Broken Silence Read online

  Chapter 10

  I woke up Wednesday and for the first time had a full night’s sleep without a nightmare. I’m sure Sophia was just as happy as I was with the change. She has been running in here every night without complaint.

  I walked into the kitchen and Sophia looked up with a huge smile. She was making pancakes and dancing to pop music. I couldn’t help but smile. I haven’t felt this chipper in way to long. It was new for me. I heard my phone buzz in my pocket. We didn’t have plans until tonight, so I was hoping someone had plans for the day. I felt like being outside. For it being November, it was a sunny day and not too cool.

  Cole: Morning, Charlie girl. Want to go with me on a hike?

  Me: YES! It’s too pretty to stay inside.

  I showed the text to Sophia for her approval. “Sounds like fun, I need to dive back into my cases unfortunately, so I certainly won’t be much fun today.” I finished breakfast quickly and ran upstairs to change. After I was done I texted Cole that I was ready. I watched for him through the front window while Sophia gave me the usual speech about staying together and being careful. As soon as I saw Cole’s parents car I ran outside and jumped in.

  Cole had a surprised look on his face. I gave him a questioning look and he gave me his half grin. “You just look happy today. It looks good on you.” He said softly and I felt my cheeks flare with heat. He didn’t say anything else as we drove to the outskirts of town.

  I never noticed that we lived so close to a state park. It was absolutely beautiful. The map near the information center listed all of the hiking trails, marking how long each trail was. Cole pointed to the one he wanted to take me on, it was the longest one, which made me thankful that I wasn’t too out of shape. It was the only one that made a big circle, exiting on the opposite side of where it started.

  He grabbed a map from the pamphlet container on the side of the main map and tucked it into his backpack. He turned to me with a smile as he grabbed my hand and led me down the trail.

  It was a peaceful walk. I was enjoying the spots of sun that streamed through the trees, stopping in each one for a moment to let the heat warm my face. By the time I opened my eyes to walk away Cole had a smile on his face. He was always sneaking looks at me and I loved it. He made me feel a happiness that I was learning to embrace.

  They marked the trail halfway through. It opened into a clearing and a scenic overlook. My breath caught as I walked up to the safety fence. The view was breathtaking. I felt so small as I looked at the hills and fields that were in the distance. I couldn’t tear my eyes away. I’m not sure how long I was staring when I felt Cole walk up behind me and wrap his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder.

  Surprisingly, this time didn’t send my heart into a frenzy. Instead I just felt a warmth spread through me. I felt safe in his arms. We stood that way for awhile longer, just taking in the beauty spreading out in front of us.

  “Hungry?” His low voice sent shivers down my spine. I turned and saw that he had set up a picnic while I was too busy staring at the view to notice. I gave him a surprised smile and he almost looked embarrassed. “I thought a picnic would be nice.” He mumbled. I walked up and gave him a hug to show him how much I appreciated it. As I stepped away his cheeks were tinged with pink.

  I sat down on the blanket he spread out, and he turned music on his phone. I glanced down and grinned at the title. Charlie’s playlist. I noticed a notebook and pen sitting on top of his backpack. I loved how thoughtful Cole was. He was accepting of the fact that I didn’t talk and never once made me feel bad about it.

  “I wanted to ask you something, Charlie.” His voice sounded shaky with nerves. I was confused why he would seem so nervous around me. He scooted over until he was in front of me and grabbed my hand. “I know that I told the twins and Jessica you were my girlfriend.” He gave me a grin before continuing. “But I wanted to ask you officially if you would be my girlfriend?” The look on his face was hopeful.

  I however, was confused. I knew that I liked him, but how could he date me if I couldn’t communicate with him? I grabbed the notebook. ‘Are you sure you want me? I’m a mess and I don’t speak. Could you really be happy with me?’ The look he gave me after he read it was incredulous.

  “Charlie, I have never been as happy as I am when I’m with you. I know that we don’t know everything about each other, and I hope one day you can lean on me enough to tell me about your past. But you are smart, you are beautiful, and you may not speak but we communicate just fine. Even if you never spoke another word in your life, I would still want you.” He vowed. I was floored and I bit my tongue so I wouldn’t start crying at his words. I could feel the truth in what he said. I just nodded and his face broke into a huge smile.

  He leaned forward and wrapped his hand around the back of my neck so he could pull my lips to his. The kiss wasn’t as sweet as it was the first time, but it was every bit as amazing. By the time he pulled away, we were both out of breath.

  “I’ve wanted to properly kiss you for awhile now.” He admitted. My answer was to kiss him back. I was right, this was a good day, I thought as I dragged him back to look at the view one more time.

  Chapter 11

  “I can’t find anything out about them.” Cole said as he was scrolling through the websites on his phone screen. I was distracted from my homework for a second and started searching and he tried to help look. “What kind of company is it?” He asked, confused.

