Stone

"So let me get this straight," I gasped from my heart attack. "You're investigating the disappearance and potential danger that my band and I are getting into? I thought you still did music?"

Lucy pinned me against the wall. "Not exactly. I could care less about you after what happened, but I have been following this case way before you've even heard of it."

She stared me down with little streaks of faded red hair poking out of her beanie. It's gotten shorter since the last time we've spoken.

"My music career is on hold right now," she continued "This case might be bigger than just Kendall being gone."

"Do you want me to buy you a drink?" I blurt out. She was taken aback, not knowing what to say.

"I-I'm sorry." I stutter. "I didn't mean to blurt that out. I just-"

"I understand, Diamond." She cuts me off. "But let's go to my place. I have a feeling yours is a targeted place."

Lucy led me down many alleyways towards her motorcycle. I'm not gonna lie… it's pretty hot how she's also a P.I looking into the same case as I am. What are the odds that my ex-girlfriend is trying to protect me from dangerous people while also searching for answers? As we ride through L.A traffic back to her place, I hope everything will be worth it.

We enter his luxurious apartment, and I gaze at all of her gold records. The shimmer as the L.A sunrise glows into her windows. Record after record all said "Lucy Stone; #1 on the Billboard Charts; insert break up song here. Her rocker energy has never gone away. I wouldn't be surprised if she went from boyfriend to boyfriend to get more material.

One of the records froze me. I stared into the gold plated record, the words repeating through my brain.

"Lucy Stone; #1 on the Billboard Charts; 'Santa Monica Beach'"

My heart started to race. "Santa Monica Beach? Isn't that-"

"Diamond," Lucy cut off my thoughts. "Hurry up, I gotta show you something."

I went towards her, still thinking about waves.

I found her in a room the size of a coat closet. The space cramping us in has my body grazing upon hers. She doesn't seem to notice, only paying attention to a giant bulletin board. It was straight out of a detective show (which is pretty ironic looking back on it), with red strings swaying from picture to picture. From an unobservant eye, it looked like a completely incoherent mess.

"As you can see," Lucy stated. "I've been tracking this case for a long time. And I think I've discovered why you guys are the next target. What is the thing everyone on this board has in common?"

I checked out the pictures closely. The first picture I recognized was, obviously, us. We were towards the middle of the stringed mess, with one of the strings connecting the middle. It's a shadowy figure with a tilted black fedora blocking his face. The other people in the pictures were all members of different boy bands. One Direction, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and the Jonas Brothers were placed all around the board entangled in red string. All of their strings lead back to the mysterious person in the middle.

"Boy Bands." I concluded "All of the victims are boy bands. This random person is targeting members of popular boy bands, taking them one by one. I've heard about this in the news that the Jonas Brothers disappeared for three days and then mysteriously returned. So whoever this serial kidnapper is must be getting their grubby little hands on to members of boy bands for either power, wealth, or sexual pleasure."

Lucy gazed at me in shock. "So you did grow a brain since we broke up."

Ignoring her comment, my mind was trying to piece together what was happening. I motion out of the closet and I start to pace.

"This serial kidnapper wants boy bands for some kind of reason. They have apparently taken multiple members of Boy Bands and none of them have spoken out about their disappearance. Did this mysterious person keep them silent with blackmail? If so… I can think of a thing or two for them to pin on us."

"Have you managed to get into contact with any of the members?" I ask Lucy. "Also is anyone other than Kendall missing at the moment?"

She ponders for a moment, scrunching up her face. I always loved how cute she would look when she was in thought.

"I have talked to people," She sighed. "But they would either their managers would shoo me out because I wasn't "famous" enough for them, or they wouldn't get any real information to work with. The closest thing I got was this club Joey Fatone was picked up from when he recounted his events."

"Is it an L.A club?" I question. "He could have been picked up in New York or Miami."

"It actually is an L.A club. And by analyzing the disappearances, all of these guys have been taken while in L.A. This includes the members of One Direction, even though they are a European Boy Band. When Harry Styles was in L.A for a press tour of his album, he was taken, but returned by the next day, leading to no real coverage or concern."

I cut her off for a second. "Wait a second…. How did you know about Harry Styles' disappearance if there was no coverage of it?"

She gives me a disgusting look as if I ate something from the trash. "I'm also a performer. I have ties. I get to know things from within."

She kept rambling on about the things she's learned, making me wonder about Lucy. Something didn't seem right.

"Anyway," she continues. "Most of, if not all of the missing members were last seen at Club Rocque. Which means…."

I shuddered because I knew what was coming. "We gotta go to that club, lure me as bait, and then catch the kidnapper."

She gave me a nod and grabbed her keys. I dash behind her, preparing myself for what's to come with this plan. But as we got to the door, Lucy's mailbox was bashed in. Surprised, she went towards it to find a singular, yellowed letter. But it wasn't addressed to her…..

It was to me.

I quickly snatched the letter and tore the letter open. It didn't look any better on the inside,written through news clipping just like famous ransom notes. Realizing that sick detail, I really didn't want to read it anymore.

James,

Your little friend is getting quite annoying. It's time to see which time consuming trial he's going to go though.

Stab or Slice through?

C or L?

The Choice is yours.

My hands shake as I read the letter over and over again. Lucy peers over my shoulder and gasps in horror. Not only was it a huge clue in the case, but I was in charge of the fate of my bandmates.

"Oh god." Lucy breaks the silence. "Do you know what this means?"

I didn't want to say it, but I could feel it slipping out of my mouth. "Yeah… I do. Big Time Rush might be in bigger trouble than I could have ever imagined."

Without thinking, I get out my phone and call Carlos and Logan, praying that they will pick up.