The Day They Disappeared

Chapter 12

I picked up the small baby pink music box from Danielle's dresser. I ran my fingers over the intricate swirl design on the top of the box. I slowly opened it and let the soft instrumental song fill the otherwise silent room. I studied the perfectly sculpted ballerina as she spun around slowly to the music. Eventually I set the tiny box down on the dresser and I surveyed the room.

Danielle's room was small, smaller than mine, but it somehow felt larger when it was empty. I'd been in here when she was running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. Those were the days when her toys covered the floor and her bed was overrun with stuffed rabbits in various pastel colors. Her entire room was so bright and sunlight would always shine through the window. I could still hear her laughing fits if I closed my eyes and concentrated enough.

Now her room seemed empty and dull. The thick curtains pulled over the window allowed very little sunlight to show through. The carpeted floor was completely clean and all of the stuffed rabbits were bagged up and shoved in her closet. The room didn't seem anything like Danielle's anymore.

I turned slowly to look in the wood framed mirror hanging on the wall that was directly above her small blue vanity. Even that seemed to be out of place. My eyes wandered over the only thing left out that proved this was Danielle's room: her jewelry that was flung about the top of the vanity. I picked up her favorite Hello Kitty charm bracelet and played with the plastic beads one by one. With the bracelet still in my hands I scanned over the rest of the mess and perked up with curiosity almost instantly.

I passed my eyes over the mess several times to make sure I was seeing things correctly. I slowly put the Hello Kitty bracelet back down and began to move around the jewelry in hopes that what I noticed was not true. I stepped back from the vanity and thought back to the night I found Danielle. I tried to remember every detail: the smell, what she was wearing, what she wasn't wearing. I kept stepping away from the vanity in hopes that not looking at it up close would completely discredit what I was seeing. I stumbled and feel to the floor right by Danielle's bed.

I stared at the floor in horror before looking back up at the vanity again.

Danielle's necklace, the one she wore constantly, was gone and she wasn't wearing it when I found her body.

I ran out of what was once my little sister's room to the our family phone in the kitchen and dialed the only person I knew how to talk to at this point. A few long moments passed until somebody picked up on the other line.

I took a deep breathe.

"Ali, I'm coming over. We need to look for something."

~~~~~

I pounded up the stairs leading to the long, dark hallway that I was all too familiar with. Ali trailed behind me, completely confused about what I was here for. My beat up Converse were covered in grass and mud but that was the least of my worries right now. I would help clean up the mess later.

"What's going on, Will? What do we need to look for?"

I ignored Ali's questions and without any hesitation I threw open Lucas' door and surveyed the room, looking for anything that was out of place.

"Will? Will, what are you doing?" It was Ali. I ignored her once more and began searching his room for anything, or rather, nothing. I was looking for what wasn't there.

"Will! Answer me!" Ali's harsh tone made me stop in my tracks. For a split second she sounded...scary. I whipped around to look at her and only saw her usual soft demeanor. Her sweet voice filled my ears and it almost made me forget what her voice had just sounded like.

"I'm looking for nothing."

Ali looked confused. "Nothing? Really? Then would you care to explain to me why you're tearing up my brother's room?" Her confused expression turned to a pained one.

I took a deep breath, preparing to explain what I was doing and what had happened. "He's taking souvenirs, the killer I mean."

"Yes. We established that."

"Danielle's necklace is missing. The gold with with the 'D' pendant. It's gone and she wasn't buried in it and she wasn't wearing it when I found her body and it's not in her room anywhere. Whoever is doing this is taking souvenirs. Lacey was missing her gold chain, Amanda was missing her blue bow, and Danielle was missing her necklace. Maybe the killer took something from the others too. I can't get into the houses of the other families and search for something that I know nothing about because I didn't know them. But I know you and we both knew Lucas. We can find whatever is missing." I looked at Ali with pleading eyes but she just stood there like a deer in headlights.

"Earth to Ali. Hello? Ali!" Ali snapped out of her daze. "So what is Lucas missing?"

"Did you not listen to anything I said? I don't know. You have to help me look. Help me find what's missing."

Ali slowly shuffled around the room and began aimlessly picking up random objects. It seemed like she wasn't really paying attention. I watched as she picked up some of his Star Wars action figures.

Bingo.

"Look for his Star Wars watch."

"His what?"

"Star Wars watch. He wasn't wearing it during the funeral and your parents knew just how much he loved that piece of junk."

"I didn't even know he had a Star Wars watch. That seems kind of childish."

"Well he did. So look for it."

Ali and I began digging around but came up empty handed.

"I found nothing."

Ali looked at me. "I found nothing too."

"So I guess we know what's missing."

"His Darth Vader watch?" Ali questioned.

"Yes, his Darth Vader watch."

"What are we supposed to do now then?"

"We have to go follow the only lead we've got."

Ali nodded her head. She was visibly shaken. I felt bad because for a moment I questioned why she was shaken. She didn't seem to be upset. She seemed to be scared.

"I'm tired, Will. Can you come back tomorrow?"

I looked up at her. "Yeah sure."

She moved aside so I could get out of the bedroom and I didn't look back at her as I made my way out of the house.

From outside I saw Ali standing in the window of Lucas' room.

I began to walk down the road but then I stopped suddenly about two houses down from the Maxwell residence.

It was a Darth Vader watch. How did she know?