Jake leaned back. “Jesus.”
I nodded. “Yeah. And last night I got home so late because I had gone to the park after getting a text from an unknown number. He drugged me and when I woke up I found what I’m pretty sure is the last journal entry.”
“He could have killed you.”
“But he didn’t.” I leaned forward. “That’s why I’m thinking there may be a chance that I can get Hannah out of there if I do what he says.”
“No way.” Jake shook his head. “This guy is obviously off the deep end.” He frowned. “You said ‘we’ a moment ago. Who else knows about this?”
“Just my friend Nick, the guy you met at the police station. He’s been helping me since that night. He picked up some brochures from the school which led me to that chat room and he’s been helping me find all the journal entries except the last one.”
Jake nodded, staring past me as he rubbed the stubble on his chin. “Did you learn anything from the journal entries?”
I took a sip of my tea, thinking for a minute. “Just that Lana stayed at a motel in Indigo Falls for a few nights right after leaving town. He was with her there I think, at least sometimes. The Sleep Inn, or Sleep Right Inn?”
Jake pulled out his phone and began searching. “The Sleep Tight Inn?” he asked a few seconds later.
“Yeah, that sounds right.”
“Anything else?”
“Brandon was there with her at the motel.”
Jake almost choked on his coffee. “Brandon Kinner? Is that why you wanted to talk to him? I thought it was weird that you were friends with the guy suspected of killing Lana.”
“Yeah, well I still don’t think he did it.” I took a sip of my tea. “At first I did, but then the notes and everything else kept going after he was in jail. I wanted to know if he saw anything when he was at the motel with her.”
“He was there?”
“Not for long I guess. He never saw the guy.”
“Did the journals say where she was kept?”
I took a deep breath. “In a windowless room that was either well soundproofed or in the middle of nowhere because he let her scream as much as she wanted. I think Hannah is there now because the room she was in looked just like what Lana described. No windows and a chain connected to a hook in the center of the floor.”
Jake frowned. “Okay, that’s a start. I can at least swing by the motel and see what I can find out there. Maybe they have security cameras.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “If that damn Kinner kid had told us about the motel to begin with we might have caught the guy.”
I nodded. “Also she dyed her hair black and cut it to her chin before she checked in. And you can’t go there looking like a cop.” I was paranoid that the killer would be watching.
“Don’t worry. I’ll go there right now, dressed like this.”
“And you won’t say anything to Chief Woodley or anyone else?” I trusted Jake, but I was terrified that he would accidentally get Hannah killed.
“Not until I have something solid we can act on. Can I call you?”
I thought about that a moment. Was my phone tapped? I wasn’t sure. “I’ll give you my number, but don’t call me unless something is happening. I don’t know if he has some way of knowing who calls me.”
“Okay.” Jake took another sip of coffee and looked at his phone. “Let me have the number and then I’m going to get going. Maybe I can find something at the motel in Indigo Falls.” I gave him my number.
“Thank you.” I stood with him, relieved to finally have someone who knew what was going on and might be able to help with it.
“Not a problem. Just do me a favor and don’t get yourself into any situations like last night again.”
“I’ll try.” I knew I couldn’t promise him anything.
As I hurried back toward my car, I hoped I had done the right thing. Hannah’s life depended on it.
Chapter Thirty-eight
By the time I was halfway home my phone had rung three times. I risked glancing at it as I drove. The calls were all from Nick and I had two texts from him wanting to know where I was. I felt bad for running off to meet Jake without him. I should have trusted him to come along.
Instead of going home, I parked at Nick’s house. His car was in the driveway and he opened the front door before I was halfway to it.
“Where have you been?” His voice was frantic.
“Yates.”
“God.” He lifted his hat, running a hand over his hair. He let out a long breath. “I was so worried about you.”
I relaxed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to freak you out.”
“It’s just after what you said happened last night.” He shrugged, stepping aside to let me in. “I was worried you’d gone out on your own again.”
“Sorry,” I said as he shut the door. I glanced around the quiet house. His mom was still at work and his older brother was off at college.
“Come on.” Nick took the stairs to his room two at a time and I hurried to keep up.
His room was cleaner than mine, comics piled neatly on the bedside table, laundry in the hamper, dresser clear of clutter. A large canvas print of outer space took up most of one wall and the other walls were blank white. It always freaked me out a little to be in his room. It had been this way since we were little.
“Seriously, you need to throw a sock on the floor or something.” I flopped onto his made bed.
Nick visibly winced as I messed up the bed, but he didn’t say anything as he leaned against the dresser. “I like things organized.”
“It’s just a little bit OCD,” I teased.
Nick frowned. “Did you come over just to be a bitch or something?”
I sat up, feeling like he’d just slapped me. “Sorry. I wasn’t trying to be mean.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Nick crossed and uncrossed his arms. “What did you have to go to Yates for?”
I picked at a loose thread on his comforter, wondering how it didn’t drive him crazy. “I met with Jake.” I looked up. Nick looked back at me, confusion clear in his face. “That cop? The one who wanted to help?” I explained.
“You went to the cops?” Nick stood straight. “Are you crazy? He told you not to go to the cops.”
