Before I am Famous

literature is something we infer after the story is told

Web Circles and Ultimate Freedom

Posted on | March 27, 2008 |

He arrived to a mob of reporters waiting for a statement from someone, anyone. This was a story for the times. Shauna Kelter, teenage daughter of old money millionaire Simon Kelter vanished with only a scrawled note left on her dresser. A big old mansion, state of the art security, this girl, in his opinion was not kidnaped but ran away. He was hired by the big man himself to find his daughter at any cost, a paycheck he was already spending away in Florida. Parking his car next to the police chief’s he checked himself in the mirror, smoothed his hair and clothes and exited the sedan. Like hungry lions spotting fresh meat, they surrounded him, dozens of flashes went off. He grumbled no comment and went inside.

A tall man sloppily dressed in jeans and button down shirt greeted him with a firm handshake, his badge reflected the light, “Are you the PI? I am Carey Smith, Lawndale P.D..”

“Ali Baba Averson,” he replied fully knowing what how the conversation.

The cop rolled with laughter, “Ali Baba, you’ve got to be joking me. I have heard some doozies in my time but this takes the take. What are you some big shot PI that needs to remain incognito or something?”

Ali took his hand away, “No actually that is my name. My mother had a warped sense of humor.” The local boy lowered his head. “Simon Kelter hired me. I am the best around. You tell me what you know, I will find his daughter and if you want you and your boys can take all the credit. I don’t need or want the fame, just to get the job done and get paid.”

Smith took out his notebook and recited the facts hee knew at that time. Her mother saw Shauna late this afternoon after she came home from school. Shauna went to her room and didn’t say a word. Her mother called her for dinner about 6:30 and she didn’t answer. Her mother sent a text message, called her cell phone and sent an email and still no reply. Feeling worried, she went upstairs to check on her and found that was gone. The door to Shauna’s balcony stood open. She left her cell phone and purse. Her mother found the note on her desk beside her computer. The note read, “gone off to a better life.”

After the rundown, Simon showed him to Shauna’s room. The boys in blue finished evidence collecting and left Ali to himself. Out of his pocket he pulled a pair of latex gloves and sat on her bed. The door remained open and he could hear the chatter of reporters and feel the early winter air. Trying to place herself in her thoughts, he lay on her bed and looked for cell phone on her bed table but it was gone. Ali decided to look in between the mattress and box spring, nothing. Tearing apart every inch of her expansive closet still, he found nothing. He looked through her purse and book bag, her desk and all her drawers.

Officer Smith knocked on the door and reported that Shauna’s friends haven’t seen her since school. In fact she didn’t return any phone calls, messages or emails. An odd thing for her since she always returns messages. A girl like Shauna would have a best friend, Smith produced the girl’s phone number and left him alone. He looked at her desk and noticed her computer. Ali went over and unplugged everything and opened up the tower. The computer’s hard drive sat untouched. He wiggled it free slipped it into a bag and into his pocket. He replaced the cover and plugged everything back in.

Ali drove the several miles to another mansion to Kelcey Sampson, another millionaire’s daughter and best friend to Shauna. Her parents sat beside her. She answered question but something prevented from spilling her guts to him. The worry in her eyes, the fidgeting of her fingers told him she knew far more. He stood to leave, thanked and shook each of their hands. He pressed his business card into Kelcey’s hand and left.

Ali drove no further than to the Quickie Mart when the cell phone rang.

“Mr. Averson, this is Kelcey.” No doubt calling from her cell phone, he thought. She continued, “do you think you can really find her?”

Ali pulled into the parking lot, “tell me what you know. Every bit of information I know helps me find her faster.”

“I am kind of scared for her.”

“Is it a man? Look, I am not going to judge who or your best friend. My mission is to find her. You can trust me, whatever you tell me will be secret.”

“Okay lately she added some new friends to her circle. You know web circles. I checked out some of the profiles and they are strange.”

“Tell me about them.”

“Well they don’t have pictures which is kind of weird and they write about ultimate freedom or bullshit like that,” Kelcey said, “sorry about cursing.”

“Don’t worry about it. Anything else?”

“I already knew they were weird because of no pics and what person doesn’t put pics up on Web Circle? Anyway today she tells me she will be free, truly free. I don’t know but how can Shauna want more freedom, she has everything she wants, she can do whatever she wants. She has more money than Paris Hilton.”

“I don’t know,” Ali agreed. The next move Web Circles and Shauna’s hard drive. “I will find her Kelcey I promise. Thanks for calling. You have helped me a lot.”

Hanging up with Kelcey, he called “Hackerbee” a young guy who did work for him before. Typically the rates only consisted of secrecy, a big mac meal, bag of chips, a twelve pack of soda and a bag of weed. Within an hour Ali and Hackerbee met at a dive motel. Hackerbee smoked and set up his computer and laptop. He took the hard drive and went to work. Ali went on the web through his phone and went to Web Circles. He found Shauna easily, a pretty in pink heiress smiling in lots of pictures with her friends, by herself, in her pajamas. Looking through her hundreds of web friends until he found the group Kelcey spoke about. He looked at profiles and they were similar, black backgrounds red lettering until he saw “Freedom Shepard” unknown location. His profile described a true freedom life and how to be free, living by the rules you set and experiencing everything about life. At face value, the idea sounded utopian but Ali felt there was more. By the time Ali discovered “Freedom Shepard” Hackerbee opened her hard drive and discovered her journal about ultimate freedom.

Ali instructed Hackerbee to find where Freedom Shepard wrote from. A few minutes later, the hacker produced two locations of Freedom Shepard one was at the A lota Late a coffee shop and internet café and the other a location outside of town, his home. Believing that her life was in danger, he quickly left and drove to the Shepard’s home.

He drove deeper into the woods until he came t a dirt road. Pulling his car off to the side, he loaded his 44 Magnum and holstered it. He locked the car and walked down the path until the end where he came upon a white shanty of a house, a dim light petered through the broken down window blind. Ali saw no shadows from the light he saw a shed in the back. Ever cautious of causing alarm, he walked slow and steady and looked in a basement window, it appeared empty. Ali Baba continued to the shed, pulled out his gun and slid open the door. The unoiled door screeched. A door opened from the house, the light cascaded to a figure naked, unconscious and chained to the wall. Heavy footsteps neared, he whirled around and shot a chunky balding man sporting some kind of rifle. The perpetrator thudded against the dirt ground.

Ali went into the shed and covered Shauna with his coat. He checked her pulse and she was still alive. Going back to the dying man he searched for keys and found them snug in his pocket. Ali unshackled the girl and called the authorities and wrapped her up and waited with her. He couldn’t understand why someone would hurt little girls.

 A special thanks to Zakaria Chowdhury at Pro Developer for help wit this story!

Category: weekly shorts

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