Abducted

by T. R. Ragan

  When Lizzy was missing, Cathy realized she might as well be dead. Neither of her parents paid her any mind. Nobody asked her what she was thinking or how she was handling her sister’s absence. Nobody asked her about the shit load of guilt she was holding onto like a lifeline. Nobody cared.

  Thinking about such a horrible time in her life made her heart beat faster. She was about to climb out of the car and go in search of her daughter when she saw Brittany come around the corner. One of the boys said something to her as she passed by. Brittany ignored him.

  “Hey,” Brittany said as she climbed into the passenger seat and tossed her backpack to the back seat. Brittany smiled, her braces shiny and new. Then she pointed at her upper right eye tooth. “One of the wires broke today.”

  Cathy leaned closer for a better look. “Are you kidding me? For the amount of money we spent on those, they should last a lifetime.”

  “Sorry. I shouldn’t have eaten that apple today. I think that’s when it broke.”

  She couldn’t exactly lecture her daughter for eating fruit. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll call and make an appointment with the orthodontist while you’re swimming.”

  “Did you ever call the math tutor?”

  “Why? What did you get on your math test today?”

  Brittany scrunched her nose. “C-minus. I swear my math teacher doesn’t know how to teach. Did you bring my suit?”

  Cathy pulled away from the curb. Her daughter’s ability to quickly change subjects was not lost on her. “It’s in the trunk. Who were those kids standing outside the gym?”

  “I don’t know,” Brittany said. “I wasn’t paying any attention to them.”

  Cathy could feel her daughter’s eyes on her.

  “Have you been crying again, Mom?”

  “No.”

  “Your eyes are puffy and your nose is red.”

  “Oh, that. I was listening to a sad song on the radio before you showed up.”

  “Sounds like menopause. My science teacher talks about her hot flashes every day.”

  “I hope that’s not my problem,” Cathy said. “At thirty-three I’d like to think I’m a little too young for that.”

  “Are you going to stay at the Aquatics Club while I swim today?”

  The question caught Cathy off guard. “Why? Do you want me to?”

  “Yeah, that would be great. You haven’t watched me swim in a while.”

  Brittany had never asked her to stay at practice. Usually her daughter tried to get rid of her. The concern in her daughter’s voice worried her. “What’s going on? Is someone on the team picking on you?”

  “No.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “It’s nothing, Mom. Never mind. You don’t have to stay.”

  Cathy kept her eyes on the road. She thought about the coach and wondered if he could possibly have anything to do with Brittany’s unusual behavior. She’d met the coach twice now. He seemed like a nice man. All the mothers liked him. “I want to stay,” she said with finality. “I want to see you break some records.”

  Chapter 16

  Wednesday, February 17, 2010 3:05 PM

  Jared pulled his SUV to the side of the road. He sat quietly for a moment before climbing out to take a look around. The sound of the car door shutting echoed across the field of tall grass. This was the spot where he’d dropped Lizzy off on the night she was kidnapped.

  A cold wind nipped at his ears. He pulled the collar of his wool jacket higher around his ears and began walking, following the same path Lizzy had taken. Lizzy said it was unusually dark that night. No street lights and hardly any moonlight.

  He turned off Emerald Street and already he could see the willow tree at the end of the block. Lizzy’s house—so close, and yet so far. He stopped to listen and watch. Where had Spiderman been hiding that night?

  The wind whistled as if trying to tell him something. It was a quiet street with lots of shade trees and well-trimmed lawns. He turned until he was facing a wall of oleander. The leathery dark-green leaves quivered whenever a gust of air blew by. He moved closer to the tall shrub, reached out and spread the branches apart. A likely hiding place for a killer. He would have been well hidden...even in the daylight. The ground beneath the oleander was covered with dead leaves and rotted tanbark. Specks of light filtered through from the other side of the bush where he saw glimpses of a field. Once Spiderman grabbed Lizzy, had he carried her across that field?

  Stepping inside the wall of oleander, Jared left broken branches in his wake as he pushed through to the other side. The weeds and grass were thick, and he had to lift his feet high to take each step. The tips of the tallest weeds came to his chest. He imagined the killer walking the same path while carrying Lizzy. It pained him to think of it.

