2 Chapter 1

I decided to sneak out while everyone was sleeping and rode my bike to the crime scene, The Anderson Residence. Luckily, the lights were on meaning Mrs. Anderson was awake. Of course she was awake...

If your child went missing for 3 days with no help from the police whatsoever, I imagine I'd be up at 1 in the morning with no intention to sleep as well.

I walked up to the door and knocked three times and when she answered the door she looked like a complete mess, but she also looked fairly young and kind of short for her age, whatever it is. Her dirty blonde hair was all over the place, as if she hadn't washed it in days. She didn't look too bad, but I can tell she was pretty devastated from the incident, but again, who could blame her?

"Who are you? Why are you here this late?" She said in a soft spoken voice

Kind of surprising she didn't know me, but then again she never really met me formerly. I just happened to hear the name of the residence when I rode past the crime scene a few days ago, and I didn't see a Mr. Anderson anywhere so I assumed she was either a divorced mother, or a widow.

"My name is Jonathan. I'm Sheriff Harper's son" I answered, "Do you mind if I come in?"

She moved out of the way as I walked in and closed the door. I took a look at my surroundings. Light gray walls, hardwood floors, gray furniture, shag carpeting, Living room and dining room connected while a single door separated the dining room and kitchen, all pretty big rooms.

One thing stood out to me however, if Mrs. Anderson was a complete mess to not care for her own self, why was everything inside her home so clean and organized? I'll take a mental note for later.

"Mind if I ask what you're doing here?" A soft voice spoke out to me

I turned to face Mrs. Anderson and simply answered what was asked

"I want to help you" I answered

"What?" She asked, confused

"I want to find your daughter" I said

"My daughter is gone..."

"Which is why I want to find her. I saw how you were on that day, and all I can imagine was "If it were me, my mother would react the exact same way" and I don't want you to go through any more pain than you already suffered." I strongly persisted

"Look, Jonathan...You seem like a good kid, but that's just it...You're just a kid.."

"I may be a kid, but that doesn't mean I don't have a unique set of skills. For example, your walls were painted a couple of weeks ago, you can tell by the shade it's currently in. Plus seeing as how I don't see Mr. Anderson around I can only assume you did this by yourself or you hired someone. If you did this yourself, I'd assume you're a good painter, using it as a hobby, maybe a coping mechanism for something. Remarkably however, you seem to be so busy keeping your house clean, you're not taking good care of yourself. I'd say by cleaning the entire house, you're trying to find some clue that might lead to your daughter's whereabouts."

She didn't even say anything, she just stood there, flabbergasted.

"I know you're confused, but please give me a chance. I can do this." I said softly

'Are you sure you can find my daughter?" She asked

"Mrs. Anderson, I'm positive I can find your daughter and bring her home safely"

She pulled me into a hug and started crying into my chest, and I reciprocated the hug

"Thank you..."

"It's no problem, really..."

The hug was long...

Awkwardly long...

"Um...Mrs Anderson?"

All I heard was a faint snore as I looked down and realized Mrs. Anderson fell asleep while hugging me

"She must have been really tired..." I said to myself as I set her gently on the couch and put a blanket on her.

I then looked at the stairs leading to the upper level of the house

"I guess I'll start my investigation with the daughter's room" I said as I started making my way upstairs