Mystery Island Chapter Four

Mrs. Lowery woke up hoping that her daughter missing, was just a dream. She got out of bed and went to the doorway of Stacey's room. She knew the nightmare was real when Stacey wasn't in there. The fear and pain of not knowing if her own daughter was safe or if she was was hurting or worse was more than she could bear. She began to sob again, falling to the floor in the hallway.Mr. Lowery came to her from the living room. He put his arms around her. He wanted to be strong for her, but inside he was scared out of his mind. Stacey was their whole world. If she is just playing a game with us and hiding at one of her friends house, well, I just want her home and safe. To be able to tell her we love her. He hugged her and they stood in the hallway sobbing together feeling the same pain and terror of having their child missing. He held his wife and tried not to let her see the tears that were falling from the corners of his eyes.




Jake's store was full of locals waiting to form a new plan to search the islands for Stacey. Tina Littleton was one of those people who took charge of situations. She gave the volunteers directions as to how they would comb the island and meet back at Jake's in two hours. They had radios to keep up with any information or leads they found. That way they could keep each other informed over the situation. She asked that everyone join hands in a circle and pray for Stacey and her parents.After they prayed, they all dispersed out into the island to hunt for the missing girl.


Jake was beside himself. “It was that Jesse McMillian. I am sure he had something to do with that Lowery girl missing. Just think about it Claude, everything was fine until he showed up and the very day he did show up Stacey goes missing. I don't understand why Sheriff McCoy isn't investigating that boy. He said that he was going to get a subpoena and question him. What is he waiting on. Something else is going to happen to someone or Marla if he waits too long to act.”


Claude spoke up, “Jake, you have had it in for that boy from square one. Nothing that boy has done points to him to be a suspect. He is just new to the island. That doesn't make him a criminal and besides that we don't know that Stacey is even really missing. You know that girl is always running away from home. She is a troubled teen who is rebellious. She probably is just hiding out to scare Mr. and Mrs. Lowery. She has done that before. I feel sorry for Mr. and Mrs. Lowery. They waited later in life to have kids and all Stacey had been is trouble and heartache to them.




Jesse walked into the store just as Claude finished talking. “Excuse me, Claude, I wanted to ask you a few questions. I am looking for my birth parents. I was given information that they may have lived here on this island. How long have you lived here and have you ever heard of Jessica or Melvin Sanders?”


Jake started coughing. “Who did you say?”


“Jessica or Melvin Sanders. They were my birth parents and I am not sure if they were married. My birth mother may have a different last name if they weren't married.” Jesse said with a pleading look in his eyes. He really was tired of hunting for them and he wanted nothing more than to find some shred of information that would point him to their whereabouts.







Jake found a chair and sat down real fast, like he would have fainted had he not sat in the chair. He was white as a ghost.


“Are you okay, Mr. Carpenter? You don't look so good.” Jesse commented to him.


“You okay, Jake? Do I need to go fetch the doctor?” Claude asked his buddy.


“I will be okay in a few minutes. Just let me sit here a little bit and I will be okay,”


Jake didn't look okay he looked like he might have just had a stroke.


Claude knew what was ailing him, but he kept quiet. “No, I can't recall hearing those names before. Sorry fellow, I hope you find something out that leads you to them.” He said as he patted Jesse on the back.


When Jesse left the store he ran into Sheriff McCoy, “Good, you saved me a ride out to Marla's. I have a subpoena to question you. You can come with me.” Sheriff McCoy said in a cocky, arrogant way.


Jesse didn't resist, he went along with the Sheriff voluntarily without any opposition. The Sheriff took him into the station and told Deputy Smith to start the paperwork for Jesse's questioning. “You can have a seat on that bench over there. Don't try any funny business or I will put you in a cell.”

