Vanished

by Kristi Holl

She patted Prancer’s neck one last time and then looked for Star, a small Morgan mare … and Jeri’s second choice. At least Star was short and easy to mount. However, when Jeri entered the stall, Star shied away from her, kicking over her water bucket.

  “Whoa there,” Jeri said. “Steady, girl.” She held out an apple from the supply Houston kept in the tack room. Then she reached for her bucket filled with brushes, combs, and hoof picks. In fifteen minutes, Star was saddled. They left the barn, walked up the hill, took the gravel road, and then turned onto the trail. Jeri leaned forward in the saddle when the trail rose steeply, wishing she was on a relaxing ride, not searching for missing people.

  As Star walked through the shadowed woods, Jeri was struck by the eerie silence. Jeri searched both sides of the main trail for human or vehicle tracks. She spotted nothing larger than small animal prints and dainty deer tracks crisscrossing the trail. If only finding Rosa and the others would be as simple as following tracks.

  Star skittered and danced a bit, then settled back down. Jeri searched the area, but saw nothing. Had Star smelled another animal? All her senses alert, Jeri combed the area, back and forth, side to side.

  Star and Jeri took a smaller trail, which branched off the main trail, and moved farther into the woods. But she still found no sign of the van. With it being overcast, daylight was fading earlier, and Jeri knew she had to get back before it was too dark to see her way through the unfamiliar woods. The icy wind picked up, and although the trees cut the wind a lot, it whistled and whined through the branches. She pulled her scarf up higher.

  The whining noise increased to a roar, and Star shook her head and pinned her ears back. The roar reacheda crescendo, and Jeri realized it wasn’t the wind. She glanced over her shoulder. A snowmobile, its rider wearing a ski mask, zigzagged down the hill, heading right toward her.

  Star reared suddenly, landed hard on her front legs, and bucked. Jeri was thrown from the horse and landed facedown in the snow.

  Coughing and gasping for air, Jeri rolled over and wiped snow from her eyes. The snowmobile roared on down the trail and disappeared over a hill.

  “You jerk!” Jeri yelled. Talk about rude! Jeri fumed. Not to mention dangerous! She could have really been hurt. And he didn’t even stop to check.

  Snow was in her ears, down her shirt, and up her sleeves. Star was nowhere in sight. Thank heaven Houston had trained all the horses to go back to the Equestrian Center if they got loose. (He jokingly called them “homing horses.”) But that meant she had to walk back, and her ankle was sore.

  Groaning, Jeri crawled painfully to her feet. She’d had one too many spills–first the bike, now the horse. Following the trail, she shuffled awkwardly down the hill toward the school. Just before she reached the main trail, she spotted some larger tracks. What were they? Fox? Raccoon? At least the black bears in the state were hibernating now. Then she remembered that bobcat’s yowl. She picked up her pace and tried to keep her weight off her sore ankle.

  When she finally made it back to the horse barn, she found Star waiting outside, her reins dangling. Thankfully, she had no marks on her or injuries. Jeri led her inside, brushed her down, and put the saddle and bridle in the tack room.

  Stomach growling, she headed toward the dining hall. She was nearly there when girls poured out the doors and down the steps. They were finished already! Jeri sighed. Oh well. She could make something in the dorm kitchen. She waited till she spotted Abby and Nikki and then fell into step beside them.

  “Where were you?” Abby asked. “I checked your room before supper.”

  “Long story.” Jeri rolled her eyes. “Any news on the search?”

  “Forecast is bad,” Nikki said. “They’re predicting a huge temperature drop and tons of snow.”

  “Man, it’s already freezing!” Jeri said. How would Rosa and the others survive now–if they were still alive?

  Abby held the front door of the dorm open. “I talked to that camera girl with the funky hair this afternoon,” she said. “She said Jake might get promoted to TV anchorman for the ten o’clock news if this ‘scoop’ turns out to be big enough.”

  “No way!”

  “I asked her how they got here so fast,” Abby added, “and she called it a lucky fluke. They were told to cover a story in Rock River, but it turned out to be nothing.”

  “Hmmm,” was all Jeri said.

