The Toybox

by Charly Cox

  ‘I know.’ Sophie leaned forward and opened the glovebox where Holly kept the tissues. She pulled one from the box and blew her nose. ‘What if he did do something to her? God, Holly, I know I complained about all her theatrics, but I’d give anything right now if she would just waltz up and regale us with dramatic tales of her adventure of the last few days. Anything.’ Her voice cracked. ‘If anything has happened to her, it’ll be my fault…’

  ‘Stop. First, we don’t know yet if anything bad has happened to her.’ She ignored the voice shouting in her head that they did know; what they didn’t know was what exactly that bad thing was. ‘Second, no matter what, none of this is your fault. We both could’ve – and probably should’ve – been more understanding and compassionate of everything she was going through.’

  ‘Remind me why I was always such a bitch to her? I mean, really, what would it have cost me to actually be patient once in a while?’ She brought her fingernails up to her teeth, chewing at the jagged edges, the cuticles red from where she’d already gnawed them. She turned her neck to stare out the passenger window. ‘I’m still pissed at Leigh Ann for yesterday, but I kind of wish she was here.’ Grudgingly, she added, ‘She’s been a far better friend to Jersey than I’ve been a cousin.’

  ‘Damn it! Damn it! Damn. It!’

  Both Holly and Sophie jumped, startled by the loud cursing coming from behind Holly’s car. A glance in her rearview mirror reflected the same guy who’d been heading down the steps of the precinct when they’d arrived. Now, he paced back and forth in front of a car, his face almost as red as Sophie’s had been a moment earlier.

  ‘Damn it!’ The guy kicked at one of his tires.

  ‘Should we ask if he’s okay?’ Sophie flipped down the vanity mirror on the sun visor so she, too, could watch the guy behind them. ‘Why am I whispering? It’s not like he can hear us.’

  Holly hesitated. ‘We don’t really know him.’ Even as she said it, she and Sophie found themselves opening their doors and climbing out. Together they approached him. ‘I sure hope that’s your car you’re taking your anger out on.’

  The guy swung around, phone in one hand. ‘What?’

  ‘Um, are you okay?’

  He waved in the direction of the convertible in front of him. ‘Not really. I got a parking ticket.’ He fluttered the slip of paper in the air, disgusted. ‘And if that wasn’t irritating enough, I have a flat tire, and now I have to call Triple A to get them to come change it.’

  ‘Why do you have to call Triple A? Don’t you know how to change a flat? Or do you not have a spare?’ She knew she sounded shocked, and maybe even a little judgmental, but she couldn’t help it.

  A whole new level of bright red suffused the guy’s face, and Holly had a feeling it had nothing to do with the heat or his anger. ‘Nope, don’t know the first thing about changing a tire.’ His brown-eyed gaze bounced between Holly and Sophie while a crooked smile lifted one corner of his mouth. ‘Don’t suppose you know, do you?’ The tone of his voice implied he was joking.

  ‘Actually, yes, we do. Would you like us to help?’

  Sophie’s neck snapped in her direction, and from the corner of her eye, Holly could see her friend’s mouth hanging open. She had an urge to recite one of her grandma’s favorite sayings: better shut that before the flies get in and nest.

  The word ‘oh’ formed on the guy’s lips, but no sound emerged. ‘I, uh, was joking when I asked that.’ He cocked his head to the side and cleared his throat. ‘But, really, you know how to change a tire? Both of you?’

  Whether it was the incredulous, doubtful tone of his voice, or the fact she was a little insulted at the implication that she was lying, Holly responded by arching one brow and placing her hands on her hips. ‘What? Because we’re girls, and girls can’t change tires?’

  Realizing the insult for what it was, the guy backpedaled. ‘I’m sorry. That was… of course, I didn’t mean… I mean why wouldn’t you…’

  ‘Yes, we know how to change a tire.’ She moved her thumb back and forth in the air between Sophie and herself. ‘My dad made us learn before he’d let us drive.’

  ‘Well, my dad believes it’s easier to pay someone to do things like that.’

