so she was nestled next to his side, offering what little comfort and security he could.
Alyssa’s eyes strayed to an ornate grandfather clock nestled into the corner of the room. Seven-fifteen. Four hours had passed since school let out. ‘Let’s start with what Katelyn was wearing today. Do either of you remember?’
Mary nodded. ‘Kate was wearing a pair of faded denim jeans, salmon-color
ed flats, and an Imagine Dragons t-shirt her best friend gave her as an early birthday gift. Her birthday’s in just a few weeks,’ she choked out. ‘We knew she was going to Stephanie’s house right after school let out, but she was supposed to be home by four-fifteen because she was going to help me bake cupcakes for my book club meeting tomorrow evening.’
Alyssa interrupted. ‘Stephanie is the friend you mentioned?’
‘Yes. Those two practically became best friends in utero. When Katelyn still wasn’t home by four-thirty – she’s never once been late without letting one of us know – and she didn’t answer her phone, I called Steph. She said Kate left her house at quarter to four. I wanted to call the police straight away, but Jason told me not to overreact.’
At this, Mr. Phillipson dropped his arm from around his wife’s shoulder and hung his head, his body shaking with silent sobs.
Mrs. Phillipson reached over and gripped his hand tightly in her own, tugging until he brought his gaze back up to hers. ‘I’m not blaming you. You shouldn’t be blaming yourself, either.’ She turned back to Alyssa and Cord. ‘A few weeks ago, Katelyn and I had a bit of an argument when I refused to allow her to attend a friend’s party – this friend’s parents are notorious for ignoring the goings-on of the kids. She accused me of overreacting and said that I should trust her to do the right thing.
‘So, when I wanted to call the police, Jason told me I should first ask Steph to help me contact the rest of Katelyn’s friends while he drove around and checked the parks and neighborhoods. Just in case. After all, even though she’s never done anything like this before, she is still a teenager who will be going into high school, and boundaries are bound to be pushed… Jason was right. I didn’t want to overreact and set the tone for the future. Especially after our little spat. We’ve always assured Katelyn that no matter what she’s done, she should always know she can come to us. Anyway, that’s why we waited two hours after she was supposed to be home before contacting the police.’ The pooling moisture in her eyes spilled over, streaking the blush on her cheeks.
More than anything, Alyssa wanted to believe that Katelyn Phillipson was doing nothing more than pushing teenage boundaries. ‘How long did Katelyn stay mad about the party?’
‘My goodness, not long at all. She was over it before the night was out. Katelyn’s not very good at hiding her true feelings, so if she’d still been angry, I’m sure we would’ve known.’
‘Mr. and Mrs. Phillipson, we’d like to speak to Stephanie. Can you get us her phone number and address? In fact, if you could jot down the contact information for any of her friends whose home you think she might’ve gone to if she needed to, that would be helpful.’
‘Yes, yes, of course,’ Mary said.
Mr. Phillipson pushed to his feet and paced the length of the room, waving his hands in the air as he did. ‘But we told you, we’ve already checked with all her friends. No one’s seen her. Retracing our steps is only wasting time better spent on finding my daughter!’
Mary pressed one palm to her stomach. ‘Jason, please…’
Mr. Phillipson whirled around, his face turning red as tears slipped down his cheeks. ‘No, Mary.’ He pointed to Alyssa and Cord. ‘They’re supposed to find her, not just do the same things we already did.’ He choked on the final words, collapsing into his wife as she stood and cupped her husband’s face in her palms.
‘I know. But we have to allow them to do their job the best way they know how.’
Jason’s eyes bored into Cord’s first, then Alyssa’s. ‘Please, you have to find her.’
‘That’s exactly what we’d like to do, so the sooner you get us those contacts, the sooner we can get started on that.’ Alyssa’s tone was gentle but firm.
Ten minutes later, list in hand, Mary walked them to the door but stopped Alyssa with a surprisingly strong grip on her forearm. ‘Detective, I know it’s human nature for parents to believe their children are innocent of getting themselves into trouble. But—’ Her words fell out in a strangled sob, and she struggled to get the rest out. ‘Please, just bring us back our little girl.’
‘I promise we’ll do all we can to bring your Katelyn home.’
Back in the car, Alyssa called the captain to request an Amber Alert be issued while Cord plugged Stephanie’s address into the navigation system. She didn’t wait to finish her call with Hammond before heading over to speak to Katelyn’s friend, Stephanie. As she drove, something niggled at the back of her mind, and she shifted her eyes left and right trying to figure out what it was about the area that was bothering her.
