Chapter 4: Disappearance
Thanks to everyone for the reviews!
Driving down Interstate 29, Shelley keeps looking in her rearview mirror and is relieved to find no one following her, and second, Ashley still unconscious in the back seat. Not that she could put up a fight or anything. She thought with a wicked gleam in her eye. She'd probably break a nail or something. Shelley laughed to herself. She had worked out each and every day of the twelve years she had spent incarcerated in that prison. Her body was toned and strengthened so much that she was not afraid to use it. Shelley had learned how to survive while in prison, and she intended to use those lessons to exact her revenge. She turned up the radio and relaxed as the next two hours flew by.
11:30 PM Monday night.
Shelley turns off the car lights and pulls up next to an old abandoned house. Shutting off the motor she grabbed the keys to the house and quickly found what she was looking for. Opening the cellar door she descended into the basement and prepared it for Ashley's stay, adding a blanket and gallons of water to ensure she stayed alive for as long as Shelley wanted. Satisfied, adrenaline rushed through her body as she raced up the stairs and outside to her car where Ashley was stowed away.
Removing the blanket, she could still see the girl was not awake. She pulled Ashley out of the car and removed the ropes from her ankles. Shelley grabbed under her arms and dragged her into the house and stopped at the basement door, when she felt the girl stirring.
"What is going on?" Ashley murmured as she tried to force her eyes to open. As she became more awake, she was aware of an intense headache and the feel of someone's arms around her. As she struggled to get away from her captor, she startled Shelley. Scared, Shelley pushed the girl down the stairs, locking the door firmly shut behind her. She leaned against the door trying to catch her breath. That was too close, She fumed.
Ashley landed with a painful thud on the dark and cold basement floor. She had fully awakened as her body had collided with each and every stair on her quick and awkward descent. She tried to focus her eyes amid the shadows in the room, the only light coming through a tiny cracked window six feet up on the wall. But the pain in her head proved too much and she grimaced as darkness overcame her once again, her body lying limp on the floor.
Shelley stayed at the door listening for any sounds to indicate any foolish attempts on Ashley's part to escape. She had chosen this location because of its remoteness and the basement had one door and a tiny window that no one could fit through. Deciding that all was quiet in the basement, she retired to her bedroom to rest up for what was sure to be another eventful day.
Tuesday, 10 am.
Kari walked down the street, excited to see Ashley and tell her all about her date last night. She practically floated towards Nonchalance but was surprised when she found it dark and locked. The closed sign still hung where Ashley had left it. She peered in the window, but could see no sign of her friend. She recalled how upset Ashley had been last night; she figured maybe she called out. Kari pulled out her cell phone and called their boss Marissa.
"Hello?" Marissa chirped as she answered the phone.
"Hey Marissa. It's Kari. I was wondering if Ashley had called out today?" She inquired of her boss.
"No. Why Kari?" Marissa responded, curious as to why Kari would think that.
"Well, I just got to the store. But no one's here. And the closed sign is still up." She declared, a bit worried now that Ashley hadn't called out, and wasn't at work.
"Hang on, I'll be right over." Marissa told her as she hung up the phone. She raced around the apartment looking for something to wear. She decided to call Ashley on her way to the store, to check and see if maybe she overslept. Ashley was her best employee, it was not like her not to show up. But Ashley didn't answer her phone, so Marissa didn't bother leaving a message.
Marissa was about to enter through the front door, when she decided instead to go around and enter in the back. When she walked into the parking lot, she was in shock. There in the parking lot was Ashley's yellow Volkswagen beetle. Upon closer inspection, she saw the keys in the car door. She turned around to go find Kari, but the girl had followed closely on her heels. Kari went white as a ghost when she too saw her friend's car abandoned. Marissa escorted Kari into the store and called the police immediately.
At the police station.
"Johnson!" Captain Harris hollered down the hallway. TJ jumped to his feet and hurried to see what his boss wanted. The captain ushered him inside and closed the door behind him.
"What is it Captain?" TJ inquired, curious as to why he had called him so urgently.
"I just got a call from a woman downtown. She said her employee never showed up to open the store this morning." Captain Harris explained slowly. Sympathetically he continued, "I'm afraid it has to do with your friend who was here yesterday."
"Ashley?" TJ whispered in disbelief. Captain Harris nodded his confirmation. "The lady said her car was still in the parking lot, and her keys were in the car door."
"Do you suspect foul play?" TJ wanted to know, needed to know.
"That's what we're going to find out. Are you up to working on this investigation?" His boss questioned him seriously, looking TJ right in the eyes.
