Chapter 10: Public Enemy Number One Makes Her Debut

Midnight in Blackwell, Oklahoma.  A clock in a church steeple tolled the hour, the peals of its bell ringing mournfully over the land.  A screech owl yelled defiantly, its protests falling on ears made deaf by slumber.  Clouds kept the night from being too chilly, but they blocked out all the moonlight, leaving the area under each burned-out streetlight pitch black.  A horn honked in the distance, from a freight train that wouldn’t stop as it went through town.

All was quiet on 8^th Street.  This had been the case since an hour before, when Mr. and Mrs. Hill had returned unexpectedly from a trip and found a raucous party being thrown at their house by their youngest son, a twenty-one-year-old college drop out with way too much time on his hands.  He was now in bed, as were most of his friends.  Everyone had gone back home, knowing that at nine tomorrow, they’d be summoned back to clean up the mess.  Once Wayne Hill had gone to bed, the neighbors had too—now, everyone on 8^th Street was asleep.

Except for one person.  A girl named Auburn Reynolds.

Her window opened seamlessly, as the twelfth toll from the church clock faded into the distance.  One thin leg popped out, then another, then the rest of Auburn herself.  Dressed in black, she carried nothing except a flashlight and a few miscellaneous items in her pocket.

She said nothing, but a single thought was running through her mind over and over again.  “1302 N. A Street.  1302 N. A Street.  1302 N. A Street.”

That was Jimmy Redford’s address.  A Street wasn’t too far away, probably the reason Jimmy had been the one spreading the word on her street about the club meetings.  The night was still, and Auburn hurried through the dark streets, determined to carry out her plan as quickly as possible.

She tried not to think about how crazy her idea was.  No one had ever tried anything like this before.  No one could be capable of pulling off such a scheme.  The idea that a twelve-year-old girl could manage something like this—too preposterous to be taken seriously.

And yet, its ridiculousness might be just the thing that would make it succeed.

Auburn thought about Richards as she raced through the dark streets.  She wondered what he spent his nights doing.  Was he at home, curled up in bed, dreaming up more evil schemes for his club to commit?  Was he awake, watching detective programs on TV and laughing about how much better he was than all the criminals on those shows?  Or, was he too roaming the streets, out to make sure no one interfered with his plan—

That one was unlikely.  Possible, but unlikely.  Auburn’s first strike would be easy.  It’d be unexpected, and no one would start looking for her until tomorrow, if everything went as planned.  Even then, they’d be looking for someone a little older.  Auburn knew full well she was hard to find.

Though she was hurrying, the sign for A Street appeared sooner than she would have liked.  It loomed out of the blackness, pointing the way down a narrow thoroughfare, flanked on both sides by small houses.  Trembling, Auburn started down the street, her eyes noting the numbers on the sides of mailboxes.

1300…1302!  The house was the second one on the right.  It was only one story tall, a white siding house set a good ways back from the road with a crumbling cement sidewalk leading to the street.  Two cars occupied its gravel driveway, and no lights came from inside.  The residents had obviously gone to sleep.

As soon as she started up the cement walk, every fear Auburn could think of popped into her head.  What if they have a dog?  What if someone else hears?  What if they’re actually awake?  What if I find the wrong room—but she shoved those fears from her mind and kept going until she was almost at the door.

Then, she turned to the left and worked her way down to the back.

This was one of the houses where Richards proposed to get in through the window, and he’d already taken the trouble to find it.  Valerie Redford’s room was the left window on the back of the house.  Auburn crept around to it and found that the shades were drawn.

Figures, she thought.  There was a window screen too, but it had been there for years, and it was starting to fall off.  Auburn had no difficulty encouraging it the rest of the way.

Then, she took a deep breath.  What happened next depended on what type of a girl Valerie was.  You see, Auburn wasn’t going to abduct her.  She couldn’t bring herself to do that, even if it would make the girl safer.  Auburn was no criminal, and the thought of the terror Jimmy’s sister would face if she was forcibly removed from her home—Auburn couldn’t stand to imagine that, much less experience it.  If Valerie Redford was going to be hidden, it would be voluntarily.

