Where Is Araminta Green? (ONC 2024)

Chapter 15: In Trouble

Having been ordered to sit on the couch, Jordan's gaze was fastened on his muddy shoes. He wouldn't dare look at his mom, who had been appointed to guard her unruly son while his dad talked to the police, who had knocked on their door shortly after Jordan's perilous escape through the fence. Perhaps they had seen him run away and were there to apprehend him. Jordan could only wait silently to receive his verdict, while muted voices conversed in the doorway.

It appeared neither of his parents were quite sure how to discipline their adult-ish child, who should already have a fairly well-developed frontal lobe to help him make good choices. Unfortunately, Jordan's desperate desire to find Araminta had short-circuited any logical decision charts.

A thump made Jordan momentarily look up from the floor. Kiki had jumped onto the couch and was using her paws to create a cozy sleeping spot in the corner. The tense situation didn't seem to rattle the cat even a little. It was finally—after trekking through the woods and surveilling a burglary gone wrong—kitty naptime and nothing could get in the way of that.

After an eternity of looking at his shoes, the door closed and Jordan's dad walked back into the room.

"What did they want, James?" Jordan's mom asked his dad.

"They said there were some signs of someone escaping from the house toward our yard," Jordan's father explained. "So they wanted to know if we had seen anything."

Jordan looked up briefly, still not meeting either parent's gaze. "What did you tell them?" he mumbled, feeling like he was five years old again and being scolded for deconstructing his bicycle in an attempt to figure out how it worked. Even after his dad had put it back together, one of the back wheels of that bike had always wobbled a little.

James sighed deeply, really letting his disappointment in his offspring resonate. "I said we hadn't seen anything," he replied. "Regardless of your reasons for being there, I don't want you in trouble with the police if I can help it."

Cautiously, Jordan let his gaze wander from the floor and toward his dad, giving him a nod of gratitude before his mom's death stare made him look away again.

"We can still call them though," his mom informed him coldly. "It's time to come clean and tell us everything, Jordan. Then we'll decide what to do with you."

"Bridget is right," his dad agreed, forming a united parental front. "The police are only a phone call away."

Knowing he had no other option than to spill the beans, Jordan nodded. "You know my podcast," he started in a meek voice. "It's about her. Araminta. The girl who disappeared."

From there, the words flowed easily. He told them about how Araminta's unknown fate wouldn't leave his mind and how he went about his search, although he did keep out some of the more witchy details. Eventually, he revealed how he'd ended up breaking into her house, desperate to find a final clue to her whereabouts.

When he was done, Jordan looked up at his parents. Their expressions were softer now than before, although a stern edge remained.

"I knew you were up to something." James shook his head in exasperation. "Why did you think you could do a better job than the police?"

"Because I cared," Jordan mumbled. "And no one else seemed to. Everyone moved on and she was still missing. I needed to do something."

"You should have told us," Bridget said. "You should have told us what the podcast was about and how much the poor girl's disappearance affected you. Of course, we noticed that it was hard on you at the time, with you having seen her that morning and all that, but we figured going away for college would provide you some well-needed distance. I guess we were wrong."