by Jake Parent
Family Pleads for Return of Daughter
May 8 – A day after young four-year-old local Annie Stewart was reported missing, the girl’s stepfather, Thomas Walker, gave a brief press conference on the steps of the Pleasure Point Police Department’s headquarters.
He offered a tearful plea for her safe return.
“We’re so worried and just pray every day that our little girl comes home,” Mr. Walker said.
The girl’s mother, Amanda Stewart-Walker, stood near her husband during the press conference, sobbing at times, but did not speak.
The family did not take questions from reporters.
While police, joined by volunteers, have launched an all-out search of the area near the girl’s home, they have yet to say publically whether or not they are treating the case as a kidnapping.
Girl’s Neighbor Questioned in Disappearance
May 11 – A local man, Rick Atkins, has been questioned and released without charges in the disappearance of missing four-year-old Annie Stewart, according to a spokesperson for the Pleasure Point Police Department.
The spokesperson declined to elaborate on what prompted the formal questioning, saying only that the man lives next door to the girl’s family.
Mr. Atkins did not return repeated requests for comment.
Search for Missing Girl Called Off
May 14 – The day and night search for young local Annie Stewart has been suspended, Police Chief Walt Blunderberg said today. The announcement comes just one week after she was reported missing by her parents.
The investigation is still ongoing, he told reporters at a news conference, but due to insufficient progress, police and volunteers will no longer continue combing the area around the girl’s home, at least not on a continuous basis.
Blunderberg hinted to members of the press that police were now looking into the possibility that the girl’s disappearance could have been the result of some sort of accident. He did not elaborate further, except to say it was his assessment that whatever has happened to the girl is almost certainly an isolated incident and should not be cause for alarm to visitors and residents of Pleasure Point.
FBI Joins Hunt for Annie Stewart
May 17 – In a controversial move, prompted by what it said was a lack of action by local police officials on an active case, The Federal Bureau of Investigation has opened its own inquiry into the disappearance of Annie Stewart, a four-year-old local girl who vanished earlier this month while playing near her home.
A visibly frustrated Police Chief Walt Blunderberg told reporters at a press conference following the announcement that he believed the FBI’s involvement in the case was premature, given that there are no clear suspects or motives in the case.
He added that he worried federal involvement in the case might spur unnecessary panic in the community. Blunderberg stressed that residents of Pleasure Point, as well as visitors to the area, had no reason to think that the case represents any broader danger to the general public.
Mother of Missing Girl Pleads for Her Return
May 21 – A distraught Amanda Stewart-Walker, mother of missing four-year-old Annie Stewart, made a fresh plea today for the safe return of her daughter.
Joined by her husband at a special press conference with the FBI, Ms. Stewart-Walker burst into tears as she asked for anyone with information to come forward.
For five full minutes, she spoke on camera about the little girl, repeating numerous times that her daughter loved the ocean and animals. The broadcast also featured pictures of Annie, presumably in an attempt to humanize her in the mind of an abductor – a common tactic used by the FBI.
The agency joined the investigation earlier this week.
Special Agent in Charge for the Pleasure Point area, Kevin J. McPherson, added to reporters that the FBI was re-interviewing key witnesses and hoped to announce a break in the case soon.
Possible Suspect in Girl’s Disappearance
May 27 – A source inside the FBI, speaking on a condition of anonymity, told this newspaper that the agency was closing in on a possible suspect in the case of missing four-year-old Annie Stewart.
The source declined to name the possible suspect, or give any further information as to why authorities believe this person may have been involved in the girl’s disappearance.
Field agents for the FBI, as well as the Pleasure Point Chief of Police, both declined to comment further on the case.
According to additional sources, however, no one has been brought in for questioning since a man was briefly detained shortly after the girl disappeared. That man, neighbor Rick Atkins, was released without being charged with any crime.
Missing Girl’s Stepfather Confesses to Crime, Kills Self
May 31 – In a startling turn of events, Thomas Walker, the stepfather of missing four-year-old Annie Stewart was found dead in the woods near his home, apparently the victim of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Local police say he left behind a typed note indicating that he abducted the young girl and killed her. They said the note also revealed the location of the missing girl’s body, but added that authorities have not yet recovered any remains.
This confession comes despite weeks of tearful pleas by Mr. Walker in local and national media, in which he repeatedly begged for Annie’s safe return.
Missing Girl’s Body Recovered, Still No
Motive
April 1 – After learning of its location from an apparent suicide confession by her late stepfather, police today recovered the body of four-year-old Annie Stewart.
Authorities found the girl buried in a shallow grave near an abandoned rock quarry, less than two miles from the family’s home.
Police say Mr. Walker admitted in his note to having abducted his stepdaughter before murdering her and burying her body in the quarry.
No explanation has been made available as to why police and volunteers were previously unable to locate the body, despite days of intense searches in the area surrounding the girl’s home, including the quarry.
Additionally, neither Police Chief Walt Blunderberg nor local FBI agents would offer comment on Mr. Walker’s motive for committing this horrible crime.