  Holly didn’t know him and couldn’t be sure, of course, but the way he mumbled the words made it sound like he was embarrassed by the admission. She reached out a hand. ‘I’m Holly, by the way. This is my best friend, Sophie.’ She turned slightly, angling her body so that she was almost facing the precinct. ‘My mom’s a detective here, and we dropped by to visit her for a bit.’

  A cloud dropped over the guy’s face as he lifted his eyes to the tinted windows of the police station, but then he shook his head and dropped his gaze back to Holly, extending his hand first to her and then to Sophie.

  ‘Nick Otis.’

  Otis. Their smiles fell away, and Sophie and Holly exchanged a look. Could Nick Otis be related to the missing girl, Rachel? Now that she knew his name, she could see the resemblance between him and the image of the girl she’d seen on the television. She wondered if he was the girl’s brother.

  ‘So, Nick, do you want us to help?’

  A brilliant white-toothed smile took over his tan face, replacing the darkness that had temporarily shrouded his eyes. ‘I’d love it.’

  Fifteen minutes later, his spare was on, and Holly accepted Nick’s hand as he pulled her to her feet. As she brushed the knees of her capris, she noticed the large grin on his face.

  ‘I just changed my first tire,’ he said proudly.

  ‘Helped change,’ Holly corrected, unable to fight off her own grin. It was contagious. She’d made him remove the lug nuts, as well as replace them, showing him how to make sure they were on snugly so he wouldn’t lose the tire driving down the road. She’d planned on making him jack up the car, too, but when he’d almost collapsed it twice, she was afraid he’d crush himself or that they’d be there until the stars came out.

  ‘Helped,’ he agreed. ‘So, can I take you two to grab a bite to eat to show my thanks?’ The unmistakable gleam of hope sparkling in his eyes made it difficult to decline.

  Holly shifted her eyes over to Sophie, who’d gone to sit on the curb after moving the flat tire out of their way so she and Nick could put the spare in place. She glanced at her watch, and then gave a curt shake of her head. ‘Thanks, but we need to be going.’

  ‘Well, then, do you mind if I get your number so I can text you sometime? I’d really like to take you to breakfast or lunch or something. You know, to thank you.’ Though he addressed both of them, his eyes stayed trained on Holly.

  ‘Um, sure. I guess.’ She held out her hand for his phone, and after he unlocked the screen and handed it over, she typed both their numbers into his contacts before handing it back. ‘I put both our numbers in there.’

  ‘Thanks.’ Nick glanced at the screen, a wide smile crinkling the corners of his eyes as he pushed the phone into his front pocket. ‘You know, getting a parking ticket and a flat tire in the same day was kind of worth it, now that I think about it.’

  ‘Well, as pick-up lines go, it’s at least unique,’ Sophie deadpanned. ‘But only “kind of”? Dude, you need to work on your game.’

  Holly’s face heated as she and Sophie moved back to her car. Fingers hovering over the handle, she pointed with one hand to the back of his convertible. ‘Don’t forget to have that spare replaced with a real tire. You don’t want to drive around too long on that.’

  The second her door closed, Sophie said, ‘I give him less than three hours before he bounces you a message asking you out. Before the weekend’s over, he’s gonna be calling you his bae on Instagram. So, I guess this wasn’t a wasted trip after all.’

  The second the words fell from her mouth, reality slammed back in with the force of a sledgehammer. Holly tried to shake the blanket of guilt that she’d enjoyed a brief moment where she’d forgotten that Jersey was missing, and she knew by the heavy silence and the way Sophie’
s fingers flew to her mouth that her thoughts were currently traveling the same path as her own.

  ‘Your mom is going to find Jersey.’ Sophie’s voice was hushed with weak conviction. ‘And when she does, we’ll charm my cousin into forgiving us. We’ll be so clingy and understanding, she’ll be the one who gets sick of us, right?’

  Holly started the engine and turned off the air-conditioner as a cold chill raced over her skin. ‘Right.’ She tried not to imagine what would happen if her mom didn’t find Jersey in time.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Thursday, May 23

  Tears clogging her throat, and her heart knocking inside her chest, Jersey stared at the blood seeping through Rachel’s robe. Whereas her own back was a collection of colorful bruises, Rachel’s was a canvas of crisscrossed slashes and welts that were breaking open from their attempts at building a pyramid that would enable Katelyn to reach the window. ‘Maybe Rachel and I should trade places?’

