Girl Finds Missing Brother’s Car near Her Trailer One Morning, Finds Letter Inside – Story of the Day

Lily's ordinary morning went wrong as she spotted her missing brother's car outside her trailer. To her disappointment, her brother was not inside, but she found her first clue since his disappearance.

Lily's coffee cup slipped from her grasp as her gaze landed on the car outside her trailer. She screamed for her husband, Dan, as she leaped from the porch and dashed toward the car that had appeared overnight.

A week ago, her brother John didn't turn up for a family barbecue, and he never replied to Lily's calls. When she went to his apartment, his place was a mess, and nobody knew where he was.

Lily's heart raced as she peered inside through the car's windows. The vehicle sat empty, keys dangled from the ignition, and a note was taped to the steering wheel...

"We have your brother," Lily began reading the note, and a chill ran down her spine. "He has worked off most of his debt over the past few days. He's a talented chemist who produces good products.

"All you need to do to secure his release is deliver the goods inside this car across the border…from Des Moines to Mexico.

"If you go to the cops, your brother dies. If you don't go to Mexico, he dies. If you try to cheat, he dies. 36 hours is all you have. You will receive further instructions after crossing the border."

"Lily?"

Lily jumped in fright as she saw Dan standing beside the car, staring at her worriedly. She threw herself into his arms and cried.

"Look at this," She thrust the note into Dan's hands as they went inside. "What am I supposed to do, babe? Even if I do as they say, they might still kill John or keep him locked up like some slave chemist, making their drugs."

Dan sighed as he read the note. "I can't let you do this, babe. This is too dangerous."

"It's about my brother, Dan! You can't stop me!"

"I'm not. In fact, all I'm saying is I'll go."

"No, no," Lily shook her head. "I can't put you in danger too. What if they lose it when they see you're driving the car and not me?"

"Relax, Lily," Dan placed her hand on hers. "By then, you'll have found where these people are keeping John and gotten him out of there. We've both got to do what we're good at if we're going to save John."

Lily hated the idea, but Dan was right. Several years in a job tracking down debtors for a collection agency had equipped her with skills she could use to find the drug dealers who'd taken John. And Lily knew where exactly to start looking for them: the hottest nightclub in town.

After she found the dealers, Lily would buy their stuff, then follow them and find their boss and John.

***

Lily sat at the bar, away from the dancefloor, and scanned the crowd. A man wearing a scuffed leather jacket stood out among the brightly-dressed dancers as he wove across the dancefloor. She approached him.

"Hey," Lily smiled. "Can you help me get some good stuff? I heard the new batch is really good."

"Back off, lady!" the man sneered. "I'm no drug dealer. And yeah, it's better if you quit using that stuff."

Lily backed away fast. As she returned to the bar, a man asked her to buy a drink. Lily composed herself and winked. "I'm actually looking for something…more powerful, you know," she said.

"Heck no! I don't date junkies," The man backed off with his hands raised.

Lily frowned. She was running out of time. Finally, Lily beckoned to the bartender. She leaned across the bar and spoke into his ears. "I'm looking for the good stuff; somebody here must have it. If you could just point me in the right direction."

"Sure I can!" the bartender sneered and pointed to the exit. "We don't tolerate illegal activities here, lady!"

Moments later, security marched Lily out of the club. But she couldn't give up. She peered into the darkness, trying to find a way to get back inside via a staff entrance when she felt a pat on her shoulder.

"I heard you're looking for something," said a voice, and Lily spun around. "Typical noob," the man went on. "I guess some buddy of yours gave you a taste of the good stuff, and now you've come looking for more."

Lily nodded hastily. "Yes, something like that. You got any? My buddy said I had to try the new batch."

"Meet me here at 12 tomorrow, and I'll hook you up. You made enough noise back in there," he pointed to the club. "Can't risk it today."

Lily parked at the alley entrance the next day, and the man approached her car. "How much can I get ya?" he asked as she rolled down the window.

"Everything you've got. My buddy asked me to get enough for a party, so I need 100 grams."

"Jeez, noob!" the man grumbled. "You think I walk around with bulk orders, huh? Need some time for that much."

"Please, I don't want to wait." Lily looked up at him with puppy-dog eyes.

"OK, OK. Put in your digits," He offered his phone. "I'll call you in an hour and tell you where we meet. I'll arrange it for ya."

Lily typed in her number but decided she couldn't afford to lose track of him.

