📖📖The Town- Case One Thomas Gilder - Edits and rewrite (Multiple book series)

Chapter 1

This town is my home. My Dad and I moved here when I was ten years old after my parents turned ten. Mother insisted that I had to live with Dad, as she had never wanted to be a parent. Dad was devastated about the divorce because he did love my Mother. However, Mother loved her freedom more than she loved us. I watched her pack her clothes and belongings the day she left us. I went to give her the picture of us that she kept on the bedside table, but she tossed it on the bed and walked out without saying goodbye to either of us. As a ten-year-old girl, I did not believe she would leave me the way she did.

That afternoon, Dad asked, "Can we talk?" 

I looked up and said, "About what?"

He sat down next to me and pulled me into a hug. Dad said, "About our future."

He stood up, put out his hand, and said, "Come on, Amy, let's get out of here for a bit."

I will always admire my Dad during this time. He could have shut down and gone into a depression, but he stayed strong for me. We walked to a local cafe a few blocks from our apartment, and he sat me down to talk.

"Amy," Dad said, "I am so sorry for what your Mom has done. Even if she did not want to be with me, she should not have acted that way towards you. We cannot change what happened. But we can leave this behind and have an adventure."

I was angry, and Dad knew it as I said, "Fine, let's have an adventure. But Dad, let's have an adventure far away from here. If Mom doesn't want to see us, let us go far away. That way, we do not have to worry about running into her around town." 

Dad said, "Alright, I have been looking into things as my contract with the school ends next month. As soon as I know something, I will tell you."

I finished the fifth grade the following week, and Dad took me out to celebrate. At the end of the evening, we were back at that very same cafe. As we sat down to burgers and milkshakes, Dad said, "Amy, I have to respond to this by noon tomorrow. I was offered a job as the principal in Westhope, North Dakota, which is a kindergarten through twelfth-grade school. If we take this, it will be a big change and an adventure. We would be a mile from the Canadian border. The town was so small we would know everyone, but it would be a great place to start over, and the job comes with a small home to live in."

I thought about what he told me and said, "Dad, this sounds like the adventure we need. Tell them yes, and on the way home, we can stop and get some boxes to start packing for the move."

Dad pulled out his phone and made the call right then. I heard him tell the person he would sign the contract when he got home, and they could expect us as soon as we packed up the apartment and took a small vacation on our way to Westhope. Just like that, over burgers and shakes, we decided to leave Tampa, Florida, go to no man's land, and start our new life.

In the following few weeks, we packed up the entire apartment and crammed everything we owned into Dad's van and the trailer Dad had bought for school events. I knew having to sort out his and Mom's life was hard on Dad. They had been together for close to fifteen years when they divorced. Dad tried to contact her for some of her belongings he had found, but she never responded.

On the final day of packing the apartment, the building manager, Maggie, spoke with Dad and told him she would store the boxes for Mom.  Maggie placed the boxes and a letter Dad had written Mom, which contained our new address in case Mom stopped by. Maggie told Dad she would hold it for a year. Over the years, Dad kept in touch with Maggie, and as far as we knew, Mom never came by for her belongings. Maggie donated the items that we left to charity after she sent us a few of the personal items that were in the box. 

We took our trip to our new home, and we had what we now call our grand adventure. We stopped at tourist spots and historical locations along the way. Dad did everything he could to make this a fun trip. When we arrived at Westhope that early morning, the first thing we saw coming into our town was a welcome banner for us. Dad stopped, and we took a picture of it. When we arrived at the house, a welcome committee was waiting for us. We met some of the teachers and staff my Dad would be working with. 

They gave us a tour of the house, and Grace, Dad's secretary, took me to my room and said, "I painted this room for you. Your Dad said you liked the color purple. I wanted you to feel at home." 

Turning to Grace, I hugged her as I said, "I love it!"

Almost everything was out of the trailer and van when we went downstairs. They even filled the pantry and refrigerator with the staples we would need. During the move-in, Dad was thankful we kept our deep freezer. Everyone in town stopped by with even more food to eat while we got settled. People were bringing casseroles and meals. When we tried to protest, they said, Put it in the freezer! I realized that day, because of the generosity of the people in town, that this was a place where Dad and I could thrive and be happy.

That evening, we sat on the steps to the porch after the last of the visitors had left. Dad asked, "So what do you think, Amy?"

Looking at him, I said, "We are home."

Chapter 2

The alarm kept going off no matter how many times I stopped it. Pulling the alarm clock from the wall, I tossed it across the room to the chair in my room. When I covered my head with my blanket, I heard my Dad yell, "Amy, get moving, you are going to be late. You don't want to be hungry. I made you breakfast. If you do not hurry, you are going to be late."

I chucked to myself as I thought, ten years later, he still yells up the stairs for me to get a move on. My room was technically the attic since the house was so small. However, the attic had been converted and had a staircase that wrapped around the fireplace and chimney. Dad could have rented a place in town, but he thought I would like my own hidden room. He was right, I love my room. After all the time that has passed, we are still here in our tiny house that Dad was finally able to purchase from the school board two years ago, as he contemplated retiring from teaching.

We all laughed when he mentioned the thought of retiring. We all knew he would never retire from being a teacher or principal. He only thought about it when I first graduated from high school or when I completed my college classes. When I started training with the police academy, he considered it for a split second. We all know he loves the kids at the school. He is too active in the community to retire. He has stepped back a bit in his daily duties, but he will never leave.

Showering quickly, I got ready for work. Thankful we can wear regular street clothes to work, along with our badge, gun, and station-issued coat, as our police station is so small. I was super happy when I found this out. Since our town is so small, no more than five hundred people. Most of our time is spent working with residents in town or doing community service projects. That is because we do not have crime in our small town. I was happy with this, as Dad was here, I wouldn't think of leaving while my Dad was still around and kicking. Eventually, I may get a place of my own. But until that day, I am happy living at home.

Heading downstairs to see a feast on the table for breakfast. Looking at the table, I noticed Dad had placed a water bottle and a lunch box with my last name on it next to my carry bag. I laughed when I saw it as Dad came into the room and said, "I know you're not in school anymore, but I couldn't help myself."

Sitting down, I ate what I could and realized the food that was left would probably be my lunch for the next couple of days. After I finished eating, I gathered my bag and headed for my first day on the force. I chuckled, thinking that at least we would have leftovers.

Driving through town, I reflected on all the memories associated with every location I passed. I was lucky when Dad and I arrived in town. They welcomed us with open arms. Although he never publicly dated or remarried, Dad had a very calm and peaceful relationship with his secretary, Grace. Every woman in town became an Aunt or Grandma to help me where my Dad could not. When I went shopping for my first homecoming dress, Grace picked me up and took me shopping like a mother would. When I graduated from high school, all the women who ran the auxiliary guard at the firehouse stood cheering in my Mom's place, along with Dad and Grace. I am grateful for this town and would do anything to protect it.

Pulling into the parking lot, I walked up to the precinct's door. As I walked into the lobby, I heard, "There she is, our town's newest officer."

All the officers started to cheer, and I took a bow. Looking up to the second floor, I saw Captain Milson leaning over the rail. He called down to me. Starting up the stairs, I called out, saying, "Hey, Captain, did you miss me?"

Laughing, he said. "Miss you, Amy? We can't get rid of you. You worked here throughout high school, college, and at the academy. You are not starting a new job. You only changed departments."

Arriving at the top of the stairs, I met with him and his secretary, Barbara. I asked, "Well, where do you want me, Captain?"

"Come into my office, kid," He said as he led the way.

"Man, principal's office as soon as I get here," I joked.

Captain Milson smiled as we sat down and said, "Amy, I am glad you're starting your career here. You will be working on a task force led by Detective Montgomery."

Tilting my head, I said, "Captain, is your old age affecting you? We do not have a Detective Montgomery."

I heard a throat clear behind me. Turning in my seat, I saw a man standing behind me wearing street clothes and a badge. He put his hand out and said, "Hello, Amy, I am Detective Montgomery. I am glad to meet you, and happy I am not the only officer starting today."

Chapter 3

"Well, I see I am wrong, Detective Montgomery. You will have to excuse me. I thought Captain's memory was starting to go," I said, shaking his hand. "I have known him since I was young. I worry about him sometimes."

As Detective Montgomery sat down, I turned back to the Captain, saying, "What kind of special project, Captain?"

