A/N I do not own Hairspray or any of the characters.
Thank you all for your reviews and story alerts. I'm happy to see that my story is well received. I hope that you enjoy this chapter and please R/R...
2.
Edna sighed over the phone "Where could she be" she asked in a worried tone.
"I'll be over there in a few minutes Mrs. Turnblad" Link managed to say. He nearly dropped the phone while trying to hang it up. Once the phone was safely on its base he ran to his room and quickly got dressed in the slacks he had just taken off and his favorite gray shirt (the one that he wore while Tracy was marching).
He scribbled a quick note to his parents placing it on the kitchen table and dashed out the door to his car. Link sped over to Tracy's building in record time without trying to break too many speeding laws. He pulled up to the same curb as he did earlier and after shutting off the ignition ran up the stairs to Tracy's front door. On the top step Link noticed something sparkling out of the corner of his eye.
At first he thought that he was seeing things because he was tired but then he looked again. The object sparkled again. He walked over to the object and bent down. Picking it up Link found that he was holding Tracy's charm bracelet, the one he had won at the carnival. It looked like it had been ripped off in some sort of struggle. At that moment he felt something drop in the pit of his stomach. He nervously knocked and Edna opened the door.
"Oh Link, come in" she said moving so that he could walk in. Edna looked worried. Link walked in and sat down on the sofa. Wilbur was sitting in one of the chairs nearby. He looked tired and concerned for his daughter. Link imagined that he had a similar facial expression. He told Link that he had searched the Hardy-Har-Hut and around the building with no luck.
Link showed them the bracelet. "I found this out on the step. I won it for her at the carnival tonight. Wha what are we going to do?" he asked voice quivering.
"Maybe it just fell off" Edna replied but her face showed that Link's news disturbed her. "Do you think Penny has seen her" Edna asked trying to think of logical explanations for why Tracy wasn't there.
"Penny! He hadn't thought about that. She could've gone there!" Link responded jumping up. "May I use the phone" he asked. He put the bracelet in his pants pocket.
"Sure" Wilbur said handing him the phone. Link dialed Seaweeds number. After three rings Miss Maybelle answered.
"Oh hi Miss Maybelle, sorry to be calling so late but I was wondering if you have seen Tracy. I brought her home and hour ago and now she's missing" he told her.
"Tracy's missing too!" she exclaimed over the phone.
"What do you mean by too" he inquired.
"Well Inez never came home from the carnival. Her friend swears that she dropped her off a couple hours ago but her rooms empty and she's nowhere in sight." Maybelle continued.
Link looked at Edna and Wilbur who were watching him. "Inez is missing too" he mouthed to them. They looked even more worrisome. Maybelle was their friend and neither of them would want anything bad to happen to either Inez or Seaweed.
Link held the phone up to his ear listening to Maybelle for a couple more minutes before saying "goodbye" and hanging up the phone. He then turned to Edna and Wilbur.
"She told me that they are forming a search party to look for Inez and Tracy. We may join them. Everyone who wants to help is asked to meet up at the record store in half an hour" Link said repeating what he was just told.
"Doesn't that seem like a long time to wait before we start searching" Edna asked.
"Well they need to get everything organized hun" Wilbur answered.
"Well let me got get ready to go. Link you are welcomed to come as well" she replied.
"I appreciate that ma'am. I want to find Tracy" Link told her.
Edna bustled to her room to put on a proper dress and shoes since she was wearing a housecoat and slippers.
"Want to sit down son" Wilbur asked Link.
"I think that I might just walk around sir thank you" he responded. Wilbur nodded.
Link walked out of the living room and found his way to Tracy's room. He turned the light on and walked inside. The moment he did Tracy's scent immediately filled his nostrils. It was a combination of flowers and Ultra Clutch. His heart began to ache more upon smelling her scent. He then noticed that the teddy bear that he had given her for their first month anniversary was sitting next to her pillow. He had given her the bear because it resembled her for it had big brown eyes and was warm and cuddly. He sat down next to the bear and picked it up. Link hugged the bear imagining that it was Tracy.
"Where are you Trace? Will I ever see you again"He asked the empty room. His eyes started to get misty as he put the bear back down on the bed. It could never replace the real Tracy or her hugs. She would hug him with all of her being. He always felt her love shine through each hug that he received. Before he could have any more thoughts about Tracy hugs Edna called to him.
