Coercion

by Tamara Hart Heiner

  I hurried across the street to the history building and dropped into my psychology class just moments after the tardy bell rang. Meredith was already there, and her eyes tracked to me. She mouthed something as I fell into my seat in front of her, and I didn’t catch it all, but I knew the thoughts going through her mind were the same as mine.

  Look at the empty seats.

  “Jayne!” Coach said, looking genuinely pleased to see me. “We’re so happy you could join us.”

  I nodded and pulled out my notebook, taking a surreptitious glance around the room.

  It wasn’t as bad as I’d feared, maybe two people missing out of my class of about twenty. Still a decent number, and if Samantha had amassed this many people from all over the tri-state area, her army was much bigger than we had realized.

  “How did it go with the police?” Meredith asked me as soon as we escaped class.

  “Lieutenant Bailey is going to see what he can do.” I hadn’t been able to call Meredith because my mom had decided to sleep on the landing beside my and Beth’s bedrooms. “He’s supposed to get back in touch with me soon.”

  “Did you tell him everything?”

  “No way. Just enough to let him know how desperately we need Trey.”

  “Like crazy desperate,” Meredith muttered.

  “Yeah.”

  We parted at my locker. Every class I went to had people missing, but that wasn’t even the weirdest thing. People stared at me. The halls fell silent when I walked by, and whispers started the moment I passed. I wanted to ask them why, but I was suddenly and acutely aware how the only person I really talked to was Meredith. Oh, and Stephen Harris, my boyfriend for most of my junior year. Even though we had broken up, we tried to maintain some kind of friendship.

  He was one of the first to go missing. His disappearance was what prompted us to take off for Maryland and find Samantha. We thought if we found her, we would find all of the missing people.

  We did. But I couldn’t get Stephen back.

  I stepped into chemistry and felt Troy’s eyes on me as I sat down. I turned around to face Stephen’s best friend.

  “Troy,” I greeted.

  “Jayne,” he replied, all poker face.

  “So have you talked to Stephen?” I asked carefully. I knew the answer, but I wasn’t sure how else to get a conversation going.

  Troy shook his head, his expression wary. “Have you? He disappeared last week just like loads of other people.”

  I forced myself to slow my breathing, but it still hurt that I had failed him. “No. I tried to call him, but he didn’t answer.”

  “For me either.” Troy studied me carefully. “We thought you disappeared also. But now you’re back.”

  Oh. I sucked in a breath at the realization. People were staring at me, all right—staring at me because I came back.

  “Where did you go?” Troy asked, apparently not chalking up my disappearance as coincidence. “You didn’t see him?”

  I shook my head, concocting a lie on the spur of the moment, something I had become quite good at. “I didn’t even realize people were gone. I went to visit Dana in Massachusetts.”

  “Your name is on the list.” He narrowed his eyes. “Your parents reported you missing.”

  Thanks, Mom. “We had an argument. I didn’t tell them where I was going.” To strengthen my story, I added, “It’s not the first time. I snuck off to New York a few weekends ago without telling them. Maybe Stephen mentioned it to you. He wanted to come with me.”

  “I think he might have said something,” Troy said, looking slightly less suspicious. And now his eyes regarded me differently. “When did you become a rebel? I thought you were a straight shooter.”

  I lifted my shoulders in a shrug. “I’m not a rebel. Sometimes I just want to do things my parents don’t approve of.”

  Troy gave a snort and rolled his eyes. “You picked a really bad time to do it.”

  “I know.”

  The teacher called the classroom to order, and I faced front again, feeling even less settled than I had when I walked in.

  CHAPTER THREE

  School wasn’t even out before Lieutenant Bailey started calling me. I couldn’t know for sure it was him because his calls always came to my phone as “unavailable.” But then he started leaving messages, and I had no doubts.

  “Ms. Lockwood, I’ve located your friend Mr. Clark, and I have a few more questions for you before we proceed. Please return my call at your earliest convenience.”

  Now wouldn’t be that convenient time, since I was hurrying to class. I listened to his next message.

  “Ms. Lockwood, this is Lieutenant Bailey again. We need to take a deposition from you regarding Aaron Chambers, who was apparently last seen in your presence. If you are available this evening to come by the station, please do so. Or return my call and we’ll set up an appointment.”

  Anger shivered along my spine. I couldn’t believe it. She’d actually done it! Aaron’s mom had turned me in for his disappearance.

  I bit down hard enough on my lower lip to draw blood. How was I supposed to reconcile myself with this witch when I hoped to be a permanent part of her son’s life someday?

  Of course, I thought as an aching sadness filled my chest, that all depended on whether I retrieved Aaron from hell.

  But before I could go to Lieutenant Bailey’s office and clear my name, I needed to go to work and explain my absence to my boss.

  When fourth hour ended, I got in my car and drove across town to the newspaper office of the Lacey-Barnagat Times. I was fortunate enough at the beginning of the semester to be picked for the work-study program so I could spend half of my day at work earning school credit. Since I already knew that journalism was what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, it worked great for me.

