Tasha Alexander paced around her office in Gulfport, a sense of unease settling in her gut. It had been a few weeks since she’d taken over the private investigation firm from her brother, Marcus “Mack” Alexander, who had officially retired to focus on teaching and fatherhood. While she’d handled smaller cases so far—infidelity investigations, missing persons—it was clear that her new role wasn’t just about running an office. It was about stepping into some serious, often dangerous, territory.
Her second case hit her hard.
The phone rang. Tasha grabbed it quickly, knowing from the name on the caller ID that this would be no ordinary case.
“Tasha Alexander,” she answered.
“Ms. Alexander, this is Detective Samuels from the Pass Christian Police Department. We’ve got a situation. A 15-year-old girl, Emily Hayes, was abducted from her home earlier this morning. Her parents are beside themselves, and we’re hitting dead ends here. We’ve called you because we need someone who can move fast and dig deeper. The clock is ticking.”
Tasha’s heart raced as she listened to the detective. “What do you have so far?” she asked, her voice calm but her mind already working.
“Not much. She was supposed to be at school, but her mom found her missing when she woke up. No signs of forced entry, but her bedroom window was open. We suspect she left willingly, but we're not ruling out foul play. The parents are insisting something is wrong. We've got a few leads we’re following, but we need more eyes on this.”
Tasha felt her pulse quicken. A missing girl was always urgent, but when it was a teenager—someone just on the edge of childhood and adulthood—it brought a different level of tension. “I’ll head over right away. Do you have a photo of her? Any known associates?”
The detective promised to send over all the information. “We’ll be waiting at the house. Please hurry.”
---
By the time Tasha arrived in Pass Christian, the small coastal town had already begun to buzz with rumors. People were talking. Emily Hayes wasn’t a troublemaker; she was a good student, a quiet girl with a lot of potential, according to her teachers and friends. But there was something about the situation that didn’t sit right. Girls like Emily didn’t just disappear without reason.
The Hayes family lived in a modest home near the water, the kind of place where neighbors knew each other’s business, but never overstepped. Tasha was greeted by Emily’s mother, a distraught woman with tear-streaked cheeks and eyes wide with fear.
"Thank you for coming," the woman said, her voice shaky. "Please, you have to help us. Emily would never run away. Someone took her."
Tasha’s gut twisted as she took in the sight of the mother’s distress. She knew this wasn’t just a typical runaway case. There was something more to it, something lurking beneath the surface.
Tasha sat down with the family, reviewing all the details she could gather. Emily had a routine, the mother said. She was quiet, kept to herself, and had a few close friends at school. But there was one friend—Amanda—who Emily had been spending more time with recently. According to the mother, Amanda was a new girl in town, but no one knew much about her.
“Do you have a picture of Amanda?” Tasha asked.
Emily’s mother nodded and handed over a recent photo of the two girls together. They looked close, laughing and enjoying the day at the beach. But something about the way Emily held herself, almost like she was shielding herself from the camera, made Tasha pause. There was more to this relationship than just a friendship.
Tasha glanced at the photo and then made a decision. “I need to talk to Amanda. I’ll be right back.”
---
Amanda’s house wasn’t far from the Hayes family’s, just a few blocks away. Tasha arrived at the front door to find a disheveled woman in her early thirties, who looked surprised at the knock.
“I’m looking for your daughter, Amanda. She’s a friend of Emily Hayes. Have you seen her today?” Tasha asked, keeping her voice firm yet friendly.
The woman blinked, clearly caught off guard. “Amanda? She’s not home. She left early this morning. I haven’t seen her since then. What’s going on?”
Tasha didn’t buy it. She was no stranger to the way people could evade the truth when they were hiding something. “I’m investigating Emily’s disappearance, and I think Amanda might know more than she’s telling. I need to talk to her.”
The woman’s face twisted into something between worry and guilt. “Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Amanda’s just a teenager, what could she possibly have to do with all this?”
“Then why did she leave this morning? Why is she hiding out?” Tasha pressed.
The woman hesitated, then glanced over her shoulder nervously. “I’ll tell you what I know. But I want you to know I’m just trying to protect my daughter. You can’t keep poking around like this.”
Tasha wasn’t backing down. “Tell me what you know, and we’ll make sure this gets resolved.”
The woman sighed deeply. “Amanda... she’s been hanging out with some older boys. I didn’t want to say anything, but Emily started spending time with them, too. They’re not good news—gang connections, troublemakers. I didn’t want Amanda to get involved, but she wouldn’t listen. I’m afraid this is about more than just a friendship.”
---
Tasha knew this case was more complicated than it seemed. She returned to the Hayes home, piecing together what she had learned. Emily’s relationship with Amanda and the boys had put her in a dangerous situation. But there was one thing that kept nagging at her—the fact that no one had seen Amanda since the morning.
Tasha called in some backup, asking for a search of the area. A few hours later, her team located Amanda’s phone. The tracking information led them to an abandoned house on the outskirts of Pass Christian. It was a run-down property, known for being a hideout for local gangs.
Tasha arrived on the scene, her heart pounding. This was it. The final push.
---
Inside the house, Tasha found Amanda—and Emily. They were hiding in a bedroom, scared and confused. Amanda had been trying to protect her friend, but she had gotten in over her head. Emily had been forced into a dangerous situation, and the older boys were involved in illegal activities, including drug trafficking. They had threatened to hurt Emily if she didn’t comply.
Tasha was able to get both girls to safety and notify the authorities. With the help of the police, they arrested the men involved in the abduction, and the girls were returned to their families.
---
The case wasn’t easy, but Tasha had done what her brother had taught her—never give up, even when the road seemed impossible. As she walked out of the Hayes home later that night, the weight of the case lifted, and a deep sense of accomplishment settled in her chest.
When she returned to her office, she picked up her phone to text Mack.
“Case closed. We got her home safe. Just like you taught me.”
As she set the phone down, she realized that this was just the beginning. Her path was set, and she was ready for whatever came next.
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