Rita Logan and the Dark Tower - Episode 10

Episode 10:

Truthfully, this wasn't an uncommon instance in Rita Logan's life. She had seen more spooky houses, mysterious swamps, and hidden passageways than anyone her age. So, this locked door didn't seem such a great obstacle, but as they say, looks can be deceiving.

Matt used his exception all cool gizmo to pick the lock, but that seemed to only send the door into lockdown mode. Several clicks reverberated through the small space. Each click seemed in time with Rita's heart.

"What was that?" She asked.

Matt smiled sheepishly. They had been under the impression this place was just a normal, aging tower with normal locks and zero security. They should have guessed something like this would happen. Rita had told them about the the front door without a lock and the holographic images inside the living room.

"Minor setbacks," he said. "Nothing to worry about. We've got it covered."

Noah's expression was classic, a cross between you're crazy and maybe he was adopted. "There is no 'we' in this equation. There There's only you."

"Cosmo said these could get him into any normal door."

"Then I guess we're dealing with something that is not normal." Rita retrieved the flashlight from the dusty messenger bag and trained it on the door. It appeared to be made of wood, but when she knocked on it with her flashlight, it echoed like it was hollow metal. "That is definitely not a normal door. It's extra thick, not to mention made of something that sounds like metal and looks like wood."

Matt grabbed the flashlight and shined it on the hinges. They were gleaming and new and wired for electricity.

"This thing is booby trapped," he said. "Who would go to this much trouble to secure a door in a crumbling death trap?"

"That, my brother, is an excellent question." Noah climbed out the big hole in the side of the stairwell. He wandered around the courtyard trying to catch a signal on his phone. He was so distracted he didn't notice the short girl with the pageboy haircut carrying a pile of books toward the back of the dark tower. She was walking swiftly as if she knew she was expected and was already late.

Noah turned into the girl's path and they crashed into each other. Her books went flying along with his cell phone. The girl lost her balance but Noah's quick reflexes had him reaching for her arm. He grasped it and jerked her back up right.

"You all right?" he asked, dropping the girl's arm like a hot potato. Not because she was ugly but the opposite. She possessed what he called Nerdy Chic. She wasn't a style icon but she had feminine touches in all the right places balanced with her natural girl librarian outside.

He reached down to retrieve her fallen books but she pushed his hand out of the way as she gathered them back in her arms. Noah noticed all the books were published by the same company, Legacy Press. He'd never heard of the publisher and made a mental note of it.

"I'm fine," she said, obviously nervous. "My fault entirely." She spun around to make a speedy exit and stepped squarely on Noah's phone. It made the piercing sound of breaking glass. Her eyes showed shock and apology as she mumbled goodbye and disappeared behind the tower. Noah quickly followed curious about the mysterious girl but somehow, with only a few steps she had effectively disappeared.

Noah grabbed his broken cell, shoved it into his jacket pocket, and walked back to the gaping hole in the side of the tower's front stairwell.

***

In the meantime, Rita watched Matt examine the door. At that moment, if he could have dissected the door with his eyes, he would have done it.

"It's just a door, not a bank vault," Rita said.

"I'm not so sure about that, " Matt said. "Hollow metal, shattering lock and booby trapped hinges, whatever is inside this tower, someone really doesn't want us to see it."

"We got in once," Rita said.

"You had the element of surprise. Now they're onto you."

"Whomever they are."

"Right."

Rita pressed on the wall beside the door. She tested the firmness wondering if this wall was as strong as the one she'd accidently fell through earlier. While Matt was fascinated with the door, Rita picked up a loose board near the haphazard wall of tables in chairs and began to poke at a weak spot. It wasn't long before she had a small hole in the wall. She reached hear hand through and unlocked the door from the other side. Matt was leaning on the door when it suddenly wasn't  holding his weight any more. He landed on his hands and feet inside a dusty corridor.

"How'd you do that?" he muttered.

"You couldn't open the door. I had a better idea."

Rita was known for her ability to think outside the box. Today, this just seemed the most logical conclusion to her. Noah peered in from the outside. He saw the open door. "Nice Good thing you didn't need my idea."

"What was your idea?" Rita asked.

"I was going to search for the model number etched in the door, but I crashed into someone in the courtyard and her shoe did a number on my phone." He displayed the broken pieces. "Dad is going to kill me. I wish I knew how to fix it. I'm not due for another upgrade for over a year."

