Ten Little Girls Read online

  After two years bound to a wheelchair because of being shot in the stomach, that was exactly the kind of news that Sune needed. Heck, it was what we all needed. It was just the turn-around we had prayed for. Sune fought hard every day and came home exhausted, but he felt the progress himself and—best of all—he was happy.

  The kids went to the local school, Theodore Roosevelt Elementary, and it hadn't taken them long to make friends, even though it had been easier for Julie than for Tobias, who struggled more with the language than his stepsister. Tobias had to take extra English lessons to keep up, while they said Julie didn't need to. It was quite a blow to him, but he was a tough boy, and I was certain he would get through it. And once he did, he would be the best in his English class once we returned to Denmark. If we ever returned. I wasn't sure I wanted to go back. I was really enjoying myself here.

  "Now, I have never…this is the latest it has ever been," Sue Porter said with a snort.

  She was one of our neighbors, and her daughter Alicia had been over to play with our children a few times, even though she was a lot younger than Julie. The third mom, Nancy Browning, stayed a little behind us. Her daughter, Alondra, was also on the bus. There was some quarrel between the two of them that I didn't really want to get into, but each of them had entertained me about it on occasion when we were alone. It was between their children but had soon grown to be about the adults as well, apparently. It was the kind of drama I didn't want any part of.

  "Don't they know that people have things to do?" Sue asked and looked first at Nancy then at me. I shrugged. I had an article I needed to finish, but I wasn't really in a rush.

  "I see it now," I said and pointed down A1A where the yellow bus was approaching. "It's on its way."

  "About darn time," Sue Porter said with another snort. "Some of us actually have a life."

  5

  May 2018

  The bus blinked its yellow lights to let everyone know it was about to stop, then slung out its red stop signs on the sides. One car, a black Camaro, slipped past it just as the bus sighed deeply and slowed down. The bus driver honked angrily at the black Camaro, but it was already long gone.

  The two moms standing on each side of me, approaching the stopping bus, shook their heads with a tsk.

  The bus sighed, satisfied, and came to a complete stop. Small heads were on the move inside of it, and the door hissed open. The first kid was a fifth-grade boy that lived across the street from us, whose mom was never around to pick him up. He stumbled out, swinging his heavy backpack onto his shoulders, then rushed across the street. Next came Tobias. I smiled and waved.

  William saw him and shrieked with joy.

  "Tubby!"

  I put him down, so he could run to his older brother.

  "Not now, Will," Tobias grumbled. He was almost always in a terrible mood when coming home from school. William didn't seem to take any notice and just hugged his leg. It made Tobias smile. I noticed he was sweating. His bangs were wet.

  "There was no AC on the bus," he said and wiped his forehead. "It broke."

  Another boy, Alondra's brother, J.T., emerged from the bus and rushed to his mom. He was a Kindergartener and so small I could hardly believe it. He was even smaller than William, who was only four years old. He and William had played together several times and got along pretty well. It was great to have children close by that my kids could play with.

  I hugged Tobias, even though he was sweaty. Behind him, the bus hissed again as the doors closed and it was about to take off. The Stop signs were pulled in and my heart sunk.

  "Julie?" I asked. "Where’s Julie?" Panic erupted instantaneously, and I let go of Tobias, then ran to the bus.

  "HEY!"

  I reached the door and knocked on it, hard, while yelling for it to stop. It did, and the driver opened the door again.

  "Where's my daughter? Where’s Julie?" I asked, almost finding it too hard even to get the words across my lips. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest; I could hardly breathe.

  Easy, Rebekka. Calm down.

  The two other moms came up behind me. Their voices were trembling as badly as mine.

  "Where’s my daughter?" Sue asked. "Where's Alicia?"

  "And Alondra?" Nancy asked.

  "Where are our children?" I asked.

  The female bus driver shrugged. "I don't know. They didn't get on the bus."

