Nocturnal Meetings of the Misplaced

by R. J. Garcia

  I knew I had to get back to the room and quick. I stepped away from the door and the floorboards squeaked. I froze. A drop of sweat pricked the skin at the back of my neck, and fear reached my knees making them weak. For an instant, it was completely silent and I heard my grandmother say, “Someone’s here,” and her bedroom door flew open. She came at me, her tear-streaked face enraged. “What did you hear?” she asked, pounding her small angry fist up and down my arms. “What did you hear?” she asked, again and again, still beating me.

  I stood there in shock, not even blocking her blows, my arms hanging at my sides. “I welcomed you into my house!” she shrieked.

  Finally, I managed to say, “I was only going to get some water.”

  Her arms dropped to her sides. She suddenly looked exhausted. “Go to your room! You little pervert, listening, spying, and creeping.”

  I ran back up to the loft, as fast as I could. My eyes found Izzy in her bed asleep.” Okay, okay,” I mumbled, trying to calm myself.

  This was too crazy! They were the kidnappers. The realization blinked on and off in my mind. My heart beat fast as I confronted it, and faster yet when I realized, I had no real proof. I mean, it would only be my word against hers. These people were dangerous.

  I speed-dialed Finn saying, “I overheard my grandmother, they’re the kidnappers,” as my grandmother surged in the room. “No phone, huh? Now tell your friend goodbye,” she said and tore the phone out of my hand. “Good night, you little cockroach!” She gritted her teeth and added, “I hope you’re happy; you broke the blood vessels in my hand.”

  I had no idea what to say. Apparently, she had hurt her hands pounding on me. Somehow, I was supposed to feel bad about it? She started to leave but turned back around and her gaze intensified. “The exterminator’s coming,” she uttered, her voice becoming husky.

  What? Was she threatening my life? She slammed out of the room. “Lunatic,” I mumbled.

  Isabella asked, “Are you okay, Tommy?”

  “I’m fine, Isabella. I love you, go back to sleep.” This was too much for her. It was too much for me.

  I heard the snap of the lock.

  I got up and rattled the doorknob. Sure enough, we were locked in.

  Izzy sat up in bed. Her big curls flipping every which way. I went and put my arms around her. Only then did it hit me how serious this was. A sudden shock of cold hit my stomach and it spread to my chest. I might not only get myself killed but Izzy, too.

  Chapter 51

  The Phantom Van

  Finn

  I didn’t know what to think. Saturday night kept swimming in my head. It was close to midnight, when I used all my strength to push the dirt bike away from the house, so my mom wouldn’t hear me leaving. I slipped the helmet over my ski cap and kick-started the bike and it lurched forward in a puff of smoke. I edged out on the street happy and alive. The vibrations of the motorcycle pulsating through my clothes and shoes to my skin, and the streams of air on my face, making me feel more alive than I had in a long time.

  The ride to Tommy’s Grandparent’s house only took a few minutes on my bike. Tommy was worried about me riding because of the bump on my head… Hell, my dad had let me ride his dirt bike since I was ten. It was second nature to me.

  I rode down Old Cemetery Road and turned on the even darker and unpaved Wolf Road. Trees lined on either side, made it seem like a narrow tunnel. Carefully, I followed the road’s slow curve. Finally, I saw the large Victorian house and hit the brakes. The dust and sand glinted like tiny diamonds, in the glare of my headlights. Once I cut the engine off, the bike shuddered to a stop, and I started hearing the wind whooshing through the leaves. It was real creepy. I remembered feeling an unnatural chill from deep inside when my eyes caught sight of a crooked sign at the end of the long dirt drive. It read “The Walkers,” in spindly looking letters, the kind of font you’d expect to see at Dracula’s or the Addams family’s house.

  I parked diagonally, at the end of the driveway, next to a large weeping willow tree, and a broken fence that lined the property. I speed-dialed Tommy’s number to let him know I was here. My thoughts were moving sluggishly, but I was clear-headed enough to feel a little freaked out.

  My helmet rested on the handlebars as I leaned on the bike waiting and waiting. Unexpectedly, a beam of headlights burned toward me. But I couldn’t quite believe my eyes. It was that black van, headed straight for me, on the dead-end street.

