Two Weeks
Two weeks had passed since Sarah's teenage daughter, Emily, had gone missing. Those two weeks were harder than she ever could’ve imagined. Despite help from the police and their community, no one could find a single trace of her.
Sarah felt like she was trapped in a nightmare, wondering where on earth her daughter could be and what had happened to her. But things were about to get even stranger.
A Doting Mother
Sarah had always been a doting mother to her daughter, Emily. She had been the one to pick her up from school, attend her ballet recitals, and make sure she had her favorite snacks in the pantry.
But two weeks ago, Emily had gone missing. Sarah had reported her disappearance to the police and had been searching for her daughter tirelessly.
Challenges
They had a typical mother-daughter relationship. One day they would be extremely loving toward each other and the next there were tears and tantrums.
Sarah didn’t have it easy at times. Being a single parent to a teenage daughter brought its challenges but she always saw Emily as “a good girl” and never expected her to get involved with the wrong crowd.
A Diligent Mother
Sarah had always been a diligent mother, and her love for her daughter knew no bounds.
So when Emily disappeared without a trace, Sarah was devastated.
She never expected something like that to happen to her. It was something she and Emily would read about in the newspapers and Sarah always made Emily promise that she would be careful.
No One Home
She had just returned from work that evening when she noticed the house was unusually quiet. Emily loved music and she always had something playing in the background while she was busy doing her homework.
Sarah searched all the rooms and found nothing. Her phone was left behind which was strange for a teenage girl like Emily who was practically glued to hers.
Where Could She Be?
Sarah became frantic and ran out of the house shouting for the neighbors to help her. Who knows how long Emily had been gone for and every hour was crucial in missing person cases.
She searched high and low, spoke to her daughter's friends, and went to the police, but there was no sign of Emily.
The Community Rallies
The news of Emily's disappearance had spread like wildfire, and the community had rallied together to help find her. Flyers were distributed, and search parties were organized, but still, there was no sign of Emily.
Sarah couldn't eat or sleep. She spent every waking moment trying to find her daughter, praying for her safe return.
Not Giving Up
Sarah's anxiety grew with each passing day, and the thought of never seeing her daughter again was unbearable. Her mind was filled with all the worst possibilities of what could’ve happened to Emily.
However, Sarah refused to give up. She decided to keep searching and praying, hoping that Emily would come back home safely.
A Great Support System
Days turned into weeks and there was still no lead in Emily’s disappearance. Sarah had become a shell of her former self. She was depressed and just wanted Emily to be found.
She had the support of her friends and family but most of all, her neighbors. Her next-door neighbors, the Johnsons, were the first ones to comfort her in her time of need.
Helpful Neighbors
They made sure she had groceries and Mrs. Johnson made meals so that Sarah didn't have to worry about cooking.
Sarah was grateful for their help and support. She confided in them about her worries and Mrs. Johnson held onto her as she cried about her missing daughter. But what Sarah didn't know was that she would be finding out a little more about the Johnsons.
A Lonely Couple
Mrs. Johnson would later open up to Sarah about their history. They never had children and it took a long time for her to accept it.
But they managed well enough and they eventually didn’t let it bother them. Mrs. Johnson felt Sarah’s pain and wanted to help wherever she could. But it wouldn’t be long before things would start to unravel in the neighborhood.
The Search Continues
The daily searches continued for Emily. Even her school friends pitched in after school where they could.
But all with no luck, it seemed like Emily just vanished off the face of the earth with no trace of her left behind. Sarah was taking strain and every night was a battle for her to close her eyes and sleep.
A Break In The Case
There was a break in the case when one day the police came across a shoe. They weren’t sure if it belonged to Emily, but when Sarah had a look at it, she was 100 percent sure that it belonged to her daughter.
I was her size and Sarah bought those shoes for Emily’s birthday. Sarah became hopeful. There could still be a chance that Emily would be found.
The Single Shoe
Police detective Jones was baffled at finding the missing shoe. Not just because they found it, but because it was found in an area that was combed over many times by his team.
He could’ve sworn that he himself searched behind the houses where it was found. It seemed almost like it was strategically placed there by somebody.
Hope
Sarah desperately clung to hope. Finding Emily’s shoe had given her the breakthrough she needed. This meant that she couldn’t be very far and that there was still a good chance of finding her alive.
By now, the community was buzzing and everyone took to the streets once again in an attempt to find Emily.
Where Are The Johnsons?
Sarah was grateful for everyone’s help but found it strange that she had not seen the Johnsons in a week.
It had been very cold and Sarah knew Mrs. Johnson struggled with arthritis and the cold weather did very little to keep it at bay. Sarah wanted to be a good neighbor and took over an extra blanket for them. She wasn’t prepared for what she saw inside.
Something Was Wrong
She knocked twice before the door finally creaked open. It was Mr. Johnson and he seemed a little surprised to see Sarah standing by his door.
