Way Down There (An Allie Down Mystery Thriller Book 1)

by PJ Fernor

  All these dots and I had to connect them.

  I grabbed my laptop and threw another dot into the fray, except this one was personal.

  The first name that came to mind was Leah.

  One of my best friends back in the day.

  The one who wiped my tears because of Tommy and whispered suggestions about Ben.

  A simpler time in life before so many things fell apart and changed, which always seems to happen when everyone turned eighteen, graduated, and life was nothing but an open road.

  I typed in Leah’s name online and there she was.

  It literally took me five seconds to find her.

  She had social media pages for herself and for her boutique.

  It made me smile.

  It was so Leah.

  She had forever loved to play dress up as a kid and took that to a whole new level as a teenager. She wanted to move to New York City and get into fashion. She worked for some rich woman who had a gift shop that was all luxury items, including fancy clothes too.

  The memories rushed back to me in big waves.

  Lots of smiles. A few seconds of holding back tears.

  With one click I could have requested Leah as a friend or follower or connection or whatever you wanted to call it.

  Instead, I just took a picture of my laptop screen with my phone of the address to her boutique.

  It wasn’t the worst thing in the world to maybe connect with some old friends.

  Right on cue, my phone rang with a call from Ben.

  I caught myself almost blushing at the sight of his name on my screen.

  “He-hey,” I said, stumbling on a simple hello to Ben.

  “So… you and Johnny…”

  “Yeah. He caught me. Oh well. You know, what he did to Steve…”

  “There’s always a reason,” Ben said.

  “Yeah, well, you know he told me about Steve’s ex-girlfriend and her son dying. Was that to rattle me or what? Because it’s not in the file.”

  “I don’t know,” Ben said. “Let me ask you this… what are you thinking right now?”

  I looked at Leah’s face on my laptop screen.

  I shut the laptop and stood from my bed.

  “I’m thinking… I don’t know, Ben.”

  “Yeah,” he said. “Glad it’s not just me. I have everyone working on everything. The search parties are dwindling. There’s rumors about Connor too.”

  “He’s going to end up like Steve if that keeps up,” I said.

  “Everything we’ve looked into checks out,” Ben said.

  “We just need to find the SUV,” I said. “I’ll start going door to door. Someone had to have seen something. It may not have been much, but something. The SUV. Jessie standing there alone. A scream. Anything to go along with what Nelle said and to give us a better view.”

  “You still think it’s tied to Lucy?” Ben asked.

  “I wish I could say no so I could be done with Johnny…”

  Ben laughed. “What’s for dinner, Allie Down?”

  “Overcooked spaghetti, jar sauce, and meatballs out of a bag.”

  “That makes me sad,” he said.

  “My kitchen isn’t big enough for real cooking.”

  “Then you should come over to my kitchen,” Ben said.

  I laughed. My face felt warm.

  And the conversation went silent.

  I looked at my laptop again and shook my head.

  I was able to find Leah is a few seconds.

  That was scary in a sense.

  Being able to find someone… study their pictures… see what they like… where they went…

  It made me uneasy.

  Having Ben on the phone made me feel comfortable.

  There was a sense of home near him.

  But I wasn’t looking for a home.

  I was looking for a missing girl before she turned up dead.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Jessie

  The man is angry.

  It was the only thing that went through Jessie’s mind over and over.

  Ever since they got back from that really long and exhausting walk where he put that little girl’s body face down, the man had been very angry.

  And when Jessie tried to escape, that made it worse.

  Jessie was pretty sure every glass object in the house was broken.

  The sound of glass shattering had become normal for her. It didn’t even bother her to hear it.

  Then there was the sound of the man walking on the glass. The crunching of glass as he walked from the kitchen to the living room. If he scuffed his foot by accident to the wood floor, it made a scraping sound that pinched Jessie’s nerves.

  She taught herself how to breathe. How to stay calm. Because if she didn’t, her heart would race so fast she would get sick and feel the urge to throw up. And the man refused to clean anything up. Which meant the smell…

  The basement door opened with fury.

  Jessie inched her butt against the floor and put her back to the wall.

  She stared forward and saw the figure of the man appear.

  He had a plate of food. It was hot food. Jessie could see the steam coming off the food. It looked like a hamburger. With a bun. Lettuce. Tomatoes. And a can of soda. A light green can. Lemon-lime? That would be fine. Just the taste of soda… any kind of soda… that burning rush of sugar…

  The man put the plate on the floor, well out of Jessie’s reach.

  “Please,” Jessie whispered in a weak voice.

  “Why should I try with you?” the man asked. “You just want to run. You’re just like the other one. You just want to run. Before I can even tell you what’s going to happen. What we’re going to do. Do you think I like this? Do you think I like living here? Look at this place. This isn’t home. This isn’t anyone’s home.”

  “I’m sorry,” Jessie said. “I was scared.”

  “Scared of me?”

  When the man spoke to her it was like he became a different person. He spoke as though he’d known Jessie all of his life. He spoke as though Jessie was his age, or older. His voice was certainly not the same booming, violent voice that roared through the house upstairs when he was punching walls and breaking glasses.

