Missing Person: The Beginning Read online

  Missing Person: The Beginning

  James Hunt

  Copyright 2017 All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means without prior written permission, except for brief excerpts in reviews or analysis.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  About the Author

  1

  Anna Dunny lay on her stomach on the carpeted floor of her room, feet in the air and kicking her legs like a pair of scissors. She held a doll in her left hand, and with her right she picked up then set down different pieces of clothes, struggling between a pink shirt and yellow skirt, or a purple dress. The only cohesive quality to the overall fashion was the bright boldness of the colors. Finally, she settled on a green jumper that she slid over the doll’s body and then reached for the tiny brush to comb through the already straight hair.

  “Anna! Are you in bed? I don’t want to come in there to find you playing.”

  Anna dropped the brush and doll and quickly scurried to her twin bed, where Bandit, the family’s black-and-white border collie, was already resting as she slid under the covers just as her mother opened the door. She pulled the flowered blanket up past her chin, hiding her coy smile beneath the sheets.

  Mary Dunny saw the dolls and the play clothes on the floor then placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head to the side as she cocked her left eyebrow up, trying to keep herself from smiling. “Busted.”

  Anna lowered the sheet. “I was just waiting for you to come and tuck me in.”

  The mattress gave way as Mary sat down next to Anna on the bed. Bandit turned his head around, panting happily as Mary scratched behind his ear. “Lights out at nine o’clock.”

  “But—”

  “No buts, young lady.” Mary kissed her daughter on the forehead, stood, and pulled the heavy comforter over her daughter’s body. “Did you brush your teeth?”

  “Yes,” Anna answered.

  “Good.”

  “Can you give me Ellie?”

  Mary smiled and walked over to the pile of toys where a pink elephant rested on top. She handed the plush toy over to her daughter and then bent to kiss her forehead. She walked to the door, pausing before she stepped out into the hall with her hand on the light switch. “Night, sweetheart.”

  “Mom?”

  “Yes?”

  Anna twisted the elephant’s ears nervously, her eyes cast downward, as her mother returned to her bedside and placed her warm, smooth hands on her arm.

  “What’s wrong?” Mary stroked her daughter’s hair, smoothing out the unruly strands that sprouted in random directions. “I can’t help if I don’t know what’s wrong.”

  Anna wiggled her lips, searching for the courage to finally ask but unsure of how her mother would react. “Why can’t we go home?” She raised her eyes to her mother, and the worry and sadness only brightened the baby blues that she’d inherited from her father.

  Mary took a breath and then shook her head. “I’ll tell you one day. When you’re older.”

  Anna frowned. “How old?”

  “Older than five.” Mary leaned forward, matching her daughter’s exaggerated expression until Anna cracked a smile. “There. That’s better.”

  “Are we safe now?” Anna asked, shifting to her side and getting into a more comfortable position but forcing Bandit to adjust his place on the bed as he scooted closer to her pillow.

  “Yes, baby. We’re safe now.” Mary kissed Anna’s forehead again, the warmth of her lips lingering as she stood and walked toward the door.

  “Can you leave it cracked?” Anna quickly sat up, her eyes wide, clutching the sheets to her chest. “Please?”

  Mary smiled. “Just a little.” She flicked the light off, and the door hinges groaned as she closed the door behind her, leaving a sliver of light from the hallway just as she promised.

  The crease of light cut through the darkness of Anna’s room, and with one arm holding Ellie, she used the other to reach for Bandit as she closed her eyes. But before sleep could take hold, the voices of her parents drifted from the front of the house and down the hall.

  Bandit sat up, looking toward the door, his ears perked and the hackles on his neck sticking straight up as he growled, puffing air from his nose in quick spurts.

  “What is it, Bandit?” Anna asked, reaching for the dog’s fur as her parents’ voices grew louder.

  Footsteps thundered in the hall, and her door swung open. She shut her eyes as the bedroom light came on, the sudden burst of light painful. Her mother’s arms were around her before she even opened her eyes, lifting her off the bed. “Come on, honey. We have to go.”

