The Ice Cream Man

Chapter 4 - Findings

"Is that...?" Violet asked.

"Com'mon!" I said.

Tiara and I ran out of the diner, Violet and Jamie close on our heels.

We exited the diner and ran out onto the street where we saw the ice cream truck pass us by. It was gone now. We looked to the left and to the right, but nothing was there. Down the street I saw it disappear behind a corner.

"Get in my car," I ordered. "And quickly!"

We piled into my truck and I started down the street to find the ice cream truck. I could still hear it's juvenile music playing in the back of my mind. I tried to shake it out, but I still heard it.

"Don't worry, Kenton," Violet assured. "We all hear it too."

"What's happening?" I asked, wiping sweat off of my forehead.

"How should we know?" Jamie asked.

"There he is!" Tia shouted.

From across the street, I saw it. It disappeared behind a left corner. I slammed on the gas and chased after it.

"What are you going to do once you catch up to it?" Jamie asked.

I shook my head. "Buy some ice cream?"

They all gave me exaggerated looks.

"I want to find out who he is," I answered, much more serious now. "And what he's up to."

I sharply turned a corner and landed in a vacant lot. Surrounding us was a junkyard that seemed long abandoned. In the middle of the lot was the ice cream truck. I stopped the car.

We got out and ran over to it. Violet and Tia stood back while Jamie and I stepped up to the truck. I took a deep breath and opened the door. No one was inside of it.

Puzzled, I walked around to the back while the others still investigated around the front. As I slowly approached the back, I heard a faint banging on the walls from the inside of the van.

I furrowed my brows and went around quickly to open the doors. They were locked.

"Hey guys, come help!" I called. They ran around to where I was standing and helped me pry the doors open. Inside, we discovered a little girl wearing a white tank top and pink shorts. Her hair was bright red.

"Shelby?" I asked. She looked up at me with wide eyes. She was gagged and her hands and legs were tied together.

Violet and Tia ran into the van and helped untie her. She started crying as she hugged Violet.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Tia asked, rubbing her back.

"If this doesn't prove the ice cream man did it, I don't know what will," I whispered to Jamie.

"Call the police," Violet said. Jamie nodded.

"I'm on it." He started off in a different direction to call 911. I climbed into the van with them.

"Shelby, who did this to you?" I asked as gently as I could.

Shaking she looked up at me. Her eyes widened. "He did," she replied. She pointed past my shoulder and into the distance of the rubble. "The ice cream man did."

We looked to where she was pointing, but no one was there.