I sat in front of the computer and pressed its dusty start button. It took minutes for the ancient machine to light up. When it did, I clicked on the internet icon and typed in Sterling Cove University. Standard landing pages appeared with information about academic programs and tuition scales. The picturesque campus balanced a perfect mix of green lawns and stone buildings. I imagined the fun Brian and Danny must be having there. The fun I might one day have there. Then I thought about the girls, each one being plucked from this ideal setting and plopped into oblivion.
I went back to the search window and typed in SCU students missing. About four links down the page, I noticed an online article from the campus newspaper, The Dunes:
Missing Students Calls for More SCU Security
SCU students are becoming increasingly unnerved. Five female undergrads have been reported missing since November, a disturbing trend police are calling suspicious. However, campus security encourages students to be vigilant, not scared.
“We still don’t know enough about these disappearances to determine whether or not foul play is involved,” says Mitch Mellencamp, head of campus security. “We do ask that students be hyperaware in coming weeks. Look out for your friends and look out for yourselves.”
The campus has tightened security as a precautionary measure. The campus will be considered closed after midnight. Dormitory residents are expected to be indoors by that time. Security staff has also been increased during on-campus events. “Our priority is keeping everyone safe until we have a clear understanding of what’s happening here,” says Mellencamp.
For those with classmates who have gone missing, it’s clear what’s happened. “Someone’s taken her,” says Rhonda Sams. Her roommate, Veronica Albright, has been gone since early November. She was the first SCU student reported missing. “She was a dedicated student. She didn’t party. She’s not the type of person who would walk away without saying anything.”
Others are doing whatever they can to raise awareness. “I know someone out there knows something,” says Minka Meyers. “They may not realize how important their information is. But it could be instrumental in bringing my sister home.” Her sister, Mila, was the third student reported missing. She cut off contact from family and friends in late January.
I stopped and reread the article. Something bothered me, but I wasn’t sure what. Then I read it again. Mila. I covered my mouth and scooted my rolling chair with my feet. The girl who’d followed Brian home at Christmas was named Mila. I remembered her. It could be a coincidence—just like Brian not telling me about the girls. But what if it wasn’t?
I thought of something Dad used to say: you string two or more coincidences together, and you have a conspiracy. Is that what was blooming in my mind? A conspiracy about Brian and these missing girls? It bothered me how normal the idea felt. I leaned over the keyboard, touching my temples with my fingers. I certainly couldn’t jump to conclusions without more information. The article provided a name only: Mila. There were no pictures. I had no idea if this was the same girl who stood outside my house, and even if it was…
I started typing. I wasn’t going to allow assumptions to cloud my thoughts until I had more facts. I clicked on more articles and gathered as much information as I could about each girl who’d gone missing. I pulled a blank sheet of paper out of the printer slot and started making a detailed list.
Girl 1: Victoria Albright. November. Her roommate provided a quote in the interview. Last seen walking back from the science lab at night.
Girl 2: Dana. Early December. She was scheduled to meet her mom at the mall. She never made it.
Girl 3: Mila Meyers. Late January. Lived with her sister in an off-campus apartment.
Girl 4: Becky. February. Last seen at a party with friends.
Girl 5: Melody. Last seen in March.
Looking at the calendar pinned to the wall, I realized Melody was only reported missing two weeks earlier. She’d also gone to a party and never returned.
I took a deep breath and tried to think. I compared the timeline I’d created to another, more sinister one unraveling in my mind. There was a frightening gap in December, the time Brian would have been home for holiday break. I opened the search screen and typed in the name Mila Meyers.
A handful of articles had been written specifically about her case. The second one included a picture. Staring back at me through the screen was the same beautiful girl who’d stood outside my house in the December cold. A month later, she’d vanished.
I started crying. Crying hard and fast, gulping for air. What were the chances? What were the odds? If Brian had mentioned her disappearance, I might have felt more at ease now. But he hadn’t said a word. He gladly provided his fraternity’s beer pong stats, but he wouldn’t mention girls were going missing? He wouldn’t mention that the girl I’d seen him with over Christmas break had gone missing?
From the same place where those questions arose, another alarm rang. I’d always been convinced Brian was trouble, although my mind never went this far. Was this the sibling rivalry I’d pushed down bubbling up to stir problems? Sure, Brian could be manipulative. But was he capable of a murder, let alone five?
I printed out Mila’s picture, along with the photos of the other missing girls. I put them all together in a line. Some were short, others were tall, like Mila. They were all slim with blonde hair of varying lengths. They all looked like me. We could be cousins. Even sisters. I’d always read killers had a type. Was this Brian’s type? Girls who looked like me? Gah, what was I even thinking, describing my own brother as a killer? I slammed a