  "You mean to say they're still at the school?" I asked, getting more annoyed now. Had Julie missed the bus somehow? Was she goofing around?

  The bus driver shrugged again. "I don't know."

  "You don't know?" Sue asked. "You don't know? You're responsible for them, for cryin' out loud."

  "Listen, lady. I’m responsible for those children that do enter my bus, not the ones that don't. Now, maybe the school didn't dismiss them in time or somethin'; I don't know, but I gotta get goin'. I have more kids who need to get home before they melt."

  And just like that, she closed the doors once again and took off, leaving us three mothers behind—without our daughters.

  6

  May 2018

  "I…I…"

  Sue stared at the bus as it left. "I’m calling the school. Immediately."

  I turned around to face Tobias, who was still wiping sweat from his face with his arm.

  "What?" he asked.

  "Where is your sister?" I said. I insisted on calling Julie his sister because I wanted them to feel like they were siblings, even though Sune and I weren't married. We were still a family.

  He shrugged. "I don't know. Guess she never made it on the bus."

  "How? How could she have missed the bus?" I asked. "I don't get it?"

  He shrugged again. "I don't know. She's in another class, remember? They come out after we do."

  "And you didn't notice she wasn't on the bus when it took off?" I asked, sounding a lot more accusatory than I intended.

  "Not really. She usually sits all the way up front, and I was with Brandon. I didn't really notice."

  I ran a hand through my hair. "I guess we'll have to go pick her up by car then."

  I drew in a deep breath and looked at my watch. William was petting Nancy's dog that she always brought when picking up her kids. I looked at Sue, who was busy on the phone. She was getting paler and paler. Then she hung up, an anxious expression on her face. My heart sunk.

  "What did they say?" Nancy asked.

  Sue shook her head. Her eyes had grown distant and a little feverish. "They don't know where they are either."

  I couldn't breathe. "What?"

  Sue's eyes grew wild. "They don't know where they are either. They were supposed to be on the bus."

  "But they weren't," Nancy said.

  "You don't say, Miss Marple," Sue hissed.

  "I can't believe this," I said. I looked at Tobias again. "You didn't see her at all?"

  "I just expected her to be there," he said. "She usually is."

  "Could they have taken another bus?" I asked, focusing on calming myself down. I walked to the road and looked down where the bus usually came from. About ten cars or so passed me, but I couldn't see any bus as far as the eye could see.

  "I can't believe this," Sue said. "She could have been kidnapped. What if they were kidnapped?"

  "Let's not get ahead of ourselves here," I said, speaking just as much to calm myself down. "There has to be a logical explanation. I’m sure there is. They were probably just put on the wrong bus."

  "What if they weren't?" Sue said, getting herself more and more worked up. "What if they were kidnapped?"

  "Three children at the same time?" I said. "That sounds very unlikely. Let's keep it to realistic scenarios."

  "Rebekka is right," Nancy said. "Let's stay calm for a second here. They're probably just on a different bus and, if we wait a little longer, they’ll probably come home or be driven back to the school and then they'll call us."

  "Okay," Sue said, taking in a deep breath. "Let's wait a little longer.
"

  7

  September 1990

  They went to the port for lunch, and Jane ordered a mahi-mahi sandwich, jerked, the way she preferred it. Jane enjoyed being out with her co-workers and especially enjoyed listening to them tell stories about the manager and about things that had happened before she came to work at Ron Jon's. It felt good to be with other people besides Bob. She realized she had missed it. She only wished he could be there too…to hear all of Tim's jokes and listen to Annabelle giggle. She was going to tell Bob all about it once she got home. The two others, Annabelle and Landon, who worked in accounting, left early since they had a meeting they had to go to, and soon it was just her and Tim left sitting at Captain Ed's Seafood Restaurant at Port Canaveral, finishing up their food. Jane listened politely as Tim told her all about his wife and two boys and how one of them couldn't say I beg your pardon properly and explained that it usually came out I beg your apartment, and also how the other one usually woke him up early in the morning by crawling on top of him with his wet diaper.

