by PJ Fernor
Way Down There
An Allie Down Mystery Thriller
PJ Fernor
Contents
Hey there Reader
Way Down There
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Epilogue
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About the Author
Hey there Reader
If you’re reading this, you’re part of literary history. Maybe. This is my first, full length Allie Down mystery, crime, thriller novel in your hands. Thank you for reading this. I hope you continue through the entire novel all the way to the thrilling end, and then some more.
It’s been a journey. For the novel. For my career.
The idea for Allie Down came to me out of nowhere on a cold, snowy afternoon as I watched snowflakes dance from the sky, tangling with the billowing smoke from a nearby chimney.
Welcome to Sandemor. Welcome to Allie Down’s incredible journey.
I’ll see you at the end.
Sincerely,
PJ Fernor
www.pjfernor.com
Way Down There
WHO IS KIDNAPPING YOUNG GIRLS IN THIS SMALL TOWN?
Detective Allie Down never had a strong relationship with her sister. Now her sister is dead - a tragic hit and run accident - and Allie leaves her busy city life to come back to her hometown to raise her teenage niece. She's now in the role as mother instead of the 'cool, fun' aunt. Her niece is grieving the death of her mother and Allie has more questions than answers about what really happened the night Alex was killed.
Sandemor is a sleepy town. A place not many would know or remember. Compared to the city detective life, Allie isn't sure how she's going to make this work. Trying to track down a missing cat isn't exactly what she signed up for.
Then comes the day two frantic - and newly divorced - parents show up to the police station. Pointing the finger at each other, claiming the other forgot to pick up their daughter from dance class two nights ago. All Allie hears is that a little girl has been missing for about forty-eight hours. If that's not bad enough, both parents end up getting caught in lies as to what they were doing the night their daughter went missing.
Allie is thrust into the disappearance case, but she's not alone. She didn't know Ben Welloski became a detective. Last time she saw him, he was working in his father's garage. The secret sparks between them are still there, but the focus has to be on finding young Jessie.
Clues lead Allie to another kidnapping case in a different town. The lead detective is an arrogant jerk, and the man accused of the kidnapping swears he's innocent. Without enough evidence to make an arrest, Allie wonders if the man has struck again.
Just as she begins to piece things together, a call comes in that a body has been found nearby. When Allie arrives and sees who it is, she suddenly feels like she's back in the big city again. Only here in her small town, any young child could be the next victim if she doesn't act fast enough.
Prologue
then
We’re not supposed to be here…
The little boy’s heart smashes inside his young chest as he uses his hands to fight off thin branches that poke at him like warnings that are almost as loud as his father’s voice.
Even though he’s the oldest son, he’s not the oldest child, but his father showed him plenty of areas where he wasn’t allowed to go. His father drank a lot. Smoked stinky cigarettes. But with his eyes that were both scary and full of wisdom… when he said, “You go way down there, son, you ain’t coming back up. Mountain lions will get you first. Understand?” - you listened.
The little boy licks his lips and reaches for his younger brother.
“Wait,” he whispers.
The two stand still.
Their older sister keeps going, but only for a few seconds, until she realizes the crunching of leaves and twigs are by her feet only.
She turns her head and uses her right hand to brush her messy hair out of her face. She hates her hair being long but their father refuses to let her cut it. He says it’ll look like he has three sons then and he ain’t gonna explain to people why his only daughter looks like a boy.
“Get up here now,” she orders.
The little boy feels his younger brother start to shake.
“Dangerous,” the little boy says.
“Breathing is dangerous too,” their sister says. “You know about pollution?”
They both nod.
“So what’s the difference?” she asks. “You can die from breathing the air.”
The little boy looks at his little brother.
“I want to see,” his little brother whispers. “Please. I want to see.”
“Move faster,” their sister yells.
The little boy looks at his big sister.
What about the warning signs? What about the caution tape? Why did you have to rip the tape? What’s that going to do? You know what’s going on up here. You know we aren’t allowed here.
As the little boy thinks of all the things he wishes he could say to his big sister, his little brother pulls away and starts to walk again.
His little brother trips on a rock and falls. There’s a small whimper but nothing else. His little brother knows better than to show pain in front of anyone in the family.
The little boy begins to move again.
But in the pit of his stomach he knows something really bad is going to happen today.
Chapter One
Everything. Hurts.
It replaces the thought of everything dies but the pain of being
alive had to have been worse than the pain of death. There was no other way to justify death. The ending. The last chapter. The final scene. Those lucky enough in life were given a short roll of credits, all the names and jobs of those who shaped that life.
But sometimes there were no credits. The ending just came. As soft as a whisper, like a secret from the universe, and you better keep your secrets close to your chest. Because if you don’t, you’ll be taking a little trip off a mountain where nobody could survive. Where nobody would know you or find you.
Where nobody would even care.
He rubs his temples and gets into the SUV.
He left it running, just in case, even though it was kind of risky.
She could have jumped into the front seat and driven off.
Not to leave him. Of course not. She would never leave him. He took care of her. He loved her. She had the chance to fix everything that went wrong.
But truthfully she might have tried to drive for fun.
Who wasn’t that age once and dreamed of just getting behind the wheel of a vehicle and driving? It seemed so easy, right? But easy was where the danger in life awaited. Of course everyone knew that fire was hot. So don’t touch the fire. But what about the easy stuff… like walking down the steps. Miss a step? Done.
He groans as he grips the wheel, stretching his neck.
Chasing away all of these worthless thoughts.
“I’ll be okay,” he says to the mirror, not talking to his own reflection. “I’ll be fine. I always am. That guy was rude. Never be like that. We’re okay. It’s all okay.”
