Stealing Bradford

18

DJ STAYED UP PRETTY LATE, praying for Taylor and asking that God would bring her safely back to Carter House, but she eventually fell asleep. When she woke up, it was morning and Taylor was still not home. It was pretty early, but DJ knew she wasn’t going back to sleep anyway. So she got up, showered and dressed, and then went to speak to her grandmother in her bedroom. DJ could tell she’d awakened her, but she didn’t care. Something needed to be done now.

“Taylor didn’t come home last night?” said Mrs. Carter as she tied the belt of her satin robe.

“No. And I think you should call the police immediately,” said DJ in a firm voice. “For all we know, Taylor could’ve gotten into a wreck on her Vespa. Maybe she’s lying in a ditch right now with a broken leg and hypothermia.”

“Yes, yes…you may be right.”

DJ folded her arms as she waited for her grandmother to look up the number and phone the police. She explained the situation and then answered their questions. With the help of DJ, she gave them the information. Still, it wasn’t easy to hear Taylor described like that, as if her grandmother were giving details that might later be used to identify the victim of a crime scene. DJ shuddered as her grandmother hung up.

“Now I suppose I should call her mother.”

“Definitely,” said DJ.

“Oh dear.” Mrs. Carter shook her head. “Perhaps boarding teenaged girls is not such a good idea after all.”

DJ wanted to shout, Duh! but controlled herself. Instead she just shook her head and left the room.

The talk at school quickly shifted from the nasty photos on the website to the missing girl. Everyone began to speculate as to Taylor’s whereabouts, and the stories grew grimmer and more depressing as the day went by.

“Maybe she drove her Vespa off the end of the dock,” said Conner.

“Maybe she was kidnapped by some perv who saw her photos and wanted to sell her as a sex slave,” suggested Harry dramatically. Eliza gave him a sharp elbow and a warning glance.

“Maybe we should all just quit talking about it,” said DJ with irritation. “In fact, if you want to do something really helpful, maybe we should all be praying for her.”

“That’s right,” said Rhiannon.

Well, that shut everyone up, and DJ didn’t care if she’d offended anyone. She stood up and walked away from the table. If they wanted to keep manufacturing these pathetic stories, that was their problem, but she did not have to stick around and listen. For the umpteenth time, she tried Taylor’s cell phone again.

“I know you’re probably not even checking your messages,” she said hopelessly. “But I just wanted you to know that I’m thinking of you, and I’m praying for you. I really do care about you, Taylor, and I hope you’re okay. And, you probably won’t believe this, but I actually miss you and was starting to look forward to being your roommate. Please call.” Then she hung up.

“You’ve really changed,” said Rhiannon as they walked to drama together.

“How?” asked DJ dejectedly.

“You care about people.”

DJ turned and looked at Rhiannon with surprise. “Meaning?”

“Meaning, I can see God at work in you. I can see him changing you.”

“Really?” suddenly DJ felt a spark of hope. “You can actually see that?”

“Oh yeah. And not just me. A couple of the kids at lunch mentioned it too, after you left.”

“In a good way?” asked DJ. “Or were they making fun of me?”

Rhiannon laughed. “Well, both, to be honest.”

“It figures.”

“But some of them came to your defense.”

“Who?”

“Conner, of course.”

DJ smiled.

“And Kriti and Eliza too.”

“That’s nice, not that I care what they think. I mean I sort of care. But mostly I’m worried about Taylor right now. I hope she’s okay.”

“Me too.”

“I just tried her phone again.”

“Nothing?”

DJ nodded sadly.

“She’s probably okay,” said Rhiannon as they went into the auditorium. “You can’t really blame her for wanting to lay low after those photos.”

“I hope that’s all it is.”

“I bet she’ll be at Carter House by the time we get home.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

But Rhiannon was wrong. By the time DJ and Casey got home, not only was Taylor still not there, but the police were now waiting to speak to them.

“We’ve questioned everyone else,” said Detective Howard as he led them into Mrs. Carter’s office. “Now, we’d like to speak to you two, if you don’t mind.”

“That’s fine,” said DJ. For no explainable reason she felt a little nervous. But as she sat down, she noticed that Casey looked more than a little nervous. In fact, she looked downright frightened.

“Mrs. Carter already gave us permission to search your room,” he said to DJ. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.”