  “Where?” Anna squeezed her mother’s neck tightly as they stepped into the hallway, where she saw her father rush upstairs.

  “Get the suitcases and head out the back!” Her father’s voice faded with his footsteps as Anna watched Bandit chase her mother down the hallway and toward her parents’ room.

  Mary set Anna on the bed and then rushed to the closet. Anna scrunched her face, the tears born from confusion more than fear.

  “Mom?” Bandit leapt onto the bed next to Anna as her mother removed two filled bags from the closet and set them on the bed next to her.

  Mary cupped Anna’s face, her own eyes tearing up, her voice shaking along with her hands. “You have to listen to Mommy. You do exactly what I tell you. Understand?”

  Anna nodded and then squeezed her eyes shut, tears leaking from the corners as her mother grabbed the bags and then left the room. Anna held onto Bandit. The beast never left the girl’s side until her mother returned.

  “All right, sweetheart, let’s go.” Mary extended her arms, and Anna reached for them. Her mother lifted her off the bed and hurried down the narrow hall toward the front door near the staircase. Before they reached the end, her father descended the steps, and just as he turned to look at them, the door burst open.

  Bandit barked, yapping hysterically at Mary’s feet while Anna’s heart hammered wildly in her chest. Her mother screamed, and Anna turned her gaze from the dog to the front door just in time to watch three men burst inside, one of them masked.

  Charles Dunny flung himself in front of the first man that entered, and was tackled to the floor.

  “Daddy!” Anna thrust her arm out as her mother sprinted down the hallway in the opposite direction, Bandit following close behind. The men chased after them, and Anna buried her face into her mother’s shoulder.

  Suddenly, Anna’s stomach flipped, and a heavy thud smacked her arm. When she opened her eyes, she was on the floor, her mother behind her, kicking furiously at one of the masked intruder. Anna looked farther down the hall and saw two other men dragging her father out the door, looking as if he was asleep.

  “Anna!”

  She turned to her mother, those blue eyes wide and frightened from the anger and urgency in her mother’s voice.

  “Run!”

  Anna tried to stand, but then something hard clamped around her ankle, and she screamed. Cheeks red, she clawed at the rug along the hardwood and looked back to find a smiling, masked monster grabbing hold, her mother ferociously beating on his chest, and then the man screamed.

  Bandit sank his teeth through the thin fabric of the man’s long-sleeved shirt, viciously tearing through cloth and fabric, sprinkling red droplets onto the floor. The monster released Anna, and she pushed the back door open.


  “Run, Anna! Don’t stop!”

  Her mother’s voice echoed into the dark night, chasing Anna as she pushed her short legs over the rocky earth and into the thick foliage of the forest. Rocks and twigs dug into her bare feet, and she limped awkwardly over the rough terrain.

  Anna sobbed, too afraid to look behind her. The monsters were back there, and she didn’t want to be taken. She didn’t want to be hurt.

  Wet leaves and stiff branches smacked her face, but she didn’t stop until her legs gave up underneath her and she collapsed to her hands and knees, her fingers digging into the moist forest soil.

  “She ran out there!”

  Anna gasped, her eyes wide as she spun around to find a beam of light flashing over the trees behind her, wiggling with every step the monster took.

  Unsure of where to go, Anna tucked herself into a ball and hid behind a tree. She stayed there, silently crying to herself, when she heard voices calling out into the night.

  “Aaaaannnnaaaaa.” The voice spoke her name soothingly, like a friend asking her to come out to play. “Come on out, Anna. There’s no reason to be scared.”

  Anna shrank into a tighter ball, shivering in the dark with every leaf-crunching step that brought the monsters closer. She shut her eyes, wishing for her mother, wishing that they could have just stayed home, wishing to be anywhere but here.

  “Aaaaannnaaaaa.”

