Vanished (4 page)

Jeri rubbed her eyes. “Okay, but what for?”

The house mother’s voice was a husky whisper. “The dogs need something to sniff to help find Rosa.”

“Oh.”
To find Rosa or to find Rosa’s body?

Jeri struggled to a sitting position and shook her head to clear it. Pale light oozed in around the edges of the drapes. Abby was already gone, and Rosa’s giraffe-print bedspread was smooth. Jeri dressed fast and then joined the other sixth graders for a hot oatmeal breakfast in the kitchen. Then she bagged up two of Rosa’s dirty socks and a knit hat for the dogs to sniff.

Within half an hour, the Hampton House girls were at the Two-Mile Stretch, handing out warm rolls and coffee and hot cider supplied by the dining hall. Jeri and Abby worked as a team, moving among the crowd with their paper sacks and Styrofoam cups.

Jeri thought the frozen lake looked sinister now. How had Rosa spent the night? Had she even woken up this morning? Jeri stared up at the top of snowcapped Landmark Mountain, comforted by how it towered protectively over the town, their school, and the lake. Tall armies of white pine stood at attention on every slope of the mountain, guarding the picturesque town. A V-formation of honking Canada geese flew north overhead, knowing instinctively that spring and new life were just around the corner.

A chill passed through Jeri.
Would Rosa be around for that?

After handing out her last rolls, Jeri searched the area for Jake Philips. Finally, on the other side of the fire truck she spotted a white van with a satellite dish on top. Yes! He’d made it! Odd, though, that there weren’t any other news crews. Surely the school and police weren’t keeping it secret. In any case, thanks to her quick thinking, Jake and some purple-haired camera girl were already there.

Jeri glanced behind her where the police were organizing the milling crowd into search parties. She spotted Houston, their stable hand, with a knot of men and several teachers. Beyond them were some boys from a private school in nearby Rock River. One was Jonathan Fielding, a tall, thin boy who went to Landmark Hills Community Church and was in Jeri’s Sunday school class. His huge ears had already turned bright red from the cold.

She hoped that with everyone working together the van would be found soon. She pushed through the crowd to greet the reporter. Jake looked the same, with his light brown hair sticking up in a cowlick and dazzling white teeth too perfect to be real. She listened as he reported about the missing students. Now everyone in the surrounding towns and states could be on the lookout.

“Stop that camera!” an angry voice shouted. “Immediately!”

Jeri jumped aside as the Head charged at Jake, waving her arms. The camera kept rolling as they argued. Then the headmistress turned in Jeri’s direction, lips pressed in a hard, thin line.

“He tells me,” she said, clipping her words, “that you’re responsible for him being here.”

Jeri nodded in confusion. Didn’t she deserve a pat on the back for her quick thinking? “I called him last night.”

The Head’s perfect skin was marred by angry splotches. “Yes, and the camera was rolling even before I arrived this morning.”

“But isn’t that a good thing?” Jeri asked.

“No!” she exploded. “No, it’s not,” she repeated at a lower decibel. “I specifically wanted the media kept out!”

“But … but why?”

“It will damage the school’s reputation.” She spoke through clenched jaws. “What parents want to send their child somewhere to get lost or kidnapped or drowned?”

Jeri flinched as if struck.

The headmistress stared through Jeri as if she were a pane of glass. “Never take matters into your own hands again! Do you understand me?”

Jeri nodded. Then, with a sinking feeling, she remembered her email alert. Heaven only knew how far her message had traveled by now.

The sight of two more news crews showing up distracted the headmistress, who hurried off. Jeri was crushed. She thought she’d done such a helpful thing by contacting Jake. It had sounded brilliant when it popped into her head.

Apparently the headmistress didn’t think so.

The next hour seemed to last an eternity while they waited for news from the search and rescue teams. The wind coming across the lake was bitter cold and cut through coats, jeans, hats, and mittens. After passing out all her warm food and coffee, Jeri held a cup of cider up to her face, letting the steam warm her nose and melt the ice droplets from her eyelashes. Voices of curious onlookers drifted around her.

“If they didn’t go into the lake, then it has to be an abduction,” one lady in a leather coat said. “Who else but Keith Reeves could have done it?”

Her friend agreed. “They’re expecting a ransom note from him at any time.”

