Hidden in Harmony: Danger is Imminent (Harmony Series Book 1)

by JR Thompson

  Hearing the panic in Collin’s voice, Brock jumped up. He volunteered to take the Wagoneer out looking for him. Collin agreed that would be a wise idea. He said he would walk down to the secret prayer place and he asked Alayna to stay home in case Remington came back on his own.

  My baby, Alayna said to herself. Where is my baby? After everything they had gone through, she had held herself together. All of that had changed in the blink of an eye.

  With everything that had happened, no one had a peace about the situation. Alayna paced back and forth nervously through the house. Occasionally she uttered a few words or prayer, asking God to please let her baby boy be found safe.

  Alayna was not the only one praying. Collin communed with God every step of the way to his prayer closet. When he got there and saw no signs of Remington, his heart dropped. He was certain someone had sneaked into their house in the middle of the night and kidnapped his one and only child. With a broken heart, he fell face first on the ground and begged for God’s intervention.

  In the Jeep, Brock found himself pleading with his Heavenly Father as well. It was the first time, other than the night he got saved, that he prayed so fervently. He wanted, more than anything, for that little fellow to be okay. Not only was he concerned for Remington, but he worried what would happen to him if Remington wasn’t found.

  After driving around aimlessly for a little while, Brock saw a small object lying next to the road. He stopped, just in case it was a clue. It turned out to be Collin’s flashlight. Brock had only seen it once, but he knew who it belonged to.

  He put it in the Jeep and raced back to the house. As he jumped out of the truck, Collin had just come into view. “Did you find him?” he hollered.

  “No, but I made a discovery!” Brock said, holding up the flashlight.

  That did it! Knowing Remington had left the property, Collin took the keys and drove to the nearest neighbor’s house to phone the police. Things had gone far enough.

  As he dialed 9-1-1, his words from the previous night made their way back into his mind. He had to tell only the minimum amount of information — nothing else.

  “9-1-1, what is your emergency?”

  “My son is missing,” Collin said in somewhat of a hyper voice.

  The dispatcher wasn’t quite as excited. Sounding as if she had just woken out of a power nap, she asked, “How long as he been missing, Sir?”

  “I don’t know. He was here when we went to bed last night. When we woke up, his bed was empty.”

  The dispatcher said he was probably a runaway. She would put in a report and an officer would come out later in the evening to obtain additional information. She said they could not organize a search party unless the boy remained missing for at least forty-eight hours.

  In anger, Collin slammed the phone down and apologized to the neighbor. He asked the neighbor to please let them know immediately if they saw or heard anything from Remington or if they saw any suspicious characters in the neighborhood.

  CHAPTER 29 – GONE!

  By the time Collin returned home, Alayna was on the porch, still pacing. She said Brock had went out on foot trying to make sure Collin hadn’t missed anything.

  “Have you checked the house to see if there are any notes anywhere?” Collin asked.

  Alayna chuckled with relief. How had she been so silly? “No, I didn’t! Surely he left one. Let’s check!”

  The two split up, checking every room of the house, to find nothing. No notes, no signs of forced entry, no signs of a struggle. Nothing!

  Alayna sat on a counter stool and rested her head in both hands. Tears dripped from both eyes. She sobbed uncontrollably for a moment before raising her head up and smiling, “I’ve got it! Collin, I bet he went to visit Malachi! We’ve got to get over there!”

  Collin knew she was right. He wrote a note for Brock and he and Alayna jetted off in the Jeep. On the way there, they talked about how foolish they had been in jumping to the wrong conclusion. They also talked about the fact that Remington was becoming more and more disobedient. This was, without a doubt, the most defiant act he had ever performed. It was agreed that this time no mercy would be shown. No excuses would be accepted.

  Knowing the original plans were for Remington and Malachi to hang out at the Harmony Community Park, they headed straight there. It seemed like it took forever to arrive at the park. When they finally pulled in, they went straight for the paved track and speed-walked around the park. When Remington wasn’t there, they knew just where to find him.

  They drove back over to the Crowley’s house and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. They knocked again, but more rambunctiously this time. Still, no answer — that’s when Alayna noticed it. There were fresh pry marks beside the doorknob. Someone had pried their way into the house and had done so recently.

  Forcing the door open, Collin hollered, “Hello? Is anyone here?”

  The house was silent. He and Alayna walked through the place looking for any signs that Remington had been there. They found a sign alright — but not the kind of sign they were looking for.

  Sticking out of a high heeled shoe, of all places, was the same style of note Collin had found at his outdoor prayer closet, “Some people just don’t learn, do they? Didn’t we warn you to call off the investigations or someone was going to get hurt?”

  There was no way to ignore that note. They could no longer be as quiet as the hiding church mouse. Alayna picked up the phone and called the police.

  In a matter of minutes, an officer arrived on the scene. Collin took him over to the house and pointed out the pry marks. The officer took a couple of photos and made a notation.

  Then he asked what they did upon seeing the house had been broken into. He seemed more than agitated when they told him they went inside to look for any signs that their son had been there.

