Instant Star- Rise Of The Next Generation
Chapter 17- Whisper To A Scream
Another hour passed as the unmarked van careened recklessly, speeding towards its destination. The two men inside allowed themselves just one brief stop, attending to a small, but critical detail of their plan. Immediately afterwards, their treacherous drive resumed.
Meanwhile, at the Quincy residence, Tommy, Jude and Patrick tried to quell their rising nerves, which were rapidly escalating into full-blown panic.
"What if something happened..." Jude's horrified voice whispered yet again. It was an unbearable thought, but one that they all possessed.
Patrick again tried both Ruby's and Stacie's cell phones.
"No answer. Still." he commented for what seemed like the millionth time that night.
"Dammit! Where the hell is that kid?" Tommy finally exploded.
"Anyone else we can call?" Jude wondered out loud.
Hearing his wife's sensible suggestion, Tommy managed to pull himself together somewhat.
"Yeah. First, I'll try Quest. He worked with her this afternoon."
"Maybe she's even there... Although she hasn't really been hanging out with Caitlin lately..." Jude replied.
"Long shot. But it's worth a try..."
Pressing a single button on his cell phone connected him to his long time wingman.
"Hello" Quest's voice answered.
"Hey, what time did you and Ruby finish today?" Tommy demanded, without preamble.
"Actually, we knocked off a bit early, just before 6:00. I had some stuff to deal with. Why?" Quest asked, with his characteristic directness.
"She's not home yet..."
"Yeah. And you're worried..."
"We all are. She's never been late like this before..."
"Oh, man. I wish I could help you. But I have no idea where she is. I'm sorry." Quest said sincerely.
"But stay loose. There's probably a rational explanation." he added.
"That's what we're hoping..." Tommy's voice drifted off.
"Let me know when she turns up"
"Thanks, man"
He turned to his family, who easily interpreted the disappointed look on his face.
"Nothing" Jude said, verbalizing the dejection they all felt.
"Anyone else we can think of?" Patrick asked logically.
"Stacie's mother" Jude suggested. "Although... I think she's in LA right now, working on some movie deal for her daughter. I don't know if we can reach her. But we can try... She should know about this..." she continued, as her eyes focused on Tommy.
The couple shared an understanding look.
"I'll call her." Jude assured him, watching the discomfort leave his face. She now reached for her phone.
"Voice mail" she groaned a few minutes later, shutting the call off without leaving a message.
"I'll try again later" she informed the two males by her side.
"Now what?" Tommy demanded impatiently, running a restless hand through his light brown hair.
"Brian?" Patrick offered.
"Why not?" his father agreed . "He was at the studio today... Smart kid... knows them both. He might think of something..."
Taking his turn, Patrick now reached for his cell phone, and held a brief conversation. Like Quest, Brian had no idea where the girls were now. But he did have one other suggestion.
"Brian thinks we should phone the police." he informed his parents.
"No! No!" Jude screamed automatically. "I knew it... Something happened!."
Tommy reached for her hand, holding it securely in his own, thinking carefully.
"I know none of us want to think about that. But both girls are famous. We gotta be careful. We gotta look out for them."
"Someone, somewhere must have seen them. They are too recognizable to just disappear..." Jude whispered hopefully.
"Precisely. And if they were spotted, the police will be able to find them faster than we will." Patrick replied reasonably, adding.
"Besides, Brian's brother works there, in the forensics lab. He'll get us the best help... And he said they'd keep it as quiet as possible...".
"What's his name? The number?" Tommy asked, taking charge, despite his own intense fear.
Steeling himself, he made the call.
After ninety minutes of travel, the van came to an abrupt stop in front of a small, ramshackle house in an otherwise uninhabited neighborhood.
"Move em' in! Quickly!"
Each man heaved a girl over his shoulder. The sudden movement caused Ruby to stir. She moaned softly.
"Pain in the ass! Just like her mother! Can't even stay unconscious like she's supposed to!" the man holding her griped.
Clenching the chloroform soaked rag in his fist, he prepared to knock her out again if necessary.
Entering the shack, the men quickly descended the rickety stairs, leading to a windowless, unfurnished basement.
They dumped the girls carelessly on the hard, cold floor and quickly retreated, locking the door behind them.
Back in Toronto, two very different men pulled up in an unmarked car outside the Quincy residence. The younger of the pair, a male in his early twenties rang the bell, as his older, much more seasoned partner waited calmly besides him.
Patrick quickly answered the door.
"Hi. Thanks so much for coming."
"Of course. I'm Chris. Brian's brother. This is Detective Peterson. We're here to help."
"Where are your parents?" Detective Peterson asked, getting right to business.
"The living room. It's this way..."
Patrick led them into the correct room, where his parents anxiously waited. They sat on the plush sofa, Jude crying quietly, but openly. Tommy cradled her protectively in his arms, but his own face was ashen, his body rigid and tense.
