Welcome to New Haven (104 page)

“Stacey…Stacey’s got Holly!” He growled in pain.
 

“
What?!”
Screeched Dev as she ran in. “She’s in custody!”
 

Alex frantically dialled 911.
 

“I…I want to…report a…a…kidnap. My girlfriend. Holly…Edwards.
 
Stacey Scutter…has taken…her. About…fifteen minutes…ago” Alex was trying to talk to the emergency operator and he was barley getting his words out. His insides were churning, his heart was pounding furiously and he was shaking in fear.
 

The operator continued to question him, and he tried to answer her.
 

“I called Holly… as she hadn’t… texted me… she was home. It should have…taken five…minutes. I called her…and Stacey answered.” Dev collapsed to the floor, on her knees, next to Alex. Hands over her mouth, tears spilling down her face.
 

“I…I don’t know. But, it…sounded like they…were in the car. Stacey was in…custody for…stalking me and breaking…into my house. She wasn’t supposed to be out. The police said they…would tell us…if that happened.
She wasn’t supposed to be out
!” He yelled into the phone.

Alex couldn’t breathe. His chest felt tight, and he was gasping for air but he couldn’t take any in. He couldn’t see anything because of his tears.
 

“Alex!” Evie cried out. “Rami take the phone! Alex is having a panic attack!”
 

Alex, upon hearing his Mom’s words, understood now how Holly felt when this happened to her.
 

The fear, the terror, it built up until all sense of control was gone and sheer panic set in. The burning in his lungs was painful and his heart was beating erratically and hard. So hard, it felt like it was going to come up and out of his throat.
 

He felt his Dad pry the phone from his hand as Evie held him tight, trying to soothe him.
 

“Hello” Rami said into the phone. This is Alex’s father.” Rami explained what Stacey had done and confirmed what Alex had said. “Holly was driving a Ford Focus ST-2”

Evie was holding Alex and trying to get him to put his head down and take deep breaths to calm him. Dev was shakily dialling a number on her phone.
 

“I think my daughter is calling her mother…thank you.” Rami said before ending the call. “They were dispatching cars as we were speaking” He said anxiously. “An officer will be over right away to take more details.” He said as he ran his hands over his face.
 

“G…P…S…” Alex managed to say as he gasped for air.

“Kim, it’s Dev.” She said through sobs. “I’m sorry to ring so late…um…it’s Holly. Stacey’s…taken her.”

Kim’s screams could be heard in the room.

Rami was helping Evie in trying to calm Alex who was getting up off the floor.
 

“Alex, son. We’ll find her.
 
Breathe, son, breathe.”

Alex wanted to get up and just go and find his Holly. He needed to get out. He needed to do something. Dev was explaining to Kim, what had happened outside and mentioned what he had said about GPS.
 

“We’ll come to you. We’re on our way.” She said and ended the call. “Holly has ‘find my iPhone’ switched on and Oli’s going to log into the cloud to find it” Dev said to Alex.
 

“We need to find her. She can’t hurt her, Mom, she can’t!” He cried as he ran for the door.
 

“We’ll find her sooner now.” She assured him as they all followed.

On the way to Holly’s house, Alex kept trying her phone but getting no answer.
 

“Alex, we’re going to find her.” Dev said through free flowing tears and she held onto him as she sobbed uncontrollably in the seat.
 

“Please be ok, please be ok.” He said over and over as he rocked back and forth. He felt sick, terrified and helpless all at the same time. He didn’t know what to do. He wanted to run…but to where? He had no idea. They had no choice but to find out where her phone was and hope that it picked up the signal.
 

Alex could feel the anger and fury building in the pit of his stomach. His sobs slowed, replaced by growls of rage. Stacey had been released, and they hadn’t been warned. She had been allowed out to terrorize them
again
, and now she has Holly.
 

Holly.

His whole world had been taken from him and was in the clutches of a deranged lunatic.

If she were hurt, in any way, there was going to be
hell
to pay.
 

