The Anniversary (43 page)

lights flashed in her eyes. Henry had already jumped back. “Get 3

out of the light,” he hissed.

4

But Anna had one foot in the air, her canvas shoe in her hand.

5

As the car slowed down, she started to move, but something held 6

her back. She realized that a part of her was hoping that someone 7

had found them. Now that they were really running away, it all 8

seemed a little scary. With every step away from home, she felt 9

more and more doubtful. That was why she kept standing there.

10

She
wanted
someone to find them.

11

The driver stopped the car just a few yards away. He was lean-12

ing across the front seat, opening the passenger door. It was 13

spring, but he was wearing winter clothes, a ski hat and a scarf.

14

He had a beard, a bushy one, like someone in a cartoon.

15

He said something then, real soft, but Anna couldn’t hear him.

16

She stepped up a little closer, not sure what she wanted to do.

17

Henry wasn’t where she could see; he was probably hiding now.

18

He was going to be mad that she’d messed up everything. But 19

right now, she just didn’t care. She wanted to be back home.

20

The driver was sliding across the seat, getting out of the car. As 21

he moved closer, Anna stepped back. Suddenly, she was afraid.

22

Why wasn’t he talking to her? And why did he look so weird?

23

Then, without warning, he lunged toward her, grabbing hold of 24

her jacket. But before he got a firm grip on her, Anna tore away.

25

She started to run —
hard, fast
— faster than ever before. Her 26

feet pounded the pavement, and she started screaming, “Help!”

27

Strong arms grabbed her, picked her up, swooped her into the 28

air. Squirming, fighting, she looked for Henry. A piece of cloth 29

covered her face. It was wet and smelled bad. She tried to push 30

it away. But she couldn’t get her hands to move, and then she 31

didn’t care.

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33

h

34

“When did you last see your daughter?”

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The detective was wearing a black T-shirt that showed his R 36

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muscled arms. On his left bicep he had a tattoo, a long, winding 2

vine with flowers. He’d explained to Callie that he’d just been 3

pulled off an undercover job. Still, his appearance only added to 4

her sense of dislocation.

5

“It must have been around nine o’clock. Anna was in bed. But 6

how could anyone have gotten in? Her room’s on the second 7

floor.”

8

Anguished, Callie looked at him, twisting her hands in her lap.

9

“So far, we don’t see any sign that someone broke into the 10

house. Do you think your daughter might have run away?”

11

Callie stared at him. “I guess . . . I guess it’s possible.” It hadn’t 12

even occurred to her, but maybe he was right. “We had a sort of 13

argument about visiting her grandparents this summer. She 14

didn’t want to go. I told her it wasn’t her choice.”

15

“You know, despite all the publicity, kidnappings are still quite 16

rare.”

17

For the first time since Anna had disappeared, Callie felt a ray 18

of hope. Maybe Anna had left on her own. They’d find her and 19

bring her back.

20

Across from her sat the detective, whose name was Jeffrey 21

Knight. Next to him was a policewoman, the first officer to ar-22

rive. Officer Parillo — that was her name — wore a standard 23

blue uniform. She had short, dark hair, an athletic build, and was 24

probably in her twenties.

25

“So she was pretty upset?” asked Knight.

26

“Yes,” Callie said.

27

“What did she say exactly?”

28

“Just that she didn’t want to go. She said I couldn’t make her.”

29

“Has she ever run away before? Or threatened to run away?”

30

Callie shook her head. “No. She never has.”

31

“What sort of relationship do you have?”

32

“It . . . it used to be better. This year has been difficult. I started 33

dating someone this fall — Rick Evans, you probably know him.”

34

“Sure. We both know Rick.” A flicker of surprise in Knight’s 35 S

voice, a subtle change of tone.

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“Rick’s out of town,” Callie said. “His father’s been quite ill.”

1

She wasn’t sure why she said this, and Knight didn’t respond.

2

“Did you hear anything?” Knight asked her. “Any sounds from 3

Anna’s room?”

4

Again, Callie shook her head. “No, nothing,” she said. “But I 5

had my Walkman on. I was listening to music.”

6

From upstairs, Callie heard the footsteps and voices of two 7

more detectives. She wondered what they’d found so far. She 8

wanted to be up there with them.

9

Her eyes drifted around the kitchen, barely focusing. The dry-10

ing dishes. The clean counters. The knives in the wooden block.

11

The most dangerous room in the house.
That’s what Rick had called 12

it. Suddenly, she missed him desperately. She wanted him here 13

with her.

14

“Who are your daughter’s closest friends? Is there someone she 15

might have talked to?”

16

Of course. Why hadn’t she thought of that?
“Henry Creighton,”

17

she said. “If Anna talked to anyone, it would be him. He lives 18

right across the street.”

19

“D’you have the number?” Knight asked.

20

“Right there. Beside the phone.”

21

Knight pulled out a cell phone.

22

“You can use ours,” said Callie.

23

“Thanks, but I’d rather not. I don’t want to disturb the scene.”

24

The scene.
Knight’s offhand use of the word sent a chill 25

through Callie. For an instant, she saw her house, her
home,
26

through completely different eyes.

27

Knight had already punched in the number and was waiting 28

for someone to answer. After what seemed like forever, he finally 29

started to talk.

