Too Far

11: Criminal

My vigorous search resumed with twice the fury. It wouldn't have had to if she hadn't actually disappeared this time. There was no sign, no presence at night or hints during the day. Katherine called me each day with a new lead, but none of them led anywhere. Days turned into weeks and we'd gotten nowhere; Louise was like a ghost, only showing up when she wanted to.

Pressing my lips into a thin line, I looked over to Katherine again. She was getting more and more closed off as we dug deeper and deeper. It was almost easy to see when what we found struck an old, dusty cord. She would get quiet, snippy when I asked what it was about and annoyed when I ignored it and continued on with my day.

Was this what other girls were like? I was so used to Louise's constant need for secrets and lies. She didn't get annoyed when I ignored the problems; she preferred it that way. She wanted to deal with everything herself. Katherine's moods just swung.

Her typing on the computer began to grate on my nerves, because it only reminded me that we were still searching. My anger increased twofold each day until I wanted to scream at Louise for hours. I took the anger out at football practice.

Which I had in ten minutes.

"I have to go," I muttered. Katherine usually scanned for Louise at my dorm instead of hers, but I didn't mind. "Lock up when you leave."

"'Kay," she murmured, clicking on something. I suddenly heard a shrill scream and flinched, my eyes flying open. She was also taken aback, flinching away from the computer and clicking the close button. "Um..." Fear was etched into her features.

I walked over to gaze at the screen as curiosity obviously got the better of her. She reopened the video and I heard the scream again. It was somebody in the audience of a particularly gruesome fight. "What is this?" I breathed.

She was obviously annoyed. "These keep popping up in my searches. Something with this drug lord. He's serial killing people for some reason. It started a few weeks ago." I watched as he finally took out a gun and shot the man, turning away at the gore. It wasn't bad compared to what I'd seen in person, but it was unnerving.

"You think it's linked to Louise?"

"I don't know," she muttered, closing it and probing the I.P. address of whatever video we'd just watched. "I think he may have something to do with her, but I don't know if these killings are about her."

"Who is he?"

"It looks like Robbie himself, the illusive drug lord that took over after a few others. This man used to know my dad before my dad was arrested. He's ruthless and doesn't come out much, so this must be about something pretty important."

"Look," I said, narrowing my eyes. The man in a few more videos was shirtless and had an obvious, disgusting wound on his abdomen. "What is that?"

She zoomed in and did some more things I couldn't even begin to describe. How she knew so much about computers was beyond me. "Gunshot wound. Pistol, nine millimeter. Looks like it was pretty recent. It bleeds a little every time he twists the wrong way and he flinches a lot."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Which was something along the lines of a very terrified, very angry Louise on the run from yet another man trying to kill her.

"Lord, I hope not," she breathed, leaning her head back. "Your girl sure has a knack for ticking old guys off."

"Us young ones, too," I growled, slamming the door on my way out.

At football, since I was late, I had to run laps around the football field. I didn't mind, though; I was one of the best runners on the team. The coach sometimes made fun of me for it, though; I wasn't one of the strongest, even in a high weight class, and I was fast instead. He favored the bigger, stronger guys, and gave the thinner, leaner ones girl names. I was Emily, and Jay was Jenny.