Chapter Nineteen
Tuesday, May 21
Stephanie’s house, a short five-minute drive away, while still beautiful, came nowhere close to matching the grandeur of Katelyn’s home. Alyssa’s gaze swept up and down the street, turning only when the door behind her opened. A young girl with rainbow-colored hair and wearing a summer dress and flip-flops stood in the doorway, eyes wide and tear-filled. Her hands shook, as did her voice. ‘Are you the detectives looking for Kate? I’m Stephanie. Kate’s my best friend. Mary called to say you were on your way.’
‘Hi, Stephanie. I’m Detective Wyatt, and this is Detective Roberts. Can we speak to you for a few minutes?’
Movements jerky, the young girl stepped back as she waved Alyssa and Cord inside.
‘Are your parents home?’
‘No, ma’am. They were having dinner with friends in Santa Fe. But I just called my mom a few minutes ago to tell her what was going on, and she said they would leave right away. Do they have to be here before you can talk to me? Because I can call my mom back again, and she’ll tell you it’s okay. She’d want me to do what I can to help.’
Alyssa smiled softly. ‘If it would make you feel better to have your mom on speaker while we ask you a few questions, that’s fine, but we just want to try to get an idea of what happened between the time Katelyn left your house to us getting the call that she hadn’t returned home.’
Stephanie’s index finger, already red and bleeding, went to her mouth. Moisture spilled from the young girl’s eyes, and her shoulders shook as she began gasping for air. ‘I don’t know what hap… happened to her. She left here at… at three forty-five, and then her mom called at four-thirty saying she hadn’t come home yet and that she wasn’t answering her phone, and then I tried to call her, but she didn’t answer my call either, and so I sent her a text, but she didn’t respond to that, and so I tried…’
Seconds before the young girl crashed to the floor, Alyssa caught her, easing her over to the stairs right behind her. She threw a glance behind her to Cord. ‘Water.’
He nodded and disappeared around the corner where she heard cabinets opening and closing, and then a minute later, he returned. She took the plastic cup from him and held it up to Stephanie’s lips.
‘Here. I want you to take a drink, okay?’
Even when the young girl’s hands reached out to take the cup, Alyssa kept hold of it, not trusting that it wouldn’t fall from her grasp. After three small sips, Stephanie twisted her head away and wiped at her eyes. ‘I’m sorry. I’m just scared.’
‘That’s okay, it’s understandable. Do you think you can answer a few questions now?’
Stephanie nodded. ‘Yes, ma’am. I can try.’
‘Are you okay sitting here on the stairs, or would you feel more comfortable in the living room?’
‘I’m okay.’
‘All right, Stephanie. Mrs. Phillipson said Katelyn walked home with you after school today. Did you come straight here, or did you stop somewhere along the way?’
‘Straight here because Kate didn’t have long before she needed to be home to help her mom, and she was excited to see the dress I got for our eighth-grade promotion.’ Her voice choked. ‘It’s Thursday. We’re supposed to go together.’
‘Okay, so you got home and showed her the dress. What else did you do?’
Cord produced a tissue from a packet he kept in his pocket and han
ded it to Stephanie when her nose began to drip. She thanked him and wiped her nose before answering. ‘We talked about how we’d wear our hair and then watched a couple YouTube videos to get some ideas.’ One shoulder lifted in a shrug as she whispered. ‘That’s all. She told me she’d text me tonight after she was finished helping her mom bake, and that was the last…’ Her words trailed off as another bout of frightened tears fell.
Alyssa gave her a minute before proceeding. ‘Stephanie, can you tell us the route Kate would normally take to get home?’
‘She usually cuts across the street to the park. Most of the time she takes the bike path, but if there’re too many people, she’ll walk down the arroyo, head up Eagle Rock to Ventura to Glendale.’
‘Does she ever go another way that you know of?’
‘Not when she’s just going home, which she was.’
‘Would she tell you if she was going to stop somewhere else?’
Stephanie’s head snapped back like she thought the question was absurd. ‘Of course.’
They asked a few more questions, verified what Katelyn had been wearing and that she had a pink bag with black polka dots, and then waited while Stephanie answered her mom’s call before leaving to retrace Katelyn’s steps. At the park, Alyssa parked next to the curb.
‘I’m going to update Hammond. Why don’t you get ahold of Tony and Joe, have them meet us here? They can start knocking on doors in the area while we search the park. It would be nice if the city could get closed-circuit cameras everywhere, but until then, maybe someone’s Ring doorbell or security camera captured something that’ll help.’
Calls made, Alyssa automatically checked the time. Eight-fifteen. The sun had set only moments ago, taking the last remnants of light and replacing it with deepening shadows. She reached over, unlocked her glove box, and retrieved two flashlights, handing one to Cord before closing it again.