“It might help if you tell me what you saw,” Emma said in a soft even tone just above a whisper.
Bobby Joe stopped going back and forth and stared at her with his eyes widening until they dominated his facial features. “Bad men.”
“Do you know the bad men?”
He began rocking again while he shifted his attention and stared beyond her with his wide, frightened gaze. Looking for someone?
Emma glanced over her shoulder. Brody approached her while Nick called someone.
Brody knelt near her and leaned close, whispering in her ear, “Nick is going to have Officer Winters come around here to make sure nothing bad happens with Bobby Joe. We need to follow the trail. Charlie got a scent and still wants to follow it.”
Emma turned and in a low voice, said to both men, “He should.” She threw a look in Bobby Joe’s direction. “I don’t want a lot of people. Just the officer and me. It’ll scare Bobby Joe. Brody, you said you went to his apartment. What’s the building and number? I think being out here might be agitating him. This might be the area that’s triggered something in him when I mentioned Piper.”
“Second building, 2204. I’ll come there after we see what scent trails Charlie picks up. This one could be a dead end. Why would Piper go behind the apartments? The only thing is the playground for the younger kids in the back of the second building. There’s a six-foot, chain-link fence running along the rear of the whole low-income project’s property.”
Emma thought about the setup of the complex. The buildings at the front of the apartment complex were closer together on the half circle while the back of them were farther apart like three pieces of half a pie. With Piper’s backpack and coat left at her apartment, that meant she’d returned home. Was the blood by the bed hers or her mother’s? Had someone been there with Piper’s mom or did someone follow Piper to her apartment? Emma had no answers to her questions.
“I’m going where Charlie leads me. I’ll let Nick and the other police officers coming here figure out which of Piper’s directions are the best to search. Then we’ll canvas those areas. Let Nick know anything Bobby Joe says. When you’re finished, call me. We’ll figure out how to get you home then.”
“Are you staying to help with the search and the canvassing of the streets around here?”
Brody shrugged. “It depends on what Bobby Joe knows and where the scent trail goes.”
“I want to help search for Piper. If she’s found, she might need me.”
Officer Winters rounded the corner of the building.
Emma rose at the same time Brody did and stepped back a few paces.
Nick and Brody left with Charlie.
Officer Winters came up and stood slightly behind Emma. “Stay here. I’m going to approach Bobby Joe,” she said in a low voice. “He’s agitated. Give me time to calm him down before taking him to his apartment.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Emma took several strides toward Bobby Joe and stopped. “You’re safe now. I’m here to help and so is Officer Winters. Let’s go to your apartment where we’ll be alone to talk. No one will be watching you in your home. I understand what you’re going through. A lot of things have been happening causing changes in your life.” If Bobby Joe had autism, as Emma thought, it was very important to keep the changes to a minimum.
She moved forward another foot and waited to see what Bobby Joe would do. He kept his head down, clasping his hands and rubbing them together over and over.
Another step and Emma was beside him. “Will you show me where your apartment is? You don’t even have a jacket. You must be cold out here.” She stretched out her hand to the young man and prayed to the Lord that Bobby Joe would accept it. “Please.”
He shot her a look filled with confusion and fear, but he crawled to the edge of the bush, took her hand, and struggled to a standing position. He leaned toward her and whispered, “Bad men. Bad men.”
“I know. Show me where you live.” She gave him a smile as though everything would be all right.
He kept their hands linked as he walked toward the second building. Officer Winters followed several feet behind them, assessing the terrain.
When she reached the young man’s apartment, he dropped her hand and fumbled for his key. It fell to the floor, and Emma picked it up.
Bobby Joe began rocking again. “Unlock.”
At first, Emma thought he wanted her to unlock the door, but when she began to, Bobby Joe raised his voice. “No! No!”
Officer Winters moved toward her to block anything that Bobby Joe might do while his distress escalated.