Alex’s murderous thoughts crashed through him as they pulled up outside Holly’s house, just as four officers, from two police cars, were walking in.
 

Alex saw red, jumped from the car and ran into the house after them. He saw officers Dixon and Jones, plus two others he hadn’t seen before.

“
You
let her out!
You
caused this!” He screamed as he charged for them.
 

Rami had run in quickly and grabbed hold of Alex, Oli joining him.
 

“Son, you need to calm down.” Said Rami, gently. “Assaulting the officers isn’t going to help.”
 

“It’s
their
fault!” He roared as he struggled against the grown men. Alex was too wild and strong for them to hold him. The two unknown officers stepped in to restrain him too.
 

“Mr. Valencia, we understand how upset you must be…” Dixon began.
 

“How the
fuck
can you understand?! Have you had someone you love kidnapped by a fucking deranged
stalker
?!
Have you?!
” Alex growled.
 

“No” Dixon said, simply.
 

“Then don’t fucking tell me you understand, when you know
shit
about it!” Alex shouted, still trying to attack him.

Rami and Oli, with the help of the two officers, got Alex to sit down. They stayed close incase he charged again. Kim moved to sit next to Alex and pulled him in for a hug.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, honey.” Kim said through her tears.
 

“She should never have been let out. I shouldn’t have let her go.” He said. “I didn’t want to. I wanted her to stay…” Alex started to hyperventilate again.
 

“Alex…” Rami said, dropping to the floor next to him.
 

“I’ve got paper bags.” Said Oli, and he left the room, to return a few seconds later with a brown paper bag.
 

“Breathe into this, son.” Rami said in a soothing voice as Evie rubbed his back to try to calm him.
 

“Find her.” Alex said between breaths. “Why are you still here?” He asked as he tried to stand.

“Son, you need to get your breath back” Evie said calmly.
 

“I have to find her!” Alex said as he took deep breaths.
 

Dixon’s phone rang, and the room went quiet.
 

“Dixon. Yes. Where? Good.” He hung up the phone and turned to them.
 

“The tracker showed them heading towards North creek”
 

“Tracker?” asked Dev.
 

She’d been sitting on the floor on the other side of Alex. She’d stayed silent through the exchange between Alex and the officers. Alex knew Dev was truly scared when she was quiet.
 

“I had a tracker installed on her car.” Said Oli. “After what happened last week, I asked the mechanic to fit one.”

Alex could’ve kissed Oli right then.

He realized that was why the officers hadn’t gone straight out, searching. They were waiting to find out where the car was so they were headed in the right direction. Who knows what could happen if they’d gone far, the wrong way?

Alex’s panic began to subside, knowing that they would be going to where she was.
 

The officers made a move to leave.

“I’m coming too.” He said as he stood.

“That’s not a good idea. We don’t now if Miss. Scutter is armed.” Said Jones, holding up his hand to stop Alex.

Like
that
would stop him. There was no way
anybody
was keeping him from going after her. There wasn’t a chance in hell he was going to sit around with his thumbs up his ass whilst the officers were going to find his Holly.

His perfect Holly.

I’m coming, babe.
I’m coming for you. I love you.

He repeated the words to himself, as if he could send his voice to her.

“If I don’t come with you, I’ll drive there myself. I don’t give a fuck. You or anybody else, aren’t going to stop me.” Alex knew his voice sounded somewhat menacing. Just how much, he wasn’t sure, but the way Jones’ face paled, gave him a good idea it was high on the ‘oh shit’ scale.
 

The officers took a deep breath and looked to the parents.

“Stay back, away from the officers. If we apprehend Miss. Scutter, and anything happens, you get out of there."

“Whatever” Alex said as he rushed out of the door.
 

“Alex!” shouted Evie. “It’s too dangerous!”
 

“I don’t care!” He said as he got into the back of a police car. He really didn’t. He was going to get Holly back. He didn’t care what happened to him as long as Holly was found, and she was safe. “I’m getting Holly back!” He shouted before closing the door.
 