  I parked my car in front of the office and took the elevator to the third floor. Mr. Edward’s door was open, and he was having an in-depth conversation with Kent, one of our reporters with a byline. I paused, giving into my habit of eavesdropping before making my presence known.

  “They all seem to have vanished, the whole cult. There have been no more sacrifices, no more suicides, no more disappearances.”

  “We have to find a lead.” I could hear Mr. Edwards pacing his office, which was rather unusual. He generally appeared calm and only mildly interested in current events.

  Taking a deep breath, I tapped on the open door and poked my head around the side. “Hello?” I said timidly.

  Though I barely knew Kent and didn’t expect him to know me, his eyes went wide with recognition, and Mr. Edwards exclaimed, “Jayne!” In an instant he had crossed over to the open door and wrapped me in a very unprofessional hug. My face warmed slightly, but the man was old enough to be my grandfather, and I knew it was with parental affection.

  “You’re back!” Kent had his notepad out and a pen was down from behind his ear, and I knew anything I said would be used for a story. “Were you with the cult? Did they brainwash you?”

  I thought of that moment in the underground parking garage when Samantha appeared with her chanting legions, and my knees nearly buckled. My boss grabbed a chair and settled me into it.

  “It’s all right, Jayne. You don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t want my name in the paper. I don’t want people contacting me, trying to figure out where their loved ones are, why I came back when they didn’t.”

  Both of them nodded at me rather eagerly, anxious to hear what I would say.

  I took a deep breath. “I don’t actually remember anything. I was at home with my sister and my friend. And then there is nothing. When I woke up in the morning, I was in Maryland. My friend apparently drove us out there, and then our car broke down. A farmer found us and took us in. After we woke up and realized where we were, we came home.”

  Neither of them said anything for a moment, though I could see the wheels spinning.

 
; “So the car breaking down saved you,” Kent said slowly. “Otherwise you would be with all of the others who disappeared, and none of them came back.”

  I shuddered.

  “What about this good Samaritan?” Kent continued. “Do you have contact for him?”

  “No. I don’t even remember his name.”

  “So where are the others? Did they wake up like you two days ago and realize they weren’t at home? Or are they still being brainwashed?”

  In other words, were they trying to get home, or did they still not know they were missing? I wished I could say, but I couldn’t. So I shrugged.

  My boss favored me with a smile. “We are so happy you’re back, Jayne. We only lost one other staff member, and it was a rather devastating blow to lose you both.”

  I lifted my index finger to my mouth and gnawed at the nail. “Anyone I know?”

  “I doubt it.”

  Kent interrupted. “Jayne, can I do a quick little interview with you and print it up? It would be anonymous, of course, but you’re the only person we know of who has come back. People want to know, they want to have hope. You can give them that.”

  I exhaled. “Sure. But I can’t stay long, the police want to meet with me also.”

  They both gave noises of sympathy and understanding, and I looked to Mr. Edwards.

  “Tomorrow I would like to work as usual. If I’m still employed here.”

  “Of course! We always value your input. And next year when you graduate, we’ll work around your university classes.”

  A journalist fresh out of high school. I’d be one of the youngest. But I was getting hands-on learning exposure, more than many people did after four years in college.

  I could dwell on that later. I gave a smile. “Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

  “And that interview, Jayne?” Kent asked.

  I hesitated. “Let me talk to the police first. I’m not sure how much I’m allowed to disclose.”

  He nodded, making a valiant effort to hide his disappointment.

  I hopped back into my car and made the fifteen-minute drive to the police station. The receptionist smiled when she saw me and said, “Here for Lieutenant Bailey, right?”

  I bobbed my head, unnerved by her familiarity. I came here too often. She used to give me the third degree every time I wanted to talk to him.

  Instead she made a quick phone call to his desk before ushering me around the corner.

  Lieutenant Bailey was already making his way down the aisle in my direction, not waiting for me to arrive at his cubicle. “Come on,” he said, gesturing me down a hallway and into a room. He closed the door behind us and sat down at the single table, placing his Styrofoam cup on top.

  I sat down across from him, trying to convince myself I wasn’t a suspect. I’d seen too many cop shows. I pleated my fingers and waited for him to start the conversation.

  He put his phone on the table. “I’m going to ask you some questions about Aaron Chambers first. I’m going to record our conversation, so don’t say anything you don’t want everybody to hear.”

  I cocked my head, not sure if his warning was exactly kosher. “Aren’t you supposed to tell me anything I say can and will be used against me?”

  His stern face gave a hint of a smile. “I think you and I are past that.”

  My shoulders relaxed slightly, and I allowed myself to return his smile. In no way did he think I was responsible for Aaron’s disappearance.

  Even though I was.

  “Are you ready?” At my nod, he hit a red button on his phone.

  “Deposition of—” He looked at me. “Please state your name.”

  “Jayne Lockwood,” I replied.

  “Regarding the disappearance of Aaron Chambers. Jayne, do you know Aaron?”

  I started to nod before I remembered I needed to be verbal. “Yes. Aaron is—” I choked for a moment, remembering our break up. “Was my boyfriend. We were very close.”

  “When did you last see him?”

