MAD AS BELL

by Jeremy Waldron

  The mayor is attending the event and at no point should he find himself in front of the protestors…

  Again, Susan recognized the voice, but from where? She began digging into Daniels’s life; sifting through papers opening drawers, Daniels clearly had an agenda of his own. Susan wanted to know what it was. Slamming one drawer closed, she opened another and stopped. The answering machine was still playing as she stared at the Polaroids of Heidi Mitchell splayed out on Daniels’s desk, naked.

  And to think Susan actually dated, and once liked, this guy.

  Susan retrieved her cellphone, snapped a few quick pictures for reference, and left the originals on top of the desk for Daniels to find. Then a name came to Susan’s mind. She knew who left the voicemail about the protests. She stared at the red light on the answering machine and continued to listen.

  …You do that, and I’ll make sure to clean up your mess with Josie.

  Beep.

  The room went quiet.

  Susan blinked and knew she had to leave. Fast.

  Gathering her things, Susan snatched the note she left for Daniels and stuffed it into her back pocket. She did not need him to know she was here. She headed for the door knowing Daniels was covering something up. Though she didn’t know what exactly that was, she was certain it had something to do with Police Chief Gordon Watts.

  Chapter Eighty-Eight

  My knee bounced off the bench so hard it made the entire booth shake. Erin placed a firm hand on my thigh to stop it. When she caught my eye, I wondered how she could be so relaxed.

  “Relax.” Erin’s grip eased. “He’ll show.”

  I was nervous Archie wouldn’t show. Why would he? I didn’t understand how he seemed to be with us every second one minute, then nowhere the next. What was he up to? Where had he been since the last time we saw him? He seemed to be leading us on one wild goose chase after another.

  I checked the time. We’d already been waiting for a half-hour without any sighting of him.

  “I don’t know,” I said. “I’m starting to have doubts. What if he knows it’s us?”

  I kept thinking he could have already been to Eva’s. Maybe he was meeting with her now and knew it was impossible for her to be in two places at once when we decided to message him and ask him to join us for lunch.

  Erin asked, “Do you have a better idea?”

  That was just it. I didn’t. It seemed like we were out of options. At least we knew the cops were at Carr’s house. Then I watched Erin’s neck straighten as her gaze traveled over my shoulder and toward the small café’s entrance.

  “Don’t look, but he’s here,” she said in a low tone.

  I slid my elbows across the table and leaned in. “Well, now what?”

  We didn’t have a plan for when he arrived, and I wondered how Archie would react when he realized he’d been set up. I waited for Erin to respond, to give some kind of indication of what Archie was doing.

  “He’s looking around the room, and…contact.” Erin raised her hand, waved, and smiled.

  I glanced over my shoulder. Archie didn’t look as angry as I thought he would. Instead, he strode to our table with his signature arrogant smirk that soured my insides. He slid into the booth next to me, shaking his head, flicking his eyes between us.

  He said, “Eva’s not here, is she?”

  Erin shook her head no. “It’s just us.”

  I asked Archie, “Where have you been?”

  He eased back, draped an arm over the back of the bench, and quirked an eyebrow. He nodded, as if understanding he’d been duped. “I wondered how long it would take for you to find me on that ludicrous dating site. Did Eva give you her details, or did you steal them to get to me?”

  “You’re not even going to deny you were on there?” I said, wondering if I was looking into the kidnapper’s eyes.

  “What’s the point?” Archie shrugged. “It wasn’t exactly like I was trying to hide it from anyone.”

  “Why be there then?”

  “It wasn’t to get laid.” He laughed. “Like I could afford to date those women.” Archie was cocky as ever in his delivery—the smooth operator without a worry in the world. “I wanted a piece of Eva, just like you.”

  Archie’s comment rubbed me the wrong way. We didn’t set out to exploit Eva’s story. We didn’t want a piece of her. She came to us. Her story fell into our lap, as did her safety. I didn’t need Archie to know any of that. I still wanted to trust him, but I wasn’t sure I could.