  It was like he was an adult acting like a child.

  Or a child talking to an adult…

  “Say something!”

  The man’s voice was loud again.

  Jessie gasped. “Y-y-y-yeah… I was scared. That other girl… was…”

  “She was like you,” the man said. “Not listening. Why don’t you listen to me? I can fix everything. I can make it all right again. But you just need to listen.”

  “I will,” Jessie said. “I’m… I’m sorry.”

  The man stood up. “That’s what they all say.”

  The man walked up the stairs and Jessie let out a cry.

  She was so hungry.

  There were four other plates of food next to the fresh one.

  The man did the same thing… bringing the food down and leaving it out of her reach. That was Jessie’s punishment.

  The other food looked bad now and smelled bad.

  There were bugs on the food.

  Ants.

  Bigger bugs.

  Cockroaches?

  And Jessie swore she heard the little chatter of a mouse too.

  But the fresh plate of food…

  Jessie crawled on her hands and knees as far as she could go.

  She reached with her free hand and stood no chance in reaching the food.

  She rested on her stomach, on the dirty ground of the basement, and stared at the food.

  When she shut her eyes, she dreamed of being at a cookout with her dad. And her mom showing up too. And they all got along. Her dad and mom held hands and kissed when they thought Jessie wasn’t looking. And Jessie drank ten cans of soda. And nobody yelled at her.

  Nobody yelled at all.

  Everyone was happy.

  So… happy�
��

  Jessie felt a presence and she opened her eyes.

  The man was there again.

  Crouching next to her.

  His fingers pressed against her neck.

  “Still alive?”

  “Yes,” Jessie whispered. “So hungry… so sorry…”

  “I know you are,” the man said.

  He stood and walked away, pausing at the plate of food. Using the tip of his boot, he slid the plate toward Jessie.

  He kicked the soda can too, meaning Jessie would have to wait to open it.

  But so what… it was food.

  Food!

  And somehow there weren’t any bugs on the food or plate.

  Laughing at the yell of excitement from Jessie’s voice, the man went upstairs again.

  Jessie took her plate of food and can of soda and sat against the wall.

  The burger was ice cold, but that didn’t matter.

  It was an actual meal.

  Jessie chewed and closed her eyes, crying a mix of sad and happy tears.

  Her stomach yelled with relief.

  And Jessie decided to give herself a pep talk. The way Nelle would do when she couldn’t figure out a dance routine.

  Hey… Jessie… think about it… maybe the worst is over now!

  Chapter Forty-Four

  There was no such thing as having time to do something, which meant when the moment hit, I could either do something or let the moment pass.

  The morning had been as busy as any other.

  Talking to Ben before actually seeing him. Hoping for an update overnight. There was none. Even with Johnny’s case, there was nothing turning up. Lucy was dead, and now the Maurowitz family were preparing their statement and story, well aware they were going to end up making national headlines. I worried about Steve, but kept that worry to myself. If something happened to him, that would be on Johnny’s soul to handle for the rest of his life.

  We were starting to come up shorter and shorter each day.

  The attention was officially off of Connor, even if I kept him in the back of my mind. Ben looked into Cat’s PI and the guy didn’t seem like someone who would kidnap Jessie. Ben operated as though Jessie and Lucy were two separate cases. I worked otherwise. We butted heads as we threw out theories that sometimes didn’t make sense but in its own way, it worked. What we needed was a break in the case. A clue. Someone who saw something but didn’t think it was something.

  I drove along familiar streets in Sandemor, telling myself to go back to Nelle and start there again. Work that street beginning to end. Check the dumpsters and alleys again. For anything.

  In another compartment of my mind I thought about Leah.

  And the others of our group from back in high school.

  Leah, Allie, Emilia, and Dana.

  I was within two blocks of Leah’s boutique when I made the decision to swing by and say hello to her.

  Guilt hit me as I pulled up to a parking meter.

  I looked down the street and begged myself to come up with something.

  An idea.

  Anything.

  I pictured where Lucy was found.

  The surrounding area had been searched thoroughly. To keep going through the thick forest meant inclining into even thicker parts. That led literally to nowhere. It was either the perfect random spot to dump a body or a place truly calculated to throw everyone off whatever path the kidnapper and killer was on.

  I climbed out of my car and looked at the boutique with a smile.

  Leah’s Whisper.

  It was maybe goofy sounding but I could hear Leah’s voice saying the name. Believing in the dream.

  I pulled at the heavy door and a little bell above my head hit the glass.

  The smell of perfume, lavender, and maybe cinnamon gently hit my nose.

  Bright lights shone above displays of clothing, bags, jewelry, and other accessories that seemed more of a chore to wear than to be comfortable in.

  The lights were strung up to look like they were dangling by wires. It gave the appeal of an unsafe warehouse kind of vibe, even though it was supposed to look that way.

  Straight ahead at the back wall was what looked like an old wooden sign with Leah’s name on it.

  “Be right there!” a voice called out from the back of the boutique.

