Skates Out // a Luis Mendoza Fan Fic

18. Trace it back

JJ. 

I sat down on my bed Viola and Elsa next to me, I hadn't actually invited Elsa along for this but she had assumed that she was invited anyways so now there were three of us in the room. It had actually been ages since I'd seen her with Sophie, who she was usually joined at the hip with. Although if Sophie was my best friend I would have wanted some distance too, she was possibly more annoying than Elsa herself.

"So what's up?" Viola asked frowning. 

"You know Jess?" I asked and she nodded. 

Elsa shook her head, "no, who the hell is that?" 

I rolled my eyes, "I wouldn't expect you to know since you weren't actually supposed to be included in this conversation."

"I'm in hiding asshole, cut me some slack." She replied rolling her eyes. 

That I could understand. "Jess is my sister, she ran away and I haven't seen her since I was thirteen. Until five days ago when she showed up in front of the anaheim arena." I handed them the picture. 

"And your sure this isn't somone taking a picture of you standing in front of the arena?" Elsa asked handing it back to me.

"Yes, I don't own those clothes and I think I'd know what my own sister looks like." I answered putting the photo back in the envelope. 

"You. She looks like you." Elsa replied.

"Anyways." I continued, "yesterday Mendoza and I broke into the security office to check the tapes, and sure enough, there Jess was and she was being followed by these two guys." 

"You broke into the security office?" Viola asked astounded. 

"With Mendoza?" Elsa asked, which I also thought would have been the more surprising part. 

"That bit is a long story. He kind of ambushed me in the middle of a panic attack when I got the picture and now he's helping me find Jess. It's complicated." I explained, "but that's not even the worst part, while we were in there the office was broken into and these thug guys start rummagging around in the office and pull out my skater file at which point they realise it's me they're looking for and not Jess and that's she's been pretending to be me."

They both shot me incedulous looks, "so Jess has been posing as you, this whole time which was why she vanished off the face of the earth back the?"

"Basically." I replied, "and the worst part is I have no idea why. I was literally a perfect angel before Jess left, good grades, small group of friends, I'd never smoked, drugs alcohol anything. Never even had a boyfriend."

"Maybe it's not something you did, but something your parents did." Viola pointed out. 

I shrugged, "wouldn't Jess be fine then? Why would they have to go for me?"

"How would your sister even have found out about this without anyone else, including a private investigator knowing nothing about it?" Viola continued, "thank makes no sense."

Elsa shrugged, "it must have been word of mouth then, even a private investogator can't guess what was said. As long as nothing was written or recorded down no one could even make a real claim that the conversation actually happened." 

That much was true. 

"What if a friend of your sister's got involved in something stupid, needed money and offered you up as an abductee because your parents are rich and they didn't want to hurt your sister. But Jess finds out and takes your place." Elsa suggested, "although I can't understand why they didn't try to ransom."

"Maybe it's not about money then." I started, "maybe they needed me for something else. But what? I can't imagine it was my skating, because how would that help anything?" 

"Blood transfusions? Organ donations?" Elsa offered. 

Vi and I shared concerned looks, "where the hell do you come up with this stuff?"

"I had a weird childhood, it's better left unmentioned." Elsa explained quickly, "but don't tell me it's not a bad idea."

"If it was that the person would be long dead, if they need me and not Jess it means she's not a match so if she transplanted or transfused something then the other person would have died already. They wouldn't still need me." I pointed out. 

There was a knock on the door and I went to open it only to find Charlie and Banks standing with Mendoza, I glared at him, "really? You brought friends?" 

He grimaced, "sorry, I thought it might help if there were more of us, so we could cover more ground." Mendoza answered sheepishly. 

"It's not so much that, rather than the fact that your sharing my childhood trama around like a birthday cake." I replied moving aside to let them in. "Especially when some of your friends have taken it upon themselves to be dicks to me." I shot Banks a pointed look. I was not his biggest fan and certainly not after what he'd said at the last ice hockey match.

Banks shot me an apologetic look as they sat down on the sofas in our room. 

Elsa grimaced, "what are they doing here?" 

I matched her expression, "ask him." I told her jerking my head at Mendoza.

"How far have you gotten?" Charlie asked qucikly changing the subject.

"Well it can't be about money, because there was no ransom and it can't be about blood transfusions or organ transplants otherwise it would be over already." Viola filled in shaking her head, "any other ideas?"

"Was your sister in a gang?" 

"No."

"Was she a criminal?" 

"No."

"Did she have a boyfriend who was a mafia boss's son and then she dumped him and they want revenge?" 

"No!" I exclaimed, "and how does that have anything to do with them wanting me instead of her?"

"Were you in a gang?" 

"Oh my fucking god." 

It turned out that we didn't need their widespread help at all because they were all as lost as we were if not more so which was no help at all. I was never going to figure this out at the rate we were going now.