by Jim Riley
Jimmy gave his wife a shrug. He had heard the same nagging over and over again. The twins were the light of his life, and they were also his biggest weakness. He could never say no to them.
"This is the first time they haven't made it back home," he said. "They always sneak back, and we're always pretending we didn't know."
"Where do they sneak off to?" Samson asked.
"The same place you and I used to go when we were their age," Gill answered. "Wherever there is free alcohol."
"Do you know where that might have been last night?"
"My best guess is the Drakes. They were gone last night and their daughter, Connie, is a good friend of my daughters. But it could've been any other friend whose parents were out of town."
"Do they have a cell phone with them?"
"They both have one even though I don't think it's a good idea at their age," Diane cast another knowing look at her husband.
"Have you tried to call them?"
"Yes. At least, Diane did. Either the batteries went dead, or they turned them off."
"We’ll probably find them. My guess is they had a little too much to drink, and they’re sleeping it off somewhere at a friend's house."
"I guess I've got to get tougher with them when we get them back here," Jimmy sighed.
"That’d be a miracle," Diane sniped.
"The first thing you probably want to do is seal up that window," Samson nodded toward their escape hatch. "Take away the temptation."
Chapter Sixty
Tuesday morning
Atchafalaya Basin
When Tammi awoke, Sammi was already alert. Their hands and feet were not bound, but they were locked in a small bare bedroom. The only window had bars crisscrossing through it.
“Where are we?” Tammi asked her twin.
“I don’t know, but it’s creepy. What the hell happened?”
“Somebody stuck us with GHB or something like it. I could see and hear you and her but I couldn’t say anything.”
“Her?” Sammi asked.
“I’m almost positive. A little bitch. She ain’t much bigger than us. She’s a lot skinnier, anyway.”
“Why would she drug us?” Sammi asked, rubbing the back of her neck.
“I bet one of those idiots put her up to it. Boys do stupid things trying to impress us.”
“This seems a lot more serious. If it was a boy, he’d probably have already done the dirty deed with us.”
“You’re right,” Tammi agreed. “This may be something else, but if it is, I have no clue.”
“I bet Mom and Dad are going to be pissed off to no end at us.”
“You got that right. Maybe we should start working on some kind of a story they’ll buy.”
“Like what?” Sammi scoffed. “A Rougarou climbed in the window and snatched us out of our beds.”
“Mom believes in rougarous,” Tammi grand. “And Dad will let us off no matter what we tell him. That might work.”
“Come on. Swamp monsters. We can come up with something better than that,” Sammi said.
“I’m open to any great ideas. Right now, I’m hungry.”
Chapter Sixty-One
Tuesday morning
Central
"Mr. Drake, can you tell me where you and your wife were last night?" Samson asked.
"Why is that any of your business?" Brock Drake had a long night in New Orleans and was not in an amiable mood.
"Because we have two teenage girls missing, and we have reason to believe they went to your house last night."
"Oh, crap." Drake grabbed his aching forehead. "Who is missing?"
"Jimmy Gill’s daughters, Sammi and Tammi." Mayeaux answered.
"I knew it. I knew it." Drake's face turned red, and he rose from behind his desk and stared out of the window.
"You know what?" Samson asked.
"When we got home this morning, I could tell Connie had a party."
"Connie is your daughter?"
"She's in school with the twins. She tried to clean everything up, but it's almost impossible to hide it all. Like all the empties."
"What did you find?"
"Looks like a case of beer, some whiskey, some vodka, a little wine. That sort of stuff."
"I can see where that might have given you a hint," sarcasm dripped from Samson's words.
"Look, she's just going through a stage. Every teenager in the world goes through them."
"But we don't always have two girls missing. Have you asked your daughter who was at the party last night?"
"We thought it would be better if we just ignored it and hope she outgrows it over time."
"Do you realize you're breaking the law?"
"Come on, Samson. It's not like anybody's going to get hurt. It's just a bunch of kids trying to get away with drinking a little while their parents aren't looking."
"What happens when teenage boys get teenage girls drunk, and there are no adults around?"
Drake's face paled, and his lips tightened.
"It's not like that. These are Connie's friends. They wouldn’t do something like that."
Samson shook his massive head. "The combination of testosterone, hormones, and alcohol will make the best of kids do things we don't want to think about."
"But my daughter is only thirteen. She's not old enough for that kind of stuff."
"In some cultures, she is old enough have been married for at least two years, and have at least one baby. Wake up, Drake."
The color had not returned to Drake's face. Now his eyes had a faraway look.
"I don't know if Jimmy's girls were there last night. You'll have to talk to Connie."
"Can you call the principal, and let him know I'm on the way?" Samson asked.
"Sure." Drake's thoughts were far from the phone call he had to make.