Jeri couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. She knew Mr. Reeves really well. He’d been very kind to her last Thanksgiving. When she couldn’t go home for the holiday, he’d taken her and Rosa to his house for dinner with his elderly mother. Jeri had eaten pumpkin pie till she was more stuffed than the Butterball turkey. Afterward, all four of them played Parcheesi by the fireplace. No way could Mr. Reeves do something as horrendous as kidnap someone! She turned to the two ladies.

“Excuse me, but I know Mr. Reeves,” Jeri said. “He’d never kidnap anybody.”

“Sweetie,” the first woman said, “the van was driven somewhere. He was the only person who could drive.”

“If they’ve been kidnapped, it wasn’t by Mr. Reeves,” Jeri said. “Maybe a stranger attacked him and got the van’s keys and drove away with the girls.”

“I guess that’s possible,” the second woman said, “but somebody said he has gambling debts from hanging out at casinos. Now he can write six ransom notes and make a killing.”

“Dorothy!”

“Sorry. Poor choice of words.” The woman looked embarrassed. “Still, he’s the most likely suspect. One girl’s parents said they’d pay
anything
to get their daughter back.”

Jeri felt sick at their gossipy accusations. “Who are the parents?”

The one named Dorothy pointed. “See that couple in matching black coats? The guy with the black mustache? They’re Heather Langley’s parents.”

Heather–the other sixth grader on the trip–lived in a different dorm. Jeri headed toward the parents. If
her
terrified mom was waiting in the freezing cold for some news, she hoped all kinds of people–even strangers–would try to comfort her.

“Mr. and Mrs. Langley?” The couple turned around. Up close, Mr. Langley’s short clipped mustache looked more

like dirty toothbrush bristles. And Mrs. Langley smelled sooty, like she smoked too much. “I’m Jeri McKane, and Heather’s in my class. I’m sorry about what’s happened.”

“Thank you, dear,” the stick-thin woman said, holding out her slender hand.

Jeri took off her mitten and shook it. The woman’s fingers were cool and smooth. It was like shaking hands with a rubber glove.

Mr. Langley, however, looked more like a mean, hungry dog. “They’ll be found soon,” he snarled, “but only after a ransom is paid.” His voice rose, and people turned to stare. “And guess who will have to pay the ransom for the girls too poor to pay? People like me!”

“Lance, please!” his wife begged.

The man’s words popped out like ice cubes, hard and cold. “Two of the missing kids are scholarship students.
Their
families can’t pay any ransom. So guess who has to pay their share?”

Heather’s mom stared at the frozen ground, her face pinched and red.

“Listen to me!” A tiny birdlike woman picked her way toward them. “My Sarah’s on that van. She’s a scholarship student, but I don’t need you to pay anything!”

Mr. Langley nailed her with a steely glare. “Whose gifts already support your daughter’s education? I donate the money for
three
scholarships.”

“Did it ever occur to you that
you’re
at fault?” Sarah’s mom asked, a sob in her voice. “My child got abducted for

a ransom only because she had the rotten luck to be on the van with your spoiled
rich
kid!”

“How dare you!” the man spluttered.

“Please stop!” Jeri said. “It’s nobody’s fault.”

“Who asked you?” Mr. Langley snarled.

Jeri jerked back. “If you’d just calm down–”

“Easy for you to say!” Sarah’s mom said.

Jeri stumbled backward. Why was she getting attacked from both sides? She only wanted to help the parents feel better. And why was the Head so furious about Jake? If she wanted the van found, she should be thrilled that Jake got the word out early to everyone in the state–even the country. Why try to hush it up?

No matter how Jeri looked at it, nothing added up.

Friday, 11:41 a.m. to 1:05 p.m.

After the searchers returned from the other side of the lake – still clueless – the girls went back to school for lunch. They filed into the dining hall in silence, as if they were at a funeral. Little was said as they were served their hot beef stew.

The Head stepped to a microphone. “Before you eat, I want to thank each of you for your efforts this morning. So many rescue workers expressed their gratitude for your warm food and drink.” She paused. “Our kitchen staff is now preparing more refreshments for after lunch. I understand that there’s less ground to coverthis afternoon, so not as many of you will be needed. However, since the teachers and house mothers want to continue to help in the search, students who don’t serve refreshments will be confined to their dorms for the remainder of the day.”

