Before She Was Found Read online

  Instead of taking the elevator I decide to take the steps and by the time I get back to Max I’ve stopped shaking. “Here,” I say, holding the bag out to Max, who is now sitting up on the sofa and watching TV with the volume on low.

  “Thanks,” Max says and reaches his hand into the bag and pulls out a donut and a bagel and starts eating. When he comes up for air he takes a long look at me. “What’s the matter? Did something happen with Violet?”

  “No, it’s not Violet.” I hesitate to tell Max more. He’s only sixteen and has had to grow up faster than most kids his age but it’s been just the three of us for so long. He should hear about what’s happening with Violet from me. “I saw Cora’s dad in the cafeteria. He thinks that Violet and Jordyn are hiding something about the attack. He’s very angry.”

  Max sits up straight. “Do you want me to talk to him?” I know he means it. When he was nine he clobbered a boyfriend of mine who grabbed my arm during an argument and when he was thirteen he told off our landlord for turning off our electricity when our rent check was a few days late.

  “No, buddy, I don’t want you to talk to him. I think it’s best we don’t talk to the Landry family at all.”

  I told Officer Grady about Jordyn pushing Cora down and he promised me that he would look into it. All I can do is trust him.

  I glance at the clock. Seven thirty. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to see Violet sometime this morning. Dr. Gideon told me that seeing her would depend on how her night goes. Max also told me I need to find Violet a lawyer. I tried a few local firms yesterday afternoon but they made it pretty clear that I couldn’t afford their services. I’ve missed work for the last two days and I can’t imagine going back until I get Violet out of here but we need the money. I don’t own a house, I work at a gas station and drive a crappy car. How am I going to be able to pay for a decent attorney for Violet?

  “You want me to run home and check on Boomer and the house?” Max asks.

  I don’t want him to go back to the house without me there with him and tell him so. The vandalism has rattled me. “I’d be fine, you know. I wouldn’t let anyone mess with me.” I give him a look that makes it clear it’s not up for discussion.

  Max rolls his eyes at my overprotectiveness and stands and stretches his arms over his head. “I’m going to go walk around,” he says. “I’ll be back in a while.”

  My phone buzzes and I check the display. It’s the guy, Sam, from the other night. He’s texted and called about a dozen times. I hit Ignore.

  I nibble on a bagel and take a drink of orange juice and stare mindlessly up at the television. A man and a woman come into the family room. The woman looks dazed and the man fights back tears. They sit down on the sofa, only a few inches between them but it seems like they are a million miles apart. I wonder what brought them here. What mental illness has overtaken their loved one. But of course I don’t ask.

  I turn my attention back to the television and the local morning newscast. A reporter is standing in front of the Welcome to Pitch—We’re Glad You’re Here sign.

  “Do you mind if I turn it up?” I ask the couple as I grab the remote and press the volume button until I can hear the reporter’s voice.

  “Officials aren’t revealing much, but what we do know is that three twelve-year-old girls were involved in an incident early Monday morning that left one child with severe injuries. Our sources tell us that the weapon used was a knife much like this one.” The reporter holds up an odd-looking hooked blade with a wooden handle for us to see.

  “Oh, Jesus.” I lower my face into my hands. A knife. I know there is no possible way that Violet could have stabbed anyone. But my mind keeps flashing back to the image of her walking out of the tall grass covered in blood. So much blood.

  “The Pitch Police Department and Johnson County Sheriff’s Office aren’t sharing details,” the reporter says, “but we do have unconfirmed reports that an arrest has been made in the case, though we don’t know who the individual is. Word is that a local Pitch man was brought in at least once for what a spokesperson has called ‘routine questioning.’ The name of that man has not been released and we do not know if he was arrested. Again, we do not have official confirmation of an arrest, but will continue to follow this shocking and disturbing case and be sure to bring you any updates as they unfold.”

  The woman sitting across from me clucks her tongue and shakes her head while her companion murmurs, “This is terrible, just terrible. I hope they string up whoever did this to that poor little girl.”

