Chapter 20

“That’s it, you’re going into protective custody,” Nate said and placed his hand on Ashley’s shoulder. Ashley shrugged him off.
“Kyle needs me, I’m staying here.” Ashley hadn’t missed Nate’s protective stance since the moment she walked in the room. She wasn’t angry about it but still, she wasn’t a child. She also hadn’t missed the look of jealousy that crossed his face when he found out she had been with Michael all afternoon. Not like she had a choice.
“Ashley, you’ve been threatened and attacked. Kyle’s been threatened. I have to make sure you’re safe.”
“She can stay with me.” Michael’s voice came out of nowhere. Ashley had forgotten he was even there.
“What?” Nate practically yelled. Only Ashley could detect the control he was using. “That’s not acceptable. I want her under 24 hour protection.”
“She can get that at my place. No one will look for her there.”
“Someone is warning her to stay away from Kyle. You’re one step removed from that. I can’t allow it.”
The testosterone level in Kyle’s room was becoming oppressive. Michael and Nate wanted to win the argument and seemed out for blood to do so. “Settle down, both of you,” Ashley interjected. “I’m sure you both have my best interest at heart but this isn’t for either of you to decide. Nate, can you give me protection at Michael’s house?” She looked at Nate and waited for him to nod. “Then I will be at his house for the weekend.”
Ashley wasn’t exactly sure why she chose Michael’s house except that it seemed a better option then whatever random hotel Nate might have for her. That and she had already been to Michael’s house. Even that little bit made her more comfortable.
“And after that?” Nate asked. Ashley’s shoulders slumped. She couldn’t even get past today mentally and he wanted her to look to Monday?
“Maybe then I’ll go home.” Surely Trish needed her.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Nate said.
“I agree,” Michael said.
“And why not? If I’m not here I can’t talk to Kyle and no one will try to hurt me.” And I could get away from both of you. Ashley didn’t say that out loud but deep down she knew that was the only reason she wanted to go home. The rest of her wanted to stay and find the girl’s killer. To be there to help their fathers. It had helped Ashley slightly to know that the man who had killed Donnie and Aidan was in prison. Surely these men would agree. Michael included.
“I need you here. I need you to talk to Kyle.”
“I will but hopefully after this weekend Kyle won’t need me anymore.” Ashley smiled at Kyle who had been quietly listening to the conversation. She had expected him to say something one way or another but he kept quiet. “Because, Kyle’s going to look at Mr. Nate’s picture and he’s going to help us catch the other man that’s out there. Aren’t you Kyle?”
“I don’t want to,” Kyle’s voice was low but no one missed what he said.
“Honey, I will be okay. No one will hurt me. Your daddy and Mr. Nate will protect me. Do you remember the man that came in your room earlier?”
Kyle nodded.
“Did he say anything else to you?”
“He said he would hurt Kayla if I told anyone about him.”
Great this man had threatened Ashley and Kayla. Now Ashley wasn’t sure if Kyle would talk. Ashley was in front of him encouraging him that she would be okay. But Kayla. No one could assure him about Kayla.
“But if we don’t know who he is then we can’t find Kayla. If Mr. Nate can protect me I know that he’ll protect Kayla as well. Can you trust me?”
Kyle nodded again and Ashley looked to Nate silently indicating him to pull out the picture he had of the other “bad guy”. Seeming to understand her message Nate pulled out another picture and held it up to Kyle. Ashley didn’t recognize the man who appeared clean cut and respectable despite the fact that Nate held a mug shot. The man was actually smiling at the camera and Ashley could see the top of his tie over the black board he held. The words “Todd Purcell” were written out in magnets. Todd’s brown hair was cut short and nicely styled and his green eyes didn’t display the evil that Ashley might have expected.
“Do you recognize this man?” Nate asked Kyle.
“Yes,” Kyle answered slowly. “That’s him. He shot my mom.” Tears streamed down Kyle’s face. Michael was quick to hug his son and wipe them away.
“Thank you Kyle, you’ve been a big help. I promise the officer at the door won’t let anyone in tonight. In fact, I’m going to ask two officers to stand there just so no one gets in again. Okay?” Nate smiled at Kyle and Ashley knew he meant what he said.
“Okay,” Kyle paused then asked, “And you’ll take care of Kayla? You won’t tell the bad man that I told you?”
“No, Kyle, we won’t. We’re going to find her and bring her home. You’ve been a big help.” Nate patted Kyle’s leg and then stepped into the hall. On his way out Ashley noticed him flipping open his cell phone. He was probably calling the lead in. Whoever this Todd Purcell was Nate wanted him found. Ashley could only pray that this was the right guy and there weren’t more of them out there.