She looked at the policeman and shook her head. “What’s wrong, Bobby Joe?”
He pointed at the handle. “Door’s open. I locked it.”
* * *
Brody started the search all over a second time by taking Charlie to the stoop of Piper’s apartment and having him smell the coat again before giving the garment to Nick, who put it into a bag. As before, his Belgium Malinois took off around the corner where Bobby Joe had been earlier, but Charlie ignored the area where Bobby Joe had tried to hide. Instead, his dog sniffed the air and kept going across the thirty yards to the end of the fence to where parking spaces for the Harrison complex came to an end, too. Beyond that was a neighborhood. Was Piper in one of the houses nearby?
But when Brody tried to get Charlie to go down the street toward the homes behind the housing project, his pet wasn’t interested. He kept going around and around the car in the last parking slot as though Charlie was lost.
Nick touched the hood. “It’s warm. It’s been driven recently.” He moved to the rear of the vehicle and illuminated the license plate number and wrote it down on his pad. “Check the interior while I call this in. Don’t touch the door handles.” Nick handed the flashlight to Brody, who stood next to him.
When Brody started to move away from the rear of the car, Charlie sat, facing away from the vehicle as if he had no interest in it. Brody tried to get him to come with him, but Charlie refused, clearly wanting to remain where he was. Was this the end of Piper’s scent trail? The vehicle had to be searched for any signs of Piper. Brody dropped the leash and left Charlie looking outward into the main parking lot.
“Stay, Charlie.” Then Brody took several steps toward the Ford and shined the light into its backseat then the front. “Nothing. The interior was clean—no person or any object of the owner’s was visible. Piper could be inside the trunk. Charlie is sitting near it but is facing out into the parking lot, sniffing the air.” Brody needed to know for sure that Piper wasn’t in the trunk. He went around to the front passenger door, and using the flashlight, he looked across from him at the other side’s handle. “The driver’s door is unlocked.”
Nick approached the car, took out a pair of latex gloves, and opened the door Brody told him about. The sound of the trunk popping open filled the air. He moved toward the back and waited for Nick to lift the lid.
Brody held his breath. When he saw it was empty inside, he released a long sigh. “I wanted to find her, but I kept thinking if she was in the trunk, she was dead.”
“I know what you’re feeling. I’ve seen my share of dead bodies in the trunks of a cars.” Nick withdrew his cell and inputted a phone number. “I need to know who owns this vehicle. This car hasn’t been here for long. Whoever drove it here may have seen something.”
While Nick spoke to headquarters, Brody returned to Charlie’s side and canvassed the area. The more he thought about his dog’s behavior, the more he felt Piper either got into another vehicle, willingly or not, right where Charlie was seated. There were no security cameras around, and this part of the parking lot was dark. Tomorrow, he intended to see the person running these apartments. Not only did Brody want to replace the lights, but he wanted surveillance cameras all around the low-income project as well as more poles to illuminate certain areas. Having a father who had been a very successful defense attorney afforded Brody connections to powerful peop
le at city hall, and he was going to use them to get what was needed to keep the kids safe at home.
“I have the name of the car’s owner and his address. Sam Clinton has an apartment on the second floor in the third building. Let’s pay him a visit. Then I want to see if Charlie can pick up Piper’s scent going in a different direction.”
“Have you heard from Officer Winters yet?”
“No, but he’ll call me if we’re needed or if Bobby Joe has any information that might help us.” Nick began walking toward the apartments. “Mr. Clinton lives right above Piper’s place. What if he was involved and took Piper somewhere in his car?”
“Charlie didn’t have any interest in the Ford. Piper wasn’t in that vehicle, but I agree the man might have seen something that could help us.” The anger building within Brody festered like a wound that wouldn’t heal. “It’s not just Piper I’m concerned about. What if more young girls go missing besides Piper and Maria?”
“The captain has someone else checking into Maria. Their disappearances may not be connected.”