Jeri glanced at Abby and Nikki, who both nodded. Jeri agreed. She was going back to help too.

“One other thing – “ The Head’s cell phone rang. She flipped it open and turned her back to the girls.

No one moved or whispered. It was so quiet Jeri could hear the cooks in the kitchen talking.

The Head smiled as she stepped back to the mike. “We’ve had a breakthrough! Heather’s parents received a ransom note through email. Heather’s family intends to pay it immediately. We could have the students back by supper time!”

Thank you, Lord! Oh, thank you!
Jeri gripped her hands together. Maybe the nightmare
would
be over soon.

“The search will continue, however, until everyone is back, safe and sound,” the headmistress said.

Jeri thought that was smart. She’d read how kidnappers sometimes tried to get money without giving the kids back. She’d seen a movie where they tried to collect when the kids were no longer even alive.

No! Don’t even think that.

By the time Jeri finished lunch, she’d decided to go see Mr. Reeves’s mother while Nikki and Abby handed out refreshments. His mother was old, and without her son there, maybe she needed something. Hopefully the Head was right, and the ransom money would get the girls and Mr. Reeves released soon. The girls would be safe, and Mr. Reeves would no longer be suspected.

Back in her room, Jeri changed into dry clothes and grabbed a notebook and pen. At the last minute, she stuck a voice-activated tape recorder from the media center in her coat pocket. Soon she was biking down the long slope from the school to town.

Once there, she biked two blocks past the diner, then turned off Main Street onto Rolling Hills Lane. If her memory was right, the Reeves’s light blue cottage was four houses down. When she pulled into their driveway, she noticed the drawn curtains in the living room twitch and then fall closed again.

Before she could ring the bell, Mrs. Reeves opened the front door and squinted into the bright winter sunshine. She was more stooped than Jeri remembered, but the tight gray curls and sharp blue eyes were the same. Except now her eyes were red-rimmed. Dimpled arms peeked out from a shapeless olive green muumuu. It was printed with palm trees and parrots in hot pink and turquoise.

“Mrs. Reeves? Do you remember me? Jeri McKane?”

Mrs. Reeves leaned forward and squinted harder. Then a smile creased her face. “Of course. You and your friend ate a whole pumpkin pie.”

Jeri laughed at the exaggeration–although she wasn’t far off. “Can I talk to you? About Mr. Reeves?”

The older lady unlatched the screen door and opened it, giving Jeri a better look at her face. She’d obviously been crying. A lot. Jeri stepped into the living room, and it looked exactly as it had at Thanksgiving, minus the construction paper decorations. Ceramic cardinals and blue jays sat on the window ledge, a pile of
TV Guide
magazines were stacked by a rocker, and doilies were draped on the backs of chairs and armrests.

“I was just having my coffee. How about a glass of milk? Or hot chocolate?”

“No, thanks.”

Mrs. Reeves offered Jeri a cookie for her sweet tooth, then settled into her glider rocker. The chair creaked under her weight. “What did you want to ask me?”

“I’m sorry to bother you. I suppose you’ve been swamped with people stopping by.”

“Hardly.” Her voice sounded both distressed and confused. “It’s like I suddenly have leprosy. I guess people don’t want to be associated with me.” A sob caught in her throat, and she burst out, “Don’t they
understand?
I’m terrified, just like them.
My
child is missing too!” She jerked and spilled some coffee on her dress. Jeri didn’t know what to say. “My son would never hurt anyone, especially not a child. How can they say such things? How?” Tears rolled down her face, following the lines and wrinkles till they dripped off her chin.

“I know how you feel, sort of.” Jeri hunched her shoulders. “Rosa’s missing too.”

“I can promise you that Keith did
not
take her.”

“I never thought he did.” Jeri moved to sit on the floor by the rocker. “They’ll find Mr. Reeves. Lots of people don’t think he’s guilty. Mom says people don’t know what to say, so they stay away and don’t say anything.”

Mrs. Reeves gazed at the pair of mountain paintings over the couch. “I’ve been sitting in this chair looking at Keith’s watercolors since five this morning. I was awake thinking all night.” She gripped Jeri’s hand. “I remembered things.”

“Like what?”

“Troublesome things.”