TJ shook off his shock. He had to help Ashley. He nodded his acceptance of the assignment. Captain Harris gathered up another team, and soon they were on their way downtown.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Who called this in?" Captain Harris asked as he entered the boutique to gather information.
"I did." Marissa stated quietly as the policemen filtered into her store. "Ashley was supposed to open this morning, but when Kari got here, no one was here." She explained.
"And she's not at home?" The captain questioned.
"I called her but no one answered." Marissa admitted.
"She was staying with me." TJ confessed. "I'll call and see if she's there." He volunteered quickly.
"Don't bother TJ. It would be quite a walk to your place from here, since her car is still here. Let's take a look at it first and see if we find any clues." Captain Harris decided firmly, suspecting that the girl had been a victim of violence, as he led the way out to the parking lot. He approached the car and set his men to look for clues in the parking lot.
"I found something!" Lt. Gibson shouted from a few feet away. "Bring me an evidence bag." He called to TJ. TJ hurried over with a plastic bag, with the Captain right behind him.
"A brick. Are you sure it's evidence?" He quizzed the Lieutenant doubtfully. Lt. Gibson turned it over carefully to reveal a stain of blood on the bottom corner. He gave his approval to place the brick in the bag, and the other officers hurried off to find more clues as to Ashley's strange disappearance. The appearance of the brick gave them hope that more evidence would be found.
TJ stared at the pavement as he followed the scuffmarks away from the car. "Where could she have gone?" he thought to himself as he looked for markings of another car that would have taken her away.
"Anything Johnson?" Captain Harris questioned the young officer. "It seems that the assailant used the brick as a weapon to knock her unconscious and dragged her away from her car." He theorized, they couldn't be certain until the blood was tested from the brick. "I just don't know where she was dragged to. There is no evidence of another car being in the parking lot." He declared frustrated.
"Maybe she was carried out?" Lt. Gibson suggested. "Or maybe the assailant took her through the wooded area over there." Officer Kaplan volunteered even as he made his way to the far side of the parking lot. Taking out his flashlight, he began a spot search for any traces of Ashley in the woods. TJ rushed to follow him, hoping to find anything that would help him find Ashley.
There were a few minutes of fruitless searching until Officer Jones shouted back to TJ, "Was she wearing a yellow sweater yesterday?" TJ's mind raced to recall what she had been wearing when he saw her off the morning before. He took a deep breath and soon he remembered her exact outfit. "She was wearing white Capri's with yellow, black, and blue stripes, a yellow tank top and a yellow sweater." He informed his fellow officers.
"You better come check this out." Officer Jones called out and TJ hurried to inspect his findings. TJ stopped in horror when he spotted a small patch of yellow fabric snagged on a tree branch on the ground. He knelt down and gently pulled it away and placed it into an evidence bag. A few more minutes of searching turned up no new clues, so they headed back to the boutique.
"Is there anyone who would have a grudge against Ashley? Anyone come looking for her?" Captain Harris probed the two girls. Marissa was about to answer No, when Kari jumped in with some information.
"I was working yesterday, and some lady came in looking for Ashley. She asked me when she would be working and I told her she was closing." Kari confessed as she began to cry, upset that she might be somewhat responsible for her friend going missing.
"It's okay miss. She may or may not have anything to do with Ashley's appearance. And even if she did, it isn't your fault for telling her Ashley's schedule." The captain assured the distressed girl. He turned to Marissa, "Do you have any security videos in your store?" Marissa nodded and went to the back room to eject the tape from the VCR.
When she returned she placed it in the bag that TJ held open for her. Captain Harris hung up his phone. "The tow truck is coming down to pick up Ashley's car, we'll keep it at the impound until she gets back." He informed his officers, and they politely said their goodbyes to Kari and Marissa as they left.
"You'll tell me if you find anything right?" Kari pleaded with TJ before he left. "If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know." TJ nodded solemnly as he finally left.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ He sat in the car with his partner Lt. Gibson, but he was quiet all the way to the station. How the hell was he going to explain this to Mr. Hammond and Jeff? Not to mention to Andros and the others. His partner noticed his silence and commented, "We're going to get her back TJ." "I know Chris." He agreed quickly and Lt. Gibson didn't say another word all the way back to the station, allowing TJ to think about the situation and clear his head.
The forensics team was already waiting for them in the crime lab when they arrived. Dr. Murphy quickly took the evidence they had collected and began looking for DNA to verify that Ashley's blood was on the brick.