He quickly stepped outside and shut the door behind him. "Is everything okay, Mr. Johnson?" Sarah asked, noticing the worried look on his face. Mr. Johnson hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. "Yes, dear, everything is okay," he said, his voice trembling slightly.
Carrying On
“Mrs. Johnson’s arthritis has been acting up, so we’re just keeping out of the cold.” Sarah left the blanket with him but couldn’t shake the feeling that Mr. Johnson was feeling uneasy around her. It was like he didn’t want her to see Mrs. Johnson.
She joined the team as they continued to search for her daughter. She didn’t think about the Johnsons again until something would attract her attention.
Mrs. Johnson Returns
The next day as Sarah started making coffee and sandwiches for the teams that were beginning to gather outside of her house, she noticed something strange.
It was Mrs. Johnson. She was in her backyard hanging out their laundry. Sarah rushed out of her back door to see if she was okay and if she needed help. Mrs. Johnson’s response baffled Sarah to the core.
Doing Just Fine
"I'm okay, dear," Mrs. Johnson said with a tremble in her voice. Sarah couldn't understand how Mrs. Johnson could’ve been able to hang out laundry after Mr. Johnson said she wasn’t well. She knew something was off. Sarah tried to push for more information, but Mrs. Johnson wouldn't budge.
Sarah decided to drop it for now and focus on finding her daughter. As the search continued, the team came across a clue that led them to a nearby forest.
More Clues
They found another item of clothing and sure enough it was identified as belonging to Emily. Sarah was getting anxious, there were so many clues being found but where was her daughter?
She hurried back home to have a break. She was so overwhelmed by everything and she wasn’t getting enough sleep. As sat on her bed, she spotted something outside.
Something Familiar
She wasn’t completely sure, but she knew she had seen it before. She struggled to remember what it was that made it familiar to her.
She walked to the window looking outside. It was the Johnsons’ laundry. She had seen the item of clothing hanging on the line before. She strained to think and then she finally recognized it.
Her Favorite Jeans
Amongst her neighbor's laundry, hanging on the clothesline, were Emily's favorite jeans. Sarah's heart leaped as she recognized the jeans immediately. She knew that something was wrong.
Sarah's mind raced as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing. How could Mrs. Johnson have Emily's jeans? Did she know something about Emily's disappearance?
Did They Know Where Emily Was?
Not only that, she could clearly see a floral shirt that she knew also belonged to Emily. Sarah didn’t know what to do. She wrestled with the idea of confronting the Johnsons or going straight to the detective.
It was a difficult situation. She respected the Johnsons, but if they knew something about Emily, why hadn’t they told her or told the lead detective on the case? Something was fishy and Sarah was going to get to the bottom of it.
Her Own Investigation
Sarah decided to investigate further. She put on her shoes and walked out of her house towards the Johnsons’ yard. She tried to act casual, but her heart was racing with anticipation.
As she approached the laundry line, she saw the jeans clearly. They were definitely Emily's. She checked the other clothes on the line and saw that they were all Mrs. Johnson's family's clothes, except for Emily's jeans.
What Now?
Sarah knocked on the Johnsons’ door, but there was no answer. She tried again, but still, no one answered. She began to feel uneasy, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions.
She decided to go back home and think about what to do next. As she walked back, she couldn't help but feel that something was not right. She felt like she was missing a piece of the puzzle, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
What Were They Hiding?
The more she thought about it, the more she became convinced that the Johnsons were hiding something. She started to connect the dots and realized that the Johnsons had been acting strange since Emily's disappearance.
But what could they be hiding? And why did they have Emily's jeans? Sarah knew that she had to find out what was going on, but she also knew that she had to be careful. She didn't want to jump to conclusions and make things worse.
She Had To Do It
But her gut was telling her to prod further and find out what they knew about Emily. She took a deep breath, wondering what would happen if she uncovered something she was not meant to.
She was walking a hole in her living room carpet trying to think of what to do. She had to confront them. If her daughter was there, she had to save her. Who knows what they were doing to her in there?
Preparing For The Confrontation
She instinctively grabbed her pepper spray from her bag. If the confrontation got ugly, she could use it to diffuse the situation and help Emily. But she could be clutching at straws.
The Johnsons were kind, elderly folk. There must be a perfectly good explanation for why her daughter’s jeans were hanging on their washing line and she was going to find out once and for all.
Time To Have A Little Chat
She composed herself as she neared the front door of the Johnsons’ house. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
They always took longer to open the door, Sarah supposed it was because they were old and couldn’t reach the door fast enough. She could hear a commotion inside and that’s when she decided to open the door and go in.
What Was Going On Inside?
She called out to them, but no one answered. She called again, louder this time, and before she could do anything else, both of them came out from the kitchen in a huff.
“I knocked a few times and no one answered. Then I heard something and came inside, are you okay?” Sarah asked them. They were out of breath and seemed to be busy with something.
