Classified

by Fern Michaels

  “Did you notice anyone lingering about the bakery that day? Before they came in? After they left?” Detective O’Banyon asked.

  Jamie shook her head. “Like I said, we were slammed, and I didn’t really pay that much attention. It’s just Lucy and me. We fill orders, work the register, and run back and forth to the kitchen when we run out of whatever is selling the most.”

  Detective O’Banyon took notes as she spoke. “Thanks, now, uh”—she hurried through her notes again—“Lucy, could you tell me what you told Officer Furdell?”

  Lucy, who’d been hired after Bernice’s heart surgery, had been quiet the entire time. She’d worked with Jamie in the bakery at Publix. Jamie and Toots took exactly two minutes to hire her; or, rather, Jamie had, as Toots had been out of town at the time. Lucy was a few years older than Jamie, and was far more experienced when it came to decorating the cupcakes, cakes, and anything that required something extra. A bit on the quiet side, Lucy stood shyly by Jamie as she recalled the events of the day. “Like Jamie said, the kids were friendly and polite. Once they finished their pralines, they said good-bye and left.”

  O’Banyon jotted something down; then she addressed the officers, who remained seated at the table. “Okay, you all have heard as much as you need to. Go ahead and return to your assignments.” The unnamed police officers left without sampling the box of stale Fig Newtons Bernice held in her hand.

  Toots trailed behind Detective O’Banyon and Officer Furdell as they followed the other officers to their vehicles. The four police officers made fast work of getting inside the two cruisers parked directly in front of her house. With only one left, Toots was surprised when she saw headlights heading toward the house. Not completely dark, with sunset minutes away, she thought of the missing children and prayed wherever they were, they were safe and warm. The vehicle coming toward the house was a long, sleek black limousine.

  “Shit! It’s Ida,” she said out loud.

  Ida had spent the past three days in Wilmington, North Carolina, where The Home Shopping Club recorded its programs. She’d had such overwhelming success with her new line of skin-care products that she was now featured at least once a month to update the world on what was new at Seasons, Beauty at Every Age. So successful, Ida had even been featured on The Today Show. Toots was beyond thrilled for her, but the notoriety simply fed Ida’s already giant-sized ego. Ida removed something, Toots assumed it was cash, from her Chanel bag, placed it in the driver’s hand, said a few words, then walked up the stairs to the veranda, where Toots, Officer Furdell, and Detective O’Banyon were waiting.

  “I passed two police cruisers on my way in. What in the world has happened now?” Ida asked. As usual, she was dressed impeccably. Wearing cream slacks with a matching silk shirt, low heels, which Toots knew were exclusively made by hand for that particular outfit, and carrying the Chanel handbag, Ida looked as though she’d stepped right off the runway. Her silver-blond hair was now cut short in the back, and the sides were cut at a sharp angle. She looked sleek and sexy, and she knew it.

  “Nice to see you, too,” Toots smirked; then she remembered now wasn’t the time for her or any of them to start their usual smart-ass banter.

  Once the introductions were made, Toots suggested they all go back inside. Bernice had brewed a pot of that new Kopi Luwak coffee, for which she paid almost two hundred dollars a pound.

  Sophie and Goebel were putting cups and saucers on the table. Bernice poured the coffee into a carafe, placing it in the center of the table, with a small pitcher of cream and a bowl of sugar. Jamie came through the back door with a box of baked goods from The Sweetest Things, which she had at the guesthouse. Lucy took the box of pastries and put them on a dinner plate. Though it wasn’t a formal occasion, Bernice used Toots’s good crystal dessert plates. What the hell, Toots thought. You only live once.

  “Detective, Officer, please sit and have some coffee. It’s the best money can buy,” Toots said, for lack of anything else to say.

  “Thanks, that does smell good,” Detective O’Banyon said, then poured herself a cup before taking a seat at the head of the table. Officer Furdell filled a cup and sat next to her superior, with another little black notebook placed in front of her.

  Toots and Mavis scurried around the kitchen for napkins, while Sophie and Goebel made themselves comfortable. Bernice was busy looking out the back door for Robert, their neighbor. His brother, Wade, was out of town on business, and that left a bereft Mavis waiting anxiously for his return.