"Well, Amy, Detective Montgomery will be the Lead Detective on this special project. However, I know your dream is to be a Detective one day, and your scores from college and the police academy are off the charts." He said.

Detective Montgomery looked up and said, "I believe Amy asked, What kind of special project?"

"In this county, there have been over four hundred and fifty people reported missing in the last ten years. On average, seven people go missing in small towns like ours each year. We also have seventy-six active cold cases before that in there." He sighed, "We need answers, and I think you both are what we need so we can get us answers. The office you will share is down the hall. All cases and evidence are locked inside. No one is allowed in the room, besides Barbara and me. Depending on your progress, you may receive cold cases from the surrounding counties. Plus, any new cases that are not solved internally here."

He handed me my station-issued firearm and my badge. I took it, stuck the badge in my pocket, and the gun in my holster on my belt loop. We left his office and went down the hall. Detective Montgomery said, "I am not a formal person. Please call me Sam."

"Sam, please call me Amy," I said. "I am the least formal person you're gonna get."

He unlocked the door to our office, and as we walked in, I said, "Holy Crap."

The office was a meeting room three-quarters filled with boxes up to the ceiling. We had our own desks, a corkboard, and a chalkboard that flipped in the room. We also had a fridge, a TV with a VCR, and two computers with printers in the room. Looking around, I said, "We have a lot of work to do. I cannot believe all these cases."

He looked at me and said, "These are four hundred and fifty cases."

"No, it's not," Barbara said from behind us.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"There are two hundred and seventy-nine cases, and the boxes have evidence," She said. Pushing in a cart, she continued, "This cart is the remaining two hundred and fifty cases to bring the total to six hundred and five lives."

"Barbara, that's incorrect math," I said.

She gave a wary grin as she said, "That's because if they are families, we combined the counts."

"Six hundred and five lives in our hands," Sam said.

"No pressure or anything," I said.

Barbara pushed the cart further into the room, saying, "Listen, you two, I will be blunt with you. We don't have the officers to continue working on these cases, and after the seventy-two-hour mark, they are entered into a database and then go cold. I know a few of the names on the list, and so do you, Amy. The Captain is broken because of the missing people and wants answers. You were both at the top of your class and smarter than most of your fellow officers. I believe you both can solve all these cases and get the answers we need for the families. Now, excuse me, Captain, and I have a meeting with the Crockers County Sheriff about you both working the cold cases, and I will see you later today."

I walked over to the only visible window and opened the blinds. Sam moved the desks so we sat in a corner, set up the TV/VCR/DVD player, and set the boards along the wall. Then I moved the no-evidence pile next to the pile of boxes and said, "So Sam, we have six hundred and five people to find. Do you want to start a case with or without evidence?"

First, he said, "Why don't you tell me why you became an officer?"

"Because my best friend disappeared," I said. "They said he died in a flood. But I know he didn't. I want to be a voice for those who are ignored. What about you?"

"My Uncle was a cop," He said. "One night, they came and said he was killed in the line of duty. The evidence did not make sense. The last case I worked at my old precinct, I found out it was a cover-up, and he was killed because he was going to turn in a lot of dirty cops."

Nodding, I asked, "Evidence or no evidence?"

Tilting his head, he said, "With Evidence. Why don't you look at the names on the boxes and see if one of the names jogs a memory for you?"

I stood up and walked along the boxes. Seeing a few names that I recognised, I kept searching. However, I kept searching until I found the one name I hoped not to see in the pile. Stopping, I said, "Oh my god, I knew it."

On the front of the box, it said, "Thomas Gilder, age 16, Missing in a flood."

He put the box down, grabbed a pen and notebook, and said, "Amy, tell me what you know about this case from your point of view."

Sitting down, I said, "I went to school with Thomas, and we were best friends. The night of the flood, he supposedly went missing. I did not want to believe it. But after a few days, I started to believe he could be alive. He would show up in the online game we would play. To log into the game, you needed an authentication device. He never went anywhere without his device. I would message him as soon as I found him online and begged him to call me. I told him I wouldn't tell anyone if he ran away, but I needed to know he was alive. But I had no response."

"Did you go to the police?" He asked.

"Oh yeah," I said. "The police all said the same thing. Maybe Thomas's

Dad or Mom found the device. The officers at the station would practically kick me out."

"What else, Amy?" Sam asked.

"His parents never separated after his disappearance, which was weird because they were always fighting," I said. "They finally divorced after Thomas would have turned eighteen."

"Well, Amy," Sam said as he cut the lid off. "Why don't we look into what kind of evidence we have?"

We started sorting the evidence into piles. As we sorted, I came upon a picture of Thomas. I sighed as I told Sam about that day. "I had gone to have lunch with my dad when Thomas's mom came into the school, frantic because Thomas was dropped off that morning by his Dad. He had worn jeans and a t-shirt. She came in and told Grace that he needed to change for his pictures. Grace had told her that it was too late and that he had already taken the pictures. She threw such a fit that Dad had to leave the office and tell her to leave, as she was disturbing the office and school. After she left, Dad called Thomas's Dad and gave him a heads-up to let him know what had happened."

Sam looked up and asked, "So you would say she was controlling?"

"Controlling is an understatement. Mrs. Gilder was a puppet master. She had to control everything from what he ate to what he wanted to do on the weekends," I said. "Thomas and I would spend the weekends at my house, gaming every weekend. She knew she could not bully Dad. Thomas would have been miserable if it weren't for his Dad."

We sat discussing all the things Thomas's Mom would do, and there was a knock at the door. I looked up and saw my Dad at the door. Sam got up and opened the door. My Dad lifted my lunch box and said, "I was on my way to volunteer and found this on the table next to the door."

I took my bag, and my Dad turned to Sam, putting his hand out, "Sorry to interrupt, I am Amy's dad, Charlie."

"Welcome, Charlie. I am Detective Montgomery, but please call me Sam. Amy is my partner in this department," He said. "Do you have a minute? I took notes on what Amy told me about the case, but as you were the principal at the school, I would like to ask you about a former student. Thomas Gilder."

My Dad's head snapped up, and he looked at me, "Amy, I thought you were a regular officer?"

Sam chuckled and said, "Amy was first in her class and has a brilliant mind. We are a task force to solve the county's unsolved cases."

Dad whistled and asked, "What did you want to know?"

"Amy said that she thought Thomas was still alive," Sam continued, "What do you think happened to him? Do you think he could still be alive?"

"Yes, I do," He said. "Amy had shown me some evidence when Thomas first went missing, which showed that Thomas could still be alive. But as she was a teen who had just lost her best friend, no one would listen to her. Especially with the amount of time Thomas and Amy gamed together."

My head snapped up, "Wait, I have an idea! Even if it is a long shot."

I loaded my laptop and brought up many of the gaming websites Thomas and I belonged to. "You two keep talking. I am going to see if I can play a hunch."

As Sam interviewed my Dad, I went to each site and posted on the forums a message, "My name is Amy, and I am looking for a friend who went missing while we were in high school. Last seen in Westhope, North Dakota, Thomas, I saw you log in after you went missing, and I know you're still out there. Please, Thomas, if you are reading this, contact me via a private DM or call me. My phone number has not changed. We are still searching for you and want to know if you're okay. If anyone has any news about Thomas, his WOW name was Maximus, and he played a Paladin. Thomas, I promise we will keep you safe from whatever caused you to run."

Sam looked over my shoulder and said, "That is a big out-of-the-box hunch? Will the moderators take it down?"

Looking up, I said, "I posted this on the friends thread, and I know most gamers will share it, as we are a tight community. I posted the same message on ten different forums on my accounts. Any private messages will come back to my cell phone."

Dad stood up and said, "Amy, I gave some additional information to Sam that I could remember. I will see you later this evening."

"Bye, Dad," I called out as he walked down the hall. Chuckling, I said, "Dad did lie to us a bit. He said he was going to volunteer. But I knowhe is meeting his old secretary, Grace, for lunch. They have kept it professional and under the radar while I was in school. But they need to go public now as they are having breakfast, lunch, or dinner datesas friends or meeting up for volunteering when Dad is not at the school working."

Sam laughed and said, "Well, where do you think we should start with the case?"

"I guess we should make a board with everything we know," I said. Walking over to the bulletin board, I said," I will write as I have seen your writing."

There was another knock at the door as we worked on the board. Looking up to see who was there, I said, "Oh no."

He looked at the door and said, "Who is that?"

"Thomas's Mom," I said. "How did she know we were investigating Thomas's missing person case?"

