THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH: A Suspenseful Action-Packed Thriller

by Nolan Thomas

  “It’s like a birthday party to start your new life,” Dixon said. “And Mr. Smith even gives presents and special surprises. He has the parties one at a time so that each child feels special and gets his undivided attention.”

  They reached the front door and rang the doorbell. Immediately a roly-poly man of average height opened the door. Thin black hair, combed close to his head, had some kind of oil on it. He kind of gave Riley the creeps.

  “Welcome. Please come in,” he said, making a sweeping palm-up gesture with his hand. It made Riley feel uneasy, as if this guy were playing the role of a butler or something.

  They stepped into a beautiful living room. Riley gazed around the room soaking in all the details. She thought Aunt Dixie’s house was beautiful, but this house was in a completely different category. Really rich people lived here.

  “Good evening, Mr. Smith. This is Riley,” Dixon said, smiling. “Riley, I would like you to meet Mr. Smith.”

  “Good evening,” the Judge said, never taking his eyes off Riley.

  Riley bent down and scooped Rocky up into her arms. “Hello, sir. This is my best friend, Rocky.”

  “Well . . . I wasn’t expecting a dog,” he said coolly, looking at Dixon.

  Riley didn’t want him to be mad at Aunt Dixie.

  “I know,” Riley said breathlessly. “It’s all my fault. I told Aunt Dixie I wouldn’t go without Rocky. If you don’t want us here, it’s okay. I understand.”

  The Judge smiled. So much charm. “It’s alright, dear,” the Judge said, patting her softly on the top of her head. “He seems like a well-behaved dog. I’m sure your Aunt Dixie wouldn’t have let him come if she thought he would interfere with our fun.”

  He stared at Dixon as he said this. She nodded, letting him know the dog would be taken care of as well.

  Riley surveyed the room, surprised by what she didn’t see. It didn’t look like a party at all—no food, no decorations, not even any music. How was she supposed to dance?

  “Where’s all the party stuff?”

  “I have the party all set up for us in the other room.”

  “I don’t hear any music.”

  The Judge smiled. Not only pretty as a picture, but smart, too.

  “I don’t have the music playing yet, but we can certainly have whatever kind of music you like.”

  “I’m old-school. I love the Black-Eyed Peas.”

  The Judge seemed confused. He never had a child ask for peas before.

  “I don’t have any peas, dear, but I do have plenty of candy and cookies.”

  Riley looked at Rocky and gave him a look that let him know she suspected this wasn’t going to be much of a party.

  Dixon kissed Riley on the forehead. “I want you to have a wonderful time this evening. I’ll be back to pick you up in an hour.”

  She turned to face the Judge. “Remember to follow the instructions you were given. I’ll be back in precisely one hour, and I want Riley ready to go at that time.”

  “Wait a minute. Where are you going?” Riley asked as she tugged the sleeve of her Aunt Dixie’s coat.

  “I’m not staying dear. Mr. Smith likes to have just children at his party. It’s so much more fun for you that way.”

  “I thought you were going to be at the party with me. We’re the foster family. You, me, and Rocky. How can we celebrate that if you aren’t even with us?”

  “I should have explained the party more clearly to you. Mr. Smith wants you to feel you’re the most special child in the world.”

  “But I don’t wa--”

  “That’s enough, Riley. Don’t be ungrateful. Mr. Smith has gone to a lot of trouble to arrange this party for you, and I went to a lot of time and expense to get just the right outfit for you. I’ll only be gone one hour, and Mr. Smith has already been kind enough to let this dog of yours attend the party.”

  Ouch! Riley thought. Major guilt trip.

  “I’m sorry, Aunt Dixie.”

  “I’ll be back in one hour.”

  Aunt Dixie turned and walked out the door.

  23

  RILEY DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO do. So far this didn’t seem like much of a party. The Today Show frequently had party tips, like music helped stimulate conversation and put your guests at ease.

  “Do you ever watch the Today Show?”

  The Judge smiled at her.

  “Whatever is on that pretty little mind of yours to make you ask that question?”

