The atmosphere at Kinnetik had been somber in the week following Justin’s disappearance. Ted and Cynthia were doing their best to hold everything together. In fact, Cynthia was having a meeting with a potential new client. If everything went well, she would have Anton come up with a presentation.

Cynthia walked into his office an hour later looking pissed. It took a lot to make her mad, she had put up with Brian for over ten years after all.

“What’s got you upset?” he asked, as she threw herself down in the chair opposite him.

“That potential client I had the meeting with, he was a complete creep. Makes me miss the days of handsy bosses.”

“Geez, what did he do? Do I need to call Eugene?” Eugene was their head of security.

“No, I told him we didn’t need his business. I already called Eugene and put Mr. Lee Hunter on our ‘Do Not Allow Access’ list. Damn, I’m going to have to shower three times to get the man’s presence off me.”

It sounded like it was a good thing Cynthia barred the guy. They didn’t need that kind of person associated with Kinnetik.

“You want to go to lunch with me?” he asked, hoping to cheer her up.

“Sure, we can pass out pictures of Justin at some more places.”

They did that every time they went anywhere. Pictures of Justin plastered most of Pittsburgh.

Lee Hunter watched the blonde whore walk out of Kinnetik with a short, dark haired man. What did she see in him, he was short and plain? He had just been testing the waters when he asked her to lunch. But the she-beast had shut him down, like she was so damn perfect. He was just being nice, but now he wanted her to pay. This would be the first one of his toys that he had a connection to besides his stepmother. That bitch would never be found; his father died thinking she had left him. It felt good to watch as her life slipped away. There was no better high in life. Looking back at the cunt in the business suit, he smiled. It had been too long since he had some entertainment. It was good that the queer was watching the brat, that meant he had time to play.

“Where, oh where is Bobbie Jo?” Justin called out playfully.

It had been a long week but finally he had gotten Bobbie Jo to trust him. She had also put on weight, which was great news to Justin. He had been glad for all the babysitting experience he had gotten with Molly, Gus and Jenny.

A light giggle came from under the bed in the only bedroom.

“Oh, no! Bobbie Jo is missing, what will I ever do?” It was an innocent, fun game to play. He kept the doors locked and made sure she knew not to go outside. If she did, he couldn’t go out and find her, that thought terrified him.

“I guess Bobbie Jo isn’t hungry. That means more for me,” he said teasingly before walking into the hallway.

“NO!” came a shriek.

The little girl ran past him, heading into the kitchen. She climbed up on the makeshift booster seat he made her. He walked to the sink and filled up some water from the tap.

His first idea was to turn on the taps in the house and let them run. Hoping that the water company would come out to see if there was a leak. That idea he shot down because he suspected the house had well water. He couldn’t set a fire hoping someone would see, it would just kill him and Bobbie. The first two days he had spent hours and hours trying to find a weak spot in the chains, he found none.

Soon he just decided to wait until the police found him. He had all the faith in the world that Brian wouldn’t let them let up until he was found. He didn’t like the idea of being the damsel in distress but what other options did he have.

So, he made it his job to get Bobbie Jo healthy and happy. And it seemed as long as the ‘mean man’ wasn’t there, she was. She didn’t refer to the man as her father and he was glad about that. At least she wasn’t scared of a man she called her dad.

“Sing,” Bobbie Jo said after lunch.

To keep her mind active and to help her learn he sang…a lot. They would sing the alphabet song and other songs he had learned throughout his years. She was quite smart for such a little girl. She had told him she was three, he would have thought two. Since sometimes kids get their age wrong he would just have to wait to find out but decided to go with three.

“What song?” he asked her.

“Sea song.”

He groaned. He was never going to forgive himself for singing Under the Sea from The Little Mermaid.

“The seaweed is always greener

In someone else’s lake”

By the end of the song she was jumping around and dancing. It seemed to be her favorite song. After a few more requested songs she started to yawn.

“It’s time for a nap, Little Miss.”

“No nap,” she pouted.

“Yes nap. Justin needs to work on Bobbie Jo and the dragon.”

She jumped up and down at the thought of the book. When he was looking through the cabin to find things of use, he found three notebooks. He gave her one, so she could draw. The second one he used as a diary, in case he was found after it’s too late. He wanted people to know about Kip and his brother, he wanted people to know about Bobbie Jo. The third notebook was used to make a book for her. So, with some color pens he found, he started on the book. She would look through what he did every morning. After he put her to bed he walked back into the living room.

Looking outside he saw something that terrified him, there was an orange glow over the trees. One that had nothing to do with the sun. He knew what it was, some camper in the woods let a fire get away from them. If it was close enough for him to see, then it was too close. There were several things he worried about. Even if the fire never reached them the smoke would. He wasn’t the healthiest on the best of days. With his allergies combined with his permeant brain injury, it was a disaster waiting to happen.

There was the option to try and pick the lock again. It had been a complete waste of time so far, because it took a steady hand. After fifteen minutes, he was done, his hand started acting like it had a mind of its own.

Cynthia was walking to her car in the car park. Ted had offered to walk her to it but she declined. The creep earlier freaked her out but she didn’t want to seem paranoid. Ted walked to work today, he was trying to lose a little weight. She wished he would see himself the way she did. She saw a sweet, gentle man who has overcome his demons. If he wasn’t gay as the day is long she would make a play for him herself.

Just as she reached her car she felt someone coming up behind her. She had just enough time to scream before she was punched in the side of the head. The punch made her crumble to the ground. Even with as much pain she was in, she screamed.

The man leaned down to grab her up but suddenly he was knocked over onto the ground beside her. Eugene, the head of security had his knee on the guy’s neck. She recognized him as the man she had a meeting with earlier in the morning.

She looked up and saw Ted talking on the phone. She stood on shaky legs and walked towards her friend.

“How did you know?”

“I didn’t, I asked Eugene to follow you out. Something just didn’t feel right, so I followed him. I’m glad I did, you won’t make me feel bad about this.”

Wrapping her arms around her friend, she just let go. She started crying uncontrollably. Never one to cry it surprised even herself. Ted just held her while they waited for the cops to arrive.