  I pulled over my notebook and answered. ‘medical research.’ He gave me a guarded glance. I have a feeling he is tired of feeling in the dark. I really needed to tell him about my past, but I just wasn’t ready.

  “Have you searched for any ads for medical research in the area? Maybe they used a different name.” He didn’t even look up from his phone as he asked, so I turned to my phone and tried the search again. “Look at this. This company advertised but never listed their actual company name. The add is ridiculously vague too. However they offer five hundred to two thousand dollars for completion of the trial. They have a phone number to call, and that’s it. Who would actually call them?” He looked at me with his eyebrows raised. I gave him a look that conveyed how much I trusted the human race to be smart and not fall for this. “Touché, Charlie.” He laughed. ‘send me the link, please.’ I wrote and he sent it over.

  I sent a text to Detective Flynn explaining what I looked into, including the shady link. I knew that he didn’t want me getting to far involved in this, but how could I not? The police department already let me down once, I wasn’t going to let them do it again.

  Flynn: I really want to tell you to stop looking into this. And I do want you too. But this is an angle I actually hadn’t thought to try. I’ll let you know what happens, kid.

  Me: Thanks, old man.

  I smiled to myself, calling me kid was something he’s done since I met him. I assumed it’s because he is terrible at names, but it used to get to me. I was in a much different mindset now.

  “You almost done with homework?” Cole looked bored now that he was done helping me search. I gave him a shoulder bump and playfully rolled my eyes. We packed up and walked home together.

  We stuck to our routine, even after fall break. I was still crazy paranoid that the man would come after me again, but Cole never left me alone outside. He was really overprotective as we walked, and always made us leave before it would get dark outside.

  We had been back from fall break for a week, and now only had two weeks until Christmas break. It seemed crazy to me to break for a week and only go back for three weeks before another few weeks off. They explained it away as conferences for two days and teacher workshops for another two. I guess one day of school in a week would be a disaster.

  As soon as I walked into the house, Sophia ran up to me. “Come sit, Charlie, I have some news from the detectives.” She ushered me to the stools at the kitchen island so she could finish cooking. It didn’t make sense for there to be news already, I just
texted Flynn. Though he probably didn’t relay everything to me.

  “I called Flynn for an update today. Apparently they scoured through the boxes of papers and found another hidden paper. They went to your dad’s research facility and didn’t find much, but they managed to get a warrant to search their networks. Since they don’t conduct any trials with humans at his facility, it was a bit easier to get. Apparently they found some information on your father’s bosses computer. It was talking about a trial they were conducting with volunteers. But they couldn’t find anymore information. Like I said, there were no human trials done at the facility so the email stood out. It was flagged because someone tried and failed to hide it. So now they are bringing it to the attention of a team at the FBI. Searching through human volunteers and multiple companies means it’s a bit more then the force can handle. Flynn will still be collaborating with them, but now this is a big step up!” My mouth hung open in shock. This was big enough now for the FBI? It gave me hope that they would finally put the pieces together. I wanted this over. I think a part of me doesn’t feel like I can ever truly move on until there is proper closure. I’m especially tired of the paranoia. I knew they would come back for me, and I was especially scared they wouldn’t fail again.

  Flynn

  I sat my coffee cup down and rubbed my eyes. The hours I was pouring into this case were starting to get to me. This case never sat well with me. When the chief just ruled the murder a burglary gone wrong I was livid. If it was just a burglary then they wouldn’t have gone and searched for the kid. The only reason she was alive to give us any sort of statement was because she was smart enough to call us. Sneaking out saved her life that night. Too much of it still didn’t add up.

  I happened to be driving home that night, when the call came across. I walked into that scene and they were still trying to calm Charlotte down. Her screams were these awful, raspy wails by the time I arrived. She already had bruising and internal damage by the time they got her to the hospital.

  The scene was gruesome. The entire living room was covered in blood. It still amazed me that Charlotte came out of it with only damaged vocal chords and a scar to her side. She mentioned in every one of her reports, that the men who broke in called it a job. The officers brushed it off as a burglary job, but the fact they shot them and only took his laptop didn’t make sense. We looked into his job, but everything about the company and coworkers seemed to add up.

  Now that it was open again, I refused to fail her again. After she texted me earlier I did my own search of the ad she mentioned. It only had a number, which I traced back to just be a burner phone. Real shocker there. The ad was about as vague as you can get, but if you offer money, desperate people will come.

  I tried to call the phone number, but it was a recording asking you to leave an email to be contacted back to see if you qualify. I sent it over to one of the other detectives to look into. I put a tail on the head of the research facility both victims worked at. So far he hasn’t led us to anything. We had Charlotte work with a sketch artist the night of the kidnapping. It was a different man then the two that killed her family. So now we had three unknown suspects, too many victims, and not enough leads.

  The only new information that came in was regarding the encrypted email that the FBI team found in the bosses email account. It was talking about volunteers, which was the only reason they flagged it to look into. We looked into their associated companies and charities but still couldn’t make a connection. I slammed my hand on my desk in frustration. I had to find something soon.