  The woman looks at me as if waiting for me to agree. But I can’t do anything, not even nod my head. In any other situation, I’d be thinking the same thing, saying the same thing. But my daughter is tangled up in this entire mess and I’ll do whatever I have to in order to get her out.

  Case #92-10945

  Excerpt from the journal of Cora E. Landry

  Feb. 25, 2018

  It took me a few weeks, but I ended up telling Violet everything and I showed her all of Wither’s messages. She kept saying, This can’t be real! Someone is playing a trick on you!

  I told her that at first I thought he was fake, too. Then I showed her the message about Rachel Farmer and the yearbook and I think that’s when Violet started to believe that Wither is real.

  I begged her not to tell Jordyn, that she’d make my life even more miserable than it already was. She said she promised. She said Jordyn wasn’t hanging around with her much, either, and said some mean things about Violet’s mom working at a gas station. Violet also said that Jordyn and Gabe started going out again. This made me feel jealous, though I’m not sure why. It’s not like Gabe has gone out of his way to be nice to me lately.

  I told Violet that Jordyn wasn’t worth worrying about and to forget about her. She smiled like she was thinking, Yeah, right. But then we ate supper and made cupcakes. My mom even let us go into my room to eat them. We laughed and talked until like one in the morning. It was so much fun.

  Before Violet’s brother and his dorky friend Clint picked her up to take her home, I made her promise not to tell anyone about Joseph Wither. She rolled her eyes and held up her right hand and said, “I swear I won’t tell anyone!” So all I can do is believe her.

  But all I can think about is how Wither said he can see everything. I wonder if he already knows. He’d be so mad. This afternoon I snuck back to the depot and left a little present for him at the Primrose—a note and a rock I found that was shaped like a heart. I hope he likes them.

  Case #92-10945

  Direct message dated February 27, 2018,

  via DarkestDoor.com

  JW44:

  THANK YOU FOR LEAVING THE NOTE AND THE HEART-SHAPED ROCK.

  Corareef12:

  You’re welcome. I’ve been looking for you at the train yard—but you’re never there. It’s not easy to get away. My mom would kill me if she knew.

  JW44:

  I KNOW YOU ARE ANXIOUS TO MEET IN PERSON BUT I DON’T WANT YOU TO GET IN TROUBLE. PEOPLE WON’T UNDERSTAND. ESPECIALLY YOUR PARENTS.

  Corareef12:

  I know.

  JW44:

  I SAW YOU TALKING WITH THAT BOY THE OTHER DAY. WHY? DO YOU LIKE HIM MORE THAN YOU LIKE ME? I HOPE NOT.

  Corareef12:

  I don’t. I told you, he’s just a friend at school.

  JW44:

  PROMISE?

  Corareef12:

  I promise.

  JW44:

  OKAY. I BELIEVE YOU.

  Corareef12:

  What’s it like where you live? Is it like Pitch? I hope not.

  JW44:

  IT’S AMAZING. IT’S HARD TO EXPLAIN BUT THINK ABOUT THE MOST PERFECT PLACE IN THE WORLD. WE CAN HAVE GREEN RIVERS WHENEVER WE WANT. AND YES, YOU CAN EVEN BRING YOUR CAT. I HOPE YOU HAVEN’T TOLD ANYONE ABOUT ME. REMEMBER, THEY WON’T UND
ERSTAND AND IF THEY FIND OUT I’LL HAVE TO LEAVE AND WE’LL NEVER BE ABLE TO TALK AGAIN OR SEE EACH OTHER.

  Corareef12:

  I told you I wouldn’t say anything. You treat me like I’m a baby—you never believe me.

  JW44:

  Then stop acting like a baby.

  Corareef12:

  I’m not!

  JW44:

  Then prove it. Stand in front of your window.

  Corareef12:

  Why?

  JW44:

  Stand in front of your window and lift up your shirt.

  Corareef12:

  No way!

  JW44:

  So you are a baby.

  Corareef12:

  I am not. Why are you being like this?

  JW44:

  Do it.

  JW44:

  Do it now.

  Corareef12:

  Okay. I’ll be right back.

  Corareef12:

  Are you happy now? I did it.