Annie Stewart’s Mother Found Dead
April 3 – Adding to an already horrendous tragedy, Amanda Stewart-Walker, mother of murdered four-year-old Annie Stewart, and wife to the man police say confessed to killing the girl before taking his own life, was herself found dead in her Pleasure Point home, the victim of an apparent suicide.
A neighbor reported hearing screams and sobs coming from the home through most of the night. When he went by to check on Ms. Stewart-Walker in the morning, he discovered she had hanged herself in the downstairs closet.
The neighbor, who requested anonymity, said he did not see a note of any kind, and police have so far refused to comment on the incident.
FBI Questions PPPD’s Findings in Killing of Local Girl
April 10 – Special Agent in Charge Kevin J. McPherson, who has himself headed the FBI’s investigation into local four-year-old Annie Stewart’s disappearance and murder, today lodged an official complaint with state officials against the Pleasure Point Police Department.
Although exact details as to the nature of the complaint remain sealed, McPherson indicated to reporters in a press conference that the FBI was dissatisfied with the lack of evidence supporting the PPPD’s conclusion that Annie Stewart’s stepfather, Thomas Walker, committed the murder.
McPherson added that, although he believes the case should remain open, because of jurisdictional interests, the FBI would be forced to discontinue its active pursuit of leads, until such time as the PPPD files an official request for assistance.
16
That was the last news clipping in the folder.
Still sitting on the floor, Cristina set the stack of photocopied articles down in front of her and lit a cigarette. She could tell by the grey glow seeping through the window that the sun
would be coming up soon.
She shifted her body to look at the hall closet, which she’d yet to open since moving in. Her hand shook as she flicked ashes into the soda can. The sense of loss the mother had felt was thick in the air.
Who could do such a horrible thing to a child?
The sadness overcame Cristina. She leaned forward and wept. Tears gushed down the sides of her face, dripping onto the paper.
This kind of horror was exactly why she was absolutely certain there was no such thing as God. There’s no way a divine, all-powerful being would ever allow something so bad to happen to someone so innocent.
Reading those articles left her feeling ill for even taking the house in the first place. She tried to figure out how she’d ever convinced herself it was a good idea.
Should she just get the hell out of there and never come back?
What would I do? Go back to sleeping on the couch in Aba’s tiny apartment?
The truth was, she had nowhere else to go. There was nothing she could do but suck it up and be strong. For herself, and for Anise.
“You can’t keep runnin’ your whole life,” Michelle had told her when they discussed Cristina moving to Pleasure Point. “You’ve got to find a place to call home. Then stick with it. Build a life.”
Cristina wished her friend and sponsor was there right now. She knew the big, strong woman would take her into her beautifully flabby black arms and comfort her, tell her things would be alright, like she’d done so many times before.
She probably thinks I’m dead.
Cristina wasn’t exactly sure what time it was, but she knew Michelle would be awake. She always got up at around 4 AM every day, in order to hit the 5 o’clock ‘Sunrisers’ meeting she’d been going to for the past twenty years. Cristina had gotten dragged to it once when she first got sober. It was great. Full of positive women who all had way too much energy for so early in the morning. But she just wasn’t much of an early bird, and firmly believed she never would be. So she hadn’t been back.
Regardless of the time, Cristina figured this would be the perfect opportunity to call and catch up. Maybe vent a little. And, hopefully, find some comfort and sanity.
She was halfway up the stairs to go grab her phone when a sharp knock came at the door. The suddenness of the sound brought her young body about as close to a heart attack as it could get. Every muscle tightened. Her chest vibrated like a ringing bell. The first thought through her head was that it had to be Mr. Psycho coming to finish their discussion from a week ago.
But through the smoked-glass window in the front door, she could see a figure with a bushy beard and a belly.
Jack.
He stood on the small front porch, reaching up for something. She almost didn’t answer the door, really wanting to make her phone call, and hopefully get some sleep after that. But she realized ignoring him wouldn’t exactly make her a very good neighbor.
So she shuffled back down the stairs, chastising herself for being so on edge. With her fingertips, she fixed her hair. Then remembered she was still wearing the comfortable but well-worn white t-shirt she almost always slept in. And no bra. Her dark, perky nipples stood out clearly as her breasts pressed against the threadbare fabric. She casually covered them with her forearms after opening the door.
“Good morning!” she said with enough enthusiasm that Jack jumped backward. His sunhat fell from his head, kept from hitting the ground only by a brown leather strap wrapped around his neck. He had on shorts, high black socks, and a dark-blue athletic shirt.
“You OK?” he asked without looking at her. “I was, um, on my way to take a little hike, and uh, I heard you crying. I just wanted to see if you were OK. Sorry to pry. You can tell me to go away if you want to.”
Cristina could feel her cheeks flush with heat and redness.
“Oh, wow, how embarrassing,” she said. “I feel so touched you would come check on me, though. I’m fine. It’s just that time of the month, I guess.”
She felt bad lying to such a nice guy, but she was also certain that if she told him the real reason she’d been crying, the tears would just start right back up again.