  He told them it was illegal to enter a crime scene. That could be considered tampering with evidence. While the officer took notes on the horrible illegal actions of the Russells, Alayna spoke up and offered him the note they had found inside, “We found this, officer.”

  “Interesting. Sounds like someone had been threatening Mrs. Crowley. I suppose you all don’t know anything about that?

  Collin and Alayna both wanted to conceal as much information as they could, but with their son’s life at stake, they knew it was time to tell the truth in its entirety.

  The officer listened intently as they began telling him about Brock showing up on their doorstep and about all of the odd things that had occurred since his arrival.

  Just as Collin began to tell him about Nikki’s involvement in their investigative process, he noticed the officer’s name tag. It read, “Deputy E. Branham.”

  He wasn’t one hundred percent sure, but Collin was pretty certain that was the officer who had investigated all five disappearances. Worse, he realized he had just given him a lot of information — information that could have put him and his family in more danger.

  Suddenly, another officer showed up on the scene. Collin was relieved. Deputy Branham excused himself for a moment while he went over and spoke to the other officer. While he was away, Collin quietly told his wife about the name tag.

  The second officer left the scene without speaking to the Russells or even entering the house.

  “Officer,” Alayna asked Branham as he approached them, “we know a lot of people have come up missing in Harmony over the last several years. What are the chances our son will be found alive?”

  With a serious expression on his face, Deputy Branham said, “Folks, there is no easy way to say this. You have made some very unwise decisions and it may very well have cost your son his life.”

  Alayna burst into tears, “Officer, we’re so sorry. What can we do?”

  “Missing persons reports have been filed on all three missing individuals. The media will be asked to assist us in getting the word out there so people can be on the lookout for them. We will be following up on all possi
ble leads. In the meantime, you can put up missing posters, keep your eyes open, and report any and all other suspicious activities.”

  The Russells cried until their tear ducts were raw. They combed the streets all night in hopes of finding Remmy. They developed a pattern of driving along every street in Harmony, parking, checking inside of garbage cans, in alley ways, under bridges, and inside of any unlocked buildings, and then driving to Clayville to repeat the process.

  Every now and then something would get their hopes up. They would see a shadow that resembled their son or they would run into someone who would swear they had just seen him a couple of blocks away. Their search, however, appeared meaningless. The only thing it seemed to accomplish was keeping them from staying home having a pity-party. At least they were doing something.

  ◆◆◆

  Around 9 am Sunday morning, they went back to the house to get a bite to eat before heading back out on their search.

  To their shock, as they pulled into the driveway, they noticed a police cruiser sitting in front of their house. They could only hope it was good news.

  When the officer saw them coming, he opened his car door and got out. He waited patiently for the Russells to exit the Jeep. “Good morning, folks. I’m here regarding the missing person report. I need to ask you folks some questions.”

  The officer began by separating Collin and Alayna. He said he would have to interrogate each of them individually — the questioning would begin with Collin.

  “Would you mind if I make a recording of this interview?” the officer asked.

  “I have no problem with that.”

  “When is the last time you saw Remington?”

  “Right before we went to sleep Friday night.”

  “Had Remington gotten in trouble for anything? Had you all been fighting? Was he upset?”

  “No, Sir. Nothing like that was going on.”

  “Does he have any history of running away?”

  “No, Sir.”

  “I understand a bomb was found in Remington’s locker a couple of days ago and he was scheduled to take a polygraph test Tuesday morning. Is that correct?”

  Collin was careful to not share any information that was not asked for, “Yes, Sir. That is correct.”

  “Do you believe his disappearance is connected?”

  “Mr. Russell?” The officer said.

  “I have no idea.”

  “Why would your son put a bomb in his locker? Is he an angry young man? Has he ever been abused in any way?”

  “Sir, my son didn’t put a bomb in his locker. He was framed.”

  “You didn’t answer my question. Is Remington an angry young man — perhaps I should be asking a different question. Have you ever mistreated or hit your son?”

  Collin began to get irritable. He could feel his blood pressure beginning to rise. He was upset about Remington’s disappearance, terrified about his son’s safety, and now he was being questioned as if he had something to do with it.

  “Mr. Russell?” the officer said. “When is the last time you physically disciplined your son?”

  This is ridiculous, Collin thought. How is this common protocol? Shouldn’t he be out there trying to find my son?

  “Mr. Russell?” the officer repeated. “By not answering my questions, you are making yourself look guilty.”

  “I want a lawyer.”

  “You want a lawyer? I thought you gave me permission to ask you folks some questions? Why do you want a lawyer now? Are you hiding something, Mr. Russell?”

  “I don’t want to be questioned any further without an attorney.”

  “That is your decision. I have this much on recording and what you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You wait here while I go in and speak with your wife.”

  “No, Sir. You are not going to speak to anyone else in this household until a public defender has been assigned. You need to go out there and find my son and stop wasting your time with this ridiculous line of questioning.”

  The officer looked stunned, “I will leave your property at once. When I take this information back to the station, they may issue a warrant to search this property or to take any or all of you into custody.”