  Riley just looked at him and didn’t reply.

  “Would you like to come into the party room with me?” the Judge asked, extending his hand towards Riley.

  “I need to use the bathroom. Which way is it?”

  The Judge pointed to a hallway. “Go down that hall. It’s the third door on the left.”

  Riley looked down the hallway. It wasn’t very well lit, and it appeared there were many doors. How many rooms did people need in their houses? It seemed crazy to Riley. Many people were grateful just to have a car to sleep in. Riley wasn’t the type of person to feel sorry for herself, but she did wonder why some people had so much, while others had so little. Her mother had always told her life wasn’t fair. Now that she’d seen how Aunt Dixie and Mr. Smith lived, she knew her mother was right.

  “Would you like me to take you there, dear?”

  “No way.”

  “Oh, I just thought you might need help finding it,” the Judge said with a sing-song lilt to his voice, as if talking to a baby.

  One hour until Aunt Dixie comes back sounds like an awfully long time, Riley thought.

  “I’m going to go on into the party room. It’s the door right over here,” the Judge said, looking over his shoulder at her as he started walking towards the door. “Just come right in when you’re finished.”

  As he walked through the threshold to the party room, he said in his sing-song-baby-talking voice, “I’ll be waiting for you, sweet Riley.”

  Riley knelt down on one knee so she could talk to her friend in a conspiratorial whisper. “Come on, Rocky. Let’s go do a little exploring. I don’t really need to go to the bathroom. I just want to check out this house.”

  Riley found the bathroom. She reached through the doorway, moving her flattened hand along the wall until she found the light switch. She flicked it on, then reached for the door and pulled it shut. She wanted to make it look like she was in the bathroom, leaving her free to explore.

  Riley decided to go back and check out the two rooms she already passed. She opened the door closest to the bathroom. The dim light from the hallway seeped into the room. Curtains hung at the window, but there wasn’t a single piece of furniture anywhere in the room.

  She proceeded back down the hallway to the first door. She peeked inside. Empty.

  Weird, Riley thought.

  A grand house like this should at least have a library or office. Rich people on TV always had a library. That’s where all the action took place. The maid or the butler would say things like “Mr. Smith is waiting for you in the library.” That was often where the murder took place.

  A tingle traveled up Riley’s spine at this thought. She shook it off. Living on the streets taught Riley you couldn’t let your imagination get the best of you. Anything could be scary depending on how you looked at it. Like bums. Bums were almost always scary when you first saw them, but they were usually just lonely people who had too much to drink.

  There had to be a kitchen. Riley turned back in the direction of the bathroom. She saw a doorway at the end of the hall. Riley walked towards it, and then crossed the threshold into what was indeed a kitchen.

  “Look, Rocky. Maybe we can score a treat for you.”

  Rocky wagged his tail.

  Riley found the light switch on her first try, and instantly illuminated the entire room with a fluorescent glow. She shaded her eyes with her hands for a few seconds in order to adjust to such an abrupt change.

  “Wow!”

  This kitchen was amazing. Bright white
cabinetry filled the room—more kitchen cabinets than Riley had ever seen in her life. Black counter tops sparkled as if diamonds were in them. The stainless-steel appliances were huge—a six-burner stove and a refrigerator that looked like two refrigerators standing next to each other.

  “Rocky, let’s see if there’s anything in here you might like. I’m sure Mr. Smith wouldn’t mind.”

  Riley tugged on one of the large refrigerator doors. At her heels, Rocky anxiously waited to check out what this massive refrigerator had in store for them. As the door swung open, Rocky and Riley stared into the white abyss. Nothing. Empty. Riley tugged at the second door, and the same white emptiness appeared.

  “What the H-E-double-hockey-sticks? How could someone live in a house when there’s no food in the refrigerator?”

  Riley went down the line opening cabinets, but each opened door greeted her with stark emptiness. Riley got an uneasy feeling. Nothing made any sense to her.

  How could someone have a party with absolutely no food or soda in the refrigerator?

