Free Wanted by Amanda Lance Page B

in his face and I remembered that dark edge I had seen him go over when enraged, I pulsated with the possibility that he might drag me over it with him.
    “All anybody ‘round here cares ‘bout is profit. Messing with people’s heads wouldn’t do nobody any good.” The darkness seemed to fade out and I was well-aware of my own relief. I saw his lips twitch up in a smile that promised something fantastic and warm. “’Sides, ain’t nobody around here smart enough to think of something like that anyhow.”
    “Isn’t messing with people’s heads a key element in business?”
    “How is messing with your head gonna help me?”
    “Maybe you’re holding me for ransom. Getting me to cooperate would make your job considerably easier.”
    His smile turned into a full-fledged grin. “Come on. I wanna show you something.”
    Back inside his cabin, Charlie pulled out a laptop from inside a plastic crate that was covered with worn stickers and labels that I couldn’t read. He sat on the bed and gestured for me to sit beside him. “We don’t got access for much longer, so you better hurry up.”
    I was reluctant to sit beside him for several reasons, the main one being how uncomfortable his physical presence actually made me and the other involved how part of me wanted to take that seat next to him.
    His fingers typed away at the keys. While still looking at the screen, he said, “I promise I won’t bite…unless you ask.”
    I rolled my eyes to make it very clear I was disgusted, and then sat as far away from him on the bed as I possibly could. I didn’t want him to know he affected me. At the same time I was glad the oversized jacket covered the blush that spread across my arms. I folded my legs while he handed me the laptop. I was amazed to see my name in so many of the blue links, most of them from trusted news providers.
    “What—”
    He started to laugh. “You’ve been front page news for the last day or so.”
    I scrolled down the page of the search engine and read the links. Most of them were repetitive with titles like: “Local Teen Gone Missing,” “Progeny Homeschooled Student Missing from Filling Station,” and “Kidnapped Teen and Murder in Syracuse.” Beneath them in small print I saw my name, which Charlie had typed in the search engine. I clicked on a few, but they only relayed information I already knew. It was only the articles filed within the last few hours that really intrigued my interest.
     
    “Suspect in Battes Kidnapping”
    Syracuse, NY — With cooperation from local authorities, FBI officials have obtained video documentation of missing teenager Adeline Battes recorded within an hour of her father reporting her disappearance. Miss Battes is viewed on security camera footage speaking with a male whom authorities have identified as Charles Hays, who is now wanted for questioning in the Battes kidnapping and whose arrest warrant is also being issued for numerous parole violations.
    Hays, convicted of voluntary manslaughter, felony theft, and unlawful weapons possession, is a well-known associate of alleged art thief and illegal tradesman Benjamin Walden. Walden and Hays were both incarcerated at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution. Walden was convicted of second degree murder in 1996. He was paroled in 2010, but failed to maintain contact with the state and remains at large. Hays, paroled in 2009, has also failed to maintain the terms of that parole agreement, and has now been positively identified by witnesses and camera footage as the male Miss Battes was speaking with.
    Both men are considered extremely dangerous and should not be approached under any circumstances. Any citizen with any information should contact their local authorities or FBI office.
     
    I clicked the back button and looked over at Charlie. His expression of complete apathy made me tremble. Could I really be in the presence of a killer?
    “Is that stuff true?”
    He shrugged. “You can’t believe