Alone

Chapter 7

Riley

I look at the strap and swallow hard before answering Dad. "I can't tell you, sir." The long pause on the other end of the line makes me fidget nervously. "What do you mean, you can't tell me? Is someone holding a gun on you or are you lying to me?" I try to decide between a present threat and a future threat. "Not a gun, Dad." Another pause, this time not so long. "But someone is threatening you with a weapon?" I take another look at the strap. "Yes, sir." Looking rather pleased, Joe holds out his empty hand for the phone. After a moment of hesitation, both from the belt in Joe's hand and the thought of how angry Dad gets at any reminder of Mom, I make one last attempt. "Dad, call Uncle Simon." Joe narrows his eyes and grabs the phone from me. As he pulls it back to his ear, I hear Dad say, "What? Riley? Answer me!" Joe almost cracks a smile at the angry tone in Dad's voice as he speaks. "Fifty grand. You have until Friday." He flips the phone shut before Dad can answer. Then he turns on Chloe and me. "What was that foolishness?" Chloe steps back, but I stand my ground and answer. "I wanted him to call my uncle because Uncle Simon helps Dad calm down sometimes." He looks calmer as he turns toward Chloe. "And what about you? Trying to tell him where you are?" She backs up another step, looking terrified, and does not speak. Already regretting it, I speak up. "I thought that talking about the weather was supposed to be a good way to fill time." Joe swivels back toward me, looking dumbstruck that I spoke without being spoken to. He raises the hand with the belt almost as if weighing it, then turns and stalks to the ladder. When I hear him throw the belt onto the table, I go back across the room and pick up the blanket. Chloe or Peter must have put it over me when I fell asleep. I reach up to put the blanket on the bed and wince when the welts on my back stretch. When I turn around, Chloe and Peter are still standing by the hole. Chloe is staring pointlessly down the hole, but Peter is back to staring at me. I lower myself carefully to the floor under the window, try leaning back, and then change my mind. Chloe suddenly blinks and shakes her head, then walks over and sits beside me. Peter follows several steps behind and sits on the other side. The radio is still playing downstairs, but someone turned it down so I can only hear the noise. The afternoon stretches endlessly ahead of us, with nothing to do but sleep or listen to Joe and Tom argue down below. After several minutes of staring across the room at nothing, Peter suddenly gets to his feet and starts across the room, startling Chloe and me. While he opens the trunk under the other window and shuffles through it, we stare at him. When he turns back away from the box, he has an unexpected grin on his face and a stack of paperback books in his hands. He crosses the loft quickly and silently, whispering, "You like to read?" I manage a grin back at him, despite the pain still flaring through my back. He sets the books down in front of us, and I immediately reach forward and start shuffling through them. After a moment, I notice that Chloe has not moved and look back at her. She is looking doubtfully at the stack of books. Behind me, Peter asks softly, "Don't you like to read, Chloe?" She shakes her head, looking disbelieving. "No. I only read when I have to." Peter and I trade glances and shrug, then turn back to the stack of books. Books are the best escape I know, a way to stop being who I am and go somewhere far away from South Branch. I find a satisfactory book and settle carefully back against the wall, losing myself in a world of someone else's imagination. Sometime in the middle of the afternoon, Chloe finally takes a book off the stack and starts reading. Hours later I am so involved in the story that I don't even hear Joe start up the ladder. When he appears at the top of the ladder, I jump sharply and drop my book. He frowns at the books, then at Chloe, who is still absorbed in her book. Peter slowly shoves his book out of sight behind his back. Joe looks around, glowers at the books again, and then goes back down the ladder without a word. Chloe never looks up from her book. I am about speak to her when one of the men down below turns the radio back up. I listen to an insurance ad, waiting for the news to come on. Peter picks his book back up, but holds it upside down and stares at it with glazed eyes. Finally, the reporter comes on, introduces herself, and gets to the juiciest news of the day- Chloe and I. "As more information comes to light about the two missing Tennessee girls and their families, the situation looks more and more suspicious. Chloe Pierson, daughter of the current mayor of South Branch, the tiny town where both girls grew up, was originally thought to be the primary target, especially since the Pierson residence has now had two calls from the alleged kidnapper. As the investigation continues, though, the Baker family is revealed to have some pretty nasty secrets. The girls have now been missing for around 33 hours, and search efforts are being concentrated on the families of the two girls. Mayor Brian Pierson has taken personal time off his job to be at home to assist in the search for the girls. His ex-wife, Mallory Cotton-Pierson, has flown in from her home in California and they have put their differences aside for the sake of their daughter, Chloe. When asked about the rumors about a hateful custody battle over Chloe, Brian Pierson claims that although they will go to court next month to see who Chloe will live with, the divorce and all other contact has been perfectly civil. The small town mayor has appeared on TV, radio and live to plead for the safe return of the girls. If you drive past the Pierson residence this afternoon, you will see the driveway full of police cruisers and civilian cars and the house filled with well-wishing friends and neighbors making food, supporting the Piersons, and volunteering to help with the search in whatever way they can. The Baker house, nearly seven miles out of town, is a whole different story. The house and driveway are vacant, and there seems to be no way to reach David Baker, father of Riley. After several attempts to contact someone who might be able to tell us about the Baker family, I spoke to a neighbor of David and Riley. Mrs. Clancy also claimed no knowledge of either of the Baker's current location, but did her best to assure me that Riley had not run away. "Riley would never run off. She is such a sweet girl, always stopping in to see if we need anything and bringing us milk from their cow. She would never intentionally hurt anyone, least of all her dad.′ I agreed with the kind older lady, stating that I did not think that Riley or Chloe had run off, especially because there was an eyewitness who saw the abductor. However, I was interested in David Baker, who seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth since his daughter was abducted. Mrs. Clancy shook her head disapprovingly. 'Yes, I am wondering about that myself. Of course, David works in the oilfield, so he isn't around much, but their place always stays it such good shape. Sometimes I think David expected too much of that poor girl.' This interview brings us to an unanswerable question. Is Riley Baker better off away from her dad? There is now an official AMBER alert out on Chloe Pierson and Riley Baker. If you know anything, or see one of them, please call 098-765-4321 and report it. Here is a quick description of the girls."