  “There you are Riley,” Mr. Smith said. “I wondered what was taking you so long.”

  Riley didn’t answer him.

  He walked towards her, and reached out his hand for her to take. Riley took a step away from him. This surprised the Judge.

  “What’s the matter, Riley? Is something wrong?”

  “Where’s your food? Why don’t you have any food?”

  Mr. Smith gave a phlegmy chuckle. “Aren’t you the bright little detective?”

  “I’m serious,” Riley demanded. “I want to know why you don’t have any food.”

  “All right dear. I can see that you’re very serious.”

  Riley didn’t like the way he spoke to her. He used that tone of voice that adults use when talking down to children—sort of half baby talk and half you’re-an-idiot talk.

  “I just recently moved here, and I’m a very busy man. I’m a judge you know, or at least I used to be a judge. Now I have my own company here in Washington. I almost always eat out, usually with clients. Clients are a type of customer. Do you understand?”

  I’m ten, not an idiot, Riley thought. Judge? Aunt Dixie never mentioned he was a judge. Was he Mr. Smith? Or Judge Smith? Maybe Mr. Judge Smith?

  “How can you have a party when you don’t keep any food in the house?”

  Again with that smile. Maybe judges have to smile like that in court. It’s a little creepy.

  “Do you know what having a party catered means?”

  Okay. Maybe I am an idiot. Embarrassed, Riley shook her head no.

  “The restaurant and bakery prepare everything for you and bring it to your house. Poof—there it is! Instant party without all the mess.”

  Riley thought that made sense, especially for rich people. She wondered how many other things people who lived in regular homes knew about that she didn’t.

  “Would you like to go to the party room now?”

  “Sure.”

  24

  RILEY RELUCTANTLY TOOK THE JUDGE’S sweaty hand. As they walked past the bathroom she noticed the light still emanated from beneath the closed door. They crossed the living room.

  The Judge said, “Here we go.” He ceremoniously flung open the door.

  Golden light pulsated from white candles of all sizes and shapes, nestled in gold and glass candle holders, throughout the room. On the dresser. On night stands. On the floor surrounding a very large bed covered with a gold satin comforter and lots of matching satin pillows. A table at the foot of the bed held more candles as well as cookies and candy.

  Still holding her hand, the Judge yanked Riley into the room and quickly kicked the door closed behind them. Rocky barely slipped into the room. The unpleasant smell of incense filled Riley’s nostrils. Confused, she couldn’t understand why the party would be in a bedroom. There was nowhere to sit, and as she suspected, no music.

  Her arm ached from being pulled, and Mr. Smith wouldn’t let go of her hand. She tried to pull it away but that just made him squeeze tighter.

  The Judge found Riley more troublesome than the others—smart and not beguiled by the treats. Most of his little guests were so enamored with the idea of the party and gifts they were like putty in his hands. He never had a guest bold enough to go exploring.

  The Judge finally let go of Riley’s hand as he sat on the side of the bed and patted the spot next to him. Riley shook her head refusing to sit on the bed.

  What’s wrong with this guy? Riley thought. This is the lamest party in the entire world.

  He raised his arm, placed it around her shoulder, and pulled her onto the bed next to him. Holding her close to him, Riley felt a slimy-lipped kiss on her cheek.

  Gross! Riley tried to wipe at her cheek

  “Let go of me. I can’t breathe. You’re squeezing me too tight.”

  A million thoughts raced in Riley’s head as she struggled to push the Judge away. Her mother had told her about inappropriate touching, and Riley was pretty sure this qualified. Her mother had also told her about bad men who wanted to have sex with girls. She wasn’t exactly sure what sex was, but she knew for sure that’s what the Judge wanted. Aunt Dixie was going to be furious with him when she found out.

  Riley heard Rocky growl, but she couldn’t see him.

  “Get away from me!”

  “Don’t fight it, my sweet Riley.”

  She pounded at his chest. “Leave me alone, you big creep! Leave me alone!”

  Riley started to panic. The Judge was way too strong for her to beat up. She had to come up with a different way out of this nightmare.

