Forlot: The Dress That Was Once Hers - Book Six {Completed}

Chapter Twenty-Six

I pressed my hands against my cheeks, and my mouth was open wide. I was shocked by what he said. "You cannot be serious," I blurted out. "Leonard...could not have been kidnapped."

"Good riddance," Elaine said. "He is no lost cause."

"He is a boy and a troublemaker," Elena commented. "He deserves to be kidnapped."

Our dad eyed my little sisters suspiciously, and I could tell that he was surprised that they were acting like misbehaved kids. Possibly worse.

Why were they being so mean? So disrespectful?

"Girls, why are you being so mean?" Dad asked calmly. "So disrespectful?"

Hey! That is what I said!

I knew that he was trying his best to remain calm, especially for me and my sisters' sakes, but deep down inside, he was panicking.

Elena and Elaine were about to reply in unison, but I explained the reasoning for them.

"They have been arguing and fighting over nonsense, such as makeup and other little things that are ridiculous to get worked up about."

"That is absurd!" the girls protested at the same time.

"I found the two of you yelling to each other in the kitchen! It was early in the morning!"

"You have no proof!"

Dad let out a sigh and rubbed his temples. "We can discuss about this matter later. Right now, we need to find your brother and bring him home."

I stood up from my chair and slammed my hands against the table. "You cannot be serious about this, Dad. You know that he likes to play jokes on us. Do you not remember what he covered my room with?"

"Eleanor, please. The last thing that we need is for you to get upset. And...I believe that he was kidnapped." He reached into one of the pockets of his lab coat and pulled out a small piece of paper. The paper was the color red. "What I am holding is...a ransom note."

"What? Let me see that!" I held out my hand, my fingers outstretched. "It has to be fake. Leonard wrote that note."

"No. He did not write this note." He handed it to me. "It is not his handwriting."

I took it and examined it. The writing was blue, so I had to squint. I noticed that my skin was getting pale when I realized that he was right. The writing...it was perfect. Leonard's handwriting is known to be extremely sloppy because he does not like to write.

I read the note out loud:

"Dr. O'Fallon,
I have kidnapped your son and will be holding him hostage in my home until you give me it in return. You know what I desire to have.
No Remorse,
Ch&d&gghast6."

Oh my gosh! This was the person whom he was texting with right before we moved. Ch&d&gghast6.

Chad. Chad Pals.

This was no coincidence. He had something to do with my brother's kidnapping. Heck, he might have kidnapped Leonard himself!

And it was my fault.

I needed to tell Dad what was going on. He needed to know about the ghosts. About Jennifer's murder.

I looked up from the paper and at my dad and was about to speak, but he did not even let me say a single word.

"There are no cops here in Forlot, so I will search for him and hope for the best. Eleanor, you will come with me. Elena and Elaine. You will stay with Dejah and her parents until Eleanor and I return for you."

"Really? You are making us stay with those lame people?" Elaine complained.

"But I hate Dejah!" Elena whined. "She is so annoying!"

I gave them both a glare that could kill. There was no reason to call Dejah's parents lame. And Dejah is not annoying. She is cool to have as a friend.

"I do not care if you do not like them," Dad snapped. "My first priority is to locate Leonard."

We soon piled into the car. Dad drove the car and parked it in front of Dejah's house. He switched off the car and got out.

"Stay in the car, Eleanor," he instructed me as he shut the car door. He then opened one of the back doors, for my sisters were in the back, and practically had to drag them out.

Something was definitely wrong with Elena and Elaine. What was it?

My father had left the back door open, and I watched from inside the car as he knocked on the front door. I was sitting in the passenger seat, so I had a good view.

The door opened, and Dejah's parents appeared. Mr. Danos was wearing what he wore the day that I had gotten shot, and Mrs. Danos was wearing a long, white dress that had pink streaks all over it and long sleeves. Her hair was tied back in a bun.

I watched their mouths moving, but I could not hear what they were saying exactly.

I was so focused on what was happening, even though that it was not that interesting, that it took me a few seconds to realize that the car had started up.

Rum, rum!

Was Dad back already?

No. He was still chatting with Mr. and Mrs. Danos.

From the corner of my eye, I witnessed the back door being closed...

...all by itself.

I was on high alert now and slowly faced the driver's seat - and screamed bloody murder.

The ghost. Chad's ghost. He was sitting in the driver's seat!

He had his ghostly hands on the steering wheel and noticed that I had noticed. He winked and blew me a kiss.

"Do not worry, my darling," he said. "The worst will be over."

"No!" I clenched my hands into tight fists and banged them against the window. "Dad!"

Then the car drove off, and Chad said, "I will be your driver this morning. Do you want to die in a crash? Or drown in a lake?"