Chapter Six
The police swarmed the house for the next three hours. They tapped the phone line and claimed the kitchen as their meeting place. Whenever the phone rang, Alissa's heart thumped in anticipation. Everyone would crowd around the speaker and computer in the kitchen and her mother would answer the phone in a shaky voice.
"This is Greenwood District High School," an electronic voice said. Everyone sighed in disappointment and walked away from the phone and the message that told Alissa and her parents or guardian that her report card would be coming home next week. She felt oddly guilty when this happened.
Her mother sat back down on the couch in the living room and rested her face in her hands. She had cried all the tears that she could possibly cry and now her face was just one huge blotch. She was in shock now. They all knew that the longer a child was missing, the less likely it was they would ever be found alive.
Alissa finally couldn't handle all the bustling activity downstairs so she went up to her room. She sat on her bed with the picture she had found in her coat pocket that morning clutched in her hand. She knew she should give it to the police but she didn't want to believe that someone could hurt Jeremy. She wanted to think he was at a friend's house. But his friends had all been called; he was nowhere to be found.
She walked back downstairs and found the officer in charge. She handed him the picture and told him where she found it.
"Why didn't you show us this earlier?" he demanded.
"I... I was--" she started.
"It doesn't matter, we need to get this to the lab," he muttered and hurried away. Alissa escaped back up the stairs. She didn't want to be down there to hear Jeremy was dead or injured somewhere and he would have been fine if she had only given them the picture earlier. She had to put that possibility out of her head.
She lay down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Tears dropped out of her eyes and rolled down her face and soaked into the pillow. Jeremy had to be okay. If he wasn't.... No, she couldn't think like that. He had to be okay.
She drifted off the sleep as the sun started to come up. She kept waking up to the sound of the phone ringing and the sounds of people scrambling around downstairs. She couldn't think about Jeremy anymore. It only brought the guilt back. It was like she was being pounded into the floor by a giant mallet over and over.
She didn't go to school that day. The phone kept ringing off the hook but no one came up to tell her brother had been found. She stayed in bed all day, hiding under the blankets.
There was a faint knock on the door around four o'clock. Alissa whipped the blanket off her head and her heart sped up to warp speed.
"Come in," she called. She hoped Jeremy's little head would poke in the door. She wanted to hear his laugh and hold him in her arms. But it was Ty that came in. He was frowning.
"Hi," he said.
"Hey," Alissa said lying back down. The tears flowed forth again.
Ty came over and sat on the edge of her bed. He took her hand gently and squeezed it.
"I'm so scared Ty," she said.
"I know Liss. But he's fine, I know they're going to find him," he assured her.
"I hope so," Alissa blubbered.
Ty climbed under the covers next to her and put his under her shoulders. He pulled her close to him and they just lay there for what felt like hours. The sun was starting to go down again when Alissa heard her a phone ring. It wasn't the house phone, it was too faint and it sounded close. Ty shifted and reached into his pocket. He pulled out his cell phone.
"Hello?" he answered it. His face wrinkled up in confusion and he handed the phone to Alissa.
"It's for you," he said.
"What? Who is it?" she asked.
"I don't know," he said.
Alissa took the phone from him. "Hello?"
"Alissa. I've missed you," the voice said. The connection was fuzzy. It sounded like the person was on the side of a highway as cars whizzed by.
"Who is this?" Alissa asked, her voice shaking.
"You know who it is," the voice said.
"Vincent? Do you have Jeremy?" Alissa blurted out. Ty stared at her in shock. Vincent was dead. He couldn't have her little brother. She knew he was dead. But who was on the phone
then?
"Your brother is safely in the McDonald's on 33rd and 9th," the voice said. Alissa didn't wait to hear the rest of the speech. She threw the phone down on the bed and ran down the stairs. She didn't even stop to tell the cops where she was going. She ran outside and down the street. The McDonalds wasn't far away, she could get there in five minutes.
"Alissa!" Ty's voice pierced the air.
She made it to the McDonalds in minutes and ran inside. There was Jeremy, sitting in a booth, eating a cheeseburger happy meal.
"Jeremy!" Alissa cried and scooped him up in her arms. She cried into his blond hair and shook violently.
"You made me drop my fries Alissa," he said, pushing against her to get away.
"Where have you been?" she asked.
The cops and her parents showed up a second later and Jeremy was whisked away from her. She couldn't stop crying for the rest of the night and Ty never left her side. The police questioned her fifty times and all the employees at McDonalds. It turned out Jeremy had been playing in the play place all afternoon and one of the managers gave him some food. They thought he had lost his parents. They were just about to call the police when Alissa found him.
Even though Alissa knew Jeremy wasn't hurt, this was too big a coincidence. Vincent or someone that knew about Vincent was involved in this. They had finally gone too far. She was going to find out who did this and she wasn't going to be easy on them.