Calvin, the technology expert on the force, scanned the video through the citizens' databank on the computer to find a match for the woman on the video.
The next fifteen minutes seemed like an eternity to TJ. The clues that they had found could be very valuable or totally worthless. He quickly finished his third cup of coffee, when Dr. Murphy came in with his results.
"The blood on the brick is 100% verified as Ashley Hammond's." He announced to the group of officers assigned to the case. TJ sighed in relief that they knew for sure how she had been taken. Now they just had to figure out, who took her, where they took her, and why they took her.
Hope was dashed when Calvin declared a few moments later, "We could not find a match for the woman on the video anywhere in our databanks." TJ leaned on the desk in front of him, placing his hands over his face. The question who could have done this ran through his mind, as his brain raced to make sense of the facts that they knew.
"Johnson!" The clerk called as he raced into the crime lab. TJ looked up to see Jeremy racing towards him with a paper in his hand. "This fax just came in from Dover. Shelley Martinson has escaped from the prison." TJ stared at the fax in shock. Ashley was right, and now he had the proof.
"Who's this Martinson woman?" Captain Harris demanded to know as he approached TJ's desk.
"She was Ashley's stepmother. She was put away 12 years ago for child abuse, and for killing her three year old daughter." TJ explained.
"Do you think she's the one responsible for your friend's disappearance?" He questioned the young officer seriously.
TJ nodded. "Ashley told me that she had seen her around town, and there had been a number of disturbing incidents that would give her claim credence." He informed the group and they set into action a plan to investigate Shelley Martinson as the main suspect in the Ashley Hammond disappearance case.
"Kaplan and Jones, you two go to Dover and interview the warden and anyone who knew Ms. Martinson." Captain Harris commanded as he gave out case assignments. The two officers left immediately as the Captain continued. "Murphy, get a picture of Ms. Martinson and see if it matches the woman on the surveillance tape."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ashley woke up the glare of the sun beaming down on her from the barred window above. Blinking her eyes and forcing them open, her body protested when she tried to move. "What the hell?" she thought as her eyes opened wide and she took in her strange surroundings. "Where am I? What happened?" She tried to push herself up into a sitting position, but her arms refused to hold the weight and they buckled and she fell back onto the floor. Pain shot through her left wrist and up her arm, as she fought back the tears. "You can't cry now Ash. You got to be strong." She reminded herself. Trying again, she ignored the pain in her wrist and got herself up onto her knees. She crawled until her back was against the wall and looked around. The place certainly seemed familiar, but she didn't know why.
It was a small basement with just the one window and one door. In the corner was a toilet and sink and not much else to fill the room. Ashley closed her eyes as her head began to spin as a massive headache pulsated through her head. She didn't even hear the door open and the person coming down the stairs.
"You're awake I see." The woman laughed as she carried down a tray of toast and juice and setting it in front of her prisoner.
Ashley just stared at the woman in horror, much to the woman's delight. "Shelley?" she whispered in shock. "I knew I saw you." She declared in disgust. "Why are you doing this?" the girl demanded to know.
"Come on Ashley. I know you're not that stupid. I've been locked up in a horrible prison for twelve years. I want my revenge. Now you're going to know what it's like to be imprisoned against your will." Shelley avowed firmly.
"The only difference is you deserved it!" Ashley shouted at her captor. Shelley laughed at her bravado.
"Doesn't matter now, does it Ashley? I'm free and you're not." Shelley taunted her as she turned to go up the stairs.
Ashley answered back. "Not for long. My friends will find me and you'll be back in prison." She stated more optimistically than she felt.
"Oh you think so? Would those friends be the ones who thought you were crazy? They didn't believe you; they probably won't even miss you. And that boyfriend of yours, excuse me, ex-boyfriend will probably find another girlfriend before the week is out. So believe what you want, but they won't find you. NO one will." Shelley stormed up the stairs, leaving Ashley steaming below.
"You might have hurt me when I was 7, but I'll be damned if I let you hurt me again. This time I'm going to fight back." Ashley vowed to herself as she began to consume her breakfast, to keep her strength up. She would find a way out of here; she would just have to be patient. She knew she would only get one chance, and she'd have to make it count.
Tuesday, 1 pm
"Lt. Gibson, and Lt. Kirk, investigate Ashley's claims and get as much evidence as you can that would connect them to Ms. Martinson. And see if you can out where she was staying." Captain Harris assigned the next two officers.
"TJ, are you up to going with me to see Ashley's family?" Captain Harris asked the young officer. TJ complied with his request, though he was dreading it. But duty called and he had to fulfill his obligations to the law and to his friend.
