Cat and Mouse

Chapter 4

Sydney pulled into the gravel drive, took in her surroundings, and stepped out of her pickup. The house was small, only one level. It had a nice yard, with a glassy pond reflecting the sunlight like a mirror. The house appeared to be old. Paint was chipping off the brown shutters, and the once white paint of the house had yellowed. A flower bed lined the edge of the house, filled with short sunflowers and some other assorted flowers. Windchimes blew softly in the gentle breeze.

Sydney walked up to the house and rang the doorbell. A young man that looked about 21 opened the door. He turned to yell down the hall.

"Aunt Hannah, that detective lady is here!" He reached out and shook Sydney's hand. "My name's Jason by the way. Nice to meet you."
Sydney smiled and Hannah came to the door. She welcomed Sydney in and the two sat at the kitchen table to talk. Taking a pen and a pad of paper from her small backpack, Sydney began asking questions and jotting down notes.

"Can you describe your niece for me?" Sydney asked.

"Yes, of course," Hannah answered. "Lily is eight years old. She has incredibly blonde hair, and she's shorter than most girls her age - skinnier too. She has a great personality. She always wants to help, and she's very friendly. I don't know why anybody would want to take her."

Sydney took note of this. "How long have you had custody of her?"

"I've been taking care of the kids since the twins, Lily and Percy, were a year and a half old. Jason was almost fifteen."

"Can you describe for me Lily's day before the crime?"

"The donut shop down the road gives free donuts to the kids that participate in the reading challenge at the local school. They can earn up to six vouchers for free donuts. Lily wanted to use her most recent voucher, so she rode her bike down to the store. When she came back, she looked very distraught. I asked Lily if she was okay and she didn't say anything, just gave a feeble smile and nodded. She asked if her best friend, Jessie Lewis, could come over, and I said yes."

Hannah pulled out a picture of two girls that looked quite similar. "This was taken just a few weeks ago. They're mistaken for sisters all the time."

Sydney took the picture and pocketed it. "Thanks for your help. Can I speak to Jason?"

Hannah left to get Jason, who appeared shortly after.

"Hi Jason," Sydney began. "Did you notice anything odd about Lily yesterday evening?"

Jason stared at the floor. "No," He said, choking back tears. Suddenly, as if he were a bubble, he burst. "I wish I could have done something. I'm a terrible brother." Jason sobbed into his hands. Sydney consoled the young man. She asked a few more questions, but he was a mess. Eventually she gave up and asked to speak with Percy.

The young boy looked like a spooked animal. He kept looking over his shoulder, to his sides. He sat at the kitchen table and played with the hem of the tablecloth.

"Are you going to find out who took Lily?" Percy asked.

Sydney offered a soft smile. "I sure am going to try, and that's why I need your help, okay? Now, can you tell me about your sister's friend Jessie?"

Percy's eyes lit up. "She's super nice, and she loves cats."

"Cats?" Sydney inquired, confused.

"Yeah! She's got loads of them. They're all barn cats, so they just roam free. She likes 'em 'cause they catch a lot of mice. Jessie hates mice."

Sydney nodded and jotted down some notes. "Now, Percy, can you tell me what happened in your room after your Aunt Hannah turned out the lights?"

"Lily and Jessie fell asleep right away. It was really quiet, so I couldn't sleep. I stepped over them to-" He stopped short. Sydney could see the gears turning in his head.

"Yes?" Sydney urged him on.

"I-I opened the window. But the window was closed this morning."

Sydney leapt from her seat, thanked Percy, and went outside. Sure enough, below the twins' bedroom window the grass had been trampled. There was something else too. It appeared to be a pocket, torn off from a flannel shirt. Sydney snapped a few pictures with her phone and put the piece of plaid cloth in a Ziploc bag. She thanked the Fellows family and left for the donut shop down the street.