Where Is Jared

Where is Jared Chapter 18

Chapter 18- TIM

That whole story was... sensible. After judging Katie the way I did- the way we both did- there was no surprise that I was moved by her story. I looked at Jessie, and it seemed she was exactly the opposite. She looked like she hadn't believed a word of what Katie had said. But I'm sure we both agreed on one point: Both Katie and James need to be shoved behind bars.

Katie had poured her heart out to us, and we both just sat in the hospital room, seeing nothing, and saying nothing. After a few minutes, it was still quiet. I was surprised Katie hadn't said anything; neither had Jessie.

I finally spoke up.

"That was... moving." I spoke the truth. "I can't believe Jared would do something like that. Are you sure it was him?"

"No." Katie said, very sarcastically. "I just killed the one guy that my best friend loved for no reason."

"Okay... but it could have been someone else..." I countered. I still didn't think very much of Katie, but it was odd that I was in doubt after this whole-hearted story of hers.

"Shut up." She growled. "You and I both know that it's possible I did all of this... went through all this trouble, lost my best friend, for nothing. You and I both know that I could have been someone else who killed my dad." She looked like she might cry.

I didn't say anything else, for fear of driving Katie insane. After that outburst, it seemed that Jessie was at a loss, too.

Jessie finally spoke quietly. "You know, maybe the police can cut you a deal."

Katie's head popped up in surprise, almost like she was going to say something smart, as if Jessie's words caught her before she could.

"What?"

"I said... Maybe the police could cut you a deal in this case, you know, and then you'll have less time for killing Jared, or something."

"What?" Katie repeated.

"Well... if you could help Tim and I find James, I'm sure the police could... um...lessen your sentence."

Katie's eyes glowed with suspicion, but she smiled, a smile that I knew was a look of victory. Of course, she'd love to put her boyfriend behind bars. He'd stolen her money. Why wouldn't she help us, especially since she could get a deal on her sentence?

"Just one thing." I said. "What is it wasn't Jared that killed him?"

"It was. You're ruining my mood, so shut it."

"Um... Okay."

It was quiet now, and only the humming of the machines filled my ears.

"When can I get out of here?" Katie finally asked. "I want to find the bastard."

"Now." I said, unaware of how I was going to get us out.

She shuffled around, trying to get her IV and other things off, while Jessie and I stood there, wondering why we were helping her. She finally got mobile enough for us to quietly sneak out, jog down the hallway, and escape out the door.

Normally, I'd be a little put off by the lack of nurses in the hall, but in this case, I was more than grateful. We made it out with few problems. Only the fact that the nurses should be getting a message that Katie was dead alarmed me.

We hopped into the car, and headed off to find James, not that we were counting on anything.

JESSIE

There was no way to describe this. He we were, sore, hurt, and tired, trying to find a healthy, built, badass criminal. There was no way anyone could believe this, especially since we were helping a criminal find a criminal. It was all unreal, and there was no way we were going to succeed, not without getting caught ourselves.

But, despite my feelings for Katie, which were not very polite, I was going to help her find James. He was just as guilty as Katie, maybe even more.

So we escaped in the car, and headed straight to James's house. That was our best bet, since I didn't know anything else about him other than where he lived.

All three of us got out of the car, walked up to the door, and Tim knocked. A middle-aged lady answered. She only cracked the door open, seeming like she had better things to do that talk to anyone. "Hey, um... we're looking for James. Was he here?" Tim eyed her carefully, as if James would so something stupid like letting her in on his secret.

"Yea, he was."

I'm sure the woman was very surprised when six eyes stared at her wide open. But she didn't show it. Why would James come home? He had to have left something behind. "Well, is he here now?"

"Nope."

She was being very evasive. "Can you tell us where he is?"

"Nope."

"Did he leave some sort of message?" It was me who spoke this time, not Tim.

It looked like this had completely slipped her mind. She sighed. "Yep."

"Can we have it?"

"Yep." Finally, she disappeared into the house. I rolled my eyes in disgust.

She finally came back with a letter, and shoved it at us through the crack in the door. "Here. He told me not to give it to you, unless you asked. I didn't think yall would be that smart."

Tim jerked the note opened grouchily and read it to himself. Only his eyes showed his true worried nature, and only I was smart enough to see that. Tim smiled and thanked the woman, and then we left.

"What is it?"

"A letter." Tim stated the obvious, trying to be a little evasive himself.

"Okay, this is not going to work. Either there'll be no secrets, or I'm going off on my own." Katie whined. It worked.

"Okay... read it."

Tim shoved the note at Katie, and I read it over her shoulder. It read:

To Tim, Jessie, and maybe Katie,

Hello. This is my last message, the only one you'll hear from me, anyway. I didn't want to do this, but it was just so much more fun knowing I could taunt you guys, and still be completely safe from the police.

I am with someone, a certain someone that Katie may recognize, a certain person who killed her father. And no, Jared didn't come back from the dead. But I do know that you will never find us. Or rather, you'll never find us alive.

Just to give you guys a little hint: You might want to talk to Jared's father. Maybe he can lead you in the right direction; then again, maybe it will be a wild goose chase. But that up to you guys to decide.

James

I smirked, and then I laughed. "We've got to talk to Jared's father, then. He'll help us."

Tim glared at me. "What?"

"We need to-"

"No we do not! Do you think this guy would lead us to where he is? Do you really think James is that stupid?"

"I do." Katie interrupted, obviously enjoying our little spat.

"Shut up." Tim said. He turned to me. "There is no way I'm letting you go speak with him, not in your condition. Katie can go, and I might, but you are still hurt."

"I am not! I'm in better condition that you! And I'm not your daughter! I'm not even your girlfriend! You can't make me do anything."

"I'm guessing this will lead us nowhere, you guys arguing like this, and I-" Katie put her two cents in, and was bombarded with two cold stares. It made her stop in mid-sentence.

I stood quietly now, our criminals getting farther away every second, and Tim refusing to take action. We had to go talk to Jared's dad. We had to make an effort to find Katie's real target, and James needed to be locked up forever. So much for not seeing him again.