NaNoWriMo Day 21: 23,691 of 50,000
Typing away. I am determined to get to the 50,000. This story deserves 50,000 words!
To read the previous chapters head HERE!
Chapter Eighteen
Turns out Alice didn’t particularly care that Theo had a journal filled with scribbled notes and maps all about Stanley and the missing women. When Theo relaxed after realizing this Alice suggested forming some sort of superhero squad.
“What if we get Chloe to come down and we spread all of your information out? We can totally figure this out,” she exclaimed a bright smile all over her face.
Theo was hesitant. Once his sister was involved there really was no way to keep the seal on all of his obsessiveness. Not only that, but once Chloe arrived she would spew a dozen theories which would no doubt get Alice excited as well. Theo didn’t respond quickly enough apparently because Alice was already on the phone with his sister.
An hour later Chloe, Alice, Theo, and Bella were all huddled in his room with several newspaper clippings, Theo’s journal, and laptops open. Theo decided in the comfort of his room with two of the only people he trusted it was time to let it all unleash.
“Ok, so here’s what I believe to be true. First, our unnamed man with the knife-let’s call him Stanley-is homeless and living in a van here in Ballard,” the two nodded while Bella just looked happily at Chloe who was petting her, “his van disappears at various times, but upon disappearing a woman ends up going missing. Now, what happens in between the time the van, and Stanley, go missing and when he returns is a big question mark. However, he usually returns around the time a disappearance is announced.”
“Right, so why don’t we talk about the four missing women then?” Chloe asked standing up and tapping a photo of 17-year-old Tiffany on his blank wall. “Tiffany right?”
Theo nodded. “Was leaving school when last seen.”
“Family? Friends?” Alice asked standing up to examine the blonde teen’s photo.
“Two parents and from what I overheard in the coffee shop the morning after her disappearance not a lot of friends. In fact, I don’t believe she has any,” Theo answered.
“So, a bully?” Chloe asked reaching for her beer on Theo’s desk.
“Unofficially, yes.”
“Ok, so a teenager. Second missing woman is Bethany-”
Theo interrupted Alice. “Bethany? How do you know her name?”
Alice looked at Theo. “It was in the paper, Theo.”
Theo was a little thrown. “It was?”
“Yeah,” Alice pushed aside the newspaper clippings until she found the one she was looking for, “here.”
Theo grabbed the small clipping and read the name Bethany. He wondered how he had missed it before. Obsession did crazy things to one’s brain.
“Ok, right. Bethany. Homeless woman,” Theo added.
“And no known photo, so could be like a person Stanley sees around here often and just took advantage of that homeless connection?” Chloe threw out there.
“Possibly, but right now we don’t have any evidence of criminal wrongdoing,” Alice added.
Theo sighed. “Which is becoming all the more frustrating!”
“Theo, it’s all good. We’ll figure this all out,” Chloe reached for Theo’s arm, but he flinched away looking outside the large window of his bedroom.
“I’m sorry. It’s just,” Theo began turning around to look at the ladies in his life, “this has all been in my head for so long and I just wish my life hadn’t come to this.”
Alice stood next to him. “Theo we can stop this right now. Seriously.”
Theo thought about that, but as soon as he entertained the possibility he realized that no matter what he did this would still eat at him. He realized it was now or never know matter what his feelings were.
“No,” Theo turned to Alice and softly squeezed her shoulder, “I appreciate it really. I just feel like at this point I- we cannot step away. There are four women, one of which is or at least was, my best friend, either kidnapped or worse somewhere out there.” Theo looked back out the window his eyes focused on the bright orange lights of the street lamps. His focus shifted when the reflection of the TV screen on his window showed an alarming image. “Tiffany?”
Theo, Chloe, and Alice all turned toward the TV the unmute button somehow magically allowing sound to be produced. Theo didn’t care how because right before him was a beleaguered, worn out looking Tiffany standing in front of her home with her parents on either side of her.
“Yes, Dave this heartwarming scene behind me is indeed 17-year-old Tiffany Lee reuniting with her parents just moments ago. This is, of course, the same Tiffany who six months ago went missing after last being seen at school. It appears that Tiffany arrived to her home sometime this evening with no recollection of what exactly happened to her. Stay tuned for more from Ballard. This is Stacy reporting for King 5 News,” the reporter finished as behind her the camera focused on Tiffany who was no hugging her mom tightly.
“Well this changes things,” Chloe said breaking the silence.
Chapter Nineteen
The following morning Theo rushed, bleary-eyed to the coffee shop. Work was asking a lot of him today, but Tiffany was as well. Once his coffee was in hand and Bella was settled at his feet he opened the front page of The Seattle Times to the headline story Tiffany Returns! Theo had to slow down because he wanted to get to the pieces of the written article that he didn’t know yet, but realized it was all bound to be important.
The Sunday afternoon was normal for most Ballard residents, but that normalcy quickly changed when 17-year-old Tiffany Lee stumbled up the front steps of her home reappearing after a nearly six month disappearance. Her parents were not home at the time having spent relentless hours out in the community searching for her or seeking information about her. When they returned later that evening they were startled and filled with joy at the sight before them.
