MISSING

PART ONE

A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING

For anything and everything you do in life, there will be and has been a first time.

1.

'Stop it' speaks Ashley squirming to get away from her brother as he tosses her hair, 'or I'll tell mum you're planning to skip school again with Mike.'

'I dare you' responds Gavin, 'you know if you say anything then I'll tell of where you were yesterday evening.'

'Aaarrrggghhh, I wasn't anywhere, and you know that.'

'Mum thought you were in your room but we both know you weren't.'

Ashley fires a cushion across the kitchen catching Gavin on the back of the head. He turns and smiles, briefly thinking about retaliation but decides against it as mum arrived into the kitchen of the family home.

'Now, now you two, play nice.'

Ashley sits back at the kitchen counter to continue with her breakfast. A horn beeps twice from out front. Gavin grabs an orange then grabs his bag before moving to kiss him mum on her cheek and quickly makes his way outside before his mum could inquire as to why he wasn't getting the bus to school on this particular morning.

'So, how is my favourite daughter doing today?' asked Rita.

'Mom, I am your only daughter.'

'That you know of ....'

'What?'

'I'm only joking with you. But really, is everything alright?'

Ashley smiles and looks back down at her breakfast.

'Yes mom. All is good, or at least as good as it can be.'

'You know you can come talk to me whenever you need and about anything at all.'

Ashley continued to smile but her mum couldn't help feel as if something was indeed up with her daughter. Mums usually have a sixth sense when it comes to these things, such a sense is not necessary on this morning as it is clear Ashley has something on her mind. The bus pulls up outside. Ashley stands and gives her mum a hug.

'Have a good day sweetie.'

'I will, thanks mum, love you.'

Ashley was already outside before Rita could speak the words 'love you too.'

'Good morning, Joe' says Ashley just after the bus doors opened.

'Good morning, Miss Ashley, is the brother not joining you today?'

'No, not today. He has already gone off with Mike.'

'Oh, I see' responds Joe reckoning that Gavin is probably not going in on this particular day. Joe is usually a good judge of character, and his reckoning is spot on as usual.

Joe is a big guy, a fair bit on the heavy side and he is getting on a little in life though he always wears a smile and more often than not has a positive outlook on life. He has been doing the school run for a good fifteen years by now. Joe knew all the kids by name and usually knew most of the stories too as to who they are, where they are from and who they belong to as well as a lot of the things they get up to. He knew both the Appleton twins since they were just four years old.

Moving down the bus, Ashley briefly stopped and smiled at an older boy who was sitting by himself. This boy Jake smiled back hoping that Ashley would sit next to him. The two have never really spoken prior to this moment but it would be safe to say that there was at least a little bit of chemistry between them.

Ashley thought about it but decided not to sit next to Jake. Instead, she moves to the back of the bus where she too would sit alone. She never sat at the back, not before this day that is, and usually she didn't sit alone either. Fairly soon she fell asleep.

In class and during roll call, Ashley's name was called but there was no response. It was called again and still there was no response. All the students present looked around but there was no Ashley in the classroom at all. This is particularly unusual as Ashley has a perfect attendance record, well until now she had a perfect attendance record.

It would be more usual that Gavin would not be in attendance, there would be nothing unusual about not seeing Gavin but Ashley, well it is a strange thing. A moment or two passes and soon no one would give the non-attendance a second thought.

The hours seemed to pass particularly quickly. Rita put the finishing touches to dinner then looked at her watch. She then looked at the clock on the adjoining dining room wall and the two times matched. It had begun to get dark outside and both Ashley and Gavin had yet to return home.

Again, it was a usual thing not to see Gavin at this point in the day but for Ashley. ... She is always home by this time, if she isn't, then there usually is plenty of notice or at least a reason given long prior as to why she'd not be home, but Rita knew of nothing that may delay her daughter or have her otherwise occupied.

Rita moved to the front door and made her way outside. There was no sign of anything strange in particular. The school bus would have already passed by now and passed a good forty- or fifty-minutes prior.

Half past ten in the evening and Rita really begins to panic. Neither of her children have arrived home. There still is a little less panic about Gavin. Rita is sure that he is quite likely somewhere with Mike though she is still eager to find that out for sure. Ashley not being home is completely out of character.

Where is she? Who is she with? Is she with anyone at all?

Rita had been ringing three mobile phones for a while now, all being unresponsive. Gavin and Mike's phones just rang out though Ashley's was off completely. A call would be made to the police. With Ashley and Gavin both just being fifteen, two police officers would pay a visit to their home.

The usual statements would be made. 'Maybe they both are with friends'. Rita did tell the officers that it is likely that Gavin may be with his friend Mike though Rita had no idea as to where Ashley may be. She would never be out this late even if she had somewhere to be, even if she had her mum's permission to be somewhere other than home at this time of the night. For her daughter, this is completely out of character.

Morning comes once again and both Ashley and Gavin have been 'missing' for twenty-four hours and neither have been heard from. Two different police officers than what had arrived the evening before were now at the family home. The school bus pulls up at the usual time and the officers have some questions to ask.

Joe was the first to be asked questions. He spoke as to being quite surprised the day previous to the fact he had not seen Ashley get back on the bus for the short journey home. Come to think of it, on this particular morning Joe could not remember seeing Ashley get off the bus the day before. She would always have something nice to say to Joe before heading in to begin her school day and she hadn't on that occasion.

Some of the students on the bus did mention that Ashley had unusually sat at the back and that she had fallen asleep the morning before while other students mentioned that she had not been in class all day. Jake was asked a couple of questions though he did say he didn't really know Ashley at all.

At home it had been Rita raising her two children alone since her husband passed away fourteen months earlier. There had been a life assurance policy, but the amount of money Rita received was not noteworthy for anyone either close to the family or being completely unknown to them to consider kidnapping. There would be little to offer financially to have anyone consider holding the twins for any kind of ransom. Ashley too did seem to have something on her mind before leaving home that morning.