The Orphanage by the Lake

by Daniel G. Miller

Insert Jojo Siwa voice. Thanks Social Media for ruining me

“Bette Davis Eyes”

“The head of the home, Thomas Mackenzie, who’s an old family friend, informed me that Mia had gone missing and asked if she had contacted me.”

I told him if he knew where the girls in his care were, we wouldn’t have to involve the police. Since then, he hasn’t returned my calls.”

I underline the name Thomas Mackenzie in my notes.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

He pauses, and for a moment, I think I might have found a gap in the brick wall. Then he says, “I’m sorry. We can’t comment on an active investigation.”

The way he says it gives me the creeps. It’s robotic, rehearsed, as though he’s hiding something. That they haven’t closed the investigation only adds to the sketchiness of the situation.

That this girl just straight up vanished in the middle of the night and the children’s home didn’t seem that worried about it? There has to be something more.

Something Madeline’s not telling me.

I can lol Hispanic for the win.

Dr. Mackenzie,

The fact he is a doctor is intriguing

“Ah. That place has quite the reputation for missing girls.”

In my research, I had found that other girls had gone missing. It’s not uncommon in children’s homes. But something about the way he says it is just…off.

“It’s almost like they vanish into thin air.” His lips curl.

“Not that I know of, but that’s not really my department. You’d have to talk to Detective Riether about that. But I’m sure you’ll have no problem solving the case, being a PI and all.”

Put a pin 📌 Detective & The Dr on poop list

I clench the steering wheel tighter. He takes another long look at my license and clears something from his teeth with his tongue. Something about this cop isn’t right.

“All right, Miss Cho. You’re free to go. Just be careful out there. You never know what might be lurking around the corner.”

From one glance, I can see this is a place of history. A place of tradition. A place of secrets.

The security guard does nothing to brighten my perception of the place. He’s dressed in an all-black security uniform with black combat boots.

Neil Paver.

As I pull forward, a tree branch slams against the passenger-side window, and I jump halfway out of my seat.

Love this sentence bc it shows what lies ahead. Is going to be dark

The clicks and cracks of the fire remind me of Christmas at my grandpa and grandma’s house. Yet I experience the same feeling that I did outside: that something is missing here.

“Mia is very special to me. She’s one of my favorite students. But for the police and these other private investigators, she’s just another girl. Girls run away all the time, they say. I’m hoping that as a woman, you understand that this isn’t just a girl. It’s Mia.”

she’s just a sweet, lovely girl. We must find her.”

We believe in a holistic approach at Saint Agnes. Unlike most children’s homes, we don’t just provide food and shelter. We provide educational, athletic, and spiritual enrichment as well.”

Noticing she’s not saying was one of my favorites…. Maybe she is concerned

Mia’s roommate, Penny, approached me and asked if I had seen Mia. I told her I hadn’t and asked her why she was asking. Penny explained to me that Mia was gone when she woke up this morning.

Penny arrived at the dining hall and noticed Mia wasn’t there either, she informed me.”

“I informed Dr. Mackenzie, of course.”

“He initiated a full search of the campus. But I should let him speak for himself. I’ve booked time on his calendar for you to speak with him in a little over an hour.”

“I assume you have security cameras.”

“And as part of your search, did you review the footage from the night that Mia went missing?”

“Yes. And that’s what makes it so vexing. The footage shows that nobody came onto the property or lef...

“How is that possible? We know she l...

“I’m sure Mr. Paver could tell you more about this than I can, but the cameras are only stationed along the gate and the tree lin...

“Why is ...

“Again, Mr. Paver would be much better equipped to answer your question, but I believe it would have been an additional cost, and the presumption was that no girl is going to jump into a forty-degree lake. Dr. Mackenzie has since corrected that and installed cameras at the lake.”

“What about internal cameras?”

“No internal cameras. Dr. Mackenzie feels that Saint Agnes should be like a church, free of technological intrusion. No cameras. No cell phones. No social media. No video games.”

“We’ve convinced him to let the girls use computers but with strict limitations on websites and email usage. It took us years to convince him ...

“Yes, Penny saw Mia in their room before she fell asleep.”

“I’m not positive, but I believe Penny said Mia was reading a book when she fell asleep. Yes, I remember, she was reading a book called The Inheritance Games.”

“Not right after. We do a bedtime check every evening to make sure the girls are in their rooms. Lights-out at nine o’clock.”

“Who does these checks? You were out of town, correct?”

I spot a glimmer in Sonia’s eye, and her back straigh...

“That’s correct that I was out of town, but to answer your first question, the staff that live on campus rotate who c...

“That would be Gregory Goolsbee, the choir teacher. He was also the last person to see her out of her room, as they had evening lessons.”

As she speaks, Sonia squints her eyes as though she’s trying to tell me something without telling me something. I turn the recording off and stand up from my chair.

“I’d like to speak with Mr. Goolsbee, now if possible.”