Jesse sat down on the bench. He didn't act afraid or nervous about being questioned. He knew that he had nothing to do with the girl that was missing. He also knew that the Sheriff and others on the island were judging him for his black attire and the fact that he was new to the island. He heard the peck, peck, peck of the type writer keys as Deputy Smith made out the paperwork. These guys were out to get him, that was for sure. For the first time he thought about the possibility that they might be crooked cops. They may even be framing him for something they knew somebody else had done. His head started spinning and his palms got sweaty.

Marla Applegate came marching into the station with a very well dressed man in a suit who was carrying a suitcase. “Jesse, this is my lawyer, Delvin Banks. He has agreed to take your case. I know these guys are up to no good. I don't trust them. I knew they would try to pull this as soon as you came into town. That is why, I phoned Delvin and had him fly out to the island”

Delvin reached his hand out to shake Jesse's. “Mr. McMillan it is good to meet you. I will be present with you when you are questioned. You don't have to answer anything you don't want to in this preliminary questioning. I willl coach you to not answer some questions so look to me for the go ahead. I need to know exactly when you arrived on the island, any one you can remember who might have seen you and the route you took from the ocean inland.”

Jesse strained to remember everything he could about when he arrived there. He told Delvin everything he could think of. Delvin wrote everything he told him down. “Here, I need you to sign this, stating that this is your statement and you swear it to be the truth.”

Jesse took the pen from him and signed his signature and dated it. “I swear I didn't have anything to do with that girl that is missing. I never saw a young girl when I came here the first day. I would never hurt anyone and I am not a criminal.”

“I believe you Mr. McMillan. The important thing is that we establish a solid case with alibis that prove your innocence.” Delvin said in his lawyer tone.

“He will take good care of you. He is the best lawyer money can buy. Don't worry about anything. This is all going to get cleared up.” Marla said to him as she reached over and squeezed his hand.

“Thank you, Marla for getting your lawyer and everything.” Jesse said with a little nervousness in his voice.

Sheriff McCoy walked back into the station just in time to see Marla squeezing Jesse's hand.
“Well, well. Haven't seen you in a while Delvin. So, you got your hot shot lawyer for your boy toy. I don't think he is going to be able to help your little boyfriend.” Sheriff McCoy said smirking at Marla.

“Jesse is innocent. Delvin will prove it and you can go back to playing checkers in front of Jake's handee Mart.” Marla threw back at him.

“You are really something Marla. Nothing like a bimbo with a lot of money. You can't buy the law. I don't care how much money you have or hot shot lawyers.” Sheriff MCCoy made sure to insult Marla every chance he got. He had come onto Marla during one of her vacations with Lawrence. They had a Bar-B-Q at the mansion and invited everyone on the island so they could get to know them. Sheriff McCoy came onto Marla and she refused him. He thought that she was a bought companion for Lawrence since he was so much older that she was. Sheriff McCoy thought he could get a little piece of the action. Ever since Marla rejected him he had made it his goal to degrade her.

Claude asked Jake, “Are you gonna be okay. I almost fell in the floor when he said your wife's name with her high school sweetheart. You never told me they had a baby together. He must have gotten her pregnant in high school and she gave the baby up for adoption. Did she ever tell you she had a baby when you were married to her?”

“Claude, I can't talk about this right now. I can never stand to think of her and the way she ran away with Melvin. Why did she marry me if she was in love with him, still the whole time. She is like poison to every man that loves her. You can never trust a beautiful woman.” Jake said with defeat all over his face.

“She was a beautiful woman. I know you can't be over her or what she did, leaving you and the girls. It just doesn't make sense the way she left like that.” Claude said more to himself than to Jake.

“I said I don't want to talk about it.” Jake sneered through clenched teeth.

“Okay, okay. I am going to grab a bite to eat at the grill. Can I do anything for you before I go?”

“No, just go!”

As Claude was about to head to the grill out back one of the search groups came running into the store. They were yelling we found her. We found her tied up in a cave out by Coco Cove. She was hungry and scared. She is over at the Docs right now getting checked out. Her parents are there. She doesn't know who did this to her. She said someone hit her in the head and knocked her out as she was walking home from Kayla Morrow's house two nights ago.