"Bad luck," Matt said. "Phoneless on the first week of school." He shook his head. "You'll be a social outcast. You'll be unconnected." He gasped melodramatically. "You'll actually have to use the library. "That's inhumane, bro."

"Some of us do get through life without a phone."

"Who? Do you know them? Are they old? Do they still use rotary phones you have to plug into a wall?"

Rita shook her head. "There's something wrong with you, Matt."

He smiled mischievously. He knew he was weird and was perfectly okay with the label.

"You can borrow my phone for anything you need," Rita said. "Not that the library is the entrance to the Underworld or anything."

Matt chucked. "Speak for yourself. Mrs. Worth, the librarian? She's scary. I mean, if you dressed up like her for Halloween, I'd be mighty frightened. She's like my kryptonite. I can't go near her without getting the shivers."

"That's only because she stood up to you in the 4th Grade and forced you to do your homework in study hall."

Matt shivered. "I still have flashbacks."

Cover possibility

Here is a test cover. This isn't the real art of Rita, but it is a shot I took with my ipod.

Rita Logan and the Dark Tower: Episode 9

Rita Logan and the Dark Tower

Episode 9:

by Toni Walker

Rita Logan and brothers, Noah and Matt Strong managed to sneak out by doing a typical teenage activity: going to the movies. Rita knew that her parent's wouldn't want her going back to the Dark Tower so soon, especially after what had happened the first time. But if they had really thought about it, they should have realized their daughter wouldn't let this big of a mystery go.

"We should only be gone a couple of hours," Matt reassured them. "And we promise to come straight home.

"See that you do," Rita's father said, his eyes were questioning, as if he didn't quite believe this story but was going to let it go for now.

The three of them hurried to the green beat up station wagon Stephen Strong called his second car. None of them commented on how ugly it was or how unpopular just being seen in it would make them seem. They were just grateful they didn't have to ride their bikes across town.

"Before we get back, we need to read up on this plot of this movie we're supposedly going to," Rita suggested.

"It's an action flick. A lot of stuff blows up. There are cool effects and a love story thrown in for the female viewers," Matt said. "What's there to read up on?"

"Plus," Noah added. "Matt's already seen it like three times."

"It's gonna be a classic!"

"You're too weird," Rita said.

"I know," Matt laughed. "That's why you love me."

Rita chuckled and rolled her eyes. "You wish."

It only took the trio a few minutes to make their way to the dark tower. It loomed above them like a dark beacon. The moon, high in the sky, cast an ominous glow on the restricted area. Rita leaned against the fence while Noah worked on the lock. 

It had been nearly impossible to get into the first time. She hoped something in her backpack would make it easier to enter this time. 

"I have a few ideas about how to get into the tower,"  Matt said pulling a crumpled map out of his bag. 

Noah studied the map momentarily and grabbed Matt's arm. "Wait here. We shouldn't be long."

Rita found herself on the long staircase leading up toward a metal door. She wondered what was inside they wanted to keep so protected. It must have been pretty important considering the thickness of the door. 

Someone wanted to keep snooping eyes away. 

A police car turned onto the road that ran in front of the tower. Rita knew none of them were supposed to be there, so being caught by the police wouldn't be a good thing. 

She hurried down the stairs and hid behind the incline of the steps. She peered over them waiting for the cruiser to pass by. She leaned forward to tuck her head below the stairs as the spotlight from the police car panned over the area. She crouched down even further putting more pressure on the stairway wall. Something gave way beneath her fingertips. Rita fell forward into the darkness. 

* * *

Matt and Noah also noticed the police car cruising around the block. They ducked behind some rusted trash cans and flattened themselves against the building. 

"Dad must have put some extra patrols up," Noah said. "We have to get inside ASAP. He may have some of his men on foot patrol."

"He's such an over-achiever," Matt mumbled. 

Noah fiddled with the lock on the cellar door. He'd borrowed a tool from his dad's kit. It looked like a gun with long thin tweezers on the end. It only had one use, picking locks. 

He stuck the end of the gun into the lock and squeezed the trigger a few times. In a few seconds the padlock was off and they were inside.

"Piece of cake," Matt yelped slipping in behind Noah. "Dad has the coolest toys."

