Part 4 (1/2)
The old man stopped in an alleyway and motioned for them to follow him down a steep set of steps that led them to a bas.e.m.e.nt-like apartment. That was when Jeremy felt the first stirring of fear. The old man turned into a monster then. He'd slammed the heavy door, then locked it. Then Jeremy knew this was what his parents had warned him about. Kristen started to cry, then wet herself; she was so frightened. Being the big brother, he knew it was up to him to protect his sister. ”Shhh,” he'd said to her as the man locked the dead bolts on the door. She nodded, but she continued to cry silent tears. Her bottom lip quivered, and Jeremy put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her as far away from the monster as it was possible to get. She, in turn, wrapped her free hand around his waist.
”What do you want from us?” Jeremy asked.
The old man laughed, revealing decayed teeth, with several missing. ”It ain't me that wants anything from ya, kid. Just shut up and be quiet, and this'll be over real quick-like.”
Jeremy's pulse increased. He knew the old man was crazy when he started laughing hysterically. He took a cell phone from a small table, punched in a number, and said, ”I've got two of 'em. ”
”What are you going to do to us?” Jeremy shouted, not caring if anyone heard him. He wanted someone to hear him! Raising his voice as loud as he could, he yelled, ”Look, you dirty old b.a.s.t.a.r.d, you better let us go or . . . or my dad'll kill you!”
Sophie's vision instantly cleared. She was back in Toots's bedroom. She'd had her first clairsentience vision. Knowing time was running out for those two kids, Sophie practically flew down the steps to the kitchen.
”Okay, someone write this down or record what I'm about to tell you.”
Officer Furdell removed a slender voice recorder from one of the many items attached to her police-issued belt.
”The kids left the bakery just as Jamie and Lucy said they did. A few yards away, they were approached by an old man. He reeked of alcohol. He told them he needed their help. They followed him to an alley. The alley is only a few blocks away from the coffee shop, where the parents were. They went down a set of steep stairs. It's a bas.e.m.e.nt apartment. One room. Filthy. It has one small window, but it's covered with something to block out the light.” Sophie paused, trying to recall what else she'd seen in the apartment.
”Mrs. Manchester, Charleston has hundreds of filthy bas.e.m.e.nts that serve as apartments. Is there anything more specific? Did you see the children? Something that can validate what you've said,” Detective O'Banyon asked.
Sophie shot Toots their secret evil-eye look, but she didn't comment. Now wasn't the time. Later, when the kids were safe and sound, then she was going to blast this redheaded b.i.t.c.h. Even more than she already had.
”Yes. The boy is tall and thin, with dark hair. He's just beginning to get peach fuzz above his lip. He's trying to protect the little girl. Her hair is long and brown. She was crying. Her hair was plastered to her cheeks.”
Detective O'Banyon took a deep breath; then she looked at her watch. ”Is that it? Can you tell me anything significant? An address, a sign, anything other than this generic c.r.a.p.”
Toots took a step toward the detective, then saw the look on Sophie's face. She stopped dead in her tracks.
”The boy had on a navy blue T-s.h.i.+rt with a goofy-looking cartoon bird on it. I'm not familiar with cartoons. He had on khaki cargo shorts with deep pockets on either side. He wore a pair of black Crocs. The girl wore a pink skirt with a h.e.l.lo Kitty top. She wore Crocs, too. Hers were bright green with . . . with little pins placed on them.” Sophie paused, eyeing the detective. ”One other thing-Kristen wet herself. She does this when she's frightened. Is that significant enough for you, Detective O'Banyon?”
The detective quickly scanned her notes. ”I don't know what to say, other than I owe you a huge apology. You've described Jeremy's s.h.i.+rt. It's not a cartoon. It's a game. Angry Birds. You'll find all versions of it on his Game Boy, according to the parents. Kristen wore the skirt with her favorite h.e.l.lo Kitty s.h.i.+rt.” The detective looked as though she'd been blown away, Toots thought, and in a sense she had. Not many psychics were as good as Sophie.
”Well, don't just stand there and stare at me like I'm an alien. Get the h.e.l.l off your a.s.s and go find those kids. We're running out of time. Whoever took them is moving them to another location. Or do I have to prove that, too?” Sophie shouted, not caring if she p.i.s.sed off the cops.
”No. I do have one question. Would you do me the honor of riding in the patrol car with me? I think I might know this place.”
”Why me?” Sophie challenged. ”Afraid you won't be able to find them on your own?”