“That’s why we met in Yates. I made him come dressed normal.”
“You think that’s good enough?” Nick practically yelled it. He pulled off his hat, letting it drop to the dresser and clutching his temples. “Crap, Alissa, this isn’t good.”
I hadn’t expected him to be so concerned. “It will be fine.” I stood, moving closer to reassure him. When I put my hands on his arms, he let me pull them down. He stared at me, panic ebbing from his eyes. “I trust Jake not to mess things up. He knows Hannah’s life is on the line.”
“Yeah.” Nick caught my hands, squeezing a little too tightly. “Okay. I just wish you had told me. You know I’d do anything for you.”
I winced. “I know.” I pulled my hands free. Nick’s expression darkened. “I need to use your bathroom,” I said. He nodded and I left the room.
When I returned, he was just slipping his phone into his pocket. He looked up at me. “My mom’s going to be home soon. I need to put dinner in the oven and finish my homework.”
“Okay. I should probably get home anyway.”
Nick squinted at me. “Let me know if you hear anything from the cop,” he said as we headed downstairs.
“Of course.” I opened the door, standing with one foot in the house and one foot out. “I told him about the motel, so hopefully he can find something there.”
Nick gripped the doorknob, leaning to close the door. “Hopefully.”
He shut the door and I hurried to my car in the gathering twilight. I needed to get home before my parents started to worry. I was pretty sure they wouldn’t be pleased if I showed up late for dinner.
“Alissa?” Dad called as soon as I shut the door.
“Yeah?” I slipped off my shoes and padde
d into the kitchen. The overwhelming smell of Thai food hit me as I stepped through the doorway. “Yum, what’s the occasion?”
Dad smiled. “Your mom had to work an open house tonight, so it’s just you and me.”
“Thank God.” I grabbed a plate and began filling it with a little of everything.
“You know she loves you, right?” Dad took his plate to the table.
“I know.” I set my plate across from his and sat down. “I get that she’s ready to start really trying too. It’s just, I’m happier when it’s just you and me. And Thai food.” I shoved a forkful into my mouth. “She always makes me feel bad for enjoying food.”
Dad chuckled, spinning flat noodles onto his fork. “She does have her issues. I’m glad they haven’t gotten to you. I made an appointment with a family therapist. We start in a couple weeks.”
I nodded, not at all excited about the idea. “I wish we could just work things out here.”
Dad nodded in agreement. “I do too, but we’ve been trying that for a few months now and it doesn’t seem to be happening. I don’t want you resenting your mother your whole life just because she wasn’t ready for you to come out.”
“You were,” I said around a mouthful of noodles.
“I was not.” Dad shot me a half-grin. “I just had an easier time accepting it. You and I have always been easy together. I think it hurts your mom sometimes.”
I’d never considered that Mom could be jealous of how well I got along with Dad. In the last few months, we’d gotten even closer as he quickly accepted both me and Hannah while Mom remained firmly in denial.
“Okay, so family therapy it is.” I scooped up another forkful of noodles.
Dinner with Dad was good. Relaxing. Music played softly in the background and the heat was just beginning to kick on so the room was toasty warm. I began to relax and started to believe things would be okay. Telling Jake about the notes had been the right thing to do. A giant weight had been lifted from me. I had to believe he would find Hannah.
After dinner we settled into the couch, channel surfing through reality shows and dramas until Dad stopped on a History Channel documentary. It was half over before Mom got in.
She didn’t say anything about the remaining Thai food in the kitchen, just fixed herself a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of wine and joined us in the living room. It was one of the most peaceful nights we’d had as a family in a long time. I almost groaned when there was a knock at the door.
“I’ll get it.” Dad started to lower the foot rest, grunting as he dug himself out of the couch.
“Stay there.” I rolled my eyes. “I’ll get it. I wouldn’t want you to break a hip or anything.”
“Hey.” Dad swatted at me as I passed, laughing, to answer the door.
I recognized Nick through the window and pulled open the door. “What’s up?”
“Hey.” Nick shifted on the front step, kicking the doormat. “I have a kind of bad idea. Want to come for a ride?”
“Uh.” I looked back toward the living room just as Mom stepped into the entryway.
“Nick, how are you?” She beamed at him. “Nice to see you.”
“Nice to see you too.” Nick returned her smile. “I was just asking Alissa if she could come out for a bit.”
“Oh, I don’t see why not.” Mom glanced at her watch. “It’s still pretty early. Just be home by ten.”
Ten? If it had been Hannah at the door I would’ve had to be home by nine. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to go with Nick. “Yeah, okay.” I nodded with a sigh.
There was no getting out of it now that Mom had given permission. I slipped on my shoes and zipped up my hoodie over Hannah’s T-shirt before following Nick out. He hurried back to his truck, hands shoved deep into his pockets and the hood up over his hat.
“Where are we going?” I climbed into the passenger seat.
“I was thinking we could go out to the old mill where they found Lana.” Nick pulled the truck away from the curb before I could reply.
“What? In the dark? Are you crazy?”
“Think about it.” Nick glanced at me as he turned toward Main Street. “This time of night the darkness will cover us. No one will see us coming.”