  I panicked! I jumped back on the bike. My heart pounding in my head! I kick-started the bike and heaved out onto the road. I cursed as my helmet crashed to the ground. I skidded past the hell van on its way in, halfway on the shoulder of the road. I strained to steer the bike back onto the street. I spiraled from one unintelligible thought to the next. All the time, checking the mirror, to make sure that phantom van wasn’t coming after me. By the time I made it home everything seemed a startling kind of normal. It made me wonder if I could have imagined the whole thing.

  The more I thought about it, the more I knew it was the van. Tommy talked about some weird shit last night, and now he wasn’t answering his phone. I went over to our lockers. I almost got distracted, as I watched Kelly hitching her skirt up ever so slightly and ogling into the mirror she’d hung on the inside of her locker. She was breaking out a little and had a heavy mask of makeup to compensate. Silence was prettier than her without trying. “Have you seen Tommy?” Although I had gone to school in Summertime since kindergarten, I felt oddly out of place without Tommy here.

  Kelly didn’t bother to look at me. “No. Not yet,” she said, already tired of me.

  I nodded, “Okay,” and gazed nervously around the hall, really worried about him.

  Even though I only wanted to be done with the day, it ticked on, like extra minutes had been added to the clock. Despite being full of a nervous energy, I was still a little slow at writing simple numbers and letters my brain knew. People kept glancing at my ear because of the hearing aid. I joked, saying it was a tiny cell phone.

  At lunch, I stepped into the bathroom with a mouth full of burrito to shoot Tommy a text, “Call or text to let me know u r ok.”

  All day I would sneak glances at my phone, but Tommy never returned my text. I kept searching for Tommy, in classes, in the halls, thinking he might show up late. He never came to school at all.

  Chapter 52

  It’s Time

  Tommy

  Shit. Shit. Crap. How long had it even been? There wasn’t a clock in the room, but it had been over five or six hours since my grandmother locked us in, most of which Isabella had dozed through. I was still wide-awake even though I hadn’t slept all night. I knew we needed to get out of there, even if I had to break the freaking door down.

  Isabella stood up rubbing her eyes. “I gotta pee,” she said urgently.

  I had already resorted to pissing in an empty water bottle. I got up and again jiggled the doorknob. Before I could say a word to Isabella, the door swung open. It was our grandfather. He looked like a small, harmless man that would be scared of his own shoelaces. Only now I could see his eyes were a warehouse full of dark secrets.

  “Where’s Grandma?” he asked me.

  “I don’t know.” I took Izzy by the hand and pushed my way past him. Izzy followed me down the steps and to the bathroom. “Go pee, Izzy.”

  I waited outside the door, trying to think of what my next move should be. I heard footsteps coming up the stairs and saw my grandmother. She gave me a short, bitter look before passing me.

  “Hello, dear,” our grandfather said to her with a cautious smile.

  “Why did you let them out, you idiot?” she scolded.

  “I didn’t know,” he replied, innocently, but there was nothing innocent about him.

  “Well, you would know if you picked up your phone.”

  “I wanted to apologize in person, Leddy.”

  “I took all the phones,” she responded. “Watch these two. They’re not to leave this house. Do y
ou understand? I gotta go to work.”

  Izzy came out of the bathroom, and I played things off by saying, “Good morning, Grandma.” She shot a murderous look in my direction, and I made my head and shoulders droop in a false show of respect to buy time. Angrily, she ordered us downstairs to the living room and Izzy and I sat on the sofa, as directed.

  “I told the caseworker, and your cousin, Jessi, how you have been paranoid, making–up crazy stories, insisting on sleeping in the same room as your sister. The caseworker’s going to get a psych evaluation and may have to place you in a therapeutic foster home.”

  A bad feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. It was better than killing us, but not much. They would send me away, and I wouldn’t be able to protect Izzy. I wouldn’t even be able to see her. Who knows what they would do to her? I’d be labeled crazy, and they would literally get away with murder.

