As he assessed what he could do, Emma walked around the front of the car and stopped near the passenger door with her hands balled on her hips. He scrambled out of the vehicle, made sure the car was locked, and slammed the door closed.
“Where’s her apartment?” He scanned the terrain and didn’t like how dark certain areas were. Another project for him. The place needed lights. Of the present six scattered among the buildings, three were dim, two were totally dark, and only one nearest to the road was bright like it should be.
Emma came to his side. “Piper’s apartment is in the far building. Let’s go.”
Brody pulled out his cell phone and used his flashlight app because one of the lights that didn’t work at all was near the third building. “Stay close.” He gestured toward the only illumination, a dim one, around the rear of the third apartment building. The front was dark. Not good for safety concerns.
“This is creepy,” Emma said. “The girls shouldn’t be outside after the sun sets even in a group. I’m glad they come to the center before dark, but until the days get longer, they have to walk back at night. I’m glad I’ll be driving them home tonight.”
“And I’ll help. It may take me time to get the lights fixed, but I’ll get it done. I’ll start with the mayor and find out what the city can do. I also think we should get a van to transport the kids to the center and back for all activities. We’ve only been in existence for seven and a half months. We started last summer when the days had more light. I’m constantly finding something that needs to be done or changed.”
“But you recognized a major concern that should be addressed. These kids needed something to do after school and during the holidays and summer vacation.” Emma slowed her pace and slanted a look at him.
He stopped near the third building, her attention spiking his heartrate. She was a beautiful woman with long brown hair with golden highlights that framed her face and emphasized her dark gray eyes. He realized he was staring at her, cleared his throat, and asked, “What’s the apartment number?”
“First floor, 3110.” Emma pointed right, toward the end of the apartment complex where the light wasn’t working. He didn’t have a good feeling about this. He felt as though he was a soldier again, ordered to find insurgents in a village that used the people as human shields. As he crept toward the dark apartment in the blackness surrounding it, he wished he had his Belgian Malinois with him. Charlie was great at sensing danger before him.
Emma rounded his side and tried to go ahead of him. He put his arm up to stop her. “Stay behind me.” He shined his flashlight on the entrance to Piper’s apartment a couple of yards away, came to a halt, and frowned.
Emma put her hand on his back and peeked around him. “Something’s wrong. The door is ajar.”
Chapter Two
With her gaze riveted on Piper’s apartment, Emma kept up with Brody as he quickly cut the distance to the entrance, thrust her behind him, and slowly pushed open the door.
The glow from his flashlight illuminated the living room. His sweep of the area revealed nothing until the bright rays fell upon the couch along the wall. Piper’s mother lay on her stomach on the sofa, one arm dangling down, the woman’s hand touching the floor, a bottle of whiskey not far from her fingertips.
Emma rushed around Brody, evading him before he stopped her. She glanced over her shoulder. He followed right behind her while visually finishing his search of the room. After she stooped down next to Ada, she checked for a pulse. When she felt the faint throbbing against her fingertips, she released a long breath. “She’s alive.”
Brody found the switch for the overhead light and flipped it on. “How is she?”
Emma leaned toward Ada. The scent of alcohol filled Emma’s nostrils. “She’s been drinking.” She tried to wake her, but Ada gave no response. Emma looked at Brody who stood slightly behind her. “Her pulse is weak. Do you see any drugs around here she might have used with the alcohol?”
“No, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t combine liquor with pills. Roll her on her side. Use the cushions to keep her in that position. I’m calling 9-1-1. Then I’ll check the rest of the apartment. Maybe I’ll find a bottle of drugs, hopefully, not empty.”
Emma stayed by Ada while they waited for the paramedics. She shifted her attention between Piper’s mother, the open door, and the darkness beyond it.
Brody returned. “There’s no sign of Piper nor a medicine bottle. There’s one bedroom and a bathroom besides this main room and the kitchen off it. The rooms in the back are messy, so I could have missed something, but I didn’t want to leave you alone in the living room for long or disturb a possible crime scene. After the paramedics leave, I’ll update Nick about the situation.”
“I’m glad you let him know what was happening. My main concerns are Ada’s condition and Piper’s whereabouts.” Did Piper know what happened with her mother?
In the distance, the sound of a siren filled the night air. More questions bombarded Emma’s mind. Why wasn’t Piper here if her mother was unconscious? Why was the front door left open? She had so many queries concerning the teenager and what was going on at this apartment complex. She was afraid of the answers—that Ada had no idea where her daughter was. Or worse, Piper’s mother finally went too far tonight, and the alcohol won the struggle the woman had with it, causing Piper to flee because she couldn’t deal with it any longer.
Emma hated to think about the possibility that someone made sure Ada was out of it and then that person had kidnapped Piper. Was there a connection between Maria’s disappearance and Piper being gone? She didn’t see Piper leaving her mother in this condition, especially after their conversation on Tuesday. When she’d been a teenager, Emma considered running away several times because of her father’s drinking problem. But she never did.
Brody headed to the entrance and motioned to the EMTs. He stepped to the side to let them into the apartment.