"TJ!" Jeff said in surprise as he opened the door to see his friend. TJ didn't respond as enthusiastically, and Jeff understood when he opened the door further to reveal the police captain standing next to him. He quickly invited the two policemen inside as he went to retrieve his father from his office.
The two male Hammonds sat on the couch in the living room as TJ and Captain Harris informed them of the situation.
"We found Ashley's car abandoned at work this morning. Her keys were in the door but she was no where to be found." TJ began as Jeff and Mr. Hammond listened in disbelief. "We have conclusive evidence that Ashley was involved in foul play, as there was a brick in the parking lot with her blood on it." He continued as gently as possible.
"Oh my god." Mr. Hammond murmured. Jeff interrupted TJ before he could speak again, "Do you have any idea who did it?" He asked quietly.
TJ looked uncomfortable and Jeff could feel his heart stop as he waited for his friend to answer. "Yes. We got a fax this morning from Dover Psychiatric prison confirming the escape of one of their inmates, Shelley Martinson."
Jeff looked like he was going to be sick. "She was right. Ashley was right." He said to himself in complete disbelief. Mr. Hammond simply sat there, not moving.
Captain Harris informed the distraught pair. "We are doing everything in our power to find her and bring her back safely. Her return is our topmost priority."
"What do we do now?" Mr. Hammond wanted to know.
"I'm afraid the only thing for you to do now is wait. We'll work as hard as we can to find her." Captain Harris said sympathetically. Mr. Hammond nodded.
"Who's going to tell everyone else?" Jeff wondered. TJ answered him, knowing Jeff hadn't been asking the question to anyone, but had pity on Ashley's brother and replied, "I'll take care of it Jeff." Jeff looked relieved, he didn't think he could stomach the idea of having to tell her friends; he was still in too much shock himself.
Adam was sitting at his desk in the office he shared with Jason and Tommy when the phone rang." Hello. Triple Dragon Dojo, Adam speaking." He said excited, hoping it was his wife calling.
"Hey Adam. It's TJ. Were you hoping it was someone else?" He questioned with a laugh. Adam laughed, a bit embarrassed. "Maybe. What's going on TJ?"
"I'm afraid it's something serious Adam. I need your help." TJ explained gravely to his old friend.
"What is it TJ?" Adam inquired worried. TJ was almost never serious. "Can you get a hold of all the rangers and meet me at Kat's café at 4pm?" TJ questioned. "Yeah sure TJ. We'll be there." Adam confirmed. He was curious as to why the need to gather all the rangers.
"Was that Kat on the phone?" Jason teased Adam as he hung up the phone. Jason put his folder on the desk and awaited a reply to his question. Adam turned around slowly, and looked at Jason. "No, it was TJ. He needs us to get a hold of everybody and meet him at Kat's at 4pm." He informed his co- owner.
"Did he say what about?" Jason said, confused as to what was going on. "No." Adam replied. "But it sounds serious." Jason nodded. "Alright then. I'll call the original group, Tommy will call the Zeo team and can you call the Astro team." Jason delegated as he went back into the Dojo to tell Tommy what was going on. He got the other karate teachers to cover their classes so they could attend the meeting.
Tuesday, 4PM
"Does anyone know what this is all about?" Rocky wondered aloud to the group of former rangers gathered at the café. Rocky, Aisha, and Tanya were seated at one table next to Adam and Kat, and Tommy and Kim. Jason sat with Billy, Trini, and Zach. Carlos and Justin came in next followed by Cassie.
"I have no idea. TJ sounded like it was serious." Adam informed the group. "It's almost 4pm now, I'm sure he'll be here soon to tell us what's going on." Just then the last two rangers entered, Andros and Zhane.
"What's going on?" Andros demanded as he entered the café. "I'm afraid we don't know any more than you do." Carlos replied as the two Kerovians joined him and Justin and Cassie.
"Here's TJ now." Jason announced to the group. The café went silent as TJ made his way in and to the front of the group. Zhane noticed how uncomfortable he looked, how he was afraid to make eye contact with any of them. 'This must be really bad.' He thought to himself as he waited patiently for TJ to begin.
TJ stood at the front of the group and took a deep breath to collect his thoughts. He still couldn't believe what he had to tell the others His hands were shaking he was so nervous, he felt like he was going to be sick. Still, he had to be strong for the others and Ashley. Finally he spoke, "Thanks for coming here on such short notice. The reason I called you all here, is because as of 3 o'clock this afternoon, Ashley Hammond was officially declared missing."
