Trust No One

Walking in the dark is not my favorite thing to do, so when I found a gas station with the lights on, I breathed a sigh of relief. I walked in, not expecting much, and asked the clerk where a phone was located, as a sign outside said there was one. He pointed towards the back of the store, clearly annoyed.

“Hey, Mom. My car broke down and I checked everything. My phone died permanently, so that’s why I’m calling from a payphone, so I don’t have much time. Can you or Dad come pick me up and take me the rest of the way to Pinebrook? I’m not far away and I can figure out a way to get my car fixed there. Okay, thank you. Love you, too. Bye.” I said into the payphone at the gas station. My car decided it was going to break down in the middle of nowhere and made me walk three miles in the dark to find a 24-hour gas station. I was lucky to not be kidnapped. I was also lucky to have a few quarters to make a phone call, since my phone decided to die permanently.

“Sir, is there a bench or something in this store where I can wait for my ride? I really don’t want to wait outside.” I asked the clerk. He slowly looked up from his magazine, pointed to a chair by the restroom, rolled his eyes, and went back to reading. I thanked him and went to sit down. Only a few minutes had passed when a young woman walked up to me.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I heard your phone call. Are you wanting a ride up to Pinebrook? I’m actually heading there myself to visit my grandmother. I’d be willing to help. My name’s Annie, by the way,” she said as she held out her hand for me to shake.

“I would love to join you. My name is Leah.”

—---------

Soon, we were on our way to Pinebrook. Before we left the station, I called my ride to let them know that I didn’t need help anymore, while Annie bought some drinks and snacks for the trip. As we got into her black Subaru Outback, I asked her a little about herself.

"So, what do you do for work?" I asked as I opened a bag of Cheetos.

"I am a designer of sorts. I design different water bottles and things like Yeti's," she responded, "My father actually helped design the Yeti." I was personally impressed. I had never met anyone who does that type of stuff.

"I'm a freelance photographer. I specialize in photos for special occasions like weddings. I'm actually up here to photograph a wedding." Annie was really easy to talk to. But there was something strange about her.

“Wait. Is your last name Anderson? Like as in Leah Anderson, the photo blogger on Photography, It’s a Talent? I love that blog!” she exclaimed after I nodded. I had never met a fan before.

“I didn’t realize my blog was popular. I don’t check on my views that often.”

—--------

Since she now knew that it was my blog, she insisted we stop every once in a while, to take some photos of nature. Luckily, I had brought an extra SD card along so I could. I had never realized how interesting nature could be. The photos made the trip fly by so fast; I didn’t even notice we had made it to Pinebrook. I hadn’t booked a hotel, since I was planning to sleep in my car, so Annie offered to let me crash at her grandmother’s house. Obviously, I said yes, not knowing I would later regret that decision.

“It’s so nice to meet you, Leah. My name is Debra, but you can call me Nana. Everyone else does,” she smiled as she greeted us at the door. Nana directed us to a couple of guest rooms upstairs and then headed to the kitchen to make some tea. As I climbed up the stairs, I noticed that there were photos of women who were about my age. They were smiling, but their eyes showed fear. So, I decided to ask Annie about them.

“What’s up with the pictures by the stairs. They’re a little odd.” I said.

“Oh, those ones? Those are some of the patients Nana had when she was a therapist. She retired about a year ago when her last patient went missing like the others,” she said. I looked around. This old Victorian house looked so big outside, but so small inside. I could tell there were some stories to tell. Maybe Nana would let me do a segment about it on my blog.

Later that night, I decided to do some research. I couldn’t forget what Annie said about Nana’s patients going missing, so the first thing I typed in was ‘missing person Pinebrook Missouri’. Not expecting to find anything, I was shocked to see many different articles about each girl. Turns out, each girl was my age. I wrote down each name and saved a copy of their pictures. Maybe I’ll stay a little longer.

—--------

“I think I might stay a little longer, so is it okay if I stay here, or will it be too much?” I asked at breakfast the next morning. I had some time to kill before the wedding, so I figured I would get started.

“Of course, you can! You are always welcome. Stay as long as you like,” said Nana. Her happiness about it seemed a little weird. I quickly finished up the bacon and eggs she made and headed out the door. My first stop was the police station. Since I didn’t have a car, I had to walk. Luckily the walk was short, since it was a bit cold outside. When I got to the station, I noticed that the town was eerily quiet in this part. Main street was busy when I walked through, so I guess everyone was over there. I walked into the station, right into the missing persons signs. I looked for each woman, but couldn’t find any.

“Where are the signs for the missing women? I can’t find any of them.” I asked the officer at the front desk.

