"So why'd Arnold leave his phone behind with a message like that if they was just goin' ta his gramma's funeral?"
Tami slugged Sam's shoulder. "She's not dead yet you big oaf."
"Alive or dead, it don't make any sense." Sam looked over to Blake as though he had an explanation for the news.
Blake continued staring at the message on the phone. "SOS! HELP! KIDNAPP". Even if Arnold had lost his phone on his way to his grandmother's, it didn't explain the message.
"I can do some checking," Blake looked up at the group, "but I don't really think it's necessary. I have no doubt that Mr. Johnson's mother is fine. In spite of the letters sent to the contrary, I am certain that the Johnson family is in some sort of trouble. And they're running out of time."
"Whaddaya mean letters. Who else got a letter?" Even as he spoke, Paul caught sight of Blake's letter on the table. He picked it up and read it aloud to the group.
Blake,
Everything's well. Anyway, really, everything's doing awesomely nifty. I especially like chasing Arnie's Labrador.
Love,
Arnold Johnson.
P.S. - Meg's outside now downing a Yoohoo. Nifty, I guess. Hang tight.
"Arnold sent you a letter?" Tami pulled the letter out of Paul's hand and read it to herself.
"He sent it to the school. There's no return address, but the postmark is local and dated yesterday. It definitely wasn't sent from the hospital bed of an injured grandmother."
"But if Arnold and his family are in trouble, how is it that they sent letters out? And why lie in the letters?" Tami's voice broke slightly as she thought about Meg being in trouble. Meg had been Tami's best friend forever. Even the wild goose chase she'd run yesterday hadn't left her feeling worried. But seeing the message on Arnold's phone and then the added confusion of the letters sent by Arnold and his dad put a lump in her from her stomach to her throat.
"It means there is definitely someone responsible for their disappearance and whoever is responsible wants to make sure nobody tries to find them. If everybody thinks they're alright, then he'll be able to do whatever he intends to do without anybody snooping around."
"Yeah, but one letter'd be enough to let us know they're safe Blake." Sam had the letter now. He was also worried about Meg. He'd had a crush on her since last year and was ecstatic when she agreed to go with him to Homecoming. Beyond missing out on a date, he was genuinely worried about her. "Why'd the kidnapper have Arnie send a letter too? And why to you? Why couldn't Meg send a letter to Tami?"
"I honestly don't know. Something is strange about this whole setup. Maybe he felt that more verification that all is well would be better accepted. Maybe there is a letter from Meg somewhere too. Whatever the reason, we shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Arnold's letter may be confusing, especially when placed alongside his phone and the message there. But his letter is much more than an attempt to calm our fears. Our friend has given us a path to follow. And a name.”
The group huddled around the letter again, each looking closely for something they may have missed.
Blake,
Everything's well. Anyway, really, everything's doing awesomely nifty. I especially like chasing Arnie's Labrador.
Love,
Arnold Johnson.
P.S. - Meg's outside now downing a Yoohoo. Nifty, I guess. Hang tight.
Blake was about to reveal the secret when James popped his head up.
"Beware Daniel Call!"
The others looked at him stumped. He pointed to the initial letters of each word and showed that they spelled out a warning.
"Exactly James." Blake stepped into the group. "And if you continue to the postscript, he adds 'Monday Night.' Which means we have a little less than one week to determine the path we need to follow. And our only clues thus far are the newly found phone, this letter, and these stamps that were inside the envelope. With which, at this point, I am as confused as the rest of you."
1 comment:
Aha! Now we're getting somewhere...
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