Chapter Sixty-Two
Tuesday morning
Central Junior High School
"Connie, I'm Samson Mayeaux. I work with the Sheriff's Department."
The teenage girl tried to shrink in her chair. She looked around the room as if looking for a possible escape, but there was none. The tall, thick cop loomed over her.
"Who told?" She uttered, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Who told what?"
"About the party. Who told you about the party?"
Samson contemplated telling the teenager her parents were aware of the hidden parties when they went out of town, but decided to leave the option open in case he needed to use it later in the interview.
"Let's just say we, the Sheriff's Department, are aware you invited some friends over last night, and you supplied them with free liquor."
"That's not true," Connie said, suddenly excited. "The boys brought the beer and the vodka with them."
The trap was sprung. Connie had just admitted to hosting a party featuring underage teenagers drinking all kinds of alcohol.
"Do you know your parents might go to jail because of your actions last night?"
"You've got to be kidding. They weren't even there. They never are." Connie's eyes grew wider with this new revelation.
"But it is their home. They left you unsupervised in a house full of adult beverages. I can make a case for them contributing to the delinquency of minors. I can get an arrest warrant, and have them both in jail before you get home tonight."
"But–"
"Then you'll end up in social services because the judge would deem your parents unfit. Where you end up from there will be up to the system. It might be with a relative. It could be in a foster home, or it could be in a juvenile center until you turn eighteen."
Connie stared at the huge cop until the tears began. While she sobbed, Samson regretted pushing quite so hard. He was accustomed to interrogating hardened criminals who would not have blinked at this scenario. But this young girl was pampered and soft. Her idea of need was only having three pairs of shoes to match each of her outfits, or actually washing her own clothes. She was not equipp
ed for Samson's usual tactics.
"But I can make it all go away. At least, the legal part. You'll still have to answer to your parents."
Connie looked as if she had been resurrected from the grave. New hope appeared in her eyes.
"How?" She asked. "What do you want me to do?"
"Tell me the truth. Tell me the name of every kid who went to your house last night and what each of them had to drink and what they did."
Connie blanched. Then, realizing her options were limited, talked. She told Samson about all the events of the previous night. Mayeaux took copious notes and planned to share them with the parents, who were either unaware or apathetic. He planned on them being neither after he shared the newfound information with them.
When Connie finished, Samson counted eighteen names on the list. All eighteen had participated in drinking. Seven smoked weed, and two boys had sex with one of the girls. Connie was unsure if they used protection.
"You didn't tell me anything about Tammi and Sammi Gill. Why not" he asked.
"They didn’t come. They were supposed to, but never made it. I tried to call them, but their phones were off. I guess their mom took them away again."
"You never talked to them?"
"No, Sir. I tried. Andy was there and he has the hots for both of them. He ended up leaving early when they didn't show. That put a damper on the whole party."
"From what you told me, I wouldn't say it put a damper on everything."
"Maybe not everything, but Andy is the coolest guy in school. I wanted him to be there and then everyone would know my parties are the best."
Samson shook his head. He had a hard time believing he was once the same age as this teenager, and had much the same values. It made him wonder how mankind has survived for centuries. For some reason, God must think it's funny when people get older and mature only to deal with a new generation just as immature as the older folks once were.
Chapter Sixty-Three
Tuesday afternoon
Wildcat Investigations
"Did you hear about Jimmy Gill's daughters?" Donna asked.
"What happened? I’ve been trying to figure out where Paula ran off to, and haven't paid much attention to anything else." Niki replied.
"The twins are missing," Donna said. "From the rumor mill, they were supposed to go to a party at a friend's house but never showed up. Now Jimmy can't find them."
"I’d love to help him out, but we've got our hands full with the other thing right now. Paula tried to kill you, and we have to find her wherever she went."
"You don't think their disappearance has anything to do with our case, do you?"
"That would be a real stretch. What would Paula have to gain by harming the twins? I don't think she's the kind of person to do anything without a reason."
"I don't know," Donna sighed. "But I've got a funny feeling she is involved somehow."
Chapter Sixty-Four
Tuesday night
Central
"Where could they be?" Jimmy asked for the eighth time.
Diane Gill was even more fraught with dread than her husband. Her maternal alarms were so loud they sounded like a cannon exploding in her very soul. No logical explanation could make sense for the disappearance of the two lives most dear to her heart.
"Maybe they went to a different party and had too much to drink. Maybe they are too ashamed to call us," she said.
"None of her friends knew about another party according to Samson. None of them have heard from either of our girls. They might not call us, but they would've called their friends."
"Do you think they went away?"
"Couldn't have," Jimmy answered. "Those two won't spend the night somewhere without four changes of clothes. All their clothes are still in the closet."