Thanks to everyone for the reviews!
Driving down Interstate 29, Shelley keeps looking in her rearview mirror and is relieved to find no one following her, and second, Ashley still unconscious in the back seat. Not that she could put up a fight or anything. She thought with a wicked gleam in her eye. She'd probably break a nail or something. Shelley laughed to herself. She had worked out each and every day of the twelve years she had spent incarcerated in that prison. Her body was toned and strengthened so much that she was not afraid to use it. Shelley had learned how to survive while in prison, and she intended to use those lessons to exact her revenge. She turned up the radio and relaxed as the next two hours flew by.
11:30 PM Monday night.
Shelley turns off the car lights and pulls up next to an old abandoned house. Shutting off the motor she grabbed the keys to the house and quickly found what she was looking for. Opening the cellar door she descended into the basement and prepared it for Ashley's stay, adding a blanket and gallons of water to ensure she stayed alive for as long as Shelley wanted. Satisfied, adrenaline rushed through her body as she raced up the stairs and outside to her car where Ashley was stowed away.
Removing the blanket, she could still see the girl was not awake. She pulled Ashley out of the car and removed the ropes from her ankles. Shelley grabbed under her arms and dragged her into the house and stopped at the basement door, when she felt the girl stirring.
"What is going on?" Ashley murmured as she tried to force her eyes to open. As she became more awake, she was aware of an intense headache and the feel of someone's arms around her. As she struggled to get away from her captor, she startled Shelley. Scared, Shelley pushed the girl down the stairs, locking the door firmly shut behind her. She leaned against the door trying to catch her breath. That was too close, She fumed.
Ashley landed with a painful thud on the dark and cold basement floor. She had fully awakened as her body had collided with each and every stair on her quick and awkward descent. She tried to focus her eyes amid the shadows in the room, the only light coming through a tiny cracked window six feet up on the wall. But the pain in her head proved too much and she grimaced as darkness overcame her once again, her body lying limp on the floor.
Shelley stayed at the door listening for any sounds to indicate any foolish attempts on Ashley's part to escape. She had chosen this location because of its remoteness and the basement had one door and a tiny window that no one could fit through. Deciding that all was quiet in the basement, she retired to her bedroom to rest up for what was sure to be another eventful day.
Tuesday, 10 am.
Kari walked down the street, excited to see Ashley and tell her all about her date last night. She practically floated towards Nonchalance but was surprised when she found it dark and locked. The closed sign still hung where Ashley had left it. She peered in the window, but could see no sign of her friend. She recalled how upset Ashley had been last night; she figured maybe she called out. Kari pulled out her cell phone and called their boss Marissa.
"Hello?" Marissa chirped as she answered the phone.
"Hey Marissa. It's Kari. I was wondering if Ashley had called out today?" She inquired of her boss.
"No. Why Kari?" Marissa responded, curious as to why Kari would think that.
"Well, I just got to the store. But no one's here. And the closed sign is still up." She declared, a bit worried now that Ashley hadn't called out, and wasn't at work.
"Hang on, I'll be right over." Marissa told her as she hung up the phone. She raced around the apartment looking for something to wear. She decided to call Ashley on her way to the store, to check and see if maybe she overslept. Ashley was her best employee, it was not like her not to show up. But Ashley didn't answer her phone, so Marissa didn't bother leaving a message.
Marissa was about to enter through the front door, when she decided instead to go around and enter in the back. When she walked into the parking lot, she was in shock. There in the parking lot was Ashley's yellow Volkswagen beetle. Upon closer inspection, she saw the keys in the car door. She turned around to go find Kari, but the girl had followed closely on her heels. Kari went white as a ghost when she too saw her friend's car abandoned. Marissa escorted Kari into the store and called the police immediately.
At the police station.
"Johnson!" Captain Harris hollered down the hallway. TJ jumped to his feet and hurried to see what his boss wanted. The captain ushered him inside and closed the door behind him.
"What is it Captain?" TJ inquired, curious as to why he had called him so urgently.
"I just got a call from a woman downtown. She said her employee never showed up to open the store this morning." Captain Harris explained slowly. Sympathetically he continued, "I'm afraid it has to do with your friend who was here yesterday."
"Ashley?" TJ whispered in disbelief. Captain Harris nodded his confirmation. "The lady said her car was still in the parking lot, and her keys were in the car door."
"Do you suspect foul play?" TJ wanted to know, needed to know.
"That's what we're going to find out. Are you up to working on this investigation?" His boss questioned him seriously, looking TJ right in the eyes.
