Missing

Chapter 11

After school, I take a visit to Richelle's. Her room is just how you would think a thirteen year old's' room would be like. Messy and unsymmtrical - but this room is about three times the size of mine, so is her house. The only thing that I didn't expect - other than the bedroom that is the size of my three door garage - is a big white board with pictures and lines connecting them to one another. It looks like something that is shown on CSI.

"What's that?" I tip my chin towards her board.

"Oh that. It's my research. That's all I have so far, I'm working on connecting the dots but who ever is doing this, knows what they're dealing with." Richelle says it as if it were something she says everyday.

"Well, it's quite impressive." I mutter in awe.

"Thank you."

"Alright, spill. What do you know?" I question.

"I told you, everything I know is up on that board." She points to her work.

In the very middle of the board is a picture of Riley and five kids not exceeding the age of 15. According to the labels, the five kids are Noah, Camille, Gabi, Becca and Josh. On the outside, there are pictures of almost everyone at the dance yesterday and some younger kids that I assume are from Richelle's school. I'm on the board too.

I see people that I know. Amanda, Eldon, Chloe, Daniel, I shutter when I see him with thick lines drawn vertically across his photo, implying that he's in jail - I was told that the police are keeping him in a holding cell since they don't have clear evidence of him being guilty but the ruling is that he isn't innocent. The most shocking of all is Michelle. There is a big red circle around her.

"What does that red circle mean?" I ask, pointing to Michelle.

Richelle looks at me. I stare at her. Her eyes are wide and scared.

"I think she's the one."

"The one who what?"

Richelle rolls her eyes and shakes her head in annoyance.

"You are slow." She mutters to herself, "It means," She's speaking to me now, "I think Michelle is the kidnapper."

"Oh." I could have probably guessed that.

"Yeah. But I can't seem to find any motives."

Why would Michelle take all these people, I didn't even know she knew them.

"Why do you think it's her?"

"I was in her car the other day." She says with casualty. Richelle walks over to her board and opens a dry erase marker.

"Look," She says, "Michelle goes to my dance studio. Just two days ago, I was going home from rehearsals. My parents were in a traffic jam so I couldn't get picked up for another hour or so. Michelle saw me and offered to give me a ride. I said yes. She led me to her car but she said she forgot something back in the studio so she left me there. I was being curious and I looked in the back seat. I saw more than a dozen rolls of duct tape and gloves."

"Wow." I say in shock.

"Yeah. Nothing made sense until this morning. And the times that she gave the police don't match."

Richelle continues, "Everyone else said that the gym lights went out at around 8:10 but Michelle told the police the lights went out after 8:20. But by then the cops were already at your school. And she said the hall lights were out, no one mentioned anything like that. You're a witness, is that true?"

"Um, I don't know. I hadn't even noticed if the lights in the hall were still working." I admit.

"Well, there. The police are still holding Daniel until they can prove someone else did it." Richelle says. I give her a look and she responds with, "What? I overheard."

I laugh.

"So, what do you want me to do?" I ask.

"I want you to dig up a motive. And you'll have to do the speaking too. No one will believe a middle schooler." She assigns.

"Okay." I say.

Richelle and I work on her board some more until I realize if I don't go home, I won't have time to finish my truck load of homework.

"Don't forget the plan." She calls to me as I leave her house.

The plan is simple. I hang out with Michelle the whole day while wearing a recording device. Hopfully no one will notice a wire sticking out from my pants. Richelle will be able to access everything from home, she'll gather information, all I have to do is keep Michelle talking.