Lakehouse

Chapter Ten

"Tell us everything. Every little detail."

I lean back in my chair, my hands gripping the armrests so hard that my knuckles start turning white. My ears are ringing and my head is pounding, the pain just as strong as it was when I was being held in the hospital room four days ago. Theo was right; my head wasn't ready to walk or anything of the sort. It was disoriented.

A few hours after I was let out of the hospital, Lou got a call on her cell phone from the police station. They, of course, wanted to interrogate me as soon as possible. They know just as well as I do that this attack had to do with Levi's disappearance, and believe that I heard or saw something that this man did that could lead to the location of my brother.

So, here I am now, in a windowless interrogation room with two officers- Parker from the group interrogation that was held the day after Levi's party, and woman with dark skin and red lipstick- and a voice recorder sitting on the table in front of me. The officers sit patiently, their hands folded in their laps, looking intently at me.

"I was on my way to Theo Lewis' house. You know, Cara's younger brother?"

They nod. "We're hoping the information you provide will also help us locate Cara," the woman says, her voice serene.

"I was passing through the city center. It is the quickest way to get to his neighborhood and my school building, so I walk that route almost every day. I never had any problems. But, my ex-boyfriend Jake Hanson was following me."

Officer Parker raises his eyebrows. "You mean, stalking?"

I shake my head. "No, not really. I mean, he has been trying to catch my attention a lot lately."

"What do you think of this?"

I lick my lips. "Well, that leads to what happened next. He wouldn't leave me alone. He said he needed to talk to me, so I lead him to the nearest alley so we weren't in the sidewalks where everyone was trying to get places. I told him that I was sick of him and if he was trying to make me talk to him, it wasn't working. I mean, he came to my brother's party when he clearly was not invited and joked about Levi being dead in class the other day."

Parker lifts his hand and presses his thumb against his lips. I watch him as he closes his eyes and shakes his head, a look of utter disappointment on his face. "What happened next?"

"He told me he was doing exactly what I suspected," I continue. "He was trying to get me to notice him. I think he's insane for doing it that way. Anyway, he said that he still cared about me and all that sappy stuff, and that he could not straight up apologize. I didn't reply for a couple of seconds, and he said my name. That's when the man came in."

"Explain what he looked like," the woman says.

"He was tall," I say. "With dark hair and dark eyes and stubble on his chin. And he was wearing a trench coat, like the ones in the movies. His voice was higher than to match his appearance. That's all I remember."

I recall how his eyes narrowed and glazed as he saw me on the street, how casual he seemed before he saw me and all hell broke loose within him. I've been thinking about that a lot- he seemed so furious at me, when I had done nothing. He wants my parents, but I cannot explain to myself why.

"And he just saw you, and attacked you, right there in the alley?" Officer Parker asks.

I nod my head, my grip on the chair growing stronger.

"What about Jake? What did he do?"

I grin at that, shaking my head. How stupid I was to think that he would save me. "He was a hypocrite. You know what he said when I yelled for him? He said, 'I'm sorry,' and took off. When he had just finished explaining that it was impossible for him to straight up apologize."

The woman leans back in her seat, rubbing her hands over her face in dismay.

"And the man kept hitting my head against the brick wall of the alley," I say, touching my fingers to the stitches in my skull. "He asked if I was Levi's sister, and I said yes, and then he kept asking me where my parents were. I didn't know. Eventually he just threw me on the ground and kicked me, then ran away. My head hurt so bad that I didn't even realize I was bleeding."

"No one..." the woman says. "No one came to save you?"

I shake my head. "No. They were all too afraid. But I don't blame them. I would have been, too."

Officer Parker sits up, placing his hands on the table. "You're fortunate that you got a hold of Theo, then. I'm positive you would have bled out and died there if you hadn't."

His words send a shiver up my spine. I breathe in through my nose and out my mouth, my eyes closed. I just picture myself, dead in an alley, in a pool of my own blood. Unable to save Levi. Unable to help Theo find Cara. Unable to do anything; I would only be capable of watching, my touch and feelings unnoticeable.

I don't reply, staring at the dark, carpeted floor. My chestnut-colored boots stand out against the blackness as they tap against the surface.

"I think I know what it is, Sadie," the woman says, looking at Parker. He nods at her, and they both turn their heads to me. "Its a ransom. There is really no other reasonable explanation."

I set my jaw, letting the words sink in. "So, you're saying that my parents are rich?"

"I would guess." She entwines her fingers together, her thumbs wrestling with one another. "But, it was a closed foster transition. We have no access to the files and information of your parents."

"Such an idiot," I mumble, pressing my fingers against my forehead, remembering Mr. Johnson and how he claimed that he didn't know what had happened to the files. That's all it was- closed.

"What?" she asks, raising her eyebrows.

"Not you," I reply. "Sorry. Anyway, go on."

She clears her voice. "I think our best chances of finding your parents are to make a televised news cast. We can try to talk to the higher offices to get it broadcasted on the national news stations, because we don't really know who they are or where they could be. I'm sure they would not mind if they knew children's lives are in danger."

"Okay."

"And Sadie, before you leave," Parker says, "Please be careful out there. Have your cell phone on you at all times. Keep your guard up. I would suggest having people with you wherever you go. We will send in the reports and try to find this man."

I nod, pressing my lips together. "He's not the master mind of it, though," I say quietly. "The man I heard over the phone... his voice was deeper than the one who attacked me. So, interrogate him as soon as you get him. There's someone else you need to catch."