  Izzy slid in closer to me and grabbed my arm. She squeezed so hard I could almost feel a bruise forming. “Please let me stay with Tommy!” she begged.

  Hesitantly, our grandmother left.

  With furrowed brows and teary eyes, Izzy sprung up. I thought she was going to cry, but instead, she said, “I’ll tell the social worker I want to be with you. That will work, right?”

  “Yeah. It will be fine,” I said.

  Izzy sat back down. She stayed close to me on the couch and our grandfather settled into his armchair and cleared his throat. He picked up the remote and put the TV on. Then he watched us stare at the TV. His eyes were hazy, faraway, and he seemed restless. I knew he had somewhere else he wanted to be.

  I played up the idiot-teenager thing. “Sorry, Grandpa. I wasn’t going to sneak out last night. I was just going to use the bathroom, I swear. I like living here. I don’t want to move. Please, talk to Grandma for me.”

  The man rubbed his receding chin, thinking. “Well, that Leddy overreacts to things sometimes.” He put on a small, polite smile. I wanted him to trust us and go willingly. We needed just a little time alone in that house to find some proof, some evidence.

  “Thanks, Grandpa.” The words tasted bad, but I sold each one.

  I started to sense my grandfather’s suspicions fading away. After about an hour the old man got up from the chair, telling me, “I got some business to attend to. I’ll be right back.” He dug in his pocket, pulling out his money clip. He again handed me a twenty-dollar bill. “You’re a good-looking boy,” he said and added, “Stay indoors, kids,” before leaving.

  Izzy sounded impressed, “He always gives you money.”

  I handed Izzy the money, and she marveled at it. I wanted to just leave with her, but we would just be runaways. Izzy probably would get sent back here without me.

  “Can I buy whatever I want with this? Even candy?”

  “Yeah, sure,” I told her. Her question made me smile and tear up at the same time. She was so good, so innocent.

  “You look sad. Do you want it back?” Izzy’s lips fell to a frown, awaiting my answer.

  I managed a half smile. “It’s all good. You just need to help me look around.”

  Both my grandparents were out of the house. It was now or never. We needed to do this fast.

  Chapter 53

  Hurry

  Finn

  I had to check things out. I had to go back to Tommy’s grandparents’ place right away. My mom didn’t want me to ride my dirt bike until I got my license. I couldn’t very well sneak away in broad daylight. It’s not easy for my mom to round up all the kids and give me a ride, but this was Tommy we were talking about, so she did it. The little ones were surprisingly good and were soon all tucked into their car seats.

  Our Jeep Commander pulled up in front of the house. I’d seen it in the dark Saturday night and I knew it was big and run-down, but now I could see it clearly. It had chipped and weathered paint, with overgrown ferns and shrubs in the front of the house. Splashes of sunlight cut through the tall surrounding trees and cast shadows on the front lawn. The grass was mowed but looked a little brown and cluttered with leaves in places. The whole place looked ready for some graveyard for houses.

  The baby, Sóla, started fussing as I slammed the car door, muting her high-pitched tantrum.

  I knocked a couple times and Tommy opened the door.

  “Hey!”

  “Finn!” he said, taking me by surprise with a bear hug.

  I broke away and asked, “Why haven’t you returned my calls?”

  “My grandmother took my phone and even the house phones with her. She literally ripped it out from the freakin’ wall,” he explained. His eyes were red around the brown, with dark circles under them, but he radiated a nervous energy. “You won’t believe it! They’re the kidnappers. Now I just need to get proof.” He took a huge breath. “My nut-job grandfather’s off somewhere planning on abducting another girl and my psychotic grandmother, well, she’s at Walmart. Who would believe an evil kidnapper works at Walmart? And I found a lease Laney signed.” His words almost ran together. He was hyper, wired. I’d never seen him like this.

  I tried to follow everything he said. His grandparents were crazy and not home. He’d found a lease with Laney’s signature. I stretched out the word, “Okay,” letting it all sink in. “I’ll tell my mom to come back later.” I couldn’t abandon him in his time of need. I was there for him, no matter what.

