Puzzle Pieces

Chapter 13

"Alright, that's enough! I don't know what it is with kids today, but this is a serious matter. Shame on you for saying that you knew the whereabouts of Katrina and getting Mrs. Peterson's hope up! I warned you about falsifying information, but if you leave now and don't come back I will drop the charges!" Lieutenant Menedez shouted.

"I am not falsifying anything. I am telling you the truth. Believe it or not, but at least let me continue," I told Lieutenant Menedez before turning in my seat to look at Mrs. Peterson.

"So you are a psychic, is that it? I've seen a few TV shows about stuff like that. Is my daughter. Is she? Is she..." she said, putting her hand over her mouth. I know what she is implying, though she didn't finish her sentence.

"Honestly? I don't know. That's not what I came here to tell you," I said, squeezing her hand back.

"So what are you here to tell us?" Lieutenant Menedez said, stepping forward so that he's in my field of vision.

"I'm here to tell Mrs. Peterson that the man who has Katrina, at least in my dream, was at the bank. When I was walking to a friend's house yesterday, I saw him. In another dream I had, he was watching Katrina since the day the both of you were at the bank. I don't know how long ago that was, but that's when it started. He has her still, at least I think he does. My nightmare this afternoon showed me he was with her. He got her something to eat. He believes she’s his," I said, watching Mrs. Peterson, waiting for her to exhale. She’s been sitting so stiffly, it seems like she's been holding her breath since I started talking. She stared back at me with no emotion.

"Will you please excuse me?" she said, getting up from her seat and pulling her hands out of mine.

"Let's go, Annabel. I think we've upset her," Noah said, getting up from the couch.

"Talk to Ms. Sky from the Elementary School. She saw a man watching the kids in the school yard. If you don't believe anything that I have just said, please, please just talk to Ms. Sky. What can it hurt to ask her?" I said, stepping in front of Lieutenant Menedez.

"Look, you've already upset Mrs. Peterson, you really need to leave."

"No. Not until you promise to talk to Ms. Sky. She will tell you that she saw a man watching the school yard. He was dressed in a business suit," I shouted at the man. Noah started tugging me towards the door, but I continued to shout over my shoulder. "When she tells you that she did, in fact, see the man, you will believe me. You have to. I would not make this up. I want to help Katrina get away from that man!"

As Noah started escorting me to the door, tears started streaming out of my eyes. In frustration that no one wanted to believe me, but also because if they didn't believe me, there were no leads for Katrina's abductor. Unless they talk to Ms. Sky.

"What was that?" Noah asked as we got closer to his car.

"The truth!" I shouted in frustration. Noah looks equally as frustrated. Is he upset that they don't believe me? Does he feel that we're at a dead end too? Or is he mad and frustrated at me?

"Get in the car, Annabel. We're going home," Noah said, opening the driver's side door. Oh. I guess I got my answer. I stood there watching the house. Lieutenant Menedez came to stand outside on the porch, probably to make sure we left the property. I opened the door slowly and climbed in the car. Noah shook his head at me and made a U-turn before driving in the direction of our house.

When we get home, we both enter the house in silence. I can't believe that I told Mrs. Peterson about my dream. I'm kind of in a daze from doing that. Was it smart? Or was it the most foolish thing I could've done? I walked up the stairs and into my room. When I got inside my room, I slammed the door then threw myself on my bed. "WHAT GOOD IS HAVING THESE STUPID DREAMS IF I CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT THEM!" I shouted as loud as I could. My voice broke on the last word and I burst into tears, burying my face in my pillow. A few minutes later, a knock sounded on my door.

"Go away Noah!" I called without picking my face up from my pillow or trying to stop the tears from running from my eyes.

"Please let me come in. I want to talk to you," he called back through the door. I sat up and wiped the tears from my eyes and cheeks.

"Fine. Come in," I said loud enough for him to hear.

"Thanks," he said, opening the door and closing it behind him.

"Not like I had much of a choice. I said to go away and you wouldn't," I responded, laying my head against my headboard and bringing my knees against my chest. He took a seat at the end of my bed facing me.