He knows he had to get out of there before any calls are placed. The last thing he needs is to have to deal with the police. They are either too nosey or too lazy.
“You can talk to me,” he says as he starts to drive from the side street that served as the best place to park. “It was a mistake. Okay? You made a mistake too once. Remember that? Do you want me to remind you of that?”
He stops the SUV and wipes the corners of his eyes.
The pain and the emotion are colliding now.
This isn’t good.
There has to be a way…
He turns and looks to the backseat.
She’s the one.
That was the thought that was going to fix everything.
“I’ll fix it myself,” he says. “Okay? Just stay calm. No need to get upset. There’s always a way to fix things. My father used to tell me that.”
He turns and takes a deep breath.
Pain threatens his composure.
He drives the main street.
He can fix this. Easily. Tonight though… that’ll be tricky.
But there’s always something temporary waiting.
Like those pills to take away the pain.
Right?
Temporary… to think…
He grips the wheel tighter and tries to think but it all hurts too much.
Then his eyes see something.
He smiles.
“Told you it was going to be okay,” he says.
She’s not perfect. But she’s good enough.
All that matters?
The little girl standing outside on the sidewalk… is all alone.
Chapter Two
Jessie’s right knee hurts. Not a lot. Just a little. But a little is still something.
When she fell into the wall, everyone looked at her. Waiting for her to cry. But Jessie didn’t cry. Not over that. It was dance class. That meant falling. Getting hurt. Did everyone forget last year when Becky Miller twisted her ankle so hard, it popped, and she had to be rushed to the hospital?
Even still…
“Ouch,” Jessie whispers to herself.
She touches her knee and knows it’ll be fine by morning.
That’s what both of her parents would say.
Or they will say… well, just one of them tonight.
They’re not together anymore.
They got divorced.
Jessie isn’t sure who is picking her up tonight. Because nobody gets along. Mom told her that the divorce was going to make things better. That it wasn’t fair to live in a house with a mother and father always arguing. It didn’t make Jessie feel any better, and now the reality was proving that they were liars.
They fought just as much.
Maybe more.
Mom drinks too much wine and smokes cigarettes. She had quit smoking cigarettes when she was pregnant with Jessie. And she sits at the table and uses her cellphone to fight with Dad. And then Dad… he kept the house and kicked Mom out.
Jessie squeezes her eyes shut.
That was the past.
Even if the present isn’t much better.
One cool thing about the divorce?
Jessie got a phone. An actual cellphone.
She checks her bag and finds her phone sitting at one percent.
After school she had her phone plugged in at Mom’s apartment but that one outlet doesn’t work.
Oops.
Jessie begins to pace the sidewalk.
Behind her the lights to the dance studio turn off.
She still has the streetlights though.
And she’s not afraid of the dark.
It’s fine.
Someone is just running late.
Which means they’re fighting again. Fighting over who’s coming to get her. Her parents want her that much. Which is maybe a good thing, right? To have two parents that love you so much, they’d…
Jessie stops pacing and swipes to unlock her screen. When she does, the screen turns black and the phone turns off.
Dead battery.
Last time this happened, Mom showed up fifteen minutes later and cursed Dad the entire ride back to the apartment.
Jessie decides to practice her dance moves.
Why not?
Nobody is around and looking.
Plus, the more she practiced, the better she’ll get.
She dances up and down the sidewalk, ignoring her knee pain, just wasting time waiting for someone to come get her.
Jessie stops and cups her hands to her mouth. “Anyone? Anyone out there?”
She laughs because she knows if she doesn’t, she’ll cry.
A set of headlights appear up the street.
They flash bright and then back to normal.
Jessie grabs her bag and waits.
See? Someone always remembers to pick me up.
Chapter Three
I woke up from the same nightmare.
I lost track of the nights it happened. There was always something to blame for it. My sister dying in a car accident. The fact that the other person involved in the accident took off and hasn’t been found yet. Or maybe the fact that my fifteen-year-old niece, who I saw maybe ten times a year, was now mine to care for. And raise. How about the fact that while my sister and I didn’t have the greatest relationship, besides leaving me as the caretaker for her daughter, I was also in control of everything she left behind. That meant money, a house, and all that stuff people saved up for in life just to pass it along. Or finally the fact that I made the decision to give up my job in a busy city to move back to the small town I grew up in.
The nightmare had nothing to do with any of that.
I sat up in my new bed in the new apartment and caught my breath. I was old enough to know that dreams and nightmares weren’t real. Even if the images they played in your mind were.
The dusty basement. The horrible smell of mold and rot. The floor made of dirt. The reminder of the notice on the front door that the house isn’t structurally safe. My ankle throbbing in pain from my foot crashing through the kitchen floor. The other door in the basement. The sounds of the sirens in the distance. The sounds of the door opening. The house about to fall over. Me opening that other door. The rush of fear…
I pulled the covers from my body and stood up from the bed.
The nightmare was never going to go away.
It was on a constant loop, a r
eminder of the case that created Allie Down, the detective. It was a defining moment in my career, but one that had a big piece still missing that fell on deaf ears.
There were two girls! Two! There’s still one out there!
My voice echoing. From that dirty basement to the hallways of the precinct to the heavy walls of an interrogation room… even to the Captain’s office.
My heart raced and I worked on my breathing a little more before shuffling my feet toward the bedroom door. I slowly opened the door, knowing it was going to creak no matter what I did. I cringed as it creaked and I stepped into the hallway like I was a teenager sneaking out in the middle of the night to meet the bad boy in town.
Which I did. And I actually wonder if he’s still in town. Or still alive.