Leave No Trace

Chapter One

Mike

It was the call any cop dreaded. Within the hour, Detective Michael Danielson was standing in the living room of the Perry family. Ben and Carol were panicking, and they supposedly had a right to do so. Their fifteen-year-old daughter Allison was missing.

"When did you first notice your daughter missing?" He asked, looking over her mother. Long curly brown hair. Brown eyes. Nervous gestures. Walked with a limp. Bad knee. Stressful job. It was what he was good at, profiling people. It was important that he understood victims and their families. By understanding the victim, he got a sense of exactly who he was looking for. It was his drive. Not to mention that a profile could lead to information about the abductor.

She exchanged a look with her husband, Ben, who looked more worn out than she did. There were dark circles under his eyes, his hair more gray than brown and he was exhausted, in a way that indicated work stress, "I...." She trailed off. "I don't know. I suppose it was when I returned from the Mayor's Debate at town hall." Danielson hadn't been keeping up with the mayoral campaigns and election. It didn't matter to him.

"Where was she?" Ben cut in, irritated. Allison's sister was hiding somewhere downstairs, hiding from whatever was going on upstairs.

Taylor. Obviously in a way, the family favorite. Sporty, not athletic. Bad feet. Short attention span. Loves basketball. Observations he'd collected about the twelve-year-old. He almost couldn't help himself, it was an information overload. She was an open book. He wondered if her sister was quite as easy.

"She was out picking up Melanie and Dawn's birthday presents." Carol looked down, fidgeting with her wedding ring.

Ben nodded, but Danielson needed more than that for information.

"Who are Melanie and Dawn exactly?"

"Melanie and Dawn Gibson, they're Allison's friends from school. Their birthdays are coming up." Ben explained, as he seemed to be more knowledgeable about his daughter's friends than his wife. Perceptive. Loves his daughter. Wants a good relationship. Worried. Tough work life. Complicated family life. Danielson shook off the thoughts clouding his mind.

"So she was buying birthday presents for her friends?"

"She was going to text me when she got home, but she never did. I assumed she forgot, but then I got home, and she wasn't there. The house was still locked. I knew something was wrong. She always comes home."

"Does Allison have a history of running away?" He asked carefully.

"No. Of course not. She'd never do that." Carol sounded so sure of herself that he didn't dare intervene.

"Okay, thank you." He said. He pulled out his notepad, reminding himself. Learn what you can and start working the case. "I was wondering if we could sit down and you could tell me some basic facts about Allison."

"Of course." Ben said, clearly trying to be a gracious host. He led Danielson into the dining room, where Ben flopped in a chair. It was not a large house. Born in the sixties. '62 maybe. Hair starting to gray at the temples. Looks younger than he is.

"Okay." He flipped open the notepad. "Her full name?"

"Allison Jeanette Perry." Carol said softly.

"Birthdate?"

"The fifth of June, 1999." Ben cut in.

"Hair color?"