  Think, Riley, think! I need help. I can’t cry. Don’t cry.

  “Help,” Riley screamed at the top of her lungs. “Help!”

  The Judge held her at arm’s-length and viciously slapped her across the face. “Shut up you little bitch. This is for your own good.”

  He grabbed her by the waist and threw her onto the bed.

  Rocky lunged at the Judge and grabbed hold of his ankle, clamping down as hard as he could. The Judge stifled a scream as he tried to shake the dog off his leg. Riley lay unmoving on the bed. The Judge didn’t think he hit her hard enough to knock her unconscious, but that might be best. Clearly this one was a fighter, and so was her dog.

  His ankle stung like a hot poker where the dog clung to it. The Judge swung his leg, with the dog still attached, and slammed the dog into the side of the bed.

  Pain seared the side of Riley’s head. She felt so dizzy. She vaguely heard Rocky yelp, and that horrible man yelling at him.

  “Rocky,” Riley moaned.

  “Good. You’re conscious. You won’t miss any of the fun.”

  “Ple…please leave me alone,” Riley whimpered. “I pr…promise I won’t tell Aunt Dixie.”

  The Judge laughed.

  “What’s so funny?” Riley asked. Her head starting to clear, she didn’t feel as dizzy as she had before.

  “Aunt Dixie? You have no idea who your Aunt Dixie really is. She works for me. She finds boys and girls just like you. Unnoticed. Forgotten. She builds their trust, then brings them to me.”

  Horrified, Riley screamed, “No! You don’t know what you’re talking about. Aunt Dixie loves me!”

  The Judge’s laughter grew even louder. He enjoyed this. It added something special to the encounter. Dixon wouldn’t be happy with this turn of events, but that wasn’t his problem.

  “She doesn’t love you. You’re just business to her.”

  “No. You’re a big fat liar!”

  “Haven’t you ever wondered why your Aunt Dixie never takes you anywhere? She doesn’t want anyone to know you exist. As long as no one sees you with her, no one will ever know you’re gone.”

  “That’s not true. My social worker knows where I live.”

  Riley struggled to regain her strength. She managed to get to her knees on the bed. She could almost look the Judge in the eyes now.

  “Do you mean Regina Cox? Oh my God, this
is just too much fun.”

  He thrust his words into her heart like a dagger. “That dimwit. She’s on Kathryn Dixon’s payroll. How do you think Aunt Dixie found you? Did you actually think DCFS would place you so quickly into the perfect home? One that had everything a girl could ever want, including Toto. Have you ever heard the expression ‘too good to be true’?”

  The Judge enjoyed a hearty laugh before he continued, “Don’t be too hard on yourself, Riley. None of my other guests ever saw it coming either.”

  25

  NO MORE WAITING. STANDING AT the side of the bed, the Judge reached for Riley.

  Salty tears streamed down her face. Riley tightened her mouth, took a deep breath and flailed on the Judge’s chest with all the strength she could muster. She released a loud, guttural scream. Startled, the Judge let go of her. Rocky jumped as high as he could and plunged his teeth deep into the man’s biceps muscle. The Judge howled as eighteen pounds of raging dog clamped onto his arm.

  Riley sprang from the bed. Instead of running away from the Judge, she stood directly in front of him. She lifted her foot, bent her knee, and summoned all the force in her body. The sight of Rocky fighting like a pit bull to save her filled her with super-heroine strength. Riley reared up and kicked the Judge in his privates just like her mom had taught her.

  The Judge went down like a brick dropped from a third-story balcony. He held his groin, puking. Rocky released his vice-like grip just in time to avoid getting crushed under the weight of the Judge.

  “Come on Rocky! Let’s get out of here!”

  They ran from the bedroom into the living room. Riley’s heart pounded. She was out of breath, but at least she and Rocky got away from that horrible, horrible man. But they needed to get out of the house.

  Riley placed her hand on the door as she bent over to catch her breath. Between fear and exertion, she found it difficult to breathe.