  They took a couple of minutes to gather themselves; then Detective O’Banyon prepared to remove two items from a small leather pouch, which appeared out of nowhere. Before removing the contents, she took a pair of latex gloves from her back pocket and snapped them on.

  All eyes were focused on her and the contents of the bag. Carefully she pulled out a worn stuffed rabbit, which looked as though it had seen far better days. A dirty white, the fur was all but gone. One bright blue eye and one black eye. Someone had sewn the blue eye on because it looked new and didn’t match the original eye. Limp ears hung on either side of the mismatched eyes. With care, she placed the bunny on the table. Next she took a Nintendo Game Boy out of the bag and placed it beside the stuffed animal.

  “The parents told us that Kristen takes this old bunny with her everywhere they go, because she can’t get to sleep without it. Like most twelve-year-old boys, Jeremy doesn’t travel far without this electronic gadget, either.” Detective O’Banyon looked at Sophie, skepticism hardening her features. “So, is this something you can . . . will pull up images with, or whatever it is you do?” Her voice was not kind as she spoke.

  For the first time since she’d returned from Abby’s and met Shannon O’Banyon, Toots saw her other side and knew why she’d made detective. She was by the book, no bullshit. And Toots was sure she thought Sophie’s abilities nothing more than a great big pile of it.

  Sophie, being Sophie, was quick to cut the detective off. “First of all, let’s make one thing clear. I don’t give a big rat’s ass if you believe in what I do or not. Second, I did not come to you volunteering my services. The parents of these poor children asked you to contact me—which you have done. And third, I don’t perform on command. I’ll take the items now. And I am not doing this for you. I will do what I can for those kids and their parents. But I won’t do anything here in front of you. I need to be alone. And I make no promises, either.”

  Toots had never heard Sophie tell anyone this before and wondered if that was a bad omen already.

  She needed to work her magic and do it fast. It was dark outside, the kids would probably be scared and hungry, and who knew what had befallen them?

  “Sophie, take their things to my room. I’ll make sure you’re not disturbed,” Toots said, loud and clear.

  Chapter 6

  Sophie took the worn-out stuffed animal and Game Boy upstairs to Toots’s room. Taking a deep breath, she sat on the edge of the bed and did her best to clear her mind of all negative thoughts, especially those she had let loose downstairs in the kitchen. Inhaling deeply through her nose, she held it; then she slowly released her breath through her mouth. She did that a few more times until she could feel the negative energy leave her body.

  She took both objects, holding the rabbit in her right hand and the Game Boy in her left. She waited for an image, a feeling to come over her, but nothing happened. Sophie hadn’t practiced clairsentience, the power to use one’s psychic abilities by sense of touch. Though she’d had many physical reactions using this method in the past, her abilities to pull up real-time images had never been tested. She knew what the parents expected of her, and she was going to do her best to help them locate their children.

  Sophie put the bunny and the Game Boy in the center of Toots’s bed; then she turned her back to them. She walked across the room and peered outside. Twilight gave the gardens below a surreal appearance, as though a gauzelike haze blanketed the surroundings. Focusing on the giant oa
k trees that canopied the path in front of the house, Sophie did her best to clear her mind to open it for a message of any kind—an image, a feeling, anything that would help in the search—but she continued to come up empty. Impatient with herself, she took the rabbit and the Game Boy off the bed and held them against her heart. Eyes closed, Sophie suddenly felt a jolt, as though she’d placed her hand in an electrical outlet. Startled, she opened her eyes. Expecting to see the bedroom, Sophie’s heart raced. Blinking rapidly to dispel the image didn’t work. A deep breath. So this is clairsentience!

  The detective downstairs hadn’t mentioned what the children looked like, or what they were wearing when they disappeared. Now she knew why.

  With her eyes wide open, Sophie watched the scenario take place as though she were watching a film.

  A young boy who appeared right on the precipice of reaching his early teens had an arm around a small girl. He wore a dark blue shirt with a cartoon character on it. The little girl wore a pink skirt and a top with a kitty on it. Her long brown hair was plastered to her cheeks from crying.

  Back to the boy.

  Sophie could hear his thoughts, see his face as clearly as if he had been standing right in front of her.