  It was all very cute, but Jane soon found it slightly boring. You probably had to have children of your own to understand. Jane and Bob had talked about children, but Jane wasn't really ready yet. She wanted to wait a few years more, while Bob wanted to start now.

  "How about you?" Tim asked slurping his soda. "Any kids?"

  She shook her head and finished her sandwich. She was getting ready to go back. Her lunch break was almost over.

  Tim was kind enough to pick up the check and, as they were about to get up, Jane suddenly spotted a familiar face approaching their table.

  Jane smiled widely at the sight of her husband. "Hi, hon. What are you doing here?"

  He had a strange look on his face, a flustered one that Jane didn't immediately recognize.

  "I…I wanted to surprise you for lunch, so I went to pick you up, and guess what? You weren't there."

  He ran a hand through his hair, laughing awkwardly.

  "They told me you were here, and guess what? There you are with…I’m sorry, I didn't catch your name?"

  Tim cleared his throat. "Tim Stover. I work in men's underwear."

  Bob chuckled nervously. "Of course, you do."

  "I’m sorry, babe. I already ate," Jane said. "I’m sorry for ruining your surprise."

  "Ruining it! Ruining it? No…it was a surprise alright."

  "O-okay. But we have to get back now. My lunch break is over in a few minutes," she said.

  Bob gave her a strange look. Then he forced a smile. It came off very awkward.

  "Of course. Let me give you a ride back."

  Jane nodded, thanked Tim for lunch, then got in the truck. Bob put the key in the ignition and started it up with a deep roar. He was about to back out of the spot when he hesitated, then killed the engine instead.

  "Say...who's Tim and how long have you been sleeping with him?"

  Jane's eyes grew wide. "Excuse me?"

  "Don't give me that."

  "What are you talking about? You saw us; we were just having lunch. There were others there earlier, but they had to leave. I only stayed to finish my food and because Tim had promised me a ride back."

  "You don't think I know what you two were doing? You think I am that stupid?"

  Jane felt her cheeks grow red. She really hadn't thought about it at all. There had never been jealousy between them, and she didn't think either of them had it in them.

  "No. I don't think you're stupid at all."

  "Well, you must since…you're obviously going behind my back."

  "What? No, you don't…"

  Jane stopped talking and sunk into the seat. She felt awful. Of course, it looked like she was alone with Tim. Heck, it almost looked like they had been on a date with him paying for her food and all. She couldn't believe she had been so stupid and insensitive toward Bob. She would have thought the same thing if she saw Bob out with some woman, wouldn't she? It was all just a stupid misunderstanding.

  "I am sorry," she said and grabbed his arm. "I really am. But nothing is going on. It was just a lunch. I can assure you. It was very innocent."

  Bob drew in a deep breath. He placed his hand on top of hers and looked into her eyes.

  "I believe you," he said. "And I forgive you."

  She smiled in relief. "Thank you, hon."

  He started the truck back up. "No problem. Just don't talk to him again, okay?"

  Bob turned his head to back up. Jane looked at him. Had he just said that? Had she heard him right? No, it couldn't be.

  "Excuse me…what?" she asked.

  He maneuvered the car out of the parking lot. "You heard me. Just don't talk to that Tim guy ever again, okay?"

  "How am I supposed to do that?" Jane asked, completely stupefied. "We work together?"

  Bob stopped at a red light. "You'll figure it out; I’m sure. And don't wear those pants again. They're too tight."

  Jane's eyes grew wide. She didn't know what to say. She felt so guilty for having been so inconsiderate toward him; she would do anything to make him happy again.

  "You don't like my pants?" she asked.

  "Oh, I love them, but they kind of send the wrong signal if you know what I mean."

  She didn't, but she didn't dare tell him. Instead, she simply nodded.

  "O-okay."

  "Maybe I should help you pick out your clothes from now on. The ones you wear for work. Just to make sure people like Tim don't get the wrong impression, huh?"