Diane's tears began again. Since they discovered the girls gone, this had become a usual practice. At first, Jimmy was too angry at his girls to cry, but as time passed, he also began to break down.
Then he heard a knock on the door. Fear overcame him. The girls would not have bothered to knock. Good news would've come by way of a cell phone. This could only be bad news.
When he opened the door, he was surprised to see the long, lean figure of Niki Dupre. His heart rate jumped off the scale. If the private investigator was coming to see him, the news must be worse than he could ever imagine.
"Jimmy, may I come in?" Niki asked.
"Sure. I'm sorry. Please." He held the door wide open for her.
"Do you know something about our girls?" He asked before Niki sat down.
"No, but my associate has an idea."
"What is it?"
"Have you ever heard of a young lady by the name of Paula Netterville?" She asked.
"No," he answered and then looked at Diane. She shook her head.
"We, that being Samson and me, believe Paula is responsible for killing Omar Philbin, Clarice Clement and Dennis Hopper. We also think she has made at least two attempts to kill me."
"Why is she doing that?" Jimmy asked.
"She's a hired gun. She kills people for money. We also think she enjoys it."
"But what does that have to do with Tammi and Sammi?" Jimmy asked.
"We’re not sure if it does. But it seems too big of a coincidence the other three were running for the same congressional seat you're seeking, and now you're facing this."
"Who in the world would do such a thing? That congressional seat means nothing to me compared to my girls." Jimmy was almost in tears.
"I told you not to do that," Diane said, already crying. "I told you nothing good would come from it."
Jimmy turned to his wife. "We've had this discussion, Dear. More than once. Let's focus on finding our girls and then we can discuss other things."
Niki could see Diane was already blaming her husband for what ever happened to their daughters. She decided to sidestep the marital conflict.
"If it is Paula, then they are probably still alive. She will want to use them for pawns to get you to do something."
"What?" New hope sprang into Jimmy's eyes.
"I don't know," Niki answered. "Maybe whoever hired her wants you to quit the race. Maybe they want you to change your position on some issue. I'd be speculating at best."
"I’ll quit the race tonight," he answered. "I don't care about it. I never really thought I had much of a chance of winning, anyway."
"I guess your chances have improved since there are only three of you left in the race now. Your odds are a lot better."
He nodded. "Maybe so, but if I can get my girls back, I'll do whatever is necessary."
"Who would want you to quit?"
“I haven't even thought of that,” Jimmy replied. “I don't know Kenny well, but what I do know, I would never thought that he was stupid enough to take my daughters to get me to back out.”
"How about any controversial issues? Have you received any threats over any stances you've taken?"
"I don't think anyone took me seriously enough to threaten me. I was on the wrong end of the polls for anyone to care."
"How about organizations? Maybe People for Coastal Preservation and Coalition Against Guns?"
"Both of them contacted me," Jimmy answered. "I told the CAG to get lost. I believe in my Second Amendment rights, and I don't think anyone in this state would have a snowball’s chance of getting elected if they agreed with them."
"What about the other one? PCP?"
"They were probably the most aggressive. I don't remember the guys name, but he told me if I ever won, then they would make it worth my while to listen to them."
"Did they threaten you?"
"I don't think they were taking me seriously at the time. As I said, I was at the bottom of the polls. I think he was covering all the bases."
"Any problems with Omar's wife?"
"I met Alicia a couple of times. She was less interested in politics than Diane if that's possible. I didn't get the feeling she cared at all if Omar won or l
ost."
"How about George Thomas, Omar's assistant?"
"I met him at the debate Saturday. That was the first time. We shook hands and that was it."
"And Chrissy Becker?"
"That's Omar's right-hand girl. I talked to her before the debate for a good while Saturday. She asked me all kinds of questions."
"What kind of questions?"
"Off–the–wall type questions. Like What kind of staff I would hire if I got elected? And Would I get an apartment in Washington?. Things like that."
"Why was she asking you that?"
"I thought at first she was just being nice, but then she seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say. I got the feeling she might be looking for a job if Omar didn't win."
"So she wanted to go to work for you?"
"I don't know," Jimmy answered. "It was more for general discussion about how a new Congressman would handle the transition. But she was nice, and she is a pleasant young lady, so I didn't mind."
Niki thought back to the doll-like assistant, Chrissy Becker. She could see how most men would not mind getting involved in a discussion with the attractive girl. But she could not fathom how Jimmy's discussion with her could fit into the situation he was now mired in.
"I'll shake some bushes. I can't promise anything, but I'll do my best to find out what happened to Tammi and Sammi."
"Thank you. We need all the help we can get."
Chapter Sixty-Five
Tuesday night
Central
Jimmy tossed to and fro in his bed even though it was well past midnight when his phone rang. When he saw the caller ID, his heart leapt. The call was from Tammi.