Kidnapped! by Pascal Francine

Author:Pascal, Francine
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-01-25T16:00:00+00:00

Eight

Jessica charged through the front door, followed by Todd, hoping against hope to find good news waiting for her. Their search up and down the streets of Sweet Valley had turned up no sign of Elizabeth, and by the time she and Todd pulled up in front of her house, they were both beginning to fear the worst.

Jessica found her parents in the living room. Her mother was pacing back and forth nervously, her anxiety evident in the creases that lined her forehead. Her father was on the phone, his expression one of fearful anticipation as he awaited news of his daughter.

"Mom!" Jessica ran into her mother's arms. "Have you heard anything yet?"

"No," her mother responded with a sigh, pulling away from Jessica. "Your father's still on the phone with the hospital. Liz hasn't answered any of their pages, but someone's looking around for her now." Impulsively she reached for her daughter again and hugged her more tightly than at any time since Jessica was a baby. "I'm so glad you're home."

"Liz'll be all right, Mom," Jessica said, returning the hug. "Have you called Steve?"

Mrs. Wakefield shook her head. "He's got enough trouble of his own right now. No sense in worrying him further. Liz'll probably be back before he gets home anyway." She smiled hopefully for Jessica's sake. Then Alice Wakefield turned her attention to Todd, who was standing quietly at the entrance to the living room. "Hello, Todd. Why don't you come sit down," she invited.

"Thanks, Mrs. Wakefield," he said as he moved toward the sofa. "And don't worry. Liz'll probably be pulling into the driveway any second now."

No one really believed that, yet they all looked at each other with startled anticipation as they heard the motor of an approaching car a moment later.

But it continued past the house, the noise fading into the distance. That's the second time tonight, Jessica thought, remembering the headlights earlier in the evening that she had hoped would be her sister arriving home. It's all my fault, she told herself furiously. If only I hadn't been so eager to get to that party, we might have had a head start on finding Elizabeth. She might be here right now.

Jessica shivered in her still-damp suit, as much from fear as from cold.

Alice Wakefield noticed for the first time how little her daughter was wearing. "Jessica, get upstairs this minute and put some clothes on. You'll catch your death—" She swallowed the rest of the sentence, letting that ugly last word hang over the room like an invisible shroud. Everyone was thinking the same horrible thought, though no one dared say it out loud. The possibility was too terrible even to consider.

Mrs. Wakefield slumped down in a chair. "Go get dressed, Jessica," she repeated. Her voice was softer, her words almost a plea.

Silently Jessica slipped up the stairs and hastily threw on the first garments she could find, a Sweet Valley High T-shirt and a pair of sweat pants. She returned to the living room just as her father was hanging up the receiver.

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