"Dad better not find out we borrowed this. We'll be grounded until we're thirty."

"My lips are sealed bro."

* * *

The darkness surrounded Rita like a blanket. She moaned and opened her eyes to total darkness. 

Noah and Matt heard the crash and came running around the building. The large gaping hole in the side of the stairwell was obvious. Noah shined his flashlight and found Rita crumpled in a ball a few feet down. She wasn't moving. 

Matt climbed down into the hole and took the flashlight from Noah, who followed in his brother's footsteps. 

"Do you think she's all right?" Matt asked. The beam from the flashlight  bounced around the dark area. 

Noah leaned down and felt Rita's pulse but before he could count out the beats, she stirred. 

"She's awake," he said. Noah helped her sit up, but she was a bit wobbly. Matt trained the light on her face. 

"I think she's cut her head," he said. "She's bleeding."

"I'm not surprised. That was a pretty long fall. I hope she doesn't have a concussion. Maybe we should have dad check her out."

"No," Rita protested weakly. "I've made it this far. I want to keep going."

"You are so stubborn," Noah said. 

"Mom says I get that from her."

Rita had to lean against Noah, but she eventually found her footing. She discovered her flashlight broken into three pieces on the floor in front of her. "Great. Now we're out one light."

"We should take you back to the Strong Compound," Matt said. "You really don't look good."

"Will you both stop it? I bumped my head. I'm fine."

Rita leaned against the wall to steady herself and her hand made contact with the light switch. She flipped it up before saying anything to Noah and Matt. They shielded their eyes against the brightness.

"Woah, warn a guy next time. I think I'm going blind." Matt rubbed his eyes and squinted taking a look at the world around him. Tables, cabinets and chains were stacked haphazardly in the small space. 

'What is this place? A grave yard for school supplies?"

Behind the wall of desks peeked a door handle. Rita pointed it out to the boys.

"Maybe we can get in through that door," Rita suggested.

"Or... we could go in the door that doesn't have a million chairs stacked in front of it." Matt suggested.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying," Rita asked.

"We found a way in. Having a sheriff as a dad has its perks," Matt said. "Not to mention really handy tools and an automatic get out of jail free card if something goes drastically wrong.

Rita Logan and the Dark Tower - Episode 8

 

Rita Logan and the Dark Tower

Episode 8

Sunlight fell on the face of Rita Logan peeking over the roof of the house next door spilling over the window sill. It slowly nudged her out of her slumber whispering that morning had arrived.

She rolled over away from the brightness subconsciously wanting a bit more sleep. But her mind, the part that remembered the events of yesterday, shouted at her from inside its gauzy depths, "GET UP!"

Rita's heart pounded beating a rapid rhythm that felt lodged in her throat. She rubbed her eyes and let them adjust to the sunlight. Her feet dangled off the edge of the bed.

The room where she found herself was unfamiliar. It wasn't a place she had spent any time, but it was the sort of room she'd found herself many times in her life. Her parents never verbalized their fears, but every so often those fears came to the forefront of their lives pushing them to move out of town.

Rita wasn't sure what they were running from but she did know one thing -- those fears were building again.

This was why she's never allowed herself to become close to anyone. She knew eventually her parents would get 'that look' in their eyes and calmly tell her it was time to move again.

She heard her parents voices somewhere outside her door. She'd been so busy following the clues of her new mystery she'd almost forgotten they'd both been missing for a few days.

"Mom? Dad?" she said with surprising pep in her voice. "Is that really you?"

"Yes, pumpkin. It's us." Ford Logan tousled his oldest girl's hair. "Didn't think you could get rid of us that easily, did you?"

"I didn't know what happened. I came home from school and you were just gone. Even Xander, my evil half-brother, went missing. Not that I'm complaining, at least, about Xander."

Rita's parents apologized for not being able to find her during their time of crisis and they didn't explain further. She thought it was odd at the time but was more focused on her own mystery quest.

She checked her phone and there was a message from Kyle. asking her where she was. She was a popular girl these days. He was apparently hiding in her house. At text from Jordan followed with a frantic message that George was missing.

Rita could have run, but where would she go? She was bruised everywhere and it still hurt to move. She sat up in bed, her head spinning a bit. How had all this happened without her? A suitcase full of clothes was lying on the dresser. Someone had thought ahead to pack things for her. That was odd considering they'd forgotten to inform her about the danger.

