Halloween night is the holiday, next to Christmas, that's packed with crime. It's usually just teenagers running around and wrecking havoc. One Halloween night was different than any other night that my boss and I have ever encountered.
That night was where an unusual abduction occurred. And, it started with the young couple, the Westerguards, sitting in their home.
Elsa Westerguard had fallen asleep while reading a book, and her husband smiled warmly at that. He carried her upstairs and put her in bed. Quietly, he left the room and went back downstairs to turn off their fireplace.
It was Halloween, but they lived in a quiet neighborhood, so there hadn't been any knocks on their door yet. Hans Westerguard sat on his couch and started reading the book Elsa was reading earlier.
A knock on their door made him look up. He shook his head and hoped by ignoring the knock, the trick-or-treaters would go away. Another knock came, but he continued reading.
Suddenly, terrible screams made him jump.
What the hell?
Hans got up and rushed to the door. That's when my boss got the call.
"Sheriff's office." she said, answering the phone.
It was a quiet night, and this was the first call we had since it got late. My boss was already tired and her coffee had gotten cold. I stood in her doorway and waited for her to hang up. But, she stayed on and looked surprised.
"Wait, slow down. What happened?" she asked.
Her blue eyes were filled with concern, and she began to write something down.
"Alright, I'll be down there in 15 minutes." she said, then she hung up.
"What's the word?" I asked her.
She brushed her bangs from her eyes and grabbed her coat.
"We need to head to Corona Avenue. There's been an abduction there." she replied.
I raised my eyebrows. "Alright, we'll take my car. What happened?"
"Two adults and three children are missing."
"Who called?"
"A neighbor. She claimed to have heard screaming. Said she knows the neighbors. They're family."
I led the way to my truck and we got in.
"Got the address?" I asked, as I drove.
She handed it to me and shook her head.
"This is so weird." she said.
"Hmm?"
"How do that many people get abducted so quickly?"
"What do you mean? Two adults were involved. They've gotta be the abductors."
"We don't know that for sure. Hurry, Kristoff, I don't want people checking the scene and screwing with evidence."
"You got it, boss." I said, making a turn.
"Anna." she corrected.
"Anna." I said.
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When we arrived at the scene, a crowd had already appeared. We made our way through and saw an unusual scene. The front door of the house was flooded with water. The neighbor who called was a brunette with short hair. Her husband was with her.
"Thank goodness, you're here." the brunette said.
"We came as fast as we could. So, what else don't we know about the situation?" Anna asked.
"I told you what I know. I heard children scream and I ran outside. When I came, the front lawn was flooded and my cousin and her husband were gone!"
Anna just listened and I wrote down as much as I could. She walked around the lawn, observing and taking mental notes.
"Have they mentioned anything about broken pipes or sprinklers?' Anna asked the brunette.
She shook her head. "No."
I followed Anna inside the house and didn't see anything out of the ordinary anywhere.
"I'll check upstairs." she mumbled.
I stayed behind and looked around. The house was very neat and tidy. The Westerguards seemed like a normal couple. But, that's how they always seem.
I spotted several pictures of them together and they truthfully looked content. I checked their fridge, checking for any signs of alcohol or drugs. There was only one bottle of wine, but had plenty of wine in it.
Couldn't have been a drunk couple...
"Nothing upstairs." Anna said, coming down.
"Nothing here, either. What do we do?" I asked.
"We need to do some background checks on them. Call Meri at the station and tell her to find what she can."
I nodded and gave Meri a call.
Anna went back outside to send the crowd away and I followed. The brunette was now in her husband's arms and looked at us for any news or findings.
"Anything?" she asked.
We shook our heads.
"How long have they been married?" I asked, taking out my notepad again.
The brunette winced. "About three years."
"What do you got?" Anna asked me.
"Trying to get a mini background check." I replied, quietly.
Anna understood and went along with me.
"How long have they lived in this neighborhood?" she asked.
"Since they were married. They went on a small honeymoon and moved in here. Hans had everything planned out." the brunette replied.
"He comes from a good family, does he?" I asked, eyeing the large house.
The brunette bit her lip. "Well...define 'good'."
I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Well, he's had a really rough life. His father wasn't the best example, and sent him to boarding school when he was very young. When he was home, he spent most of his time roaming the halls of his mansion."
"Does his father own a business?" Anna asked.
"Yes. It's part of his family. They've had it for several years."
"How does he spend much of his time?" I asked.
"Well, he usually spends time with Elsa. He manages his business during the week and let's Eugene handle it on the weekends." the brunette replied, motioning towards her husband.
I wrote all this down and nodded as she spoke.
"Would you say that they get along well?" I asked.
"No marriage is perfect, but they definitely do their best. I know they really love each other."
Anna cleared her throat. "I noticed they have a couple of empty bedrooms rooms. No kids at all?"
The brunette bit her lip again and looked at her husband. He held her hand and spoke for her.
"Elsa can't have children." he said.
We were all silent for a moment, but I continued asking questions.
"Has she...struggled?" I asked.
"Of course." the brunette replied.
"How do you know?" I asked.
"Well, she talks about it with me all the time. They've tried, but the doctor's said it was pointless. It's very hard for her."
"Do you think she would...react negatively to that?" Anna asked.
The brunette shook her head. "No, never! If you're trying to say-"
"We're not saying anything, miss…" I motioned for her to tell me her name.
"Rapunzel." she said.
"Right. We're not trying to make any conclusions. We just want to get clues here." I said.
She nodded understandingly and held Eugene's hand tightly. Anna and I told them we'd come back the next day for more questions, and we left for the night. As we drove, Anna had theory rising up.
"The husband had to have done it." she said.
I shrugged. "That's my guess."
"But, how did he do it? The crime occurred very quickly. Rapunzel called a while after it happened."
"This one's going to be tough. We don't even have a description of the children. They were probably all in costumes, to make it any more difficult." I added.
Anna sighed. "We need more clues."
"We need answers."
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