The Disappearing Act
Part I

"And the search is still on. 23 year old Gabriella Montez has been missing for 3 days and the police have yet to find a lead in the case. Miss Montez was last seen at George's Bar on Downtown Avenue with Sharpay Evans. Eyewitnesses say at around 1:30 in the morning Sharpay Evans left Gabriella Montez at the bar alone. Then at approximately 2 in the morning Miss Montez was leaving drunk with an unknown man who offered to call and buy her a taxi as he walked her outside. That was the last time she's been seen by anyone. The police say there's no evidence or survelience that can help the investigation of Miss Montez's disappearance. Lakers basketball player, Troy Bolton, Gabriella Montez's fiance' has said nothing about the disappearance and refuses interviews to talk about her disappearance. Sharpay Evans also refuses to speak about the disappearance and talk about the last moments she spent with Gabriella Montez."

"Detective Mckessie." Chief of Police, Zeke Baylor said as he walked into Taylor's office.

"Yes." Taylor said as she looked away from her computer.

"We need you to assist Detective Nielson and Cross on Montez's disappearance." Zeke said as he dropped a file onto her desk.

"Woah, woah, woah, Zeke seriously-"

"Yes I'm serious." he scoffed.

"I work alone." Taylor said.

"Well now you're working with a team." he said then walked out. Taylor look at the file then opened it up. She sighed then closed it and stood up. She was met with Kelsi Nielson and Jason Cross outside of her office.

"Looks like we're a team." Jason said. Taylor shook her head.

"Have you spoken to her fiance' and her friend?" Taylor asked.

"We've tried. Neither of them want to talk to us." Kelsi says. Taylor shakes her head.

"I'll go and talk to them." she said then walked past them and out of the building.

Taylor tried her best to avoid getting put on this case. Gabriella Montez had been her friend in high school when they both lived in Alburqurque. After high school they both went their separate ways but somehow ended in the same city. Taylor working for LAPD and Gabriella Montez was about to marry the one and only Troy Bolton. She knew if she got put on this case that she'd lose hours of sleep, she wouldn't give up on trying to find her. It would drive her insane. Even though she wasn't close to Gabriella anymore she still loved her like a sister. She wouldn't want harm to come to her. She wouldn't want her to be found dead. She just wanted her to come home safely and be happy.

Her car stopped in front of the Bolton Residence. She opened the door and stepped out. Slowly she made her way to the door. She knocked on the door.

"I need to speak to you Mr. Bolton." she yelled. The door was opened.

"What?" Troy hissed. Taylor flashed him her badge.

"My name is Detective Mckessie. I need to ask you a few questions." she said.

"Can I say no?"

"Unless you want your fiance' to never be found, then yes you can." she snapped. Troy glared and opened the door. Taylor walked in and looked around. She sat on the couch and Troy sat in the loveseat across from her.

"Yes." he snapped.

"What happened when Gab-Miss Montez left three days ago?"

"We had an arguement." Troy breathed out. "A fight, she stormed out of here that was the l-last I saw her." his voice cracked.

"What was the arguement about anything important?"

"She-she told me someone was following her." Troy rolled his eyes. "I told her it was paparazzi and not to worry about it."

"Are you sure-"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Do you know why Sharpay left the bar early?" Taylor asked him and he shrugged.

"No actually I don't know." he scoffed. "Is that all?" he glared at her.

"Why are you trying to get me to leave?" Taylor questioned.

"You're wasting fucking time questioning me when you could be out there looking for her!" he yelled. "Don't fucking come back until you find her."

Taylor walked out of the house and sighed. She drove to Sharpay's house and knocked on the door. The opened revealing a blonde.

"I'm Detect-"

"Mckessie I know, Troy just called me pissed off. Why the hell do you guys keep pestering us? This isn't easy on him, and you guys don't have any hearts at all if you keep asking us questions because you can't find anything or atleast do yur jobs and look for her." she snapped at me.

"We're trying."

"Obviously not hard enough." she scoffed.

"May I come in." Taylor asked and Sharpay rolled her eyes opening the door wider for Taylor who followed her into the house.

"What can I help you with?"