Something wasn't right. And she felt like her parents were still keeping something from her.

Rita slipped into the outfit on top of the pile, grabbed her messenger bag and moved to the window. She had to find Kyle and Jordan and see what was really going on.

She was in the process of removing the screen when Noah appeared in her doorway.

"Rita? You up?"

She stilled. What was Noah Strong doing here at the safe house?"

"Just a minute!" Rita yelled. She replaced the screen pulled the curtains and moved to her bed. "Okay, you can come in," she called.

Noah poked his head in the door. "I just wanted to make sure you were all right. You came in a bit out of it last night."

"I was going back to the Dark Tower to do a bit more investigation, but I guess I never made it. Somehow, I woke up here."

"Oh, you made it all right. And about got yourself kidnapped for your trouble."

"Kidnapped?"

"Some man in black came out of the shadows and grabbed you. If it hadn't been for my brother, Micah, there's no telling where you'd be right now."

She let that thought sink in for a moment, but it didn't effect her in the way Noah thought. She wasn't scared, she was frustrated.

"All of these fantastical things have happened and I'm not any closer to solving the mystery of the Dark Tower than I was when I started." Rita huffed.

"Maybe staying safe is more important than solving a mystery no one cares about."

"That's just crazy talk," she muttered. "Everyone in town wonders about the Dark Tower. Strange lights, strange noises at all times of night. Heck, there was a holographic image on the first floor projecting an image of a living room. Why on earth would they do that unless something strange was going on?"

Noah was also interested in knowing what was going on at the Dark Tower, but he wouldn't admit that to his father, who was against trespassing on the property again.

"All right. We'll go over there together and figure this out, but we need to make sure our parents don't know what we're doing."

"Cool," said a voice behind them. It was Noah's brother, Matt. "So, are we saying 'road trip?'"

Episode 7: Duct Tape & Secret Passages

Rita Logan and the Dark Tower
Part 7: Duct Tape and Secret Passages
by Toni Walker

A hand closed over Rita Logan’s mouth. She struggled against her attacker for a good minute before he started dragging her toward the woods. She felt herself getting a bit woozy. Whatever was on the rag in his hand was causing her to loose consciousness.

Micah Strong heard the commotion from his position on the far side of the Dark Tower. He approached the goon that had Rita from behind and tapped him on the shoulder.

“You know, kidnapping is not a real nice way of introducing yourself.” He spoke casually, like the good-ole-boy from the south he was. His calm façade produced the results he wanted. The goon craned his neck around, dropping the rag covering Rita’s mouth. She melted to the floor out of the bad guy’s hands as he spun around to attack.

“Howdy,” Micah said. “Nice meeting ya.” In Micah’s hands was a long strip of silver duct tape. Before the goon knew what was happening Micah had the tape twisted around his wrists, trapping him . As he moved around the tape came up him until the man was bound by the silver tape. The goon grunted in protest.

“Love to stay and chat,” he said slapping the man on the back. “But I’ve got somewhere I need to be.”

Micah grabbed the rag soaked in sleep inducing agent and shoved it into the man’s mouth. “Sleep tight.”

There was something a bit unconventional about Micah Strong. He did things his own way. And that had a lot of people questioning him. But his results were rock solid.

“You’re weird, you know that?” Rita said slurring her words.

Micah smiled. “I like to call it thinking on my feet,” he said. “It did the job, didn’t it?

She had to agree. His odd way of saving her did produce results.

“You can think of me like MacGyver.”

A confused expression crossed her face. “Who?”

Micah sighed and shook his head. Kids were getting younger and younger every day. “Never mind.”

A few steps into their walk to his Jeep had Rita stumbling. He scooped her up and carried her the rest of the way. As he drove the short distance, Rita spoke in gibberish he couldn’t understand. Rita was more effected by the sleep agent that he first thought . Her head bobbed as she struggled to remain awake.

Up ahead was the Strong Compound, it was where his father did all his deep thinking. He pulled his Jeep Wrangler into the long round driveway parking out front. Cosmo met him at the door.

“What happened to her?” Cosmo asked.

Micah carried Rita from the Jeep and past the computer nerd. “They tried to get her. Right in front of us they tried to get her.” He easily deposited her sleeping form on the nearest couch.

