The Fort (Aric Davis)

this out. We were the last people to see Molly, right?” Tim and Scott nodded, and Luke continued. “Here’s the question, though. Besides us and the guy who took her, who else has seen her recently?” Tim and Scott just stared at Luke, waiting for an answer. Luke scowled and said, “Fine, I’ll just figure the whole thing out for you guys. Becca saw her, Becca and all of her friends. And they all saw who she was with when she disappeared.”
    “That won’t help,” said Tim, a little forlornly. “Becca already told the cops everything, and they still can’t find the guy.”
    Luke shook his head, and Tim wondered what else he’d missed. “Becca was with your folks when she talked to the cops, right?” Tim nodded, and Luke continued. “While she was already in trouble for how she was dressed—you told us that too. So here’s the thing: What else were she and her friends doing that would have gotten her in even more trouble?”
    “You mean like drugs or something, right?” Scott asked. “Because if it was something like that, no way was Becca going to rat herself out, especially if she’d already decided in her mind that Molly was perfectly safe.”
    Tim nodded. “It’s true. Becca would lie about just about anything to keep from getting in trouble. It’s just how she is. There’s still a problem, though. How am I supposed to get her to tell me the truth?”
    “You’ll have to figure that part out on your own,” said Luke. “You know your sister way better than we do. Plus we’re not allowed in your house. What you need to find out, though, is who they were with, not just at the end, but all night. Who they were with, everywhere they went, everything. For all we know, one of them got some older guy to buy them cigarettes and he just followed them until he got the chance to get to Molly. The possibilities are pretty much endless. It’s possible they never even went to the movies at all.”
    Tim was flabbergasted. Was Becca really capable of lying that well, to be able to fool both her parents and the police? He thought it was possible, but not very likely. Besides, what would be her motivation for lying in the first place? She knew one of her friends was in trouble; why try and hide information that could help the investigation from the police? There was only one explanation for any of that, and it could be only if they were doing something that would get her into huge trouble. Tim didn’t know what that could be, or how to extract the information from her, but he knew he better come up with something fast.
    “So here’s the plan,” said Luke. “Tim, you’re going to talk to Becca and get the truth out of her. Do whatever it takes to get her to level with you, and make sure she tells you everything.”
    “Are we going to tell the cops?” Scott asked.
    “No way in hell,” said Luke. “That Van Endel guy might be smart, but he wouldn’t believe a word out of our mouths, at least not until they figure out the body they found behind the drive-in isn’t really Molly’s. After that, he might even call us back in, but I don’t think waiting is exactly in Molly’s best interest.”
    “All right,” said Tim. “I’ll make Bacon an offer she can’t refuse.”
    “Perfect,” said Luke. “I’m going to stay in the fort until Saturday, minimum, so I can watch that trail that we saw them walk down. I don’t think they’ll come back, but you never know. Plus, if I’m here all the time and one of you guys needs to run away—like if you get busted for sneaking out—we’ll have an easy meeting place to start from.”
    “Wait,” said Scott. “Are you not in trouble? Because Tim and I are in, like, all the trouble, and you get to stay out of the house for a few days?”
    “It’s not quite like that,” said Luke darkly. “I’m kind of already running away. My mom came home super drunk last night, and I decided the punishment she would give me when she was hungover from that wasn’t worth sticking around for.”
    “Aren’t you worried she’ll come looking for you?”
    “Guys, I know this sounds weird, and probably even a bit dramatic, but except for the stuff I do around the house to help out, my mom would rather not have me there at all. I know that you both come from normal families and that might sound crazy, but it’s true. This way will be easier, and hopefully there will be nothing for me to even be in trouble over by the time we’re done.”
    “Anything