by Roger Hayden
Miriam rushed over and kicked it away. A sick feeling permeated her gut as though something had gone terribly wrong. Everything had happened so fast, she barely had time to think.“Why?” she asked in an anguished voice. “Why didn’t you just listen?” But his lifeless body gave no response. His eyes remained as wide as they had been when she stormed into his living room, his mouth agape in shock.Miriam backed out of the living room in haste and did a sweep of the adjacent kitchen and then turned to the hall, where one room remained locked. Her hands moved quickly with the turn of each deadbolt. She swung the door open and then pressed her back against the wall. No one came rushing out. The air was still. Silence followed.Miriam leaned halfway past the door frame and peeked inside. Below a flickering light and a ceiling fan, she could see a girl curled into a ball under the covers and whimpering softly. Miriam’s heart dropped at the sight, and she rushed inside.
She reached the bed and could see that the girl’s right wrist was handcuffed to the bed railing. She looked desperately around the room for the other girl but only saw the single frightened child below—one bed, one girl, and nothing else.“It’s okay, sweetie,” Miriam said while leaning on the bed. She lightly touched the girl’s exposed head, causing the child to recoil under the sheets. “I’m Miriam. I’m a policewoman, and I’m here to take you home.”The girl paused and then looked out from the covers with her frightened eyes exposed. “Where is he?” she whispered.“He’s gone. Don’t worry, no one is going to hurt you.” She brushed the girl’s stringy hair back with a calm look. “Can you tell me your name?” she asked.“Natalie,” the girl said nervously.“Nice to meet you, Natalie. You’re going to be all right. Is there anyone else in the house? Do you know a girl named April?”
Natalie shook her head with dried tears showing on her face. “No one. Just him.”Miriam felt strangely defeated despite finding Natalie. She couldn’t imagine how she would even begin to explain everything to the detectives. She took a moment, holstered her pistol, and wrapped her arms around Natalie, hugging her tightly as the girl cried. “There, there,” she said. “We’ll get you home in a jiff.”She released Natalie and dug for her cell phone, ready to call Hayes and tell him the news, but she couldn’t find it.
They had a dead kidnapper on their hands, and no matter which way they sliced it, the outcome would be problematic. They’d ask what an out-of-state investigator from the Phoenix Family and Children’s division was doing in the house in the first place.She went back into the living room for her cell phone and found it cracked and busted on the floor where she had fallen. Her hand swept her earlobe as warm liquid soaked through her shirt. She’d been hit and was bleeding. Her head hurt and she began to panic. She needed a phone. Any phone. She did a quick search of the kitchen, and she saw a landline affixed to the wall, much to her relief. Before she could call the police, however, the phone rang with a loud old-fashioned clang. Miriam answered quickly and was met by crackling static.“This is Lieutenant Sandoval. Hello?”There was no response, and she considered hanging up. As she brought the phone away from her ear, she suddenly heard a distorted voice on the other end.“Who is this?” she asked, patience nearing an end.“Very well done. You found the house,” the man began. The low distortion on his voice covered any trace of personality, and she had the sudden realization that the person on the other end of line had been the one who led her to Walter’s house.“You saved the day, Miriam. You should be proud of yourself. We make a great team, don’t we?” He paused for a response, but Miriam was too shocked to provide one.“I knew I could steer you in the right direction. Imagine my surprise when I saw you pass by Walter’s house. I helped you, sure, but you figured out a lot on your own. I had you at a fifty-fifty chance.”“Who are you?” she repeated. “How did you get this number?”A satisfied laugh came from the other end. “I don’t think I’ll be sharing that information with you, unfortunately. Did you kill him? Did you kill Walter?”Miriam didn’t answer. She only listened as the insanity of the situation unfolded. “Oh yeah. I bet you couldn’t wait to pull that trigger.”“W-Why…?” was all she could muster.“To get you back in the game, Miriam. Poor, young, susceptible Walter. I told him to be more careful. I hope little Natalie is okay. Pity that April can’t share in your moment of success.”“You son of a bitch,” Miriam said angrily. “You wrote those letters? If you know anything about April’s disappearance, I demand that you tell me now.”He responded with more calm and measured laughter. “Demand? Yes, I know plenty about her disappearance. In fact, I have her right here. Where that is, you may never know. Walter was just a primer to get things going. Think you can solve this thing without my help? It’s going to be exceedingly difficult, but I wish you luck.”
“Please…” Miriam pleaded. “This has gone far enough. You have the power to make a difference here. Let April go. Her family is worried sick about her. The entire town is up in arms.”“I know,” he interjected, “and it gives me great satisfaction.”Miriam glanced into Natalie’s room. The girl still lay in bed, frightened and under the covers. The call was surreal and filled Miriam with disbelief. Who exactly was she dealing with? The sickness in her gut engulfed her, causing a momentary faintness.“April’s not the only one,” the man continued. “I’m just getting started. You passed the first phase. Are you good enough to stop me? Time will tell.”“I’m going to kill you,” Miriam said. “I’m going to find you and kill you for what you’ve done to these girls.”“I’m sure you will try,” he said. The call cut off, leaving Miriam with mass confusion swirling around in her head. The dead man in the living room may have been taken Natalie, but there was someone else out there—someone cunning and possibly more demented than she had ever encountered. She was a huge part of the case now, whether she liked it or not.