  JW44:

  LIAR.

  Thomas Petit

  Wednesday, April 18, 2018

  Every time Thomas walks past the fireplace it’s all he can do to not stare. Last night, after Officer Wilson took Jordyn away and the deputy left with evidence bags filled with Jordyn’s clothes, Thomas looked up the chimney with a flashlight to make sure that the book bag was where he left it. It was. Thomas debated whether to yank the pack down, look through it to see if Jordyn’s house key was inside and find a new hiding place but decided to leave it alone, at least for the time being.

  He came home from the police station beside himself and he knew that he couldn’t keep this news from Tess any longer. He wanted to drive to the skilled care facility and tell her in person, but he told himself that he didn’t want to be too far away from Jordyn in case she needed anything. If Thomas was being completely honest, he would admit that he just couldn’t bear facing Tess. So he called her instead.

  He tried to downplay it by saying the police were just questioning her, that it was all one big misunderstanding, but in his mind all he could think was, They put her in a cell! A twelve-year-old girl in a jail cell where thieves and drug addicts and murderers and all other sorts of criminals belonged.

  Thomas promised to call Tess later in the day to give her an update, but in the meantime he goes to the kitchen to put on a fresh pot of coffee and though he doubts he’ll be able to eat anything, he drops some bread into the toaster just in case.

  Thomas’s knees protest with each step and he knows he’ll have to go to the doctor to get a cortisone shot soon, but not today and not tomorrow but as soon as Jordyn comes home. Thomas pulls the butter dish from the cupboard and sets it on the kitchen table along with a jar of peach jam Tess canned last summer when the phone rings.

  His first thought turns to Jordyn. Maybe it’s the lawyer calling to tell him it’s all been a terrible mistake, that they are releasing Jordyn right away. Or, he thinks, maybe it’s the jail calling to say that Jordyn was hurt by some criminal during the night. You hear about that on TV all the time.

  Thomas sets down the jar of jam, half hoping that the phone will stop ringing before he gets there. No such luck. “Hello,” he says.

  “Murderer,” comes a muffled voice. “Tell the murdering bitch we’re coming for her.” Thomas’s heart seizes. Had the Landry girl died? They just saw her yesterday and though she looked rough she was far from the edge of death. There’s no way she could have died. Someone would have called and told them, but not like this.

  “Who is this?” Thomas manages to ask.

  “Eye for an eye,” the voice hisses and Thomas slams down the phone. Just kids, he tells himself. Just a prank call.

  Thomas sits, elbows on the table, forehead resting in the palm of one hand. Sure, Jordyn has had her issues. Thomas remembers the school calling over a half a dozen times this year. Once for copying a classmate on a math test, twice for making fun of a girl in her class. Jordyn called her lardo and a fat ass, the teacher explained, spelling out the offensive word: a-s-s. Once for snapping a girl’s bra in the locker room and a time or two for being disruptive while the teacher was talking.

  Except for a few minor incidents, there really hadn’t been anything about Jordyn actually hurting anyone. Of course the girl is going to have some issues. Her parents abandoned her, for God’s sake.

  Thomas wants so badly to talk to Tess about all of this. He needs to talk to her. She’ll be furious with him for hiding Jordyn’s arrest from her. Today, he promises himself. This afternoon, after the arraignment, he’ll call his wife and try to explain what’s going on.

  The sky is the color of dishwater, gray and cloudy. And though all the snow has melted a cold breeze sweeps across his skin and Thomas wonders if the mild mid-April weather they’ve been having is just a tease.

  He doubts that the girls would have left the Landry home in the middle of the night if there had been snow and the temperature near freezing. Though it’s only a short drive to the jail it still feels too far away. From talking with the attorney, Thomas knows that Jordyn is very lucky to have remained at the jail in town.

  Robert said she very easily could have been shipped to the nearest juvenile detention center nearly an hour away and that was if there was room available. If there were no open beds in Cedar Rapids she could still end up as far away as Sioux City, which is over a five-hour drive.

  The key, Robert said, was that because Jordyn is a juvenile, she cannot be within sight or sound distance with any adult prisoners at any time. He said the Pitch jail has one solitary room that will keep Jordyn separate from the others.