“So when was the last time you saw Miss Mitchell?” he asked them, and they both said it had been the previous morning at school. Then he went through some more fairly ordinary-sounding questions about friends and boyfriends and Taylor’s emotional state and whether or not she had said anything that suggested she planned to take off. After about twenty minutes he was done.

“I appreciate your help with this,” he told them politely. “I know it’s hard on all you girls. It’s always frightening to have a friend go missing. But in most of these cases, it turns out to be a runaway situation. And, after what I heard from the school about the Internet prank, it’s understandable. I’m sure Miss Mitchell will be back soon.” Then he closed his book.

“And as far as the Internet prank?” said DJ. “Is that under investigation too?” She restrained herself from looking at Casey now.

“We’re considering it as possibly being related to this, although it’s not easy to track these things on the Internet—and the website was already down by the time we learned of Miss Mitchell’s disappearance. However, we will put a computer expert on it.”

“Good,” said DJ. “Whoever did it should bear some responsibility in this.”

He nodded. “I have to agree with you on that.” Then he thanked them for their time and left. But DJ remained in her grandmother’s office. As did Casey.

“I know what you did,” said DJ in a solemn tone.

Casey just nodded.

“But I don’t know what to do about it.”

Two streams of tears slid down Casey’s cheeks. “I’m…I’m sorry,” she said quietly.

“Why?” demanded DJ. “Why on earth would you do something like that? Something so totally stupid and mean and creepy?”

“I don’t know.”

“Of course, you know, Casey. Tell me why.”

“Because I hated her!” Casey looked up at DJ with watery eyes. “I hated her, and I wanted to punish her for what she did to Rhiannon.”

“What would Rhiannon think if she knew what you did to Taylor?”

Casey looked down. “I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do, Casey. Don’t act dumb.”

“She’d be upset,” admitted Casey.

“You got that right. Rhiannon is not like that, Casey. She’s not about revenge.”

“What am I going to do?” asked Casey desperately.

“I don’t know.”

“What if something has happened to Taylor?”

“Yes, what if?” said DJ in a harsh tone.

“Will it be my fault?”

“What do you think?” asked DJ.

Casey nodded and looked down at her lap again. “I don’t know what to do.”

“I think you do,” said DJ.

“Should I confess?”

“Let me ask you this,” said DJ. “Which would be better—to confess now or get caught later?”

“What will they do to me?”

“I have no idea.”

Now Casey was crying really hard, and DJ softened. “Look,” she said as she reached for a tissue from her grandmother’s desk. “You’ve made a really, really bad mistake, but if you try to cover it up and they find out…well, it will only be worse. You understand that, don’t you?”

Casey wiped her nose and continued to cry. “I’m so stupid, so freaking stupid. I don’t know why I did that. It seemed so funny at the time…just a little joke…no big deal.”

“Well, it’s a big deal now, Casey.”

“I know.”

“And it could turn into an even bigger deal if something bad has happened to Taylor.”

Casey looked at DJ with real fear now. “Do you think?”

“I don’t know. But be realistic; it’s a distinct possibility. I mean a girl like Taylor, a girl who is used to being comfortable, who likes her little luxuries, her clothes, her cosmetics, her silk pajamas…to run off on her motorbike without taking a thing…well, it does make you wonder.”

“I wish I could undo what I did,” said Casey. “If I could just turn back the clock, I swear I would be smarter this time. I wouldn’t do it. It was so stupid…so incredibly stupid.”

“Well, you can’t turn back the clock,” said DJ. “All you can do is decide what’s the right thing to do now.”

“I know I need to confess,” she said. “I’m just not sure I can do it on my own.” She looked at DJ. “I wouldn’t blame you if you said no, but would you come with me?”

DJ put an arm around Casey’s shoulders now. “I’m totally mad at you for what you did to Taylor. But I still love you. You’re still my friend. And if it’ll help, I’ll go with you.”

Then DJ walked over and looked out the window to see that the police car was still parked in front. “In fact, maybe we won’t have to go in. It looks like Detective Howard is still here. Do you want me to go get him?”

“I guess…” Then Casey frowned. “Do you think he’ll have to cuff me and take me away in the back of his car?”

“I honestly don’t know.”

“I suppose I deserve that kind of humiliation.”