“Ballsy bastards, aren’t they?” Cosmo muttered.

Helen and Ford Logan, Rita’s parents appeared at the top of the second landing and rushed down the stairs when they saw their daughter.

“She’s fine,” Micah reassured them. “Just a little sleepy. It will wear off soon.”

“You promised me they wouldn’t get her,” Helen stressed.

Steven Strong, Micah’s father, appeared from the next room. “And they didn’t get her. She’s safe and she’s home.”

“I can’t believe you’ve pulled us from our home, Steven,” Helen said. “We haven’t had time to talk to Rita about any of this.”

“You know my theory has been the less they know the better,” Steven said.

“The kids deserve to know what they’re up against.” Ford Logan crossed his arms over his chest.

The door to the compound opened and everyone turned toward the foyer. The housekeeper opened the entrance revealing Noah and Matt.

“Yeah, dad. We deserve to know what is going on,” Noah said.

^^^

The basement of Rita’s home was dark and smelled like lint and dryer sheets. Kyle Fillmore coughed then sneezed. He was allergic to mold. There was probably mold down here too. He’d have to tell the Logan’s to do something about the mold. Having mold in your house wasn’t safe.

When the previous intruders had exited and Kyle was sure the coast was clear, he exited the cardboard box where he’d been hiding. It wasn’t the most original place to hide but it served its purpose.

He felt his pulse skyrocket when someone else entered the house. He took a few deep breaths and forced himself not to pass out. Being comatose on the floor was not the best way to evade the bad guys. He quickly jumped back into the box. The bottom was filled with clothes vacuumed sealed inside plastic sleeves. Each movement made a discernible crackling sound. He’d have to be as quiet as a church mouse to keep the bad ones from discovering his location.

^^^

Jordan Langford and her boyfriend, George exchanged troubling glances.

“He has to be here,” Jordan said as she swept her pink highlighted hair behind one ear.

“We are talking about Kyle here,” George reminded her. “And what about Rita and her family? Weren’t they supposed to be here too?”

“This is just too weird,” she whispered. “I feel like Rita looking for clues.”

“Rita’s parents are gone. Rita is gone and know Kyle. Are you sure this is the night they wanted to hair the family dinner?”

“I’m certain,” Jordan said. “There are two things I’m never wrong about. Music and food. And you couldn’t make me miss one of Mrs. Logan’s homemade meals.”

A crash in the basement had Jordan and George running down the back stairs. They found Kyle flat on his face in the middle of the laundry room floor.

“What are you doing?” Jordan asked.

“Obviously, I’m hiding.” Kyle stood and brushed the lint off his pants and shirt.

George leaned against the wall next to the washing machine. Before Jordan could tease Kyle any more, George yelped. When they both turned around to look, George was gone.

Part 6 - Surprise Attack

Rita Logan and the Dark Tower

PART 6 - Surprise Attack

"What are you doing?" Matt pulled Noah aside. "Dad is
going to totally freak out. He doesn't like when we
get civilians involved in police business."

Noah used hushed tones but Matt could tell how serious
he was. "We need her, Matt. What if our paren't were
the ones missing. Wouldn't you want someone to believe
you? Help you find them?

"Of course, but..." Matt wasn't sure about this.

"But nothing. She needs our help and we're going to
give it to her."

"Where do we start?" Matt asked. He gave in easily
already knowing Noah would win any argument where
Rita's safety was concerned.

"I think I have something," Rita said..

She pulled out an old photo of her parents when they
were teenagers. "Look at this. Look in the background.
Isn't that the dark tower?"

"Yeah, it could be. This must have been taken back in
the day when the tower wasn't so spooky," Matt said.
"It looks pratically brand new."

Noah examined the photo more intently.

"Matt, doesn't that look like Micah's girlfriend?"

"It couldn't be," Rita said. "This photo must be over
twenty years old."

"That must be her mother," Matt said.

"We need to show this to Dad. It may be a big clue if
more people in the photo are among the missing."

"Can we borrow this?" Matt asked.

"Why don't you just scan it and email it to your
father?"

Rita led them into her bedroom and plugged in a
portable scanner to her laptop. The boys were focused
on sending the email when they heard a loud click from
across the room.

"What was that?" Noah asked.