And that’s why, instead of testing to see if the window was open, Auburn rapped gently on the glass.

The noise might awaken the sleeping girl; Auburn hoped it would.  When a minute passed, and nothing happened, Auburn tapped again.  Then, she tapped a third time.  Sitting outside in the dark, no mask to hide her face, Auburn tried to look as natural as possible.

Waiting was difficult on her, though, and when the blinds suddenly jerked up, it was all Auburn could do to keep from screaming—even though the nine-year-old, brown-haired girl on the other side of the window had to be one of the least-menacing individuals Auburn had ever encountered in her life.

The girl’s mouth took on an expression of surprise, and Auburn prayed she wouldn’t scream.  Instead, much to Auburn’s delight, the girl put her hands on the bottom of the windowsill and forced it open.  A blast of cool air from the air-conditioned house hit Auburn as the girl said, “What’s the matter?  Are you lost, or something?”

“Shh, not so loud!” Auburn whispered strongly.  “Are you Valerie?”

“That’s me; who are you?”

“Auburn.  Auburn Reynolds.”  Offering her hand, Auburn said, “I’ve come to tell you something about your brother Jimmy.”

“Can you get him to play with me again?” Valerie whined.  “All he ever does now is sit around his room and mope.  He’s turned into the most boring person in the whole wide world.”

This conversation was going exactly the way Auburn needed it to go.  “There’s a reason for that, Valerie,” she said.  “It’s that club Jimmy’s in, the Brotherhood Club?”

“Yes?”

“It’s not really a community service organization,” Auburn said.  “The leader’s forcing all the kids in it to commit crimes, including your brother.  They don’t want to, but he’s threatening to kill people close to them if they don’t do what he tells them.  In your brother’s case, he’s only doing it because they’ve threatened to kill you if he doesn’t obey.”

Valerie’s face went white as a sheet.  “Oh, no!” she said, her voice starting to rise above a whisper.

“Shh!” Auburn looked left and right, to make sure no one was around.  Then, she continued.

“The only way Jimmy can get free of Richards’s control is if you disappear to a place Richards doesn’t know about.  As long as you’re here, Jimmy’s constantly worried that something will happen to you.  If you go into hiding, Jimmy won’t have to worry, because Richards won’t have any idea where you are.  What do you say?”

“I don’t know,” said Valerie, particularly bright for the age of nine.  “My parents said I shouldn’t trust strangers.”

“So have mine,” said Auburn.  “A minute ago, Valerie, you were talking about how strange Jimmy’s been acting lately.  Now, why else would he be acting like that?  If he wasn’t acting funny, do you think I’d have come here to tell you this?”

Valerie shrugged.  “I guess not.  So, where should I hide?  My closet?”

“I’ve got a better idea,” said Auburn.  “Grab anything you want to take with you, and the place I’ve got in mind will be a little nicer than just a closet.”

So, Valerie went back in her room and started going through her drawers and toy chest for stuff she thought she needed.  A sensible little girl, she didn’t pack too much.  Most of what she did bring was toys—her favorite stuffed animals, Auburn could tell.  When it looked like her hands were getting full, Auburn stepped in and offered to help carry some of the load.

“Here,” said Valerie, tossing a three-foot-tall stuffed bunny at Auburn.  “Take good care of Mr. Cheesenut.  He’s scared of the dark.”

Auburn wondered whether the yellow color of the bunny had anything to do with his name or not, but she didn’t ask questions.  She merely tapped her foot impatiently as Valerie picked up a couple more toys.

“Alright,” said Valerie.  “Where to now?”

“Out the window,” said Auburn, “and I’ll lead the way.”

As Valerie stepped out the window, Auburn wandered over to the bed.  She stuck her free hand into her pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper, dropping it at the foot of the bed before following the girl out the window.