  Up ahead, a flock of birds took flight. When he got to the middle of the field, he stopped to look around. A dog barked in the distance. There was a road on the other side of the field. He wondered where the road led. A city park lay to his left. It was no wonder there hadn’t been witnesses that night. Few houses had a view of the field from where he stood, and even then, someone would have had to stand on a rooftop to see anything. There wouldn’t have been many people, if any, at the park so close to midnight.

  He exhaled. Dropping Lizzy off that night had been incredibly irresponsible. He’d known better. At the very least, he should have parked at the end of her road and watched her walk home. What was he thinking that night? He made love to her and then dropped her off on a dark street in the dead of night.

  His phone vibrated. He looked at the number. Mom. He couldn’t deal with her right now. Hell, he didn’t know what to think of his own mother messing around with another man. She’d always been soft-spoken and demure. She babied their father. Greeted him every night when he came home from work with an adoring smile and a home-cooked meal. He and Mom had never been especially close. Nobody was good enough for her only son, including Lizzy.

  Unlike his mother, Lizzy understood him. She was a great listener. She cared about everyone she met. He never understood why his parents hadn’t warmed up to Lizzy, but the truth was, he no longer cared. His phone continued to vibrate. He ignored his mother’s call and moved on. He had nothing to say to her.

  A cold chill was plastered across his face as he walked. Had Jimmy walked this same path all those years ago during the heat of the investigation? What had Jimmy missed? What weren’t they seeing? Walking through the tall weeds was like walking knee-deep in quicksand. He wanted to find out the name of the road on the other—

  A scream jolted him. Every muscle tensed. He was alert now. Another piercing scream and then laughter—kids playing in the park. He took in a deep breath, exhaled.

  Had Lizzy screamed out for help? If only he’d listened to his gut that night and followed her home. He shoved his hands deep into his jacket pockets.

  He still remembered how Lizzy would stiffen when she was at his house and his father ordered his mother around. His mother never seemed to mind, but Lizzy had. And whether Lizzy knew it or not, that was why Jared hadn’t pressed her when she insisted on walking home alone that night. He hadn’t wanted to be like his father.

  And now he was losing respect for his mother, too. All these years she’d stayed with his father, but why? If Dad’s controlling nature bothered her, then his mother should have stood up to him. Jared shook his head. He didn’t need this right now. What was his Dad thinking...holding a gun to Mom’s head for God’s sake?

  Jared moved on, determined to focus on Lizzy. She said she’d forgiven him. But could he ever forgive himself?

  Wednesday, February 17, 2010 6:38 PM

  Hayley Hansen looked up at the sound of a car pulling up to the curb. She sat on the bottom stair, hugging her knees to her chest. Her shoes had too many holes, and since she’d left home without putting socks on this morning, her toes were icy cold.

  Lizzy Gardner stepped out of her car and shut the door. “Hayley!” she called out the
moment she spotted her.

  Hayley couldn’t believe Lizzy Gardner remembered her name. Nobody remembered her name. Suddenly Hayley felt guilty for coming. The last thing she wanted to be was a burden. But after Brian and his friend paid her a visit, she hadn’t been able to talk herself into going home. Instead, she’d skipped school and wandered the streets. For hours she’d busied herself with people-watching at a park located in midtown. Once it got too cold, she headed for the mall. On her way to the mall, though, she’d found Lizzy’s flyer in her back pocket. Next thing she knew, she was sitting in front of Lizzy Gardner’s house. And now she wondered why. If God couldn’t save her, nobody could.

  “Hayley, what are you doing out here in the cold? Come on, let’s get you inside and get you warmed up.”

  Knowing she couldn’t leave without some sort of explanation, Hayley stood and followed Lizzy up the remaining stairs. Then she saw the bruised knot on Lizzy’s face. “What happened to your forehead?”

  “All in a day’s work,” Lizzy said lightheartedly as she unlocked the door to her apartment.