Hard At Work
“Oh, yes dear. We were just busy moving the kitchen table around, sometimes we like to change things in the house,” answered Mrs. Johnson. They were sweating profusely and Sarah wondered just how much work they were doing.
“What brings you here, deary?” asked Mr. Johnson. He sounded kind but Sarah noticed both of them wiping the sweat off of their foreheads.
The Big Question
“I just wanted to ask about your laundry. I noticed Emily’s jeans hanging on your washing line, why do you have them?” Sarah quickly studied both of their faces. She looked out for signs of anxiety and nervousness.
So far, so good. None of them looked even a little nervous or afraid of something, but Sarah needed to know.
A Simple Explanation
There was silence but then Mrs. Johnson finally spoke up, "Oh, those jeans. Emily left them here the last time she came over to play with Rufus. They got all muddy and I just thought I'd wash them for her. You weren’t home that day, she just forgot ‘em here."
Sarah felt a wave of relief wash over her. She had completely forgotten about their dog, Rufus, and how much Emily loved him. Maybe she was just being paranoid.
So Close
But at the same time, she couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. She decided to keep a closer eye on the Johnsons, just in case.
The police weren’t getting any leads again and she needed to keep doing her own searches until she found her daughter. She was close, she could feel it. What was she missing?
The Clue
As Sarah was about to leave, she noticed a piece of paper sticking out of the Johnsons' trash can. She tried to ignore it at first but her curiosity got the better of her. She walked over to the can and pulled the paper out.
It was a torn piece of paper with some handwriting on it. The words didn't make any sense to her, but something about it felt familiar.
The Puzzle Pieces
Sarah couldn't shake the feeling that the torn paper was a clue. She decided to take it home and try to piece it together. As she examined it more closely, she noticed some familiar handwriting. It was Emily's!
The paper seemed to be torn from a notebook, but Sarah had no idea what the words meant. She decided to call her friend who was a cryptographer to see if they could make sense of it.
The Cryptographer's Analysis
Sarah's friend, Anne, was a cryptographer for the government. She had seen all sorts of codes and ciphers in her career, and Sarah hoped she could make sense of Emily's mysterious message.
Anne analyzed the paper and found that it was a code, but she couldn't crack it without more information. Sarah was frustrated, but Anne suggested that they try to find more pieces of the torn notebook page.
The Notebook
Sarah couldn’t believe that they were getting closer and closer to finding Emily. She knew Emily kept her notebook under her bed. As she flipped through the pages, she noticed that there were several pages missing.
Sarah called Anne back and told her about the missing pages. Anne suggested that they search the Johnsons' trash can again to see if they could find any more pieces of the torn notebook page.
But Sarah didn’t want to take that risk again. They might see her rummaging through their trash and get suspicious. She held on to the note she found and waited for the lead detective.
Search Warrant
Sarah gathered all her courage and went to the police with her suspicions. She told them about the clothes and her neighbor's strange behavior. The police listened to her carefully and took her seriously. They obtained a search warrant and searched her neighbor's house.
To Sarah's relief, they didn’t find anything suspicious. But she still thought that something wasn’t right. Her gut was telling her that the police had missed something.
The Plan
She came up with a plan to somehow get into the Johnsons’ house herself. The only problem was, they rarely left their house.
However, they always went to church on Sundays and that would be the perfect time to try and get inside and look around. It wouldn’t be easy, but it was the only way.
Breaking In
When Sunday finally came and she saw the Johnsons drive off to church, Sarah’s heart began racing wildly.
She quickly made her way to the back window and eased her way in. There was nothing out of the ordinary. She checked every room but there was nothing. But then she noticed something strange in the kitchen. There was a door behind a cupboard.
The Basement
It was the basement. She carefully made her way down the stairs and switched on the light.
It was damp and dark and Sarah couldn’t imagine what the Johnsons were keeping down there.
She noticed that one of the walls in the basement looked different from the others. She pressed against it and it gave way, revealing a secret room behind it. Sarah's heart raced as she stepped into the room, and her worst fears were confirmed.
The Secret Room
It was dark and Sarah fumbled for a light switch. As soon as the room lit up, she saw how her daughter Emily lay sleeping on a bed. She couldn’t believe that the seemingly innocent elderly couple had taken her daughter.
She grabbed her in her arms and they cried upon seeing each other. They had to get out before the Johnsons came back. Sarah noticed that the room where Emily was held was pristine and she was being kept in good conditions.
The Aftermath
Sarah immediately alerted Detective Jones and they waited for the Johnsons to get back from church. When they finally arrived, Sarah could see that they had a look of despair and remorse on their faces, they knew they had been caught.
They were taken into custody and the reasoning behind the kidnapping was revealed. They simply needed help around the house. They took Emily so that she could help them to cook and clean. Emily forgave them as she knew they were old and they didn't mean any harm, they just went about it the wrong way.
At the trial, the judge showed remorse and the Johnsons were sentenced to a year of house arrest because of their age. But on condition that they had to move to another state. Sarah was only too glad to have her precious daughter back with her.