  Purple Hair seemed honest, but Jeri knew Jake had lied to her. Had he set up a phony story so they’d be in the area? Jake had certainly arrived first and gotten the ‘scoop’ on the story.

  She gasped when the logical conclusion hit her. How would Jake have known ahead of time that there would be a sensational story to scoop at Landmark Hills unless he was behind the kidnapping himself? Or at least knew who was?

  8

  confusing clues

  Saturday, 7:41 a.m. to 8:38 a.m.

  The mood in the dining hall Saturday morning was somber. It had been over forty hours since the van disappeared, and there was no break in the case. Jeri poked at her blueberry pancakes. Even though they were her favorite breakfast food, she could only swallow a few bites.

  They were nearly done when Headmistress Long stood. “Attention, please. We have a hopeful development this morning.”

  Oh, thank you, Lord!

  “It appears that the missing girls are still in the area.” She paused and licked her lips. “A helicopter flying overthe lake at dawn spotted two coats and a purple scarf by the water’s edge.”

  “Rosa’s scarf!” Jeri whispered to Abby.

  “There was no sign of a vehicle,” the headmistress said, “just footprints, according to the police.”

  Nikki raised her hand and stood. “What about the ice? Was it broken?”

  The headmistress glanced at their house mother, who finally nodded. “Don’t jump to conclusions, but yes, the ice was broken through. We don’t yet know the cause.”

  Jeri glanced at Abby. They were thinking the same thing, judging by the horrified expression on her face. Temperatures had fallen all week, so the broken ice wasn’t from melting. And if the hole was large enough to be seen by a helicopter, was it big enough for a van to fall through?

  Questions bombarded Jeri’s mind, pounding insistently. Did Mr. Reeves or Heather drive the van into the water? Did anyone escape? Why were coats left on the shore? They’d freeze without them! Or–horrors–did the girls no longer need coats? Had the kidnapper dumped their bodies in the lake during the night?

  The Head cleared her throat. “Divers in wet suits are now searching the lake. We’ll take hot drinks and food to the Two-Mile Stretch. The authorities hope that the students escaped and ran deeper into the woods to hide. They will search there.”

  Surely I’ll get to go back down there today, Jeri thought. She just had to be there!

  The headmistress moved to the exit, and Jeri hurried after her. “Please wait!”

  Head Long turned, her face weary. “Yes?”

  “Can I please go back today?” Jeri asked. “I promise not to talk to the reporter or any parents.”

  “No.” Her shoulders drooped. “I can’t afford any more unfortunate incidents. You stay away from the lake, the parents, and the press.” The Head turned and walked out the door.

  Jeri stood motionless as girls swirled past her, following the Head’s instructions to go bundle up in heavy clothes. Someone laid a hand on her arm, and Jeri turned, expecting Abby. It was Nikki instead.

  “The Head should let you go back with us,” Nikki said. “You want me to ask her again? I could promise her that you’d stay with me.”

  Tears sprang to Jeri’s eyes. Nikki was the last person she expected to try to help her. “Thanks, but I think it’s a no-go.”

  Nikki studied her cowboy boots. “I do know how worried you are about Rosa.”

  Jeri nodded, then turned and headed to the dining-hall restroom before she burst into tears. She was sitting against the wall, pondering the Head’s words and behavior, w
hen Ms. Carter walked in.

  The house mother hesitated and then lowered herself to the floor beside her. “What’s on your mind?”

  After chewing on her lower lip a moment, Jeri finally blurted it out. “I’ve been thinking. I wonder if Ms. Long had something to do with the missing van.”

  “The headmistress?” The house mother blinked in surprise. “What in the world makes you say that?”

  “She was mad that I called a reporter, even though it meant everyone in the state would be looking for the van much sooner. She didn’t like me emailing people to look for it either.” She rushed on. “I know this sounds dumb, but listen. If she wanted ransom money, she’d know which girls had the richest parents.”

  Ms. Carter rubbed the back of her neck. “That’s all true … but you’ve added two plus two and come up with ten.” She hesitated. “Can you keep some things to yourself if I share them with you?”

  Jeri nodded.

