The Lake House

Chapter 29

My mind was running in circles, and nothing made sense. I looked at Hayley and I could practically see the wheels in her head turning. How on earth were these cases related? What is it about me and my ex boyfriend that interest these creeps.

While we were walking Hayley suggested that we do a background check on both us, Pete and Justin to see what pops and what the reason for these kidnaps might be.

"Tell us all you know about Justin." Hayley said.

"Okay uhm... He was born in Chicago, he moved to Australia when he was five, he went to school with us and he was a grade above us. After he finished school he went on to presume his dream of being a businessman. He loved to play guitar and always told me that he reckons in another life he might have been a great musician. He got mixed up in the wrong crowd for the last year of high school and he got into drugs. It only got worse so we broke up after I finished school. Maybe this could be someone to do with his drug addiction?" I told them, holding back some parts of the story.

Hayley frowned, "That would make sense for his abduction, but what about us and Pete? We have had nothing to do with drugs. There has to be more to it. Something connected the three of us, Pete and Justin, but what? Why us?"

"Well maybe we should look at the things we have in common." Megan said, joining the conversation. She had been quiet for a while, just listening, I presumed.

"Yes. We should do that. But maybe the target was only one of us, and the other people kidnapped was just a way of hurting the one person. So I think that we can rule out that that person is Justin, because if he was the one the kidnappers wanted to get to, he would not have been the one to die first." I said, trying to make sense of it all.

"Okay. But that's just a theory. Everything we can think of would just be theories. We have no evidence whatsoever for a certain theory, and all we can do is guess, but where would that get us? It's not like we can do anything to stop them from killing us by figuring out why they chose us and Justin." Megan said, suddenly on edge.

"Megan, we can atleast try. Maybe if we know their reasoning we can figure out how to get them to maybe let us go or try and escape somehow or something. If my few months of being a detective proved anything it would be that nothing can ever be ruled out as insignificant." Hayley said.

Megan was quiet for a second, then she spoke. "I'm sorry. Some times when you can die at any moment you tend to get worked up a little." She said sarcastically, but smiling at Hayley.

Hayley smiled back a concerned smile and got back on topic. "Okay, so let's go with Tess' theory and say that the kidnappers are after just one of us. Then who would it be?"

I thought for a second, and then it hit me that I didn't like that theory any more and frowned.

"I see you're thinking the same thing as me." Megan said, seeing my frown. I realised she had been staring at me since Hayley asked who it could be.

I nodded.

Hayley also realised what we were talking about.

"The only person that has a connection with everyone that had been kidnapped is me." I said what everyone was thinking out loud. "Everyone that has been kidnapped are people close to me; or people that used to be close to me. Except the only people that hasn't been involved and is close to me is---

My parents."

Shock crossed my face as I realised that the kidnappers might have gotten to them as well. If my parents were kidnapped as well, then it would take people a while to realise that out whole family was missing. For as long as we have been in this forest I was sure that my parents would have police searching for me; but the thought that no one might even know that we are missing was a lot to take.

Another thought struck me.

"What is it?" Hayley said, seeing the new wave of shock crossing my face.

"My parents..." I began.

"You can't just believe that the kidnappers have them. Maybe they have no reason to hurt your parents." Megan said.

"It's not that." I said.

Hayley and Megan looked confused.

"Then what?" They said at the same time.

"I had forgotten about this. I just remembered that my parents were leaving to go on holiday the next day of the night we got kidnapped. If the kidnappers had gotten to them before they realised I was gone, to alert the police, then no one would realise they are gone for two weeks. In other words, the chances are very good that no one knows that we are missing." I said, swallowing hard on every word.

"Okay for you, maybe. But our parents would realise we are missing too. They would have told the police, surely." Hayley said, being the only one thinking clearly at the moment.

"Hayley, you forget that you don't live with your parents anymore. And I'm sure that if they called you and you didn't pick up they would not assume that you had been kidnapped by some freaks." I said.

"I still live with my parents though, they would have realised." Megan said.

"Do you really think so? After all the times you just disappeared for a few weeks without telling anyone where you're going or when you're coming back, you think that this time they would think something's different?" I said.

Megan looked hurt. "It's not like I just took off for no reason! I needed to clear my head and get away from everything and everyone. But you have a point, though."

"I didn't mean it like that, Megan. I just meant that if they didn't start looking for you the last two times you did it, why would they start looking now?" I said, trying to explain myself.

"Yeah I know. So no one is looking for us." She said, catching up.

"We're on our own." I said.

"Surely somehow something would have happened for some people to realise one of us are missing, and tell the police." Hayley said, still not wanting to believe that no one's missing us.

"I'm sure they would have planned this perfectly; at exactly the time when my parents would not be missed. They would have made sure no one comes looking for us." I said.

"They would have had to do a really good job of that. Probably even sent our parents notes from us saying that we are going away together or something, and that they should not call or try to find us." Megan said.