”Look, I'm sorry I doubted you. Ride with me and I'll tell you my reasons. Or not. It's up to you. As you said, we're running out of time.”
Goebel spoke up. ”Go on, Sophie. We'll be here waiting when you get back.”
”Okay, let's go. And you'd better turn the siren on or drive as fast as you can, because some sick son of a b.i.t.c.h is on his way to pick up those children. If he gets to them before the cops do . . .” Sophie stopped talking.
Toots watched her. Sophie was having a vision.
”Those kids will never be found alive if we don't find them within the next hour. Now let's get the h.e.l.l out of here!” Sophie shouted as she raced for the front door.
Chapter 7.
Toots's house phone rang. She almost jumped out of her skin. The day had been quite strange, and she was on edge.
”h.e.l.lo?”
”Mom, it's me. There are police cruisers leaving your place. I saw them when I let Chester out. Is everything okay?”
”Abby, it's a zoo around here. Yes, we are all fine, but there are a couple of missing kids. They were last seen leaving The Sweetest Things, and, well, you can only imagine the rest.”
”You're kidding! No, you wouldn't do that,” Abby said. ”Can you tell me the details?”
”I'd prefer to wait until there is some good news. The cops came here to question me, sort of. They thought Jamie or Lucy might've seen something, but they didn't. The parents are here visiting, and somehow they knew about Sophie and her abilities. A detective ran her through the mill, and Sophie is now with said detective trying to help locate the kids before it's too late.”
”I thought you were going to wait for the good news!”
”Oh, Abby, you know I can't keep things like this to myself, especially after what you went through last spring.”
”Chris and I are coming over. Be there in ten,” Abby said before hanging up.
Two seconds later, Toots whirled around when she heard a tapping on the back door. Bernice almost broke her neck getting to the door. It was Robert, her paramour from next door.
Bernice lit up like a full moon. ”Come in, Robert. We've just made a pot of that coffee you like so much.”
Toots couldn't help but overhear Bernice. That's why she was going through that two-hundred-dollar-per-pound stuff like water. Not that she cared, but it was just Robert. He was a good old guy and totally smitten with Bernice. They spent their days walking back and forth to visit each other. Bernice would bring a pie. Robert would bring a recipe he'd clipped from a magazine. Bernice would prepare whatever recipe he clipped and turn around and bring that to him. It was hard for either of them to remain still for longer than an hour. Toots was sure she knew why they were doing all this back-and-forth stuff, and soon she was going to tell Bernice. Well, h.e.l.l, she was going to tell her now, while she had a minute before Abby and Chris arrived.
”Excuse me, Bernice, could you help me out?” Toots walked into the giant pantry.
”What do you want? I'm warming up an apple pastry for Robert. His sugar is low.”
Toots rolled her eyes. Robert's sugar was fine. The old dude was as fit as a fiddle.
”You both need to stop this back-and-forth s.h.i.+t, Bernice. It's driving us crazy. That d.a.m.n screen door gets slammed a hundred times a day. Now I want you to listen to what I am about to tell you. Then I want you to serve Robert his pastry before he keels over. You two need to screw, just do it and get it over with. I'll bet the bank Robert's as virile as a teenager. He has to be. Either that, or he's preparing for the Senior Olympics with all this d.a.m.ned walking. Now, do you get where I'm coming from, Bernice? And don't tell me Dr. Becker won't allow you to be s.e.xually active, because he says it's perfectly fine with him.” Toots stopped to catch her breath.
”Then he's been discussing my medical status with you? I swear I will turn that man in to the American Medical a.s.sociation.”
”Bernice, you signed over power of attorney to me last year when you had your surgery, so it wouldn't mean jack s.h.i.+t to the AMA. Now, why don't you run out there, shake that skinny little a.s.s of yours while you serve Robert, then take him to bed. I know for a fact that Wade is out of town because Mavis has been tagging along with me all day.”
Bernice, being Bernice, rolled her eyes, mouthed ”F off,” then shot Toots the bird before stepping out of the pantry. Toots burst out laughing.
”Mom, is that you?” Abby called out.
d.a.m.n, caught again. ”Uh, yes, Abby, come in. I'm looking for some . . . artificial sweetener.”
Abby peered around the door. ”Mom, you are not looking for artificial sweetener. You wouldn't use that fake stuff if your life depended on it.”
”Yes, you're right. I just needed an excuse to hang in here an extra minute. It's been an extremely long and tiring day. Come on, let's have some coffee, and I'll fill you in on what's happening.”