“I have a gut feeling they are.”
In the dim light from the apartments, Nick frowned. “If that becomes the case, then I’ll be taking over Maria’s investigation. Maria lives in the third building, second floor in an end unit. There may or may not be ties. This case is important to me. I’ll be adopting two young girls once Sarah and I are married in a couple of weeks. This case will get all my attention until I can come up with what happened.”
“And I’ll be there to help you. Half the kids at my center are girls, and I won’t let anything happen to them on my watch. I’m going to see if Charlie can pick up any other scent trails of Piper’s tonight while you interview Mr. Clinton. Time is against us.”
Nick passed the bag with Piper’s jacket as they neared the front of the third apartment building. “I agree. I’ll be speaking to Mr. Clinton upstairs. Keep me informed if you find anything. I’ll call when I’m through.”
“I’ll let you know what I discovered. After that, I want to make sure Emma’s okay. We came here together.”
Nick nodded once. “If I hear anything from Officer Winters, I’ll call you.”
Brody let Charlie smell the jacket. He glanced up at the second floor above Piper’s apartment. A man looked out a window, but when their gazes locked, the guy ducked back. Maria lived in the third apartment building, too. Did Sam Clinton know what was going on?
* * *
Emma approached Bobby Joe, standing across from his apartment, his body plastered against the railing, his wide gaze glued to the door. Emma was worried Bobby Joe would flail his body so much he’d end up falling over the three-foot-high, wrought-iron balustrade behind him. “You’re all right. We’re here.”
Bobby Joe wouldn’t move toward his place. He kept pointing at the door. “He knows!” Again, the young man began rocking his whole body back and forth.
Since he’d taken her hand earlier, Emma moved even closer to him and touched his upper arm, cautious of his other one stabbing the air with his forefinger. “Officer Winters can check out your home before you go inside. I’ll stay out here with you. Okay?” She kept her voice calm and even.
Bobby Joe nodded, watching everything the police officer was doing from taking the key from Emma to turning the door handle.
“How did you know the door was unlocked?” Emma asked.
“I just do.” Bobby Joe eased his back and forth movement.
Officer Winters came out of the apartment. “Your home is clear. No one’s inside. Does anyone live with you?”
“Mama but she’s at my sister’s in Oklahoma City. Zoey’s having a baby.”
“When will your mom be back?”
“This weekend. I have to stay. I have to work Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the grocery store down the street.” Bobby Joe started rubbing his hands together. “I don’t wanna be alone. He might get me.”
“Who is he?” Emma noticed a person peeking out of the window in the place next door.
The large young man dropped his head forward. “Don’t know.”
“Let’s go inside and talk.” She gestured at his wide-open door.
Officer Winters remained next to the entrance to the apartment while Bobby Joe took a step forward then stopped.
“You’re okay, Bobby Joe. A police officer is here to protect you. I’d like to talk to you, and it would be more private inside.” She leaned close and whispered, “I want you to tell me about this guy who scares you so I can help you.”
He put his left foot forward, looked around, then moved the right one. When Officer Winters stepped totally out of his way, Bobby Joe rushed inside. Emma hurried inside before he slammed the door closed and locked himself in. She barely made it inside. In spite of the cold winter air, sweat popped out on her forehead, and she brushed her hand across it.
“Let’s sit in the living room.” Emma waved her arm at the couch. “Officer Winters will stand guard by the door,” she said as she opened it and let the policeman inside.
Near the sofa, Bobby Joe plopped onto a lounge chair that had holes in its arms. Had Bobby Joe clawed the fabric when he was stressed?
“Bobby Joe, we need your help. Piper is missing. Do you know where she is?”
“Gone.” He rubbed his hands along the arms of the chair over and over. “I like her.”
“Who? Piper?”
He nodded.
She started to ask another question, but he added, “Like Maria. Gone.”
Emma sat forward. “Do you know what happened to Maria?”