Emma rose. “We can’t wake Ada Nelson. She has a faint pulse. The scent of alcohol is strong. We don’t know if she combined the alcohol with pills. She has in the past, but we haven’t found any evidence she has today.”
“How often? What kind of pills?” one of the paramedics asked.
Although Brody had looked for a medicine bottle in the bedroom and bathroom, Emma walked to the small kitchen and checked the counter to see if there was a container of pills on it. “Her daughter thinks she did a couple of days before. Those pills were for sleeping, but we can’t find the bottle.”
“Where’s her daughter?”
“We don’t know. We came here looking for Piper and discovered her mother like this,” Emma said.
The EMTs transferred Ada to the gurney. “We’re taking her to Cimarron City Hospital. It would help if you can find the daughter.”
Brody followed the paramedics to the exit. “We’ll bring her daughter if we find her.”
After the EMTs left, Brody closed the door and turned toward Emma. “You know Piper better than I do. Who are her friends? Would she be there?”
“Her friends are at the center. Amber’s her best friend. Melody, too. I often see the trio together.”
“Then we need to drive all of the kids back here and have a conversation with Amber and Melody. I’m going to call Nick Davidson, let him know we’re going to the center to bring some of the kids home, and we’ll meet him here after we’ve done that. I’ll leave the door closed but unlocked for Nick.”
“What about Ada? Someone should be at the hospital, if for no other reason than to keep us informed. Ada may know where Piper is. When you call Nick, check and see if Sarah can go to the hospital.” Sarah was an excellent counselor, dealing with many patients with drinking problems. She could assess Ada’s situation when she regained consciousness.
Brody withdrew his cell phone and walked toward the kitchen, his gaze making a sweep of the area. Emma moved to check the bedroom. Maybe there was something in there that would give her a clue to Piper’s whereabout
s.
She entered the small room with one double bed, a nightstand, and a dresser with unfolded clothing dripping over the opened drawers and spilling onto the floor. Being mindful this could be a crime scene, Emma left the belongings untouched and walked around to the other side of the bed which sat a foot from the wall. On the floor among the discarded clothing lay Piper’s favorite jacket, which she wore everywhere. That was odd. If Piper had left the apartment, she would have worn the jacket. The teen’s backpack lay beside the coat. What happened between three-thirty and six? Something was wrong with this scene.
Emma’s gut tightened. Her breathing slowed, causing her lungs to scream for oxygen. The longer she thought about it, Emma knew Piper wouldn’t willingly leave her mother in the condition they’d found Ada. Emma returned to the living room with no answers to where Piper had been from the time school ended and now. Yet if Emma could find out what had transpired, she might figure out where Piper was.
“Did you find anything that would help us discover what happened?” Brody opened the front door, waving his arm for her to follow him.
She left the apartment. “Yes. Piper didn’t take her favorite jacket, and she would have. The high temperature today was fifty. It’s colder now since the sun went down. The coat and the fact her school backpack was in the bedroom confirms that she was here this afternoon. Also, Piper is always neat and orderly. She told me once she kept her apartment clean. What I saw in the bedroom wasn’t like that.”
“Maybe that was Ada’s doing.” Brody glanced back at the apartment. “Nick is on his way from his ranch. Sarah is going to the hospital. Let’s go to the center and make sure the kids get home safely. We have a lot to do tonight after that.”
When Emma settled behind the steering wheel of her car, she took a deep breath and prayed to the Lord to help them find Piper. She needs You. I can’t shake the feeling that something bad has happened to Piper. Please help me find her.
“You okay?” Brody asked, concern in his voice, as she pulled away from the apartment complex.
“I will be when I find Piper.” Emma shifted her gaze to him. “We should be able to make two trips to get the kids back to the housing project. But what about tomorrow? I think the children should have transportation both ways, but some parents can’t do that because of work.” She backed out of the parking space and drove toward the center. “I know this project is only four blocks away from the Pals Center, but especially in the winter months, it gets dark earlier. You started our programs earlier in November, but as I’ve noticed the teens enjoy hanging around after the classes. I’ve seen an increase in the length of time they stay. Transportation might even encourage more children from the complex to come to Pals.”
“I’m already on it. Tomorrow I’m going to buy a van for the center. I had it in my plans to buy within the first year. I’ve moved the item up to number one on my priority list. I’m going to try to actually get two vehicles that can seat at least seven or eight kids like the SUV I have. We’re getting more children as the word spreads, not just from the Harrison Apartments. I’m expanding our activities to all day on Saturdays and to Sunday afternoons.”
She didn’t know much about Brody’s life before he started Pals. “Lately, I’ve noticed more kids coming with friends. How do you keep Pals running? That’s got to be a lot of money.”
“I inherited quite a bit from my father when he died a few years ago. I don’t need much to live on, and the center’s a good place to spend it on.” Each word came out as though forced and constrained.
His tone stirred her curiosity. He’d never talked about his family or his father. Stan was the one who told her about Brody’s father’s murder. She turned into the parking lot in front of the center. “Are we getting loads of donations?” she asked to break the tense silence in the car.