“I was a little scared at first,” Tiffany’s mom Helen shared, “Tiffany was dirty and her clothes were torn. She reacted like a wild animal toward us at first, but when she recognized her father and I she rushed right into our arms.” For Helen and husband Dave the reunion was short-lived as Seattle Police quickly descended and detectives took her inside to interrogate her. The rush from these detectives comes after a fourth women disappeared earlier last week in Ballard.
This time, 29-year-old Ophelia Sinclair was last seen leaving her barista job at the popular Ballardite coffee shop on Market Street. Before Ophelia disappeared 25-year-old Johanna Clark went missing from the women’s shelter she is temporarily residing in on Market Street. The second disappearance came from a still unnamed homeless woman whose car has been abandoned for over seven months on 20th street. With four disappearances in the Ballard area in the last seven months police are feeling the pressure to solve what is quickly becoming the “Ballard Kidnapper” story.
While Tiffany attempts to recover from her kidnapping, one question on everyone’s minds is what happened to Tiffany and does she remember who took her? The answers to both questions are a no. The Seattle Times can confirm through a source at the Ballard precinct that Detective Charles Moody, lead investigator for this growing case, discussed at a team briefing late last night that Ms. Lee could not recall a single thing not only about her disappearance but about who she was before the kidnapping. According to this source, the only thing Tiffany can remember at the moment is who her parents are which is a normal phenomenon.
“It’s known as dissociative amnesia,” says Dr. Stansberry a neurology professor at the University of Washington. “ Essentially, it is a condition where a person cannot remember important information about his or her life. This forgetting may be limited to certain specific areas, or may include much of the person’s life history and/or identity in general.” Dr. Stansberry went on to discuss that in a few months’ time it is likely Tiffany will remember a lot more, but her memory may never be fully recovered. “Her brain is protecting her right now. It’s one of the more unique aspects of our brain that doesn’t often get to present itself,” Dr. Stansberry explains, “think of it like when you’re washing your hands and suddenly feel a sharp pain in her thumb. When you look you notice you have quite a cut oozing out blood. The cut may have been there for quite some time, but your brain has protected you from feeling that pain for whatever reason. That is what is occurring for Tiffany on a more extreme level.”
As time progresses it is likely that Tiffany and her family will learn more about where she has been for the past seven months, but for now the family is asking for privacy as they attempt to get back to a normal routine. As Seattle Police continue to investigate Tiffany’s, and others, disappearances anyone with information is encouraged to call their hotline at. . . .
Theo stopped reading as the article finished with a phone number and email for tips. What had surprised him the most was the mention of her dissociative amnesia, something Theo was very unfamiliar with until he read this article. As demands for his work dinged on his laptop Theo had no choice but to set aside the paper and complete his work for the day.
“Theo?” a female voice brought Theo out of his email he was finishing up only to be surprised by who was speaking to him.
“Natalie! Hey there,” he said as enthusiastic as he could muster up. His mind was all over the place right now.
“I didn’t know you worked from here,” Natalie said looking around the coffee shop.
Theo was tempted to ask her how she couldn’t have since he spent nearly every morning here since he moved, but he wasn’t in the mood for confrontation. “Ha, I don’t know why not. I spend every morning here.”
“Hm. Well gotta keep my eyes open sometimes. How is Tyler doing?” she asked clearly not concerned with his laptop opened with an email ready to be finished.
“He’s alright. He’s living out in Issaquah now.”
“Oh. Really? Alice never told me that,” she said sitting down in the open chair next to him.
“Why would Alice tell you? By the way what happened between you two?” While she was being blunt and straightforward, Theo felt he could do the same.
“Oh,” she blushed and turned her face away for a moment, “I- uh, well he actually got weird one day. Started acting all paranoid while we were out on dates. He kept saying someone was watching him. The morning I was planning on ending things with him he called and did the honors first.”
Theo shouldn’t have been surprised by now, but this new revelation about Tyler not only fit with his current behavior, but also spoke to his somewhat nonchalant attitude about Ophelia not being around prior to her official disappearance. Despite this evidence and insight about his friend Theo was more curious about one specific thing.
“When exactly did that paranoid stuff start?” Theo asked itching to reach for his journal, but deciding not to in front of Natalie.
“Hm let me think,” Natalie said tapping her finger on her chin and looking up, “it would’ve been like February just after Valentine’s Day. We had this wonderful dinner, but the next day he got all weird.”
Theo nodded his head. This was just a few weeks before Ophelia disappeared and suddenly a timeline was beginning to make sense. Natalie’s drink order was called and with a quick goodbye she left Theo who was glad to get back to his email. Thankfully, the sun was staying in the sky longer which made Theo’s workday not feel as dreadful back when the sun set at 4 in the afternoon. So, thankfully Theo finished his work day with a final email and pulled out the journal. As he wrote down new information about Tiffany and Tyler he realized what his next step had to be.
“I have to meet Tiffany.”
Follow along with me this month at Jenna Pratt!
