John Grisham - The abduction

In truth, the volleyball game was the only sports event on campus that evening. And girls’ volleyball at that. Neither Chase nor Theo had ever watched a game, live or on TV.

“What’s on at the movies?” she asked, still cutting brownies into squares.

“Harry Potter,” Theo said. “If we hustle now, we can catch most of it.”

Chase chimed in, “And then we’ll go to the game. Is that okay, Mom?”

“I suppose,” she said.

“Are you and Dad still going out for dinner?”

“Yes, with the Coleys and the Shepherds.”

“What time will you be home?” Chase asked, glancing at Theo.

“Oh, I don’t know. Ten or ten thirty. Daphne will be here and she wants to order a pizza. Is that okay?”

“Sure,” Chase said. With a little luck, Theo and Ike should be in Chapel Hill by 10:00 p.m. The tricky part would be avoiding Daphne from eight until ten. Chase didn’t have a plan, but he was working on it.

They thanked her for the snack and said they were leaving for the Paramount, Strattenburg’s old-fashioned movie house on Main Street. After they were gone, Mrs. Whipple carried Theo’s overnight bag upstairs to Chase’s room and placed it on a twin bed.

At 4:00 p.m., Theo, Ike, and Judge left the Boone home in the SUV. Chase was watching the latest Harry Potter, alone.

MapQuest estimated the travel time at seven hours if one obeyed all speed limits, which was the furthest thing from Ike’s mind. As they hurried out of town, Ike said, “Are you nervous?”

“Yes, I’m nervous.”

“And why are you nervous?”

“I guess I’m nervous about getting caught. If Mrs. Whipple finds out, then she’ll call my mother and my mother will call me and I’m in big trouble.”

“Why would you get in trouble, Theo? You’re trying to help a friend.”

“I’m being dishonest, Ike. Dishonest with the Whipples, dishonest with my parents.”

“Look at the big picture, Theo. If all goes well, tomorrow morning we’ll be back home with April. Your parents, and everyone else in town, will be thrilled to see her. Under the circumstances, this is the right thing to do. It might be a little misleading, but there’s no other way to do it.”

“It still makes me nervous.”

“I’m your uncle, Theo. What’s wrong with me and my favorite nephew taking a little road trip?”

“Nothing, I guess.”

“Then stop worrying. The only thing that matters is finding April, and getting her back home. Nothing else is important right now. If it all blows up, I’ll have a little chat with your parents and I’ll take all the blame. Relax.”

“Thanks, Ike.”

They were racing down the highway in light traffic. Judge was already asleep on the backseat. Theo’s phone vibrated. It was a text from Chase: This movie is awesome. U guys OK?

Theo responded: Yep. OK.

At 5:00 p.m., he texted his mother: Harry Potter movie is awesome.

A few minutes later she answered, Great. Love Mom.

They turned onto the expressway, and Ike set the cruise control on seventy-five, ten miles over the limit.

Theo said, “Explain something to me, Ike. The story about April has been all over the news, right?”

“Right.”

“Then, wouldn’t April or her father or one of the guys in the band see the story on the news and realize what’s going on? Wouldn’t they know about the big search for April?”

“You would think so. Unfortunately, though, there are a lot of missing children, seems like a new one every other day. And while it’s big news around here, maybe it’s not big news where they are. Who knows what her father has told his pals in the band. I’m sure they know the family is not too stable. Maybe he’s told them that the mother is crazy and he was forced to rescue his daughter, and that he wants it kept quiet until some point in the future. The band members might be afraid to say anything. These guys are not too stable either. It’s a bunch of forty-year-old men trying to be rock stars, up all night, sleeping all day, traveling around in a rented van, playing for peanuts in bars and frat houses. They’re probably all running from something. I don’t know, Theo, it makes no sense.”

“I’ll bet she’s scared to death.”

“Scared, and confused. A child deserves better than this.”

“What if she doesn’t want to leave her father?”

“If we find her, and she refuses to come with us, then we have no choice but to call the police in Strattenburg and tell them where she is. It’s that simple.”

Nothing seemed simple to Theo. “What if her father sees us and causes trouble?”

“Just relax, Theo. It’ll work out.”

It was dark at 6:30 when Chase texted again: Vball girls r cute. Where R U?

Theo answered: Somewhere n Virginia. Ike’s flying.

It was dark now, and the hectic week finally caught up with Theo. He began to nod off, and then fell into a deep sleep.

Late in the volleyball game, Chase realized that the only way to avoid Daphne was to avoid his house altogether. He could almost see her sitting in the family room in the basement, watching the big-screen TV, waiting for him and Theo to arrive so she could order an extra-large pizza from Santo’s.

When the game was over, Chase rode his bike to Guff’s Frozen Yogurt near the city library on Main Street. He ordered one scoop of banana, found an empty booth by the front window, and called home. Daphne answered after the first ring.

“It’s me,” he said. “And look, we have a problem. Theo and I stopped by his house to check on his dog, and the dog is real sick. Must’ve eaten something weird. Throwing up, crapping all over the place; the house is a mess.”

“Gross,” Daphne gushed.

“You wouldn’t believe. Dog poop from the kitchen to the bedroom. We’re cleaning up now but it’ll take some time. Theo’s afraid the dog might be dying, and he’s trying to get in touch with his mother.”

“That’s awful.”

“Yep. We may have to take him to the vet emergency room. Poor thing can hardly move.”

“Can I help, Chase? I can drive Mom’s car over and get him.”

“Maybe, but not right now. We gotta get this place cleaned up while we’re watching the dog. I’m afraid he’d make a mess in her car.”

“Have you guys eaten?”

“No, and food is the last thing we’re thinking about right now. I’m about to throw up myself. Go ahead and order the pizza. I’ll check in later.” Chase hung up and smiled at his frozen yogurt. So far so good.

Judge was still asleep on the rear seat, snoring softly as the miles flew by. Theo came and went, napping occasionally, wide-eyed one moment and dead to the world the next. He was awake when they crossed the state line into North Carolina, but he was asleep when they rolled into Chapel Hill.

His 9:00 p.m. text to his mother read: Going to sleep. Real tired. Luv.

He assumed his parents were in the middle of their long dinner, probably listening to endless speeches, and that his mother would not have the chance to reply. He was right.

“Wake up, Theo,” Ike said. “We’re here.” They had not stopped in six hours. The digital clock on the dash gave the time at 10:05. The GPS above it took them straight to Franklin Street, the main drag that bordered the campus. The sidewalks were packed with noisy students and fans. UNC had won the football game in overtime and the mood was rowdy. The bars and shops were crowded. Ike turned onto Columbia Street and they passed some large fraternity houses.

“Parking might be a problem,” Ike mumbled, almost to himself. “That must be Frat Court,” he said, glancing at the GPS and pointing to an area where several fraternity houses faced each other with parking lots in the center. “I’d guess the Kappa Theta house is somewhere in there.”