  The voice was closer now, and Anna cracked her right eye open, finding a sliver of light stretching past the tree trunk that she hid behind. The beams penetrated the darkness, but it only worsened Anna’s fear.

  Three more crunching steps, and then a boot passed the tree trunk, and Anna covered her mouth with both hands to prevent herself from screaming. She tasted the gritty soil that lingered on her palms. It was cold and bitter, but she didn’t dare make a sound.

  “Hey!” It was a second voice, scarier and louder than the first. “We don’t have time! We must leave!”

  “Shut up,” the first monster said. “She’s out here.”

  “We come back!”

  Anna’s eyes remained glued to the black boot that was only inches from her leg. It shifted on the root where it landed as the light scanned the darkness up ahead.

  The monster sighed. “Fine.” The boot disappeared.

  Footsteps faded along with their voices, but Anna remained still and quiet in the darkness, paralyzed by fear, until she was certain the monsters were gone.

  But then bushes rustled on her left. Anna scrambled backward, her palms scraping against rocks and sticks, her bottom dragging across the dirt on her retreat.

  The leaves thrashed harder, and Anna’s heart pounded as she turned away from the patch of darkness and closed her eyes, whimpering as warm wetness covered her cheek.

  Bandit panted and whined, continuing his barrage of licks as Anna gained her footing and wrapped her arms around the animal’s neck, burying her face into his musty fur.

  “Good boy, Bandit.” Anna scratched behind the dog’s ear, and he finally settled down and lay across her lap while she stroked his wet fur. “At least I’m not alone anymore.”

  Anna looked around at the darkened forest. The breeze caused leaves and branches to make ghostlike movements, turning the forest into a world of terrifying creatures.

  Rain started to fall, but even with the danger subsided, Anna didn’t move. Exhaustion had replaced fear, and her eyes suddenly felt heavy and tired. Bandit licked her face, whimpering, until she pushed his muzzle down.

  She wasn’t sure what to do now. She didn’t want to go to the police again, not after what happened the first time. They had separated her from her family, putting her in a cold room with grey walls and no toys. It was scary and lonely, and she didn’t want to go back to that.

  But she knew she couldn’t stay in the woods, even with Bandit to protect her. She squeezed her dog again, and Bandit lay down in her lap. She stroked the wet fur, hairs sticking to her palms as she did so, and tried to think.

  Anna gasped, the idea striking her quickly, and Bandit poked his head up from her lap in alarm. She smiled, grabbing hold of Bandit’s ears, and kissed his nose. “C’mon, Bandit.” She stood, and the dog joined her as she stumbled through the woods. There was a house down the street with someone she knew, someone she liked. Whenever her parents went on dates, he would come over to babysit, and they’d watch old movies together. So old they were in black and white. Bandit liked him too, because he always fed him treats. Anna just hoped that Mr. Grant was home.

  2

  The warm chatter of conversation filled the living room as couples huddled together, drinks in hand, the liquor taking hold as boisterous laughter erupted across the room. Topics of conversation ranged from the house’s décor, to the neighborhood, the great schools, and how lucky Susan and Rick were to find this place with such a low asking price.

  Overall, the atmosphere was welcoming and the guests friendly. But despite the general sense of good-natured laughter and the hors d’oeuvres that accompanied the housewarming party, Chase Grant stood off to the side in a darkened corner, sipping Coke from his red Solo cup.

  At six feet he was one of the taller men in the room. He rubbed his chin, catching the tiny cut he gave himself from shaving that morning. It had been a while since he’d bothered to get dressed up for anything, and even longer since he’d been around so many people. But while he could shave the scruff off his cheeks, he didn’t have time to get a haircut.

  Grant had slicked back his hair, the thick black strands growing so long they were starting to crawl down his neck. He had always kept it short when he was on the force, but living out in the middle of nowhere came with a certain lifestyle, and Grant had slid into it comfortably.