“We don’t even know if that’s where he’s keeping her.” I’d vaguely considered visiting the mill before, but the idea scared me. “And if we do find him there, what do we do?”
“Call that cop friend of yours.” Nick shrugged. “But I’m thinking even if he keeps her there he probably doesn’t sleep there too. It would be too obvious.”
I had to admit there was a bit of logic to that, maybe we could find Hannah and get her out of there without even seeing the guy. Still, the idea of running around some creepy old mill in the dark made my skin crawl. I shivered, pulling my sleeves over my hands. “This is an insanely bad idea.”
“Maybe.” Nick nodded, lips pressed together. “But it’s better than waiting for him to invite you there to die.”
Another good point. “Maybe.”
“We just go look around, if we see anything suspicious we get the hell out of there.” Nick looked at me. “Deal?”
I sighed. “Okay, deal.”
“Good, because I really don’t want you dying on me. I don’t care if it is for Hannah.”
When it came down to it, I didn’t want to have to die for her either.
Chapter Thirty-nine
Nick pulled into the gas station at the edge of town, climbing out almost before the truck stopped moving. I looked at him questioningly.
“I need to get a coffee or something.” Nick slammed the door and headed into the gas station. He shoved his hood down as he walked toward the store.
I pulled out my phone, running my finger over the screen. I turned it on and pulled up Jake’s number, wondering if I should tell him where we were going. On the one hand, if someone was monitoring my phone they would know I contacted him. On the other hand, if we did find something out at the mill I would be calling him anyway.
Before I could change my mind, I typed a text message telling him Nick and I were going to the mill where they found Lana’s body. I hit send and slipped my phone into my pocket moments before Nick returned carrying two drinks. I leaned over and opened the door for him.
“Thanks. I got you a hot chocolate. I know you used to love them.” He held out the paper cup, steam billowing from the mouth hole on the lid.
“Still do.” I eagerly took the cup. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” Nick set his cup down in the cup holder and pulled off his sweatshirt to reveal a black button-up. He threw the hoodie behind his seat and climbed in.
I took a sip as he started the truck. It was a bit bitter, but deliciously chocolatey. I licked my lips and took another sip. Nick glanced at me as he waited to turn out of the parking lot, then again after he was on the road.
“What?” I wiped my upper lip.
“Nothing.” Nick shook his head, eyes trained on the road. He drummed an uneven beat on the steering wheel with his fingers as we waited at a stop light. “How’s the hot chocolate?”
“Good.” I took another sip to prove it.
“Good.” He nodded, his head bobbing up and down for too long as he waited for the light to change.
“Are you okay?” I reached out to put a hand on his arm. He jumped at my touch, then forced a smile.
“Just nervous. Drink the hot chocolate. We’ll be there soon enough.”
I did as he said. I understood how he felt. I was feeling a bit off myself, nervous and almost dizzy as I sipped on the hot chocolate. Someone said something.
“Huh?” I looked at Nick. “Did you say something?” My voice sounded far away. I took one more sip of the hot chocolate, then put it in the cup holder with shaky hands.
“No.” Nick’s voice echoed around the truck.
“Pull over.” My words were slurred. My heart beat unevenly. I realized I felt the same way I had at the playground. “Something’s wrong.”
“It’ll be okay.” Nick glanced at me with a smile that stretched like the Cheshire Cat’s.
I closed my eyes, hoping things would be right again when I opened them. Instead, Nick still grinned at me with that smile floating under the brim of his hat. My phone vibrated in my pocket, but my fingers were too thick to pull it out.
“Nick?” I asked and then my world went black.
*
“Crap, she’s heavier than she looks,” Nick said near my head. Another voice muttered a reply from farther away. “Well, I didn’t know what else to do.” Nick’s voice was a growl and even in my foggy state I could imagine him flushing with anger.
I blinked slowly, trees overhead with bare branches reaching toward stars that came and went in the darkness. Arms wrapped around my chest, hauling me up a set of stairs. Then I was staring at a gray ceiling, barely illuminated by a light in the distance. I closed my eyes again, feeling sick from the swaying motion of my body being carried.
I must have blacked out again because the next thing I knew I woke up to someone shaking me gently.
“Alissa?” The voice was soft, scared, and familiar.
I blinked, staring up at a low, wooden ceiling. I groaned and leaned to my side, trying to push myself up. A chain rattled and I looked down to see I had been shackled to a ring at the center of the room. Someone touched my shoulder and I spun to find Hannah kneeling behind me. The bruise and cut on her temple still looked painful.
“Oh, my God.” My hand went to my mouth. “Is it really you?”
Hannah nodded, tears welling in her eyes. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.” She began to sob and I pulled her to me. She’d lost weight and her frame seemed birdlike under the oversized hoodie and sweatpants.
“Shh, it’s okay. I’m here.” I rubbed circles on her back with one hand and pulled her tight against me with the other. As she cried, I looked around the room. It was small and cell-like with no windows. Illumination came from six electric camp lanterns hung from the ceiling. The floor was hard cement aside from one corner where a ratty mattress lay. My stomach turned, imagining what might have happened there.
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