A Hint from the Murderer
Part 1
Kelly Smith was an average girl with a fairly normal life. She lived in a
two story home with her mom, dad, and little six year old brother named
Thomas. She had strawberry blonde hair, hazel eyes, and was very tall. She
went to high school, chilled with friends, and got good grades. One day
though, was to change her life forever.
She was outside watching her brother play with the neighborhood kids when the phone rang. She ran inside, hoping it was her parents. She was home alone, except for her brother, and her uncle, who had gone for a walk. They went grocery shopping, and had been gone for 5 hours. Everyone knows it doesn't take that long to buy some groceries, especially when the grocery shop is ten minutes away. But Kelly was an optimistic girl, and didn't worry too much.
"Hello?" she said, eager to hear her mom's voice on the other line. But there was no answer. "Hello?" she said again. And again, there was no answer. So Kelly hung up, thinking it was a wrong number or prank phone caller. But just as she was about to put the phone back on the table, it rang in her hand. Irritated, she said, "Hello? Who is this?"
"I have him." someone said in a hushed whisper.
"What? Excuse me?"
"You won't get him alive!" The phone clicked off. Kelly was confused and a bit alarmed, but thought of the call as someone fooling around, and went back outside. She saw the group of her brother's friends playing basketball. When she left, they were all riding bikes. She jogged up to the group, and then froze. She felt as if her heart stopped. Among the children playing, her brother was not among them.
"Hey you guys, where's Thomas?" She asked the kids, trying to keep her voice from shaking. It couldn't be that her brother was the 'he' the caller was talking about! It's nonsense, she kept telling herself.
"I don't know, we asked him if he wanted to play with us, but he said no." A little curly haired girl replied, beads of sweat forming near her hairline.
"Well, did you see where he went?"
"Yeah, that way!" A boy with big brown eyes pointed his chubby hand into the woods. "He took his bike!" Then the kids all lost interest in helping Kelly, and continued their game. Kelly looked at where the boy pointed, and ran over their as fast as her lengthy legs could carry her. She pushed aside bushes and twigs, when finally she reached an opening. In the middle lay her brother's bike, the front wheel still turning. Kelly came up and stopped it with her hand, and then saw something scratched on the metal near the rubber of the wheel. She looked closely, and gasped with curiosity. It was the word 'check'. She didn't remember it being there before. She ran her finger over the marking, and tried to make sense of it all. Suddenly, she heard the rustling of leaves beside her.
"Thom-" But it wasn't him. "Hello, Uncle. What are you doing in the woods?"
"The neighborhood children told me you and your brother went here. So I wished to...check on you." His voice was smooth as honey, and he chuckled as he finished his last sentence. Kelly was used to her Uncle's strangeness. He was always a little weird.
"I've had absolutely no luck finding Thomas!" Kelly began to get worried. "Have you seen him?"
"He is, perhaps back at the house. We should go." He spoke slowly, as if he carefully thought out every word of his sentence. As they walked back, Kelly dragged Thomas's bike beside her. Kelly saw her parent's car parked in the driveway, and ran inside the house to tell them what happened. Her mother's face went pale as she finished, and her father became immensely concerned.
"Your Uncle and I will go search the neighborhood. You and mother stay here in case anyone calls. If he doesn't show up, we'll have to call the police." And that's what they did. But evening approached, and Thomas was not found. So Kelly's father dialed 911.
She was outside watching her brother play with the neighborhood kids when the phone rang. She ran inside, hoping it was her parents. She was home alone, except for her brother, and her uncle, who had gone for a walk. They went grocery shopping, and had been gone for 5 hours. Everyone knows it doesn't take that long to buy some groceries, especially when the grocery shop is ten minutes away. But Kelly was an optimistic girl, and didn't worry too much.
"Hello?" she said, eager to hear her mom's voice on the other line. But there was no answer. "Hello?" she said again. And again, there was no answer. So Kelly hung up, thinking it was a wrong number or prank phone caller. But just as she was about to put the phone back on the table, it rang in her hand. Irritated, she said, "Hello? Who is this?"
"I have him." someone said in a hushed whisper.
"What? Excuse me?"
"You won't get him alive!" The phone clicked off. Kelly was confused and a bit alarmed, but thought of the call as someone fooling around, and went back outside. She saw the group of her brother's friends playing basketball. When she left, they were all riding bikes. She jogged up to the group, and then froze. She felt as if her heart stopped. Among the children playing, her brother was not among them.
"Hey you guys, where's Thomas?" She asked the kids, trying to keep her voice from shaking. It couldn't be that her brother was the 'he' the caller was talking about! It's nonsense, she kept telling herself.
"I don't know, we asked him if he wanted to play with us, but he said no." A little curly haired girl replied, beads of sweat forming near her hairline.
"Well, did you see where he went?"
"Yeah, that way!" A boy with big brown eyes pointed his chubby hand into the woods. "He took his bike!" Then the kids all lost interest in helping Kelly, and continued their game. Kelly looked at where the boy pointed, and ran over their as fast as her lengthy legs could carry her. She pushed aside bushes and twigs, when finally she reached an opening. In the middle lay her brother's bike, the front wheel still turning. Kelly came up and stopped it with her hand, and then saw something scratched on the metal near the rubber of the wheel. She looked closely, and gasped with curiosity. It was the word 'check'. She didn't remember it being there before. She ran her finger over the marking, and tried to make sense of it all. Suddenly, she heard the rustling of leaves beside her.
"Thom-" But it wasn't him. "Hello, Uncle. What are you doing in the woods?"
"The neighborhood children told me you and your brother went here. So I wished to...check on you." His voice was smooth as honey, and he chuckled as he finished his last sentence. Kelly was used to her Uncle's strangeness. He was always a little weird.
"I've had absolutely no luck finding Thomas!" Kelly began to get worried. "Have you seen him?"
"He is, perhaps back at the house. We should go." He spoke slowly, as if he carefully thought out every word of his sentence. As they walked back, Kelly dragged Thomas's bike beside her. Kelly saw her parent's car parked in the driveway, and ran inside the house to tell them what happened. Her mother's face went pale as she finished, and her father became immensely concerned.
"Your Uncle and I will go search the neighborhood. You and mother stay here in case anyone calls. If he doesn't show up, we'll have to call the police." And that's what they did. But evening approached, and Thomas was not found. So Kelly's father dialed 911.