  Rachel gritted her teeth. ‘I can do this.’ Despite the conviction in her voice, her words were cloaked in a cloud of intense pain. Still, they’d tried again. But the second Jersey had placed her knee on Rachel’s back in an effort to complete the center of their pyramid, Rachel’s trembling arms had given out, and she’d collapsed to the ground, panting and gasping for air. After a few moments, she pushed herself to her knees. ‘Again,’ she’d insisted.

  And they had – with the same results.

  So now Jersey knelt before Rachel, grasping her hands tightly between her own. ‘It might be a little lopsided since I’m so much smaller than you, but let’s just try.’

  Rachel bit her quivering bottom lip as her shimmering eyes strayed from Jersey’s concerned face to the others’ and then up to the window. ‘I can do this. This pain is only temporary, right?’

  ‘Are you sure?’ Jersey asked.

  Rachel nodded. ‘This may be our only chance.’

  ‘Okay, let’s do this.’ Faye’s voice was full of urgency.

  Determined, and ignoring the cries of their weak, battered bodies, they all nodded as Becca, Faye, and Rachel once again positioned themselves against the wall beneath the window, darting nervous looks to the door at the top of the stairs. The hammering from above continued, giving them hope that those sounds would mask any noise the window might make when Katelyn pried it open.

  ‘Here I go,’ Cheyenne whispered as she carefully planted one knee on Becca’s back. Time seemed to stand still as she waited for Becca to control her trembling arms.

  ‘Hurry.’ Becca pushed the words past clenched teeth.

  Cheyenne settled her other knee onto Faye’s back and then steadied herself by gripping their shoulders.

  Just as she had with their first two attempts, Faye squeezed her eyes shut, her lips pursed as her face twisted in pain. Her nostrils flared as she sucked in air through clenched teeth.

  It was Jersey’s turn. Sweat beaded on Rachel’s lips as she locked her arms into place, waiting for Jersey to get into position.

  She wanted to apologize for the pain, but instead Jersey said, ‘Nod when you’re ready.’

  Rachel sucked in a deep breath and dropped her head forward. Jersey moved into place, balancing herself on Faye’s and Rachel’s backs, holding her breath as Rachel’s body trembled beneath her. This time, however, Rachel’s arms held as she managed to keep herself from collapsing to the floor.

  ‘Katelyn, hurry,’ Jersey urged.

  Quickly, Katelyn shuffled over to the pyramid and, apologizing for every gasp of pain, she carefully climbed her way to the top. Balancing herself, she whispered excitedly, ‘I can reach it.’

  Jersey closed her eyes to block out the pain, breathing in and out through her nose. The seconds ticked by as she waited for Katelyn to find the latch that would send her to the outside to find help to free them all.

  Suddenly, Katelyn wailed something undecipherable, and her movements became jerky, causing the pyramid to become more unsteady. And then she was banging on the window, over and over, ignoring the others as they pleaded with her to stop, to tell them what was wrong. But she didn’t stop, and before Jersey could process what was happening, they were all tumbling to the ground, their arms and legs flailing, muffled groans, sharp gasps, and whimpers bouncing off the walls around them.

  Tremors shook Katelyn’s body as she sobbed, crawling away and burrowing into a corner. Her words, when they finally came, were a combination of disbelief, helplessness, and fear. ‘The glass is too thick to break, and the window’s nailed shut.’

  Stunned silence filled the room as they came to terms with the realization that their fleeting hope of escape was nothing more than an impossible fantasy. Then one by one, everyone moved back to their mattresses, their surge of courageousness flying through the bars of the cell and abandoning them to the truth.

  This sense of hopelessness was almost worse than before they’d even tried. Jersey watched as Katelyn rocked her quaking body back and forth, and felt the weight of failure on her own shoulders at the knowledge that, no matter how much they all wanted to, none of them could save the young girl, shield her from the nightmare that was to come.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Thursday, May 23

  Alyssa paced as she listened to Hal’s end of the conversation. The second he’d mentioned the phrases ‘matter of life or death’ and ‘search warrant,’ the person who’d answered the phone had handed him off to a manager who was pulling up the cell tower information as quickly as he could, which, in Alyssa’s estimation was ten times slower than it should be.