  “Is that a threat, officer?” Collin asked.

  “No threat. I’m simply telling you how the system works.”

  “Do what you have to do. This conversation is over,” Collin said.

  He wasn’t very happy about it, but the officer got back in his cruiser and peeled out of the driveway.

  Alayna came back outside, wondering why she hadn’t been questioned. She didn’t know what to think when Collin told her what had transpired. She only hoped her husband hadn’t invited more trouble by telling him to get lost.

  CHAPTER 30 - SUSPECT

  Brock volunteered to create some missing posters. He took one of Remmy’s recent school pictures, scanned it into the computer, and created a semi-looking professional flyer. Unfortunately, because the Russells didn’t use their computer very often, they didn’t have much ink. Brock had to print the flyers in black and white.

  Instead of going to church, he, Collin, and Alayna would go into town together to put them up everywhere they could.

  On their way to Clayville, they caught sight of a Ford Explorer with a blue canoe on top pulled off in a wide spot next to the road. Collin stopped and Alayna rolled down the passenger side window.

  “Excuse me, Sir,” she said.

  Three things immediately stood out about him. He was alone, he had no shirt on, and he had the curliest brown hair they had ever seen on a guy. It doesn’t matter, Alayna thought, we’ll take any help we can get. Who cares what the guy looks like?

  “Our son is missing. Have you seen him?” she asked, showing him one of her flyers.

  “Cute kid.”

  “Thank you,” Alayna said. “Have you seen him? We’re afraid he might be in serious danger.”

  At first, the odd man didn’t respond. He looked at the picture and grinned. “How old is this boy?”

  “Thirteen. He disappeared without a trace,” Alayna replied.

  Again, the stranger paused. Once more, he appeared to be studying Remmy’s picture. After a whole minute had passed, he finally asked, “Where did he go missing from? Somewhere in this area?”

  “Yes, we live about two miles up the road.”

  Alayna thought she had caught a faint smirk on the guy’s face before he said, “That’s a shame. A real shame. I’ll keep my eye out for him.”

  She didn’t want to alarm Brock or Collin, but Alayna didn’t trust that man. Then again, she was not usually a trusting individual and with good reason. She knew she sometimes had a tendency of reading too much into people’s behaviors.

  It was hard to keep the canoe guy off of her mind as they proceeded into town. He could have Remington hidden in the back of his truck for all we know.

  She knew creepy, odd individuals were everywhere though. They had to do everything in their power to find their son — even if that meant trusting people who could be kidnappers and/or pedophiles.

  ◆◆◆

  Pulling onto Main Street, Collin’s face lit up. Looking straight ahead, he asked, “Do I see what I think I see?”

  “Oh my goodness! It’s Remmy!” Alayna squealed.

  She started to jump out of the Jeep while it was moving, but when the boy turned around, she realized they had made a mistake. He was the same age and the same build, but he wasn’t their precious little angel.

  Collin pulled up next to the boy and rolled down the driver’s side window. “Hey buddy,” he said.

  Looking like he had seen a ghost, the boy turned tail and ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction of what he had been walking.

  Brock chuckled, “That boy thought you were trying to kidnap him.”

  At least something brought a little humor into the vehicle. “He’s right, sweetheart,” Alayna said. “We can’t approach children. Just adults.”r />
  After rounding a corner, they found a place to park. Staying together for safety, they began walking up and down the streets of Clayville, pinning posters to every bulletin board and telephone pole they could find. They asked every adult they saw if they had seen any signs of Remmy. Someone, somewhere had certainly seen something. Someone knew where Remmy was.

  It only took a few hours to penetrate the entire town with posters.

  “What do you think we should do now? Head over to Harmony to see if anyone over there saw anything?” Collin asked.

  “Sounds like a great plan to me,” Alayna replied. “But we should probably stop in at the house first just to make sure he hasn’t returned on his own.”

  “Hon, face it. He was kidnapped. He’s not coming back on his own,” Collin said.

  If looks had the power to kill, Alayna would have been in trouble for murder. “You don’t know that! That note could have been for anybody! Our baby boy might not have even went to Harmony. We don’t know that! Don’t be so negative!”

  Collin waited a minute for the tension to die down. “You’re right, hon. I’m sorry. We will go by and check the house.”

  ◆◆◆

  As they headed for home, they saw Canoe Man still sitting where he had been earlier. He stuck his hand out the window, motioning for them to stop.

  Collin pulled up next to him and got out. The man spoke up as soon as Collin opened his door, “Any luck?” he asked.

  “Not yet,” Collin replied, continuing to walk toward the Explorer.

  A short-lived eerie smile manifested itself on the guy’s face. “How is he dressed?” he asked.

  Alayna was no longer the only one who found the character to be suspicious. Collin wanted to look inside the Explorer, but the back windows were tinted too dark for him to see in. That figures.

  “We don’t know. He disappeared in the middle of the night,” Collin replied.

  “Oh?” The man said, again with an odd smirk on his face. “In that case, what does he normally sleep in?”