Mara Louis; Girl of Mystery

by Timothy Paterson

asked her parents to pray with her. The three of them held hands and Mara started praying. She asked God to watch over Bailey and keep her safe.

  Finally, at seven o’clock a.m., the phone rang. It was President Morgan. He told Mara that the police went to the address she had given them, and they found Bailey. Like in Mara’s dream, she was tied up in a basement room of a deserted building. President Morgan told Mara that Bailey was safe and that Mr. Hook was in custody. The president told Mara that Mr. Hook was already wanted by the police in connection with another kidnapping in Idaho, a few months earlier. The other victim had not been as lucky as Bailey.

  President Morgan asked to speak with Mrs. Louis. After the two of them spoke for a few minutes, Mrs. Louis hung up the phone and hugged Mara. “You did it Mara!” she said. “You saved that girl’s life. I am so proud of you.” Then, Mrs. Louis told Mara that President Morgan had invited them to the White House for the day.

  Mara showered, got dressed and was eating breakfast, when the phone rang again. When Mara answered the phone, she recognized the voice of Mrs. Fuller, Bailey’s mother, whom Mara had called the previous evening.

  Mrs. Fuller was crying. She told Mara that she had just received a phone call from the president, who told her that her daughter was safe. The president told Mrs. Fuller what had happened.

  “Mara” said Mrs. Fuller, thank you so much for saving Bailey’s life. If you hadn’t gotten involved and been so persistent, the police would never have found Bailey in time.” Then, Mara heard a lot of sobbing on the phone, and Mrs. Fuller’s neighbor told Mara that Mrs. Fuller would call back when she had calmed down.

  After Mara hung up the phone, all of her emotions; her fear, terror, and relief came flowing out all at once. The floodgates opened, and Mara stood there and cried. She thanked God for saving Bailey from the monster.

  Mrs. Louis helped Mara to the couch and sat down beside her. She held her and comforted her as only a mother could do.

  Later that morning, when Mara and her parents arrived at the White House, they were greeted by President and Mrs. Morgan, as well as Scott and Betsy. President Morgan told Mara how proud he was of her. He told Mara and her parents that he had a long conversation with Bailey’s mother.

  “Bailey’s parents divorced over two years ago” said President Morgan, “and her father has had no contact with her since then. Mrs. Fuller thinks that is why Bailey started turning to the internet to meet people. Mrs. Fuller thinks that Bailey was trying to fill the void in her life that was created when her father left.”

  “Mom” said Mara, “Do you think that we could invite Bailey and her mother to spend Christmas with us? I think that Bailey could use some distraction in her life. Besides, I would really like to meet Bailey and who knows; maybe I could even help her.”

  “They might not be able to afford the airline tickets,” said Mrs. Louis.

  “Don’t worry about the cost of the air travel” said President Morgan, “We will pay for the tickets.”

  On the way to the White House, Mara had been thinking about all of the internet predators. “Mr. Morgan,” she said, “There is a big problem with predators on the internet. Maybe, we could produce a public service video, aimed at children and teens, telling about the dangers out there in cyberspace, and use Bailey’s experience to stress the point. We could distribute it to all as the schools across the nation, as well as to churches and youth groups as well.”

  President and Mrs. Morgan thought that it was an excellent idea. They told Mara that they would set up a meeting with the Secretary of Education, and that Mara could help with the project.

  Mara called Mrs. Fuller, invited her and Bailey to fly to Baltimore, and spent Christmas with her family. She told Mrs. Fuller that the president would be sending them the tickets.

  Mrs. Fuller said that it sounded wonderful and that they would be on the next flight to Baltimore.

  On December 22nd, Mara and her parents met Bailey and her mother at the airport. As soon as Bailey saw Mara, she ran up to her and hugged her. Through tears, Bailey thanked Mara for everything that she had done. “You saved my life,” said Bailey. “How can I ever repay you?”

  “You can be my friend,” said Mara. All this time, Bailey was still hugging Mara and suddenly, Mara started feeling Bailey’s loneliness, and Mara realized how much Bailey missed her father. Then, Mara was flooded with Bailey’s other emotions and her memories of her terrible experience in Boise. Mara knew how terrified Bailey had been while she was being held captive.