  I walked toward the counter and paused at a sweatshirt. The neck was stretched out and the bottom looked cut at an angle. On purpose. The sleeves were frayed too. It looked like a sweatshirt that had been hanging around for twenty years. The kind the cute boy in high school gave to you. His baseball sweatshirt. But this was what people wanted to wear now. I ran my fingers down the sleeve to the price tag.

  My eyes went wide.

  “If you love that, you’re going to…”

  I turned and Leah stood a few feet away with a box in her hands.

  She dropped the box and covered her mouth.

  “I think this is a little out of my budget,” I said with a smile. “You know, small town detective salary now…”

  “Allie,” she said.

  “Leah,” I said back.

  She hurried around the box she had dropped and I thought she was going to tackle me.

  We hugged and I caught myself becoming overwhelmed with emotion. As though the part of my brain that controlled the past was slowly being opened. The flood of memories, more good than bad, hitting me.

  When I left Sandemor, it was to be for good. And I did it with the assumption everyone was going to hate me for leaving. Because I deserved to be hated for the way I left.

  “I heard you were back,” Leah said. “And I know it’s been really crazy…”

  Leah broke the hug.

  We stared at each other.

  And then we both started to laugh.

  Like we both wanted to burst into tears but held it back.

  I looked around the boutique. “You really did it, huh?”

  “Yeah,” she said. “Two years ago. And it’s been amazing here. Nobody thought it would work. Of course you looked at the most expensive sweatshirt here, but everything else I’ve kept reasonable. And I launched an online store too. I actually do more business there than in store. But I always wanted a store. A building. An actual… place.”

  “It’s amazing in here, Leah,” I said. “I mean it. “It just feels so inviting. And cool.”

  “Cool,” Leah said. “Like we’re back in time, sharing a cigarette on the hood of my mother’s car.”

  “Hey,” I said. “That was a nice car she had. Bright red Mustang.”

  “The wonders of divorce,” Leah said.

  I laughed. “I remember that. She wanted to be twenty again. How is she?”

  Leah frowned. “Dead.”

  “Oh,” I said. “Oh… Leah… I’m so sorry… I…”

  I felt guilt pressing down on my shoulders.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Leah said. She grabbed my hand. “Hey. It was really fast.”

  “Fast?”

  “Cancer,” Leah said. “Just one of those things. She had some pain she tried to ignore. Stubborn as anything. She went into the hospital to get checked out and never came out again.”

  “No,” I said. “That’s terrible.”

  Leah nodded. “Like I said, it was fast. She, uh, she told me on her last day I needed to do this. This place. She was tired, weak, so she was whispering to me. Telling me it was time. Because there was never enough time.”

  Leah’s Whisper.

  It made a little more sense.

  “I’m sorry she’s gone,” I said. “I can’t even imagine…”

  “The same for Alex,” Leah said. “That was a shock too. Again, just there and gone, right? I was going to reach out then but everything was quiet and private. And I know she had a daughter…”

  “Logan,” I said. “Lo. I’m taking care of her now. That’s the reason I’m here. Well, not here in your store, but here in Sandemor. She moved to the city to live with me and it didn’t work o
ut. So I came back here.”

  “That’s really amazing of you to do, Allie,” Leah said. “I heard about everything that’s going on too. It’s unbelievable.”

  “Nothing like some life changing decisions and a case like this, right?” I asked.

  “I can’t believe you’re a detective,” Leah said. “I can still picture you getting into Dana’s face, yelling at her for not being a good enough base for our cheer routine.”

  “That was a lifetime ago,” I said.

  “Certainly feels like it,” Leah said.

  “Is everyone else still around?”

  “Yeah,” Leah said.

  Comfort started to become awkwardness.

  I stood there in jeans, running shoes, a long sleeved shirt, a gun and cuffs with me, my hair messy and in need of a shower, pulled back just in case I had to chase down the person who kidnapped Jessie and killed Lucy.

  Leah was dressed head to toe in organized fashion. A billboard for her own business. She was stunning, the kind of woman who kept her youthful glow but as time changed her, she became prettier.

  “Wow we have a lot to talk about,” I finally said. “I mean… years of stuff.”

  “Right?” Leah asked.

  “I’m not going to lie,” I said. “I looked you up online and found this place. I’m still sorting a lot out in life. That’s not a good excuse though.”

  “No excuse,” Leah said. “Just honesty. Just life. Doesn’t mean we can’t catch up now. Or with everyone else.”

  “I’d like that. My schedule is crazy right now…”

  Leah started to say something but my phone rang.

  I dug my cell out of my pocket.

  “Ben,” I said.

  “Ben?” Leah asked. “Wait… the Ben?”

  I felt heat rushing to my cheeks.

  “We’re on the case together,” I said.

  I answered Ben’s call.

  “Where are you?” Ben asked.

  “Out and about,” I said. “Driving. Thinking. Why?”

  “I didn’t want you to get mad at me again.”

  “For what?” I asked as I stepped away from Leah.

  My eyes caught sight of a jean jacket with rips and tears in it.

  I guess destroyed clothes were in fashion.

  Which meant in a sense I was in fashion too.