  Erin said, “We know you came to Colorado just before Megan disappeared.”

  I watched Archie’s reaction out of the corner of my eye. There was a spark in his pupils as he laughed. “You can’t actually be thinking that I’m behind these abductions?”

  When we didn’t laugh, he knew we were serious. I told him about the cryptic messages we received and how they resembled PQK’s communication with the press. Archie seemed amused, so I kept going. I reminded him about his copycat statement at the award ceremony the first night we met, and the coincidences that made him an obvious person of interest. Of course he denied it all, kept his cool, and never once broke, even as Erin and I increased the pressure.

  “I went to the 7-Eleven last night,” I said. “You weren’t anywhere near the place. Why tell me to go there if you knew you weren’t going to show?”

  Archie locked eyes with me and said, “Tell me, when you were there, walking around, what did you see?”

  Had he been watching me? How did he know I was walking around, or was he just assuming I would? I thought of the dark street corner where I parked and walking behind the little building. I looked into his unwavering eyes, asking myself if he knew Jessica’s abduction was a hoax or not. I didn’t think he did.

  Archie dove his hand into his bag before I could answer and slapped a folder onto the table. He opened it up, plucked a single photograph from his extensive pile, and handed it to me.

  “That man, did you see him last night?” He jabbed his finger to the center of the image. His look told me he knew I had.

  And he’d be right. I did see that man and knew what kind of truck he drove. Was that Carr’s truck he was driving? How had I missed this?

  My neck craned as I took a closer look at the man’s face. Once I was finished with him, I shifted my attention to the other photographs. There, in the pile, Archie had pictures of both Jenny and Naomi at a Burger King. I wondered why and from when. In one frame they were alone. In another, they were talking to an older man whose face looked familiar, but I couldn’t recall from where.

  “You talked to him last night, didn’t you? At 7-Eleven.” Archie put the pictures from Burger King away.

  “Who is he?” I asked.

  Erin laced her fingers and leaned forward, needing to see what Archie was getting at.

  “Carr’s contractor. The man he hired to remodel his basement.”

  “We were just visiting Carr,” I said, waiting for Archie to react. “He never mentioned anything about a contractor for the remodel. It seemed like he was doing it himself. But he did have the photo you took of Eva.”

  “He asked to keep it,” Archie said by way of explanation.

  “What were you doing with him?” I asked. Was he just showing us all these other photos to throw us off his trail? It was ballsy of him to even meet with the amount of evidence piling up against him.

  “Interviewing him for my book. When Eva went missing and then turned up, I did some digging and learned about her abusive relationship with Carr. He became a person of interest. Didn’t pan out, but he wanted the picture. Besides, it’s not me or Carr you’re after. It’s him.” Archie pointed to the man’s face from 7-Eleven. “Christopher Bowers. This is who we’re after. He kidnapped Eva, pretended to rescue her, may also have kidnapped Jenny, and is now after Eva again.”

  Had we just unintentionally left Eva out in the open? I swept my gaze to Erin and her face said it all. We may have just made a deadly mistake neither of us was willi
ng to admit—especially not in front of Archie. Instead, Archie said it for us when he packed up and stood.

  “Let’s just hope he doesn’t get to her while I’m here responding to this little stunt you played.”

  Chapter Eighty-Nine

  With her hand on the doorknob, Susan paused to inhale a deep breath to calm her intense desire to flee. A wave of strength draped over her as she realized what happened last night with Daniels was no mistake. His actions brought her here today so she could learn the truth of what he was up to.

  As soon as she opened her eyes, Susan cracked the door and listened. Once she was sure the coast was clear, she ducked out of Daniels’s office and hurried to the exit.

  As she traveled through the studio hallways, she kept her head down and her focus on taking this new information to Samantha. Sam would know what to do with it and, together, they’d learn the truth behind the secrets Daniels seemed to be hiding.