  Hayley didn’t need to have the highest GPA in her class, although she was close, to realize the woman was putting on a brave front. Lizzy Gardner was the defender of the weak and small, after all.

  The door opened and Hayley noticed Lizzy hesitate before she ushered Hayley inside. Lizzy entered, and then proceeded to bolt the door as if she were protecting herself from every villain known to man. Hayley wondered if all of those locks could keep Brian and his friends out of her room. Something told her they wouldn’t.

  “Meow.”

  “This is Maggie,” Lizzy said, bending over to pet her cat. “I think she’s hungry. Why don’t you follow me to the kitchen and we’ll get some hot soup inside of you. Where’s your coat?”

  “I really shouldn’t have come,” Hayley told her. “I saw your picture on television today. The news lady said the FBI was watching over you.” Hayley’s eyes widened. “Is it true? Is Spiderman after you?”

  “I don’t think so,” Lizzy said. She opened an entryway closet, grabbed a coat, and wrapped it around Hayley’s shoulders.

  Too cold to argue, Hayley slid her arms into the heavily lined sleeves. Judging by the way Lizzy stiffened when she mentioned Spiderman, something was definitely going down. “I think the FBI should use bait to catch the killer.”

  Lizzy settled her hands on Hayley’s shoulders. “You shouldn’t concern yourself with these things. I also don’t like the idea of you walking around the streets at night. It’s not safe.”

  In the light, Lizzy’s face looked even worse. “So what really happened to your face?”

  Lizzy plunked her hands on her hips. “I made the mistake of chasing after a car.”

  “I thought only dogs did that.”

  Their eyes met and they both chuckled. Hayley liked Lizzy. Nobody else ever appreciated her sense of humor.

  “Yeah, well,” Lizzy said, “I’ve never claimed to be the brightest crayon in the box.”

  Hayley watched Lizzy rush around the room, straightening decorative pillows, switching on the heat, and turning on the television. “Make yourself comfortable while I feed Maggie and get some soup on the stove. Hot soup will warm you right up and then we can talk.”

  Lizzy went to the kitchen, opened and closed drawers, fed the cat and opened a can of soup. Watching the woman was like watching the Tasmanian devil in action. Hayley realized she should offer to help Lizzy. She wanted to, but for some reason her legs wouldn’t move.

  Hayley turned back to the door and looked at all of the bolts and locks. How was she going to get out of here? That thought brought her back to Brian. He could get past these locks. So, why couldn’t she? When had she lost her confidence? She used to think she could do anything she set her mind to. She was smarter than the average high school kid. She was in the top ten percent and that was without trying.

  Fortitude. That was a word she might have used to describe herself in the past. Grit, stamina, resilience. Yeah, sure, all of those things summed her up pretty well. She had all of that and more when it came to giving herself to a man clothed in iniquity. But somewhere, somehow, she’d lost her spine under the guise of “saving” Mom. And what for? Was Mom any better off now than she was back then? The answer sickened her.

  “Soup is almost ready,” Lizzy said.

  Lizzy gestured toward the living room. “Make yourself comfortable. I’m going to change out of these clothes and then we’ll eat, okay?”

  Hayley nodded. She could tell Lizzy was worried about her...more worried than she was letting on. The poor woman looked like she’d had a bad day, but she was too nice to let it show. Once Lizzy disappeared, Hayley turned back to the door. She never should have come. Lizzy had problems of her own.

  Wednesday, February 17, 2010 7:09 PM

  “I don’t want to hurt you, you know.”

  Sophie was sitting on the floor, the upper half of her body duct taped to the bedpost. Her eyes were shut tight. Thick ropes bound her ankles and wrists, only because he liked to use the ends of the ropes to guide her and pull her to the bathroom every once in a while to clean her off.

  “Come on, Sophie, open your eyes. Look what I brought you.”

  Nothing. She was giving him nothing. Miss Popular dressed like a hooker and swore like a sailor, but today she trembled and sputtered like an eight-year old.

  “Listen,” he said, plopping down on the floor so he was facing her, his legs crossed in front of him. “If you open your eyes and talk to me for a few minutes, I won’t bring my pets here to play with you tonight, okay?”