Matt turned toward the door. "She's locked us in!"

"Sorry, boys. If my parents are in danger, I have to
go after them. I had to make sure you wouldn't stop
me."

They could hear the front door slam and her
convertible speed off.

"I can't believe we fell for that," Noah said. "The
ole come-up-to-my-bedroom-and-scan-the-picture-ploy."

"Well, while we're here, we might as well send this
photo to Dad. This could be a super clue." Matt
scanned in the image and sent the email.

Meanwhile, Noah worked on the archaic lock and managed
to slide a nail file between the door latch and the
wall. It didn't take him long to jimmy the lock and
free them from the bedroom. But Rita did have a pretty
big head start on them.

"Exactly how much trouble do you think we're in?" Matt
asked.

"Cosmo has probably already told Dad about the cell
phone triangulation and Rita's missing parents," Noah
said. "If I miss my guess, he probably beat Rita
there. And our brother, Micah, couldn't be far
behind."

"But do you think we're in trouble?"

"Probably. Keeping things from Dad always gets us in
trouble," Noah said.

***

"What do you mean?" Steven Strong asked his buddy and
fellow detective, Cosmo.

"Matt and Noah went and talked to Rita Logan," Cosmo
said. "But don't get mad. They found something. Check
our your email. They sent you something. I think it's
a clue."

Steven wasn't used to his sons sneaking into an
investigation, although, he shouldn't be surprised by
their actions. His sons had solved more cases in
Gateway City than most of the detectives on his squad.
Steven knew his face was blood red. It had to be. His
blood pressure was pounding in his ears.

As he entered his password into his personal email
program, he willed himself to calm down. His sons
seemed to be two of the few people who could make him
lose his cool. And that meddlesome Rita Logan wasn't
far behind.

He scanned the photo and the quick note left by Matt.
He sighed in frustration. He should have known he
couldn't hide something like this from his sons. He
grabbed the phone on his desk and called Micah's
private cell.

"Rita Logan and your brothers are closing in on
solving the case," Steven told his oldest son.

"I told you that you should have confided in them.
They're curious guys. You should know. You raised
them," Micah said. "And Rita Logan being involved will
only make Noah want to help more. You know he has a
crush on the girl."

"I know. You were right. I think we should bring them
all in on this case before the whole thing blows up in
our face." Steven wasn't happy about having to involve
his youngest sons i the case. This was a pretty
dangerous one, one that would, in the end, get someone
killed.

Micah was so silent on the other end of the line,
Steven feared his untrustworthy cell phone had dropped
the call. It wasn't until he heard his son's sharp
intake of breath that he knew that wasn't the case.

"We've got a problem, Dad. The Logan girl is back and
alone. I don't think a bunch of holograms are going to
scare her off as easily this time."

Like a spector, Detective Micah Strong moved with the
shadows, stealthy and secretive. He was an expert
tracker. Gateway City criminals didn't have a chance
of resisting his hometown all-star allure.

Steven was afraid of that. He wasn't a fan of getting
civillians involved in an investigation but he feared
if he didn't, those missing college girls would be
lost to him forever.

"Bring her back to the compound. I think we need to
have a chat with Ms. Logan and the boys."

"Your sons are on their way back," Cosmo said as he
monitored the surveillance cameras they'd set up all
around the dark tower. "Rita locked them into her
room," he said with a snicker.

"Good. Thanks." Steven took a deep breath. He didn't
want to think about what they were doing in Rita
Logan's bedroom.

***

Rita Logan had a feeling about that strange
holographic set up in the living area of the tower.
She had a feeling it was just a red herring to either
scare her off or throw her off. Either way, it had
done its job on her first visit. The tactic wouldn't
be so successful a second time.

Before she got within fifteen feet of the front door
of the tower a gloved hand grabbed her mouth and
shoved her forcefully toward the woods behind Mrs.
Cresswell's cabin. Rita struggled but something was
wrong. With each step she felt weaker and weaker. The
woods ahead began to blur in her vision and before she
could see where the kidnapper was taking her, she
passed out.

Chapter 5 - Watchers

Rita Logan and the Dark Tower
Part 5

When Rita Logan arrived home after dropping off Kyle and Jordan, she found the house strangely quiet. The only noise ws the ticking of a battery-powered clock in the living room.