“They were confirmed dead by our detective since there was no trace of them after four months,” he said as he shook his head. “My daughter was one of them. I joined the force to help keep others safe.” His gaze suddenly glittered with sadness.

“I’m so sorry. I wish there was something I could do to help.” I thought for a minute and came up with an idea. “I’m here for a wedding and will be staying here until I can get my car fixed. I have a photography blog that seems to be quite popular. I can do a tribute to them there.” I immediately saw his face brighten.

“That would be amazing. My family would love that. I can help you get pictures of the girls, if you’d like. I’m Officer Howard, but you can call me Taylor,” said the officer. I left him my email and told him he could send the pictures there. When we drove in, I noticed that there was a Best Buy, so I figured I could buy a new phone before the wedding.

“Do you know where I can get a ride to the Best Buy? I have to get a new phone.” I asked before I turned to leave.

“Actually, I can have Officer Thatcher give you a ride. She is about to leave for her route and goes that way. Here’s her number so you can give her a call when you’re done,” he said. I thanked him and went outside to meet Officer Thatcher. She was a tall, colored woman who was clearly dedicated to her job. She saw me and waved.

“Are you the woman Howard said I was to drive to Best Buy? What’s your name?” she asked.

“My name is Leah, and yes, I am that woman. My phone decided to die permanently and I need one so I can get my car here to be fixed.” I responded. I could tell she was nice. I had a feeling we were going to be friends fast.

“So, what brings you to Pinebrook?” she asked.

“I’m here for a wedding. I’m a photographer, so I’m helping them.” I said.

“Nice. I’m not good at taking pictures, but I try when we have to for investigations.” she laughed. “Where are you staying?”

“I’m staying at Nana’s house. Debra is her real name. I never caught her last name.” I said, immediately regretting that I never asked.

“Oh, Debra Sanchez? She’s a sweet lady. Pity her patients kept disappearing and she retired. She was always nice to talk to. Oh, and my name is Loann Thatcher.” she said. She soon dropped me off at Best Buy and I made my way into the store. I found the phone I wanted, paid for it, and got it set up in about 30 minutes. It was time for me to head to the wedding, so I called Loann and had her drop me off at the venue.

—--------

The wedding finally got over at about 8:30, so I decided to head back to the house and head to bed. The bride’s parents were able to drive me back, so I didn’t have to worry about calling anyone. When I walked into the house, I heard Annie and Nana arguing.

“What if she finds out? She’s very curious and can easily expose this. It could ruin us!” yelled Annie. I quietly closed the door and kept listening.

“She won’t find out. I’ve got them safely hidden. If she does find out, I’ll take care of it.” I opened the door loudly and slammed it shut, so they thought I just got there.

“I’m back. Don’t worry about food. I ate at the wedding.” I said that as I headed up the stairs. What were they talking about? What could they be hiding that would ruin them if it were exposed? I looked around. I had noticed that there was a door at the end of the hallway that was always closed. Maybe that led to an attic. I decided that I’ll just investigate tomorrow. It was time to hit the hay.

—--------

The next day, I was woken up by Debra shaking my shoulder.

“I’m heading out for the day and Annie is at a meeting, so if you need anything, my number is on the fridge,” she said. Perfect. Now I could do some looking. As soon as I heard her leave, I got out of bed, got dressed, and went over to the door. It was locked, of course. Luckily, I have lock picking tools, since I’ve been locked in and out of places before. I went and grabbed them and headed back. It took a couple minutes. I opened the door to find another set of stairs that I assumed led to an attic. It was dark and I couldn’t find a light switch, so I turned on the flashlight on my phone and climbed the stairs. My foot caught on a loose board, causing me to stumble into the wall. The wall was wet. At first, I thought it was water, but looking at my hand with my flashlight, I realized that it was in fact warm, sticky blood. I stifled a scream. I continued up the stairs, knowing that I might not want to know what awaited me. As soon as I made it to the top, I heard movement.

“Hello? Is anyone there? My name’s Leah and I can help you.” I waited a few seconds and then followed the bloody footprints that were leading to another door. Downstairs, I suddenly hear a door slam. Someone was home early and I know they didn’t want me here. Quickly, I went into the other room and quietly shut the door. Inside that room, I saw seven different women, all alive. They were the missing women that I had read about in those articles. While they were still alive, they were severely injured. Quickly, I dialed Loann’s number and told her the situation. Suddenly, I hear footsteps climbing up the attic stairs. Someone knew I was there. There wasn’t anywhere to hide, so I grabbed a stick that was near the door, hoping that would be enough until the police got there. Annie opened the door and managed to stop the stick as I swung at her. She quickly blindfolded me. The last thing I heard was her voice and a gunshot.