Justin Baron

Justin Baron was the most popular high school teenager.

He knew how to make girls like him and boys fear him.

He was 14 when he started carving his immaculately built body. He had wanted to look like comic books heroes then found out that his six packs spoke for him better than he could ever speak for himself. He looked like Greek athletes by the age of seventeen and was already the target for every cheerleader in the state.



He had sex whenever he liked with whomever he liked and didn't care to hide it.

He enslaved his family by his habits and considered his privacy to be court ordered.

Justin suddenly began to avoid people and tried to get away from everybody in school and in general. He stopped talking to everyone and quit football and didn't stay on the school campus a minute later than he had to.

He spent a lot of time locking himself in his room and refused to dine with his family. He was absolutely isolating himself and every one could see that but no one knew why.

He stopped bossing his mother and stopped asking his father for money. They were all bewildered and confused. His mother was sure that he was on drugs but his father couldn't believe that. He knew that Justin was selfish but not stupid.

'' Talk to him, see what’s wrong, if you don't find anything then I will go talk to him.'' his father said.

'' Justin, are you awake, please open up I need to talk to you.'' his mother knocked on his door.

She didn't get any answer. She could see the light coming from the room from under the door and knew that he was awake, probably doing home work or studying or talking on the phone.

20 minutes later she came back.

The room lights were turned off. She still wanted to talk to him and find out what was wrong with him. She tried to open the door but it was locked from the inside.

'' Justin, please open the door, we need to talk a little and it's still too early to sleep.'' no answer.

'' Open up and don't be silly, I know that you can hear me.'' She was determined.

When there was no answer, she went to the first floor and sat at the kitchen table and made herself a cup of ice tea. She tried to call his room from the kitchen phone; he had asked to have his own phone line and had managed to install a different phone line that goes only to his room.

She called his number but there was no answer. That was when she felt that there had to be something wrong with him, maybe he was stoned or maybe he had a big problem with a girl from school a problem with a pregnant girl, what if he had a disease!!

‘‘Ok that's It.'' she went to see his father,

‘‘He is not answering his phone, you know we agreed when we installed that phone that he had to answer our calls, he isn't opening his door either.''

'' Calm down he is probably just frustrated with his coach or a friend or had a fight at school, let alone his love life, don't worry about Justin. Let him sleep whatever is bothering him off and I think we could talk during breakfast.''

'' What if it's a pregnant girl or a legal problem James? Or it could be a problem that needs our quick interference?''

‘‘Whatever it is Susan, forcing ourselves into his room now won’t help.''

'' I am worried James and I want to look at him and hear him tell me that he is fine even if it was a lie.''

'' He has always been too busy with his life, we really never got to be his best friends, but you know what? I think that Justin knows how much we care for him and believe that he cares about us too. He doesn't show it just because it's not hip or trendy or whatever they say now.''

'' So?''

‘‘So if Justin has a legal issue he would come to his lawyer dad and if he has a medical issue he would go to his doctor mom. He is not an ungrateful kid, he is just a selfish toddler that has yet to age and learn that his family cares the most about him.''



She quieted down and they spent some time together, then went to bed.



The next morning, he didn't come down to breakfast. This time his father went to see him.

He knocked on the door, softly at first then a little more assertively.

'' Hey Jo open up buddy, it is breakfast time.'' he used to call him Jo as a short name of Mojo his nickname at school.

'' Jo open up, they say that some new hot girls have just hit the town, it's time to go work your Mojo buddy.''

This time Susan was also standing by the door, she gave James a look that said. ‘’Come on.’’ he replied by a look that said ‘’silly works sometimes.’’

No reply from Justin, absolutely nothing, no sound of a shuffle, no music, no phone calls, nothing. And the light was still off, and it looks like the curtains were drawn shut because the sun wasn't lightening his room either.

'' Now I am worried.'' Susan said

'' Now i am pissed.'' James replied

'' Hey Justin, listen man whatever it is we can work it out, just come out now.’’

'' Justin honey you are going to miss school if you don't come out now.''

''Justin this is enough and we are getting worried here, come out right now.''

No answer.

‘‘Ok, you know what? I am coming in anyway, you have a complete 5 minutes to wake up, walk to the door and unlock it, or I am coming in and there won’t be a lock for this door anymore.''

James was a wrestler during high school and college and he was very well built, he could walk through the door if he wanted to and Justin new that.

They walked down to the kitchen made coffee and waited for him to walk in at any minute after all he worshiped his privacy.

15 minutes later James put down the papers and took off his watch and untied his tie. He was going to make his threat come true and was preparing for tearing open the door. He had never beaten Justin before in his life and wasn't going to do it now, but his mind kept swinging between anger and worry and he didn't like both, he also had a court to attend to after an hour and had planned to pass by the office before he headed for the court. Now it looked like he was going to run directly to the court after he made sure that his son was alive and unharmed then they would have a serious discussion this night.