“Get in there you little brat!” The man’s voice was loud as he threw Julia towards a bed. Well, not a bed but a mattress. There was nothing else in the room. No posters from American Idol. No pink telephones or stuffed animals. Just one gross mattress and blackness.
Julia landed with a hard thud. Not on the gross mattress but the hard floor. Her should immediately screamed in pain.
“Let me out of here! I want my mom! What did you do with her?” Julia screamed at the man before he could shut the door.
The door flew open and the man stomped back in. His boots making loud noises on the floor. “Shut up kid. Keep it up and I’ll kill you sooner rather then later.” The back of his hand connected with the side of her head and she landed back on the floor. This time on her bottom. That didn’t feel any better then her shoulder she decided.
Mean Man as Julia had dubbed him left the room and shut the door behind him. Julia had wanted to say other things. Like “why did you kill Ugly Man?” and “what are you going to do with me?” but she decided not to. He would only hit her again and that wouldn’t help anything.
“It’s better to do what he says.” A small voice came from the corner. The room was completely dark so Julia had no idea there was somebody else there.
“Who’s there?” Julia asked.
“I’m Kayla,” came the reply. “Who are you?”
“Julia. You’ve been on the news. You’ve been gone a week, right?”
“Is that all?” Kayla asked.
Julia began to shake. This couldn’t be true. This couldn’t be happening to her. “What about Jessica?”
“Who?”
“She’s the other girl who has gone missing. The other two have been found.” Even before the words were out of her mouth Julia knew she shouldn’t have said them. If she remembered from the news Kayla was just nine. Julia was almost twelve. Much older and better able to take bad news. At least until now.
“Are they okay?” Julia didn’t miss the spark of hope in Kayla’s voice.
“No. The police found their bodies.”
Sobs erupted from the corner. “No, no, no.” They quickly stopped followed by sniffing and the sounds of someone wiping their nose. “What about Kyle?”
“Who?”
“My brother. He was with me in the car but I don’t think the bad men took him.”
“I don’t know. The news said he was shot but they haven’t said how he is. I think he might be alive though.” It was a lie. Julia had no idea but it seemed to make Kayla feel better. Julia changed the subject. “What about Jessica? Have you seen her?”
“I don’t know, maybe. I’ve been a few other girls but you’re the first one to be in here with me.”
“Where is here?” Julia didn’t even let her parents tell her what to do let alone some crazed man or men. She was going to get out of here if it killed her.
“I don’t know that either. Every night someone comes in and takes me. In the morning they put me back in here.”
Dread filled Julia and she didn’t want to ask but she did anyway, “What happens at night? How do you know its night? I can’t see anything?”
“You can tell,” was all Kayla said.
“But what happens?” Julia asked again.
“Bad men do bad things. You don’t want to know.”
But she did want to know. Now she would sit here for who knows how long waiting for some crazy man to take her somewhere and do God knows what with her. Was Kayla beaten? Did she not do what the bad men wanted? Maybe that was why they hurt her.
“What grade are you in?” Julia asked Kayla. Anything to talk about was better then sitting in the blackness waiting for evil. This was way worse then any horror movie Julia had ever watched at Angela Blackbury’s house.
“I’m in fourth.”
“I’m in sixth.” Julia was out of things to talk about. The only thing that ran through her mind was her mother screaming, the blood everywhere, the trunk ride, a dead man next to her. She was sure psychologists would say these were bad images for any eleven-year old to see.
“Did they kill your mom too?” Now it was Kayla’s turn to ask a question.
“I think so. There was a lot of blood. She was lying on the ground…” Julia bit back the tears. Kayla couldn’t see her break under pressure.
“My mom too. I miss her so much. She was the best mom.”
“What about your dad?”
“He was okay. He could be mean sometimes. I think my mom was mad at him.” The shakiness and tears were gone from Kayla’s voice.
“My parents fought sometimes too. I think they were getting along okay and were going to get back together. I was praying about that.”
“Do you pray?” Kayla asked.
“Sometimes. I go to this church youth group. It’s pretty cool. Angela says it’s not cool but I prayed real hard for my parents to get back together and they were working on it so I think God heard me then.”
“I pray in here all the time. My mom taught me how. We prayed every night for daddy and Kyle.”
“Then maybe we’ll do it together. Maybe that is how we’ll get out of this, Kayla. God has to hear us right?”