The Daunting Disappearance of Evie Stone

Chapter 1: A Long Night

August 20, 2019
Kent Police Department
6:25 Pm

27 hours since Evie's Disappearance

Laney is guided into a small room, with two chairs, a table, and a two-way mirror. A handful of Kent County police officers are lined on the other side of the mirror, watching Laney. A tall young officer with bright blue eyes and black hair guides her to her seat and says "Tell me about your sister."
Sobbing she looks at him through blurry eyes. "What would you like to know about her?" She asks her voice cracking.
He hesitates, thinking as he watches her. "When did she disappear?"
She pauses for a second, remembering while scanning the empty room, stopping to stare at her reflection. A girl stares back at her, her blonde hair is pulled into two dutch braids and flyaways are stuck to her cheeks. Her green eyes glisten in the bright light, and she turns her focus back to the officer and replies "It-it was two days after her 18th birthday, yesterday night... Sh-she was um... She was on her way back from dr-dropping me off at the airport" she sobs, mumbling about blame and her faults and disappointing her mother.  The officer paces the room, glancing at the mirror. He waits for her to stop blubbering, and when she settles down into a calmer breathing pattern he sits across from her and asks "Why do you think you disappointed your mother? Did you or your sister have a disagreement before she disappeared?"

She sighs, composing herself " I... I've always disappointed my mother. Ever since my Dad died, everything has been my fault. She even blames me for his death. Before the accident, I was the perfect child, just like Evie is now. Until my sophomore year of high school. After Dad died, I was glad to lead a new path and discover who I was meant to be.... but... Evie...."
She pauses, sobbing, and composes herself again.
"Evie strived to be who my mother wanted her to be, I guess it was her coping mechanism. She followed all of her rules. She never left the house without permission. She never had grades below an A, she was always home by curfew and has only dated one guy, whom my mother approved, Lennox Cooper. And I... well...I left as soon as I turned 18. I got a part-time job as a waitress at Maggie's on Meeker, to make ends meet for my apartment and travel expenses. I wanted to travel, explore... learn to love, live, and laugh. Sometimes, Evie would come with me, we went to Paris and Peru together it was amazing. " She smiles slightly, relishing the memories of her sister and the trips they had together before continuing. "As far as my mother was concerned, I was rebellious, with tons of lovers and things she didn't understand. She never moved on after my Dad passed. She hasn't been on one date, and it's been four years." She finishes.
Concern for her sister building back up again and she asks shakily and desperately "Is... Do... Will she be alright??" She looks at the officer, terror written in her expression.

He pauses taking in the look on her face before answering. "We are doing our best. Right now, we need you to help us."
She nods, "Anything". He looks her in the eyes, "Did you and your mother get into an argument before she disappeared?" He asks.

She thinks back to the last moments she was with her sister. Her eyes lost in the distance, and finally sparking with memory. "Yes... I booked a flight to Aruba with one of my new flings on a whim. I... I had just asked Evie to give me a ride to the airport and... and my mother overheard. I... I tried to explain myself to her, but she wouldn't listen. " She pauses sobbing, " My mother always goes ballistic when she sees me. It doesn't matter what I do even if it's nothing at all.  She thinks I'll somehow kill Evie if I get the chance. " She explains tears still rolling down her face. "But I would never hurt her at all. She's been my best friend for years. I miss her so much." Her mouth curls into a frown as she tries to stop herself from crying again.