"Mom, Dad. This is Detective Peterson"
"Thanks for coming so quickly." Jude said weakly.
"It's what we do, Mrs. Quincy." the detective answered professionally.
"So? Are you gonna find my daughter?" Tommy pushed, aggressively.
"That's the plan. So tell us. When was the last time you saw her?"
Tommy, Jude and Patrick quickly filled the two men in on the events of the day, including Ruby's visits to the studio, before and after school. The detective listened carefully, frequently asking questions. Chris took careful notes.
"So, to the best of your knowledge, she left with Stacie Sloan?" Detective Peterson queried, focusing on Patrick.
"Yes. We've been trying to reach her too, with no luck..."
"Which means she is likely also mixed up in whatever happened. Ok. We can put a trace on her car. Call that in right now." he instructed Chris, who moved to a quieter part of the room to make the call.
"Did any of you notice anything unusual with her before that?" the detective continued.
"No. She was recording her first album. Her dream come true. She's never been so happy..." Jude's voice trailed off, as fresh tears slipped down her cheeks.
"Any boyfriends in her life?"
"No" Jude and Tommy answered in unison, shaking their heads.
The image of Justin quickly floated through Patrick's mind, but he easily dismissed it.
"No. He's vapid and annoying, but not evil. He wouldn't hurt them..."
"No" Patrick echoed.
"Anything unusual going on for any of you before that?" Detective Peterson asked next, carefully keeping a straight face. He too had seen the infamous Canadian Star article reporting trouble in the Quincy's marriage.
Tommy cleared his throat, turning his head towards Jude. His wife met his gaze, nodding supportively.
"Tell him. Everything." she urged gently, but with total certainty.
"You have to."
"She's right. I do." he thought, wanting only for both girls to be safe and found as soon as possible.
Tommy began talking, launching a detailed description of the missing money and falsified CD.
Meanwhile, many miles away, Ruby Quincy stirred uncomfortably on the wooden floor.
"What the..." she thought, then remembered what happened.
"Don't make a sound..."
A sour smelling rag over her face as she blacked out...
"Stacie" she recalled next, panicking.
She opened her eyes, which darted frantically and with difficulty about the darkened room. It was virtually impossible to see anything, but she managed to discern the body right next to hers. A closer glance revealed that it was indeed her friend's.
"Stacie!" Ruby cried out, shaking her.
The blond girl turned her head and moaned, but didn't awaken. However, she appeared to be breathing normally and unharmed.
"Where the hell are we? And how the hell are we gonna get outta here?" Ruby muttered.
She wrapped her arms protectively around her slender body. She had never been so scared in her life.
She carefully stood up and began exploring the small, dark space they occupied.
Back at the Quincy residence, Detective Peterson was wrapping up his interviews with the family, when his cell phone rang unexpectedly.
"Peterson, here. Yes?"
His face grew gravely serious as he listened to the person at the other end of the line.
"Yes... I see... That's definitely something to work with. You'll get onto that? Thanks!"
Three sets of blue eyes fixed expectedly on him.
"What was all that about?" Tommy demanded, frustrated.
"Someone just turned in your daughter's purse. And Ms. Sloan's. Found em' in a dumpster just outside of town."
"And?" Tommy pushed, immediately sensing there was more.
"They found Ms. Sloan's car too. At Lorenzo's coffee shop. In the parking lot."
"Lorenzo's? I never even heard of that..." Jude's voice trailed off desperately.
"It's on the outskirts of town. Not the best area. No place for two young girls out alone at night."
"Especially not those two!" Tommy burst out, exasperated.
"What the hell were they thinking, going there?"
"But we don't know that they did, Mr. Quincy." Chris logically began; the calm tone of his voice slightly soothing Tommy.
"That's true. They could have been abducted anywhere and the car abandoned there." the detective continued.
"Abducted?" Jude screamed hysterically.
"We don't know that." Tommy replied.
"No, Mr. and Mrs. Quincy. But I need to be frank with you. It looks like that's what happened. Their purses were found in the garbage, with their cell phones inside. The girls would not have just thrown those away."
"True" Jude whispered knowledgeably, shaking uncontrollably.
"What do we do now?" she asked
"Well, we found the car. And the purses. And the phones. We start there. Our top forensics team is looking at them right now, searching for clues. Those things are often useful. Especially the phones. We'll see who they spoke to this afternoon and question them. Question the staff at Lorenzo's too."
"And if you find anything out..." Tommy said roughly.
"We'll keep you posted." the detective promised. "But we need your cooperation, too."
"Of course. Anything." he assured them.
"Good. Because I'd like to set up surveillance on all your phones."
"You're bugging our phones?" Tommy asked, shaking his head at the irony.
"Yes. This way, if the kidnappers call you, we can try to trace them. We might also get other clues or evidence from the call."
"But won't they... if they call... say no police..." Jude asked.