“Like I said,” he told her seriously, holding up his hands and finally making eye contact. “I didn’t mean to intrude. I just know how it feels to be sad. I’ve certainly had times when I’ve wished someone would come see how I was doing. So I always try to make the effort.” He peeked past her into the house. “But I have the perfect cure for the blues if you guys are up for a hike.”
“Oh, Anise is with my grandmother during the week until she finishes school. Another month or so.”
“Ah, I see,” he said. “Well, the two of us then?”
Cristina really wanted to call Michelle. She needed to call. But the feeling of warm sun on her face as she stood in the doorway told her it was going to be a beautiful morning – the kind Michelle would probably tell her to make the most of.
Cristina decided she would call when she got back to the house.
She told Jack, “OK. I need to change though.”
“Take your time. I’m going to go get a screwdriver and fix this light for you.” He jiggled the bracket to show how loose it was. “It’s bugging me.”
“Thanks,” she said, already feeling a bit better. “To be honest, I hadn’t even noticed.”
She hurried upstairs to put on a sports bra, shorts, and a tank top. She still had the pair of running shoes from when she’d been jogging regularly about six months earlier. Well, regularly for about two weeks before she gave it up. So the shoes were still in great shape.
By the time she returned to the front door, Jack had already fixed the light and had moved on to tightening the brass knocker.
“You’re too sweet,” she told him.
He saw she was emptyhanded and suggested grabbing some water.
“We’ll probably do about five miles,” he added.
That worried her. She honestly wasn’t sure she could do it. On the other hand, she wasn’t about to get schooled by a guy in his sixties, especially one with a belly as big as Jack’s.
“Shall we cut through the house?” he suggested. “The trail starts just on the other side of your backyard.
They walked through the living room, into the kitchen, out the sliding glass door.
Cristina hadn’t spent any time in the backyard since she’d been spooked that first night, a fear that seemed silly in the light of day. There were even a few spring flowers blooming between the weeds and the other bushes. Their sweet scent floated in the grassy air.
Jack walked over to one area of the yard as if he’d been there before. He moved aside a bush and pinched off a branch of rosemary, setting it on the wooden fence.
“Remind me to grab that when we get back,” he said. “I’m making a pork roast tonight, and it would do well with some fresh herb. There should be some thyme around here too. But, you know what? I can never find the time.”
He looked at her and waited until she finally provided a sympathy laugh.
“You’re ridiculous,” she added.
They had to lift a few branches at the tree line to find the hiking trail. But once through, the way forward was clearly worn.
Overhead, thick trees blocked the sun, making the air a bit chilly. Cristina rubbed her bare, tattooed arms to stay warm, wondering if she should go back and get something to wear over her tank top.
“Don’t worry,” Jack told her before she could say anything. “You won’t need a sweatshirt. We’ll start going uphill pretty soon, and I promise you’ll be warm after that.”
As they made their way along through the cool air, Cristina’s tiredness faded away. She tried to focus on the beauty of her surroundings, pushing aside what she’d read in those articles.
Jack wasn’t kidding about the hill. They started up the sharp incline, and Cristina’s heart soon felt like it was going to explode in her chest. She looked over and saw Jack casually checking out the scenery, barely breathing
heavy at all.
I need to quit smoking, she told herself.
“Beautiful isn’t it?” Jack asked with a bit of childlike wonder in his voice. “I’ve been doing this walk for thirty years now, and I never get tired of it.”
“Yah . . . it’s . . . great.”
The hill seemed to keep going and going and going. Until finally she saw a break in the pine trees ahead. The sun poked through the foliage, promising a sanctuary of relief from the burning in her lungs. But in a cruel joke of nature, when they finally reached what looked like the top, the pathway kicked sharply to the right and became even steeper.
Cristina hoped Jack would call for a break. He didn’t. Instead, he turned to her, smiled kindly from underneath his hat, and continued pushing up the path.
He’s enjoying seeing the youngster suffer. I definitely can’t quit now.
She dug deep.
In reality, it wasn’t much farther to the top, but the severity of the grade made the effort incredibly difficult. For a few moments, she thought there was no way she could make it without stopping. But the sight of flatter ground about fifty yards ahead brought a new surge of energy.
It felt amazing to finally reach the top and step without strained effort.
Cristina immediately bent over to catch her breath.
“Hijole!” she said as she stood and deeply gulped water from her bottle, already wishing she’d brought more. “That’s a bitch.”
“You’re supposed to be the young, vibrant one,” Jack teased. “I’m just an old fat guy.”
“You’ve definitely got my respect.” She offered her hand for a high-five and he slapped it. She asked, “Where does this go anyway? You know, it’s not every day I wander into the woods with a man I’ve only known a few days. Consider it a compliment.”
“I’m pretty scary and all.” He rolled his eyes. “So, this trail actually splits a couple of ways. One path goes up and through the quarry, then back down to the ocean. That’s the way we’re going. The other goes deeper into the mountains. I actually have a piece of property up that way. I’ll have to take you there some time. It’s a great walk.”