Wanted

by ML Ross

  “Yes. More than anything.”

  “Come here.” He urges me to flip towards him and he pulls me close. I bury my face into his neck and hook my leg over his. I run my fingers through his hair, pulling on the ends as he runs his fingers through my now much shorter, brunette locks. He tugs on my hair so I lift my face and he places sweet kisses on my lips and whispers “I love you” into my mouth. I want to ask him about Kim but I don’t want to ruin this moment. We continue to tenderly touch each other until we start to dose off hours later.

  I must eventually slip into a deep slumber because I hear a faint pounding but I’m dreaming it’s the sound of drums. I’m in a dance club. Dancing. It takes my brain a long time to realize that the pounding is at the door, not in my dream. I jump from the bed in a panic. “Ryan!! Someone’s at the door!” I shake his shoulder.

  He jumps up and can’t balance himself when his feet hit the floor so he falls hard on his ass. He quickly finds his wits and pulls himself up. We both creep to the door. I peek out the window and see a young guy.

  “It’s Landon.”

  He swings the door open and Landon crashes inside the cabin and does a double take when he sees me. I’m only wearing one of Ryan’s t-shirts. Ryan is only wearing his boxers.

  “Man, the police are on their way Ryan! My grandfather had another stroke and passed away two days ago. My Mom realized the keys to the cabin were missing. She asked me about them and I made up some bullshit story but she didn’t believe me. She went to the police. They know you’re here. They ran my grandfather’s plates and it matched the plates of a car they have seen driving around here. They were also alerted by a bank that you accessed a safe deposit box. I drove as fast as I could. They are probably only ten minutes behind me, if that.”

  “Let’s go Ryan. Let’s go. We’re so close. We just need to talk to Kim!” I start to cry and cover my face with both hands.

  Ryan comes over to me and pulls my wrists away from my face. “Listen to me Ness!! We can’t run. We can’t hide anymore. Listen carefully! You have to go to Kim as soon as possible. She has to go to the police. It’s my only way out.” He gathers all the information on the table and pushes it back into the envelope. “Take this with you.” He runs into the bedroom and grabs a small bag. “The knife is in here. Keep this with you. Get Kim and take it all to the police station. Be careful. He’s still out there. Ness! Look at me!” I can’t stop crying. I look up at him. “I love you Ness. It’s gonna be okay. I’ll be okay.”

  I just nod my head and then I hear a loud bang causing me to jump and scream.

  “Police! Open up!”

  Ryan turns to me and mouths “I love you” before he opens the door. The police walk in cautiously, guns pointing. We all hold our hands up in the air.

  “Ma’am? Are you okay? Are you hurt?” The officer stares at my face and I realize I still have a bruise on my cheek from my attack

  “No.” I whimper.

  I follow the officer’s gaze as it settles on the handcuffs dangling from the bed through the open bedroom door. “Ma’am? Do you need to go to the hospital?” I feel bile rise to my throat. He thinks Ryan hurt me. Oh God.

  “No!” I cry.

  The other officer, still pointing his gun at Ryan, steps up to him. “Are you Ryan Jenson?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Hands on your head! You are under arrest for the abduction of Vanessa Cartwright, breaking and entering, and grand theft. You are also wanted for questioning in the murder cases of Sophie Carsen and Mia Knoll and also the attempted murder of Kim Sawyer. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will appointed for you. If you decide to answer questions, you have the right to stop at any time. Do you understand son?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “You need to come with me ma’am.” The other officer holds out his hand.

  “Ryan?!” I turn to him as he stands there in his underwear with his hands on his head. It breaks my heart.

  “Its okay, Ness. Go.”

  “Can I get clothes?”

  The officers look at each other and one nods to the other. “Yes ma’am, I’ll come with you. I walk into the bedroom on shaky legs. I grab my yoga pants from the floor and slide them on and grab Ryan’s jeans but the officer takes them from me, checking the pockets. I find his t-shirt and hand it to the officer as well. We walk out and he hands Ryan the clothes. They allow him to dress and then I wander slowly over to the officer not taking my eyes off Ryan.