"Look, I believe you. I do, but we shouldn't have gone over there. That woman is clinging to every hope that her daughter is okay and what you've told her, what you know, might be too much for her. We're lucky that the Lieutenant didn't try to arrest us," he said quietly.

"Noah, I went over there to try to do something about my dreams. Point her in the right direction. I don't know if that's what I did, but I couldn't just sit by and watch them come up empty-handed while they searched in the wrong areas. Katrina told me that she just wants to go home and that's what I want for her. I just don't know how to find her on my own."

"Hey, you're not alone, at least not anymore. I want to help too."

"Why?"

"Honestly? For a few reasons. One of them is because I'm not a heartless jerk," he said with a laugh. I can tell he's already trying to lighten the mood.

"Ha! And the other two?"

"Maybe I'm not used to seeing you drive yourself crazy," he said, looking around my room. He spots the shelf with my cheer trophies on it and laughs. "At least about something important. Plus, if I help find the little girl, I would be known as a hero."

"Ah. So that's really what you're after," I said with a laugh, pushing him back.

"Believe it or not, I want to be someone dad would be proud of. So far, I'm not off to a good start," Noah said, looking down at my bedroom floor.

"I believe you, Noah, and you know what? He was and he still would be proud of you, Noah. You're not THAT bad," I said with a laugh.

"So, Ms. Sky? Do you happen to know her first name?"

"Nope. And the woman at the school wouldn't tell me where she lives."

"Duh genius! She has to protect the teachers' privacy. If she told you, she'd be breaking all the confidentiality rules."

"Well, what are we going to do?" I asked, pushing him off my bed. He stood up from the ground.

"You are going to stay in the house and try not to get us grounded. I'll be back," he said, opening the door.

"Noah!" I called, getting up from my bed. He closed the door behind him so it shut right in front of me. By the time I opened the door, he was down the stairs and on his way out of the house. Really? I have to stay here alone? What am I going to do? Dream? Hmm. Maybe if I have another dream, it might tell me where Katrina is. I went back to the bed and laid down. I tossed and turned trying to get comfortable.

"How can it be so easy for me to fall asleep on the couch, but here in my own bed, it's impossible!" I said, getting up from the bed. I walked to the window and shut the blinds. Maybe I just need it dark I thought to myself. I lie back down on the bed and hold my pillow, wiggling under the thick blanket to get comfortable.

I'm in the bank. It's not too crowded today. As I looked around to see why I was there, I spotted her. Katrina and Mrs. Peterson standing in line. I started to walk towards them, but I'm interrupted when my eyes spotted someone else in the bank. Chills ran up my spine and my stomach fell to my feet. It's the man. The same man with thin framed glasses and who scares me to my very core. He's not in line or working behind a station. Instead he's sitting at a desk. He stared at Katrina, a slow smile spreading across his lips. No! I ran up to Katrina so that I could block her from the man I know was watching her.

"Excuse me?" Mrs. Peterson asked as I knelt in front of her daughter. She can see me? When I looked up at her, I saw that she wasn't speaking to me, she's speaking to the woman in front of her. Bringing my eyes down, I’m holding her hand. I look down at myself and my outfit has changed. I am wearing some khaki pants and a pink top. The dark wavy hair falls over my shoulders. I'm Katrina again! This is the day he saw her. The day he began stalking her!

Suddenly, I had the sense that someone is staring at me. I turned and looked in the direction to a man with his hair combed over. He watched me behind thin framed glasses. It made shivers run up my spine again. I slowly turned my gaze away, my stomach in knots. Katrina wanted to shrink into her mother, anything to get away from him. I looked at him again as his eyes never left me. I moved around Mrs. Peterson so that she is blocking his gaze. Who is that strange man and why won't stop staring at me? Katrina's voice rings in my ears.

“Mommy?” Katrina said, holding on to her mother.

“Yes honey?” Mrs. Peterson responds, smoothing Katrina’s hair. Katrina hugs her mother to herself even tighter.

“I want to go home.”