Chereads / Vulnerables / Chapter 4 - Lead

Chapter 4 - Lead

The whole school was buzzing with the news of Leo and my mom's disappearance. Some were blaming Patty, and some were saying it's God's plan. It was actually choking to be in the midst of all this.

I was so frustrated and angry at Patty that I wanted to make her blue. I stormed into her home and started demanding for her but when I saw Patty's mother crying, I was startled. "What happened Aunt Princy?" "Its Patty, she is missing" saying so she started crying loudly. "Why dint you report to the police?" "I know what you guys talk about my daughter at school. But she has nothing to do with your mother or Leo. I swear it on my life!" I was stunned. Shocked. Now Patty is missing too. What on earth is happening! 

I was on my home when I felt I was being followed.

I glanced back, a kid from my neighbourhood was walking briskly towards me. "You walk quite fast you know?" He smirked. A retorical question. "Why were you falling me?" I asked confusingly. " oh yeah, that some old lady asked me to give this to you and asked me to tell you that you are wasting time" Saying so he ran away. What? Again a box. But this time it was a little heavy. My first instinct was to take it to the police station, so I ran towards it. I rushed inside ans asked for Detective  Espiranza. When he saw a box in my hand and the terrified look on my face, he snatched the box and called his team. They opened the box and this time it shook them too. A thumb with blood red nail paint. The first thing that hit me was the color of the nail paint. My mother applies the exact same color and the day she went missing, she applied it.  I felt the floor beneath me shaking. And I fainted. When I opened my eyes I was lying on the bench and Detective Espiranza was sitting next to me with a distressed look on his face. He was holding a picture. "Are you okay? Will you be able to look at this?" He waved the letter and polaroid film toward me. I gestured yes. 

What the hell? The detective asked me to see the picture and try to gather anything if I could. I couldn't. The picture itself was a gruesome one and all I could focus on was the expressions on the faces of Leo and Patty. They were terrified. The detective called Leo and Patty's parents and informed them of all the matter. I asked the detective if I could take the picture with me. He nodded and asked me to look into the picture again if even a bit I can gather anything.

I was exhausted. God why do you expect a mere 17-year-old girl to take all this!? I reached home and I just drop down onto the floor and all I could do in that moment was to cry. My life was suddenly falling apart and I have no idea about whom I can blame. Not Patty. Not Leo. No one. I picked up the polaroid and took a look and was about to drop it on the counter when I thought I saw something. I glanced at the picture once more. Yes. Maybe I know this place. If I'm right, this could lead me to them! I immediately called Detective Espiranza and told him what I knew. He told me to meet me at the place right now. I ran, grabbed my bicycle and started paddling at a speed I never did. I reached the spot. The detective was there, waiting for me. "Are you sure it's this place?" He questioned. "I'm not 100% sure but yeah I think so" I replied. My art class. I took art classes when I was 9 year old. It has shifted to a new place so this old one could be used for a crime since it has been locked down past 3 years. We rushed inside hoping to find anything. No one. It was a dead lead. I was becoming more and more hopeless by each passing minute. We were about to leave when the detective saw something. Blood stain. Dried blood. They were here!