CHAPTER 81

         "I was best friends with both Mirabelle and Maisie since forth grade but you know as we grew older like so many other teenage girls,being three best friends almost doesn't work out between three girls especially. That's what happened to us,I fell out and they grew closer. One thing however has remained the same, going to the same school. It's like a wind blows us to the same direction throughout the years."

             "Okay, so if you weren't as close with them,why or what were you meeting Mirabelle about the day she was abducted?"

Melissa looked away for a moment and wet her lips with her tongue. They stood there waiting patiently until she was ready to speak again.

              "Mira wasn't happy about this," she shook her head. "This work that I do. Over the last few weeks we had been talking once in a while which I didn't take so well. I felt like she abandoned me for years and then all of a sudden she comes back and is so against what I have been doing during my weekends. She wanted me to stop but I didn't, I couldn't."

              "Why,is anyone making you do it?"

              "No,not anyone," she looked down. "I have been struggling with getting my upkeep money ever since my father decided to cut me off since I am a ‘disappointment’ for being gay. I couldn't find another job and since I need the money so desperately, I started doing this. Mira had been pushing me to know why and that day I was supposed to meet her here,she didn't show up."

             "So,you never got to see her?"

              "No and now I am so worried that anything will happen to her. I snapped at her. She is the only person who cared to know what was going on in my life but since she hadn't been too keen earlier when she was close with Maisie, I didn't even give her a chance. I was so mad at her."

              "Friends choose other friends over us all the time,I'm just wondering why it was so hard for you to accept that or even when she came back into your life."

              "I didn't just like Mira as a friend, I liked her way more than that and she didn't realize it. That's why I got so jealous and mad when she couldn't even spend five minutes with me. Coming back was like lighting a fire over gas and I didn't think she had a right to  tell me what I should or should not do with my life. Then I realized that I still liked her and I was going to tell her everything that day. I didn't get a chance. At first I thought she had decided not to come or maybe Maisie had convinced her not to until she was reported missing. You think she was kidnapped?"

                "We think all of the other girls were kidnapped."

                "Oh God!"

                "Anyway, why would you think that Maisie would convince her not to meet with you?"

                "Because Maisie is...was the kind of person who would do that. She was always the toxic one among the three of us. She always had it out for almost everyone and I think she probably was the one who influenced Mira to cut me off."

               "So, you hated her?" Dylan asked. Melissa looked up quickly between them,one at a time. She seemed to understand right away what they were insinuating. Dylan hadn't asked it because she thought Melissa could have had a hand in their disappearance. It was just a routine question. 

             "I didn't hate her,I hated the fact that she took our friend."

                "Why didn't you just come out with it and tell Mirabelle how you felt back then?"

              "Because Mira is not the kind of girl you just walk up to and tell,‘hey,I like you more than a friend. Will you be my girlfriend?’" They looked at each other. "She is like the class jewel,perfectly beautiful, super rich and she has tonnes of guys always hanging around her. How am I supposed to keep up with them. I have got nothing to offer her."

             "I feel you," Kenny nodded and indeed his face showed evidence that he in fact felt it. Maybe he had gone through a similar situation.

  Dylan looked at the notes she had been making on her notepad but didn't really see anything helpful. They still had no idea where to look for the girls or who might have taken them. She looked up again.

               "Melissa,is there any chance that someone might have offered you something more than what you do,maybe working in an extensive club with more money?"

             "No,why?"

                 "No reason,just following up on something. Anyway, where will you be headed after this?"

                "Back to campus."

               "Okay,head straight there and take care."

                  "Should I be worried, am I in danger?"

  Dylan thought before answering. Melissa looked just like the other girls except for the short hair but that didn't make her less attractive. Her theory was that if they were being taken to work as hookers against their will,there was a more than likely chance of her being in danger too especially because she was more experienced in the work. She took out a card and handed it to her.

               "We can't be too sure,call me up if you get to any trouble."

 Melissa smiled, "Thank you detective." She then wiggled her eyebrows seductively, "Could it also be about getting some alone time with you?"

               "I am flattered but absolutely not. You are twenty one and I have a wife," she replied automatically. Kenny looked at her but she dismissed him. She retrieved her wallet from an inner jacket pocket and took out some dollar bills. "Here,for taking your time and fare back to campus. Don't walk alone in the night. Or we could drop you off?"

                 "I think I will be fine."

            "Okay,thank you for your time."

                     ★★★

     They walked out of the club and back to their car across the street. Melissa was still inside. Dylan was busy trying to work out in her head how all the girls were connected. Looking alike wasn't taking them anywhere except for knowing that Melissa could be next. They had to look out for her and that's why they sat waiting for her to show so that they could follow her to campus and make sure she got there safely. 

               "You have a wife?" 

                  "What?" Dylan asked and looked at Kenny only to find him grinning. She realized immediately what he was referencing to. "Oh,that."

                 "Yes,that. Did you mean it?"