  Charlie

  I walked up to Mr. Hill and tapped on his shoulder. He turned to me and I indicated the piano. I decided I was finally ready to deal with my hesitation to play the piano. It was worth a try, and I knew Cole wouldn’t judge me if I couldn’t. Mr. Hill gestured me toward the piano with a huge smile. I think he could read my hesitation and didn’t try and suggest I play it again after the first class.

  I sat down and was warming up when Cole joined the class. “Hey, beautiful.” He leaned down and gave me a kiss on the top of my head. He walked over and picked up a guitar off of the instrument shelves. I was just about to begin playing when an office attendant interrupted us.

  “Mr. Hill, I need Charlotte in the office.” She said, handing him the paper and walking away. He handed me the slip and I looked it over. Apparently the guidance counselor wanted to see me. I kept in an eye roll. I’m sure Danielle reached out again, to have another guidance counselor check in on me. She always did this if I wasn’t attending therapy regularly. It was pointless, since I wouldn’t actually talk to them. I didn’t have much of a choice, so I got up and went to the office for a pointless meeting.

  Chapter 12

  I made my way to the front office, searching for the counselor’s office. I eventually had to ask for help and found it tucked into the back corner. When I walked in the lady looked up at me and gave me a tight smile. Great, that meant this was going to go really well.

  “Miss James, please have a seat. I asked you to come see me, since things have been a bit tense for you. I heard about the kidnapping and the reopening of a case regarding your family.” She gave me a meaningful look that clearly meant she wanted me to say something. After a few moments she seemed to get more frustrated. “This is the part where you tell me how you are coping, Charlotte.” I pulled out a notebook so I could respond. She interrupted me before I could get an answer written down. “Ignoring me isn’t going to make this meeting go faster, young lady.” She all but snapped at me this time. I gave her a pointed look. I knew for a fact that Sophia and Danielle both wrote on my registration forms that I didn’t speak.

  ‘I am coping well. The police asked me not to go anywhere alone, in case the men who kidnapped me tried again. It should have stated in the file, that I’m sure you read, that I don’t speak.’ I ripped out the page and handed it to her, accompanied by a glare. How is this helpful to any student that experienced trauma? It felt more like she wanted the gossip. She didn’t react or say anything for a moment, just stared at me. I held my ground. I worked with therapists on this. Even after the attempted kidnapping, I am mentally healthier now then I have been since I lost my family. I don’t need a school guidance counselor to check on me past my grades or attendance. Both of which, are fine.

  “You may go Miss James.” She declared, in a haughty voice. I just got up and walked out without another glance. By the time she had finally let me go, I noticed the bell had rang and everyone was cleared out from the hallways. I checked my phone to see if Cole stuck around. He generally rode home with Trent.

  Cole: I waited awhile, but Trent had to get home. Be safe.

  I made my way to the front of the school. My mood was ruined now that I had to deal with that awful counselor. It made it worse that she waited until the end of the day and I’m leaving after everyone else now.

  I made it to the parking lot where Sophia picks me up, but she wasn’t there. I tried not to panic, but this was the first time since he tried to kidnap me, that I was completely alone. I turned to walk back into the building when I felt someone grab my arm. I tried to pull my arm away and turn as fast as I could.

  “Don’t fight me, Charlotte.” The voice of the guidance counselor barked out at me. My mouth dropped open in shock. She pulled me behind the school to a service entrance, where they got food and supply shipments. Parked in the direction she was dragging me, was a red work van with tinted windows.

  As soon as I saw red my body went into fight mode. I flung an elbow at her face and stomped down on her foot and she dropped me. I turned and ran, tucking my phone into my bra, hoping they wouldn’t notice it if they caught me.

  “Not so fast.” A man huffed behind me. I picked up my speed as much as I possibly could, but he clearly had height and muscle on his side. He overtook me in seconds, slamming me to the ground. I didn’t even have a chance to try and scream before the world went black as my head bounced off of the pavement.


  I woke up with a pounding pain in my head and blurry vision. I tried to blink a few times and clear my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I examined my surroundings. I was in a small cell sized room with no windows and a thick door. A hospital bed lay in the corner and a small toilet and sink along the opposite wall. I looked down and realized that I was still in my clothes.

  I turned quickly toward the sink and stepped in front of it and turned on the water. The last thing I needed was to alert someone so they realized I had snuck my phone inside. I felt around my pockets and they were empty. I splashed water on my face and lifted my shirt to dry it. I slipped a hand in my bra to reach for my phone. The moment my fingers touched the hard plastic I felt a wave of hope. I pulled it out and held it down low and grasped the edge of the sink, like I was leaning down to get my bearings. I texted Sophia as fast as I could. The phone barely had a bar of service so I prayed it would reach her anyway.

  Me: Sophia help kidnapped by counselor and man in red van tinted windows phone has low service