TJ shook off his shock. He had to help Ashley. He nodded his acceptance of the assignment. Captain Harris gathered up another team, and soon they were on their way downtown.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Who called this in?" Captain Harris asked as he entered the boutique to gather information.
"I did." Marissa stated quietly as the policemen filtered into her store. "Ashley was supposed to open this morning, but when Kari got here, no one was here." She explained.
"And she's not at home?" The captain questioned.
"I called her but no one answered." Marissa admitted.
"She was staying with me." TJ confessed. "I'll call and see if she's there." He volunteered quickly.
"Don't bother TJ. It would be quite a walk to your place from here, since her car is still here. Let's take a look at it first and see if we find any clues." Captain Harris decided firmly, suspecting that the girl had been a victim of violence, as he led the way out to the parking lot. He approached the car and set his men to look for clues in the parking lot.
"I found something!" Lt. Gibson shouted from a few feet away. "Bring me an evidence bag." He called to TJ. TJ hurried over with a plastic bag, with the Captain right behind him.
"A brick. Are you sure it's evidence?" He quizzed the Lieutenant doubtfully. Lt. Gibson turned it over carefully to reveal a stain of blood on the bottom corner. He gave his approval to place the brick in the bag, and the other officers hurried off to find more clues as to Ashley's strange disappearance. The appearance of the brick gave them hope that more evidence would be found.
TJ stared at the pavement as he followed the scuffmarks away from the car. "Where could she have gone?" he thought to himself as he looked for markings of another car that would have taken her away.
"Anything Johnson?" Captain Harris questioned the young officer. "It seems that the assailant used the brick as a weapon to knock her unconscious and dragged her away from her car." He theorized, they couldn't be certain until the blood was tested from the brick. "I just don't know where she was dragged to. There is no evidence of another car being in the parking lot." He declared frustrated.
"Maybe she was carried out?" Lt. Gibson suggested. "Or maybe the assailant took her through the wooded area over there." Officer Kaplan volunteered even as he made his way to the far side of the parking lot. Taking out his flashlight, he began a spot search for any traces of Ashley in the woods. TJ rushed to follow him, hoping to find anything that would help him find Ashley.
There were a few minutes of fruitless searching until Officer Jones shouted back to TJ, "Was she wearing a yellow sweater yesterday?" TJ's mind raced to recall what she had been wearing when he saw her off the morning before. He took a deep breath and soon he remembered her exact outfit. "She was wearing white Capri's with yellow, black, and blue stripes, a yellow tank top and a yellow sweater." He informed his fellow officers.
"You better come check this out." Officer Jones called out and TJ hurried to inspect his findings. TJ stopped in horror when he spotted a small patch of yellow fabric snagged on a tree branch on the ground. He knelt down and gently pulled it away and placed it into an evidence bag. A few more minutes of searching turned up no new clues, so they headed back to the boutique.
"Is there anyone who would have a grudge against Ashley? Anyone come looking for her?" Captain Harris probed the two girls. Marissa was about to answer No, when Kari jumped in with some information.
"I was working yesterday, and some lady came in looking for Ashley. She asked me when she would be working and I told her she was closing." Kari confessed as she began to cry, upset that she might be somewhat responsible for her friend going missing.
"It's okay miss. She may or may not have anything to do with Ashley's appearance. And even if she did, it isn't your fault for telling her Ashley's schedule." The captain assured the distressed girl. He turned to Marissa, "Do you have any security videos in your store?" Marissa nodded and went to the back room to eject the tape from the VCR.
When she returned she placed it in the bag that TJ held open for her. Captain Harris hung up his phone. "The tow truck is coming down to pick up Ashley's car, we'll keep it at the impound until she gets back." He informed his officers, and they politely said their goodbyes to Kari and Marissa as they left.
"You'll tell me if you find anything right?" Kari pleaded with TJ before he left. "If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know." TJ nodded solemnly as he finally left.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ He sat in the car with his partner Lt. Gibson, but he was quiet all the way to the station. How the hell was he going to explain this to Mr. Hammond and Jeff? Not to mention to Andros and the others. His partner noticed his silence and commented, "We're going to get her back TJ." "I know Chris." He agreed quickly and Lt. Gibson didn't say another word all the way back to the station, allowing TJ to think about the situation and clear his head.
The forensics team was already waiting for them in the crime lab when they arrived. Dr. Murphy quickly took the evidence they had collected and began looking for DNA to verify that Ashley's blood was on the brick.
