Missing

Ransom Call

Reming Road is right next to an abandoned construction site, other than that, there is not much there. It is in between this town and the next, no man's land. It takes me about twenty minutes to get there. When I do get there I see nothing, so I call her one more time trying to find her phone hoping she is hiding behind one of the mountains of dirt. I hear the ringing and run as fast as I possibly could. I found it laying in the dirt, screen cracked. I started to cry, I don't know why, but I just knew my little sister was in danger, and I could not do anything about it. My mother was too consumed with work and would not be home until later tonight, and by then she would be too tired to talk, as always.

I sat at home staring at my sister's phone, my mind exploring every possible reason her phone could end up at the construction site. Thinking about it was so unpleasant, what if she is getting hurt as I sit back and do nothing? I stay on the couch waiting for my mother to get home, I am exhausted. I can't fall asleep, what if I fall asleep and the police find new evidence. It gets late and I fall asleep only to be plagued by nightmares.

I don't wake up until next morning. I roll over crashing onto the hardwood floor, which is not supposed to be there. Then I remember I fell asleep on the living room couch and not my bedroom. I get up rubbing the soon to be bump on my head. Standing in the kitchen is my mother, texting on one of her phones, aggressively tapping her foot. "You are going to be late for school if you do not hurry up, and please don't sleep on the couch."

"I am not going to school today."

"You most certainly are going to school." She argued.

"Mom we need to talk, something has happened. It is about Julianna." I did not know how I was going to break the news. "Sit down." I pull out a chair for her and she obliges, still staring at her phone. "Juliana didn't come home last night. Sarah said she saw a man in a suit pick her up around lunch time. I found her phone at the construction site when I went looking for her." She looks up at me, panic fills her eyes.

"You are only telling me now?! Call the police! She has to be somewhere."

"I called yesterday, but it has not been 24 hours so they can't do anything yet."

"Like hell they can't! The governor's daughter is missing and they are sitting around eating donuts. Leave it to me, I will get them working. I will have Janice send a security officer here to make sure you are safe. I have to get to work." She stands up pushing the chair back.

"I do not need a babysitter."

"I will not be known as the governor who left her daughter defenseless after such a travesty." I can't believe it, she hears her daughter is missing, yet she still thinks of her image being kept in tact. She leaves for work, and one again I am alone. I take a quick shower and then head out, I don't want to be here when that security guard gets here.

I drive over to my sister's school to try and find a description of the man that picked Juliana up. I do not know why, maybe for the police or maybe for me. If there is a chance I know him, perhaps I would not feel as useless as I do now. "Excuse me, Hi. I am Jackie Gates, Juliana Gates' sister. I am here for the name and description of the man that picked her up yesterday."

The lady at the desk gave me a look before saying, "I will have to check give me a moment." She heads into the office while I wait. Images consume my head of what could be happening to her. "Sorry to keep you waiting, his name was... Carter Edlund. He was about 5'11, bald, and wore glasses even inside, which was peculiar. I have a question for you as well young lady; Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Thank you for the name." With that I leave ignoring her question. Carter Edlund. I have never heard anyone by that name before. I call the police again and they put me on with one of their detectives. He asks if I can come down to the station and answer a few questions.

I am sitting at a wooden table in a private room waiting for the detective. "Sorry to keep you waiting." I have been doing far too much waiting, I need information now.

"Do you have any leads, a ransom note, possible location?"

"Ms. Gates, please understand we are doing the best we can. We think she might have been taken due to your mother's political position, but she has many enemies and it is a long list. So if you have any information please come forward."

"First, call me Jackie. Second, do not expect me to sit back and watch you people do nothing , I want to know everything going on in this case. Third, I do have information, but I expect you will eventually have some you will not tell me, which I do not oblige. My little sister is missing, kidnapped perhaps." I cross my arms. "She has already been gone more than 24 hours, I want those idiots who took her to know that they will be caught and pay for their crimes."

"Your mother wanted me to tell you that she wants this to be kept away from the press and the police can handle this, do not go around trying to find her."

"Carter Edlund. That was the name given when a man picked my sister up from school. He claimed to be one of my mother's security guards, but he lied. I have never heard this name before." I sigh, "That's not all, when I went searching for her, I wound up at the abandoned construction site. That's where I found her phone, lying in the dirt. Your turn."

"Your mother received a ransom call and sent it to us. The voice is distorted so there is no way to match it unless we can undo the encryption. The person says that your mother has to step down from her post as governor in order to get Juliana back unharmed."