"Mom? Dad? You home?" Rita called out to her parents but got no response. As she made her way into the kitchen and dropped her books on the table, she found a note taped to the refrigerator. The note said: "Gone to Park Ridge Mall to shop. Be back home late."

Rita glanced at the time. Nine o'clock. It was already late. They could have stopped in town to see a couple of their friends. Then something on the stove caught her eye. One of the burners on the stove was still on. She quickly turned off the gas and let out a sigh of relief. If the burner had been on any longer, all the potatoes boiling in the pot of water would have burned.. Her mother never left the stove unattended. What was going on here?

A knock at the front door broke her concentration. Rita nearly jumped a mile. Who would be visiting her at such a late hour? A glance through the peep hole gave her the answer.

Matt and Noah Strong.

***

Steven Strong and Cosmo reviewed the surveilence footage of Rita Logan and her friends.

"I don't think she knows anything, boss. Did you see how that Cresswell woman gave her the brush off? That woman is as cold as ice. Freaky col, if you ask me."

"What we have here are a string of random disappearances. What is someone doing with all these people?" Steven Strong asked.

"But, what about Cresswell? Have you checked her out?"

"I've known Lady Bird Cresswell for years. If she knew anything she'd come to me about it."

While Mr. Strong stared at the wall of evidence photos pinned to a large corkboard, Cosmo pulled out his cell phone. If Mr. Strong wouldn't check out Mrs. Crewell, he knew someone who would.

***

Rita opened the door just as Matt's cell phon rang. He waved at her and took the call which left Noah and Rita staring awkwardly at one another.

"Can we come in," Noah said after a beat. "It's important."

"Actually, I'm glad you're both here. I think I have a real mystery on my hands."

Noah followed Rita into the living room. It was one of those fancy sitting rooms where people didn't actually sit, they just looked. Matt waved again and smiled at Rita all the while still talking on his phone,. He stayed near the window while he spoke in hushed tones.

"What's up?" Noah asked eagerly. He was always ready to jump head first into a mystery.

"When I got home tonight, I found this note." Rita handed it to Noah who held it by its edge. He didn't want to mess up any possible fingerprints. "A short time later I noticed one of the burners in the kitchen was still on. The water was nearly gone in this pot. I think my mother would never do something so irresponsible. I think something happened to my parents."

"Whoa," Noah said. "That's quite a leap in logic."

"It makes sense if you add in the fact of how jumpy they've both been this past week. Something's going on, Noah. Something they wouldn't tell me about."

"You don't think it has anything to do with your investigation of the Dark Tower, do you?"

"How'd you know about that?"

"We saw you from our house. It's not far from the dark tower," Matt answered joining the two. "Hi, Rita," he said with a smile and turned to Noah. "That was Cosmo on the phone. Apparently, we weren't the only people watching Rita enter the tower. Dad's on the case with Cosmo. Cosmo wants us to question Mrs. Cresswell. He thinks there might be a lead there."

"You all have been watching me? That's a little creepy. Kyle did say that he thought Noah was the one who helped us escape."

Noah held up his hands. "Hey, it wasn't me."

"It was probably Micah. He gets mistaken for Noah all the time. Micah has been taking a short hiatus from college to help Dad with an investigation. Actually, that's kind of why we're here. Micah's girlfriend was one of the first to vanish."

"Vanish?" Rita said, immediately thinking of her parents. And there may be more that we don't know about," Noah said handing Rita a list of the missing.

"I know all these people," Rita said. "They're friends of my parents."

"Have you tried calling your parents?" Noah asked, hoping to impart a bit of common sense into the mix.

"No, not yet," she said, calming down a bit. "That lit burner thing really threw me for a loop."

"Why don't you try calling them now," Noah suggested.

Rita nodded and punched the numbers into her cell phone. She waited a beat and then heard the phone connect.

"Someone's picked up," she whispered. "Hello? Mom?"

"It's only muted noise and shuffling," she said. "Maybe I got the wrong number."

"Don't hang up!" Noah shouted. He placed a quick call to Cosmo. "I'm going to have mother's cell phone. With the technologically available now, location."

Noah paused, listening to Cosmo. "You're sure?" he said. "Thanks Cosmo."

"What did he say," Matt and Rita said in unison.

"The signal was coming from inside the dark tower."