  “This is extremely confidential, but I believe I can trust you to keep this between us. Ms. Long has her reasons for what she does. The school is suffering financially. Landmark can’t afford bad publicity that might keep parents from enrolling their students. The headmistress is under a lot of pressure.” She turned to face Jeri. “Parents and students demand more programs and better facilities, and it all costs money. That means increased tuition. The dorms need to be full to pay the cost of running the school.”

  “And if parents think their kids wouldn’t be safe here …” added Jeri.

  “Exactly,” said Ms. Carter.

  Jeri laid her head on her knees. “I sometimes wonder why she works here. I mean … she doesn’t seem to like girls at all.”

  “You couldn’t be more wrong. She loves you girls.” Ms. Carter wrapped long arms around her legs. “Ten years ago, in a boating accident, she lost her husband and twin daughters.”

  Jeri caught her breath. How horrible! She’d always assumed the Head was an old maid. To think of her having a husband and daughters–to even think of her having fun on a boat–felt bizarre.

  “After their deaths,” Ms. Carter continued, “she threw herself into making good things happen for other people’s girls. Landmark is her whole life now.” She rubbed her chapped hands together. “I know this because she is my sister-in-law. Her husband who drowned was my brother.”

  “Oh! I’m really sorry. For you both.”

  “Later, she got me this job.” She patted Jeri’s knee. “Just try to have compassion for her heavy responsibilities. She fears lawsuits from angry parents now. An expensive lawsuit could shut down the school. Of course, her worst fear is that the girls are hurt – or worse. The headmistress hired Keith Reeves. She holds herself personally responsible.”

  Jeri was speechless. She’d been so wrong about the Head. “I’ll pray for her,” she finally said. Had she misjudged Mr. Reeves too? And Jake? Did she have the good guys and bad guys all turned around?

  “I’d better take the girls down to the search area.” Ms. Carter got up and brushed her hands on her slacks. “Keep those prayers coming.”

  Jeri deliberately stayed in the restroom long enough for the cars carrying her friends to leave. It was killing her not to go along. She pictured a half-frozen, frostbitten, starving Rosa being carried out of the woods by a rescue worker. Rosa would try to stand, but her numb legs would collapse. She’d hunt for Jeri–who was her only family now that her parents were out of the country–but Jeri wouldn’t be there.

  Washing her hands, Jeri stared at her reflection in the mirror. The Head had always reminded her of the Wicked Witch of the West. Instead, it turned out that her two children died in some terrible accident. Jeri cringed as she remembered sarcastic cracks she’d made about her during the year. And all this time …

  She finally headed back to the dorm, mentally trying to arrange different pieces of the puzzle to make sense. The school’s financial trouble, Jake’s lie about where he was when she called him, Mr. Reeves’s bank withdrawal and mysterious evening disappearances, Heather’s ability to drive … Nothing fit.

  Lord, who is the real enemy?

  When she reached Hampton House, Jeri went straight upstairs and wrote an apology to the headmistress for any trouble she’d caused. She had taken action on her own, without checking with anyone. Even though she’d meant well, she’d created new problems.

  As she trudged across campus to the main office, her eyes watered in the bitter stinging wind. A few flurries swirled through the air. Jeri fervently hoped the forecaster was wrong about the winter storm heading their way in a few hours.

  In the office, the secretary was on the phone. “I’m sorry,” Betty explained, her gray eyebrows arched. “I really don’t know any more than what’s on TV.” A small portable TV tuned to a local news station sat on her desk.

  Jeri stomped her snowy feet on the welcome mat and studied the secretary. Betty was fun–she painted on her own eyebrows, depending on the color of her outfit. They might be black, brown, plum, or gray – and thin, thick, straight, or arched. She changed them like she changed earrings.

  Betty hung up and slumped in her swivel chair. “The phone hasn’t stopped ringing since seven a.m.” She got a bottle of aspirin from her purse and a cup of water from the cooler.

  Jeri studied the fundraiser poster above the cooler. “So, which dorm is ahead in the competition?”

  “No idea. I’ve been too busy since Thursday night to count the money that was turned in.”

  Jeri shifted from one foot to the other. “I have a note for Headmistress Long. It’s personal.”

