The Bindlestiff Mystery

Chapter 6: Who's Lying

I jumped up. My mom had a tone of urgency in her voice. “Mark, stay here until I find out what’s going on.”
“Stay? I’m outta here!” Mark started for the window.
“Mark, no! You’re better off here. Just let me find out what’s going on.”
Two police officers sat on my couch drinking coffee. Both looked up when I walked in the room.
“Hey, young man. Have a seat.” The first officer pointed to a chair. “Were you with that crowd having a party last night?”
“No, Sir.”
“Well, we have some very worried parents. Two of your classmates are missing—Mark Harmon and Julie Hines.” He glared at me. “Have any idea where they are this morning?”
“Mark is in my room, and I don’t know about Julie, Sir.”
Mom went to my room and yelled for Mark, “Come on out here. The police need to talk to both you boys.”
Mark slinked in and sat on the arm of my chair. He fidgeted with a loose string on his shirt.. I’ve never seen Mark scared of anything before.
“Mark why didn’t you go home last night? And where is Julie?” The officer asked.
“I just ran here when everyone scattered, and well, I decided to crash here. I planned to go home after I got some sleep. As for Julie, she was right behind me when we ran.” His hand shook as he nervously run his fingers through his hair. “She said she was staying at a friend’s house.”
The office jotted down a few notes. “Ok. Julie is not at any of her friends’ houses, and here parents are worried sick. She hasn’t called and no one has seen her.”
“I wish I could help,” Mark said, but I just don’t know.
Something about Mark felt off. Did he know more than he was saying?
The officer told Mark to go home and let his parents know he’s fine. They also told us they’re were organizing a search for Julie and some of her friends and family have already begun searching the woods.
When they left, I ran to get my shoes. “Come on, Mark, we have to go help look for her!”
“The officer told me to go home,” he said.
“Just call your mom and tell her you’re with me, and let’s go! What if she’s hurt?”
***
We ran to the woods. “let’s go ask Ben if he’s seen her?”
“That old hobo probably did something to her.” Mark said.
“Not Ben. I told you, he’s a nice guy.”
“You go ask him. I’ll wait here.”
I ran to Ben’s camp site. “Ben! I need to talk to you!”
He crawled out of his tent. “Where’s the fire.” He laughed.
“I’m serious, Ben. Julie is missing. Everyone scattered last night when the police came and ...”
“Ben stood up. “Wooah! I saw her last night. She wandered over this way, and startled me. I sprang up and said “Who’s there? She took off through the woods there.” He pointed to the woods. “I heard a scream, so I went running after her to see if she was okay, but she was way ahead of me. I guess I spooked her. She was stark naked!”
“Where is she now?”
Ben rubbed his head. “I don’t know. I had a flashback while running after her. I saw myself running naked in the woods, scared. I heard the sirens, and I ran back here.”
“Wait. You saw here before the cops came?”
“Yeah, I heard cops coming, and I hid in my tent.”
“Are you sure, Ben. You heard sirens after you saw her?”
“Positive! I ain’t about getting into trouble with the law, so I came back here.”
Why did Mark say she was right behind him? I had to go back to talk to Mark.
Mark stood where I left him. I ran up to him. “Ben said he saw Julie before the cops came, and she was running through the woods screaming with no clothes on.”
“You can’t believe a word that hold hobo says, Caleb. She was right behind me.”
“Come on, let’s go looking for her. Ben said she ran this way.”
Mark hesitated, but followed me.
We only walked a short distance before I heard Mark yell, “What’s that over there!” He pointed toward a fallen tree and sped off.
When I caught up to him my stomach churned at what I saw. It was Julie, clothes torn and her head bloody.