  Jane stared at her husband, completely baffled. She felt it was a harsh punishment and that he was kind of going too far, but still, she didn't say anything. She wanted him to forgive her completely and wanted it all to be over.

  So, she agreed.

  8

  May 2018

  Half an hour later, I was racing down Minutemen Causeway. Sue Porter and Nancy Browning were both with me. We had left William and J.T. with Tobias and Sune. We had waited twenty more minutes to see if another bus would come down A1A carrying our children, but none did.

  Now, I was about to explode. I too had called the school and asked Miss Elaine at the front desk where my child was, and she had given me the same response she had given Sue earlier.

  She didn't know.

  "Well, who does know then?" I had asked, enraged.

  Miss Elaine's voice had been cracking by this point. "I…I don't know!"

  It was a school zone, and I was definitely not allowed to go as fast as I was, but at this point, I didn't care. I needed to get back there and look for my daughter.

  I had tried calling her cell—of course I had, endlessly—but it went to her voicemail since it was turned off as usual during school hours. She wasn't even allowed to take it out on the bus.

  I parked the car in the parking lot, swinging it around so fast the two other women shrieked. And then my heart dropped…again.

  In front of the school, two police cars were parked. I spotted two officers in the middle of a crowd of parents. I didn't have to open the door to know that they were agitated and yelling at each other. I could tell by their strained faces and the wide gesticulation of arms.

  "What the heck is going on here?" Sue asked.

  I took in a deep breath and turned off the engine. "I guess we should go find out."

  The deep sensation of dread and fear was gnawing from the inside as we walked up toward the scene. I could now hear the parents yelling at the officers, while poor Miss Elaine hid behind one of them.

  "If you can't tell us where our kids are, then who can?" a dad said. His face was red with agitation.

  "Trudy was supposed to be home long ago! She has lacrosse practice," a mom said.

  "Aubrey has cheer," another mom said.

  "I know. I know, we all want you to find your children," the officer said.

  "So, why aren't you helping?" someone yelled from the back.

  "Yes, what exactly are you doing?" a mom chimed in, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

  The
officer cleared his throat. "We’ve called for help."

  "Help? What kind of help?"

  "Have you contacted the buses? I tried to call earlier, but they kept sending me to someone else and no one could answer my questions," the dad from earlier said, clenching his fist.

  "Let's try and remain…"

  "How about you, Miss Elaine?" a mom said. Her voice sounded more concerned than angry "When did you see them last?"

  "Now, there’s no use for anyone to be asking…" the officer started, standing between Miss Elaine and the crowd. "Miss Elaine here has told us everything she knows. All we know for now is they were all supposed to be on the bus, right?"

  "Right," someone mumbled.

  "Where's Mrs. Chapman?"

  "Yeah, where is she?" someone chimed in. "She's supposed to be the principal, isn't she?"

  "We demand to talk to her."

  "Yeah. We need answers."

  "Mrs. Chapman is at a meeting inland," the officer said. "She left around lunchtime. She's on her way back now. But Miss Elaine here tells us that everything went as normal this afternoon at dismissal. Your children all left the school area this afternoon as planned. They were lined up for the buses as usual but, somehow, they didn't get on. That's what we know so far."

  "How the heck is that even possible?" another angry dad asked. "How can a thing like this happen?"

  "We leave the kids in your care," a woman said addressed to the small and chubby Miss Elaine, who had started to cry. "We expect you to make sure they come home."

  I didn't quite understand why they were being so harsh on Miss Elaine since she was, after all, just the front office clerk; she had nothing to do with getting the kids on the buses at dismissal. But I guess she was the only one there, and we all needed someone, a face, to address our questions to.

  "What about the buses?" the dad from earlier repeated. "The kids were their responsibility as soon as they left the school, right? What do they have to say for themselves? Is there a bus out there somewhere that has taken the wrong route or something?"