  Exiting through the same door she came in, she was thankful to have gotten out without being recognized. She wouldn’t have known what to say to him, and certainly wouldn’t have been able to hide the shock buzzing inside her chest after learning the kind of man he truly was.

  The bright sun hit her back but wasn’t as hot as her cheeks felt. Though she wasn’t a spiteful person, Susan felt a deep urge to hit back and punch Daniels where it counted.

  Digging out her cellphone from her purse, it immediately started ringing inside her hand. Susan checked the caller ID and hurried to her car. She answered, “I was just about to call, are you with Bennett?”

  “That’s why I’m calling,” Allison said.

  Susan pulled her keys, hit the fob to unlock her car, and glanced back toward the studio building one last time before getting into the driver’s seat.

  “Are you with him?” she asked again.

  “No. I’m not with him.” Allison summed up what was happening at Bennett’s residence. “That’s why I’m calling. I need your help. Are you available?”

  “Allison, listen to me.” Susan started her car. “Bennett is being set up by reporter Heidi Mitchell. None of what you saw is true.” Susan explained what she found, how it was all detailed on Daniels’s desk. “Heidi is being manipulated to sell this story. I don’t know why, but I think Samantha will help us figure it out.”

  A brief moment of silence followed.

  Then Allison cursed. She said, “I never believed it for one second.”

  Susan mentioned where she was and could sense the urgency in her friend’s voice. “Now, what can I do for you?”

  Allison requested Susan get Naomi out of Bennett’s house. “Can you do that for me?”

  Susan’s chest swelled as she put the car in reverse. “I’m on my way now.”

  With her phone on Bluetooth, Allison’s voice came through the speakers. “I’ve talked to Bennett. He knows you’re coming.”

  Susan spun the steering wheel and asked, “Are you sure Naomi is still there?”

  “I’m sure. There is no way Bennett would let her leave with Heidi still parked on his front lawn. We just need to get her out of there and reverse the spin on this ridiculous story before it’s too late.”

  Chapter Ninety

  “Oh god,” Cindy Moss gasped. “I knew something like this would happen.”

  “Cin, calm down. I’m going to get her out of there,” Susan said as she pulled into Bennett’s neighborhood. “Just hang tight and let me do the worrying.”

  Susan knew she had to call her friend the moment she got off the phone with Allison. Cindy worked a demanding job, and Susan knew chances were good she hadn’t heard the news about Bennett. Susan sped across town and updated her friend on what was happening and how she was planning to solve it.

  “Jenny’s not in his house, too, is she?” Cindy asked. “Why didn’t the school warn me about Bennett’s predation on girls? Why was he ever even hired?”

  Susan knew better than to feed an unfounded conspiracy. “Don’t ask me how, but I’m certain Bennett’s being set up.”

  “Then where is Jenny?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I just never imagined I would have to worry about my daughter being taken advantage of by a teacher.”

  “Then stop,” Susan said, bringing her car to the side of the road. “Go home and we’ll meet you there soon.”

  Susan knew she was in for a fight as soon as she saw Heidi whip her intense gaze in her direction. Susan took a deep breath, checked her makeup in the mirror, and tried not to notice the swelling crowd beginning to congregate on the street as they all waited to hang Bennett for his alleged crimes.

  As she opened her car door and stepped out, she wondered if this scene was also purposely designed by Daniels, just like the protestors that interrupted the award ceremony the other night had apparently been. She was angry for allowing herself to be fooled into thinking she needed him. Instead of letting her frustration stop her, Susan used that energy to brace for the impact she saw heading her way.

  “Act like everything is normal,” she told herself as a couple other reporters turned to look in her direction, clearly hoping to ride on Heidi’s coattails.

  “I know you,” Heidi said, heels clacking as she worked to catch up with Susan.

  “Yes you do.” Susan kept walking, pushing her way through the knots of people. “I’m picking up my goddaughter.”

  “Naomi Moss?”

  Susan stopped, turned, and glanced to the cameraman hovering over Heidi’s right shoulder, recording. She smiled. “Is that a problem?”