"When you went to the bar with Miss Montez was anything out of the ordinary?" Taylor asks.

"Not that I can think of, I mean everything seemed the same." Sharpay says and shrugs. "She was just mad."

"Why did you leave her?" Taylor asks.

Sharpay tensed up at this question and shook her head. "I went to a friend's house. H-He asked me to stay so I didn't get to go back."

"Who?"

"He's not important." Sharpay shook her head.

"Even if Miss Montez is drunk would she go with someone she didn't know?" Taylor asked her. Sharpay looked at Taylor and shook her head.

"No, she would only go with people she knew even if she was drunk, well usually. I don't know honestly, maybe she went with this guy because he seemed friendly. But even drunk Gabriella knew the stranger danger rule."

"Okay." Taylor nodded and got up. "Thank you for your time Miss Evans."

Taylor exited the house.

Taylor's POV
"But even drunk Gabriella knew the stranger danger rule."

Sharpay's word rang through my head. It had to be someone Gabriella knew. She had to have left with someone she knew. I stared at the blank computer screen. I opened the file about the investigation reviewing it and reviewing it again.

"Are you coming?" Kelsi asked me pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Uh, the search party?" I asked and she nodded. "Yes!"

Jason drove us to the woods near the bar Gabriella was last seen at, there was already a group of people there. The three of us walked up to them.

"Hi Mr. Bolton, Miss Evans." I said calmly. Troy waved at me looking down at the ground while Sharpay gave me a warm smile trying to be friendly.

"This is Troy's agent, James Kellen." Sharpay said pointing to a man with dark hair and hazel eyes and about the same height as Troy. "And this is Chad Danforth, a close friend ours." She said as she pointed to a dark skinned boy beside her with an afro who smiled slightly at me.

"Thank you guys for doing this." Troy said quietly and Kelsi nodded.

"We're going to do everything we can to find her." she said and giving Troy an assuring smile.

"Let's go." Jason said. Everyone began walking through the woods behind the three of us.

"Gabriella!" Troy yelled.

"Gabi!" Sharpay yelled.

"Fuck!" Troy yelled frustrated. Chad ran over to him to calm him down. "Where is she? W-Who would do this." he started crying.

"Troy you have to get yourself together!" Sharpay hissed. "Gabriella wouldn't want you acting like this."

I watched them as I continued walking forward. Kelsi rushed over to them to help calm Troy down. I looked around then stepped onto something. I looked at the ground and saw wallet. I bent down and picked up the wallet. I opened it then saw the liscence.

Gabriella Montez.

"Cross! Nielson! I found something!" I yelled and started walking. I looked down seeing sunglasses, keys. I picked up the items then kept walking. I saw a purse. A small white leather Chanel purse. I picked it up and turned around seeing Sharpay looking at it. She teared up.

"Oh my gosh." she gasped. "T-This is her purse."

"Evidence." Kelsi smiled and put the purse, wallet, sunglasses, and keys into ziplock bags. "I'm going to get these ran when we get back to the office."

"She's out here someplace!" Sharpay says.

"We have to get this station, so let's rest-" Jason started.

"Rest! I haven't fucking slept since she disappeared. You think I can fucking sleep, knowing some sick bastard has my fiance'?" Troy yelled at Jason.

"Let's keep going." I said and Jason shook his head.

We continued walking for another two hours and came up with nothing. We all began walking back to where we started. Kelsi was talking on the phone to someone. She hung up her phone then ran over to Jason and I.

"Zeke says someone called in a tip." Kelsi whispered quietly so only the two of us could hear.

"What is it?" I asked her.

"Gabriella Montez didn't leave in a taxi alone. They said the same man who walked out with her, left in the taxi with her." Kelsi whispered. I looked up seeing Troy, Chad, Sharpay and, James getting into a car.

"You guys think if we find out who this guy is, we might be able to find out where she is?" Jason said and I nodded.

"Possible."

"This is the thing, the bar has no surveilence from that night. It was all ruined somehow." Kelsi said.

"It's a dead end?" I said.

"Whoever did this covered their tracks good." Jason said.

"That means either, our guy is good at this or he planned this out." I said.

