The guys were called in by their manager for a short meeting. No one but their
families knew about Janis being there, so the couldn't take her with them.
"AJ can stay home with Janis, and we'll just tell him he's sick…really sick."
Brian said
"Will that work?" AJ asked
"Yah..it worked with Nick. Or course he really was sick that time..but that's
besides the point. As long as we make it believable, you're fine."
"Ok." AJ said
"We'll tell him you were puking non stop… ooohhh…and then you got the shits, so
it was kinda like a double whammy… or we cou..."
"I got it Brian!"
"Sorry."
AJ couldn't help but laugh at Brian's words. After the guys left, AJ decided to
take a shower. Janis watched TV for another 5 minutes, then turned it off. She
went into the kitchen and started putting some dishes away. About to put the
last glass away, she suddenly felt a blinding pain the back of her head. The
last thing she saw was the ceiling as she fell to the floor.
AJ quickly dried himself off, and put a pair of shorts and a shirt on. As he
walked through the hallway, he noticed the silence of the house. He turned the
corner near the kitchen, but didn't see Janis. He walked outside, and checked
the pool and hot tub, but she wasn't there either. When he came back in, he
glanced into the kitchen and noticed a broken glass on the floor. A sudden fear
rushed through his body as he ran to the bottom of the stairs calling her name,
but there was no answer.
His search was interrupted by the phone ringing. He swallowed hard as he went
to answer.
"Hello?"
"You can stop searching now AJ. I've found your girlfriend."
"Oh God…" He whispered as the busy signal came from the other end.
"Oh shit!" His voice got louder in panic while he dialed Kevin's cell. "Please
pick up Kevin… pick up!"
"Hello?"
"Kevin!! You gotta come home…she's gone… he took her!!" AJ yelled
"What?"
"Shawn!!…He's got Janis!!"
"Oh my God."
"Kevin, you gotta get here now!!"
"Alright… calm down."
"I can't calm down!"
"Just call the cops, we're on our way."
Kevin went back into the room to get the others. "I'm sorry, but we have to
leave… there's an emergency and we have to go."
"Kevin?" Brian wondered
"I'll explain on the way...Let's go!!"
"Ok, ok, don't get your panties in a knot!!" Brian joked, not knowing how
serious this was.
On the way home, Kevin explained to the guys about the phone call and what was
going on. By the time they got home, the police were already there.
"D…. I'm gonna need you to handle AJ while I talk to the cops." Kevin said
"Alright."
Kevin opened the door and could hear AJ beginning to raise his voice. Howie
rushed to him and started tugging on his arm, but AJ was unwilling to go.
"No, I have to stay by the phone!"
Howie kept pulling
"I have to wait by the phone!!" He said again
"Kevin's got it, not come on!!" Howie said, pulling AJ's arm.
AJ finally gave in, and they went to the room. They entered the room, and
Howie closed the door behind him.
"I shouldn't have left her alone Howie… I should have waited 'till you guys came
home."
"You had no idea AJ."
"I should have stayed with her!"
"How could you have know this was going to happen…stop blaming yourself!!!"
AJ sat on the edge of the bed, and put his head in his hands.
"You're not gonna make this easier if you're in a rage AJ…you gotta calm down."
"I know… I'm sorry." He said softly
Howie sat next to him and put his hand on AJ's shoulder.
"I thought it was over D…. I really did!!" AJ said
"I know… we all did…"
In the living room, Kevin was still talking to the same officer that was there
the other night.
"Well, according to AJ's statement, he was in the shower when Shawn came in the
house. So he must have been watching Janis for quite some time. There's a chance
he's been watching Janis since the other night. Which means he was waiting for a
time she'd be alone."
"So what are we supposed to do?" Brian asked
"For now, all we can do is wait. We're hoping Shawn will call again, so we can
track him and get a location. Until then, we just have to be patient."
Kevin closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He then looked at Nick. "I'm
gonna go check on AJ" He said.