Sam got up and opened the door. When he did, she pushed past him and stalked over to me to yell in my face, "How dare you, Amy? Can you not leave the  dead alone?"

Sam jumped between us and said, "Mrs. Gilder, how did you know we are investigating Thomas's disappearance?"

"That does not matter," She said, "I am telling you to drop the investigation or else."

"That's not your choice, Mrs. Gilder." I said, "Thomas's disappearance was never solved, and it's been over ten years, and we never found his body. Thomas's case remains an open cold case. Unless you have information you want to share?"

She looked scared for a moment, then she looked at the bulletin board behind me and said, "You think either me or his Dad had something to do with him going missing? Answer me, Amy. Do you think we had something to do with this?"

Sam jumped in and said, "Mrs. Gilder, what you see on that board are the previous notes and evidence from his file. We are actively working on this case now."

Looking at the board, she said, "You think I am controlling Amy? Isn't that a bit much, even for you? First, you kept saying you thought he was alive, and now we could have had something to do with him being missing."

Standing up to face Thomas's Mom, my filter disappeared as I said, "Yes, you are. You never let Thomas do anything he liked and dictated everything that he could do, down to the clothes he wore. He kept clothes at school to change into, if you forced him to wear something he hated. You never allowed Thomas to be himself or to be with his friends. Even when his Dad wanted to do something with him for a guy's day, you always had to try to control it. Hell, even at my sweet sixteen party, he was my first dance, and you tried to control the song we danced to. Thank God, Grace stepped in and got you out of there so he could have fun. I believe Thomas used the flood as a way to run away from everything you put him through and to get away from you--"

My head snapped back as she slapped me. I looked at her as Sam went to put cuffs on her. "Sam, don't."

Sam looked at me, surprised, and said, "She assaulted an officer."

"Don't," I said. "Mrs. Gilder snapped because she knows it's true. I don't know why he left yet. But I believe it is because of her. But I promise you we will find out why."

You could see the fire in her eyes going out as I continued, "We will solve this case and find Thomas dead or alive. Let me tell you right now: if he says he does not want to see or talk to you, that's on you, and we will respect his wishes. Now get out of our office, or I will let Sam arrest you."

"I have been waiting on that for ten years. Sam, we need to talk. I have not told you everything." I said. "Let's go for a ride. You need to understand that Thomas was my best friend, and he dropped hints about what it was like with his Mom. I will explain when we get there."

"Where are we going?" He asked as he grabbed his jacket.

"My house," I said.

Chapter 5

We walked outside the precinct and got into my car. Driving to my house, I gave Sam a tour of the town. My Dad was home when we got there, and Grace was with him. After introducing Sam to Grace, I said to my Dad, “I was not completely honest with either of you after Thomas disappeared. Besides seeing him online, I found something after he disappeared that made me think he was still alive.”

Grace held my hand and said, “Amy, you were devastated when Thomas disappeared. You tried to tell the police what you knew. They wouldn't listen.”

I sighed, took a breath, and said, “A few weeks before the flood, do you remember when Thomas hid here overnight? We camped out in the living room and had pizza after you spoke with his Dad.”

Dad nodded and said, “Thomas was in a bad frame of mind that night. His Mom went off because of getting a ninety-one on a chemistry test, and his Dad defended him. His Dad told him to come hang out with us, as it was Friday. You guys camped out downstairs and played video games all night. I heard you both yelling at the game all night.”

“That night, he told me he wanted to run away because he could not take his Mom anymore.” I said, “He told me that if anything happened again, he would take his chance when he saw it. I thought he was just saying it because he was angry.”

Grace piped up and said, "The week after that happened was the school picture incident."

Nodding, I continued, "His father was a buffer when he got home the next day. His Dad was home the rest of the weekend, hanging out with Thomas. But on Monday, when he went home from school, his Mom started ranting about something he did not understand, and she struck him hard. He came here after she hit him. You were at a meeting at the school, so I calmed him down, made some food, and we talked. He told me that he was serious and if an opportunity presented itself, he would run away."

"Did Thomas have money to do that?" Sam asked.

"Yes, he did," I said. "His parents didn't know, but he had been doing odd jobs and saving all of his extra lunch money, birthday cash, and allowance he received for years. I saw the pile once, and there was close to ten-thousand dollars. I know he did other things to earn money online, such as selling in-game items and taking online surveys. We were kids, so we never really talked about money."

"Did you try to tell the police this?" Sam asked. "About having the money to run away."

Grace said, "Yes, she did multiple times. I took her to the station, but the police believed she was just a kid who missed her best friend."

"But there is more," I said. "Dad let me take a week off after Thomas went missing. He knew I was upset and wanted me to come to terms with Thomas possibly being dead. I worked through my grief over my supposedly dead friend by playing video games. Thomas and I had our game channel, and when I logged in, it showed he was online. Only Thomas and I had the information for the channel. I still own that channel. I left a message at the top of the page, hoping he would contact me. I wrote when I saw him begging him to contact me, and he never responded. After five minutes, he left. Before you ask, no one but us had the information for that channel, not even his parents. We memorized it because he would talk about his Mom. A few nights later, I was in my room. I looked out, and I saw someone in my tree house. Dad left it up after I grew up because my neighbor's kids liked playing in it. I opened my window and yelled, I see you, whoever you are, it's too late to be in there. I thought some teens went there to make out as the tree house was near the road. The following day, I noticed that the windows were open, and I went to shut the windows in the playhouse to make sure that if it rained, nothing would get wet."

Sam asked, "You thought it was Thomas?"

"No," I said. "Not at first. Come on, I will show you what I found."

We crossed the yard and climbed into the tree house. I had everyone stand to the side. "When I entered the treehouse, I noticed nothing was where it was supposed to be. As I cleaned up the mess, I noticed the carpet in this corner had been moved away from the wall. I went to fix it, and I felt something underneath it. I pulled out a journal, and only one page had writing on it."

"Amy, a journal? Do you have it still?" Sam asked.

I lifted the carpet, pulled the journal out, and said, "Yes, I do."

On the front page of the journal, there was a letter saying, "Amy, I am so sorry. Please forgive me. One day, I will find you and explain everything, but it is much worse than I ever told you or Dad. You are my best friend, but in this case, you can't be my ride or die for a long time. You are the sister I never had, and I love you. Please follow your dreams not only for yourself, but for me. You will do amazing. T."

I handed Sam the journal, and he said, "Did you try to tell the police about this?"

Grace said, "She told them she had evidence, and the officer was a jerk to her. I even asked for someone above him, but he refused. He threatened to have us arrested if we did not leave."

Sam said, "I think we have to talk to his Father."

My dad looked at me and said, "Amy, please use kid gloves with him. Since his accident, he has not been right."

"Accident?" Sam asked.

"I think we should stop for today, Sam. I would prefer to see Evan in the morning. Once we return to the station, we will pack up everything and head home for the night. This way, we can start fresh on the case tomorrow."

As we left my house, Sam asked, "What happened to Thomas's dad, Amy?

"Can we talk about it in the morning?" I replied. "It's been a long day, and I think it would be best to wait until then. I'll be able to explain everything more clearly then."

Sam nodded and said, "Sure thing, Amy. I understand this has been a lot to take in on your first day on the job."

Chapter 6

When we returned to the station, we went to our office and ensured all the evidence was locked away. We said our goodbyes and left for the night. Going home, I had hoped for a good night's sleep. However, I could not sleep at all, and when I woke up the following morning, I found a note from my Dad that said, "The coffee is ready. I love you."

I made a thermos of coffee and grabbed my lunch, which my Dad made me. I headed to the station and went to unlock our office. I was looking over the board when Sam walked into the office. He looked at me as he handed me a cup of coffee from the diner, and he asked, "Did you get any sleep?"

I shook my head and said, "No, and I tossed and turned. You might think I am grasping at threads, but I believe Thomas is alive. We need to go see Evan."

I grabbed my bag, and Sam led me out to his car. "So, are you ready to tell me what happened with Thomas's Dad?"

Sighing, I said, "I will explain on the way to see Evan."

As we headed to Evans's apartment, I explained to Sam about Thomas's Dad, "Everyone thought that after Thomas had gone missing, Evan would leave Susan. But he stayed with her till the day Thomas would have turned eighteen. We took him out to dinner that night to honor Thomas. My Dad and I told Evan we would always be there if he needed someone."