“Bad men.”
“The same men as the ones after Piper?”
“Bad! Bad!” Bobby Joe went back and forth, cupping his hands and rubbing them together.
“Do they live here?”
“Don’t know.” Then in a louder voice, he repeated, “Don’t know.”
Emma rose and cut the distance between them. She didn’t want Bobby Joe working himself up into a frenzy. She stood close, just out of his personal space. “You’re such a good helper. Maybe you can tell me what they look like.”
“Mean…big…”
A knock at the door startled Emma—but worse, also Bobby Joe.
He surged out of his lounge chair and quickly moved behind it. “They’re here!”
Chapter Six
Piper huddled against the rough wooden walls of the small room she was locked in. She had no idea how she ended up here other than she thought they drugged her when she ate and drank. She didn’t even know how long ago that was. Time meant nothing to her in this lonely darkness. Coldness seeped into her small cell and the only warmth she had was caused by hugging herself. Wet tracks down her cheeks had finally dried because she didn’t have any more tears to shed.
Where am I?
Why was I taken?
Then she remembered the sight of her mother lying on the couch as Piper was dragged from her bedroom into the living room. A large man jammed a cloth into her mouth and taped over it so she couldn’t make a sound above a muffled one. When she tried to scream anyway, the intruder held her nose close until she became lightheaded from lack of oxygen. She stumbled and would have gone down to the floor—except for the talons that gripped her, drawing blood as though a bird of prey had swooped down to carry her away.
“I’ll stop if you do as I say.”
She heard the words as she drifted toward the black void. Her muscles failed her. Suddenly a rush of fresh air filled her nostrils. The support that held her upright was released, and she collapsed to the floor.
The last thing she recalled was a prick to her neck. She’d turned her head to see what had caused it, but her eyes closed, and blackness swallowed her.
Chapter Seven
Brody started to knock again after the first knock on Bobby Joe’s door went unopened. Officer Winters answered and stepped to the side to allow Brody inside. Nick entered right behind Brody who kept Charlie on a leash and by his side. He looked at Emma. They lo
cked gazes for a few seconds before she glanced away and headed for the lounger. He slid to the side to see what was happening. Emma knelt near a wall. He caught a glimpse of Bobby Joe behind the chair.
While Nick spoke to Officer Winters, Brody let go of Charlie’s leash. “Sit. Stay,” he said to his dog then hurried toward Emma. Something was wrong? Why was Bobby Joe hiding? What set him off in his own home? Brody stopped near Emma and shifted his attention to the young man. Sitting on the floor, he cowered, his head ducked down, his arms hugging his legs against his chest, as though he was trying to fold into a round ball hoping no one saw him.
Emma put her hand on Bobby Joe’s arm. “You are safe. It’s only Detective Davidson and Brody who runs the Pals Center.”
Bobby Joe peeked up at Emma then at Brody, hovering nearby. Some of the tension siphoned from him as he relaxed. “I’m safe?”
Emma said, “Yes.”
Brody nodded.
She rose and held out her hand to Bobby Joe.
He clasped it and stood. “Where are the bad guys?”
Good question. Brody wished he had an answer for Bobby Joe. Charlie followed two more scent trails from Piper’s apartment: one to the school bus stop at the Harrison complex and another to the Fun and Go. Following the trails didn’t tell him if she was coming or going or if she had traveled both ways, but with the information from Amber and Melody, it supported the theory Piper had gone to her home from the Fun and Go and most likely went to the bus stop in the morning.
Nick joined them. “We don’t know, Bobby Joe, but we’re looking into the case. Anything you can do to help us would be great.”
The nineteen-year-old shifted his gaze, full of fear, to Emma. “A bad man had a snake on his arm.” He pointed to his forearm. “I hate snakes.”
“Did the man with the snake have dark, red, or blond hair?” Emma asked.
Missing (Everyday Heroes Book 6) Page 5