'' James calm down, he is just a boy, you said that yourself last night.''

'' I am going inside this room Susan but don’t worry I don’t beat up my kid.''

She didn't stop him as she was very worried and partially wanted to tear down the door herself, so she followed him.

'' Last warning Justin I am coming in.''

‘‘Ok back off Susan.''

He took two steps into the wide corridor and kicked the door next to the lock, the door budged but didn't open, he went back and kicked it again.

Susan was preparing herself for a bad surprise. The door was tougher than it looked and refused to open, she had tears in her eyes and held her breath, she knew that if Justin was well he would have tried to save his door lock that meant his privacy by any means.

A third and a harder kick directly to the lock succeeded in dislodging the latch and the door slightly opened, now James repeatedly kicked at it with fury until it was wide open and hanged on a screw from coming completely flying.

‘‘I don't get it.'' Susan said as she went into the room.

They entered the room to find it empty. Justin wasn't in his bed or anywhere in the room.

‘‘Are you sure that he slept here last night?'' James asked while holding Susan from running through the room, instinctively he felt the futility of his question and sensed that a team of forensics where coming home soon.

‘‘Of course he slept here last night, if he didn't then who locked the door from the inside and who was on the phone and who lit the light and then turned it off?''

'' Ok step back outside.''

''James, I am scared''

''Susan step outside. Now.''

They both went outside.



In the first floor, he was pacing the hall while she called his friends and asked to speak to their mothers. She found out that he didn't spend the night over at any of his friend's houses.

All his friends were home and ready to go to school.

‘’ Ok what about the girls?’’. She called all the girls in his phone book and some of them had already went to school but their parents assured her that their daughters didn't spend the night with her son, sometimes with scorn in their voices, some mothers were sympathetic and sounded concerned about Justin.

'' No have a missing son your honor.'' James said on the phone.

'' No he has theoretically spent the night in his room.'' He was apparently replying the judge's question.

'' Yes sir, will do that sir, thank you very much your honor.'' he hung up the phone.

‘‘Anything?'' he asked Susan.

‘‘No they all reported home and got to school this morning, no one else is missing and no one has seen him after school, he went after school alone yesterday and was very silent they said.''

‘‘Ok I have a friend with the FBI I will call him.''

'' What about your case?''

‘‘The judge spared me today and we will resume tomorrow supposing that everything is alright, he was very understanding and asked me to call him tonight and give him the details.''

‘‘I don't understand what we are facing James.'' she started crying.

He went to her and held her and rubbed her arms.

‘‘We will be fine Susan, don't worry, he is probably going through a phase, he will be back any time now, just try to stay calm.''

He got out his cell phone while still holding her and dialed a saved number.

‘‘Good morning Andrew, how is Jacqueline and the kids?''

‘‘everything is fine, I wanted to take your opinion about a little situation.''

''Justin came home from school yesterday and his mother is sure that he was in his room the whole time, he didn't answer any of our calls yesterday or today and I broke in to find his bed empty and tidy as he left it when he went to school.''

‘‘That’s a good point Andrew. I will go and see now.''

James went up and Susan followed him not knowing what they were looking for.

He went to the window and tried to slide it up.

‘‘This is strange too Andrew, the window is shut and locked from the inside.''



'' This is the only possibility left I guess, I will call you in an hour if I found out anything.''

He ended the call and looked to Susan who was still crying .

‘‘He says that Justin has probably went out while we were asleep and locked the room from the outside.''

‘‘But why would he do that James?''

‘‘I don’t know Susan, but I don't like this theory or understand this situation any more than you do.''

''I will go to his school, maybe he will show up there, I will keep in touch with you, call me if you reach him on his cell phone or if he returns, and let’s try to understand first then yell ok?''

‘‘ok, you call me if you find him''

''I will.''

He took the stair steps in wide strides and was headed for the door when his cell pore rang, it was his assistant at the office confirming his rescheduled hearing tomorrow, he was still talking to her while he unarmed the alarm system and unlocked the door from the inside, he didn't notice that the door was locked from the inside the way he had locked it the night before. He didn't notice that this door could not possibly be locked this way from the outside, also the alarm system couldn't be armed from the outside.

He got to his car and drove off to his son's school to look for him.

Now if we tie things together we find a physical impossibility staring us in the face,

The window was locked from inside,

The room door was locked from inside,

The house door was locked from inside and the alarm was armed,



Susan will find the kitchen door also locked from inside,



This night when Andrew McCartney comes down to the Baron's house hold he will ask the right questions, it won't be just

‘‘Where did Justin James Baron go?''

it will be: ''how did Justin go out?'' as well.





To be continued…