NaNoWriMo Day 24: 29,624 of 50,000
Tiffany is remembering a few more things…..
To read the previous chapters head HERE!
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Third time’s the charm,” Theo said as he approached the front steps of the Ballard Police precinct. With his backpack on and recorded testimony from Tiffany Theo walked in and asked for Detective Moody. Having become a popular arrival these days Theo was taken right back to Moody who was, again, hunched over a computer screen.
“Theo, you got something?” Moody approached him and received the photo he handed him.
“I don’t have a name for this man, but he’s been on my radar for several months now. Well before the women began disappearing. I visited Tiffany Lee a few weeks ago and showed her this photo. At first she didn’t recognize it, but last night-” Theo was interrupted.
“Yeah she almost ran away. We got the call from her parents,” Moody added.
Theo nodded irritated that the man just interrupted him just to prove he knew what was going on with his own investigation. “Right, so I went to visit her at the hospital and when she woke up she immediately reached for this photo and said she recognized him. She just isn’t sure how.”
The detective looked between him and the photo several times before responding. “Hm. Okay, well has Tiffany shared anything else about her missing time?”
“No, but her brain is clearly starting to remember.”
“Do you know where this guy lives?”
“I think he lives in a van near my home on 61st, but I am not 100 percent certain. I’ve been trying to track his movements, but I don’t know where his van goes sometimes. Just that everytime it returns a woman goes missing.”
Moody put the photo on the wall behind him and pulled up his pants in that weird adult-way that was them attempting to assert authority, but really just made everyone around them uncomfortable. “Well, Theo I appreciate you sharing this information, but without a name or a solid location there really isn’t much we can do right now.”
Theo nodded. “Of course,” he wasn’t sure what they should do, but he was certain that doing nothing was not the right solution. Theo left the office feeling a little dejected, but at least glad that the detective was listening to him and not calling him insane. As he approached his home he noticed Alice stepping outside with her gardening gloves on. He waved at her, but stopped short of smiling when noticed a piece of paper on his front door.
Theo, It’s time you stop poking around or your dear friend Ophelia is going to get hurt.
“Theo is everything okay?” Alice asked walking out of her gate and heading toward Theo.
“Um, not exactly,” he said handing the note to Alice before opening his own door.
“Wow,” Alice said stepping inside and handing the note back to him, “I mean maybe you should back off a bit. Not just because of this note, but because I think it is getting to you.”
He greeted Bella who was ready for a walk, but that was the last thing he wanted to do as he plopped down on his bed and crumpled up the note. “The police at least took the photo of Stanley, but Tiffany really needs to start remembering stuff or you’re right I may just lose it!”
“Theo take a minute here,” Alice said walking over to Bella and petting her. “Remember that Tiffany is a survivor of something incredibly horrific. She is going to need some time to really process all that is happening to her. I know you are eager to solve this, believe me I am right there with you, but we have to remember that there are people involved who are hurting or will continue to feel pain from this.”
Theo sighed heavily and laid back on his bed. “Leave it to you to be the reasonable one.”
He heard Alice laugh as her and Bella joined him on his bed. “It’ll all work out Theo. I know it will.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Theo knew he should listen to Alice, but it had been almost ten months now — three of which Ophelia had been missing — and he felt like he was no closer to actually solving the whole thing. While his obsession had slowed when Tiffany returned it only was ramped back up as the days wore on without anything from Tiffany. He was not only walking around the neighborhood every night, but he was also onto his next journal. For Theo it wasn’t just about getting information to put Stanley away it was about finding Ophelia and saving her. Yes, they had gone off the rails a bit but Theo remembered as each day went by how Ophelia had been there for him so much over the first few months of their friendship. She had helped him adjust to life in Seattle and was the one reason he didn’t feel alone in a big city.
The obsession had grown so much that the materials from his research that were in his backpack had come out and were placed all over his walls. Bella was always whining on his bed wanting a walk, but Theo was too engrossed in his research to do anything else.
On one afternoon in the midst of his research and simultaneous work calls his doorbell rang incessantly prompting Theo to step aside and rush downstairs. Alice was on the other side holding up what looked like a newspaper.
“Theo it’s Tiffany!” she said shaking the Local section in his face. Theo grabbed the paper in between Alice’s flailing and read the headline. Not much information was given, but it was clear that Tiffany was remembering something because the article did mention that a man was involved in her disappearance. “The police are of course keeping a tight lid on it all, but we should definitely reach out to her mom. This could be big!”
Even though Alice was all about keeping Theo balanced with his obsession it was clear that she was still invested in the whole mystery. With that motivation Theo nodded and pulled out his phone and called Helen who was hesitant at first, but agreed once Tiffany got some rest in between interviews with the detectives and reporters. So, the pair of them, along with Bella the ultimate comforter, walked over to Tiffany’s house.
Tiffany was excited to see Bella and pulled her in for a hug looking the most relieved he’d ever seen since they first met.
“Hey Tiffany,” Theo said smiling as he sat down at the end of the couch Bella looking incredibly content between the two of them.
“Hey Theo, Alice. Where do you want me to start?” she asked.
“At the beginning sounds too cliche, but wherever you want,” Theo answered.
She sighed. “It’s still coming back in pieces, but I do remember the day I was taken for the most part. I was leaving school looking down at my phone,” she took a deep breath, “then I noticed this large knife just laying on the sidewalk in front of me. I knew I needed to take it inside to the office. So, I reached down and then felt like I had been hit on the back of the head. When I woke up,” tears began to form in her eyes, “I was in some dark room and I didn’t know how long it had been but it felt like days before I saw anyone or any food.” By now Tiffany was sobbing as Bella crawled toward her trying to give her comfort of some kind as her mom hovered. “I’m fine,” she said clearing her throat, “After what I thought was a few days I was starving and thirsty and almost about to just give up on living when some young guy, right around your age Theo, came in with food and water,” Theo found that odd as she continued, “At that point I vaguely remember getting fed, but everything else is a blur until the day I came back. I just remember getting pushed out of a van in front of my house.”
It seemed like the entire room took a deep breath after Tiffany finished. “I am so sorry to hear what you endured Tiffany,” Theo said softly.
“We’re just glad she is back with us,” Helen said rubbing her hand up and down her daughter’s arm from behind the couch. “How do you recognize St- the guy in the photo? You said a young guy around my age was giving you food and water?”
Tiffany shrugged. “I don’t know Theo, something about him is familiar.”
Theo nodded and allowed Tiffany some more time with Bella before her mom insisted she gets some more rest. Alice, Theo, and Bella left not too long after the trio completely silent on the way home.
As the week passed and Tiffany wasn’t sharing anymore Theo was still enthralled in the research currently hanging on his walls. As the TV was set on low in the background Theo stalled his research when Detective Moody came on the screen. Lunging for the remote he turned up the volume and sat with Bella practically in his lap.
“We have a suspect in custody in connection with the disappearance of four Ballard area women. We are not going to be releasing the name of this individual at this time, but continue to request help from the public as we investigate this further,” Moody finished before taking some questions. Theo was about to listen for further information, but a quick glance out his window told him all he needed to know. The person who had been arrested was not Stanley because Theo was looking directly at Stanley now, bent over a crack in the sidewalk cutting a bunch of weeds away.
Follow along with me this month at Jenna Pratt!
