Stealing Bradford

“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?”