Tales from Ravenhearst: Home, Sweet Home

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own the Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst series. This is an AU of that universe. This was inspired by The Basement Chronicles by SilveRanger on AO3. I highly recommend you read that as well, even though it is not related to this story.

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Kim was a surprisingly practical woman. At least, she liked to think so. She never stopped stressing the importance of emotions but always believed there was a rational explanation for things. She was averse to societal norms and raised her daughter far away from its confines. Her daughter grew up happy and healthy because of it. The "happy" part of that changed after the divorce and the move, however. She honestly wished things could be different, but she had no choice. Regardless, Maddie would thrive in a new school with new friends, gaining a once-in-a-lifetime experience at such a young age. Kim was happy for her, and they would both be happy here in England.

That was until she came home one day to the front door of their apartment wide open.

At first, she didn't jump to any insane conclusions. Maddie must've forgotten to close the door this time (despite having told her over and over again not to do such a thing). She would find Maddie upstairs in her room coloring or doing her homework, give her a good scolding, and that would be that. But as she frantically went from room to room finding no trace of her daughter, the dread began to sink in. Her mind wandered to all the recent missing persons reports. But it didn't look like anyone had broken in. Regardless, one thing was certain: her daughter was nowhere to be found.

When she called the police, they told her that someone would only be able to come out the next day. She was less than pleased, but she knew that the department was stretched thin as it is. Blackpool was a small town, no different than the one they had left behind in America. She didn't blame them, not one bit.

She didn't get any sleep that night. She wracked her brain to try and figure out what could have gone wrong. It wasn't as simple as Maddie getting lost or getting hurt somewhere, because the front door was open, which meant that she had made it home. Of course, that also meant that whoever took her, if that was indeed the case, entered and exited through the same place. And with the lack of evidence of a break-in, this would also suggest that Maddie had let some random stranger into their home. Why would she do that? Kim had thought she had taught her better than that. Oh God, what was she going to tell Miles?

After having kept herself awake on several cups of coffee throughout the night, a black 1960s Benson pulled up outside her apartment. She pulled open the door before the gentleman who climbed out of the car had a chance to knock. He blinked a few times at her before clearing his throat. "Good morning, Ma'am," he said politely. "You're Mrs. Isaacson, correct?"

"Yes," she replied, "and it's Ms. My husband and I are... no longer together." The man grunted in affirmation. "Sorry to hear that," he responded. "You called yesterday to report your daughter missing. My name is [REDACTED] and I'm a special detective from the Mystery Case Files unit created for cases such as these." He pulled out a badge that looked like a sheriff's badge, stamped with the letters M.C.F. on its gold surface. Kim had never heard of this before. They must be a private investigation firm. "Do you mind if I come in and ask you a few questions?"

"Not at all," she replied, stepping back to allow the detective inside the apartment. She offered him coffee, but he respectfully declined, explaining that he already had one on the way over. Soon enough, she was sat across from him on the couch, the detective having moved the armchair to situate face-to-face with her. "Now," he said, spreading his hands out to get things started, "I have an idea I already know what the answer is, but I need to ask according to procedure: is your daughter the type to run away from home?"