Whisper in the Night (Detectives Kane and Alton)

They arrived at Glacial Heights at three. It was six hours since Amanda’s mother had reported her missing. On the way, Jenna called the Braxtons’ house to speak with the deputies and contacted Blackhawk. With no valid sightings of Amanda from anyone via the hotline or search and rescue, and nothing from Blackhawk’s team, the chances of finding Amanda alive were looking slim. As they turned into the driveway of the Mackintoshes’ ranch, she scanned the property. The same architect had designed all the ranch houses she’d visited of late, so, apart from the land surrounding the houses, they all had much the same footprint. They pulled up beside a Green Thumb pickup parked in the driveway. If she found Paul Kittredge working today, she’d speak to him as well.

She’d called ahead to make sure Lucy was at home, and contacted Peter English’s mother and arranged to speak with him. It helped that both sets of parents had cooperated. As they pulled up at the front of the house, a teenage girl appeared at the door. Jenna climbed out of Kane’s truck and made her way up the front steps. “Are you Lucy?”

“Yeah, that’s me.” Lucy turned around. “Mom, the cops are here.” She turned back and waved them inside. “First door on the left.”

Jenna stepped inside the warm house with its scent of woodsmoke and pine. She glanced around at the neat home and then walked through the door into a family room. On a sofa sat a rotund woman, knitting needles in hand and a basket of wool at her feet. “Mrs. Mackintosh?”

“Take a seat.” Mrs. Mackintosh eyed them both suspiciously. “Now what do you want with Lucy?”

Jenna introduced herself and Kane, then took out her notebook and pen. “I’m sure you’re aware that Amanda Braxton went missing this morning. We’re talking to her friends to gather any information that might help us find her.” She glanced at Lucy. “Do you mind if we ask Lucy a few questions?”

“Go right ahead.”

Jenna nodded. “When did you last see Amanda?”

“At Aunt Betty’s yesterday around lunchtime. I can’t believe she’s missing.” Lucy’s eyes filled with tears. “Do you think she’s dead, like Lindy?”

Jenna shook her head. “No, and we have hundreds of people out searching for her, so I hope we’ll find her soon. This is why we need as much information as possible.”

“I guess you’ll want to know what we talked about.” Lucy wiped her eyes on a tissue, and then bunched it in her hand. “Well, nightmares and boys mostly.”

Jenna nodded. “Did she mention anything about seeing a man in her room?”

“No, she sees her grandma.” Lucy pulled a face. “She likes seeing her grandma’s ghost.”

“Tell me about the other girls at school who’ve had nightmares.” Jenna kept her face neutral but Kane’s conclusions about mind control and hypnotism ran through her mind. “Are they in the same group of friends or classes at school? Can you think of anything special that connects them all?”

“Yeah, we’re all friends from school.” Lucy thought for a moment. “I made fun of Lindy and the others because the nightmares started after we joined the drama club. We’re doing Macbeth and I figured it spooked them.”

Jenna made a note to dig deeper. “Have you had any nightmares?”

“Nope, I sleep right through.” Lucy frowned. “Amanda is sensible and her mother watches her like a hawk. There’s no way she would’ve just walked out into the dark. I know her – she wouldn’t do something like that.”

Jenna needed answers. “What about the boy she planned to go to the dance with, Matt Miller. Would she have left the house to see him?”

“Matt? No… well, maybe. She did mention they talked about going fishing.” Lucy’s eyes widened. “Matt’s dad has a weekender in the forest, on the river. Luke told me they go fishing there sometimes.”

Jenna turned to look at Kane. “Pass that info on to Rowley. Tell him to get someone up there yesterday.”

“Sure.” Kane got up and headed for the door.

“What can you tell me about Peter English?” Jenna watched the girl’s expression. “Luke mentioned he had to speak to him about Amanda.”

“That creep.” Lucy wiped her nose savagely. “Amanda told me she heard someone in the bushes along her driveway. It was probably him stalking her.” She blinked a few times. “Lindy said that too.”

Jenna leaned forward in her chair. “Said what?”

“They both thought someone was watching them when they got off the school bus and walked home.” Lucy gave a little sob. “Amanda figured it was a bear.”

“Then why would she risk walking into the woods at night?” Jenna examined the girl’s expression. “Wouldn’t they have told their parents?”

“How do I know?” Lucy sniffed. “I can’t figure why either of them would leave the house at night.”

“Getting back to Peter English.” Jenna glanced at her notes. “Did he bother her at school?”

“He hung around.” Lucy grimaced. “He kept asking her out and she kept refusing. Luke told him to stay away or Matt would pay him a visit.”

Jenna frowned. “Luke threatened him?”