"He told us that night he was leaving Susan the next day," I continued. "When he told her he was leaving, she went crazy. Evan had already moved into his new apartment. Since Evan worked from home, he had done one last go-through of the old house. He had gone into Thomas's room to get a few of Thomas's things for keepsakes. Susan saw the items in his last box and went after him. She called the police, and when they arrived, Evan explained he was moving out. He only returned for a few of Thomas's belongings as keepsakes of his son. The police agreed with Evan and let him go."

"Then what happened?" Sam asked."Every year, Susan went out of town to visit her family in Florida since Thomas had disappeared," I said. "The following day, my Dad got a call from the police and asked us to go up to the hospital. When we arrived, Evan was in surgery, and the police told us that his brakes failed. The car was to be inspected by the police. The accident caused Evan to lose partial use of his legs. After he was released, Susan began to act sketchy as Evan insisted his brakes were fine and he just had them replaced."

I said. " After the accident, Susan showed up when Evan was in therapy and confronted him in front of the staff and me. She said I hope you learned your lesson about what happens when you leave."

"Are you serious?" Sam asked, "She gave herself away, but the police did not press charges?"

"Evan told the staff to get her out of the hospital, and the following day, he had the divorce papers delivered," I said. "But she dragged it out with her lawyer, and after a year, the judge had enough evidence to grant the divorce. Evan only wanted the divorce and gave her the house and everything in it."

"So what is Evans's condition?" Sam asked.

"His crash was so bad that it broke both legs, his left hip, and caused spinal damage," I said. "He can walk for short distances, but he uses a wheelchair if he is out for longer periods because of the nerve damage."

We parked in Evans's apartment complex and headed inside to his apartment. When we got to Evans' door, I knocked, and then we heard Evan call out, "One moment."

The door opened, Evan looked surprised to see me and said, "Amy, I am so glad you are here. I need to talk to you in a professional capacity."

He looked over at Sam, extending his hand as he said, "You must be the new Detective in town. My ex-wife called me about an hour ago and said Amy had stuff on a board."

Sam shook Evan's hand and said, "My name is Sam. I met your ex-wife yesterday. We came here to talk to you about your son's disappearance. What do you need to talk to Amy about that?"

"Well, it concerns you as well. Please come in," Evan said as he led us to the living room. "Amy, I have to apologize to you. All this time, you believed Thomas was alive, and I did not want to believe you. Even after everything you shared with me. I am so sorry."

"Evan, what happened?" I asked. "What makes you think Thomas is alive now?"

Sighing, he pulled out a letter and handed it to me. I opened the letter and read it out loud.

Dad,

Please do not be angry, but I am alive. Please do not be angry at me, but I had to escape Mom, and the best thing to do was to make it look like I was dead. Dad, the things she did to me when I was younger are worse than you ever could imagine. I needed to stay away because I could not be near her. Do you remember that gaming book I gave you before I left? There are clues in the book I left you. Take the book to Amy. She will know what to look for. She almost caught me once, and I ran because I was scared. Mom is a monster and evil. I know that you're divorced now, and she can't harm you anymore. Tell Amy I miss my best friend, and we will talk soon.

All my love,

Thomas

I looked at Evan and said, "When did you get this?"

He looked at me and said, "In today's mail. Amy, look at the envelope. There is no return address or stamp. He had to have hand-delivered this himself."

Sam took out an evidence bag and put the letter in it. "Evan, do you know what Thomas is talking about with what his Mom did to him?"

Evan looked down with tears in his eyes and said, "I believe she may have been abusing him physically. After Thomas disappeared, I found a journal in his room. It didn't say it outright, but it alluded that she has tried having an unnatural relationship with him."

Sam and I both said, "Shit."

Evan teared up and said, "I never knew. We would have left if I did."

We talked with Evan about the day Thomas went missing and the week leading up to it. He wheeled into his office, returning with the gaming book and the journal that Thomas left behind. We bagged it and told him we would keep it safe. After we looked at everything, Evan said, "If you find him. Tell him I will go to him, and he doesn't have to come home. But if his Mom did anything to him, assure him we will have her prosecuted."

Sam put his hand on Evans's shoulder, "Sir, I am telling you now, if what you think happened did happen, she will do jail time, and we will make sure Thomas can come home."

I walked over to Evan, hugged him, and said, "Dad, don't worry about Thomas. If she wants to play games, she will learn that I am not the little girl she tried bullying in the past. I miss Thomas, and I get to kick his ass first when he gets back home."

Evan started laughing, and as he pushed my hair back, he said, "If anyone has that right to, you do."

Chapter 7

Sam and I left Evans's apartment. Getting into my car, I leaned my head onto the steering wheel. Through clenched teeth, I said, "Are we going to her, or are we bringing that horrible woman in under abuse charges?"

Sam said, "Let us speak with the Captain and see what he thinks. I want everything done by the book so we can bring your best friend home."

Nodding, I said, "Take my phone, just press on the door, and it will open it. Call my Dad and have him go to Evan. They are good friends, and I believe Evan needs my Dad right now."

Sam took my phone and explained to my Dad in a way I can only describe as guy talk that Evan needed him. After a few minutes of not giving details, he hung up and put my phone in its holder. He said, "Grace and your Dad are going to get a pizza and head over to stay with Evan."

We walked into the station, and Susan was already there. She ran up to us and started screaming. Sam gestured to an officer, "Please take Mrs. Gilder to a desk and wait with her."

Captain Milson walked out and waved us to his office. When we walked in and shut the door, he closed the blinds and asked, "What did you guys do today?"

I looked at Sam, and he said, "Captain, we were following up on evidence presented to the original detective, but it was ignored."

Captain tilted his head and said, "Who presented this evidence?"

"I presented the evidence," I said. "Grace was also my witness if you want to speak to her."

We spent the next twenty minutes telling the Captain everything I provided as evidence to the original detective and about our talk with Evan. When we showed him the letter, Captain got really quiet and said, "I think that is why she has been here freaking out. Amy, you will stay in the viewing room. Sam and I will do the questioning. Listen to me. I know you know the procedure. I am worried you will go for her throat if I let you in the same room."

He hit the intercom, "Barbara, can you come in here?"

Barbara came in and said, "She is raising a fit out there. What do you need, Captain?"

He gave Barbara the condensed version of what we had told him and said, "Amy will be in the viewing room. I need you as a witness in case we find out more information. I know we do not want to think about the possibility of what she did or tried to do to Thomas. You need to keep Amy there. Do not leave my office until we have her in interview room five."

"Five?" She asked.

"Yes, five, I want this recorded and on camera from every angle we can have it," He said. "If she is the reason Thomas ran, we want to put her away for it."

Captain and Sam stood up and walked over to Susan. The Captain said something to her, and the look of fear crossed her face. They led her to the interview room. Once they were out of sight, Barbara said, "Let's go."

She led me the back way to the interview room, and we sat on the chairs facing the room. Barbara looked at me and said, "She looks scared."

Nodding, I said, "If what Thomas insinuated was true, I would be scared also."

Sam and Captain sat down with their backs to us. The captain said, "Mrs. Gilder, you are here for questioning again in the missing persons case of your son. New evidence has come to light, and that evidence is damaging to you. We read you your rights. Are you certain you do not want to have an attorney present? Also, please be advised that we are recording you with audio and video equipment."

She looked at Sam and said, "I bet that harlot of a partner put you up to this?"

The Captain looked at her and said, "Officer McGill presented most of her evidence when Thomas first disappeared. The newer evidence comes from a new source. So I am asking again, Do you want an attorney present?"

She looked defiantly and said, "I have nothing to hide?"

Sam nodded and looked at the camera, "Please note, Mrs. Gilder has waived her rights to an attorney present."

She said, "My son is dead, so what do you need to ask?"

The Captain looked at her and said, "We may believe Thomas may be alive and ran away because he has accused you of being inappropriate with him."

Her head jerked up, and she said, "Where is he?"

Sam took over and said, "From the evidence we received, he stated he will never come home as long as you are free. We are still reviewing more evidence. However, he stated the final straw was that you tried to have an inappropriate relationship with him."

She looked up and got a sweet look as she said, "Is it a bad thing that a mother wants to have a loving relationship with her son?"

Barbara shifted in her chair and said, "Shit, she thinks whatever she did was a normal mother-son relationship."