The officer scans her face from across the table. "Did you ever get to Aruba?"
She hesitates, sighs, and replies "No, the flight was delayed and my date never showed. I was waiting for my plane when I got a call 8 hours after she... she dropped me off that she was.... was.... missing."
Laney sobs harder, her hands making their way into her hair, grasping her head as she leans her forehead against the table, sobs escaping from her once again. The officer pauses, and asks "What did a typical day look like for Evie?" Laney calms down, finding it easier to focus on such simple details. "This is from a few years ago because I haven't been living with her for over 2 years. But, um... She was an early riser, even when she didn't have school. The latest she got up was 7:30 am. " She smiles a little and wipes tears from her eyes before continuing. "She would always make herself eggs, hashbrowns, and bacon. Every morning she would ask if anyone wanted anything, of course, I always did. She made some kick-ass hashbrowns. Once in awhile she would switch to oatmeal or... cereal, but only occasionally." Laney smiles at the thought of her sister and sees the officer raise his eyebrows. "What?" He smirks and it fades quickly. "Nothing," he says, "you just seem to remember quite well for it being two years ago." he taps the table. Laney shrugs "Yeah, It's been a while but she never really changed anything. Ever since my Dad died I tried to remember all the little things. They're... they're the things I miss most. You never know how much time you have with someone.." She slouches into her chair, remembering him. Her eyes shift as she remembers why she's here. She shudders and continues "If she had school the bus would arrive at 8:02 on most days. But... since she's driving now, she would probably leave around 7:45 to stop at Mcdonald's for some cheap coffee. Before homeroom, she would hang out with all of her friends." The officer jots down Mcdonalds, checking to interview the employees. "Who did she hang out with on those mornings?" The officer asks trying to get more specific. "Usually Lennox or some of her close friends... Amy Johnson, Chloe Peterson, and Phoebe Marketer. " she responds. He holds up his left hand to pause her story, jotting down the names. She lets him finish writing before she continues "I don't know her schedule for this year, but I'm sure you can ask the school." He scribbles more words onto his notepad and she continues. "After school, she takes the bus home, but now she drives herself. School gets out around 3:15 and the drive home would take 4 minutes tops. When she got home she would always make herself an English muffin, one half with butter and one half with jelly, both toasted. Sometimes she would use cream cheese instead, but not often." The officers on the other side of the mirror begin conversing. "How does she remember any of this? Does that seem odd to you guys? This was 2 years ago, right?" They continue listening from behind the 2 way mirror as they start discussing theories.

The officer continues to question her for another hour. By the end, her eyes were so red and puffy from crying, her mouth so dry that she ached for water, and her head so heavy from the emotions. He lets her go, handing her a card with his number on it. "If you think of anything at all feel free to call me," he says, staring directly at her as if he can see her soul. She struggles to look away from his bright blue eyes and when she does, she looks down at the card and sees a cell number written on it. She normally would jump in on the flirtation but she was too worried about Evie to take much notice.

She walked out of the room, stopping at the water dispenser. It was a little too close to the restrooms for her taste, but at this moment she didn't care. She grabs a tiny plastic cup from on top of the water jug, lining it up perfectly under the water nozzle. She pushed it down and watches as the water flows out of the blue tank and into her cup. As soon as the cup is full she brings it to her lips and starts to gulp it down until the last droplet reaches her tongue. Crumpling the plastic cup in her hand she glances over towards the exit and sees her mother talking to a few officers. Throwing the crushed cup into the trash she heads out the door, overhearing what her mother was saying. "Of course she's no help" her mother exclaims. "She's never done anything but make things worse. I bet it's her fault my perfect little Evie is gone now!" Her mother turns as she dramatically sobs. Laney shrugs it off and continues to leave through the automatic doors. With a heavy head, she makes her way home. It's dark out and light from the lamp posts illuminates the empty road. Laney pulls out her phone, checking the time; 8:23, and glances behind her. Considering how much she cried earlier, Laney was surprised at the number of tears streaming down her face as she walked home. She watched as cars zipped past her, wishing to herself that this was all just a bad dream.

She arrives at her small apartment and opens the door, finding it completely ransacked, but she barely remembers doing it. Her Aruba flight tickets are strewn across the kitchen table, the computer is open and logged into her hotel dates. She curls up into her bed without stopping to take her garments or shoes off and falls asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow, exhausted.