Chapter 3

Alicia woke up startled wondering where she was. She looked around the damp room and realized she'd cried herself to sleep in the abandoned mill. She hadn't had anything to eat in several days and the effects were taking their toll on her. "I should've waited to run until after eating breakfast. Me and my big fat mouth always seems to get me in trouble." Alicia got up from the floor and started roaming about the building to see if she could find anything of use to her. Some scattered papers littered the floor as well as several boxes. At least she'd found a place to hide out in. She could make a plan to keep under Stefano's radar and find a way to get her mother to remember her.

As Alicia searched inside the old mill, several officers were searching the perimeters of the building.

"Do you think she could've gone in here?" Officer Reynolds asked his fellow officer.

"I don't see how anyone could get into this building. It's been condemned for years now. I think the city should've had it taken down. Not that my opinion matters." Officer Higley responded.

"Well, Commander Brady told us to check out every possible lead to find the girl. I don't see how she could've gotten in there, but anything is possible. Let's look around back and see if there's an opening anywhere."

Alicia crept along the wall having overheard the officers talking outside. "How could they have found me so fast?" She wondered aloud. She needed a place to hide, but there wasn't much in the building besides a the few boxes and some shelving that had been dislodged from the wall.

"Higley! Over here! I found some footprints. They could be hers. They seem to lead to the back of the building." Reynolds called Higley over to check out the tracks made by Alicia.

"Those don't even look human." He told Reynolds.

"What? Are you crazy. Did you flunk out of training? Those are definitely human. They may be small, but it just means it's probably a woman's." Reynolds just nodded his head at the stupidity of his fellow officer.

Meanwhile, Alicia found a way out through the front of the building and ran off to the woods to hide until the officers finished their search and left the area. "Whew I lucked out this time. Can't believe how stupid that one cop Higley is. What a dimwit!" Alicia crept back to the building making sure no one else was there looking for her.

……

Bo was on the phone with Reynolds barking orders to him. "Did you check out the mills? Have you searched the areas surrounding the woods? Where haven't you checked? Never mind, I'll double check everything myself. I want this girl found before sun down. Do I make myself clear?" He yelled into the phone before slamming it shut. The phone rang as he was about to drive off. "Hello?" He asked.

"Bo. It's me. I just left the house. Where are you so I can meet up with you? Has there been any news?" Hope fired off the questions.

"Can I get a word in so I can answer you?"

"Sorry. I'm just really worried about her and want to know if there's anymore news?"

"There's still nothing. I don't know how she manages to keep out of sight so well. Did you check the shed? The last time she took off she was hiding right in our backyard." He asked her.

"I did. That was the first thing I thought of. I thought maybe she had circled back while everyone was out searching for her. There's no sign of her here. Where are you?" She asked again.

"I'm over at pier 41. I was just about to take off and go to the mills to double check what Reynolds and Higley may have missed."

"Great. I'll meet you there. We can narrow the search if we're both there looking for her." Hope said goodbye and hung up the phone. "Alicia what is it that's got you so scared? Could it be Stefano?"

……

Alicia snuck back inside the mill unaware of the man lurking several feet behind her. She didn't hear him creep in behind her nor did she sense him standing so near until it was too late. The hand came around her face keeping her from screaming out. She struggled to free herself, but his grip was too tight. Every attempt she made to free herself only seemed to make him laugh. She writhed beneath his grip twisting and turning until she was facing him his hand still covering her mouth. He wore a mask so all she could see were his eyes leering viciously at her . She wondered how she'd get out of this jam. He pushed her against the wall and began tearing at her clothes. Alicia tried to scream, but found his mouth suddenly covering hers. A sick feeling crawled into her chest. He was going to rape her if she couldn't get away from him. He moved away slightly from her body, but just enough so Alicia could bring her knee up hard and slam it into his jewels sending him backwards and bent over. She took her chance to get away and elbowed him in his back knocking him further down. Alicia took off running from the room. She stopped long enough to squeeze through the boarded up door and kept running straight into Hope's arms. Tears streamed down her face as she grabbed Hope in a vice like grip.

……

Bo and Hope arrived at the mills just seconds apart.