And so, “Kidnapping #1” went off extremely pleasantly.  Auburn had expected to have to spend all her time keeping her young friend from flying off the handle.  Instead, Valerie skipped along, enjoying being out in the night air.  She prattled on and on with stories about this stuffed animal, and stories about that stuffed one.  She told Auburn about their house, about the attic she was never allowed in, about Jimmy’s room (which she also wasn’t allowed in but routinely visited anyway), about the padlock Mrs. Redford had put on the refrigerator when Mr. Redford went on a diet.  Auburn mainly listened, interjecting every now and then when Valerie asked about her, and what her life was like.  The girls were having a marvelous time, and Valerie had to keep telling Auburn to keep her voice down as they maneuvered their way through the dark streets.

There were cops out, of course, but not very many because not many were usually needed in Blackwell.  Auburn and Valerie stuck to more secluded streets most of the time, and after crossing Highway 11, they didn’t see another lit headlight for the rest of the walk.  A Street wasn’t far from the Larkin Hotel either, and in twenty minutes, the girls stood outside the old structure.  Valerie pointed up at it.

“I’ve always wanted to look around in there,” she said, “but my mom never lets me.”

“Well, consider this your big chance,” said Auburn.  “This is where you’re going to be staying until Richards gets arrested, and wait ‘till you see what’s inside!”

Pushing up the first floor window, Auburn motioned for Valerie to climb through.  She followed Jimmy’s sister in, closing the window behind her.  Then, she put on the flashlight.

Valerie’s face lit up, as she saw dollhouses, rocking horses, and stuffed animals in full view.  She hurried over to a giant dollhouse and opened up the back.  “It’s the biggest, most beautifulest dollhouse I’ve ever seen!” she exclaimed, quiet no longer necessary.

Auburn stood by and watched her run from toy to toy, her eager young eyes going over all the merchandise Toy Mart hadn’t been able to get rid of.  After about ten minutes, she motioned for Valerie to follow her.  Heading over to the double doors, she wandered in and showed Valerie the kitchen.

“There should be plenty of food in here for you and whoever joins you for a while,” Auburn said.  “The refrigerator’s got some stuff too.  Now, for dinner, I’ve got quite a few frozen dinner selections—have you ever used a microwave?”

Valerie shook her head, so Auburn demonstrated how it worked.  “You might not remember,” she said, “so I’ll try to be back tomorrow afternoon to make sure everything’s going alright.  Let me show you where your room is…”

She led Valerie up the staircase to the second floor.  “Pick any of those rooms you want,” she said.  “In fact, you’re welcome to switch as often as you want.  Here’s what’s going to happen.  Everyone in Richards’s club has a family member in jeopardy.  I’m going to hide enough here so that Richards can’t force his members to pull off crimes anymore.  Then, we’ll force him to show his true character and do something that’ll get him arrested.  So, beginning tomorrow night, you’ll probably have company joining you.  Got that?”

“Got it!” said Valerie.

“Fine,” said Auburn.  “Now, while you’re here, whatever you do, don’t go outside.  Not even for a minute!  If Richards ever figures out where you are, your life will be at stake, and your brother will have to go right back to doing what he was doing when Richards arrested him.  It’s very important that you don’t go outside.  Understand?”

“You don’t have to worry,” said Valerie.  “With all the toys in here, why would I want to go outside?”

“That’s the spirit,” said Auburn.  “I hope you don’t have to be here for too long, but it may take a few weeks…”

“I understand.”

“Fine,” said Auburn.  She was just about to go when a thought struck her.  “Valerie, do you know Alice McPherson?”

“Allie?” exclaimed Valerie.  “She’s my best friend!”

“Really?” said Auburn.  “She’s in danger too.  How’d you like it if she came here tomorrow night?”

“Oh boy, oh boy, OH BOY!!!” yelled Valerie.  “That’d be the mostest fun I’d ever had!”

“Well, I’ll see what I can do,” said Auburn.  “Have a nice evening, Valerie.”

Auburn couldn’t help but smile as she walked home.  That had been easy.  Very easy.  It wouldn’t continue to be that easy, as the police beefed up patrol in response to these disappearances.  For tonight, though, Auburn had pulled off her first ever kidnapping.  Without a hitch.

And tomorrow, Brittany, she thought to herself, I’ll protect your little sister for you.  You won’t have to do Richards’s dirty work much longer.

Getting home, Auburn went straight back to bed, oblivious of the firestorm that would break out tomorrow.