KILLED

Chapter Three

I am playing a game in my phone when Tyler bursts into my room 20 minutes later.
"That was fast", I comment, not looking up from the screen. "How many red lights did you drive through?"
"Only two. Please say you haven't called that number yet."
I edit out of the game and sit up on my bed. "I did not call that number", I say seriously. "I'm not stupid."
The analyst grins and sets a black case on the mattress beside me, opening it up to reveal several items: Sara's cell phone, a small device, and a tablet.
"I'm attaching a bug to your phone, but first, we are going to look through Sara's messages."
"Just one question: why are you partnering up with a 15 year old girl?"
"Because I understand how it feels to be useless."
I look down at my phone for a minute, then sigh, "Lets just do this."
Tyler unlocks the phone and scrolls down the list of recent messages to click on the phone number he told me

Date: 11. 18. 19 3:55pm
Unknown: Hi. Are you ready?

Sara: Where do I meet you?

Unknown: call me

Date: 12. 20. 19. 8:43pm
Sara: I'm done with you. Goodbye

Tyler sighs and says, "This gives us nothing. I guess we have to call that number now."
"Yup", I say back, already dialing. "Ready?"
"Be careful." I nod and hold the phone up to my ear, just in time to hear a male voice answer.
"Hello?", the man ask. "Who is this?"
"My name's Tess", I say. "Sara pointed me in your direction a few days ago."
"Ah, let me guess", he sighs. "You want somma' my weed."
"Yah. Totally. Who else would sell to me?" I giggle suddenly, causing Tyler to jump.
"Yo, you high right now?"
"Nope. Figured it'd be best to call when I'm not soaring in the clouds. So, we gotta deal?", I ask, crossing the fingers of my free hand, the one resting in my lap.
"Yah. Sure. Long as I get paid. Yah know the price?", he responds, and I can literally hear the smirk in his voice.
"No."
"Well, you're gonna find out. Justice Park, tomorrow at five o'clock. Wear somethin' kinda nice."
"Alright. Bye." I end the call and look up at Tyler. "Things are going to get a little bit dangerous."
»»»»-------------»
"Are you sure you want to do this?", my mother asks, watching me insert the earpiece into my ear. "That man doesn't know what you look like."
"But he does know how her voice sounds", Tyler says, opening up his laptop, and the two detectives watch him log on. "You ready, kiddo?"
"Yes. Just promise not to let me out of your sight." I open the door to the van and step down onto the concrete, shutting back of the metal vehicle before turning to face the park.
"Can you hear me?", McCormick's voice asks, crackling in my left ear.
"Yes", I mutter. "And let Tyler talk to me; your voice on this is annoying."
I can hear my mom laugh in the background as I walk to a park bench and sit down, crossing my left ankle over my right leg to wait.
A few minutes pass of me watching the area, and the next thing I know, a pair of warm hands rest on my shoulders.
I tense up automatically, and the familiar voice says, "Relax. You Tess?"
I nod my head and keep still.
"Get up", the man says in my right ear. "And don't turn around, got it?"
"Yes." I rise to my feet, feeling the hand grab my wrist. It tugs me around the bench and towards the edge of the park.
"Start talking", McCormick says out of nowhere. "Say something."
"What's your name?", I ask as we enter the woods, swallowing a wave of panic. Tyler had hacked the cameras, but there aren't any here.
"First or last?"
"Last", Tyler says to me. "Say last."
"Last", I repeat. "Mines-"
"Furlen, I know", he interrupts. "I've done my research. And mine's Johnsmen."
After he says his last name, we stop walking, and Johnsmen let's go of my arm.
"I'm not going to let you see my face until we reach our destination", he tells me. "And I don't want you to know where we're going, just in case you're with the cops. So, don't freak out."
"Okay." As soon as the word leaves my mouth, dark fabric gets tied around my eyes.
"I also don't trust you not to remove that when I'm not looking, so hands behind your back."
Without a word, I comply, silently begging for the detectives to rush in now and arrest this man, but nothing happens. They don't speak on the other end, and I don't ask for help as my wrists are bound behind my back with thin rope.
I hate this.
"Good. Now keep quiet." Johnsmen turns me around and holds onto my upper left arm, pulling me with him as he walks.
"Tess, I can't see you", Tyler informs me. "What's happening?"
"Can I ask just one question?"
"Will you shut up if I say yes?"
"Mmhmm."
"Sure."
"Why are we in the woods?" My foot catches on what I think is a tree root, but I only stumble, managing to regain my balance without falling.
"So people can come with me without being seen and raising alarm", he explains. "God, you're annoying and stupid."