  Heidi said with a microphone to her mouth, “Are you aware Mr. Bennett is accused of sleeping with his students, and that your goddaughter is inside the house with him now?”

  Susan’s smile widened. “First, those are some serious allegations. What evidence do you have against Mr. Bennett? And second, isn’t that what I just told you?”

  Heidi’s eyes glimmered like she was about to sink her teeth into Susan. Susan hoped Allison knew what she was doing because she didn’t need her words to later come back and bite her.

  Heidi said, “What if I told you Naomi Moss, the girl you say is your goddaughter, conspired with Mr. Bennett to make Jenny Booth disappear so that they could be together?”

  Susan leaned in and said, “I’d say that’s outrageous.”

  “Is it?”

  Susan smirked. “Let me ask you something, Ms. Mitchell, what were you and Owen Daniels arguing about at the Percy Goodwin State Journalism Award ceremony?”

  Heidi cocked her head and stared.

  “Outside the venue, during the protests, I saw you two arguing. It wasn’t how Daniels organized the protests to steal your spotlight, was it?”

  Heidi lowered the mic from her face and her lips made a flat line.

  “Or perhaps it was how he keeps this in his back pocket for when he needs you to do something unethical—like what you’re accusing my goddaughter of doing.” Susan pulled out her phone, scrolled to the revenge porn photos she’d found of Heidi inside Daniels’s desk, and pushed the screen in Heidi’s face. Susan said sarcastically, “Classy. Were they professionally done?”

  “Turn off the camera,” Heidi snapped. “Turn them off!”

  Susan knew she had her. “What do you think he’ll do with them as soon as you stop doing his dirty work?”

  “Where did you get those?”

  “Does it matter?” Susan flashed a knowing grin. She wasn’t proud of taking down Daniels’s minion, but Heidi had gotten herself into this mess. “Now that you’ve seen the evidence, the question is, will you allow him to get away with it? You and I both know this story about Bennett is B.S. What I want to know is why Daniels needs you to sell it so hard?”

  The color in Heidi’s face paled as she blinked.

  “You think about it,” Susan said, turning toward Bennett’s door. “In the meantime, I’m going to get my goddaughter out of that house without your cameras, or anyone else’s, filming our exit.”
r />   Chapter Ninety-One

  Thirsty put on his blinker and turned left onto the next street. A sense of hope filled his chest when he saw a parking space open up. Easing to a gentle stop, he parallel parked with ease as if he were sober. Once his wheels were peacefully resting against the curb, he turned off the truck, took the keys from the ignition, and shook out the tension he could feel building in his arms.

  Eva was on her way home. He was sure of it. The question was, who would get here first?

  Minutes ago, he watched her wait nervously on the side of the road for a lift. Watching from afar, Thirsty knew she was on edge. Her eyes darted in every direction and she looked scared. Then, once she climbed into the backseat of an Uber, he followed her south until eventually losing her at a light.

  That was four blocks back and a red he should have run. Now he didn’t know where she was. Not knowing caused him to suffer unbearable anxiety.

  Thirsty sipped from the bottle, hoping it would calm him. He kept his eyes peeled for Eva, taking in the surrounding scene.

  The sun was hiding behind a large thunderhead building above, threatening to downpour. The wind swirled around his tires, and Thirsty was sure he had brought the storm with him.

  This part of the city always made him feel unwanted, like he didn’t belong. It was clean when he wasn’t. Rich and vibrant, unlike himself. And, worse, it reminded him of his wife who nagged him to be the person she wished he was.

  Turning the rearview mirror on his face, Thirsty stared for a long pause, knowing he was on the edge of depression. His hair was disheveled, a little greasy, and soon the darkness that plagued his existence would snap its cloak around his neck and make him wish he was dead. Time was running out, but he wasn’t there yet.

  Two women in designer clothes crossed the street and headed his way, their high item purchases swinging in the bags they carried as they pursed their tight Botox lips above pumps that propped them up. Eva might have lived here, but she wasn’t like these people, was she?