"Link we are leaving now, can we take your car"
"Sure ma'am, I'll be right out" he answered. Link stood up, wiped his eyes and walked to where Edna and Wilbur were waiting by the front door. He thought of all the times he had waited for Tracy to appear from the same hallway and his eyes started to get misty again. He willed himself to believe that he would see her again and that everything would be fine. All three of them walked to Links car and he opened the passenger side door. Wilbur slid in the back and Edna sat in front. Link practically jumped over the hood to the driver's side and slid in the seat. He started the ignition and drove to Maybelle's record store.
They arrived ten minutes later to a frenzied picture. All of the council members from the show, fans of the show and students from the school and their parents were all gathered around the store. Link even saw Corny there. Link got out of the car and opened Edna's door. He helped them get out and together they walked towards the middle of the attendees. Edna and Wilbur walked hand in hand. They found Maybelle, Seaweed and Penny.
Maybelle looked at the Turnblads "I'm so sorry to hear about Tracy. We will find her"
Edna turned to her "And we are sorry to hear about Inez, anything we can do to help"
"You being here is a great help" Maybelle responded
Seaweed stood by Link. Penny walked up to him and gave him a small hug "We will find her, I'm sure she's fine. She's a fighter" she told him. Penny then walked over to Seaweed and instinctively linked fingers with him. Link wished that he could do that with Tracy.
"We shall find Tracy and Inez" he told Seaweed and Penny. They both just nodded.
Link felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned. He saw Amber standing there next to Duane.
"I heard what happened to Tracy and Inez and I was wondering if we could help" she asked Link.
"I'd really appreciate that Amber, Duane" he replied.
"My mom is going to hand out assignments. We are to break up in small groups and search different areas. We can use all the help we can get" Seaweed said in Ambers direction.
Maybelle gathered everyone around her and started the search party by divvying out assignments of areas to search. Link, Seaweed, and Penny were to search the school and carnival, Corny, Maybelle, Edna and Wilbur were going to go to the studio. All of the other groups, mostly groups of three or four were given the park, the drive-in and other areas where Tracy and Inez might be to search. They all decided to meet back at the record store in a couple hours. Flashlights were handed out and the groups started walking towards their destinations. Link opened the door to his car and Seaweed slid in the backseat while Penny sat in the front. Link closed the door and hopped to the other side and slid in the driver's seat. He started the car and slowly drove to the school.
While the search parties were searching every square inch of Baltimore Tracy awoke to find herself with her hands tied behind her back sitting against a wall on a hard mattress. Her feet were also tied together. The room was dark and musty. She heard a moan close by.
"Hello, who's there" she asked.
"Tra Tracy is that you" the voice sounded familiar.
"Inez, are you ok" Tracy instantly asked.
"My hands and feet are tied and I'm a little shaken but otherwise I seem to be alright" Inez answered. "How bout yourself"
"The same" Tracy responded. She let her eyes get used to the dark for a couple minutes. She looked around the room and noticed Inez's outline a few feet to her right on another mattress. Inez was also leaning against a wall.
"What happened to us" Inez questioned.
"I'm not sure. The last thing I remember was Link dropping me off and walking in the door"
"I remember being dropped off at home and everything literally went black" Inez told her.
"Oh my god! Link! I hope he's alright. He must be going out of his mind wondering where we are" Tracy cried out after thinking of him.
"Shhh I'm sure that he's fine. I bet that he, Seaweed, Penny, your parents and momma are all searching for us now" Inez said.
"That wouldn't surprise me at all" Tracy told her trying to lighten the mood a bit.
"Yeah, momma is great at organizing big events" Inez added grinning a bit.
Both girls were silenced when they heard approaching footsteps. Tracy signaled Inez to act like they were still asleep. She nodded and they both leaned back against the wall and closed their eyes.
The door opened and they heard a male voice "I thought I heard some noises but they are still out cold" he said to another.
"Close the door and lock it just in case" a woman's voice told him.
Tracy heard the door closing and being locked. She turned to Inez and whispered.
"Inez, I know that voice. It's Velma Von Tussle!"
TBC...I know another cliffhanger but more will be on its way...