Calvin, the technology expert on the force, scanned the video through the citizens' databank on the computer to find a match for the woman on the video.
The next fifteen minutes seemed like an eternity to TJ. The clues that they had found could be very valuable or totally worthless. He quickly finished his third cup of coffee, when Dr. Murphy came in with his results.
"The blood on the brick is 100% verified as Ashley Hammond's." He announced to the group of officers assigned to the case. TJ sighed in relief that they knew for sure how she had been taken. Now they just had to figure out, who took her, where they took her, and why they took her.
Hope was dashed when Calvin declared a few moments later, "We could not find a match for the woman on the video anywhere in our databanks." TJ leaned on the desk in front of him, placing his hands over his face. The question who could have done this ran through his mind, as his brain raced to make sense of the facts that they knew.
"Johnson!" The clerk called as he raced into the crime lab. TJ looked up to see Jeremy racing towards him with a paper in his hand. "This fax just came in from Dover. Shelley Martinson has escaped from the prison." TJ stared at the fax in shock. Ashley was right, and now he had the proof.
"Who's this Martinson woman?" Captain Harris demanded to know as he approached TJ's desk.
"She was Ashley's stepmother. She was put away 12 years ago for child abuse, and for killing her three year old daughter." TJ explained.
"Do you think she's the one responsible for your friend's disappearance?" He questioned the young officer seriously.
TJ nodded. "Ashley told me that she had seen her around town, and there had been a number of disturbing incidents that would give her claim credence." He informed the group and they set into action a plan to investigate Shelley Martinson as the main suspect in the Ashley Hammond disappearance case.
"Kaplan and Jones, you two go to Dover and interview the warden and anyone who knew Ms. Martinson." Captain Harris commanded as he gave out case assignments. The two officers left immediately as the Captain continued. "Murphy, get a picture of Ms. Martinson and see if it matches the woman on the surveillance tape."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ashley woke up the glare of the sun beaming down on her from the barred window above. Blinking her eyes and forcing them open, her body protested when she tried to move. "What the hell?" she thought as her eyes opened wide and she took in her strange surroundings. "Where am I? What happened?" She tried to push herself up into a sitting position, but her arms refused to hold the weight and they buckled and she fell back onto the floor. Pain shot through her left wrist and up her arm, as she fought back the tears. "You can't cry now Ash. You got to be strong." She reminded herself. Trying again, she ignored the pain in her wrist and got herself up onto her knees. She crawled until her back was against the wall and looked around. The place certainly seemed familiar, but she didn't know why.
It was a small basement with just the one window and one door. In the corner was a toilet and sink and not much else to fill the room. Ashley closed her eyes as her head began to spin as a massive headache pulsated through her head. She didn't even hear the door open and the person coming down the stairs.
"You're awake I see." The woman laughed as she carried down a tray of toast and juice and setting it in front of her prisoner.
Ashley just stared at the woman in horror, much to the woman's delight. "Shelley?" she whispered in shock. "I knew I saw you." She declared in disgust. "Why are you doing this?" the girl demanded to know.
"Come on Ashley. I know you're not that stupid. I've been locked up in a horrible prison for twelve years. I want my revenge. Now you're going to know what it's like to be imprisoned against your will." Shelley avowed firmly.
"The only difference is you deserved it!" Ashley shouted at her captor. Shelley laughed at her bravado.
"Doesn't matter now, does it Ashley? I'm free and you're not." Shelley taunted her as she turned to go up the stairs.
Ashley answered back. "Not for long. My friends will find me and you'll be back in prison." She stated more optimistically than she felt.
"Oh you think so? Would those friends be the ones who thought you were crazy? They didn't believe you; they probably won't even miss you. And that boyfriend of yours, excuse me, ex-boyfriend will probably find another girlfriend before the week is out. So believe what you want, but they won't find you. NO one will." Shelley stormed up the stairs, leaving Ashley steaming below.
"You might have hurt me when I was 7, but I'll be damned if I let you hurt me again. This time I'm going to fight back." Ashley vowed to herself as she began to consume her breakfast, to keep her strength up. She would find a way out of here; she would just have to be patient. She knew she would only get one chance, and she'd have to make it count.
Tuesday, 1 pm
"Lt. Gibson, and Lt. Kirk, investigate Ashley's claims and get as much evidence as you can that would connect them to Ms. Martinson. And see if you can out where she was staying." Captain Harris assigned the next two officers.
"TJ, are you up to going with me to see Ashley's family?" Captain Harris asked the young officer. TJ complied with his request, though he was dreading it. But duty called and he had to fulfill his obligations to the law and to his friend.