  Landon stands there in complete shock. As the officers escort Ryan and me into separate cars, Landon is told he needs to come to the station to make a statement as well. Within 10 minutes, we pull up in front of the Gunnison police station. I immediately spot my Mom and Dad standing outside. The police car in front of us comes to a stop first. I watch the officer open the back door and pull a handcuffed Ryan out of the backseat. I hear screaming as our car is still rolling to a stop. I turn my head towards the disturbance. My Dad is being held back by a police officer as he is shouting at Ryan and breaking down in sobs as he watches the officer escort him into the building.

  “You sick son-of-a-bitch! I will make sure you rot in prison and never see the light of day! You hurt my baby, you piece of shit!!” My Dad yells.

  “Let me out!!! Let me the fuck out!!” I scream at the officer. I hear the doors unlock and I jump out of the car. I run towards Ryan but the police officer restraining him holds out his hand to stop me from coming any closer. I come to a slow stop and I glance up at Ryan. He can’t even look at me. My Mom and Dad think he’s a rapist and murderer and that he hurt me. I see fear in his eyes.

  “Ryan?” I beg him to look at me.

  He looks at me as the officer starts to pull him away.

  “I’m going to get you out. I’m not leaving you. I promise. I love you Ryan!” I yell as he’s being pulled away from me. I break down and cry and then feel my Dad pull me into his chest with his arms wrapped around me.

  “Vanessa, what’s going on baby girl?”

  “He didn’t do it.” I murmur into his chest. “It wasn’t him. I have to help him. Please help him Daddy.”

  “What do you mean he didn’t do it?”

  “Excuse me ma’am? I need you to come with me so I can get your statement. Then your parents can take you home.”

  I nod my head. “Can my parents come with me?”

  “Of course.”

  The officer leads us into a small conference room. “Did you need some water or anything?”

  “Water, thanks.” He leaves the room as a young female officer passes him and comes in.

  “Hi Vanessa, my name is Tanya.” She reaches out to shake my hand. “Can I ask you a few questions?”

  “Sure.”

  “They are personal. Do you want your parents to step out?”

  “No.”

  “Okay. I’ve been told that you were held without your consent in a small cabin in Gunnison by Ryan Jenson?”

  “I stayed willingly.”

  “What?” Asks my Dad in disbelief.

  “Please sir, let her answer the questions.”

  “Vanessa, we found handcuffs locked to the bed.” I hear my dad gasp. “Did Ryan Jenson touch you inappropriately?” I look at her with a straight face. My mind thinking yes, yes he did and I absolutely fucking loved it. “No.” I say.

  She looks skeptical. “Vanessa, he can’t hurt you now. You can be completely honest. Did he do that to your face?”

  “He didn’t touch me okay!! He saved my life. He took care of me after the car accident and he saved me from the real rapist that is still out there! This is a waste of time. I need to get out of here!”

  “Calm down Vanessa. We’re only doing our job. We’re here to help you.”

  “Ryan needs help!”

  “Vanessa, I really advise you to have a rape kit done. You might be in shock now and
maybe even in denial but I encourage you to get examined now. You can decide at any time whether you want to press charges or not.”

  “He didn’t rape me!” I cry. I want to go to him so bad. I need him and I know he needs me.

  “Can you think about it please? I’ll let you make your statement and I’ll be back before your parents take you home, okay?”

  I don’t respond. My Mom is sobbing into her hands and my Dad has his arms wrapped around her. “Mom, Dad. He didn’t hurt me. I swear. He’s innocent.”

  Just then, the officer comes back into the room with my water. He sets a recorder on the table and tells me that my statement will be recorded.

  “Please state your full name.”

  “Vanessa Lynn Cartwright.”

  “Please tell us, in detail, what happened to you on December 23rd when you were driving on Route 50 nearing Gunnison, Colorado and all events leading up to today.”

  I tell the entire story. Well, except for some of the personal details. I start with the car accident, then about waking up in the cabin, Ryan treating my injuries, Ryan telling me he didn’t murder Sophie Carsen or Mia Knoll or attack Kim Sawyer, me volunteering to talk to Kim, the party, my attack, the safe deposit box, Ryan’s brother, and finally the arrest. My parents listen to every detail. I reach into the bag and pull out the knife. We wrapped it in plastic.