"Is Montez a regular bar goer?" Kelsi asked me and I shrugged.

"We're going to find out." Jason said reading my mind.

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. As we walked into the bar. There were few people there. I walked up to the bartender while Kelsi and Jason began to look around.

"Hi my name is Detective Mckessie." I said and flashed the two bartenders my badge. One was a girl who was ginger. She had orange hair and freckles, and was wearing a fitting plain white t-shirt and high waisted skinny jeans. with white boots. The other was a boy who had black hair and was wearing a little eyeliner. He had on a gray shirt and jeans.

"I figured this would happen eventually." the boy scoffed. "I'm John and this is Jessica." he said and pointed to the girl.

"I'm guessing you're here because of Gabriella Montez's disappearance?" she asked me smiling slightly.

"I am, actually." I said. "Was she a normal here?"

"I wouldn't consider someone who comes in once every few months a normal." Jessica said shaking her head.

"She came atleast once every three months. Different days, not like specific day." John explained.

"And she always came with Sharpay Evans, they'd always leave together. Gabriella would be drunk off her ass and basically spilling out her emotions to Sharpay. While Sharpay took her home, this was the first time Sharpay left Gabriella early." Jessica explained.

"Why do you think Gabriella came to the bar?" I ask them.

"It's obvious." John scoffed. "She came whenever she and her man had an argument."

"She would get drunk off her ass then she would just start crying about how much she loved him and how stupid she is and why are they even fighting." Jessica explained.

"Was there anyone at the bar the same night that looked different?" I asked them unsure. Jessica and John made eye contact then Jessica looked at me.

"Well there was a guy..." she started sighing. "He came in shortly after Gabriella arrived. He was the man who left with her. She left her car keys here on the bar. I went to make a drink and came back and they were gone along with Gabriella and the man. Once I left my shift at 6am the next morning someone was driving away in her car, but it wasn't her or Sharpay it was man."

I thought for a second. Then looked at Jessica.

"You say the survelience was ruined?" I asked her. Jessica nodded and motioned for me to follow her, she unlocked a door then went up a flight of stairs then opened the door to a room with a TV and a laptop. The TV had survelience from in front of the bar, inside, and the back.

"About an hour before Gabriella came James and I were in here making sure the cameras were set and ready for tonight because we had to sometimes reset them for them to record. I came in here at around 4am and everything we uplugged. The tapes from 10:34pm to 2:31am were gone and the everything was off." she explained. "The security guy leaves this room at 1am to walk around outside and make sure people aren't trespassing and stuff, also to keep the kids out."

"Do you guys keep this door locked?" I asked her.

"The only way to get in here is through the door before the stairs and that door is always locked." she said. "The lock wasn't messed with or else it would've alarmed our security guy."

I nod at her then we go down the flight of stairs then through the door. She closes it and locks it. I look at the door and the lock. It was a lock that can only be unlocked with an employee card. One way to unlock is by somehow hacking it, but that's almost impossible. I thought to myself. Unless this person is an employee or had an employee card.

"Do your employees ever visit when they're off?" I ask and smile trying to start conversation.

"Never." Jessica said. "When they're off we never see them." she chuckles. I nod at her.

"Baylor just called me, we need to head to the station." Kelsi said in my ear and I nodded to her. She began to walk out with Jason.

"Thank you for talking to me, if you see anything suspicious or the man who left with Gabriella please call me." I said and handed her my card.

"I will. She's so sweet, I hate that something like this happened to her." she said quietly then looked up and sniffled. "Bye and glad that my help was needed in some way."

I walked out and met them in the parking lot and we all got into Kelsi's car.

"We have a suspect. He was found with Gabriella's underwear in his car." Kelsi says to us. We drove to the station and were met with Zeke at the front waiting for us.

So I've been trying to write different types of stories recently and this is one a mystery and suspense that took me forever to write. Totally out of my element but it's my favorite right now and I really love it. I hope you guys also enjoy it. It's a short story about 5 or 6 chapters. Extremely suspenseful, sad on some parts, creepy at the end. It freaked me out writing so I'm super excited to share this with you all and I really really really hope you'll love it as much as I do!

-A