  I went to the car and Tommy halfway followed, anxiously waiting on me. My mom told me to call when I was ready to come home. I walked back over to Tommy as he took a big step toward me too. Our faces were almost touching.

  “How can you be so calm?” He asked me.

  I stepped back a little and made up an excuse about being burnt out from a long day at school, but honestly, I believed Tommy and didn’t believe him at the same time. I wasn’t sure, or maybe I was in shock about the whole thing.

  “We’ve got a lot to do,” he announced hurrying back inside. It was hard to keep up with him, but I followed him through the house, and to the kitchen.

  Little Izzy sat at the kitchen table coloring a picture. “Hey, Isabella.”

  “Can I play at your house?” she asked.

  “Sure. There’s always room for one more.”

  “I should have asked your mother to take Isabella to your house,” Tommy groaned, clearly annoyed with himself.

  I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it either.

  “You heard me, right? I found a lease signed by Johnny and Laney Serel.” He patted the pocket of his hoodie. “This ties them to Laney and the other missing girl. And I found the liquid tranquilizer, DSMO.” He picked up a bottle with a picture of a horse on the label. “It’s used to sedate livestock. Livestock. This old lady could have killed me and Izzy.”

  “Do they have horses?” I asked.

  “No,” Tommy replied in a soft, emotional voice, before walking to a door in the kitchen and rattling the doorknob. “We have to go down to the basement.” He raked his fingers through his hair, sounding exasperated.

  “Okay. One thing at a time. I think I have a good idea.” I took my phone out and started texting.

  Tommy’s eyes went wet and shiny. “Finn, are you even listening?” He looked like he was barely keeping it together. I realized he was inches away from losing it.

  I wasn’t sure how to pull him back in. I wanted to help in any way I could. “Of course, I’m listening. Silence keeps texting me, she has something big to tell us.” I let him know, “I’m inviting the girls over.”

  Tommy looked serious and nodded his head, “Good...”

  I looked at Tommy. I noticed his hands trembled as he worked his fingers through his hair. My mood shifted. His anxiety sobered me. “I got your back.” He had been through a lot. “Now get me a butter knife so I can get this door open.”

  I turned around to see Izzy walking toward me with a butter knife.

  “Thanks.” I took it from her.

  Tommy’s eyes cleared, and he stepped away from the door.

 
; My eyes flickered between Isabella’s face and Tommy’s. Both stared at me, seeming jittery and lost. Suddenly it was as if I was catching their anxiety. I rubbed my twitchy eyes, trying to focus and went to work. I jammed the knife in the side of the door and wiggled it.

  Tommy kept telling me to hurry and I felt a pressure building inside. It took about two minutes. The door opened with a creak. I sighed in relief.

  “Yes!” Tommy said, sounding surprised.

  Izzy walked around me, peeking down at the dark descending staircase. “It sure is dark down there.” She proudly added, “I know where a flashlight is.”

  “Great. Go get it, Izzy,” I said.

  Tommy twisted back around and looked at the clock on the stove. “Crap.” He said, “It’s getting late. I’m not sure when my grandparents are coming back.”

  Isabella handed me the flashlight. I passed it to Tommy. “Maybe I’ll stay here, and you check it out.”

  He lowered his voice. “No way Finn, you’re coming with me. Best friends, right?” His eyes looked intense, and he wasn’t even blinking.

  Immediately I knuckled under. “Hell, I was afraid you were going to say that. Yeah, we’re best friends,” I said, “Let’s do this.”

  Tommy gave Izzy a grim smile. “You stay here.”

  “Alright,” she said.

  “And Izzy, if Grandma or Grandpa come home, you don’t know anything, okay?”

  “I really don’t know anything.” She chewed on her bottom lip and her big eyes became enormous.

  Tommy fingers brushed lovingly against the side of her face. “I’ll be right back,” he promised.

  He turned on the flashlight and started to lead the way. As he did I felt the wall for a light switch but didn’t find one. I followed. A stale smell of rot rose up and each step shrieked and moaned. My nerves were twitching out warning signals. I clenched my fist into mallets, trying to feel brave. Even with my hearing problems, I could catch Tommy’s breath being sucked back in quick, short beats.