  His eyes were glazed over with tears, but he wouldn’t cry. He didn’t want to scare Kristen any more than she was already. He was going to be in so much trouble when his parents found him. If they found him. He’d just helped that old man, or that’s what he thought. He stank of alcohol and urine. Jeremy felt sorry for him. His mom and dad told him and Kristen about the homeless, but they’d never really seen a real-live homeless person until now. As soon as they left the bakery, the old man had asked for their help. They followed him for a few blocks away from the coffee shop, where his parents were waiting, so he didn’t think it was a big deal. Besides, he had an excellent memory. He rarely got lost.

  The old man stopped in an alleyway and motioned for them to follow him down a steep set of steps that led them to a basement-like apartment. That was when Jeremy felt the first stirring of fear. The old man turned into a monster then. He’d slammed the heavy door, then locked it. Then Jeremy knew this was what his parents had warned him about. Kristen started to cry, then wet herself; she was so frightened. Being the big brother, he knew it was up to him to protect his sister. “Shhh,” he’d said to her as the man locked the dead bolts on the door. She nodded, but she continued to cry silent tears. Her bottom lip quivered, and Jeremy put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her as far away from the monster as it was possible to get. She, in turn, wrapped her free hand around his waist.

  “What do you want from us?” Jeremy asked.

  The old man laughed, revealing decayed teeth, with several missing. “It ain’t me that wants anything from ya, kid. Just shut up and be quiet, and this’ll be over real quick-like.”

  Jeremy’s pulse increased. He knew the old man was crazy when he started laughing hysterically. He took a cell phone from a small table, punched in a number, and said, “I’ve got two of ’em. ”

  “What are you going to do to us?” Jeremy shouted, not caring if anyone heard him. He wanted someone to hear him! Raising his voice as loud as he could, he yelled, “Look, you dirty old bastard, you better let us go or . . . or my dad’ll kill you!”

  Sophie’s vision instantly cleared. She was back in Toots’s bedroom. She’d had her first clairsentience vision. Knowing time was running out for those two kids, Sophie practically flew down the steps to the kitchen.

  “Okay, someone write this down or record what I’m about to tell you.”

  Officer Furdell removed a slender voice recorder from one of the many items attached to her police-issued belt.

  “The kids left the bakery just as Jamie and Lucy said they did. A few yards away, they were approached by an old man. He reeked of alcohol. He told them he needed their help. They followed him to an alley. The alley is only a few blocks away from the coffee shop, where the parents were. They went down a set of steep stairs. It’s a basement apartment. One room. Filthy. It has one small window, but it’s covered with something to block out the light.” Sophie paused, trying to recall what else she’d seen in the apartment.

  “Mrs. Manchester, Charleston has hundreds of filthy basements that serve as apartments. Is there anything more specific? Did you see the children? Something that can validate what you’ve said,” Detective O’Banyon asked.

  Sophie shot Toots their secret evil-eye look, but she didn’t comment. Now wasn’t the time. Later, when the kids were safe and sound, then she was going to blast this redheaded bitch. Even more than she already had.

  “Yes. The boy is tall and thin, with dark hair. He’s just beginning to get peach fuzz above his lip. He’s trying to protect the little girl. Her hair is long and brown. She was crying. Her hair was plastered to her cheeks.”

  Detective O’Banyon took a deep breath; then she looked at her watch. “Is that it? Can you tell me anything significant? An address, a sign, anything other than this generic crap.”

  Toots took a step toward the detective, then saw the look on Sophie’s face. She stopped dead in her tracks.

  “The boy had on a navy blue T-shirt with a goofy-looking cartoon bird on it. I’m not familiar with cartoons. He had on khaki cargo shorts with deep pockets on either side. He wore a pair of black Crocs. The girl wore a pink skirt with a Hello Kitty top. She wore Crocs, too. Hers were bright green with . . . with little pins placed on them.” Sophie paused, eyeing the detective. “One other thing—Kristen wet herself. She does this when she’s frightened. Is that significant enough for you, Detective O’Banyon?”

