Tess

Tuesday morning arrived and Tess, with Sam as her back up had developed a strategy and was ready to put it in place.

Janine, not being a gregarious social butterfly, should be easy enough to isolate and confront then Tess and Sam could compel her to allow Tess to see Tom to ascertain unequivocally that he was content with his current set up.

Attending first class, their plan went for naught, Janine was absent from school.

“She’s not here,” Sam stated, hands on hips, frown on her face.

“We need to ditch, go to her place and confront her there, the longer this drags on, the more concerned I become. I think she’s ducking us deliberately,” Tess stated, mouth pursed, purpose in her verdant eyes.

“What do you want to do?”

“We’ll take a cab over,” offered Tess.

Sam grinned, “I’m in, as long as we can avoid Miss Addison.”

Avoid the strict teacher was fairly simple and Tess made arrangements to have the cab pick them up off of school property at corner coffee/donut shop. Still dressed in their school uniforms, the pair made their way to the destination for pick up, arriving moments ahead of the taxi. Climbing into the yellow Chevrolet, they both sat in the rear seat. Providing the driver with Janine’s address, they were off. The cabbie was a man of middle year, scruffy looking and beady eyes. He kept glancing back at the girls, an unwholesome expression on his stubbly face. Tess glanced at the identification on the taxi permit, Cedric Hubbard was the man’s name.

Arriving at their destination, Tess hastily payed the driver, who kind of gave her one last little case of the heebie jeebies when he licked his lips, before she and Sam got out of the cab.

“You girls want maybe I should stick around in case these people ain’t home,” he asked, leering smile showing off a gold colored canine tooth on the upper left side of his mouth.

Both girls shook their head simultaneously.

“Good thing it’s not gated,” commented Sam as they turned and walked up the drive toward the house, the cab pulling away slowly, Cedric getting himself one last look.

Getting to the front door, Sam pushed the doorbell, the electronic sound audible inside the house. Within a few moments, the door opened and the girls were greeted by the Lindholm’s housekeeper, though neither girl could remember the young woman’s name.

“May I help you?” asked the Latina woman.

Tess smiled, “We were wondering if we could see Janine, she wasn’t at school today and we were very concerned,” she explained.

Janine’s mother appeared atop the wide spiral staircase, “What is it Marta?” she asked, a bit of a tremor in her voice.

 “The young ladies are requesting to see Miss Janine,” explained Marta, looking up at the mistress of the house.

Karolina descended the staircase, wide smile on her beautiful face, pausing a moment at the base of the stairs, using the bannister post to steady herself.

“Are you okay missus?” Marta asked, eyes compassionate and concerned.

Karolina chuckled softly and nodding, a touch of crimson touching her cheeks, as if embarrassed. “Fine Marta,” she said, waving her free hand toward the housekeeper.

“Hi Mrs. Lindholm,” said Tess from beyond the portal.

Janine’s mother looked up, “Teresa and Samira,” she acknowledged, walking slowly over to the door. “Unfortunately Janine is feeling under the weather today,” she explained.

Tess smiled warmly, “That’s why we are here, we were concerned for her,” she replied. Sam nodded.

Karolina’s smile returned, “That’s wonderful, why don’t you girls come with me and I’ll show you to her room,” she offered.

The girls entered the house and Marta closed the door before bowing her head slightly and disappearing.

Again Janine’s mother paused at the bottom of the stairs, lower lip held between her teeth.

“Are you alright Mrs. Lindholm?” Tess asked, placing a hand on the older woman’s shoulder.

Karolina nodded, “Please, call me Lina and I’m just a little weak in the knees at the moment is all, I have a little something giving me some fits today,” she said, chuckling softly. “This way,” she added, leading the way up the stairs.

Tapping lightly on the closed door, Lina said, “Janine, Teresa and Samira are here from your school checking after your well-being.”

“I don’t want to see anyone,” Janine said from the other side of the door, voice truculent.

“Come on dear, they are here to see you,” Lina said.

“Fine,” Janine responded, the door opened.

“Go on in,” Lina invited, stepping aside to permit the girls access.

Janine’s room looked like someone had thrown a grenade into it. Furniture was pulled out from against the walls. Despite the surprising condition of the room, Janine herself looked positively gorgeous.

The blonde wore a practiced smile on her face. “Close it behind you,” she said, pointing at the door and looking at Sam.

Tess scanned the room, mouth a small circle. Sam shook her head from side to side.

“She knows, doesn’t she?” Janine asked Tress, looking at Sam.

Nodding slowly, “Yes, I told her,” Tess replied.

Janine raised her hands, palms up, to shoulder height, “Well, he’s gone,” she said.

“It’s really true then?” asked Sam, eyes wide. “Tom is super tiny?”

“Yep, it’s true, and the little bugger is gone. Either he hurt himself and can’t cry out, or he went looking for some food, or somebody else came and took him, but the end result is the same, he’s not here. I’ve been looking everywhere because I was worried about him, but now I’m scared for him,” Janine stated.

Sam let out a soft whistle, still looking at the wreckage of Janine’s room, “I’m guessing you’re pretty sure he isn’t in here,” she said.

Janine rewarded Sam with a mocking smile, “You think?”

Sam shook her head, “We’re here to help,” she said, tone slightly defensive.

“I know, help take him away,” she countered.

“If he’s gone, maybe he wasn’t as eager to stay as you made him out to be,” interjected Tess, voice holding an edge.

“Be my guest,” Janine said, leaning her butt back against her bed and spreading her arms, “See if little Tom wants to come out for you,” she encouraged.

Tess nodded, “Alright. Tom, it’s me, you can come out now,” she said, voice soft and warm, eyes locked onto Janine’s. No response.

Janine favored Tess with a smug look.

“Tom?” repeated Tess.

“No?” said Janine, standing back upright. “Well, I appreciate your ‘concern’ for me, but as you can see, I’m fine, so I guess I’ll see you two tomorrow,” she added, moving over to the door and opening it.

“Tom?” Sam asked.

Janine shook her head.

Tess frowned. It seemed to be exactly as Sam predicted. She didn’t get the feel Janine had accidently killed him or deliberately swallowed him. Somewhere in this big house her idiot brother was running loose. Walking to the door and stepping passed Janine to get into the hall, Tess yelled, “Tom?” But there was no answer.

Janine shook her head, looking first up one way then down the other in the hall. “No luck? Maybe he’s just playing shy or maybe he never wants to come home, guess we’ll find out when I catch him. Do you need for me to show you the way out, or do you think you can find it yourselves?”

Together Tess and Sam made their way downstairs, one last look before exiting the house.