Dev ran and got in the car as Kim and Oli got into the other.
 

“Dev, you need to stay. I don’t want you getting hurt.” He said, pointing for her to get out of the car.
 

“Like
hell
I am. I’m going too. My best friend is in danger, and I’m not leaving you to go alone.”
 

Alex saw Dev’s lip quivering as fresh tears fell down her cheeks. Of course, she wouldn’t leave him alone. Dev always stood by him. Whenever Stacey had gotten closer than usual to him, she’d been there, fighting against her. Whenever girls had approached him and had been overbearing, she had moved them along. When he was falling hard for Holly, she had respected his wishes and not told anybody.
 

“Ok.” He said and hugged his twin sister.

Evie and Rami ran over to the cars as the officers got in.
 

“Rami, go with the kids. I’ll go with Kim.” She said, and they got in.
 

The officers pulled away and sped down the road, sirens blaring, lights flashing, throwing strobes around the streets.
 

“Hurry the fuck up!” Shouted Stacey. “I haven’t got all night, stupid dog.” She kicked Holly’s seat.
 

Holly stepped harder on the gas pedal as they passed North Creek.
 

“Make the next turn” Stacey spat.

This must be a shortcut.

Holly didn’t know where the dirt road went through, but Stacey had said ‘Piper’s Farm’, so they must’ve still been headed that way.
 

“Why are you doing this?” she asked. Holly needed to know why Stacey was doing that to her. Why she wanted to hurt Alex.
 

“Oh. My. God.” Said Stacey in an irritated tone. “Have you
not
figured it out yet? Let me make this simple…What I want, I get. If I don’t, I take it or at least get rid of the obstacle in my way.” Stacey cackled again. “Some are easier than others. Some take a little…chemical persuasion” Stacey continued laughing.

Holly’s heart was hammering in her chest. Perspiration across her brow and her knuckles white as her hands gripped the wheel. Her stomach was nauseated.

Holly thought of Alex. His face, his smile, his eyes.

How he looked at her when he held her.

How his lips felt when he kissed her.

How his fingers felt as they stroked her face.

How he made her feel when he said ‘I love you’.
 

Holly’s tears fell harder, like waterfalls from her eyes. She had to blink rapidly to see down the dark road.

Alex, I’m sorry
.

“Oh quit crying, you big baby. Nothing’s going to help you. Nobody can hear you out here and soon…” Stacey lowered her voice into an angry growl. “…It. Will. All. Be. Over.”

Holly could barely see where she was going through her tears.

“Watch it, virgin girl. You don’t want this baby going off…yet.” Stacey pointed the gun.

Holly blinked her tears away and tried to focus. Stacey directed her down, what looked like, back roads. Holly had driven down similar ones on the way to Southport, back in the UK. Sometimes it was quicker driving down the country lanes than the direct route, due to a lot of people all going there at the same time.

The roads seemed to be going on forever when Stacey spoke.

“Stop the car, dog. We’re here.” Holly slowed to a stop and cut the engine. From the front beams of the car, Holly could see only trees and shrubbery.
 

“Move it!” Stacey pushed the hard barrel of the gun into Holly’s back and she stumbled forward. Stacey continued to jab the gun into Holly’s back as she pushed her off the dirt track and through the trees.

“Look at you all dressed up. Just wasted if you weren’t going to
fuck
him.” Stacey said with venom.

“Stop it, Stacey! Not
everything
has to do with
fucking
!” Holly sobbed.
 

“Well, you’re never going to find out now, are you? Now
move
!” Stacey pushed Holly further until they came out into a clearing.

Holly could make out the remains of the old main building. The south and west walls were standing, but crumbling. Bricks were still piled in some places, but most had been taken away by others hoping to save a few bucks by reusing them.

The metal beams of the barn were still standing, but the only evidence of a children’s play area was a rusty metal slide.
 

The whole place was overgrown. Weeds and wild grass had grown tall except where the ground had been scorched by the fire and had died.