I took out the book Evan had given me and looked at the notations on the game page with arrows pointing to a storyline in the book. The story was about a King whose marriage was over, and he went to his daughter to have her fulfill his wife's marital duties. The passages marked in the story contained notations with phrases that stated, I know how she felt, and Mom doesn't stop. I pointed this out to Barbara, and Barbara buzzed the questioning room. Captain Milson came in. We showed him what we found, and he went white. He looked at me and said, "This is a storyline in the game you played?"

I nodded and said, "The game hints at it. The first campaign has the player kill the King so his daughter can lead the kingdom against evil, taking over the land. It was for teens older than thirteen."

The captain walked in and sat down across from Susan, and said. "Susan, I am going to ask you one question, which you need to answer honestly. Did you try to engage in sexual relations with Thomas?"

She looked at Captain and said, "Of course I did. Who else could I go to for comfort when Evan and I could not get along? It was Thomas's job to do what I wanted, as I am his mother."

Sam stopped and asked, "Did Thomas ever tell you NO when you made advances on him?"

She got angry and said, "Well, of course he did. He would run away to that little harlot's house. Or to his Dad to get away from me. He told me it was disgusting. When I told him it was perfectly normal, he called me disgusting. Families have been doing this for centuries to ensure their bloodlines are pure. I did this with my Father, and my Mother did this with my brother when we were Thomas's age. He did not want to perform his familial duties."

Barbara and I looked at each other, and I said, "He never said anything to me, or I would have had my Dad protect him, or we would have had him tell his dad."

We looked through the window as Susan said, "So if my Thomas is alive, we still have a chance to be together."

Sam looked at the Captain, and the Captain stood up and cuffed her as he said, "Susan Gilder, you are under arrest for the sexual assault of your son Thomas Gilder. You are to be retained at the county jail and will be undergoing a psychiatric evaluation."

As he read her her rights, she started to struggle. Then she said, "I did nothing wrong. He should have listened to his Mother. Did Evan put you up to this? Or was it Amy? I should have tried to kill her like I did Evan. That man ruined Thomas by letting him be a normal boy."

She kept screaming as I sat there, shocked. Barbara looked at me and took my hand as she said, "She admitted to trying to kill Evan. Amy, you and Sam will need to go talk to him."

Sam walked in and said, "Captain said we need to talk with you."

I followed Sam to the Captain's office and sat down. When the Captain came in, he looked at me and said, "Evan will be coming in in the morning. Amy, we are booking her for sexual assault of a minor and attempted murder of Evan. Are you okay?"

Looking at the Captain, I said, "To be honest, I want five minutes in a room with her."

Barbara walked in and said, "You and me both, my dear. All these years, that poor boy had to suffer from this alone. We will open all resources for therapy to him when and if he comes home."

After speaking with the Captain and Grace for a while, Sam and I returned to our office to continue working on some things. I was thankful that Sam didn’t push today. I felt awful that Thomas had gone through this alone, and I could not be there for him. When we went home for the day, I looked at a picture of Thomas and me in my room and said, "Thomas, where are you?"

Chapter 8

The following morning, we sat in the Captain's office waiting for Evan to arrive. Sam wheeled him in and took a seat next to us. Once we were ready, Captain said, "First, Sam and Amy, great work the last few days. I knew putting you together on the cold cases would get the results we were looking for. Amy, I am so sorry that the previous staff did not listen to you. I am implementing new standards in the precinct due to the handling of Thomas's original case. So nothing like this will happen ever again."

Turning to Evan, he said, "Evan, I have some news for you, and you may not want to hear it."

Evan took my hand and said, "Come on, Charlie, you have known me since we were kids. Let me have it."

The captain said, "Your ex-wife is why you are in that chair. She arranged the accident that you had and admitted it on video."

"What about Thomas?" He said.

"Captain Milson, maybe I should explain that to my Dad, myself," a voice said from behind us.

I turned, and Thomas was standing in the doorway. My breath caught in my throat as I said, "Thomas."

Evan stood and turned to Thomas as he said, "I would kick your butt, but I think that Amy will have that handled. Boy, come here and hug your old man."

Thomas crossed the office and pulled his Dad into his arms for a long-awaited hug. When they separated, Thomas said, "Dad, I am so sorry. I never wanted you to think I was dead, but I couldn't stay with what she was trying to do. I was so embarrassed I thought it was all my fault."

Evan said, "No, Thomas, it was never your fault. She is sick and mentally unstable. She thinks everything she did was alright."

The captain said, "Thomas, please sit down. We need your side of things. If you don't mind, I want to record our conversation."

Thomas sat down, nodding, and Barbara handed him a bottle of water. Then she went in for a full hug. She had babysat Thomas when he was younger, and I could see the joy and tears in her eyes.

He looked at me, and I said, "Oh, your Dad is right, you're gonna get your ass handed to you, but first things first."

"Well, I am guessing by now Amy told you I had mentioned disappearing," He said as everyone nodded. "For years, I secretly earned money gaming, did online survey sites, and saved every penny I made.  When I told Amy I thought of running away, it was because Mom had moved from words to being handsy. By then, I had saved roughly thirty-five grand. I had some of it on a chime card that I could get and hide. Then I had a box of cash behind a loose tile in my bathroom that held the rest."

Sam asked, "What happened?"

"The night before the storm was my final chance for her. Earlier that day, Dad and Mom had a huge fight, and Dad went to stay at the motel. I had just cashed out a huge account job I had finished for someone, and some of the survey sites, when Mom knocked on my door. She was wearing a piece of lingerie, and she came into my room crying about needing a man's touch," He said, cringing. "I told her to get out. She grabbed my pants, saying it was not wrong, and she could be my first. I pushed her off of me, and she ran out screaming that I was just like Dad. I shut the door, but something was wrong with the lock. I placed a chair in front of the door to block her and packed a bag with clothes, my laptop, and some personal items. I thought the chair was securing the door. I got into pajamas and went to bed. I woke up to her trying to arouse me, and she was naked again. I screamed, and she said it was normal and tried to grab me again. I grabbed my bag and clothes and went into the bathroom. I locked myself in. I vomited and showered four times. I felt disgusting. When I woke up from my makeshift bed on the bathroom floor. I took my bug-out bag and met Amy for school after I stored everything in the tree house. I knew her Dad kept people away, and I could sneak in there. When I got to school that day, the storm started to roll in, and I waited for my opportunity to run away."

"That's when they released us early, and I invited you over. You said you had chores, and your Mom was yelling at you about them," I said.

Turning to me, he nodded, "When I hugged you that day, I felt awful because it would be the last time I could hug you for a long time. I knew you would be angry. I called Dad and asked if he was coming home. I was so embarrassed about what Mom did to me. He told me he would be home in a day or two, and when he got home, we would talk."

Sam looked up and said, "Thomas, your Mom is sick, and you have nothing to be embarrassed about. Keeping it in the family was something she had done since she was a young girl."

Thomas said, "No is a complete sentence for me."

Sam said, "I agree."

Captain Milson said, "So what did you do, Thomas?"

He closed his eyes and opened them before he said, "I snuck into the tree house and climbed inside. I changed my school clothes to hiking gear. I changed my shoes into hiking boots. I walked past Amy's house to the gas station and took a cab to the river park. I asked the driver to wait for me as it would only take a minute or two. He agreed without any hesitation. I took the school clothes, spread them near the river, and hung them on a few branches. I took my phone and my old wallet, which held my lost ID, and put them on the branches. I had a fake ID and my real one. I needed it in my real wallet with my card and some cash. I also had a burner phone with all the phone numbers I would need. The rest was in my bag. I returned to the taxi, and he took me to the train station. He didn't look like he lived locally, so I thought he was from a neighboring city. When he dropped me off, I gave him a big tip and said Forget you saw me, alright? I was not sure he would have ratted me out if he saw the news."

I asked, "Did you leave that night then?"

"No," He said. 

