Confidential by Jack Parker Read Free Book Online Page A

composure as much as possible; despite the fact that I was doing everything he had just said I shouldn't do. I looked back and the guy wasn't there anymore. "That's weird; I thought he was behind me a second ago." As I turned back around, he was right in front of me and I screamed in surprise. While he lunged at me, I smacked him as hard as I could. He stood there, a little shocked, but I took my chance and sprinted back towards the cafeteria with him at my heels. He reached me first, grabbed my shirt and spun me around.
    "I have a message for you," he whispered close to my face, his breath smelled disgusting. "They have connections everywhere. And if you even think about saying a word, we'll find you, your friends, your family; we'll make sure they all regret your… choice," he said the last word with a grin and shoved me back into the loud, noisy cafeteria.
    I watched him walk away and my hands shook violently as I answered my vibrating cell phone. "H-hello?"
    "Heidi?" the detective's worried voice over the phone was kind of comforting.
    "I'm okay. He didn't hurt me."
    "We are going to come and get you. Phoenix isn't safe for you anymore." And with that, he hung up the phone.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter 5
     
     
     
    I stood frozen in place while people walked by me, chatting, laughing, and yelling. My life used to be wonderful. What had happened? I couldn't sleep at night. I couldn't be alone. I couldn't even go to school, the only normal thing I had left. What had happened? I didn't know how long I stood there, but eventually Detective Kaiser and O'Connor walked up to me.
    "You need to come with me right now; we will take care of everything with your school," Kaiser said, pulling me lightly forward.
    I nodded numbly, feeling like those two men were the only people that I could trust. "Why do they do this?" I asked my voice breaking a little; fat tears falling silently down my face.
    "You can destroy them. They're scared of you."
    I scoffed. "No." I shook my head. "No they're not. The only the reason they haven't killed me… is because they don't know I'm helping you." My lip started trembling. "I really, really don't want to die," I said in a small voice.
    "We're not going to let that happen," Detective O'Connor assured me. "We have someone arranging a place for you to go right now. We will take care of everything. All we need you to do is to stay safe."
    I found myself at the police station, with the two detectives explaining to me what was going to happen to my life.
    "It's going to completely change," Detective Kaiser said. Thanks…don't try to sugar coat it or anything.
    Detective O'Connor shot him a look, apparently thinking the same thing. "Your first name will stay the same, but we have given you the last name Risler, since you are Swiss. We don't want to make any change too drastic, just in case you need to talk about your background."
    "How did you know I was Swiss?" I asked, a little surprised.
    "Ah… your file" He tapped a folder. I didn't know how he found out all of that info and I wasn't sure I wanted to know.
    "We have decided to move you to Franklin, Iowa, and while we continue our investigation here, we will have someone stationed there to watch over you, an agent of ours." He pulled out a sheet. "So your story is, because it is nearing the end of fall, which is an odd time to move, your parents are going on a sabbatical, and want you to visit your aunt, a women named Anna Michaels, who you will be staying with."
    "My parents won't come with me?" I asked meekly.
    "Unfortunately not, it is impossible. It would be too much of a give-away and we need your father to stay here to ensure that our deal goes through. And your mother…." He struggled to find the words.
    "Would tell the whole state of Iowa," I finished for him.
    "She has quite the mouth on her," Detective Kaiser added.
    I looked at him blankly, just to show my displeasure. Only I was allowed to insult her.