"TJ!" Jeff said in surprise as he opened the door to see his friend. TJ didn't respond as enthusiastically, and Jeff understood when he opened the door further to reveal the police captain standing next to him. He quickly invited the two policemen inside as he went to retrieve his father from his office.
The two male Hammonds sat on the couch in the living room as TJ and Captain Harris informed them of the situation.
"We found Ashley's car abandoned at work this morning. Her keys were in the door but she was no where to be found." TJ began as Jeff and Mr. Hammond listened in disbelief. "We have conclusive evidence that Ashley was involved in foul play, as there was a brick in the parking lot with her blood on it." He continued as gently as possible.
"Oh my god." Mr. Hammond murmured. Jeff interrupted TJ before he could speak again, "Do you have any idea who did it?" He asked quietly.
TJ looked uncomfortable and Jeff could feel his heart stop as he waited for his friend to answer. "Yes. We got a fax this morning from Dover Psychiatric prison confirming the escape of one of their inmates, Shelley Martinson."
Jeff looked like he was going to be sick. "She was right. Ashley was right." He said to himself in complete disbelief. Mr. Hammond simply sat there, not moving.
Captain Harris informed the distraught pair. "We are doing everything in our power to find her and bring her back safely. Her return is our topmost priority."
"What do we do now?" Mr. Hammond wanted to know.
"I'm afraid the only thing for you to do now is wait. We'll work as hard as we can to find her." Captain Harris said sympathetically. Mr. Hammond nodded.
"Who's going to tell everyone else?" Jeff wondered. TJ answered him, knowing Jeff hadn't been asking the question to anyone, but had pity on Ashley's brother and replied, "I'll take care of it Jeff." Jeff looked relieved, he didn't think he could stomach the idea of having to tell her friends; he was still in too much shock himself.
Adam was sitting at his desk in the office he shared with Jason and Tommy when the phone rang." Hello. Triple Dragon Dojo, Adam speaking." He said excited, hoping it was his wife calling.
"Hey Adam. It's TJ. Were you hoping it was someone else?" He questioned with a laugh. Adam laughed, a bit embarrassed. "Maybe. What's going on TJ?"
"I'm afraid it's something serious Adam. I need your help." TJ explained gravely to his old friend.
"What is it TJ?" Adam inquired worried. TJ was almost never serious. "Can you get a hold of all the rangers and meet me at Kat's café at 4pm?" TJ questioned. "Yeah sure TJ. We'll be there." Adam confirmed. He was curious as to why the need to gather all the rangers.
"Was that Kat on the phone?" Jason teased Adam as he hung up the phone. Jason put his folder on the desk and awaited a reply to his question. Adam turned around slowly, and looked at Jason. "No, it was TJ. He needs us to get a hold of everybody and meet him at Kat's at 4pm." He informed his co- owner.
"Did he say what about?" Jason said, confused as to what was going on. "No." Adam replied. "But it sounds serious." Jason nodded. "Alright then. I'll call the original group, Tommy will call the Zeo team and can you call the Astro team." Jason delegated as he went back into the Dojo to tell Tommy what was going on. He got the other karate teachers to cover their classes so they could attend the meeting.
Tuesday, 4PM
"Does anyone know what this is all about?" Rocky wondered aloud to the group of former rangers gathered at the café. Rocky, Aisha, and Tanya were seated at one table next to Adam and Kat, and Tommy and Kim. Jason sat with Billy, Trini, and Zach. Carlos and Justin came in next followed by Cassie.
"I have no idea. TJ sounded like it was serious." Adam informed the group. "It's almost 4pm now, I'm sure he'll be here soon to tell us what's going on." Just then the last two rangers entered, Andros and Zhane.
"What's going on?" Andros demanded as he entered the café. "I'm afraid we don't know any more than you do." Carlos replied as the two Kerovians joined him and Justin and Cassie.
"Here's TJ now." Jason announced to the group. The café went silent as TJ made his way in and to the front of the group. Zhane noticed how uncomfortable he looked, how he was afraid to make eye contact with any of them. 'This must be really bad.' He thought to himself as he waited patiently for TJ to begin.
TJ stood at the front of the group and took a deep breath to collect his thoughts. He still couldn't believe what he had to tell the others His hands were shaking he was so nervous, he felt like he was going to be sick. Still, he had to be strong for the others and Ashley. Finally he spoke, "Thanks for coming here on such short notice. The reason I called you all here, is because as of 3 o'clock this afternoon, Ashley Hammond was officially declared missing."
