✅The Maze

 Hearing the alarms go off I opened my eyes to find that I was on the roof of a building. Sitting up I heard a phone ringing. Looking around me I found a cell phone next to me and answered it, "Hello."

"You woke up Abbie," The voice said. "How lucky are you feeling today?"

"Where am I," I asked.

"In a building where no one will ever find you," It said.

"Why me?" I asked.

"Because you pissed people off when you refused the job they offered you," It said. "Now don't you feel foolish. If you only accepted the job."

Chuckling I said, "I turn down ten jobs a week. You are going to be a little more specific."

"Keep this phone on you," the voice said. "You might want to head inside as a storm is coming. But Abbie if you can make it down to the front doors I will allow you to leave. You only have to get down twenty floors and solve all the mysteries in each room to get clues to the next. Do not worry dear, there are roughly ten mysteries on each floor. There will also be food and drink left for you as well."

Looking around I grabbed my backpack and took out a notebook. I quickly sketched out the roof of the building in case I needed it. I noted where I woke up and anything else on the roof, including doors or pipes. When I had everything drawn to my liking I flipped the page and went through the door.

As the first raindrops started to fall, I entered the building and went down the stairs to a dimly lit hallway. Sketching the hallway with four doors on one side and six on the other side. I saw a door at the end of the hallway and walked to it. Of course, it was locked. Going back to door labeled 2010 I tried to get in. It was locked! Going to each door I found they were all locked and started to look around for a key. I was about to give up when I took out the phone I had and put on the flashlight. Shining it around the hallway I saw the light reflect off of something and walked to it where I found a lock pick set. As I walked to the door I tried dialing out on the phone and discovered it had locks so I could not call anyone. Kneeling down on the floor in front of the tenth door I worked on picking the lock and finally was able to get in. 

Going inside, I discovered the room was like any other room. However, there was a laptop on the table and a file, blank steno notebooks, and pens beside it. There were instructions on the front of the file. It said to open the lap. Put code 327 on the welcome screen and to know it will only allow me to access searches to solve the mysteries. The last instruction was to open the file. When I opened the file it was about a disappearance of a young woman in Alaska. 

Looking at the additional information it was speculated that she could have run away. As I looked through the information my phone rang. The voice said, "Any information yet Abbie?"

"I am looking through the file now," I said. "You want me to research if this young woman was killed or ran away?"

"We want to be pointed in the right direction," The voice said. "You do not need to know why. You will be released from this room when you get us good enough information."

"So work on an empty stomach," I said.

"Look down the hallway," The voice said. 

I stood up and went to the door. Looking down the hall I saw three bags. As I walked down the hall I asked, "Why me?"

"Because you are the best," The voice said. "Do not worry we are covering your bills. I have someone feeding your cats and watering your pets. They are safe but you need to complete this job or all of you will need to be found."

Swallowing as I picked up the bags I said, "Do I have your word that they will be alright?"

"You want proof of life for your animals?" The voice asked.

"Yes," I said. "I will play your game but please do not harm them. Also be aware if I ever meet you, you best hope that I do not kill you."

There was a chuckle as he said, "Very well. Also, be aware you will be paid when this is over. A thousand five hundred for every mystery that is resolved. No games Abbie. Everyone thinks you are out of town working on a job."

Going into the room I saw one bag was full of drinks, the second was full of snacks, and the third was filled with my favorite research food, sliders and fries. Sighing I said, "How do I contact you?"

"I will check on you every few hours," The voice said. "Consider me your handler and you will have food and drink delivered when you least expect it."

"You best keep a good eye on me because when I get information I want to move to the next room," I said. 

"Consider it done," The voice said. "Also use the bed if you get tired. The linens in each room are clean and there are fresh clothes for you in each room. Also you have access to sites such as FBI, CIA and police national data bases."

"Who are you people," I asked.

"People who know when others have talent," The voice said. "You do a good enough job you may be offered a real position."

Sitting down with the food. I typed in the person's name and when I did I found multiple news articles. Reading the articles Madison Wright disappeared two years ago. She had spoken to her boyfriend and told him when she left her office she was going to the local grocery store and would be home in about an hour. Going to the link that says FBI I typed in Madison's name and saw a whole new side of her life. Madison had reported her boyfriend multiple times for drug sales and abuse. Her boyfriend Patrick Lightfeather was never investigated or arrested. 

After two hours my phone rang and when I answered I said, "There is a possibility that she was killed. From what I have seen on the FBI website she had reported her boyfriend numerous times. I want access other personal emails and her work emails."

"Click on the email link on the browser," The voice said. "If you put her name in any email accounts that were hers will pop up. The facebook link will bring up social media. You have access to everything."

"Got it," I said. "There is one more possibility."

"What is that," The voice asked. 

"She went dark and is hiding because of her boyfriends police history," I said. "Or he killed her."

"Understood," The voice said.

When I hung up I started theories and started placing notes. Seeing a camera link I pulled up video cameras from her town and then google maps. I discovered something as I watched Madison leave her job. She pulled opened her trunk and saw there was a box in it as well as a suitcase. I followed the cameras and discovered that she went past the store and took a road that led to the highway. Following her through thirty minutes of feed I found her at a rest stop two hours from her work. She grabbed the box and suitcase transferring it to a black sedan. She got in to the drivers seat and started to drive away. Ipaused the screen and enlarged the license plate. Jotting down the numbers I grabbed the ID search and put the license in. It pulled the name Catherine O'shay who was currently living in New Orleans. 

Sitting back I ate another slider and some fries thinking. A call came through and I asked, "If she is alive are you going to hand her over to her boyfriend?"

"No, "The voice said. "Her boyfriend is trying to file an insurance claim on her and her parents think she was murdered. You found something?"

"Yes," I said. "But it could be a false lead so let me work. I will never provide information if I think I am wrong. I do have a hunch though, If I am right we need to protect her at all costs."

Hanging up I started to search Katherine O'Shay who lives at the address in New Orleans. I found the driver's license of Katherine and said, "I'll be damned. Pulling up the security camera from the hotel across from her apartment I started to search for her. When I did my breath caught in my throat and realized why she left. She came out carrying a little girl." 

I sat down and wrote case notes. When I was done I took all my research and walked to the exit door and placed the pile and my garbage next to it. Going back into the room I sat and waited. The phone rang and I said, "Case notes and evidence is left by the door. Madison is now known as Katherine O'Shay and she left because she was pregnant. Her daughter was born five months from the day she disappeared and is named Lily Grace. She lives in New Orleans and works as a hotel manager. Keep them safe."

"You figured that out in 8 hours," The voice said. "Our people have been working on this for two years."

"Like you said," I said. "I am that damn good. "I will be tracking her from now on and if I find out either of them are hurt or missing I will come after you all when I figure out who you are is that clear?"

"Abbie," The voice said. "I assure you we will keep her safe. If you want to sleep you can do so in the next room. Leave everything there. The key to the next room is in the bible in the side drawer."

Getting the key I picked up my bags of food and backpack. Walking to room 9 I let myself in and closed the door. The table had the same set up but with three additional boxes of evidence. Following the directions I opened the computer with the code and started reading over the case file.

Abbie- Main

Twenty floors- 10 rooms , Cases solved 1