  “He dropped this during my attack. It has his fingerprints. His name is Jacob Matheson. He drives a blue Ford Escape.” I say passing the plastic bag to the officer. I can’t tell if he believes me or not.

  “Do you want to press charges against Ryan Jenson, ma’am?”

  “No!! Did you hear what I just said?”

  “Yes, ma’am, we will look into your claims. We have your statement. You’re free to leave. If we have any more questions, we will be in contact.”

  The officer escorts us from the building, handing me his business card. Thankfully, the female officer doesn’t make it back in time because she was pissing me off. As soon as we are out of the building, I turn to my parents.

  “I need the car and a phone. I can’t go home yet. I need to help Ryan. He’s innocent.”

  My Mom and Dad look at each other. “Vanessa, I don’t know what really happened here but I’m really worried about you and I think its best you come home. You need to let the police take care of it.”

  “Mom!” I cry. “I can’t. He’s all alone. He has no one. I promised to help him. I just need to talk to Kim. Who knows if the police will even talk to her? I have the information about his brother and I need to show her so she’ll go to the police. Mom, I love him.”

  “Vanessa?”

  “I do Mom. I feel it. I need to stay. Please. No regrets.” She turns to my Dad.

  “What if we stay for a couple days and help her get this straightened out?”

  “Vanessa, are you sure about this?”

  “Positive. I need to go to Kim Sawyer. She needs to know it wasn’t Ryan. She can clear him. Then we can go home.”

  “I can take her.” We all turn to see Landon approaching. “I can take her. I can help.”

  Landon and my parents spent some time talking in the police station in between all the questioning. Landon was terrified he was going to be arrested for harboring a wanted criminal or something since he gave Ryan the keys to the cabin. Apparently, Ryan told police he stole them so Landon wasn’t charged with anything.

  I look at my Mom begging her to let me do this.

  My Mom digs into her purse and pulls out my phone. My phone! I could kiss it. She hands me my phone along with some cash. “After you see this girl, promise me you’ll call and let us know your safe. Go on Vanessa, fight for him honey. No regrets!”

  Chapter 18 – Vanessa

  We practically run to Landon’s car. I turn on my phone and wait for it forever to boot up. I pull up Google and search for Perky’s in Gunnison. I press the little telephone icon next to the listing and I hear it ring.

  “Perky’s.”

  “Hello, is Kim working today?”

  “This is she.”

  I let out a whoosh of air. “Kim? It’s Va….Lindsey.”

  “Lindsey! Where did you go on New Year’s Eve?”

  “Something happened. Listen, can we talk?”

  “What happened? Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. I really need to talk to you. In person. Can we meet somewhere private?”

  “Um, sure. What’s this about?”

  “I’d rather not say over the phone, what time do you get off of work?”

  “In about an hour but I can probably leave early. It’s slow.”

  “Perfect. Do you know of a place we can talk in private?”

  “We can go to my dorm. My roommate went back home for a few days.”

  “Can I meet you at Perky’s and follow you?”

  “Okay.”

  “I’ll be there in about 15 minutes.”

  “Okay.”

  She sounds very concerned. I know this is going to be shocking for her to hear. I look through the bag that Ryan gave me to make sure the envelope is still there. I’m hoping the police are tracking Jacob as we speak.

  “Landon, do you know Kim well?”

  “Yeah, the three of us have always been pretty tight. She hasn’t talked to me for a long time. I can tell you that she won’t be very pleased to see me.” He says sadly.

  “She’ll understand when we explain.”

  We drive onto the campus and pull into Perky’s. I see Kim standing outside leaning up against the building in her uniform on her phone. When I pull into the spot in front of her, she walks to my car and then notices Landon.

  “Landon? What are you doing here?” She says in an angry tone.

  “We’ll explain. There’s a lot to explain.” I tell her.

  “It’s okay, Kim. I promise. You need to hear what we have to say.”

  She nods her head, looking very unsure. “I’m the little blue car. You can follow me.” She points to her car.

  “Okay.”

  She gets in her car and pulls out of the parking lot. We follow close behind her. She pulls into student parking and we park next to her. Most kids are still gone for break.

  “I’m this way.” We follow her to the second floor and she opens up the door at the end of the hallway. “This is me.” She says as she opens the door. She steps inside and puts her purse down.