“Do you want me to get him or not?”

Casey nodded. “Yes, I just want to get it over with.”

So DJ went to find the detective who was still talking to Mrs. Carter. He was telling her to make sure that all the girls stuck together in case there was a predator in the neighborhood. Then he asked when Taylor’s parents would arrive.

“Her mother is flying out tomorrow,” said Mrs. Carter as she twisted a handkerchief in her hand. She turned to DJ. “Did you need something, Desiree?”

“There was something else we wanted to tell Detective Howard,” said DJ. “If you’re done here, that is.”

“I have no more questions.” Mrs. Carter sighed dramatically. “This is all so very upsetting.”

Soon DJ and the detective were back in her grandmother’s office, and Casey immediately began to pour out her confession, with tears and all.

“I’m so sorry I did it,” she said finally. “I can’t believe how stupid I was.” Then she actually held out her wrists like she expected to be handcuffed. “I really do deserve to go to jail. I’m ready.”

He nodded in a somber way, but DJ thought she almost saw a twinkle in his eye. “Although you’ve just confessed to what might be considered libel, slander, or defamation of character, it will be up to Miss Mitchell to press charges. But I would like you to make a complete statement. Would you mind coming down to the station?”

“In your car?” she asked with fear-filled eyes.

“If you like. Or you can have someone bring you.”

“Okay.” She glanced at DJ. “Can you take me?”

“Sure.”

“Right now?” asked Casey.

“I don’t see why not.”

So it was that DJ drove Casey to the police station and waited as she made her statement. DJ wondered if Casey needed an attorney, although nothing like that had been mentioned. And Detective Howard had made it clear that Casey was not under arrest.

“Do you think Taylor will press charges?” asked Casey as DJ drove them back to Carter House.

“I don’t know, but I suppose it’s a possibility…if she comes back at all.”

Casey let out a long sigh. “I know you might not believe me, DJ, but I really do want Taylor to come back and be okay, even if it means she presses charges and I go to jail.”

“I don’t think you’d go to jail,” said DJ as she pulled into the driveway. “Maybe juvenile detention though.”

“Well, I don’t care. I just hope that she’s okay. I might not like her, but I don’t want her to be hurt…or dead.”

DJ felt a shiver run down her spine. Even so, she tried to act nonchalant and confident as they got out of the car. “Taylor’s not dead,” she told Casey. “She’s probably in the house right this very minute. Probably sitting next to my grandmother and asking her to pass the nonfat dressing.”

But Taylor wasn’t there. And she was still gone later that evening. All the girls had gathered in the living room, saying that they were going to watch a movie, but all they did was sit around and talk about Taylor, trying to think of where she’d gone and what had happened to her. And the more they talked, the more grisly and depressing the whole thing became.

Finally DJ stood and held up her hands. “Look, you guys, we can go around and around about this, but we’re not doing anyone—not Taylor and not ourselves—a bit of good.”

“She’s right,” agreed Rhiannon. “If we want to help Taylor we should pray.”

“I don’t know how to pray,” said Eliza earnestly. “I mean, I’ve been to church with my parents occasionally, and I’ve heard my grandfather say grace before a meal, but that’s about as far as it goes.”

“I know how to pray,” said Kriti, “but it might not be as you would pray.”

“That’s okay,” said DJ with a confidence that surprised her. “I really don’t know how to pray either. But I just do it anyway. I just tell God what I’m concerned about or what I’d like him to do and, even though I’m probably doing it all wrong, I think he’s smart enough to sort it all out.”

“I don’t think there’s a wrong way to pray,” said Casey. “At least I think I heard our pastor say that once.”

“Your pastor?” Eliza looked slightly shocked.

“Believe it or not, I did grow up in a Christian home,” said Casey. “But that doesn’t make me a Christian now.”

“Oh.” Eliza nodded with a slightly confused expression.

“Anyway,” said DJ. “I think if we really care about Taylor, we should all be willing to pray for her—each in our own way. If anyone doesn’t agree, she is free to leave.”

Then to DJ’s amazement, all five girls bowed their heads, and all five girls sincerely prayed for Taylor. And somehow DJ knew that if there was any way for Taylor to make it safely back to them, it would be the direct result of their prayers. She knew that God was listening. She just hoped their faith was big enough.