  It’s Thomas’s understanding that the initial hearing is to be held at one this afternoon. This is where the judge reads the charges against Jordyn and asks her what her plea will be. Guilty or not guilty. Maybe he’ll get a chance to talk to Jordyn. Thomas wants to get his eyes on her, see if she’s really doing okay. He has a lot of questions for Jordyn. Like why was there a picture of Jordyn and the girls in front of a boxcar when Jordyn told him, no, promised him that she never actually went into the train yard? He also wants to ask about Jordyn’s house key and where Jordyn might have put it. That key has been worrying him. If Jordyn dropped it in the train yard anywhere near the spot where Cora was attacked, then it proved that she had lied to them all.

  The phone trills and as much as Thomas wants to ignore it, he knows he can’t. The call might be about Jordyn or about Tess. He hurries down the steps, hoping to grab it before the person on the other end hangs up. As he listens to the voice on the other end his face darkens.

  “Listen,” Thomas hisses into the phone, “call here again and I’ll break your legs.” He slams down the phone so hard that the cradle is knocked from the wall and the receiver falls and bounces against the floor and sways, dangling by the coiled cord.

  Thomas’s hands are shaking, eyes wild.

  He wants to rip the phone out of the wall, he wants this nightmare to be over, he wants Tess to come home so they can face this together. She would know what to say, what to do. Thomas picks up the receiver and lightly returns it to the wall and it immediately begins to ring again.

  “Hello,” he says sharply, then apologizes when Jordyn’s attorney identifies himself on the other end. “What’s going on?” Thomas listens for a moment.

  “I’ll meet you there in thirty minutes,” he says. He hangs up and Thomas doesn’t return the receiver to the cradle, but lays it on the kitchen counter. This will take care of the crank calls, he thinks.

  Jordyn’s attorney has a lot to tell him. Jordyn’s arraignment is to be held at ten and the juvenile court officer assigned to the family will also be there to help them walk through all the ins and outs of what’s going on. But it’s Robert’s final statement that has his mind spinning.

  Jordyn’s ready to talk. />
  Case #92-10945

  Direct message dated March 1, 2018,

  via DarkestDoor.com

  Corareef12:

  JW44, where are you?

  Case #92-10945

  Direct message dated March 2, 2018,

  via DarkestDoor.com

  Corareef12:

  Are you mad at me?

  Case #92-10945

  Direct message dated March 2, 2018,

  via DarkestDoor.com

  Corareef12:

  Are you mad at me about the window?

  Case #92-10945

  Direct message dated March 2, 2018,

  via DarkestDoor.com

  Corareef12:

  I keep going back to the Primrose to see if you left me another note but you haven’t. I left you notes but they are still there. Please answer me.

  Case #92-10945

  Direct message dated March 12, 2018,

  via DarkestDoor.com

  Corareef12:

  I don’t know what I did wrong. You said you were my friend. I don’t have anyone else to talk to. Everyone else except Violet hates me. Is it because I’m friends with her again? I’ll stop. I’ll do whatever you want me to, just please answer.

  Case #92-10945

  Direct message dated March 13, 2018,

  via DarkestDoor.com

  Corareef12:

  After my parents went to bed last night I snuck out and went to the Primrose. I kept thinking you might show up. I stayed there until really late but you didn’t come. Doesn’t that prove to you that I love you? I’m not sure what you want from me. Please just tell me what to do.

  Case #92-10945

  Direct message dated March 15, 2018,

  via DarkestDoor.com

  Corareef12:

  I haven’t been able to sleep. I wait until my parents go to bed and then I sneak downstairs to use the computer. I sit here and wait for you to send me a message. Why won’t you talk to me? Please tell me. I fell asleep in class today I’m so tired. Everyone started laughing. I thought I saw you waiting for me outside after school, and instead of getting into my mom’s car I went and looked behind the trees to see if it was really you. But no one was there—you were gone. I couldn’t breathe. I felt like I was going crazy. Please send me a message. Just one. Please tell me what I did wrong.