  Lie lie lie. “He came over to my house Sunday evening. His parents wanted him to transfer schools and go back to England. He felt like it would be better for us not to have a long distance relationship, so we broke up.”

  Lieutenant Bailey was watching me closely. Did he suspect I was hiding things? Probably. “What happened with Mr. Chambers after that?”

  “We parted ways. I said goodbye, and he left. I didn’t see him again.”

  “Do you know where he went?”

  He followed me to Maryland. “I don’t. I assumed he went home to his parents. Although he goes to school an hour away, so maybe he went to be with some friends.”

  “Did either of you try to contact each other after?”

  I had to be careful here. I stared at the wall behind him and replayed the sequence of events in my head, trying to figure out what I could reveal while still holding my story together. “Aaron called me a few times, but it must’ve been when I was in that odd hypnotic state. I didn’t see the calls until two days later when we woke up in Maryland.”

  “Who is we?”

  “My friend Meredith, my sister Beth, and me.”

  “Aaron’s disappearance coincides with several other disappearances in the area, including your own. You didn’t see him in Maryland?”

  I swallowed hard and forced myself to meet Lieutenant Bailey’s gaze. I said with as much conviction as I could, “I don’t remember anything from that time.”

  “Is there anything else you would like to add?”

  I shook my head, lowering my eyes and allowing the heat of tears to pool there. “No.”

  He hit the red button again and sat back. “Now. What are you not telling me?”

  “How much should I tell you?”

  I saw him considering the question, his eyes looking back and forth between mine. “I ask you a question, and you answer. Truthfully.”

  I nodded, though my heart beat faster in my neck.

  “First question.” Again he paused, probably deciding how much he could handle. “Did you see the missing people?”

  “Yes.” I didn’t hesitate, even though I’d just lied in my deposition, and now we both knew it. “They are all in a brainwashed state right now.”

  “Do you know where they are?”

  “No. But even if you found them, you couldn’t help them. They are more like zombies under someone else’s control.”

  “How do we save them?”

  “I don’t know.” I pressed my fingers against the table. “I need Trey Clark. We have to reunite the souls with their bodies. We have to overthrow—” I almost said Karta, but I bit it back. The traitor didn’t deserve that title. Besides, she wasn’t anymore. “Samantha.”

  “I don’t understand what she has to do with their souls.”

  “She’s harvesting them. By using their life energy, she’s making herself stronger.”

  Lieutenant Bailey furrowed his brow and growled, “You’re testing the limits of my belief.”

  “Then don’t ask me to tell you,” I said. “What you believe or don’t believe is inconsequential. This is what’s happening.” Once again, indignation fired up in my chest. I closed my eyes and gripped the edge of the table.

  Images flashed behind my eyelids like fireworks. I stood in a clearing, barefoot, a lightweight cloth blowing around my ankles as dust clogged my lungs. Hot ash drifted between my toes, a noonday sun beating down on me. Trees ringed the clearing in the distance, smoke rising from the forest.

  I blinked and the image faded, but for a moment my lungs still felt dry and my toes warm.

  “What was that?” I whispered, terrified goosebumps popping up on my skin.

  “What?” Lieutenant Bailey leaned closer. “What was what?”

  It was some kind of vision, but not like the ones I usually received. This was something different. I stood up. “How are we doing on freeing Trey from the mental institution?”

  The lieutenant narrowed his eyes at me bu
t didn’t object to my question. “I’ve actually petitioned a judge to issue a court order for his release. Stating that I need to bring him in for questioning. But that’s the best I can do. I can’t let him go free, not when he is being held for a crime.”

  “That he didn’t commit,” I snarled, all fiery again. Wow. I needed to take a chill pill.

  “It’s the best I can do,” he repeated. “I’ll let you know when we get him up to the station so you can talk to him.”

  I nodded and lowered my eyes so he wouldn’t see the defiance in them. If Trey was going to help me, I needed to get him out of police custody.

  *~*

  There was nothing for me to do after the police station but go home. As wrong as it felt.

  I tried to distract myself with homework while fighting this sinking feeling in my gut. I heard my sister in her room, singing to music like she hadn’t a care. Maybe the world’s impending doom didn’t plague her like it did me.

  Somehow that only made me feel more alone.

  And what about that vision I’d had? What did that mean?

  The tension in our house hadn’t faded by the next morning, and Mom wasn’t ready to let go of her reins of power. She drove Beth to school again. I walked into psychology and gave Meredith a lopsided grin before falling into my seat. I waited for her outside the classroom when class ended, and a moment later she fell into step beside me.

  “I feel like I’m in limbo,” she said.

  “Tell me about it,” I said. “There are so many things we’re supposed to be doing right now, and going to school isn’t one of them.”

  “Any luck getting Trey free?”

  “I’m working on it. Lieutenant Bailey thinks he can get him out.”

  “Well, that’s fantastic news! When?”

  “I don’t know. He’ll call me. The question is, what do we do after that?”

  Meredith blinked her wide blue eyes behind their wire frames. “I don’t understand. You mean, what’s the plan?”

  I licked my lips and clarified. “I mean, he won’t be free. Lieutenant Bailey is going to get him out just so we can question him. It’s temporary.”