Ch.3
Disclaimer: I own nothing pertaining to Without a Trace.
Author's Note: I hope everyone is enjoying this. Please, please, please review. Thanks.
(FBI Interrogation Room)
"Keith Little," Jack begun the interview. "We were uh, looking at school records, and it appears that you and Melissa saw each other quite often."
"She needed someone to talk to," Keith said smoothly. "Things in her life haven't been perfect, and I helped her."
"Oh? How much so?" Samantha retorted.
"I reach out to all my students," he continued, a little more aggravated. "But I had nothing to do with her disappearance."
"You sure about that? You're the one most in contact with her at school, not to mention you have a black mustang." Jack accused.
"So what? Is it a crime to have a black car?"
"It might be if we have an eyewitness saying Melissa got willingly into one the day she disappeared." Samantha responded. Keith didn't move. He cleared his throat.
"Lately…she came to counseling more often. And then, about a week ago, she comes with this crazy plan to run away…"
(Flashback)
"C'mon, the plan is flawless. You come pick me up on my way home, and then buy me a bus ticket to California. I have the money." Melissa pleads with Keith Little.
"Melissa, look, this isn't a good idea. What about your father-" Keith began.
"My father hasn't given a crap about me since I was two." She argued. "I want to make my life better."
"Melissa," Keith tried to reason, "You are twelve years old. There is no possible way you can live in California by yourself."
"I have it taken care of," she replied quietly.
"What? You aren't going to live on the streets. Melissa took a deep breath.
"I'm going to live with my mother." Keith froze.
"Melissa," he said gently, "Your mother died during childbirth. There are records of it."
"No, I know she's alive, the records were wrong. I went on this website and found her. She contacted me." Melissa tried to shove a couple of letters to Keith, but he held back.
"Melissa, they're lying. They try to trick you-"
"NO!" Melissa yelled. "It's not true. You have to help me." She looked pleadingly at him. Keith sighed deeply.
(End Flashback)
"You agreed to buy her a ticket to California, where some bastard was probably waiting to take advantage of her?" Jack asked aghast.
"I…look, it doesn't matter. We never made it to the bus station."
"Why?" Samantha asked.
"She got cold feet. She asked me to just drop her off at Central Park. But then, she wanted to pay me, and I said no, but she insisted. She pulled out a bag full of cash from her backpack." Jack and Samantha looked curiously at Keith.
"About how much?"
"I don't really know, at least one-thousand." Samantha sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Yah, I know," he added at Samantha's response.
"Okay," Jack said, "anything else we should know?" Keith shook his head.
"Sorry, no. But really, I wouldn't be surprised if she went off still. She really got herself screwed, trying to be in the middle of everything."
"Some of us know what that's like," Jack said looking at Keith. Samantha's head shot up and eyed Jack. She seriously hoped he wasn't referring to herself.
Jack and Samantha walked back in to talk to the team.
"How'd it go?" Vivian asked.
"Keith Little says that he was going to take Melissa to the bus station so she could go to California and live with her "mother" that contacted her through one of those parent/child websites."
"You're kidding," Martin stated surprised.
"He also said," Samantha took over talking, "that she had about a thousand cash."
"Whoa," Danny said. "This kid definitely has issues."
"You can say that again." Martin laughed.
"This kid definitely has issues."
I have to end this here for now. I'll update very soon, I promise.