  “What the hell is going on? You are a reporter aren’t you?”

  “No, Kim. I’m not. My name is Vanessa Cartwright.”

  “Vanessa Cartwright? You’re that girl that went missing. You look different than the picture on TV. Why are you here? I don’t understand.”

  “Kim, I was with Ryan.”

  She backs up with a look of horror on her face and looks between me and Landon. “What’s going on?”

  “I was in a car accident. Ryan pulled me from the wreck and took me to a cabin and kept me there afraid I’d turn him into the police. I had read about Ryan in the news and I was terrified but he didn’t do it. He wasn’t the one that attacked you, Kim.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? Is this a sick joke?”

  “It’s not a joke. Listen. That night of the New Year’s Party, I was trying to talk to you. I was trying to help Ryan. I was attacked that night. At first, I thought it was Ryan and I was confused and terrified just like you probably were. I didn’t know what was happening. The guy looked just like him. Ryan actually saved me from being raped and possibly worse that night. He chased the guy off. He got a good look at him. He just found out he has a brother. He had no idea. His adoption was closed. Kim, it was his brother. It wasn’t Ryan.”

  Kim slowly lowers herself to sit on the edge of her bed. I sit next to her and continue.

  “His Mom left all the information in a safe deposit box when he was sixteen, right before they were killed in that car accident. His birth mother was also killed in a car accident just weeks before his adoptive parents. There mi
ght be a connection.” I pull out the envelope. “There are articles about his brother and his family. There is a picture of Jacob. We just found all this out yesterday.” I flip through the pile and pull it out and hand it to her.

  She puts her hand over her mouth like she might get sick. “Oh my God!”

  “Kim, it wasn’t Ryan.”

  “I recognize this scar. This scar over his eye.” She says pointing at the picture of Jacob. “I remember thinking that night that I never saw that scar on Ryan before. I just couldn’t explain it and blew it off.”

  “Jacob was the one that attacked me the night of the party and believe me, I felt the same way. In my heart, I knew it wasn’t Ryan but there was no other explanation. Jacob drugged me too so I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

  “Where is Ryan?”

  “He was arrested this morning. I gave the police my statement. They think I’m in denial or something. I don’t think they took me seriously. I did give them the knife with Jacob’s fingerprints but that doesn’t clear Ryan. He needs you, Kim. You have to tell the police they have the wrong guy. Did you do a rape kit?”

  “Yes. Oh my God. Ryan and I had sex before that party though. He didn’t use any protection.”

  “What about Jacob?”

  “I’m not sure. I was in and out of consciousness but they took samples under my nails and hair and stuff…..” She trails off.

  “Kim, I know this is hard but we have to go to the police. You have to retell your story. We need to clear Ryan.”

  “Yeah. Okay. I just need a minute.” She sifts through the papers slowly. Tears start to roll down her cheeks. “I can’t believe I thought it was Ryan. To believe he did that to me was so painful. We were best friends. We told each other everything.” She stops and shakes her head. “I betrayed him. I told the police he had sex with Sophie and Mia on the nights they were killed. He will never forgive me.” She breaks down in uncontrollable sobs and I wrap my arms around her. I know exactly how she feels. Landon sits down next to Kim rubbing her back up and down gently as she cries into my arms. When she finally gathers herself enough to talk again, she smiles and says “I remember the day Ryan and I met. We were at a party. We were only 16. I had already developed quite the reputation. All the guys new I was easy. They practically lined up at the parties waiting their turn to get in my pants. I wasn’t ashamed at the time. I loved the attention. One night I was so drunk, two guys from school were trying to convince me that two was better one. I was so wasted, I was like sure!” She stops talking and I notice Landon stops touching her. “Out of nowhere, Ryan throws his arm around my shoulder and tells the guys I’m taken. I just figured he was taking cuts. He wanted his turn. I left the party with him and we went back to his place. Ryan never made a move. We ate pizza and watched a stupid horror movie that night. He slept on the couch while I passed out in his bed. I remember thinking that Ryan was one of those few good guys. I wanted to keep him forever. We became best friends.” She pauses and I can see she’s unsure about what she’s about to say next. “I fell in love with him. Then things got complicated.” She whispers.