As a private investigator, I'm quite used to being employed by families of missing people. Often times they have left their kin simply because of familial tensions. Some unresolvable differences, toxic relationships are usually what drives them away.
So when a middle aged man walked into my office, and asked me to find his nineteen year old daughter, it wasn't all that unusual. His name was Vincent Avery. What struck me however, was just how crestfallen he looked. The man looked as though the weight of the universe was on his shoulders.
"I've been trying to reach her for three weeks." He told me, barely able to keep the tremble out of his voice, "Her phone is switched off, she's not on social media. Even her friends have no idea where she is. I'm.... I'm just worried that she might have drifted into bad company."
I agreed to take the case. And asked him what kind of a relationship he had with his daughter.
"We're very close, always have been. But you see, just a few months ago her mother passed away. I was so lost in my grief that I couldn't pay any attention to my little girl. She probably felt uncared for."
This made me feel even more sympathy for this guy. I was determined to find his daughter and bring her home. He had lost his wife, but I would not let him lose his daughter.
After obtaining a picture of the young lady, Vienna Avery, from her father along with other information, I got to work. The first thing I did was go through her social media accounts. It appeared she didn't post frequently and in the few pictures she had uploaded to Instagram, she looked very skinny and had an empty look in her eyes, even though she did smile. She apprared to have only a few close friends. The same two girls appeared in the pictures with her again and again.
I asked Vincent about them and he confirmed that they were close friends of Vienna. They had grown up with Vienna, and although they now lived in the next town, they maintained a close friendship. Both girls attended the same college, but lived with their families.
I paid both of them, Ashley and Mariah a visit and asked some standard questions - when was the last time they had seen and/or spoken to her, had she ever talked about leaving town, had she been involved with someone.... etc.
They answered in negatives to all my questions.
As much of a detective cliche it may be, but we do have a knack for sniffing out a lie. Mariah sounded convincing, but Ashley seemed to trying very hard to sound convincing. She knew more than she was telling. And quite possibly, Mariah was too.
For over a weeks, I watched them from a distance. I had my assistant tail them. They went to university, hung out with friends and by and large had very normal lives. I also visited Vienna's favourite places in her own town and asked about her there. Nothing turned up. But just when I thought the trail had gone cold, a change in Mariah's routine occurred.
It appeared Mariah and her family often donated things to local homeless shelters and Mariah was the one who would drop the items off. One Saturday morning, Mariah carried a small canvas bag and walked to the shelter. It looked as though the bag held clothes.
However, she didn't stop at the shelter. She walked past it.
I saw her go into an old apartment building. She was buzzed in and entered.
Was Vienna in this building? Was Mariah taking those clothes to her?
I couldn't enter the building, as no one knew me and would not let me in. So, I decided to just wait. My gut was telling me that this is where I would find Vienna and I just needed to wait for her to come out. My suspicion was strengthened when two days later, I saw Ashley enter that same building.
On the fourth day, it happened. A skinny looking young girl wearing a hoodie stepped out of the building, and walked to the medical store nearby. This was it. I just knew this was Vienna.
I approached her when she came out of the store. I could see her face now, and it really was her.
"Hello Vienna!" I said in a polite tone, "your father is worried about you."
The girl looked like she had seen a ghost.
"Is... is that who sent you?" She asked, looking terrified.
I told her he had.
Before I could say anything else, Vienna threw herself in front of a car passing by.
I screamed as the vehicle hit her.
She lay unconscious on the road as the driver stepped out and began panicking. I called an ambulance and Vienna was rushed to the hospital.
She was alive, but had suffered three broken ribs and a head injury. She remained unconscious for the next few hours.
A thousand questions raced through mind. Why did she look so terrified when she heard that her father was looking for her? Why had that made her attempt suicide?
Before I did anything, I needed to talk to Vienna herself. Which I did, as soon as she regained consciousness.
"Vienna, don't be afraid." I assured her, "please tell me what's going on. Why did you run away? Why did you try to kill yourself?"
The poor girl broke down. Through tears she told me she had run away from her father after being abused by him her entire life. She said she didn't want to face him ever again. By now, Ashley and Mariah were there too. They had been helping Vienna save enough money to be able to leave the state.
When I asked why they hadn't told the cops, Vienna told me she knew it wouldn't do any good. Her father was a very influential man and had a sqeaky clean reputation. No one would believe her. She simply wanted to get away.
Every instinct told me this girl was telling the truth. But I still wanted to be absolutely sure.
First, I asked her friends Ashley and Mariah to tell their parents everything. They did, and their good families were very compassionate towards Vienna. Mariah's parents even moved her into their home.
Meanwhile, I went back to my town and met up with Vincent. I told him I had terrible news, that his daughter had passed away.
I've seen various kinds of reactions from parents who have beeb told that their child will never come home. From heartbreaking cries to silent, stoic acceptance. However, Vincent's reaction defied all expectations.
At first he was silent, as if processing this information. I realized he was contemplating, the wheels in his head were turning. Then, the look in his eyes was replaced by something else. Something that looked like relief. Even glee.
He was happy. Though he tried his best to hide it and play the grieving father, the bastard was happy that his daughter was dead.
This was all the confirmation I needed. Vincent was an abuser. His daughter had bravely tried to escape his grip and he tried to use me to trap her again.
As I began walking out of his home, he said something that I'll never forget.
"Thank you"
He meant it. He was grateful for his daughter being gone. The malicious joy in his voice still haunts me.
But I couldn't dwell on that right then. I had to make sure this monster was brought to justice.
Vienna was no longer alone. Besides her two best friends, she now also had the support of their families. With their gentle encouragement, she began considering the idea of exposing her father. Finally, what convinced her was the possibility that he may have had other victims as well. And her mother's demise may not have been an accident.
When the truth came out, it sent shockvawes throughout the state. Vincent Avery, a wealthy and respected businessman, was outed as a sexual abuser, a human trafficker and possibly the man who murdered his own wife. There was evidence suggesting that the late Sheila Avery had found out what her husband had been up to, and was going to tell the police. Unfortunately, her husband got to her first.
With her father in prison, Vienna is now slowly rebuilding her life with the help of her loyal friends and the community. Her scars are deep, but she's as resilient as they come. Her courage serves as a daily reminder that while evil may sometimes be powerful, goodness is always stronger.