  The detective quickly scanned her notes. “I don’t know what to say, other than I owe you a huge apology. You’ve described Jeremy’s shirt. It’s not a cartoon. It’s a game. Angry Birds. You’ll find all versions of it on his Game Boy, according to the parents. Kristen wore the skirt with her favorite Hello Kitty shirt.” The detective looked as though she’d been blown away, Toots thought, and in a sense she had. Not many psychics were as good as Sophie.

  “Well, don’t just stand there and stare at me like I’m an alien. Get the hell off your ass and go find those kids. We’re running out of time. Whoever took them is moving them to another location. Or do I have to prove that, too?” Sophie shouted, not caring if she pissed off the cops.

  “No. I do have one question. Would you do me the honor of riding in the patrol car with me? I think I might know this place.”

  “Why me?” Sophie challenged. “Afraid you won’t be able to find them on your own?”

  “Look, I’m sorry I doubted you. Ride with me and I’ll tell you my reasons. Or not. It’s up to you. As you said, we’re running out of time.”

  Goebel spoke up. “Go on, Sophie. We’ll be here waiting when you get back.”

  “Okay, let’s go. And you’d better turn the siren on or drive as fast as you can, because some sick son of a bitch is on his way to pick up those children. If he gets to them before the cops do . . .” Sophie stopped talking.

  Toots watched her. Sophie was having a vision.

  “Those kids will never be found alive if we don’t find them within the next hour. Now let’s get the hell out of here!” Sophie shouted as she raced for the front door.

  Chapter 7

  Toots’s house phone rang. She almost jumped out of her skin. The day had been quite strange, and she was on edge.

  “Hello?”

  “Mom, it’s me. There are police cruisers leaving your place. I saw them when I let Chester out. Is everything okay?”

  “Abby, it’s a zoo around here. Yes, we are all fine, but there are a couple of missing kids. They were last seen leaving The Sweetest Things, and, well, you can only imagine the rest.”

  “You’re kidding! No, you wouldn’t do that,” Abby said. “Can you tell me the details?”

  “I’d prefer to wait until there is some good news. The cops came here to question me, sort of. They thought Jamie or Lucy might’ve
seen something, but they didn’t. The parents are here visiting, and somehow they knew about Sophie and her abilities. A detective ran her through the mill, and Sophie is now with said detective trying to help locate the kids before it’s too late.”

  “I thought you were going to wait for the good news!”

  “Oh, Abby, you know I can’t keep things like this to myself, especially after what you went through last spring.”

  “Chris and I are coming over. Be there in ten,” Abby said before hanging up.

  Two seconds later, Toots whirled around when she heard a tapping on the back door. Bernice almost broke her neck getting to the door. It was Robert, her paramour from next door.

  Bernice lit up like a full moon. “Come in, Robert. We’ve just made a pot of that coffee you like so much.”

  Toots couldn’t help but overhear Bernice. That’s why she was going through that two-hundred-dollar-per-pound stuff like water. Not that she cared, but it was just Robert. He was a good old guy and totally smitten with Bernice. They spent their days walking back and forth to visit each other. Bernice would bring a pie. Robert would bring a recipe he’d clipped from a magazine. Bernice would prepare whatever recipe he clipped and turn around and bring that to him. It was hard for either of them to remain still for longer than an hour. Toots was sure she knew why they were doing all this back-and-forth stuff, and soon she was going to tell Bernice. Well, hell, she was going to tell her now, while she had a minute before Abby and Chris arrived.

  “Excuse me, Bernice, could you help me out?” Toots walked into the giant pantry.

  “What do you want? I’m warming up an apple pastry for Robert. His sugar is low.”

  Toots rolled her eyes. Robert’s sugar was fine. The old dude was as fit as a fiddle.

  “You both need to stop this back-and-forth shit, Bernice. It’s driving us crazy. That damn screen door gets slammed a hundred times a day. Now I want you to listen to what I am about to tell you. Then I want you to serve Robert his pastry before he keels over. You two need to screw, just do it and get it over with. I’ll bet the bank Robert’s as virile as a teenager. He has to be. Either that, or he’s preparing for the Senior Olympics with all this damned walking. Now, do you get where I’m coming from, Bernice? And don’t tell me Dr. Becker won’t allow you to be sexually active, because he says it’s perfectly fine with him.” Toots stopped to catch her breath.