"I'm going to check out the woods for any clues those dimwits may have missed. Why don't you circle around back and look for any entries." He shouted over his shoulder as he jumped out of his car and walked off towards the woods.

Hope was coming around the back of the mill when she spotted Alicia crawling through a hole in the boarded up door. Tears covered Alicia's face as she ran straight towards Hope and into her arms.

"Sweetie, what is it?" Hope asked trying to lessen the grip Alicia held her with.

"He … he tried to …" Sob. "He grabbed me and he…um… started to tear my clothes…" Gulp. "Off. I tried to get away, but… um he was so strong and I…I couldn't." She sobbed into Hope's shoulder.

"Is he still inside?" Hope asked her.

"Yes. I think so." She said through sobs.

"O.k. I want you to go back to my car and wait for me there. I'm going to check things out." Hope said prying Alicia's fingers from around her neck.

"N..no. You can't leave me. Please don't leave me." Alicia cried.

"It's o.k. I'll be right back. I'm a cop and I have to catch this guy before he hurts anyone else. Just go back to my car and wait for me." Hope said as she pulled her gun out and crept to the opening in the door. Bo saw her from the woods and came to see what was going on. Hope mouthed 'the rapist is in there.'

Bo jerked his head to the side in an effort to get Hope to back off. "I'll take it from here." He whispered. "Go see to Alicia."

"Bo that's crazy. You need back up. You don't know what you're walking into in there." She whispered back slapping his shoulder at the same time.

"Hope, I don't want to argue with you on this."

"Then don't!" She said cutting him off. "I'm not going anywhere so get used to it! I've got your back. Just be careful." She whispered her green eyes glaring at him.

"I can see I'm not going to win on this one." He whispered back making a face while nodding his head. "Just stay a few feet behind me and don't try to be the hero. Okay?" Bo advanced inside the mill carefully searching in the dimly lit mill to see where the perpetrator might be. He noticed him lying curled up in a ball in the far corner of the room. "Follow me. He's down for the moment, but I don't know how long he'll stay that way."

Bo and Hope advanced on the perp with guns raised. "Don't move or you're a dead man." Bo hollered at him. The perp just stayed down coughing into the ground.

"I can't move. That little Bitch made sure of that!" He sputtered in between coughs.

"What did you say?" Bo asked angrily. "That little girl was protecting herself from the likes of you! I think you'd be well advised to keep your comments to yourself. In fact I insist." He said grabbing the guy and pulling him to his feet. He swung the cuffs onto his wrists pinning his hands behind his back. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." Bo rattled off the rest of his rights as he grabbed the guy and pulled him out the door to his awaiting car. I believe you're wanted downtown." He said shoving him into the backseat hitting his head on the door as he did so.

Hope kissed Bo and patted him on the behind before heading to her car where Alicia stood waiting for her. "Come on sweetheart. I'll take you home." She put an arm around Alicia and helped her into the car before getting in the front seat beside her.

"I don't have a home. You probably already know that by now." Alicia's voice came barely above a whisper. Her eyes were glazed over in a daze. "I don't have anywhere to go." She cried tears streaming freely once more.

"You're coming home with me." Hope told her reaching over to grab her hand and squeeze it. "We'll figure the rest out later. Did he hurt you? I should take you to the hospital."

"No! I'm okay. He just tore my clothes. I'm okay." Alicia clutched at her torn shirt with her free hand and laid her head against the door closing her eyes.

……

"How is she?" Bo asked stepping into the house closing the door behind him. He walked over to Hope and hugged her. "Where is she? Is she at the hospital?" He rattled off the questions.

"She's upstairs sleeping. She didn't want to go to the hospital. The poor thing was so shaken by the attack she could barely manage to walk up the stairs." Hope held on to Bo not wanting to be free of his embrace. "I put her in the spare bedroom. I don't know why, but I have this overwhelming need to protect her and keep her safe."

Bo held on to Hope stroking her hair. "That's the motherly instinct in you. She was attacked by this piece of lowlife scum who is thankfully behind bars now. He's killed so many young girls her age. It's no wonder this case hasn't gotten to you before this." Bo walked Hope over to the couch and sat down pulling her into his embrace. "Just know that he can't hurt her anymore or anyone else for that matter. He's going to get the chair. No one will have to suffer by his hands anymore."