  She was seriously considering jerking the phone away and demanding the information herself when Hal suddenly reached out and grabbed a piece of paper, flipped it over, and scribbled something on the back, and then recited his email address. ‘I’ll check my inbox right now and let you know when I get it. Do you mind holding? Great.’

  His fingers flew over his laptop keyboard, and a few seconds later, he shouted out, ‘Bingo! Thanks for your help. APD surely appreciates it. Yes, your direct line would be great. Okay, got it. We’ll be in touch if we need anything else.’

  Alyssa moved in behind Hal as he clicked on the map and zeroed in on the image the cell tower had tracked Rachel’s phone to. It took her only a second to recognize the general location as the university area and another to realize… ‘Fraternity Row,’ she breathed out. ‘Get Tony and Joe on the phone and have them meet me there!’ She whirled around and smacked into Cord. ‘I didn’t hear you come in. When did you get here?’

  He ignored her question in favor of one of his own. ‘Meet you where?’

  ‘Never mind about Tony and Joe.’ She rushed through the door, expecting her partner would follow. ‘Nick Otis called his sister’s phone this morning, and someone answered. When he told the person who answered that Rachel was missing, the guy powered the phone off. Judge Rosario issued a ping warrant, and the location tracked back to Fraternity Row.’ By the time she hit the precinct doors, she was running.

  And a few minutes later, she was stuck in construction traffic on Central, cursing and banging on her steering wheel, just barely managing not to lay on her horn. ‘Who in the hell ever thought it was a good idea to narrow Central down to one lane when it was already a traffic nightmare? Oh, that’s right, the mayor.’

  ‘You realize breaking your steering wheel off in your impatient frustration isn’t really going to get you any further any faster?’

  The withering look she shot him would have had most men – and women – cowering in a corner. Not Cord, though. He was used to it and knew her anger wasn’t really directed at him anyway. Taking several deep breaths – in through the nose, out through the mouth – Alyssa tried to calm her nerves. When that didn’t work, she asked Cord about Sara. ‘It’s not like you to go with Sara to a doctor’s appointment, seeing as how she’s a nurse and all. Is everything okay?’

  To her surprise, he cut his eyes away from her and out the passenger window. ‘Yes, everything’s
fine. Looks like traffic’s finally moving.’

  His observation was clearly a dismissal, but as he was also correct, Alyssa dropped the subject and hit the gas, taking the first right turn she could so that, even though it was a longer route, it would still take less time because they wouldn’t be fighting construction. As she weaved in and out of slow-moving cars, shooting down the road at fifteen miles per hour over the posted speed limit, she wondered if she needed to be worried about Sara. About Cord.

  She shook her head, pushing the concern to the back of her mind. At this moment, neither Cord’s health, nor Sara’s, was her primary focus. Seven minutes later, she jerked to a stop at the curb in front of the frat house, located a block away from the university. She didn’t wait to see if Cord was behind her before she leaped out and raced up the front steps where she proceeded to pound on the door until it was jerked open by a young man with disheveled hair and wearing nothing but boxer briefs, as if she’d just pulled him from bed.

  ‘What the hell’s your problem, lady?’

  She flashed her badge in his face, aware of Cord’s presence beside her now as he did the same. ‘Detective Wyatt, Detective Roberts with APD. What’s your name?’

  ‘Marcus Lawrence. What’s this about?’ His face paled, and he stumbled back a step as he tossed a look over his shoulder, his earlier irritation replaced with something else – fear, maybe?

  She ignored his question. ‘Who else is here with you, Marcus?’

  ‘What, you mean like now, or who lives here?’

  ‘Both.’

  ‘There’s only a few of us living here right now since it’s summer, and I don’t know who else is home right now. I was in bed until you pulled me from it with your pounding.’

  ‘How many is a few?’

  ‘Three of us.’ Color rushed to his cheeks, and Alyssa raised her eyebrows, waiting. ‘Four of us. My girlfriend is staying here with me through the summer, even though, technically, she’s not supposed to.’ He cocked his head to the side, adopting a look of arrogance. ‘I don’t see how it matters since she’s paying rent, and she’ll be out before the fall semester starts.’