  Her lip twitched and tears streamed down her face, but that was all he got.

  “If you don’t open your eyes, Sophie, I’m going to have to cut your eyelids off so that we don’t have to keep having the same conversation over and over.”

  Her eyes cracked open, and she cried out, surprising him. He jumped. “Okay. That’s more like it.” He adjusted his mask so it didn’t press down so hard on his nose. Then he smiled. “You caught me off guard there for a minute.”

  She blinked.

  He pointed a finger at her. “Keep them open, Sophie.”

  Her legs shook so hard, her knees literally knocked together.

  “Do you have any idea why you’re here, Sophie?”

  She sniffled and sputtered and shook her head.

  “Do you think you’re a good person?”

  She managed a barely perceptible nod.

  Unbelievable. Everybody in the world thought they were Mother Theresa. It didn’t matter how many boys these teenage girls did in the locker rooms. It didn’t matter if they stole, swore, or did drugs; they all thought they were good, decent, respectable human beings. Even his sister’s friends used to think they were so cool. Even before they locked him in the basement, he’d hated the way certain girls would look at him with big curious eyes as if they were looking at some rare bird in a cage.

  “Have you ever lied to your parents?”

  Sophie shook her head and that made him laugh. “Let’s try another one. Have you ever kissed a boy?”

  Another shake of the head.

  But this time he didn’t laugh. She was a liar, too. He couldn’t stand liars. He had already heated up the soldering iron and it lay nearby on a metal stand. He didn’t have to lift himself to his feet. He merely leaned to his right, grabbed hold of the pre-heated iron, and put the hot tip against her arm before she had a chance to protest.

  She screamed and yanked her arm back as if he’d plucked out an eyeball. He waved the iron in front of her face, taunting her.

  “Pl—please, stop.”

  His eyes widened in surprise. “She talks.”

  “Tell me about the last boy you teased and flirted with and then left standing alone like an idiot. Tell me about him, Sophie. I want details.”

  Her mouth clamped shut.

  Smiling, he pressed the hot iron to her leg, below her knee. She kicked and screamed, but he
kept leaning in, touching her flesh wherever he could despite her flailing around like a big ol’ fish. The smell of burnt flesh filled his lungs, and he was already hard. After only a few minutes, she stopped flailing and took all his fun away.

  “Okay, Sophie. You win. I’m done. Sadly, you won’t get to see the surprise I had for you. But, because I sort of like you, Sophie, you get to ask me one question before we go for a little drive and I let you go.”

  For the first time in days, she stopped sputtering. Hope filled her eyes.

  He set the iron to the side and crossed his arms. “We’re not going anywhere until you think of a question.”

  “Why are you doing this to me?”

  Disappointed, he stood and brushed himself off. His mask felt awkward across his face. His head throbbed. “Because you’re vulgar and disrespectful, Sophie. I knew a group of girls just like you. They never should have done what they did.” He raised his hands to the back of his head and looked toward the ceiling. Inhaling a lungful of stale air, he tried to erase the images spewing forth in his mind, but it was no use. He’d never forget what they did...never.

  “I know who you are,” she said.

  That got his attention. His cowardly victim had a spine after all. He cocked his head. “Not too bright, are you Sophie?”

  Moving hastily to the dresser, he grabbed a roll of duct tape and returned to her side. Using his teeth to break off a section of tape, he wiped her mouth off with his hand and then plastered the tape over her lips. He grabbed the soldering iron again and held her head against the post.

  It was time to leave Lizzy another note.

  Chapter 17

  Wednesday, February 17, 2010 7:33 PM

  A glimpse in the mirror revealed a trail of bruises. Purples and blues blended together, starting at her ribs and ending mid-thigh.

  Lizzy shuffled through her drawer for a clean shirt and thought about Hayley. She’d wanted to throw a blanket around the girl and sit her down on the couch. But Hayley looked confused and Lizzy didn’t want to scare her off. Lizzy would take things slow, get some hot soup in the girl before she started asking questions. Hayley looked different tonight—exhausted and disoriented—nothing like the determined, tough-as-nails girl who showed up in defense class every month.