  Aside from the hosts, Grant knew no one and had resigned himself to the corner, watching the guests mingle. So far he found at least three people that wouldn’t be able to drive home, two of them already spilling vodka onto Mocks’s new carpet, which they tried to hide with a nearby ottoman. And he found one man, wedding band on display, flirting in the opposite corner of the room with a redhead that wasn’t his wife, as Grant noted by the lack of hardware on the redhead’s left hand. She had already noticed the man’s wedding band, but judging by the way she kept touching his chest, Grant knew she didn’t care.

  Grant also found a few pairs of eyes that watched him, lips whispering behind hands and raised glasses. He had hoped enough time had passed since he’d left Seattle, but front-page headlines were hard to shake. Especially national ones.

  “Hi.”

  Grant turned from his observation of the guests in the living room to a blond woman holding a highball glass that was filled with nothing but ice cubes. She was a half foot shorter than Grant and wore a strapless blue dress that clung to her like a second skin and only covered halfway down her thigh.

  “Hello,” Grant said.

  “I’m Kelly.” She wiped the condensation from her palm and then extended her hand, the dress accentuating her blue eyes, which never left Grant’s.

  Grant took her hand politely, returning the smile. “Nice to meet you.”

  Kelly sidled closer, still holding eye contact as she chewed on the end of the straw from her drink. “So how do you know Susan and Rick?”

  “Susan and I used to work together,” Grant answered.

  “So you’re a detective?” Kelly’s eyes brightened, and she gave his arm a squeeze, giggling at the muscle she found underneath. “I bet you caught a lot of bad guys.”

  “I’m not a detective anymore.” Grant sipped from his cup and turned his attention back to the living room, looking for Mocks so he could escape, but she was nowhere to be seen.

  “So what do you do now?” Kelly asked, undeterred by Grant’s lack of interest and giving him a good once-over.

  “Consulting,” Grant said, staring into the black liquid of his Coke, the ice cubes nearly melted.

  “I’m in real estate,” Kelly said unprovoked. “I’m the one who rec
ommended this house. I didn’t close it, but a good friend of mine helped them out.” She gestured to the home. “Isn’t it great?”

  “It’s very nice.” Grant drained the rest of his Coke then gave it a little shake to signify a refill. “Excuse me.”

  “Don’t go too far,” Kelly said, smiling as she bit her lower lip and watched Grant leave.

  Grant bypassed the kitchen and the drinks and opened the sliding glass doors that led out to the deck in the backyard. The wood was wet from the afternoon’s rain, but the grassy back yard smelled of green and water that made everything feel fresh and new. It was one of the more redeeming qualities of living in Seattle.

  He walked to the deck’s edge, thankful for the breeze that cooled the sweat collecting beneath his undershirt. He hated stuff like this. And even as he found himself alone in the backyard, he still couldn’t shake the lingering anxiousness.

  The view from the backyard was gorgeous, a picturesque sight of Seattle’s downtown skyline. Lights from high-rises twinkled under the cloudy night sky, the Space Needle off to the right, slowly spinning the restaurant patrons inside.

  Grant smiled at the memory of his late wife, and their third wedding anniversary, which they’d spent there. They’d lived in Seattle most of their lives but had never been. The food was good, but it was more for the novelty experience of the attraction and the views of the city.

  “You can brood inside, you know.”

  Grant smiled and turned to find Mocks on the deck, waddling forward with both hands on her bulging stomach, which had neared nine months of growth. But somehow, even in her pregnancy, the only weight she gained was in her stomach. The baby didn’t seem to have an effect on her metabolism at all. “I’ve always preferred to brood alone.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Mocks waddled next to him, and she absentmindedly rubbed her stomach as she smiled at the view. She had cut her hair shorter since the last time he’d seen her, probably out of practicality, which brought more attention to her face. Pale freckles dotted her light skin, and her green eyes almost glowed in the dark. She was never a woman who flaunted her good looks, but women like her rarely needed to. “Hard to believe anything bad ever happens down there when it looks like this from up here.”