30

“Ma’am, I’m sorry to disturb you, but I’m calling from the Mer-31

ritt Police Department. . . . What? . . . No, it’s not about your 32

husband. It’s about your neighbor, Callie Thayer. Her little girl is 33

missing. I know it’s late, but we need to talk to your son.”

34

Another pause.

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“We’ll be right over. . . . Yes, of course I will.”

2

When he hung up, he looked at Callie. “That was the mother.”

3

“Mimi.”

4

“She said to tell you to stay calm, that everything will be okay.”

5

Easy for her to say.
“Listen,” — Callie was talking fast, thoughts 6

racing through her mind — “there are some things I have to tell 7

you. They might be relevant. Someone has been threatening me.

8

Well, not threatening exactly. Oh, this is complicated, but —”

9

The phone rang suddenly, sharply. Callie’s heart leapt. “Oh, 10

my God, maybe it’s Anna. Maybe she’s —”

11

But before she could reach the phone, Knight had picked up.

12

For the first time, Callie noticed that he was wearing plastic 13

gloves.

14

“Is it Anna?” Callie demanded, her eyes glued to the detec-15

tive’s face.

16

Knight didn’t seem to hear her.

17

From where she sat, Callie heard frantic speech from the other 18

end of the line.

19

“Who is it?” Callie asked. “Please. I have to know.”

20

Knight raised his hand, as if to push her back.

21

“We’ll be right over,” he said, and then hung up the phone.

22

“What is it? What happened?” Callie asked. Her heart tore 23

through her chest.

24

Standing up, Knight looked at her. “Henry’s missing too.”

25

h

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27

When Anna woke up, everything was dark. She didn’t know 28

where she was. She’d been running away with Henry, and then 29

something bad had happened. All she wanted now was to go 30

home, to be back with her mother.

31

Where was she, anyway? She tried to sit up, but she couldn’t 32

move. Her hands and feet were tied together. Now she was really 33

scared.

34

She tried to yell, to scream
loud,
but something was stuffed in 35 S

her mouth.

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Rolling her head from side to side, she tried to see around her.

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Slowly, her eyes grew used to the dark, and shapes started coming 1

clear. She was lying on a mattress on the floor. The floor was 2

made of concrete. There were piles of boxes off to one side. She 3

saw a washer and dryer. A basement. That’s where she was. She 4

was in somebody’s basement.

5

She heard something, a squeaking sound, a door swinging open.

6

A slice of light fell across her face. Anna squinted toward it.

7

Then she heard the sound of footsteps moving down the stairs.

8

The sound seemed to go on forever, coming closer and closer. Fi-9

nally, there was a different sound, as feet landed on the floor. But 10

still they were moving closer, and then she saw two legs. She 11

rolled her head back a little farther, looked up into a face. It was 12

him. The man with the beard. She felt herself start to shake.

13

When he crouched down beside her, she saw that he held a 14

package of panty hose. He worked with the seal for a couple of 15

seconds, then ripped open the packet. From inside, he pulled out 16

the stockings. They were rolled in a small black ball. Was he go-17

ing to ask her to put them on? She felt a leap of hope. If he did, 18

he’d have to untie her. She’d kick him and start to run.

19

But once he shook out the stretchy black legs, he just folded 20

them together. Grabbing one side in either hand, he pulled them 21

back and forth.

22

23

h

24

It had been hours. It had been forever. The night would never end.

25

Callie slumped at the kitchen table. Across from her, manning 26

a control panel, sat a state police technician. He’d set up equip-27

ment to trace and record incoming phone calls. Beside her, Offi-28

cer Parillo was knitting, something in pale blue yarn.

29

Upstairs, Callie heard footsteps, heavy and alien. Detective 30

Knight and two colleagues still moving through the house. She’d 31

been wearing a bathrobe when the police arrived, but they hadn’t 32

let her leave the kitchen. The jeans and sweater she was wearing 33

now had been brought to her by Parillo.

34

Again, Callie glanced at her watch. Just a few minutes had S 35

passed. The last time, it had been 3:22. Now it was 3:37.

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Callie turned to Parillo. “Why’s it taking so long? They’re just 2

children, just little kids. How far can they have gone?”

3

Parillo gave Callie a compassionate look. “They’re doing all 4

they can.”

5

“Like what?” Callie demanded. “What exactly, I mean?”

6

“They’re doing surveillance by helicopter. The state police are 7

involved. There’s an alert on the regional radio network and 8

they’ve brought in the tracking dogs. It’s great you found that re-9

cent picture of Anna. Everyone has a copy.”

10

The state police technician with the tracing equipment had an 11

air of intense focus. As he took a sip of coffee from a paper cup, 12

Callie caught his eye. “Does someone usually call?” she asked.

13

She didn’t remember his name.

14

“I can’t say anything’s usual, ma’am. Each situation’s different.”

15

“At least they’re together,” Callie murmured. “At least there 16

are two of them.” She wasn’t really talking to them. She was talk-17

ing to herself.

18

The beeper on Parillo’s belt went off. She grabbed her cell 19

phone and punched a number. “Nancy Parillo,” she said.

20

It was torture for Callie to watch her face, not able to hear 21

what was being said. Every cell in Callie’s body clamored for in-22

formation.

23

When Parillo finally hung up the phone, she didn’t say any-24