"I stuck around a few days in the abandoned house near the train station. That's when I realized I had to say goodbye to Amy. I snuck into the treehouse and left the journal. When she yelled out the window, I almost lost my nerve to leave. I returned to the train station, purchased a ticket to northern Maine, and crossed the border to Canada on foot. There is a small town there that didn't ask any questions, and I found a job at a 24-hour diner that catered to truckers and travelers. Fred and May own the place, and they are amazing. May became a Grandmother to me, and they let me live in one of the bunk houses for $100 a week. I worked for them at the stop, and since I lived close, I could come in, which helped them. After living in Canada for a year, May and Fred asked me about my story. I didn't go into detail, but they understood. They promised to keep my secret, but I had to keep tabs on my family and old town. When I found out about your accident, I almost came home to see you. I called the hospital, and they said you were stable, so I stayed away. Fred came in my place, without asking questions, and he got answers. He met Mom and came home, saying that she was a vile person, and he understood why I ran away. She had talked about me like I was her deceased husband or lover with him, not her presumed dead son. Yesterday I saw the message board Amy posted on, and May encouraged me to come home. She told me I have a home there and would always be her Grandson, but I needed to tell my story. They have a friend who charters flights, and he owed Fred a favor. He flew me to a town on the border of Canada, and I walked to the United States side. I took a train, and came to town, and I left the letter for Dad. I was about to leave town when I heard that Mom had been arrested. She would never find me in Canada if she saw me. But I needed to check and see what would happen."

That's when the screams started in the main station, "Where is he? Where is my Thomas?"

She was being dragged back to the cells when she caught sight of him. He stood up and walked out, and said, "You are a vile monster, and I left because of what you did to me. I came back for the people who matter, and you are not one of them. I am testifying against you, and you are dead to me."

She stopped moving and looked at him, and said, "But Thomas, after everything we shared."

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he said, "We did not share anything. You sick twisted bitch you tried to rape me."

She reached for Thomas, and he pulled back. Walking back to the office. He said, "I will be glad to testify, and I hope she goes to hell."

Captain looked up and said, "Thomas, where will you be staying while you're in town?"

Evan spoke up before Thomas could answer. He said, "He will stay with me if he wants to."

Thomas smiled and said, "I would love to, Dad. I think we have a lot we need to talk about."

I looked at Sam and said, "Well, that was our first case together solved. Now we have to head to our office and do the worst part."

Sam smiled and said to me, "Paperwork!"

We stood up, and I put my hand on Thomas's shoulder as I said, "Do not think you're in the clear with me at all, you are gonna get your ass whooped, but I am glad you're home. Take a few days, and I will meet you in the tree house to talk. Your Dad has my phone number.

"He stood up and said, "Amy, I am so sorry about everything. Not a day went by that I didn't want to call you. You will always be my best friend. I will prepare myself for an ass kicking."

Chapter 9

Sam and I headed to our office. Once we were inside, Sam handed me a box of Kleenex and asked, "Are you okay?"

Sitting at my desk, I said, "Yes and No."

Looking at me, Sam asked, "Do you want to explain?"

"Yes, I am thrilled Thomas is back, " I said. "He looks almost the same, just a lot taller. But all the time he missed with his Dad, what his Mom did to him makes me want to take a walk down to the cells and kick her ass. I know our job is not easy, and we will come across cases that can haunt us. This case was very close to home."

Sam nodded and said, "I understand. My first case as a Detective in Tampa was a homicide. I was ready until I got to the location and saw my brother's best friend on the stairs to the house, crying like a baby. His little sister, whom I had met so many times, was strangled in her room during the night. When I had to enter that room and see the body of Emily, my heart sank; she was only fourteen years old. Those cases stick with you; they become what drives you. This case drove you because of your personal connection to Thomas. Let that drive let you see outside the box each time we start a case and give closure to everyone involved."

I grabbed a report form and started to fill it out.  As we finished our reports, Sam went to show me how to upload and close the case with the government database when there was a knock at the door. We looked up and saw Captain and Barbara standing there.

Sam motioned them in, and Captain said, "Great work on the Thomas Gilder case. There will be a press conference tomorrow to announce that Thomas is alive and to introduce you both as our cold case team. I know you both solved this case quickly, thanks to the stars aligning just right, but I can personally say that I am glad that that woman is off the streets. Thomas has taken up our offer for counseling, and since he is sticking around for a while, he wants to speak with a professional."

Sam nodded and said, "That is great to hear."

Barbara looked up and said, "Now onto the bad part. Susan's arraignment is in the morning, and her family has already arrived to post bail. We have started an order of protection for Thomas and added a contact. We would like you both to be at the arraignment. In case they want professional opinions, or, in your case, Amy, professional and personal opinions. Can you be next door at the courthouse by 9 am?"

We both nodded, and I said, "This is not good; her family is just as crazy as she is. Is there a way to modify the no-contact order to her family as well?"

Captain looked up and said, "Shit, Amy, you're right. I am walking it over to the courthouse and asking to see the judge and speak to him about it. Barbara, can you write up a second one for me so we can get it in place before her hearing?"

Barbara nodded and left the room. "I hate to ask, but are your reports done and filed yet?"

We held up our completed reports, and Sam said, "I was just going to show Amy the process of scanning them in with the evidence and how to close the case. Why do you ask?"

"Normally, I would pull the official documentation from the state system, but I am putting a rush on this. Can you make copies for me, Amy? Then you and Sam can complete the process on how to close the case officially," He said.

I took our reports and made copies, handing the copies to the captain. I moved my chair near Sam so we could close out the case. The captain left, and Sam trained me how to submit the evidence.

We logged all the evidence and uploaded our reports. We then added the files to the computer along with all the pictures that had detailed descriptions. Once we completed everything, we took the evidence box, sealed it with tape that read, Case Closed.

As we walked out of the building, Sam said, "I will meet you in the morning here and wear smart clothes for the court hearing."

Chapter 10

Sam walked me out, and when we got into the parking lot, I stopped. Standing next to my car were Thomas's Maternal Grandparents. I stopped Sam and told him who they were, and he said, "I will walk you right to your car. You get right in and follow my lead."

As we approached my car, his Grandfather started to say something, and Sam said, "You will leave Officer McGill alone and not try to speak with her. She has nothing to say to either of you. If you do not leave, you will be charged with harassment."

When I got in my car, they moved, and I pulled out to drive home. Sam followed me until we stopped at a light and turned our separate ways on Main Street. I did notice a car was following me, and I called Sam. He answered right away and said, "What's wrong?"

"Sam, I think they are following me," I said. "When I noticed the car, I took different turns around town, and the car kept up."

"Okay, Amy, do this: turn towards the McDonald's I am in the parking lot, and there are two police cars here. You cannot see the cars unless you go through the drive-through. I am going in now to get the officers." Sam said. "Give me your location and stay on the line."

I followed Sam's instructions, pulling into the front entrance and parking next to Sam's truck. When I did, they stopped right behind my car and jumped out. That was when the police came out of Sam's truck with their guns drawn. The Grandparents and two Uncles both had guns in their hands, and his Grandmother had a rag with a liquid on it. The officers arrested them for an attempted abduction, and Sam looked at me and said, "Get in my truck, we are going back to the station to book them and to have you fill out your report."

I climbed into Sam's car, and he handed me a cheeseburger. "Eat."

I ate the burger as we headed back to the station, and when everyone was brought in with cuffs, I followed behind them with my jacket and bag. The captain came out of his office and said, "What the heck is going on here?"

Sam handed off the Grandmother to another officer and said, "Amy called me after she left here. The Grandparents were waiting for her when we left for the day, and then Amy noticed a car following her. She tried to lose them but realized they were in pursuit, so she called me. I happened to have stopped at McDonald's, and so were officers McNara and Kinai. They hid inside my truck with me. When Amy pulled in, all four got out of the car with guns and a rag with what I believe is Chloroform to knock Amy out. They were going to abduct her."

Captain closed his eyes and said, "Sam, get them into separate interrogation rooms, and I will question them. Amy, use my office and write up your report. Stay in here until we get back. Also, call your Dad and Evan and warn them to be careful."

I filled out my report as I called my Dad and Evan, telling them to be careful. Dad said he was dining with Grace, but they could come get me.

I said, “No, when I went to get my car, I would grab food and head home to game and relax.”

Dad said, “Let me know when you get home.

About an hour later, Sam and Captain came back to fill me in.

"Amy, I am proud of you for keeping your head," Captain said. "The Grandparents wouldn't talk, but we sent the rag to our lab, and ten minutes later, they confirmed it was chloroform. The younger Uncle finally broke, and they reasoned that if they kidnapped you, Susan would be let go. Sam stopped the first attempt. We are going to have a police officer at your house tonight, as well as Evans, just in case."

**********************************************************************************************

I nodded and said, "Will I have to be at their arraignment as well?"

Sam laughed and said, "Amy it looks like we will be having a fun filled day of court. Lets go get your car and I will follow you home."

When we got to McDonald's, I told Sam, "I am starving, I am getting food. Do you mind waiting?"