The police swarmed the house for the next three hours. They tapped the phone line and claimed the kitchen as their meeting place. Whenever the phone rang, Alissa's heart thumped in anticipation. Everyone would crowd around the speaker and computer in the kitchen and her mother would answer the phone in a shaky voice.
"This is Greenwood District High School," an electronic voice said. Everyone sighed in disappointment and walked away from the phone and the message that told Alissa and her parents or guardian that her report card would be coming home next week. She felt oddly guilty when this happened.
Her mother sat back down on the couch in the living room and rested her face in her hands. She had cried all the tears that she could possibly cry and now her face was just one huge blotch. She was in shock now. They all knew that the longer a child was missing, the less likely it was they would ever be found alive.
Alissa finally couldn't handle all the bustling activity downstairs so she went up to her room. She sat on her bed with the picture she had found in her coat pocket that morning clutched in her hand. She knew she should give it to the police but she didn't want to believe that someone could hurt Jeremy. She wanted to think he was at a friend's house. But his friends had all been called; he was nowhere to be found.
She walked back downstairs and found the officer in charge. She handed him the picture and told him where she found it.
"Why didn't you show us this earlier?" he demanded.
"I... I was--" she started.
"It doesn't matter, we need to get this to the lab," he muttered and hurried away. Alissa escaped back up the stairs. She didn't want to be down there to hear Jeremy was dead or injured somewhere and he would have been fine if she had only given them the picture earlier. She had to put that possibility out of her head.
She lay down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Tears dropped out of her eyes and rolled down her face and soaked into the pillow. Jeremy had to be okay. If he wasn't.... No, she couldn't think like that. He had to be okay.
She drifted off the sleep as the sun started to come up. She kept waking up to the sound of the phone ringing and the sounds of people scrambling around downstairs. She couldn't think about Jeremy anymore. It only brought the guilt back. It was like she was being pounded into the floor by a giant mallet over and over.
She didn't go to school that day. The phone kept ringing off the hook but no one came up to tell her brother had been found. She stayed in bed all day, hiding under the blankets.
There was a faint knock on the door around four o'clock. Alissa whipped the blanket off her head and her heart sped up to warp speed.
"Come in," she called. She hoped Jeremy's little head would poke in the door. She wanted to hear his laugh and hold him in her arms. But it was Ty that came in. He was frowning.
"Hi," he said.
"Hey," Alissa said lying back down. The tears flowed forth again.
Ty came over and sat on the edge of her bed. He took her hand gently and squeezed it.
"I'm so scared Ty," she said.
"I know Liss. But he's fine, I know they're going to find him," he assured her.
"I hope so," Alissa blubbered.
Ty climbed under the covers next to her and put his under her shoulders. He pulled her close to him and they just lay there for what felt like hours. The sun was starting to go down again when Alissa heard her a phone ring. It wasn't the house phone, it was too faint and it sounded close. Ty shifted and reached into his pocket. He pulled out his cell phone.
"Hello?" he answered it. His face wrinkled up in confusion and he handed the phone to Alissa.
"It's for you," he said.
"What? Who is it?" she asked.
"I don't know," he said.
Alissa took the phone from him. "Hello?"
"Alissa. I've missed you," the voice said. The connection was fuzzy. It sounded like the person was on the side of a highway as cars whizzed by.
"Who is this?" Alissa asked, her voice shaking.
"You know who it is," the voice said.
"Vincent? Do you have Jeremy?" Alissa blurted out. Ty stared at her in shock. Vincent was dead. He couldn't have her little brother. She knew he was dead. But who was on the phone
then?
"Your brother is safely in the McDonald's on 33rd and 9th," the voice said. Alissa didn't wait to hear the rest of the speech. She threw the phone down on the bed and ran down the stairs. She didn't even stop to tell the cops where she was going. She ran outside and down the street. The McDonalds wasn't far away, she could get there in five minutes.
"Alissa!" Ty's voice pierced the air.
She made it to the McDonalds in minutes and ran inside. There was Jeremy, sitting in a booth, eating a cheeseburger happy meal.
"Jeremy!" Alissa cried and scooped him up in her arms. She cried into his blond hair and shook violently.
"You made me drop my fries Alissa," he said, pushing against her to get away.
"Where have you been?" she asked.
The cops and her parents showed up a second later and Jeremy was whisked away from her. She couldn't stop crying for the rest of the night and Ty never left her side. The police questioned her fifty times and all the employees at McDonalds. It turned out Jeremy had been playing in the play place all afternoon and one of the managers gave him some food. They thought he had lost his parents. They were just about to call the police when Alissa found him.
Even though Alissa knew Jeremy wasn't hurt, this was too big a coincidence. Vincent or someone that knew about Vincent was involved in this. They had finally gone too far. She was going to find out who did this and she wasn't going to be easy on them.