  Mara started crying and told Bailey; “I am so sorry that you had to go through such a terrifying ordeal.”

  On the drive to the Louis home, Mara told Bailey about the project that she and the president were planning to warn other kids about the dangers of child predators on the internet.

  “I want to be the spokesperson on the video,” said Bailey. “Maybe, if they heard me talk about my experience firsthand, then it would seem more real to the kids watching the video.”

  When Bailey saw her mother looking at her and she knew what her mom was thinking. “Mom, I can do it,” said Bailey. “If I talk about it, it will also help me to deal with my fears as well.”

  For the rest of the day, the two families talked and visited. Mara and Bailey listened to music, talked about boys and became closer by the minute. That night, Mrs. Fuller slept in the spare bedroom, and Mara and Bailey slept in sleeping bags on the living room floor.

  The next morning, Mara told Bailey that she had a surprise for her. “We are going someplace very special. I know that you will just love it.”

  Mara’s dad had to go to work, but Mara and her mother, and Bailey and her mother got into the car and drove to the secret location. When the car turned down Pennsylvania Avenue, Bailey realized that they were going to the White House. She was very excited that she was going to meet the president.

  Mara introduced Bailey and her mother to the President and the First Lady, and to Betsy and Scott. After some small talk, Betsy, Mara and Scott gave Bailey a tour of the White House. By the time they returned to the First Family residence, the four teens acted as if they had known each other for years.

  When Mrs. Fuller saw how happy Bailey seemed, she asked her how she would feel about moving to Baltimore.

  “Are you serious, Mom?” asked Bailey. “That would be so cool.” Mrs. Fuller had been telling Mrs. Louis and the Morgans that her family lived in New York. They had only moved to Utah, for her husband’s job. Mrs. Louis suggested that they move back to the east coast.

  On Christmas Eve, Bailey and her mother accompanied the Louis family to church for the Christmas Eve service. Mara introduced Bailey to Pastor Joe and Bailey felt very comfortable in the church. Mara and Bailey stood side-by-side; singing Christmas carols and Mara knew that Bailey was going to be okay. She silently prayed to God thanking him for watching over Bailey.

  On Christmas morning, Mara and Bailey exchanged gifts. Bailey gave Mara a necklace with a dolphin pendant and Mara gave Bailey a silver friendship bracelet.

  Two days after Christmas, Mara and Bailey went to the White House with their mothers, to start working on the internet predator video.

  On the video, Mara and Bailey introduced themselves, using just their first names. Bailey explained that she had been feeling lonely since her father left, two years earlier, and that she had been lured into a friendship with someone who pretended to be an eighteen-year-old guy. She explained how she started trusting him and then explained what happened when she went to meet him, including being drugged, and then driven to Idaho. She told of the torture and the terror that she felt, as she was held captive. By the time she was finished, she was crying.

  After Bailey had regained her composure, Mara began speaking to the audience, explaining to the younger kids that they should tell their parents about anyone or anything on the in
ternet that makes them feel uncomfortable. Then, Mara spoke to the older kids and teens, telling them that if they were feeling lonely, or depressed, to talk to their parents, or other relatives, or clergy or a teacher.

  It took four hours to complete the half hour video. When it was completed, everyone agreed that it was a very powerful video. The video was sent to be mass-produced. Copies would be distributed to schools and churches all over the country.

  By the end of January, Bailey and her mother moved to Baltimore. They bought a house just a few blocks away from Mara’s house. Bailey began attending the same high school as Mara and Scott, and she quickly made many new friends.

  Mara had made a new friend, and as in each new adventure she had encountered in her life, it helped her to mature a little bit more. It also reminded Mara how lucky she was and how wonderful her life was.

 

  A Strange Twist of Fate

  In early January, Mara got a registered letter from Governor Charles Stockton, the governor of Idaho. He wrote to Mara, to apologize for the problems that she encountered when she was trying to save Bailey Fuller’s life. He informed her that policy changes had been made in the Boise Police Department, so that justice was not halted in the future.

  He also told Mara that the State of Idaho was implementing stricter controls on the