                 "I mean some day I have hope-"

                 "No,it was sweet," he cut her off with a smile. "I believe if you are planning to make her your wife and you are sure she is going to say yes then she's already yours. No explanation needed." She nodded then went back to studying the file. All girls,taken from different bars around town but all at night. The last time they were all seen was between nine and ten  then nothing. Intervals of one to two weeks, the last week nothing had happened so if they were going to strike again, this would be it. How were they going to know when or where or even who was going to be taken? Melissa wasn't the only blonde girl remaining in that campus and even though to them she had an added advantage of being experienced,they could be out there fishing or even already taking another innocent girl.

             "Hey,look at that guy," Kenny said tapping her shoulder anxiously. Melissa was headed towards her car in the parking lot but there was another tall guy,hands in his pockets but staring and going after her in measured steps. "I saw him inside earlier looking at her in the cage, really looking at her but I dismissed it guessing he was just another interested client. Are they allowed to follow them home?"

              "No,this is a business. Everything takes place in here and even though Melissa has even male clients,I wouldn't see her taking them home. She's as gay as they come. Maybe a woman but not a guy."

              "So,what should we do?"

             "Let's watch him and see what he is up to."

              "He might have a gun in those pockets. What if he shoots her?"

               "If we accost him,he's going to even before we can get to him. Also,if he is our guy,he is not going to shoot her."

  Just then,Melissa turned around and saw the guy. The next minute,she now hurried to her car and got inside. The guy stopped in his tracks and watched her as she pulled out. He retrieved a phone from his pocket and communicated with someone before getting into another car and drove off after her.

              "I have got a bad feeling about that guy," Kenny said but by the time the statement was out of his mouth,Dylan had already put the files away and started driving after him. "He might be our guy."

               "That's what I'm thinking."

   She drove at a high speed at first then slowed down when she saw the guy's car up ahead of them figuring that they didn't need to alarm him that he was being followed. "Activate the GPS tracker on Melissa's car. It's her we shouldn't lose." 

                "Do you think she knows she is being followed?"

               "Yeah and that's bad because she might decide to try and get away from him which could be disastrous."

    Her phone rang but she didn't recognize the number. She picked up anyway.

               "Hey,detective Lewis?"

                  "Yeah."

                "It's Melissa Pierce. You told me to call you if I get in any trouble." She already knew where this was going and was relieved that Melissa had decided to call her instead of trying to run away from the guy on her own. "Someone is following me and I am really scared."

               "Don't be, just keep driving at that pace,we saw him and we are right behind him. When you get to that first turn,make a left and drive straight. There is another road on your left,take it and head to the precinct. You know where it is?"

               "Yeah."

                "Don't panic,you will be safe. We are not going to let him take you,okay?"

 She heard a soft sigh on the other end,"Okay." Then a light click when the call ended.

   She returned the phone in the glove box and her concentration back on the road.

              "She is wise."

               "Yeah,let's hope she follows my instructions."

   They drove along but kept their distance. Kenny monitored Melissa's car who was following everything Dylan had told her and they were now headed to the precinct. The guy was still determined but his pace was still the same so they wondered what was going on in his head. Was he going to follow her to wherever place she drove to and take her when she stopped? Her question was answered when Melissa drove towards their work place. The guy stopped for a while then drove off quickly past. 

               "That's definitely our guy."

            "And we just let him go?"

               "He is not aware that we have been following him and now with his description and the car plates, we are going to chase him down so easily. He won't know what's coming to him."

             "What do we do with Melissa now that she is here?"

              "She's going to spend the night here at the precinct. I don't know if she will accept but going out there will be dangerous. The guy might not be gone and we can't have another missing person taken right from our hands so whether she likes it or not,it is happening."

                   ★★★

      By the time Dylan got back home, the house was all quiet and for a moment she thought they had all left until something caught her eye on the couch. No,not something but someone. She locked the door slowly, careful not to wake her up but even that light click was enough to. Carly shot up rubbing her eyes in the semi darkened room. 

              "Dylan?"

                  "Yeah,it's me." She flipped on the lights and took off her coat. "You shouldn't have waited up, why didn't you go to bed?"

                "I wanted to wait for you so we could go together."

  She walked to her and kissed her lightly.

                 "That's so sweet but it is unfair to you. I'm sorry it took longer than I had expected."

               "It's okay,it's your work and you are here now, safe and sound. Did you know what happened to the girl?"

             "Not really but it must have been something that went wrong with whoever she was working for?"

             "Working for? I thought they were all full time students."

              "I think whoever is taking them is forcing them into prostitution. I'm guessing something went wrong,maybe she tried to escape or double cross her boss or even had an argument with a client and ended up getting a bullet in her head."

                 "Oh God,that is awful."

              "Yeah,tell me about it."

            "Anyway I think we found something that is likely to give us the answers tomorrow."

             "Okay,I will warm dinner for you." She stopped her as she was about to stand up.

              "No,I have missed you the whole day. All I want to do now is take a quick shower and go to bed with you."

             "You got me what I asked you to?" Carly asked smiling suggestively.

            "Oh that," she smiled. "How about we come up with our own? I can think of several ways that I want to have you right now."

              "I'm all yours."

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