"Very possibly, Mrs. Quincy. But the results are generally much worse if we are not involved; statistics show that.
"Worse? You mean..." Jude cried out, completely terrified.
"Yes. Your daughter and her friend would probably not survive then."
Jude broke down crying again, even more hysterically than before. Patrick sat besides her, too frightened to move.
"Wire the damm phones! Do whatever you have to do! Just find her!" Tommy ordered.
"That's the plan, Mr. Quincy" he assured the family yet again.
"Ok" the detective continued. "We'll get the equipment set up for your phones immediately. And we'll be looking completely into everything we have so far, especially that missing money. You're right. It likely relates to the girls' disappearances. Whoever has it, may well have them, or be connected to whoever does."
"And you'll call us as soon as you know anything!" Tommy snapped.
"Of course, Mr. Quincy. And you will do the same?"
Tommy nodded.
"Goodnight, then. We'll be in touch." Detective Peterson said, leaving the house with Chris.
Jude broke down again, a new deluge of tears streamed from her blue eyes. Tommy immediately went to her and took her in his arms.
"We're gonna get through this. Together..." he promised her.
She looked thoughtfully at him.
"You're scared, too..." she observed, noting the tremors of his voice and face.
"Yeah. Of course I am... But I gotta believe she's okay. We'll find her. And we'll find out who's responsible for this! And when we do... " Tommy began.
"They're dead! I'm personally gonna see to it..." he silently promised himself.
"But I'm really scared, Jude ." he allowed himself to admit to her.
Jude tightened her arms around him; he welcomed her support, as she did his.
Patrick watched his parents embrace. Ironically, both he and his missing sister had been desperate to see that, just 24 hours ago.
"But not like this..." he thought bitterly.
Suddenly needing space, he stood up.
"I'll be... upstairs... Ok?"
"Yes" Jude told her son, perceptively noting his need for privacy.
Patrick headed upstairs, leaving his parents to continue their vigil on the couch.
In that dark cellar, Stacie finally stirred. Disoriented, and frightened, she began screaming.
"What happened? Where am I?"
"Good question!" Ruby snorted.
"Ruby..."
"Do you remember? Two creeps nabbed us. I'm guessing they brought us here..."
"Yeah. I remember... but where's here?"
"Beats me! I didn't wake up till we got here. There's no window. No way to know where we are."
"Or what time it is?"
"No. We've still got our watches." Ruby said.
"But our purses... our phones..."
"Gone."
"Well... I guess that means calling for help is out!" Stacie smirked.
"So, what time is it, anyway?" she asked next
"Midnight." Ruby said, checking her arm.
"Now what do we do?"
"We think. Try to come up with a good plan."
"Yeah. Did you look around? Maybe there's something here that could help us?"
"I tried that" Ruby sighed.
"But there's nothing here. No furniture. No windows. One locked door. Oh, but there is a toilet and a sink in that closet over there." she added.
"A toilet? Real considerate of them..."
"Somehow, I doubt that that's their concern right now..."
"At least we can use it..."
"True... My parents must be going completely ballistic by now..."
"But my mom... she's away..." Stacie sighed.
"Yeah. I remember. Negotiating that movie deal for you in LA."
"So she said... I think she's really out there for some guy... Anyway, she won't even know I'm gone..." Stacie said sadly.
"But Pat knows I was with you. He'll tell my parents... they'll tell your mom. And the police."
"But how will anyone find us?"
"I don't know." Ruby admitted.
"So... there's nothing we can do?"
"Maybe not. Maybe so..."
Both girls grimaced, desperately trying to come up with a plan.
In that house on the hill, the man from the wedding celebrated more happily than ever. Uncorking his most expensive brandy, he toasted his great success.
Several glasses later, his phone rang.
"Hello" he answered, completely mellow. His mood did an immediate and complete turnaround when he realized who it was.
"Listen, did you hear..." an irate voice began.
"Yeah. Of course I did, you stupid kid. Everything went perfectly. My men kidnaped the Quincy girl."
"Yeah and Stacie Sloan!"
"So what?"
"She wasn't supposed to be part of this."
"Hey, the chick was in the wrong place at the right time... Besides, it's not like she's not worth it..."
"But it was supposed to be Quincy's boy?"
"So what? Maybe we'll do him some other time. Right now, this is working just fine!"
"But..."
"Shut up. You got yourself into this. I paid you ! You got what you wanted! I'm not gonna waste any more time justifying this all to you. You know what you gotta do next. What you'll have to say when they ask you about it... Just make sure you do it!" he threatened.
Exasperated, he slammed the phone down, and refilled his glass.
"Waste my time..." he thought, as the brandy again coursed down his throat.
(Author's Note: So? You guys like? Anyone figure this out yet- there were some good clues in this chapter! As always, please let me know what you think... I really want to know what conclusions this chapter leads to! Thanks!)