Where is Kate?

It was Tuesday afternoo n, Alice hung up the phone and ran cheerily into the kitchen. Her beloved dad had called from prison. It was the highlight of little Alices week.

Alices dad had unfairly been taken away from her six months previousl y, just before her 10th birthday. He now lived in a big grey house, up on a hill, with steel bars and a giant ogre preventi ng his escape. As well as the weekly phone call, Alice sent him lots of letters and pictures (mostly of her defeating the evil ogre and setting her treasure d dad free)

Alices dad was a wealthy man, even though he had been taken away from her, he was determin ed that he would play a pivotal role in her life. Poor kid, she had already lost her mum he would make sure that she would The years ticked slowly by and Alices dad was still in prison, still maintaini ng his innocenc e.

Alices dad ensured his daughter knew he was innocent and that hed be out by her next birthday. Her next birthday came and went and dad was still in prison. So came the next birthday and the next. The first few years of false hopes and The weekly phone calls continue d, though the conversa tions shifted from prison ogres and bedtime stories to exams and boys.

Around the time of her 17th birthday, Alice began to question the prison system and justice; How could an innocent man be in jail? thought Alice. I am going to help dad get out of prison, I am going to become a lawyer! she announc ed to her gran proudly. Alice told her dad of her new dream,

Alice, you dont have to shape your life for me, there is nothing you can do for me. Do what youre passiona te about, what makes you happy. Nothing would make me happier than to have you home! Alice confident ly proclaim ed was Alice a determin ed child, when she put her mind to somethin g it would take a miracle to change it.

Her Alevels came and went, and of course she did brilliantly . Alice was accepted to study law. Her first two years at universit y went so quickly, Alice enjoyed her course, it was so interesti ng plus she had a ball, made lots of new friends, even met a boy.. It was the first day of her third year and Alice received a letter. Scrawled across the page was Murder is your family!

Everythi ng youre fighting for. Youre fighting to destroy yourself Daddy is a cold blooded killer!

My dad? Never! He was wrongly accused of fraud. Took the fall for the big bosses, but a killer? Not possible! thought Alice Some people have way too much time on their hands. Alice threw the letter in the bin and didnt give it another thought.

Two days later, another letter came through. Australia n undergro und. Melbourn e. MAFIA king!!! This is ridiculou s, none of this is associate d with me or dad. Alice thought aloud. But the most spine chilling of all, at the bottom of the page, were four little words, Your mother is alive!

Alices heart raced, her breath caught in her throat. As she read the note she felt the words choking her one letter at a time, wrapping themselv es tightly around her esophag us Her whole body shook as she tried to compreh end what the letter meant. She reread the note. Your mother is alive!

There it was in black and white. If she dared contempl ate that her mother could be alive then she would have to contempl ate the fact her dad was a murderer .

A feeling of nausea passed over her, the room was spinning, she slid onto the cold floor hoping it would offer some stability. Her arms wrapped around her knees for comfort, her body continue d to shake. Alice was silent.

Suddenly the phone rang, shatterin g the silence. Apprehe nsively she reached for the phone and answere d.

A hard rasping voice greeted Alice with the words Harding e Family and the line went dead. This did not deter Alice as she screame d Who are you?? but of course there was no response .

She urgently scribbled down the ominous message , grabbed her bag and rushed out the door. The law departm ent library had archives upon archives, Alice was bound to find some clues there. There on the front page of the Australia n was the headline Mafia Boss Hardinge to stand trial and a large picture of her dearly loved dad.

Alice was in shock, could it be that her beloved kind father was a mafia boss? It just sounded so ridiculou s. Even if it was true how could she not know?

Alice continue d to read through the hundreds of articles on her father and his life of crime. It was difficult to deny his involvem ent. Alice had to admit her dad wasnt who she once believed he was.

Her phone vibrated, a text message had been received. The message simply said Where is little Kate Anderso n? The message s were getting more ludicrous . Alices inquisitiv e nature got the better of her and she trawled the archives for Little Kate. Unsurpri singly nothing significan t was found, until one article caught her eye.

Kate Anderso n Abducted , playing in her front garden, Tasmani a, Two years old, No clues to her whereab outs, parents still live in hope that little Kate will one day come home. The words ignited Alices thoughts ,a successio n of dynamic reactions within her brain.

Alice knew what she needed to do.

After nearly twenty four hours of travel Alice was outside 23 Harlow Drive. She took a deep breath, gathered her thoughts and proceede d to knock the blue front door and waited. A woman in her fifties opened the door and as soon as Alice saw her she knew, Alice gave a nervous smile and greeted her with Hi mum ..its Kate