He chuckled and said, "I am getting some as well. I do not feel like cooking tonight."

After I ordered more food than I would ever need I climbed into my car and Sam followed me home. Once I was safely inside Sam honked his horn and left for his house. I went up to my room and sank into my gaming chair loading my game. I pulled out some fries and a burger and I had a message pop up that said, "Thomas wants to join your party will you accept?"

,

I put in my headset and I heard, "I hope you can still play?"

"Well Thomas I sure can, I am multitasking eating and gaming." I said.

"What happened tonight Dad said you called," He asked.

As we gamed I told him everything and looked out my window and saw a cop outside reading a book. He asked me, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah I am," I said. "I called Sam and he was with officers. Your Grandparents are not the brightest and were arrested before they could get me. I have a officer stationed near the house now and I will be heading to bed soon. Court in the morning and everything."

We gamed for another hour and I ended our gaming session and put my food away. I texted dad again and told him good night. I laid down and fell asleep. That night I had a fitful sleep and when I woke up I was ready to face Susan and her entire family.

***************************************************************************

Chapter Eleven

When I woke up the next morning Dad was in the kitchen and Grace was walking in the door. She had homemade muffins and handed dad a coffee cup and said, "black please."

I saw Dad fill it up and Grace wrapped two muffins and walked them out to the police cruiser waiting outside. When she came in I said, "Grace you just have to Mom everyone huh?"

She wrapped her arms around me and said, "You all are my kids. Just because I could not have kids in my youth, I watched you all grow up and become amazing adults. So yes I do Mom you all."

She kissed my cheek and said, "Amy are you ready for today? Your Dad and I will be with you in the room and that woman's family is lucky I cannot bring my sewing shears in with me."

Sitting in a chair with my coffee I said, "I will be okay. I am more worried about Thomas and Evan. If more of the family show up I am worried something may happen."

Dad sat down and said, "Do not worry about that. Captain called a all hands on deck and the neighboring counties will have a few officers in the courthouse for crowd control and safety. After the arraignments Captain is going to do the press conference."

Nodding I said, "Well I have to head to the station I have to meet Sam to go over what I may be asked. Listen if things start to go south please get out of the courthouse okay."

They both nodded and I said, "I love you both. But before I go I want to say one thing. Grace your like my Mom and have always been there for me. I know you and Dad love each other as a couple. You all need to go public, you are not fooling anyone. Just think about it. Not saying get married but you know you have my blessing if you ever thought you needed it."

I grabbed my to go mug and two muffins and headed out to my jeep. I waved to the officer and called out, "Ready?"

He gave me a thumbs up and we went to the station. When I pulled in Sam walked out and met me and took my arm saying, "Around the back quick."

Following Sam we went in the intake door and took the elevator to our floor. When we got to the hallway I asked, "Sam what is going on?"

He nodded to the rail and said, "I wanted to spare you the mad house."

I looked over the rail and said, "What is with all the reporters?"

Captain and Barbara walked up to us as Captain said, "After you went home last night, Susan's family called the press about false allegations and unlawful imprisonment. Barbara released the statement about the press conference after the arraignments. But they want to clog the lobby."

"Captain you know this is a fire hazard." I said. "You may want to close the lobby as a fire safety issue."

Barbara smiled and said, "Oh Amy, I love how your mind works. Captain I will be back in a few minutes."

We watched as Barbara came down the stairs and put the microphone on, "Good Morning Everyone. I am sorry but with the amount of reporters crowding in, you have created a fire safety issue. I have to respectfully ask that any members of the media please leave the building as we will be having the press conference outside when we are ready to provide information."

We heard a few groans and Barbara said, "Micky's dinner across the road has some yummy food and it would keep you from waiting in your vehicles."

She left the stage and had two officers watch the door. When she arrived back up to us she was on her phone and saying, "Okay Diane and if they give your staff to any problems we will send some officers over."

Barbara looked up and said, "I didn't want Diane's staff to get overwhelmed so i was giving her the heads up."

Sam and I headed to our office and I said, "So now what?"

He said, "We wait. We have Evan and Thomas coming to the back of the court house with your Dad and Grace."

"So while we wait lets look at the boxes I am in the mood for a mystery this time," I said.

Sam started to chuckle and said, "Okay shall we look through the binder or boxes?" He said.

"Well how about looking in both we can each choose three and put them on the table and look over what we want to do next," I said. "I know its not a game and we will get to them all solved, but I would love to see what we have here."

While we waited I started looking through the stacks of evidence boxes and making a small pathway back. I found one that was dated back to the 1940's and I grabbed that box and added it to the table. I search through the pile and found another that had two boxes of evidence from two years ago and went to the cart to look over the files I started sifting through and found one with a family that went missing. After looking over the information I placed the file on the table. Sam looked at me and said, "Those will be the next 6 cases we work on. I have one from the 1950's and two files I liked. One of the files is a family and one is for a drifter who lived in town."

"Well I guess this a good enough pile to start with," I said. "We can decide which one is next after we go to court today."

Captain showed up at that moment with Barbara and knocked. I waved them in and Captain saw our pile and smiled. "You two are ready to start a new case already?"

Sam said, "Well, we were waiting to head to the courthouse and decided to be productive."

Barbara looked at her watch and said, "Well its time to go. The first case will be that of Thomas's Grandparents and Uncles. After that is heard then we will have a small break and then its Susan's."

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Chapter Twelve

We followed them out the back doors to the station and headed to the back of the court house. When we got there we met my Dad, Grace, Thomas and Evan. We went into the courtroom together and the bailiff gave instructions. The judge arrived and had Thomas's Grandparents and Uncles brought into the court room. First Sam was called to the stand and he gave his report. He first explained what happened when we left the precinct to my calling and their arrest. The prosecutor called me next and I gave my report and told the courts how I noticed I was being followed and calling Sam. Then I told them about the instructions Sam gave me over the phone to meet him and the waiting officers.

The defense attorney stated he had no questions and Sam whispered and said, "That's odd."

After sitting in on cases when I was at the academy I nodded. The defense attorney shocked us more when he stated, "Your honor my clients had stated they would like to move past today and plea to complete their sentencing. They request that no trial take place."

We looked up and even the prosecutor was giving the defense attorney a strange look. The Judge looked up and said, "This is extremely unprecedented."

The Judge had them all stand and everyone pleaded guilty by means of temporary insanity. The Judge looked at them and said, "No. The court will be setting a trial date and we will not accept the insanity plea. During your time behind bars you will be given a psychiatric evaluation. I am assuming your legal representative advised you against this? Bailiff please remove them and take them back to the jail."

Thomas's Grandfather shouted, "They arrested my daughter and we were taking away they reason she was arrested. If she is not here then you can't prosecute us."

The judge motioned for the bailiff to stop and he said, "Sir that is not how the court system works. I would suggest you go now before your held in contempt."

Once the court room was cleared the Judge called for an hour recess asking the attorneys to follow him to his office. Captain had us follow him out to a conference room he had set up that had food and drinks waiting. When we got in there Grace asked, "Was that normal?"

Captain looked up from getting food and said, "No that is definitely not normal."

Sam handed me a plate and said, "I saw that once in Tampa on court day and that was because the guy was trying to stonewall another case. It was thrown out there as well."

Thomas sat across from me as he started to eat and asked, "Are they able to talk to each other while they are in their cells?"

Captain said, "No, we made sure they were all away from each other so we could prevent a circus."

He shook his head and said, "If they pulled that, I wonder what kind of shit show my Mom is going to try pulling."

Sam nudged me and said, "Eat. As I am the lead detective you might not even be called."

Grace took my plate and put food on it and said, "You heard your partner."

Captain looked up and said to Thomas and Evan, "When the recess is over we are going to go in and you will stay here until we call you. There will be two officers guarding you at the door. That way she can not cause drama and once you enter we will make sure a guard is at the ready."

There was a knock at the door and the Bailiff entered. Captain looked up and said, "John, Is it time already?"

"No Charlie," He said. "I just wanted to hide for a moment and grab a cup of coffee if that's okay."

Barbara looked up and said, "Was it bad after we left."

John shook his head and said, "That poor defense attorney I felt for him. I can't tell you what was said but lord have mercy." 

Captain got up and handed him a plate, "Fill up John you may need it for the next one."

John thanked him and grabbed some food. He sat and ate for a few minutes when his phone rang. He answered and said, "I will let them know Sir."

