His Basement: The Kidnapping of Kasmine Dolheim

Chapter 12: Complications

Noah

I cross my arms over my chest and lean back in the chair.
"I think that's ridiculous," I say in response to my coworkers saying that my small town has a Kidnapper on the loose. Julian was right. All everyone wants to talk about is Mavin's supposed to interview this morning and how her friends are stepping up to mourn her disappearance.

"Why?" A younger correction guard asks and two others stare at me.

"I grew up in that town. Kasmine was a classmate of mine. Everyone knows everyone. I think she's an adult so she'll turn up in her own time." I say coldly the young guard presses.

"Maybe you took her." He was grinning as he said it but I don't want it to even be a joke.

"She's not my type," I respond and the other men chuckle. I crack a couple of my knuckles under my arm as the younger one slightly frowns at the three of us before shaking his head and going back to work. It's racist. Down in New Mexico, in my small town, I know the white people are sick of seeing anyone of color walking around 'their country' and so it's bred hostility in my mostly white small town. Kasmine and her dad are the only black people in the town and there were only 2 small Mexican families. I didn't have to explain what I meant when I said she 'wasn't my type' because they assumed I was racist like them and dropped it.

After work, I drive back home through town like always. I look up to where her old apartment is and find that the lights are off. Letting out a sigh, I continue to a depo. After I buy a decent-sized mirror to replace the one in Kasmines bathroom, I go home. I check the time on my truck before getting out to haul the mirror inside.

8:00 am

"I picked up a mirror to replace Kasmine's," I say to Julian as I lean it up against the wall and kick the door shut. I look over at him sitting in the chair staring down at his hands but I can't see what he's holding.

"I'm not putting it up now. I need to make sure she'll behave. She'll end up hurting herself." I say and look over to the kitchen, "Did you make her actual food this time? Texted you to feed her more than hotdogs." I say pointedly, growing agitated that he isn't looking at me.
I'm about to snap when he looks up suddenly and slides something into his pocket. I don't care what it is.

"When you left, I went down to check on her and she was sleeping. I went back down there again around 9 and she was still sleeping so I came back up and went to sleep too." Julian explained with a little shrug. "She has no perception of time so. it's normal for her to sleep weird hours now."

"You should have woken her up," I say in annoyance. "I told you she needs to put on weight. She'll die giving birth if she's unhealthy." Julian stares at me and I think he might say something but he nods.

"I wasn't thinking." Julian sighs.

"You never are," I comment. "And if you think she slept from 8 am to 9 pm yesterday, you're stupid. I know she was sleeping when I left around 4 or 5 so she was just pretending when you were around."

Julian frowns and holds onto the table to tilt the chair back on two legs.
"She could be starting her period. Maybe she's fatigued."

I pause in my steps into the kitchen but resume them after a moment. "That could explain the crying yesterday morning. She heard our phone call."

I can see Julian nod and then shrug from where I stand to prepare breakfast. "I want you to be careful around her, Noah." His tone is weary.

"Why."

"She might feel more desperate to escape than she's letting on. She could seriously hurt you." I can't help the chuckle that escapes me. "I'm being serious."