“They’re starting to come in. Each month we see an increase in contributions, but there are so many needs to be addressed. Our first anniversary will be in four and a half months. I’ve been planning a big party to bring in even more donations for the center. It’s not my forte, but I’m determined to double the size of the center in the second year.”
“I agree with your goal, and fundraising is my forte. In college I worked on successful fundraising campaigns for two organizations.”
He paused before opening the car door and glanced over his shoulder at Emma. “What can’t you do? You’re a very talented woman. I know you have a full-time job, but after hours, will you help me with a lot of the last-minute details for our first-year celebration?”
The heat of a blush flamed her cheeks. She was glad the darkness in the car hid her reaction to his compliment. “You’re very talented at getting what you want. Yes, I’ll do what I can.”
“Great. I’m a desperate man. I didn’t realize how much time it takes to plan a party and get it all done while running Pals. When I was serving my country, we didn’t throw too many parties. What ones we had were spur of the moment.” He finally exited her car, leaned down, and said, “We better get moving.”
Emma climbed from her vehicle and hurried toward the center, her attention going to the group of teenage girls waiting in a group off to the left. She covered the distance to them while the guys leaned against the wall on the right side of the entrance into the building.
Brody stood between the two groups. “Dr. Reichs and I are driving you back to the complex. If any of you know where Piper is, tell us. She wasn’t at her place, but the door was open a few inches. When we went inside, we found her mother unconscious. Ada Nelson has been taken to the hospital. I can take seven in my SUV then come back for the rest.
“And I can take four in my car.” Emma looked at the girls and pointed to the nearest ones, which were Amber, Melody, Christiana, and Nancy.
Brody held up his arms. “I want you to know that either Stan or I will be picking you up starting tomorrow at your apartment complex half an hour after school. I don’t want any of you walking to the center anymore and especially not walking home after dark. I’ll be in a parking space in front of the second building at Harrison. I’ll make three or more trips to the center and the same back to the apartments.”
Emma stepped forward a few feet and whispered into Brody’s ear, “I’ll help to drive when I can, unless I have to deal with a patient emergency.”
He turned his back to the group. “Besides Stan who works here fulltime, I’m going to hire another paid employee part-time. That will ease some of the stress to get everything done. Thankfully, I’ve been interviewing people for the job. I should have someone by next week.”
“Good.” As much as she loved volunteering here, she had her patients who needed her. She would find a way to juggle her schedule. She moved past Brody to face the kids. “Most of you are here before I’m finished with my patients. I wish I could help drive both ways, but when needed, I’ll be participating in driving you back home at the end of the day. I can’t emphasize it enough. Do not go alone after dark. Let’s go.” Until something more permanent could be established, this was the right thing to do.
On the way to the Harrison project, Emma felt reassured with the sight of Brody following her in his white SUV. The more the kids moved about in groups, the better off they would be, especially if something nefarious was going on at the apartments. Emma was determined to get to the bottom of what was happening. Although Pals had nothing to do with Piper’s and Maria’s disappearances, Brody was using his resources to help the kids he worked with. Two girls gone missing was a big, red flag, and she intended to make the authorities realize that.
Emma pulled into the parking lot. “Amber and Melody, I’d like you two to stay for a few minutes.”
The other two girls opened the door and climbed out of Emma’s car.
Amber nodded. “We’ll help anyway we can.”
Brody came around to her car, and Emma pushed the button to slide her window down. “I’m heading to the hospital to check on Ada. What will you be doing after yo
u ferry the rest of them home?”
“After Stan and I get the last of the teens home, I’m staying here and meeting with Nick. Let me know how Piper’s mother is faring and if she knows anything.”
“You do the same. Let me know what Nick thinks.”
After Brody left, Emma turned so she faced Amber in the front seat with Melody right behind her friend in the back. “You told me earlier that Piper was at school. How does she get home? Does she ride the bus?” Emma estimated the Harrison Apartments were about a mile and a half away from the school.
“Yes, we all ride the bus. We get off at the stop near the third apartment building. Piper went across the street to get a drink at the Fun and Go. We didn’t.” Amber glanced back at Melody. “We don’t like the place.”
“Why?”
“Some creepy guys hang out there.” Melody dropped her head. “We should have gone with Piper.”
“Do you think something could have happened to her at the Fun and Go?” Emma asked. Maybe Piper attracted the attention of a person at the store who might have followed her home.
Amber shrugged.
“I don’t know,” Melody said. “Both of us live in the first apartment building, and we don’t have a good view of the place.”
“Is there anything else that might help the police figure out what’s going on? Brody’s meeting with a detective at Piper’s place.”
Both shook their heads.
“I found Piper’s jacket and backpack in her bedroom, so she must have come back to her apartment after going to the Fun and Go. Any thoughts where she went after dropping off those things at her place?”
Again, both girls indicated they didn’t know anything.
“Does Piper have a boyfriend?”
“No,” Melody said. “Not since Kurt a few months ago.”
Missing (Everyday Heroes Book 6) Page 2