Lily followed the man's car and saw him pull into a restaurant's drive-through. She groaned in frustration. She didn't have time for his stupid lunch break!

As Lily saw him exit the drive-through, her phone rang.

"I've got your stuff," he said on the phone. "Meet me at the park on the corner of Washington in ten minutes."

Lily stared back at the restaurant, and it was then it hit her. The restaurant had to be a front for the drug dealers. After all, the man hadn't stopped anywhere else!

"Uh, sorry, but my buddy just texted me he got what he needed from his regular guy. Maybe next time," she said and heard a string of swear words before she hung up.

Lily parked outside the restaurant and hurried inside. But nothing there seemed unusual—it was a regular diner.

But when she glanced back at the entrance, she froze. The man she'd met in the alley was standing beside her car with some scruffy-looking men.

If they caught her, it was all over for John. So as she saw the men approach the entrance, she dashed toward the closest exit.

"Sorry, sorry!" She apologized for colliding with a waiter and almost bumping into a man carrying a tray of frozen meat.

Lily ran around the side of the delivery truck parked near the door. A second delivery truck was parked nearby. One of the doors to the cargo space stood open. Lily ran to the truck, dived inside, and hid in the corner behind the closed door.

''The delivery guy said she went this way!" she heard the men say.

Lily pulled her pepper spray from her pocket and held it out, ready to use, when someone poked their head into her hiding spot.

Footsteps pounded on the concrete. Then the footsteps passed her and continued until she no longer heard them.

That's when Lily noticed this was not an ordinary delivery truck—there were barrels with skulls and crossbones on them, packages of safety glasses and face masks stacked beside a pile of hazmat suits…things one needed to cook up drugs.

The door to the cargo area banged shut and sealed with a clang that resonated through the space. The truck lurched into motion a minute later, carrying Lily to an unknown destination.

Lily braced herself in the corner and removed her phone from her pocket. She'd send Dan her location the moment it stopped. This truck would surely take her to where John was being kept.

Lily shut her eyes and leaned back against the truck siding. Everything now depended on this truck taking her to John.

When the truck finally stopped, Lily painfully stretched out her stiff legs. She stood as quietly as possible, but every sound seemed to echo through the cargo space.

One of the doors clanged open, admitting a bright beam of light.

"Offload immediately?" A man said.

Lily flattened herself into the corner as a man stepped up to the opening.

''Of course! Help me get the trolley for those barrels!" The man's reply boomed in the cargo space.

Lily listened to him and his companion walk away and crept to the open door. The truck had stopped on a dirt road strewn with sand. It was not fully night yet.

Lily climbed from the truck and hid behind a mesquite tree nearby. There were no signs of civilization as far as she could see. Then the men appeared and began unloading the truck. She saw a long trailer on the desert sand only after they drove away.

When Lily peeped inside, her hands went to her mouth in shock. John was alive, safe, smiling, and working happily inside! He wasn't held a prisoner; he was a willing participant in this drug business! Lily's concerns for him faded, and rage took over!

''You lying scumbag!'' Lily snarled. ''I'm going to wring your neck!''

"Woah, Lily!" John raised his hands and backed away. "Look, I know you're mad, but I can explain! I…I had no choice. I started taking stuff to help me study during college, and then I got into debt and lost my scholarship.

"I was in a bad place, and this was the only way out, Lily. They'd kill me if I didn't work for them. I didn't want to get you involved, but a fire recently… destroyed everything. I had to find a way to keep my head off the chopping block.

"And I know you would've never helped me if I didn't trick you. You'd have gone to the cops instead. I promise I'm going to get out after this. This is my last job for them."

"Of course, I would've gone to the cops! But I don't believe a word of your promise, so forget the way to my house! I'm not reporting you, but I can't forgive you either, John!"

Lily turned to leave, but her phone started vibrating in her pocket.

''This is Sergeant Nguyen, ma'am," a man's voice appeared on the call. "Your husband's been arrested."

Lily braced herself against the wall. Dan was in trouble, big trouble, but the only way to save him was to turn John in.

Lily remembered Dan's insistence that he drives the car to the border and his steadfast faith in her ability to find John. Lily turned to face John. "I'm with someone right now who can explain everything to you! My husband is innocent, officer!"

"You said you wouldn't turn me in," John shouted.

Lily took out her pepper spray, sprayed it at John, and slammed the door shut.

''Ma'am," Sergeant Nguyen said. ''Is everything okay?"

''Officer, I'm sending you my location," Lily said. "Please get here as fast as possible!"

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