When he hung up he said, "Court will reconvene in ten minutes. I will put what I have left in my office."

He stood up and left. After he left Captain said, "I never saw that man so rattled before.  Alright everyone lets go in. Thomas and Evan we will send for you when they are ready for you. Thomas you got this, we are all here for you."

We walked out and took our spot behind the prosecutor. We noticed that a few members of Thomas's family were behind the defense team. I felt bad for the lawyer and then the door opened and the brought Susan out. She looked over at us and sat down saying to the lawyer, "I thought my son was going to be here?"

The lawyer said, "They will call him in when we need him, but he did not wish to be in the room with you any longer than he needed to be."

The judge come in and everyone stood up, He had everyone raise their hands to be sworn in and stated he has already sworn in Thomas and his Father Evan. Susan looked at her lawyer and said, "I better be able to talk to my son."

As we sat the Judge looked up and said, "When Thomas or Evan enter the room everyone please remain in your seats and no conversations. Thomas is only here to make sure justice is served. I will not allow him to be bothered by anyone unless he wants contact. Is that clear?"

A resounding yes went through the crowd. After the charges were presented Susan pleaded not guilty. Everyone looked at her and she said, "I did nothing wrong."

The Prosecutor looked up and said, "Your honor due to the circumstances and the fact she openly admitted to trying to kill her ex-husband and what she did to her son, I ask for no bail granted."

"Your honor I object," Said her lawyer.

The Prosecutor looked up and said, "Why don't we see what her victims want then?"

Thomas and Evan were brought into the court room and the judge called Thomas to the stand, "You could see Susan was trying to get to him and her lawyer was restraining her."

The Judge explained that he needed to ask Thomas about what his opinion was for bail until his mothers trial and Thomas said, "Your honor I think she should be locked up and the key thrown away. I can almost guarantee you she will break the no contact order the court set up for me as well as the restraining order I requested and was ordered."

Susan stood up, "But Thomas after everything we shared. It was special and completely normal."

The Judge slammed his gavel and said, "Counselor get her under control."

Thomas closed his eyes them opened at them looking right at her, "You are a disgusting human being. What you did was assault and would not stop when I said no. You are not my Mother you are a fucking monster. You will never be a part of my life ever again, and if you come near me you will be arrested."

The Judge said, "Thomas thank you for coming in and I am sorry you had to be here for this. As a member of the town I want to say I am thankful you are alive and have been able to create a life for yourself. I promise you that this court will do everything it can to help you stay safe."

Thomas stood up to leave the room and Susan jumped up to chase after him. He turned to see her be restrained by her lawyer and the bailiff. When she knew she was not going to get to him she grabbed the bailiffs gun and wrestled free screaming, "If I cannot be with him again, I do not want to be here."

All the officers in the room rose and went for their side arms as she put the gun to her head and pulled the trigger. The Judge ordered the room cleared. I went over to Thomas with Sam and tried to get him to leave the room. He was frozen just inside the door. I put my hand on his shoulder and said, "Thomas come on let them deal with this, lets go back to the conference room."

He stood there and said, "She killed herself."

Sam blocked his view and said, "Thomas you have to listen to me. This was on her you have been through enough. Come on man, lets get you back to your dad."

"She took her own life," Thomas said. "She did that instead of accepting the consequences to her actions."

He turned around and walked back to the conference room. 

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Chapter 13

When we got there Grace was looking out the window and said, "God the media are vultures. We need to get you both out of here without being seen."

Captain came in and said, "We have that handled and already have officers blocking off Evans apartment complex. But I am afraid that may not be enough until the news conference.:

Dad looked up and said, "That will not be a problem. Grace can go to Evans place and get their things and they can stay with me. My house if far enough away where they should not figure it out we have a ramp in the back yard so Evan can get in and out."

"Okay give us some time to do a diversion," He said. "Barbara go out and tell them there will have a news conference in front of the station in the next fifteen minutes. Sam and Amy I need you with me. John will help with getting you all out of here. Grace I will have an officer accompany you to their place to get their things. We will also have a few vans pull out with officers covering their head in the back seat"

We followed Captain to the station and we waited on him to open the door to start the press conference. He stood at the podium and said, "Ladies and gentleman welcome and thank you for your patience. I know there has information leaked from the courthouse, so I ask you please hold all questions till the end of what I have to say. First let me say that we have discussed before about the unprecedented amount of missing people in our town and cold cases in our fine city. We took the initiative and started a task force. Due to the number of our staff the task force is a special department that contains Detective Sam Montgomery and our newest officer Officer Amy McGill. Sam comes from Tampa Florida and has had many successful cases and Amy is the top of her class in both college and the police academy. She also worked in the station since she was sixteen and during all of her post education. Today we are pleased to announce instead of 605 cold cases we are down to 604."

He paused as he let the reporters take the information in. Then he continued with, "The first case was Thomas Gilder who went missing at the age of 14. We thought he could have perished during the storms and flooding that occurred when he went missing. But the case uncovered so much worse. Thomas hid after numerous attempts of sexual assault by his mother Susan Gilder. Due to the work on this case we discovered what had happened, Located Thomas and also discovered Susan Gilder  had also tried to murder her ex husband Evan Gilder. After further investigation she admitted to the assault on Thomas, The attempt of murder of Evan and she was arrested. However during todays hearing she was told she could not have any contact with Thomas and she had a break down. That breakdown consisted of her taking her own life in the court room."

"The attempted kidnapping of officer McGill in relation to the Thomas  Gilder case is moving forward," Captain said. "I ask that you please leave my officers alone and let them do their jobs. However we understand that the media can be a valuable resource in assisting with cold cases so if you would like to leave your cards after this press conference to help in the future, we will gladly accept them in case we need to get the word out on any future cases. My secretary Barbara will be at the corner of the stage after to take your information and which station or paper you work for. Now I will be fielding any and all case questions as my team has to get back to work."

Sam and I headed inside and went back to our office. Looking at the bulletin board Sam asked, "Amy what's wrong?"

"She was that crazy to think after everything Thomas had been through that he would let her back into his life," I said. "She deserved to be punished as well as the whole family, But she was a victim to because she was brought up in that type of home and mentality. She died thinking she did nothing wrong and Thomas will have to live with what she did the rest of his life."

I leaned against my desk and Sam leaned next to me and he said, "I know Amy. I wanted to see her get her punishment as well and she took the easy way out. This is the hard part in our jobs because in our line of work we want to see the bad guy get their due. As officer's, getting emotionally attached to the victims is hard. This case is harder for you because Thomas is a friend. But as officers we do what we do and we move onto the next case. Now lets clear the board and will you do the honor of changing our count?"

I took the chalk and walked up and changed the 605 to 604. After wiping the board I turned to Sam and said, "What case is next? I picked Thomas's case you get the next one."

Sam walked over and held up a file and said, "This one. The Kline Family from 1991. Parents Kylie and Max Kline and their two children Patty and Shawn. When Kylies Mom did not hear from her for a few days she went to their home on the outskirts of town and the house was empty. Nothing else. It does not look like there was much of an investigation done except some interviews."

I looked at Sam and said, "Let's get started."

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Afterward

Thomas stayed for a while visiting his Dad and making up for the time they had lost. When it was his time to go back to Canada he came to see me at the station and we talked. I would miss my best friend and he promised now that he did not have to hide I would not be able to get rid of him. We made plans to game a few times a week and as I walked him to the car he rented he said, "Amy I am sorry I could not be honest with you.  I was embarrassed about what had happened to me. But Dad told me it was me going missing that led you to becoming a officer and I am so proud of you. You doing cold cases here is where you belong and I cannot wait to hear about everything you do."

We hugged for a long time before he went to get his Dad and head to the airport. Evan was going with him for a trip to Canada to properly thank Fred and May for all they have done for Thomas. As for Thomas's Grandparents and Uncles they were convicted and are currently in the prison system. Sam and I had an investigation started into the family to protect the younger members, and some children had been pulled into the foster care system due to what was found. We will be watching the family to make sure no more kids are hurt.

As for my Dad and Grace? Well they took what I said to heart and finally went public with their relationship. Grace has always been like a Mom to me and it was not fair to either of them to hide the love and friendship they have. My heart is happy knowing they are happy and content. I hope we can help other families like we helped Evan in getting Thomas back and know the peace we have. 

Sitting on my Dads front porch, I looked over the file of the Kline family and said to myself, "Now what happened to you all?"

Crockers County Sheriff- will come further down the series