  “Oh. Well, just leave it in her office, in the middle of her desk.” She pointed to a door near the visitors’ chairs. “It’ll get lost if you leave it on my desk.”

  “Okay.” Jeri opened the door and stepped into the dim room. Gauzy maroon curtains filtered the light from outside. She tiptoed across thick carpet and dropped her note on the massive–and extremely tidy–polished desk.

  Back in the reception room, Betty grabbed her purse and stood. “Jeri, could you do me a big, big favor? Answer the phone while I run to the restroom? I’m gonna bust. I need a snack, too.”

  “Um, sure. If someone calls, what do I say?”

  “Just say, ‘Landmark School for Girls, Main Office.’ Say that you’re the answering service and take a message. I’ll call people back.”

  “Okay.” Jeri sat down behind the desk.

  “You’re a lifesaver, hon.” And Betty trotted down the hall.

  On the TV, Jeri watched the weatherman’s special bulletin about the winter storm coming. If only the girls were rescued before it came! A few minutes later, a phone rang. Jeri reached for it and then realized it was coming from the Head’s office. Must be a private line. It rang and rang. Betty had said to answer the phone. Did she mean both of them?

  Jeri ran into the office and grabbed the receiver. Before she could give her greeting, a raspy male voice on the other end spoke. “I have some information. Talk to me, or I’ll expose what’s going on. You have my number.” He hung up.

  Jeri dropped the phone as if it had bitten her. Who was that? He must have assumed the headmistress had answered. “Expose what’s going on” sounded like a threat–like blackmail! That voice was vaguely familiar. Could it have been Jake?

  She hurried out of the private office and closed the door. She probably wasn’t even supposed to be in there. She was back at Betty’s desk when the secretary reappeared with a candy bar. “Thanks, hon. Did my phone ring?”

  Her phone? “No. No, it didn’t.” Jeri felt her face go red. She hated lying to her.

  Outside again, she barely felt the wind. Who had left that threatening message? It sure didn’t sound like a ransom call, but what could it mean? Should she tell the Head … and upset her even more? She already had mountains of problems to solve without adding a blackmailer to the list.

  9

  a nudge in the right direction

  Saturday, 8:39 a.m. to 10:23 a.m.r />
  Back in her room, Jeri was desperate to do something, anything, to help find Rosa and the others. She wanted to defy the headmistress and head back to the lake. They might be close to finding the girls. Rosa just had to be alive.

  Lord, can’t I go back there? Isn’t there something else I can do? She paced, still limping, while she prayed and waited for some kind of direction or idea. One of her mom’s often-quoted verses came to her about how God “acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” Why did waiting have to be so hard though?

  But she waited. Eventually her heart stopped pounding, and her mind settled down. She was filled with an incredible sense that God was in charge of everything that was happening – that he had things under his control. Then a thought passed through her mind: Go back to the woods.

  Holding her breath, Jeri waited. Was this a prompt from God? If only she could be sure that it wasn’t just her own idea! At least she’d be doing something. She didn’t get a chance to explore much yesterday.

  Okay, she’d go.

  She wrapped her ankle with an elastic bandage before jamming it into her boot. Down in the kitchen, she grabbed drink boxes of orange juice, a big box of raisins, and a bag of hard candy, just in case she found the van full of girls. They’d need some quick energy. She put it all in a heavy plastic bag with handles, which she planned to loop over the saddle horn.

  When she left the dorm, the flurries were heavier, but not accumulating on the shoveled sidewalk yet. The sun was hidden by low-hanging gray clouds. As she passed the clock tower, it began to strike nine. She picked up her pace. Nobody was in the barn with the horses this morning, and Jeri was glad. She bet Houston was helping search again.

  Jeri saddled up Star quickly, hung the food and drink over the saddle horn, and headed out. Soon she took the entrance to the main trail through the woods, listening closely for reckless snowmobilers. But today all was hushed, even serene, with lightly falling snow. She searched farther up the trail this time, but found nothing.

  Leaning back in the saddle, she let Star rest. Now what, Lord? She hated this helpless feeling. Would she ever see Rosa again? Would Mrs. Reeves live with gossip and terrible sadness for the rest of her life?